Jeep Wrangler JK - fromt 33" to 37"

[Foley]

Jeep Wrangler JK 2 Door CRD - from 33" to 37"

Hi Jeepers,

i hope it's okay to post build from outside the USA. I hope i dont miss the rules.

So, afters 2 1/2 years of build, my JK is nearly finished. Some small details still have to be done, but mostly the JK is finished.

In 2014 i bought this 2 Door JK Rubicon. The plan was to build a nice looking overlander and also a good driving daily driver that is street legal in Germany.


In the first stage i startet to go with:

- 2,5 AEV suspension
- AEV Front Bumper
- Warn Tabor winch
- AEV Rearbumper and tire carrier
- AEV Snorkel
- 33" M/Ts
- Gobi roof rack
- Wide Xenon flat fenders to get more room to flex
- White Nuckel Offroad rock slider
- some extra light front and back



The result of conversion:

Well - the first stage wasn't done by a day. There was some (big) problems to fix.

1. After 9000km one of the AEV shocks snaped and another one was leaking. So i had to replace them. I decided to go with FOX 2.0 Shocks - and finally the ride with the AEV suspension get a lot better.

2. I decided to go with the Currie Antirock Swaybar in the back to get more flex. But the mounts of the roof rack dont fit with the Currie Swaybar. At this point i didn't noticed thath Gobi makes some several mounts for the JK. So i bolted the roof rack directly into the rear bumper. I wasn't looked the best way, but it works. Now the JK can flex really nice at the back:

3. The last big issue was my airfilter. I work in the forest and on thath dusty lime roads the stock filter wans't so good. With the stock filter it looks like that after one month:

It looks easy to go with the Jeep J8 Airbox, but you have to chance a lot under the hood. Also it was easy to get the Airbox but it was impossible to geht the scoop (at this time). Some things i cant name in english hade to change there place under the hood. For the battery there was no more room, so the battery goes to the trunk of the Jeep.

Well, i think it's easier to show some pictures.

Make room for the airbox:

The sweet looking airbox:

The batterys in the back:

To grab something at the front: 4 months ago i finde G Joseph Betar from Classic Motors who had the original J8 Scoop and he send it to Germany. Big thanks!

For a comparison:

I will recplace the old scoop in the next few weeks.



... to be continued.


Thanks for reading.


Best regards
Frederic

 

[VeruGE*144]

Jeep Wrangler JK - fromt 33" to 37"

Nice build, my Jeep used to be AEV as well. I just changed it up and made into more of a rock crawler look since it's Not really a daily driver anymore.
Build threads are for everybody, no worries there. Everybody is welcome here. I am from Poland originally, so I used to be your neighbor pretty much.
May I suggest you stop by 'Give us a Wave' section of the forum and introduce yourself. Welcome to Wayalife [emoji112]


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[Ddays]

Really cool to see a build from another country. It's interesting to see what you do differently and what parts are available overseas. Agree on the Wave section - stop by and introduce yourself.

 

[cozdude]

Really cool to see a build from another country. It's interesting to see what you do differently and what parts are available overseas. Agree on the Wave section - stop by and introduce yourself.

Couldn't agree more! They have some different builds due to laws with having to run full fenders and bumpers. Makes for a different style build as well

 

[Foley]

Hi,

Thanks for the nice reception.

cozdude, you are right. In Germany you cant go with short fender, stubbys, stingers or things that havent pass the TÜV. So, there is no way to go with coil overs or long arm suspension .. Here are just 4 or 5 legal suspensions on the market.


LG

 

[Foley]

...

So, after the J8 Airbox was installed, the next thing i didnt like, was the finish from the Xenon fenders. It looks like cheep plastik. Well, after some searching i decided to paint (or let paint) the Fender with Line-X. Line-X is a kind of Pickup bedliner.

I think it was the right decision. The Line X makes the fenders also a litte stiffer.

One Problem: You cant do Line X by your own. So, i used Herculiner to paint the inner fender. Its also a very strong stuff. Ideal for the inner fenders - no paint brakes.

With the result I am satisfied.

On a rainie day i looked for some JK pictures from the cool US Guys who rock crawling. And ... i saw the PS Body Mounted Tire Carrier. Damn - i need this thing. It was easier than imagined to get thees thing. After painting, i bolted it on. A little trimming to the Gobi ladder was necessary.

I'm not 100% satisfied by the color. I think the carrier need a repaint to match the AEV Bumper.

To fit the German laws, the 3 brake light was necessary. I can't go with the original PS 3 brake light because the "E-Mark" was missing.

To fit the Rigid Industries cubes light, i build a simple mount.

Now stage 1 is done. But a Jeep is never finish. Time to test the Jk in "Langenaltheim" - a German offroad park.

I think my license plate need another place

After this ride, i realize: I really, really, really need more ground clearance.


Stay tuned to see how a 2,5" AEV Lift meets 37" tires ..


to be continued ...

 

[H8ROADS]

Sweet build. Love the CRD


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[Destroyer]

Really enjoyed reading your thread. Keep it up!



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[thereich]

You're not allowed to post that German version with the diesel in it.. because theres a lot of jealousy here in the states... Just messing with ya, you have a very nice functional build my friend!

 

[Labricon]

Jeep Wrangler JK - fromt 33" to 37"

Looks good. Can't wait to see you stuff 37's under it. I have the AEV 2.5" lift with 35's and the wheel wells look pretty full but that on a 4 door

Edit for spelling AEV wrong[emoji37]
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[Foley]

...

before i start with the 37" story i want to tell you, that i picked up a set of Mopar Half Doors in December 2016 =) I love them. The upper window is a used set i bought on ebay for 70€ (thats about 80$ i think), the mirror are from ebay to. Cheep china mirros for 40€ each, to keep the costs low. Unfortunately i didnt found used half doors, so i had to buy them new for 1900€- that hurts.



So, if you life in Germany and you want 37" ... choosing tires is easy. There are just 5 with "E-Mark". BFG KM2 M/T, Cooper STT and STT Pro, Maxxis Trepador and the Federal Couragia M/T. I knew the Federal from my 33", was happy with them. So i picked them. But maybe its the wrong start to choose tires. Maybe i should ask the TÜV first (German safety monitoring agency) before i buy tires. I decided to go with the company "Allrad Schmitt" to make it TÜV approved, because the TÜV engineer are more "tolerant" if a company ask them. Fortunately, the answer from the engineer was positive. Until now the responsible engineer just have registered 37" in combination with 4,5" lifts (just AEV Lifts because there is a safty report for this combination), but he said he will do it, if there is no rubbing, enough shock travel and the tires have to be fully covered by the fenders. To fit the emission law i need at least 4.10 gears in the axle.

Sound possible to me! I placed the order.

First, i visit a shop for the gear change. I do not trust myself to do it by my own. Fortuitously i get a set of 4,10 gears for 200 bucks. The gears was just used 100km. Nearly new. That helped me to keep the costs low.

looks massive ..

Bevor i picked my tires up, i unbolted the Rubiconrails and the rockslider from white-knuckleoffroad because i was sure that the tire will rub by normal riding.

I just smiled the whole week after i picked up my JK with the new tires on. Okay, maybe i smile til today


First, i looked for a place to test the flex. I unbolted the fender so mark where to cut of.

not good ...

The original AEV front bumpstops are long enough. The front fits, i just have to limit the steering.

Improved bumpstops to get an idea how high the bumpstops should be.

Okay. I think i start with the inner fenders. No notion how to get the AEV bumper fit. Time to starting cutting ... and cut ... and cut ... and paint.

In the meantime my neighbor customized some bumpstops for me.

The black one is from AEV. The silver one are customized.

to be continued ...

 

[Foley]

...

Okay. The bumpstops are high enough and i cuttet enough from the inner fenders. Now .. how to geht the AEV bumper fit? First, i tried to leave off the plastik tanks. But thats looks stupid.

So i have to cut the tanks. I ve a bad feeling doing this. Maybe it looks like rubbish, but there is no other way if i will keep this bumper.

"the point of no return"

doing a template...

.. screw and glue

... grinding ...

.. and painting with Herculiner spray to match the AEV plastic finish:

What do you all mean?

No rubbing

Testing it:

After this, the last and final step be imminent: The TÜV Registration.

What should I say?

It finaly wroks :crazyeyes:


... to be continued ...

 

[VeruGE*144]

Damn you building this thing quick [emoji6]


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[VeruGE*144]

Damn you building this thing quick [emoji6]


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[Foley]

Damn you building this thing quick [emoji6]


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Hi,

it looks like that - but the build is from 2014 up to now

Lg

 

[Labricon]

Jeep Wrangler JK - fromt 33" to 37"

Wow! 37's on a 2.5 lift...... this is NOT good news for my wife! Thanks for posting all of this. I have been thinking about trimmed or similar Bushwacker fender flares as yours but had no clue until now if I would like it with the AEV bumper. Looks good[emoji106]


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[RCVRY]

You're not allowed to post that German version with the diesel in it.. because theres a lot of jealousy here in the states... Just messing with ya, you have a very nice functional build my friend!

That's what I was looking at! I'm thinking "Does this guy know he has a turbo under his hood?" He was going on about the intake and I'm like "what about the friggin turbo??"
Ahh...diesel. Now I'm more jealous. Welcome and nice build.

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[Foley]

You're not allowed to post that German version with the diesel in it.. because theres a lot of jealousy here in the states... Just messing with ya, you have a very nice functional build my friend!

Hi,

if you like the Diesel. Why you bought a petrol version? :thinking:

 

[thereich]

Hi,

if you like the Diesel. Why you bought a petrol version? :thinking:

We can't get the diesel engine in the United States. :sigh:

 

[Foley]

Okay... Don't see the point why you can't buy the Diesel in US :thinking: