Mods..Where to start?

Zechisan

New member
Ok a little background to start this:
I'm not new to 4x4's, turning wrenches, or jeeps. but this is my first Wrangler (had Cherokees in the past) and I'm looking to build this new JK into a very capable trail Rig/occasional rock crawler...just a good all around Rig..not looking to thrash it right off the bat, because it is my daily driver, but would LOVE to take it on a "wayalife" run sometime. ;)
My focus is on reliability, cost, and even though i am a experienced welder/ mechanic from previous professions, i have no welding equipment of my own.. so i'm looking to keep it "bolt on" for the most part.
SO. for the "clean slate" i have to start with here it is:

*2013 MOAB edition wrangler unlimited
*Pentastar V6
*manual trans (6spd)
*REAR Dana 44, LSD only, 3.73, no locker :sigh:
*FRONT Dana 30, no locker
*Crawl ratio is a 45:1 because of the manual trans i believe
*Came with AEV steel rear, and front bumper (winch ready)
and AEV rock rails
*Goodyear silent armor kevlar 245/75 tires on rubicon 17" rims

so the purpose of this Post is information,and opinions.. i have done a LOT of digging, and searching, and i'm just looking for some feed back from you experienced JK owners out there.
some of the things i am inquiring about:
what are the "MUST haves"?
Lift size? to be capable off road, yet tame enough to daily..
EVO bolt on coilovers kit? Metal cloak gamechanger? teraflex? AEV?
Are 35's enough on some of the more difficult trails or is it worth it to go 37's on a daily..?
is a Dana 30 that is gusseted, sleeved, going to be able to handle 37's? or should i stay with 35's?
Affordable winch options? (love Warn, dont love their prices)

i have been wheeling for a while now, but it's always been on a very tight budget in "beaters" running junk yard axles, and 35's out on the rivers and ranches of texas..looking to step up my game! :cheesy:
so there it is... LEMME HAVE IT!
 

OverlanderJK

Resident Smartass
What is your budget and what purpose do you want your rig to serve?

You say DD and weekend wheeler but are you talking fire roads, high speed desert or rocks?
 

Zechisan

New member
More set up for fire trails and rocks.. I have a yamaha quad for high speed desert driving :D Still on a pretty slim budget..gonna be doing this bit by bit. Lift kit : around 2k - 4k axles : probably looking to add lockers
And strengthen the 30 for now..rockjocks are not in the budget just yet..that'll come a little later. Looking to put some flat fenders on, or maybe cut the stock ones..ect

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I would go with 35's and a 2.5-3.5" lift. Rock krawler makes some great lifts! The 2.5" max travel and 3.5" flex system. I'm running the 3.5" flex with 35" Toyos on my DD and I have no complaints
 

Zechisan

New member
I would go with 35's and a 2.5-3.5" lift. Rock krawler makes some great lifts! The 2.5" max travel and 3.5" flex system. I'm running the 3.5" flex with 35" Toyos on my DD and I have no complaints

2-4K for just the lift or does that include your tires?

Thanks seanb33 I have been looking at 3.5" lifts and rock krawler was one of them. :)

MTG that's mostly just for the lift..lockers may come out of that budget as well. I will most likely just run 35" tires on my rubicon wheels for now..

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MTG

Caught the Bug
Thanks seanb33 I have been looking at 3.5" lifts and rock krawler was one of them. :)

MTG that's mostly just for the lift..lockers may come out of that budget as well. I will most likely just run 35" tires on my rubicon wheels for now..

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If you have 4K for the lift, I'd consider the EVO bolt-on coilovers. I think they are about $3500 front and rear with the DL flip kit.

If you do not want to spend all that on just a lift then, look to traditional springs/shocks. I am happy with my Enforcer kit as are everyone else that has it. I think it is hard to beat the ride quality of the EVO plush ride coils. The off road performance is great too. They also come in 3" and 4" now. The type of shocks you select will drive the cost up or down.

Good luck!
 

Zechisan

New member
Thanks MTG! This is certainly the kind of feed back I am looking for.

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Zechisan

New member
I'm really leaning towards the EVO enforcer kit with plush coils and king 2.5" shocks.. I like the fact you can upgrade to coilovers and even run the EVO lever in the rear later on if you wantes more flex.. and its cheaper than metalcloak, without losing quality. My newest question is what else would you recommend running in addition to the enforcer lift? I already know a front drive shaft is recommended, and I shouldn't need a rear since mine is manual. I will be more than likely 70% on road 30% offroad..What else would you experienced guys recommend?

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BlackKnight

Member
"C" brace and truss (or sleeve) the 30 before going with the tires for a start, then maybe a budget lift and cut fenders to accomidate the tires for a start.
 

Zechisan

New member
"C" brace and truss (or sleeve) the 30 before going with the tires for a start, then maybe a budget lift and cut fenders to accomidate the tires for a start.

Thanks I was thinking/researching "C" gussets and maybe sleeves for my dana30 even though some say its not really necessary for 35" and below tires, and if your not going to seriously wheel the heck outta your jeep...But better safe the sorry right? And I will more than likely go with MC overline fenders.. a friend runs those and I was impressed.

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cozdude

Guy with a Red 2-Door
Thanks I was thinking/researching "C" gussets and maybe sleeves for my dana30 even though some say its not really necessary for 35" and below tires, and if your not going to seriously wheel the heck outta your jeep...But better safe the sorry right? And I will more than likely go with MC overline fenders.. a friend runs those and I was impressed.

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i would gusset my C's and not sleeve my 30. as Eddie has said before you mine as well save the money you would use for sleeves towords something else like some sort of armor.
 

BlackKnight

Member
Thanks I was thinking/researching "C" gussets and maybe sleeves for my dana30 even though some say its not really necessary for 35" and below tires, and if your not going to seriously wheel the heck outta your jeep...But better safe the sorry right? And I will more than likely go with MC overline fenders.. a friend runs those and I was impressed.

Sent from my android phone with the wayalife app

The MC Fenders are nice, Very pricey, but nice. If my state didn't have full coverage laws I'd probably go with them if I had the cash...
 
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Zechisan

New member
i would gusset my C's and not sleeve my 30. as Eddie has said before you mine as well save the money you would use for sleeves towords something else like some sort of armor.

Gotcha. I do believe I read that on another thread somewhere like you stated..Gussets and drag link flip in addition to the enforcer lift should get me started in the right direction I think.

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Zechisan

New member
MTG, would you recommend running a set of RCA's along with the enforcer? Or is it pretty well set with the lift package alone? Just wondering if recentering the rear axle with a set of control arms and a rear drive shaft would be a good idea or overkill/waste-o-money..

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MTG

Caught the Bug
MTG, would you recommend running a set of RCA's along with the enforcer? Or is it pretty well set with the lift package alone? Just wondering if recentering the rear axle with a set of control arms and a rear drive shaft would be a good idea or overkill/waste-o-money..

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I'm didn't. In fact, I'm still running a factory rear DS. Hasn't seemed to be an issue in the 22,000 miles I've put on it since I lifted it. :thumb:
 

Zechisan

New member
I'm didn't. In fact, I'm still running a factory rear DS. Hasn't seemed to be an issue in the 22,000 miles I've put on it since I lifted it. :thumb:

Awesome. Thanks again!:thumbup:

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Zechisan

New member
Another thing I noticed on the EVO website and on other post on here.. they say to run a wheel spacer or aftermarket rims with the enforcer as well as other lifts. I was originally planning on running 35"s on my stock rubi 17" wheels, however I would like to stay away from wheel spacers if I can. So what offset in a rim should I be looking for? Couldn't seem to find a direct answer. Is there a thread on this I'm missing?

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cozdude

Guy with a Red 2-Door
Another thing I noticed on the EVO website and on other post on here.. they say to run a wheel spacer or aftermarket rims with the enforcer as well as other lifts. I was originally planning on running 35"s on my stock rubi 17" wheels, however I would like to stay away from wheel spacers if I can. So what offset in a rim should I be looking for? Couldn't seem to find a direct answer. Is there a thread on this I'm missing?

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4 or 4.25 backspacing will do the trick. dont go any less than 3.75. any more that 4.5 and you will need the spacer
 

Zechisan

New member
So due to recent events (hospital bills) I'm shrinking my build budget a little bit and still planning on doing this bit by bit.
I'm sticking with the enforcer lift, "C" gussets on thecfront D30, and I'm thinking of running spacers (spidertrax?) Along with 35s on my stock 17" rubi wheels for now as a means to reduce the budget.. and cutting the stock fenders for clearance until I can afford the MC overline fenders. Thoughts on the tires/spacers?

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