PHASE 2 Coming soon!
Well.....19,000 miles later, going to change it up a bit.
I had an opportunity to move to the beach bringing me MUCH closer to my daughter, but i have a 900 mile/week commute back to Philly everyday. I Don't mind the ride at all, but changed my vehicle needs. With the 3.21 gears and the KM2's averaging right about 20mpg thats nearly 100% highway driving and i don't think you can get any lighter JKU than what I'm running. Power band is off a little but not as HORRIBLE as I thought it would be. I'm probably never going to be in the rocks again at Rausch Creek so, beach buggy is where I'm headed with the build. And the Island I am living on, North Wildwood NJ does tend to flood so.....I'll touch on how well everything performed so far.
MCE flares A++ i got the carbon look models and I think they look ok with my black Jeep, but wouldn't do that color again, just my personal preference. How do they hold up? AWESOME!! They have been backed into TWICE and popped right back to shape with no marks, scuffs or creases. Both times the women thanked me to death to not have to report the incident. Also its been HOT here and they hold shape perfectly, no sag.
Bestop vinyl seats have also been 100%, rain(lots) sand, sliding in and out, look as good as the day I put them in. For what they are, fairly inexpensive. Think JEEP ought to offer vinyl as an option. The spice color gets compliments also helps keep them cooler than a darker color. Think i would have gone with a fold and tumble rear bench if i had to do over but the fixed back matches front lowbacks perfectly. I have CROWN lap belts, they're fading a little but again, open to the shore air/elements, no rust.
Bestop front canvas doors, well......they fit good, hold out weather good, loud as f#%k at 70mph, but hey, we're all big boys here. Expensive for what they are, but I like the two piece design for in vehicle storage.
Savvy aluminum rears, fit perfectly, I got a really good deal on a set of first gen(no exterior handles) I wanted a clean look. But they do rattle and no knock against them, I imagine the 2ndGen don't and i intend to use weather stripping to remedy but its summer and hardly notice. I etch primed them then rattle canned them, holding up real well.
Dynomax 39522 kit, it uses the 17263 muffler, got a good price from amazon, same as everyone else has reviewed, hard getting old stuff off, this goes right on. It's loud(I'm 46), especially from a cold start at 4am, ask my neighbors, once warmed up, its fine at idle, drone up to about 1300rpm, wot sounds "COOL mister", i would go quieter if I redid, but think its quieting down, or I've just gotten used to it.
AR23's decent wheel, holding up well,I was expecting pitting and issues from being on the beach and the flooding down here(saltwater), but they look good as new. But being a 15" wheel the balancing weights need to be placed as to not rub the calipers.
BFG KM2"s(35"x12.5R15) great tires, we had 29" snow in a weekend and i didn't get stuck once, was pulling folks out, no lockers. I've put 15,000 highway miles on them and would say they have 60% tread left, wearing evenly. For what they are, not too loud.
Crawler Conceptz Stubby front and rear bumpers. I originally was going to weld up "C" channel bumpers but after looking at various pics, they look like dog balls, I got great deal on these as well. the front is a good bit bigger(depth) than I like and I intend to modify it eventually, but for now they'll do. I por15'd them and rattle canned them, that came out poorly so i brushed them with rustoleum, look like poop, but no rust! lol
Craigslist is your friend.....I got front freedom panels, albeit a different color for $300, and a beat up rear section for$200 i welded up load bars and bolted them on for kayak transport
ON TO THE NEXT.....
Teraflex 2.5" coil lift
Bilstein 5100's
Teraflex forged front track bar
Rancho control arm mounts
AR NOVA wheels 17"x8" 4.5"bs 23lb or 29lb? I've seen different weights online.
Toyo Open Country RT 37"x12.5R17 measure exactly 36" static, 76lb I intend to weigh the combo and ill update. Again my intended use is mainly beach, some snow and a lot of highway so I went with an AT tire with a 45,000 mi warranty that I'm going to put to the test.
I didn't try, but i believe the 37's would fit without a lift. The MCE flares give so much room(i did NOT reinstall front wheel well liners) and my JK is so light.
And since I will continue the epic commute I'm going to regear to 4.56's, not popular, but fits my needs. Going to keep the open carriers weld on upper C gussets as I'm easy on the go pedal, think the D30 should hold up fine. Some pics