- Location
- Grand Junction, CO
I'm fortunate enough to have a chance to build a JKU and my plan is to put together a vehicle that will fit my needs perfectly. I have a few attributes that will outline what I'm focusing on with the final product, all modifications will be done with these ideas in mind.
Many of you are familiar with how I've used my vehicles in the past, most of my trips are either day or weekend trips over the San Juan mountains of Colorado, the amazing Red Rock deserts of Utah and sometimes beyond... like week-long adventures exploring the dirt tracks and remote offroad trails of Baja, Mexico. I'll be building this JKU to take me to those places in comfort and with the knowledge that this Jeep will make it thru without issue. It won't be a 'rock crawler' by any means, but living so close to Moab it will probably spend some time on the trails in the area.
I'm starting with a 2012 Jeep JKU Rubicon with an automatic trans, hardtop, 38k miles and a few mods from the first owner, which include a 2.5" TeraFlex Budget Boost lift using stock springs and shocks. Of course being a Rubicon it had front & rear diff locks, a 4 to 1 transfer case, 4.10 ring & pinion gears and an electric disconnect anti-sway bar. It's a pretty good base to build from!
I bought it from a dealer in SLC who bought it at auction and after doing my research, came to find out that since new this was actually a rental Jeep at Canyonlands Jeep Rental in Moab!
Now any sane person would probably walk away, but I was interested. I know how I'd drive a rental Jeep and knowing it was used (and abused) in Moab for the first 37k miles of it's life was pretty unnerving. Moab trails can be brutal on vehicles, let alone someone who doesn't own it or care for it like a persona vehicle. A good friend stopped by to check it out and we noted that the undercarrige and skid plates were all scraped up and dented... even the crossmembers are pretty beat up. On top of that, both lower control arms are BENT on the passenger side! This Jeep looks most other Jeeps would look like after 150k miles with weekend offroad use. There is no doubt that it has been used often offroad.
After talking about the condition, history and needs of the Jeep we settled on a fair price and I went into it knowing that it was going to need a good deal of work getting it in top shape again. In my mind, it's going to need all new suspension, steering, ball joints, etc, etc. I wouldn't doubt that even the front axle is no longer perfectly straight, so there may be an upgraded Tera 44 front axle housing in the future.
My basic build plan will include the following, with other supporting mods to come over time;
I'm a big believer in supporting the local businesses and people in the local 4WD community and am going to do my best to keep my purchases local. I will also probably toss on a few RME 4x4 stickers to promote the forum in our travels.
- Factory Reliability, for minimal issues when traveling far into the back country.
- Freeway Friendly, comfortable and drivable for those long roadtrips to reach new places.
- Excellent Suspension, capable of carrying us and our gear while running long distances over rough trails.
- Highly Capable for those very difficult trail situations.
- Simple, Clean and Quality mods that serve a purpose.
Many of you are familiar with how I've used my vehicles in the past, most of my trips are either day or weekend trips over the San Juan mountains of Colorado, the amazing Red Rock deserts of Utah and sometimes beyond... like week-long adventures exploring the dirt tracks and remote offroad trails of Baja, Mexico. I'll be building this JKU to take me to those places in comfort and with the knowledge that this Jeep will make it thru without issue. It won't be a 'rock crawler' by any means, but living so close to Moab it will probably spend some time on the trails in the area.
I'm starting with a 2012 Jeep JKU Rubicon with an automatic trans, hardtop, 38k miles and a few mods from the first owner, which include a 2.5" TeraFlex Budget Boost lift using stock springs and shocks. Of course being a Rubicon it had front & rear diff locks, a 4 to 1 transfer case, 4.10 ring & pinion gears and an electric disconnect anti-sway bar. It's a pretty good base to build from!
I bought it from a dealer in SLC who bought it at auction and after doing my research, came to find out that since new this was actually a rental Jeep at Canyonlands Jeep Rental in Moab!
Now any sane person would probably walk away, but I was interested. I know how I'd drive a rental Jeep and knowing it was used (and abused) in Moab for the first 37k miles of it's life was pretty unnerving. Moab trails can be brutal on vehicles, let alone someone who doesn't own it or care for it like a persona vehicle. A good friend stopped by to check it out and we noted that the undercarrige and skid plates were all scraped up and dented... even the crossmembers are pretty beat up. On top of that, both lower control arms are BENT on the passenger side! This Jeep looks most other Jeeps would look like after 150k miles with weekend offroad use. There is no doubt that it has been used often offroad. After talking about the condition, history and needs of the Jeep we settled on a fair price and I went into it knowing that it was going to need a good deal of work getting it in top shape again. In my mind, it's going to need all new suspension, steering, ball joints, etc, etc. I wouldn't doubt that even the front axle is no longer perfectly straight, so there may be an upgraded Tera 44 front axle housing in the future.
My basic build plan will include the following, with other supporting mods to come over time;
- TeraFlex Outback Suspension System which provides a 3" lift heights, heavy rate springs, TeraFlex Speed bumps, limiting straps, etc.
- 35" BFGoodrich KO2 All Terrain tires
- Warn XD9000 winch with synthetic rope from MasterPull
- TeraFlex bumpers front & rear with TeraFlex tire carrier
- Improved on and offroad lighting
- Various upgrades to support extended trips
I'm a big believer in supporting the local businesses and people in the local 4WD community and am going to do my best to keep my purchases local. I will also probably toss on a few RME 4x4 stickers to promote the forum in our travels.
