STUDcon - The building of a 2016 JKUR

Studfam24

New member
Hello everyone! In case we haven't met my name is Trever and my wife Jenna and I recently purchased a 2016 JKUR that we ordered custom from Jeep. It took about 8 weeks to show up and let me tell you it was the longest 8 weeks of our life. We've had many Jeeps but this was our first Jk. We named it STUDcon. STUD because it is the first part our last name, and it was my call sign when I was in the service. I unofficially named him Gandalf, the Grey. Which the wife wasn't so fond of.

ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1464986836.804004.jpg

This build will be all about clean building. We are huge fans of tight, clean, factory looks as well as quality parts. I always say, if it's worth doing then it's worth over doing. Same goes for the STUDcon. We are into almost everything outdoors including, climbing, hiking, backpacking, shooting, camping, overlanding, kayaking, and so on. So you can be sure to find some really cool toys, storage items, overlanding gear, custom built stuff, and of coarse your seriously built suspension.

ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1464986866.014431.jpg

So clean and new! We went with the Granite Crystal color and the Dark Saddle interior. This combo was no where to be found on the west coast. [emoji53] which is why we had to order it.

ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1464986885.382524.jpg

ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1464986899.867802.jpg

As soon as we got it home the plans we had been making for the past few months finally got set in motion.

We got it on a Friday and had a trip planned on Sunday with a few WOL members to Bald mountain just above Shaver CA.

So we made a quick trip to our local off-road shop and picked up a few parts to give us a better stance and some added clearance on the cheap.

ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1464986947.970621.jpg

Now I'm not a fan of budget boosts. Nothing against them but not typically our style. That being said, I must add that the day star 1 3/4" setup was so easy a cave man could do it and gave her a nice ride height over stock with next to no effort. The kit includes a set of 4 Poly spacers, color instructions and rear swaybar mount spacers with new hardware. Took 1.5 hrs and gave us this look.

ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1464986977.739614.jpg

ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1464986995.674434.jpg

The wheel spacers helped out with a wider stance and some added clearance for the upcoming 33's.
Ya ya I know 33's are somewhat tiny in the JK world but I'll have you know we have larger plans for ol Gandlaf.
Jenna will be daily driving this bad boy and we would like to retain some mpg and save the larger meats for off-road. So our plan is to keep the stock Rubi wheels with a set of 33's on them when we get all suspension on. Then when we take a trip we'll toss on the 37's (not sure on an exact tire yet with all the new treads coming out) and the bead locks to hit the trails.
The 33's shouldn't look too bad on a 3" lift. So it's our middle of the road over the stock 32x10" tire. Anyways. Back to the goods.
 
Last edited:

Studfam24

New member
The Trip to Bald Mountain went off without a hitch. We picked up STUDcon on a Friday, lifted it the next day and wheeled it that Sunday. Had 6 rigs total show up.

The crew
ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1464987531.291444.jpg

JKricky in Falcor
ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1464987547.341428.jpg

Gandalf getting up a ledge
ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1464987567.227522.jpg

Ob_tj and JKricky showing me up.
ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1464987654.839045.jpg

Top of the world (well it feels like it atleast)
ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1464987690.318355.jpg

The family
ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1464987733.570465.jpg

She drives it too! And ya she's taken boys...
ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1464987764.623728.jpg

It may be pretty but we wheel it.
ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1464987788.956225.jpg

ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1464987825.976734.jpg

So overall it was a fantastic trip. Now I had a sweet lunch set up with some of our overlanding and camping gear as you may have seen in the last pic. I've had a lot of inquiries about this setup already and I'll do a full write up on it and my current storage setup later on.
 
Last edited:

Studfam24

New member
The next day was Monday Memorial Day and we decided to get up early and split to the coast. We live in the Central Valley of CA and it was projected to be above 100 degree F. Pismo was 60 degrees and beautiful. Plus it's nice to be able to be able to hit the beach and dunes in the STUDcon.

ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1464988055.356611.jpg

ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1464988073.344163.jpg

We spent the day down there and then made our way back that night.

The next day the priority was to get some new shoes on Gandalf and tint the windows to help combat this summer heat.

ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1464988115.546281.jpg

Ended up with a set of BFG's new KO2 in a 285/70/17. Appx size is a 32.8x 11.4. So about an inch taller and 1.5" wider.

ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1464988138.221255.jpg

ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1464988161.965115.jpg

Really like the clean new stance. But as always it's not big enough. Lol. Guy problems I suppose. But I can attest to the ride quality and feel of these tires on road now. Very impressed. Big step up from the old KO. Very grippy, quiet, and smooth. The guys at Discount Tire never fail me with their low prices and size availability.
 
Last edited:

Studfam24

New member
Definitely subscribed! Can't wait to see this thing get an EVO make over!

Thx brotha! Can't wait for more amigo.
On a side note, let me know how it goes with your National cert and if you want any help. I taught the COS program for 5 semesters. And again we are hiring.
 

ob_tj

New member
Thx brotha! Can't wait for more amigo.
On a side note, let me know how it goes with your National cert and if you want any help. I taught the COS program for 5 semesters. And again we are hiring.

I was very surprised with the capabilities of a stock Rubicon! And for sure! I want to take the national this summer. But we'll see how that goes with fire season!
 

Studfam24

New member
The next upgrade to come to the STUDcon is some new bumpers.

Ordered this JCR Dagger rear bumper. Be sure to note that this is a frame chop rear bumper.
As promised we are trying to get some of the tightest clearances while maintaining a clean look. I ordered them in bare steel as I am going to paint match the armor to the body color!
ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1464993763.365938.jpg

And after talking with Brandon from JCR Off-road I decided on a new concept bumper they developed, the Dagger front frame chop bumper. This bumper is currently for sale by phone but is not yet on the website. A big thanks to Brandon from JCR Off-road for all the info and the great deal he gave me. This man sat on the phone with my OCD ass and went over each part and question I had from mounting points, steel thickness, weld types, type of hardware included and clearance from items such as the swaybar disconnect and evap relocation. Their products are Made in the USA. Lifetime warranty. Great customer service. And great products.

ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1464994559.227537.jpg

Let it be known that JCR builds their products to order. So these bumpers haven't been sitting on a shelf rusting for who knows how long. They'll take a couple weeks to show up but they should be worth it.

ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1464994813.311444.jpg
Here's a screenshot from one of their install videos on their website where they actually take this bumper and do a full install on it (framechop included).
Can't wait to see them in person.
 

JMFK

New member
I ordered mine in granite crystal with the dark saddle interior as well. Every saleperson at the dealership thought I was crazy. I, however, couldn't be happier with the way it turned out. Glad to see I wasn't the only one that went with this color combination.

Way to go!!
 

Studfam24

New member
I ordered mine in granite crystal with the dark saddle interior as well. Every saleperson at the dealership thought I was crazy. I, however, couldn't be happier with the way it turned out. Glad to see I wasn't the only one that went with this color combination.

Way to go!!

Yes!! Same here. But once it showed up, all the salesmen were drooling. Great combo. You are not alone sir...
 
Top Bottom