If you were to build the Ultimate JK....

[Greg]

Lets do a little bench racing/building.... Just for the sake of conversation and to get some ideas out there.

For a little background, I was thinking about the TJ I built up several years ago... many of you know it well. It was built for Moab & hardcore crawling in mind; a GM 5.3 V8, TH350, Atlas, Dana 60's F & R, 3" of lift and 40" tires with lots of sheetmetal removal to keep it low and stable. It was a very fun Jeep to drive, good power and silly-capable.

So here's how I would build my Ultimate JK(U);

Start with a wrecked or 2WD JK Unlimited, swap in a GM 6.0 truck engine with some mods & tuning to make around 450 HP & Ft/Lbs, run a 4L80E and some kind of 3 speed t-case, Tera 60 axles with around 4" of lift and Teraflex longarm suspension. I'd love 40" BFG Krawlers on Hutchinson beadlocks. Probably add some 2" air bumps to soak up big hits and try to build it for some go-fast fun running between trails. I would run a high-quality hydro assist (instead of full hydro like the TJ) to keep it a bit more streetable. Probably run some light-weight & high clearance bumpers, sliders and not a ton of additional body armor, trying to keep it light. Build a quality full cage and leave the doors and top at home!

Makes me think of Chad's JKU we ran with in Moab last October... minus the GM V8 and 60's.

I'd think a JKU with a healthy V8, Dana 60's, 40's and 116" of wheelbase would be amazing on the harder Moab trails! How would you build the ultimate JK?

 

[gcb17]

I'd do similar. I would probably do the Dana Ultimate 60s running some flavor of Swamper in the 38-40" range. (I live in NC now so Swampers work better). There are a handful of coilover conversions that are inexpensive and don't require a lot of fab-work, trial & error, etc... I figure if it's the "ultimate JK", why not spend $4K more and get that kind of adjustability. I love the air-bump idea, but I've never run them so I don't know what I'm missing.

The key for a 4 door JK is lightweight. Fully built the damn thing can weigh 5500-6000 pounds. That's nuts.

 

[frieed]

My ultimate JK is more of an unlimited touring beast and I hope this is possible in three years when I can afford one.

Jeep JKU Rubicon,
Diesel, to extend the cruising range and low end
4" TF longarm lift
34x10.5 BFG KO2's ( unless they introduce a 35x10.5)

I was 5 min from doing this two weeks ago (minus the diesel) but I could not bring myself to trade in my current truck.

 

[Greg]

I'd do similar. I would probably do the Dana Ultimate 60s running some flavor of Swamper in the 38-40" range. (I live in NC now so Swampers work better). There are a handful of coilover conversions that are inexpensive and don't require a lot of fab-work, trial & error, etc... I figure if it's the "ultimate JK", why not spend $4K more and get that kind of adjustability. I love the air-bump idea, but I've never run them so I don't know what I'm missing.

The key for a 4 door JK is lightweight. Fully built the damn thing can weigh 5500-6000 pounds. That's nuts.

Good to hear from you Grant!

Chad's JKU above had the EVO Mfg bolt-on coilovers and it seemed to work very well.

My ultimate JK is more of an unlimited touring beast and I hope this is possible in three years when I can afford one.

Jeep JKU Rubicon,
Diesel, to extend the cruising range and low end
4" TF longarm lift
34x10.5 BFG KO2's ( unless they introduce a 35x10.5)

I was 5 min from doing this two weeks ago (minus the diesel) but I could not bring myself to trade in my current truck.

I love it! I have a similar plan with a 4 door JL pickup with the turbo diesel engine, TeraFlex longarm suspension and 35's! Just have to wait for them to come out... :-\

 

[Skylinerider]

Love Chads ride. I also love Dennis Wood's JKU with the big ol' Hemi and pickup conversion. But my ultimate JK is the Brute double cab from AEV with 60's and a hemi on 37" tires.

 

[Gravy]

Mel Wade's EVO 1 comes to mind.

 

[mbryson]

I'm trying to figure if I'd LOVE mine with some armor and Super Duty axles (or #Teraflex???)

 

[Marsh99]

Ls motor
Tera 60's
3 inch long arm kit, coil overs and air bumps all around
Metal cloak fenders
40 inch tires on beadlocks

 

[RockChucker]

If I was doing a jk, I would probably copy my buddy Skyler. He and his dad just finished up a 4 door on 42s with a 2005 LLY Duramax, Allison and AAM 11.5 rear and 60 front. That thing flat hauls the mail. And it sounds like a Duramax. Hard to beat that! And the tires are so big it goes up just about anything.

In all reality though, my ultimate jk would be similar to Chris durham's super 38. Get rid of the heavy jk frame in lieu of a TJ frame, triangulate the rear, and modify the body heavily to shrink it down as much as possible. I saw that thing in Moab. Pretty cool. Just lots of work...


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[TJDukit]

Read the title and instantly thought of my "future build plan thread" not sure it's titled that at all, but 6.0l, 4l80E, 60's and all the normal goodies came to mind, but I'm thinking more of starting with a JK tub, hood and fenders and just building from there(looking at the timeline of when my build actually starts this might be where I go with it). Guess that probably wouldn't be the most streetable though.

 

[Bart]

Lot's of great thoughts here. I have pondered this same thing for quite a while and my thoughts were similar to your first post Greg and I like Mel Wade's Evo 1 a lot. JKs are HEAVY, so any weight that could be stripped away would be a plus, with the exception of the AC. I like the high horse power motors like the LS that are lighter than most V8s. I would stick with an Atlas because you can usually get to the gear range you want, the weight saving is substantial, and it's a simple setup. Low center of gravity, but it's LONG so not stupid low, big axles, and the long arm suspension of choice. I think you would need 40s also.

 

[UNSTUCK]

All the lists above sound good. And the best part is that they are out there and for sale. Buy one of them and save yourself 50%.

 

[sawtooth4x4]

Start with a 2006 F350 SRW frame. Remove cab and bed. Shorten frame. Put 44" tires on it. Regear it. Put a Range Rover Classic body on it.

Oh wait, you said a Jeep.

 

[Greg]

Love Chads ride. I also love Dennis Wood's JKU with the big ol' Hemi and pickup conversion. But my ultimate JK is the Brute double cab from AEV with 60's and a hemi on 37" tires.

I like the build you mentioned, the Brute double cab!!

Mel Wade's EVO 1 comes to mind.

Ah, yes... the racing JK that took a roll at the '15 KOH and kept going!

I'm trying to figure if I'd LOVE mine with some armor and Super Duty axles (or #Teraflex???)

That would be hard for me to justify, taking a new(ish) ($$$) JKU and building it for HARD trail duty...

Ls motor
Tera 60's
3 inch long arm kit, coil overs and air bumps all around
Metal cloak fenders
40 inch tires on beadlocks

If I was doing a jk, I would probably copy my buddy Skyler. He and his dad just finished up a 4 door on 42s with a 2005 LLY Duramax, Allison and AAM 11.5 rear and 60 front. That thing flat hauls the mail. And it sounds like a Duramax. Hard to beat that! And the tires are so big it goes up just about anything.

In all reality though, my ultimate jk would be similar to Chris durham's super 38. Get rid of the heavy jk frame in lieu of a TJ frame, triangulate the rear, and modify the body heavily to shrink it down as much as possible. I saw that thing in Moab. Pretty cool. Just lots of work...

I'd love to see the Duramax JKU!! I'll have to check out Durhams Super 38.

Read the title and instantly thought of my "future build plan thread" not sure it's titled that at all, but 6.0l, 4l80E, 60's and all the normal goodies came to mind, but I'm thinking more of starting with a JK tub, hood and fenders and just building from there(looking at the timeline of when my build actually starts this might be where I go with it). Guess that probably wouldn't be the most streetable though.

Lot's of great thoughts here. I have pondered this same thing for quite a while and my thoughts were similar to your first post Greg and I like Mel Wade's Evo 1 a lot. JKs are HEAVY, so any weight that could be stripped away would be a plus, with the exception of the AC. I like the high horse power motors like the LS that are lighter than most V8s. I would stick with an Atlas because you can usually get to the gear range you want, the weight saving is substantial, and it's a simple setup. Low center of gravity, but it's LONG so not stupid low, big axles, and the long arm suspension of choice. I think you would need 40s also.

I agree Bart, there needs to be a balance of lift height and belly clearance... decently low COG but still tall enough that it's not hanging up on everything. Kinda thinking 42's or even 43's to make up for the massive amount of wheelbase!

All the lists above sound good. And the best part is that they are out there and for sale. Buy one of them and save yourself 50%.