Jeep My Overland Project, the RME JKU

[Greg]

Always a good choice with Tom Wood's.

No doubt!

Jeep is looking awesome Greg. You will love the long arm setup on your JKU.

I agree with the removal of the OEM frame brackets being the worst part and taking the longest time to make for a clean installation.

Mike.

I'm loving them already! Looking forward to getting more offroad miles on the new Alpine longarms, I think they'll really increase the comfort.

Nice shaft. I need to get one for my rear, but I'm contemplating mods.

:guilty:

 

[Anchor_Mtn]

Good call on the driveshaft. Replacing both front and rear shafts with 1310 CVs on my JKU was one of the first things I did.

 

[Greg]

Good call on the driveshaft. Replacing both front and rear shafts with 1310 CVs on my JKU was one of the first things I did.

I wanted to swap out the front for a Tom Wood shaft, but took my time getting to it. We will see about the rear shaft, so far it's been touble-free!

 

[Wasatch Penguin]

Hey Greg, I found it over here. Thanks for the link over. So I am going to go with 35's and I am pretty sure it will be KO2s.

My build theme is similar as I said insomuch as I want a comfortable capable overland vehicle that can handle anything Moab has to offer someone who os looking to wheel but not destroy a brand new Jeep. I was leaning to the S/T for the on road ride. I am planning to stay light with aluminum for bumpers...likely R-SE front and rear, maybe a Nebo on top but we will see.

My son and I are putting together a trip from SLC to Prudhoe Bay...nice long trip and for that I have contemplated a rooftop ten tent that would of course add weight. Not sure if that kind of weight would prefer the overland springs. I would certainly consider swapping springs out down the road for that trip if all goes to plan. I tend to think the TF overland springs might be a bit much for my use outside of that particularly considering I am planning to stay on the lighter side at least as far as bumpers.

How do you find the overland springs? and would you recommend the S/T springs or the Overlands for the setup/use I have planned. If the overland springs are something to throw on for a the Alaska trip I would just as soon put the money toward the adjustable arms over the fixed as we discussed earlier.

The big question for the now is with lightweight setup will it be problematic on that TF S/T3 and the Falcons. With that kit is the lightweight going to hurt the ride? From your build thread I think my question is answered as to how it will perform and really seems an ideal setup with 35's. I am in no hurry to chop the fenders...I happen to like the factory flares and in no rush to change. Hoping with a lighter setup on the s/t3 I will have all the clearance I will need to do anything I would be willing to do down in Moab and with any luck the Rubicon come the fall.

Thanks for the time and the feedback.

 

[Greg]

Hey Greg, I found it over here. Thanks for the link over. So I am going to go with 35's and I am pretty sure it will be KO2s.

My build theme is similar as I said insomuch as I want a comfortable capable overland vehicle that can handle anything Moab has to offer someone who os looking to wheel but not destroy a brand new Jeep. I was leaning to the S/T for the on road ride. I am planning to stay light with aluminum for bumpers...likely R-SE front and rear, maybe a Nebo on top but we will see.

My son and I are putting together a trip from SLC to Prudhoe Bay...nice long trip and for that I have contemplated a rooftop ten tent that would of course add weight. Not sure if that kind of weight would prefer the overland springs. I would certainly consider swapping springs out down the road for that trip if all goes to plan. I tend to think the TF overland springs might be a bit much for my use outside of that particularly considering I am planning to stay on the lighter side at least as far as bumpers.

How do you find the overland springs? and would you recommend the S/T springs or the Overlands for the setup/use I have planned. If the overland springs are something to throw on for a the Alaska trip I would just as soon put the money toward the adjustable arms over the fixed as we discussed earlier.

The big question for the now is with lightweight setup will it be problematic on that TF S/T3 and the Falcons. With that kit is the lightweight going to hurt the ride? From your build thread I think my question is answered as to how it will perform and really seems an ideal setup with 35's. I am in no hurry to chop the fenders...I happen to like the factory flares and in no rush to change. Hoping with a lighter setup on the s/t3 I will have all the clearance I will need to do anything I would be willing to do down in Moab and with any luck the Rubicon come the fall.

Thanks for the time and the feedback.

:thumbs:

I'm very happy with the KO2 35" tires with the 3" Teraflex lift, it's a great combo for a JKU that sees plenty of time on the road, as well as offroad. Re-gearing would be wise, I'm still running the stock 4.10's and plan to re-gear to 4.56's this Summer. With 4.10's it's fine around town, but lacking just enough on the freeway.

I feel like I can justify the Outback springs, much of my trips have me driving the JKU over many miles and loaded with a freezer/fridge, tools, recovery gear and camping gear. They're a bit rough with an unloaded Jeep, but put some weight in and they smooth out and support the load quite well. I recently added the Alpine Long arms and they really made a difference with how my Jeep rides, unloaded. For what you're talking about, I see nothing wrong with trying the standard S/T3 springs. If you decide you're going to add quite a bit of gear/weight, then the Outback springs are probably the better option.

I think the S/T3 springs and the Falcon shocks will be alright, the Falcon's will help control the weight... not support, but control. I haven't had experience with the lighter springs, so it's hard for me to say for sure. Hopefully that helps?

 

[mesha]

I am running the S/T3 on my JKU. I like the spring rate and the ride is decent. I have 37s but 35s would have been a good fit. I did highline fenders to clear the 37s.

 

[Greg]

It's been a few months and there have been some changes! Time to update the build thread. The biggest change was upgrading the shocks, I picked up a set of Falcon 2.1 mono-shocks and the Nexus EF steering stabilizer.

My experience and opinion is well documented in the TeraFlex Falcon Shock thread. I'll go ahead and copy what I said here...

So the very first thing we noticed was the new handling characteristics on the freeway... between the Nexus steering stabilizer and the Falcon shocks, the entire Jeep felt much more planted at freeway speeds. Hitting a big rolling bump on the freeway, which before would toss & rock the Jeep around, now made the Jeep react composed and stable. The suspension would compress and then decompress and the Jeep would recover with hardly any drama. Within the first 10 miles my wife in the passenger seat mentioned how different the Wrangler now rode. On I70, heading towards Moab in Utah the speed limit is 80 MPH... previously, my JK rode OK but at speeds over 72-73 (actual speed) the Jeep was a little 'wobbly'. Now with the Falcon shocks and Nexus stabilizer, the Jeep was absolutely planted at up to 85 MPH! Driving over bridges and expansion joints before would create a little wobble in the steering wheel and with the Nexus steering stabilizer, the steering wheel is totally firm.... it doesn't show any indication of upsetting the Jeep. We do a lot of on-road driving to get to destinations, from driving out to the Rubicon last Summer to our trip down to Baja and back, having a Jeep that handles well on the road is very important to me. I still need to put some longer road miles on, but I think long drives will be less stressful due to the way the JKU now drives. This is how a lifted Jeep should ride!

Offroad the result is similar, when you hit a big rock or drop off a ledge the suspension does it's thing and the Falcon shocks control the body sway and unwanted movement with little drama. The suspension reacts and the Falcons control the suspension better than any lesser shocks. You don't get that rocking & rolling that sometimes happens offroad. At a few different places in Moab, we were able to shift into 2 High and get some speed up and the control that the Falcons added to an already good suspension was now impressive... I could drive a lot faster than I should! :freak: It wasn't really warm out, but after a little high-speed driving the shocks seemed very liner with their performance. No changes after trying to get them heated up. I still need to do further high-speed driving to get a better feel for their performance at speed.

One of the things I love about the Nexus stabilizer is how it works with the stock (or upgraded) tie rod, but now is relocated above the axle centerline and behind the tie rod, out of harms way. I've destroyed 2 steering stabilizers in the last couple years in the stock location and feel like the raised Nexus will be very well protected. Also, combining the axle end mount of the Nexus stabilizer with the track bar mount/bolt is genius as well, great use of a big bolt hole!

To wrap it all up, I think the Falcon shocks and Nexus steering stabilizer are nothing short of damn impressive. I doubt there is a better JK shock & stabilizer out there, bolt a set on your JK/JKU and you'll instantly see the difference in how your Wrangler works on road and off.

And my tech, install & on-trail review video...

[video=youtube;_VPdwOiDCSs]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VPdwOiDCSs[/video]


Next up, I picked up a set of body-colored White JK fender flares that were new take-off's. I scored them from John Williams at Impulse Offroad in West Valley, Utah. John has helped me out with parts many times on this build and it's always fun to see what else he is working on. He has a massive network of businesses and can get you almost anything for your build. The removal of the black flares and install of the white ones wasn't too hard, the clips are a bit of a PITA. I think the end result was well worth it, I love how the body-colored flares look!


Lastly, I picked up an ARB Awning (2000 x 2500) from Kurt Williams at Cruiser Outfitters. Kurt and his crew are another great source for quality parts, very knowledgeable and helpful. We talked about what I was looking for, the dimensions of my roof rack and settled on the perfect size.


So here's how it all came together! I drove the JKU to Overland Expo West 2017 in Flagstaff and stopped in Valley of the Gods for the night. The weather was perfect, so I camped out under the ARB Awning and it was simply amazing!

 

[Hickey]

You sure are a good picture takerer!

 

[Greg]

You sure are a good picture takerer!

Thank you Sir!

 

[sawtooth4x4]

That's a good looking jeep. And I'm not a jeep kind of dude.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Greg]

That's a good looking jeep. And I'm not a jeep kind of dude.

Thanks Ross!

I know that's hard to say, as a Land Rover guy....

 

[Anchor_Mtn]

Its amazing how much changing the fenders changes the look of the rig.

 

[Greg]

Its amazing how much changing the fenders changes the look of the rig.

Yeah, it's incredible how much better it looks with such a simple change!

 

[rholbrook]

Yeah, it's incredible how much better it looks with such a simple change!

I really like my body colored fenders and roof. A suggestion to you is to have the leading edges on the front and rear fenders clear bra'd. With as much off roading as you do, they chip fast if you dont. That was one of the first things I did to mine. I also had the front of the door hinges done too. I am at the point where I think I am going to hang my fenders up and get some smaller ones have them painted to match.

 

[Greg]

I really like my body colored fenders and roof. A suggestion to you is to have the leading edges on the front and rear fenders clear bra'd. With as much off roading as you do, they chip fast if you dont. That was one of the first things I did to mine. I also had the front of the door hinges done too. I am at the point where I think I am going to hang my fenders up and get some smaller ones have them painted to match.

I've been thinking about the ClearBra idea, I think my front mud flaps and Teraflex sliders will keep most of the rocks off the rear flares, but ClearBra is cheap insurance.

I've been thinking about color-matching the top White, too.... the previous owner touched up scratches with a rattle can and those spots are showing big time. I'd either do a professional bedliner that was paint matched or possibly Raptor Liner that I'd tint myself and spray on. One is $$$$ and the other would be easy to screw up! We will see.... no rush to color match the top.

 

[Anchor_Mtn]

I like the textured black top simply because you can touch up small scratches easily with a sharpie or paint pen.

 

[Greg]

I like the textured black top simply because you can touch up small scratches easily with a sharpie or paint pen.

That's my issue, the previous owner touched up several scratches on my hardtop... with a rattle can. Those paint spots have now faded and turned to faded paint spots and look like crap. I'm not crazy about painting/covering my hardtop, but if I do it I'm going to White.... sure would be nice to reduce any heat out of the cabin. Bedliner should be pretty hard to scratch, I think it would last well and look good.

 

[Hickey]

The only issue I have with he OEM coating on my hardtop is the durability. It seems to scratch WAY too easy. I wouldn't mind bedlining mine. After all, Mythbusters proved that bedliner is bombproof.

 

[glockman]

Another alternative to clear bra since your jeep is white is to get blank vinyl. Like the stuff they use to cut stickers out. That stuff can be had cheap and thick. I have a friend that used it on the rocker panels on his trucks for years. If it got a little chewed up just cut a new piece, peel and stick.

 

[Greg]

Another alternative to clear bra since your jeep is white is to get blank vinyl. Like the stuff they use to cut stickers out. That stuff can be had cheap and thick. I have a friend that used it on the rocker panels on his trucks for years. If it got a little chewed up just cut a new piece, peel and stick.

That's a damn good idea, thanks Chad!