my camping jeep, JKU

shu2kill

Member
i have been lurking on this site for quite a while, but just recently registered, so this is my first post, which i will use to document my build. this is not a strictly "expedition" build, its more of a camping, fishing, DD build... this is my third 4x4 and my second jeep...

my first one was a YJ, which i had built for moderate rockcrawling and camping, D44s on 35s, under the seat toolbox, custom bumpers, cargo carriers, etc... it took me 6 years of slowly building it until it was too big for my needs, so i got an Xterra and then sold the jeep.

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after that one, i got an Xterra, on which i only made two significant mods, a hidden winch and a rear storage drawer. by now, i was very deep into fishing, so the toolbox was almost always filled with fishing gear. i also had an overhead fishing rod holder.

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the Xterra was fun, but it was getting old and had a lot of miles, so i sold it and got me a 2008 JKU, completely stock.

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so far, the only mod i have done to it is a trans cooler, since i plan on using it for towing a small bassboat. and the only drawback i have found is that its black, i would prefer silver or white but i couldnt find one in decent shape. anyways, i plan on keeping this jeep for a lot of time, so i will begin with the mods...

this time i will keep it simple, since i expect it to see some highway, we make a skiing trip each year which is an 8 hour drive one way, i did it with my X but never with the YJ.... and i also go camping to a place 4 hours away, so, i need this jeep to handle well in the highway and have some offroad capability, not for strict offroading but for reaching those remote camping spots...

so this is the list of "big" mods im planning for my jeep, more or less in the order i expect to accomplish them...

1) trans cooler DONE
2) front bumper with winch IN PROGRESS
3) storage (to be decided, i need a place to store my tools, sling, winch controller, but i dont want a drawer since i like the sleeping platform i get with the rear seats laid down)
4) tailgate fold down table
5) rear bumper
6) 2.5" lift
7) 34-35" AllTerrain tires
8) rock sliders (could go up in the list if i get the materials or time to do them sooner)

i left the tires and lift at the end because its the more expensive mod, and the tires i have right now are in very decent shape, although they are highway tires... but since i already have the winch, i will make the bumper and hope if i ever get stuck there will be a tree or something nearby for me to winch myself out....

besides i also want some interior lights, rod holder, maybe some tube doors for the summer, and whatever comes to my mind later...

any input will be highly appreciated, since things have changed a lot from my 92 YJ to this 08 JKU....
 
Last edited:

shu2kill

Member
i began my front bumper some time ago, but since i work far from home, i dont have a lot of time to work on it... so far, i have only had the mounts CNC cut, i havent even finished welding them. i had them cut out of 1/4 plate and stacked 4 of them together to get a 1" shackle mount.

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and, i did a carboard mockup of how i want the bumper...

(the bar closer to the jeep is only for reinforcement of the cardboard, it wont be there as it will have a semi-sunk winch)

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i already have a 1/4" plate which i will use for the winch plate (2 of the stacked) and for the front plate. i hope to do a good progress this weekend, since im going camping next weekend and i want to have the winch installed for that trip....
 

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