Building a jku for over landing

Scout19D-2009

New member
Hey everyone I'm trying to build my jku for over landing not specific crawling but an all around balanced build for all terrains and camping any idea or parts list or well known shops on the east coast that y'all know if I'm open to all information
 
If it were me I would do
3" lift
35's(Bfg AT, duratracs, exo grapplers, or the like)
Rear locker
10k winch
A good bag of recovery gear (snatch blocks, tree savers, gloves, shackles etc)
And a roofrack/rooftop tent


That's where I would start. As for shops on the east coast I'm in Canada so I can't help you there. That's just my opinion, that setup would allow you to get your ground clearance up and recover yourself from any sticky situations.
 
That's kind of what I did with mine. Not a jk, but more or a trail rig rather than a crawler. Lots of tools, recovery gear, etc. I backpack year round so I applied that kind of preparedness to my rig.
 
If it were me I would do
3" lift
35's(Bfg AT, duratracs, exo grapplers, or the like)
Rear locker
10k winch
A good bag of recovery gear (snatch blocks, tree savers, gloves, shackles etc)
And a roofrack/rooftop tent


That's where I would start. As for shops on the east coast I'm in Canada so I can't help you there. That's just my opinion, that setup would allow you to get your ground clearance up and recover yourself from any sticky situations.

I agree with all of this except the rooftop tent. They negatively affect the handling too much for my liking and for the cost you could get a damn nice tent.

I use a 4 man Coleman pop up tent that folds into a large disc which fits above the rollcage with either the hardtop or soft top on.
 
Everybody knows u need a snorkel & a roof rack to be an Overlander:) (just kidding)

ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1459081130.913671.jpg

If you are more into mild trails and camping, u could really just start with some rubicon takeoffs and spend the budget on a winch, recovery gear, and camping gear. Then let your experiences dictate how to build for your needs.
 
Where exactly are you going to "overland" on the east coast? You can't get more than a few miles away from civilization.
 
Everybody knows u need a snorkel & a roof rack to be an Overlander:) (just kidding)

View attachment 194822

If you are more into mild trails and camping, u could really just start with some rubicon takeoffs and spend the budget on a winch, recovery gear, and camping gear. Then let your experiences dictate how to build for your needs.

Is the picture an optical illusion or does your front tire wear look completely uneven passenger vs. driver?
 
Is the picture an optical illusion or does your front tire wear look completely uneven passenger vs. driver?

What u got eagle eyes or something.... Yes, when I got the tires used, they had 10k miles on 4 and 500 miles on one. No idea why the previous owner waited so long to rotate in the 5th but at the price I paid, I wasn't asking any questions.
 
What does that mean? Lol

A painfully rough ride that forces you to creep along a trail to keep your kidneys intact. If you get onto some rocks, it means catching your control arm drop brackets on them. But, you can load up your Jeep and it won't "look" saggy in the rear. Trust me, I had the unfortunate pleasure of wheeling a Jeep with an AEV kit installed last week and boy, did it ever make me miss my Jeep.

To the OP, the best thing I can recommend is that you just think more in terms of what will give you an "all around balanced build for all terrains and camping" and NOT something so specific to a cool sounding name.
 
The thing I don't get with AEV is how much their lift's cost and it's drop brackets not actual control arms.
 
Only you will know what is best for you. A stock Jeep is so much more capable than what people seem to give it credit for. Too many people feel that they have to get a lift, tires, gears, lockers and other assorted doo dads to make it capable. I myself am more of an overlander. My Jeep is still fairly stock. I travel with my Jeep, camp, ride trails etc... I have the max tow package so my factory suspension is pretty stiff to begin with. I recommend loading up your camping gear and whatever else normally would carry and enjoy the Jeep. If you are by yourself, a winch, recovery gear, portable air compressor with a plug kit and tools is highly recommended. Even though you have a spare, it is not unheard of to blow two or more tires. As you go to different places, you will discover the items that will fit you best. You will then be more informed through personal experience as to what kind of lift, tires, and equipment you want.
AEV was suggested as and overland oriented company. While that may be true, there are many qualifiers needed. Most don't know that the 2.5" differs from the 3.5"-4.5" as far as ride stiffness. The 2.5" is designed around lighter weight rigs and rides pretty well but still a little stiff for many. Swapping the shocks out is common. As was stated previously, the 3.5 and up are very stiff due to being designed for heavier rigs. A friend of mine put an AEV 3.5 and 35" tires on his stock Jeep and was very unhappy. He had me drive it to help him figure out how to soften it up. I thought my kidneys were going to bleed if I drove it any more than a few minutes. My first response to him was, "You bought the wrong lift for your setup." I like AEV but it's not always the answer. In this case, Rancho 9000 shocks made a huge difference and now he is looking at EVO plush ride coils. He could have just bought an EVO kit or one of the other kits designed for plush ride. The moral is, don't run out and buy things until you have some experience with the stock Jeep to decide what is right for you.
 
I'm doing something similar with mine. I have a roof rack and will be moving to 35s or 37s. Build thread on here if interested. I think Sharkey does a lot of camping and stuff too and has a build thread.
 
Dad duties have taken the place of much of my camping for the last decade, but that is slowly changing based on the increasing ages of my kids. I'm definitely trying to build an all around camping rig, but I don't see the actual suspension part of it being different in any material respect than most rigs that actually see off-road travel. 35-37's running on the enforcer or enforcer pro (if I had the coin, I'd be all over a double through down and a 60/80 axle combo).

It's some of the other stuff I'm doing on the interior that I would say separates my Jeep from some of the others.
 
Winch,spot lights, flood lights, dual battery, at least a 2.5 lift, snorkel, tranny cooler, roof rack, rear bumper with hitch, incase you want to overland with a tent trailer, Jerry can mounts on rear bumper, water tanks, shovel mounts , jack, traction pads ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1459118059.633386.jpg ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1459118087.903076.jpgImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1459118120.778755.jpg
 
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