Overhaulin' (AEV Style) '08 Jeep Green Metallic "Overland" build

[Imajeepnut]

When I bought my JKU Rubicon new, I loved the Jeep Green Metallic color...but I was less than excited with the 3.8. I decided to keep it and drive it until the original tires were worn out...and then do a major overhaul. Well...7 years and 30,000 miles later, I need new tires

My plans are to make this our family camping/overland Jeep...and leave it stored out West...waiting for us to fly out and explore some of the National Parks. Years from now, our children(and my wife and I) will look back at these excursions and enjoy all the memories. I want to find a vinyl wrap company to make some creative topo overlays so that my two children can place sticker points on the places that we've seen.

The AEV overhaul:

5.7 Hemi, auto
4:88 gear upgrade with factory lockers
Dynatrac prorock front 44 with RCV shafts
Dynatrac big brake kit
4.5" with 37" KM2s
JK350 pkg. - both bumpers, with silver Savegre or Salta wheels to be determined.
Rear gas carrier.(I may need two!)


Camping upgrades:
Gobi rack with Eezi Awn 2200 Xclusive roof top tent...sleeps 4 comfortably, and has an annex.


Adventure Trailers parts:
Rear cargo drawer
Rear cargo shelf
National Luna 52 fridge/freezer combo
Chaser trailer with water and gas, and other stuff.


I listed most of the important stuff to ask you seasoned overlanders a few questions. The 5.7 is no diesel and may seem somewhat ridiculous for overlanding. The gas mileage won't be that much worse than my 3.8, but it will give me the power I need to haul and pull the loaded trailer everywhere. Plus...I've been waiting for this 5.7 for a long time! I live in the foothills of the Appalachian/Blue Ridge mountains...so while the jeep is out here on the East coast, it won't see much interstate driving.

1. I plan to do some mild wheeling during some of our trips. With 37's, a loaded Jeep, and a trailer...I felt like the 4:88's were a happy medium. I might stick with 4:56's if I was just driving around town...but I learned from my last trail Jeep build and this time I won't go too low. When our journeys are over, I think the 4:88's are still drivable here in the mountains. Thoughts?

2. Am I OK relying on the KM2's out on the sharp rocks? Or, would a heavier tire like the Trail Grappler be safer? I'll have one spare to share between the Jeep and the trailer.

3. It's hard to keep the COG low with 37's and 4.5" of lift...plus the weight of the roof top tent. Do you think I could run a 3.5" lift with bumpstops from the 4.5" kit...and be comfortable with all the packed weight plus 4 people? Would I be hitting the bumpstops too often?


The Jeep is headed to AEV in two weeks, so I thought I'd get some final feedback before it gets there. Once the Jeep hits their facility, change orders cost $$$. I can make changes up until that point.


Thanks for taking the time to offer your thoughts

Jeff in GA

 

[joejeep92]

Impressive list of mods. Sounds like a very formidable and fun rig. However, the old saying among technicians who have worked on Chrysler products for a while is stay away from anything ending in 7...2.7, 4.7...5.7.

 

[Imajeepnut]

Don't say that! lol I've never heard that saying...but maybe I should hear more? Are they just hard to work on...or is it a reliability issue? Please continue!! lol Could I just swap the stickers to ones that say 5.6 VVT?

 

[Yarjammer]

You can run 37s with a 2.5" lift and flat fender flares (cut stockers or MCEs). If you are going with a 4.5" lift and 37s I would recommend moving the RTT to the trailer. I'm running a 2.5" lift, 35s, and Gobi and deploying and stowing the tent can be quite challenging at times being only 5'9". You will definitely get used to using the Jeep as a jungle gym. FWIW, guys up here have had great success with Goodyear MTRs in the PNW and on their semi-annual pilgrimages to Moab.

 

[joejeep92]

Reliability and longevity are the main issues. They aren't that bad to work on, just not something I would buy as a technician for sure. The stickers would certainly help haha

 

[Imajeepnut]

I'll get to work on the stickers! If I use the 6.4 sticker, I might get a little more torque

It's a moot point now...the 5.7 is going in in a couple of weeks. But...for conversation or comparison...as a technician, what kind of well maintained mileage do you see from these Hemi engines? I thought the 4.7's in the Grand Cherokees were good engines. Neither the 4.7 nor the 5.7 will match the longevity of the 4.0L...I assume.

 

[wADVr]

4.5" lift is not necessary in my opinion. I've been running 3.5" with true to size 37" MTRs with stock flares for some time and it works great. Even loaded down with family of 4 plus dogs plus a light weight trailer for a week long excursion it sits just fine(the lack of power from the 3.8 is an other story though). Now I have MCE flat fenders and am looking into downsizing to 2.5". As for a reliable durable tire I'd look at the goodyear MTRs. I am on my second set and am very happy with their performance both on the road and off.

 

[Imajeepnut]

T&A-XJ.....Would you happen to have a pic of your JK with the stock flares and 37's with your 3.5" lift?
__________________________________________________________________________________

My Stats:
My RTT with annex........................................255lb
National Luna 52L dry.................................... 60lbs.
AT drawer system and rack dry weight approx.. 50lbs?
AEV gas caddy full.........................................73lbs
Highlift jack.................................................. 32lbs.
Our gear...who knows! ................................. 200lbs
Front AEV bumper ...........................................92lbs
Winch is approx.............................................. 90lbs
Rear bumper and tire carrier is ........................120lbs
37" KM2 (71lbs) Savegre wheel (35lbs)............106lbs.
Gobi rack as spec'd.........................................145lbs.
FoxWing awning...............................................40lbs.
Misc. weight not accounted for..........................120lbs.
Family of 4.....................................................520lbs.

Total weight/load ...........................................1,903lbs.


When I get the trailer, there will be some tongue weight also...but I'm not sure how to estimate that.

_________________________________________________________________________________________
Do you think that would sag the 3.5" lift to cause excessive bump stop contact? It's amazing how much extra weight you carry when you actually itemize everything by weight. Still...I'd love to be able to run a 3.5" to keep everything a little lower to the ground. Would any of you consider the 3.5" & 37" tire combo with this load?

Thanks

 

[wADVr]

The attached picture( sorry if it is huge I'm on an iPad and not sure how to resize the attachment) is from a couple years back when fully loaded down with the exception of the soft top. I will say I am lighter than your list as I do not have a RTT, rack or extra fuel but otherwise pretty close to the same weights. I pull a snowmobile trailer and a utility trailer from time to time and the tongue weight doesn't seem to effect the ride height much at all.

 

[Imajeepnut]

Good looking JK. So is that the AEV 3.5" lift? I like the overall stance.

 

[MOguy]

From my experiences camping and long distance driving is if you can take a trailer pack as much of the "camping" stuff in there as possible and as many personal or comfort items in your jeep as possible. If you occupants have what they want within reach it will make for a far better experience for everybody.

I would worry less about the jeep and more about your trailer. Comfort is a big deal to some especially a wife and kids. Your passengers will not remember how wonderful your jeep drove and how much power it had, but they will remember the time you spend camping. You can have the best jeep money can buy but if you camping setup sucks your memories may not be a wonderful as you want them to be.

I would also find a way to bring along bicycles for each person.

 

[wADVr]

Yes the AEV 3.5" with standard Bilstien shocks. I will be upgrading to FOX remote reservoir

 

[Imajeepnut]

Hey MoGuy.... I agree. Comfort is paramount for them, and I will be the first to say that the JK isn't the most comfortable platform to start with...but I like the JK's size and potential. We started out with a large pop-up camper last year...bathroom and shower, plenty of room for the girls, slide out dinette, and very comfortable. I love primitive camping, but for the girls...the transition from pop-up "glamping" to rooftop tent will have to be well thought out on my part. I like being prepared, but I'm sure I'll let something slip...so I welcome any advice from you Dad's out there who have already done this! Enjoying Jeeps as I do, I'm excited about the conversion... but the end goal is to have fun, safe trips with little chance of breakdowns while out on the trail. To me...having to work on the Jeep while they set with nothing to do would make them anxious...and cause worry for everyone. Also...I plan to give them something to focus on, like learning to navigate trails, geocaching, or simply getting to the next site so they can place the sticker on the Jeep. They both are very artistic...so stopping to sketch a landscape or taking cool pictures will interest them. All that will help lessen the seat fatigue during the long drives(hopefully). I agree that bikes are a plus. My girls like to hike, so we are researching the areas with short day hikes. I also want to take a canoe so we can get out on some of the lakes where possible. With the trailer we can carry comfortable chairs, tables, plenty of shade, GAS, LP gas, and other fun stuff. I've found a secure blind for them to take short showers and to use as a bathroom. For them, just knowing that they will always have a private way to use the bathroom, or a way to shower off the dust and sweat from the day, will help them to feel good about being so far out off road.

The whole reason for doing this in the first place is to make memories while we have them with us. I'm all ears and welcome any advice!

Thanks,
Jeff

 

[Imajeepnut]

T&A-XJ... You aren't the only one I know that is switching to Fox shocks. Please tell me how you like them once you get them installed. I'm trying the remote Bilstiens that come with the kit...but others have said that with a heavy load, they let the Jeep rock side-to-side too much. The Fox shocks seem to be the fix for most users.

 

[MOguy]

Hey MoGuy.... I agree. Comfort is paramount for them, and I will be the first to say that the JK isn't the most comfortable platform to start with...but I like the JK's size and potential. We started out with a large pop-up camper last year...bathroom and shower, plenty of room for the girls, slide out dinette, and very comfortable. I love primitive camping, but for the girls...the transition from pop-up "glamping" to rooftop tent will have to be well thought out on my part. I like being prepared, but I'm sure I'll let something slip...so I welcome any advice from you Dad's out there who have already done this! Enjoying Jeeps as I do, I'm excited about the conversion... but the end goal is to have fun, safe trips with little chance of breakdowns while out on the trail. To me...having to work on the Jeep while they set with nothing to do would make them anxious...and cause worry for everyone. Also...I plan to give them something to focus on, like learning to navigate trails, geocaching, or simply getting to the next site so they can place the sticker on the Jeep. They both are very artistic...so stopping to sketch a landscape or taking cool pictures will interest them. All that will help lessen the seat fatigue during the long drives(hopefully). I agree that bikes are a plus. My girls like to hike, so we are researching the areas with short day hikes. I also want to take a canoe so we can get out on some of the lakes where possible. With the trailer we can carry comfortable chairs, tables, plenty of shade, GAS, LP gas, and other fun stuff. I've found a secure blind for them to take short showers and to use as a bathroom. For them, just knowing that they will always have a private way to use the bathroom, or a way to shower off the dust and sweat from the day, will help them to feel good about being so far out off road.

The whole reason for doing this in the first place is to make memories while we have them with us. I'm all ears and welcome any advice!

Thanks,
Jeff

No real advice just cautions. I would like to make the transition to "lighter" camping myself. My oldest boy is on board, my youngest can't sit still that long for in the Jeep for too long.

At this point it is leave the wife and young one at home and head out on overnighters with the older one and pack in and out of the TJ. Eventually it will probably be me and the boys and the wife stays home. We camp in a hybrid and have a 4Runner for a tow vehicle. My wife is good with that but not going to push her to go any lighter at this time.