Geoffro's driveway Jeep build

[JeepJeep75]

Well, I've been the proud owner of a 2015 JKUR for just over a year and a half. A lot has been done to my jeep, and all of it I'm proud to say has been done by myself. I am not a mechanic, welder, plumber, painter, or jeep expert. I have however hung out with enough people in these fields to have gained a bit of knowledge in each of these areas. So, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you my humble attempt at building up a jeep JK in my driveway. I want it to be capable of dragging a trailer (gonna build my own cargo-conversion camp-trailer) across the country, wheel through modestly rough terrain, and bring everything back home safely. Here is the night my wife and I took delivery of our new jeep.
I had to have one built for us because I wanted it fully, fully loaded with a manual trans. Good luck finding that in southern Cali.

The very first mod was Trucklites. I absolutely hated the stock lights. They are pathetic. So I opted for some heated TL's. I can't find a pic of that install, but we all know what they look like.

The next mod was adding a front bumper. LOD stubby with bull bar. Also a Warn PowerPlant HD (12k pound) winch. Goodbye stock bumper! Quick little vacuum pump relocating.... now I can fit the bumper on... so far, so good [emoji3] Now to see if this big-ass winch is gonna squeeze in there it is a tight fit, but it fits. I did have to grind a bit off the aluminum front cover of the winch to get it to sit square on its mount and get all four bolts into the bottom of the winch. It fits!! Woo-hoo!! I used a Factor 55 winch lock bolt too. Cheap insurance for such an expensive winch

 

[ROBnTANK]

Looking good!!

 

[JeepJeep75]

Next up, rear bumper installation. I chose the LOD signature series stubby with linked tire carrier. See ya later plastic noodle pool toy rear bumper hello beef-sauce!! I am very impressed with the engineering that went into this bumper/tire carrier. It's beef all around. No veggi-far here! [emoji6]
Getting the angle of the carrier right was agonizing I think I got it right...
Getting this set-up right takes a lot of tinkering and adjusting but the instructions are pretty clear. there are four points of contact between the carrier and the tailgate. These all must be utilized to insure a rattle and vibration free install. If set correctly, it is a VERY solid setup.
I went with the Ridgid LED lights in the rear bumper. I installed a two-way, center-off toggle switch to control them. it turns out there was just enough room in the diff/sway bar switch panel to put in a few toggles. I just had to trim a tiny bit off of the circuit board. Don't worry, no electronic pixies were harmed during this mod. [emoji6] I tucked the relay up and secured it down. I go insane with interior rattles, so I try to keep everything as secure as possible. I'm not sure what the other switch will control yet, but it in and ready.
The next mod was adding a set of SpiderTrax wheel spacers. This was pretty easy and gave the jeep a great stance. the spacers bring the tire right to the edge of the fender. Nice!! [emoji106]

 

[JeepJeep75]

My next mod was flipping the sway bar motor. It took a few trips to the local hardware store, but the total cost was less than $10.
There are several ways to go doing this flip-mod. I chose to NOT drill out any holes or modify the motor housing in any way. I wanted to be able to reverse this mod I case I wanted to get the motor replaced with my lifetime warranty. I used a long bolt with a sleeve and a bit of bar stock. I wanted to retain the use of the rubber isolator between the motor and the sway bar bracket.
The next mod was easy. I picked up a Bolt hood lock. These are cool because they learn your jeep key. No need to have to drill out your hood lock from a lost key!

I also wanted a screen behind the grill for better protection of the radiators. It turns out that even with the hood lock installed, you can still stick your hand in the grill and reach the hood latch with a finger to open the hood. So I went to the hardware store to pick up a screen of some sort. I got an aluminum screen door protector and a can of gray spray paint. It looks cool, it was cheap, and it'll hopefully keep someone's dirty dick beaters out of my grill should they feel the need to borrow something when I'm not around.
I had to put a hole in to access the hood lock. Used some of the edge trim that I have for my future fender trimming.
After installing the bumpers and winch I decided to spend a day in Gorman to give things an evaluation. I had my brother, niece, and nephew with me. We were just driving around and bam! I took a stupid turn trying to demonstrate the prowess of the jeep and this happened.

 

[JeepJeep75]

Time to use the winch for the first time. I attached to the bigg bush in front of me and viola, free!! Not a big deal, or a dramatic pull, but that literally saved hours of frustration and walking trying to find someone to pull me out. We finished the day there playing around on the obstacle course and trails. Time to get some poser shots!
My next mod was a failed attempt at adding front LED switch-back turn signals. These are white when the parking lights are on, then flash between white and amber when signaling. The left side burned out two days later. Contacted the flea-bay seller and got a replacement. The right side burned out a week later. I also noticed how stupidly hot the load resistors get. They get hot enough to smell. You know, that burning electronics smell? So, totally frustrated and defeated, I decided that I was better off without the flashy mall-rated turn signals. I took them out and returned all the wiring back to stock. [emoji13] Lesson learned....
After a bit of surfing the youtubes, I came across an easy mod for the evap canister skid plate. It involves drilling a couple of holes. This simple mod will prevent the driveshaft from committing suicide on the corner of the skid plate.
Before:[emoji116]
After:[emoji116]
I didn't have to remove any part of the evap canister or skid. Just loosen it up, put a little piece of wood in between the skid and the mount and drill two holes. Sweet!
So, my next mod was an easy one. WAL decals!! Yes, these were purchased legitimately from the WAL store!![emoji16]
The next mod was an easy one too. I picked up a Rough Country steering stabilizer relocation bracket. I couldn't stand having to worry about hitting it on the curbs at the mall.

 

[JeepJeep75]

More to come later today. I need to go take the dog for a walk. [emoji16][emoji190][emoji252][emoji252][emoji252][emoji252]

 

[catahoula]

Looking good!:thumb:

 

[dillard09]

Hey bro, do you have a dog sticker on you back window of the hardtop?

 

[JeepJeep75]

Looking good!!

Looking good!:thumb:

Thank you both!

 

[JeepJeep75]

Hey bro, do you have a dog sticker on you back window of the hardtop?

I do! and yes, I do trip over him. [emoji4] He has a way of getting under my feet when I'm moving around him and he's sitting.

 

[dillard09]

I do! View attachment 210919 and yes, I do trip over him. [emoji4] He has a way of getting under my feet when I'm moving around him and he's sitting.

Rite on! I seen you about a month ago on Artesia. I was behind you in my wifes ride. I thought that sticker was pretty funny. Then when I was just looking over your build it dawned on my that it was you!
Nice ride!!

 

[JeepJeep75]

Here is a top view of the sway bar motor flip. It just clears the radiator and the power steering lines. Since I have a manual trans there is no tranny cooler or lines to get in the way.
Also here's a shot of the winch wiring to the battery. that's the air intake for the PowerPlant air compressor next to the battery.

So next up on the mod list was a license plate relocation bracket from Rock Hard and a backup (reverse) camera. I bought a cheap flea-bay camera that seemed to have good reviews. I also picked up some LED bolts that claimed to be American made.
To make the camera work I bought a NavTool box. It claimed to allow navigation inputs while your on the move, watch DVDs on the move, and be able to turn on the rear view camera while driving forward. Well, I must have missed reading the fine print but it seams that since I have a '15 manual trans, none of the extra features work. The camera picture comes on when I put in it reverse. That's it. None of the extra "cool" features. I should have just went to the dealer for the AXC flash. Is it AXC? Anyways, if you have a 15 or newer manual, research carefully anything that plugs in and talks to the jeep. Make sure it works with a manual as they are not as common as the automatics and therefore might not have the support yet. I think I read somewhere that in 2015 they changed the encryption of the CAN bus system. My first dig into the dash was hiding the NavTool behind the radio. The dash comes apart pretty easily.

 

[JeepJeep75]

Rite on! I seen you about a month ago on Artesia. I was behind you in my wifes ride. I thought that sticker was pretty funny. Then when I was just looking over your build it dawned on my that it was you!
Nice ride!!

Thanks man!! [emoji106]

 

[notnalc68]

Nice job. I really like the bumpers.

 

[JeepJeep75]

Nice job. I really like the bumpers.

Thank you! Yea, I really agonized over which bumpers I wanted to get. I wanted a tire carrier type, American made matching set. I'm really impressed with them so far.

 

[pinkcamotexan]

Beautiful Jeep and your commentary is outstanding sir!!

 

[JeepJeep75]

Beautiful Jeep and your commentary is outstanding sir!!

Thank you very much! [emoji4]

 

[JeepJeep75]

So continuing on, my wife, after much hinting (think Christmas Story) got me a Factor 55 ProLink winch thimble. [emoji3][emoji106]
We decided to go to Gorman on New Year's Day for a little winter wheeling. Well, as winter as you can get in southern Cali. We did find SOME snow at least!! it wasn't much. It didn't even phase our dog. He just tromped right over it. sorry, no action shots of him in the snow. We went up to the top of Alamo mountain to the very top of the Miller Jeep Trail.
There was another jeep up there leading us around [emoji6]
Nice views from up there

 

[JeepJeep75]

Okay then, moving on. In one years time I have been using the jeep as my daily. Hit 10,000 miles.
The next mod was everyone's favorite, a CB. It is overwhelming how many different CB's and CB accessories there are available. Holy crap! I ultimately went with the Uniden Bearcat 980SSB with an American made cable and a 3 foot FireStick antenna. I ran the antenna wire down the passenger side of the jeep under the carpet, next to the factory wire loom. I ran it to the tail gate next to the factory loom and out the factory grommet plug that's near the center vent on the back of the gate. I don't seem to have many pics of this installation.

 

[JeepJeep75]

I picked up a used HighLift from another forum member, Yeep, for a fair price. I put the mounts for the Jack on my LOD tire carrier and mounted the HighLift horizontally in front of the spare. Everything just clears when opening the gate and the back window.
After making a few trip through the windy desert to Vegas a few times I notice I had a case of the hood-flutters. I never noticed it on the local LA freeways. So I picked up some Rugged Ridge aluminum hood latches from the local 4wheel farts place. I really like the look of these. I think they go well with the bumpers.