Way back at the end of May I finally decided it was time to sell my beloved CJ7 and get a new JL. It had come to the point where I needed a vehicle I could not only wheel with but also haul my mountain bike on trips. The CJ7 was not all that comfortable and was so loud you had to yell to talk to the person next to you. As much as it was fun as a toy I wanted more.
So on June 1 I went to the dealership with the price I was willing to pay and started the negotiation. He came back with an initial price and I had already done my shopping on the internet and found one just under what he wanted. I told him I had 4 other dealerships to go to that day and if he wanted to see the Jeep he was going to have to give me 5% under invoice. He came back and said OK. I was surprised to say the least. I talked to him a couple months after and he told me I was still the cheapest they had sold a new Wrangler JL to. Got the manager on the right day I guess.
So here it was on June 1, 2018 right off the showroom floor. It is a stock Sport JL with the only options being a hard top and automatic tranny. One might ask why not a Rubicon? Well I knew the axles were going to be on of the first things
to get replaced and I am cheap what can I say.
So the deal I made with myself was if I was going to sell my CJ7 I was going to make something just as capable or better. So the story begins.
After buying the Jeep I needed to get it ready for Deer Hunting season Mid October. So parts needed to be ordered up post haste.
The first decision was what tires to run. I knew I wanted 37's and really like the BF Krawlers. However with all the other money I was about to spend they were a little out of my price range.
Before I bought the Jeep I had run into this website and binge read and watched everything. I liked the look of the Coopers and seemed from all accounts to do well offroad.
So a trip was made to Discound tire and 37x13.50X17 Coopers were ordered up.
Also after seeing Sandstorm I really liked the wheels that it was running. So as well as the tires a set of Method Double Standard wheels were ordered up. Machined finish of course.
To fit the 37's I knew the first thing I needed to do was get the rubicon fender flairs. So after a month of waiting to get these in here they are. I gained only about a 1/2inch in the rear but 2.25inches in the front. However even though there
rear was only 1/2inch as you can see from the picture it is much wider as well. It currently looks alittle funny with so much space, but the 37's will eventually fill it up nicely.
So the next big decision was axles. My original plan was to get the serious axle set from Dynatrac. Well that fell through fast. It seems a lot of things are still being developed for the JL industry wide and parts are just not out yet.
Second option was to fork out the big money for a pair of prorock 60's well they were not ready for production yet either I may not be for awhile. The axles they had available were the XD60 and elite package. That was just way more th
than I wanted to spend. So I started looking around at other options.
The next option was the Ultimate 60's from Mopar. These seemed to be a decent value and quality and I could get them a lot quicker. The down side was ARB's were a little bit of a lead time if I wanted them and was not sold on the
electric locker. This may sound weird but the brakes on these axles also seemed overkill. I know I know what is a few extra pounds on top of an already beast of an axle.
I looked into Curry, but they didnt have anything ready for marked yet either. I also really dont like the how they are tipped up and have the control arm attached to the cover, but that is just me. Personal preference.
To save money I also looked at just getting an XD 60 in the rear and running a different set of wheels and regearing the front. Yes at the time I was thinking of every option. But eventually a decision was made and I put in an order.
The Tires and wheels came in a couple days after ordering them and I went down and picked them up. All I could say when I seen them on the flour at discount was WOW! The wheels where better looking than I had every expected.
And the Coopers made them look even nicer. Here are some picture of them, but they dont do them justice. They look really good. Did I mention they are big too.
Last but not least I put on the order the suspension. I will be honest I just ordered up what Eddie had suggested. So I put in a call to EVO and ordered the Enforcer 2.5" stage 3 kit. After receiving the parts I was very impressed.
The size of the control arms dwarf the stock ones.
So the suspension and Tire/Wheel's have been sitting in the garage now for about 6weeks just waiting for the axles. This finally brings me to today. Today being October 1,2018 also known as "Axle Day" as I have coined it.
This now leaves me two weekends to get everything in and running for Deer Hunting.
WHATS IN THE BOX!!! Be back tomorrow.
Lyman
So on June 1 I went to the dealership with the price I was willing to pay and started the negotiation. He came back with an initial price and I had already done my shopping on the internet and found one just under what he wanted. I told him I had 4 other dealerships to go to that day and if he wanted to see the Jeep he was going to have to give me 5% under invoice. He came back and said OK. I was surprised to say the least. I talked to him a couple months after and he told me I was still the cheapest they had sold a new Wrangler JL to. Got the manager on the right day I guess.
So here it was on June 1, 2018 right off the showroom floor. It is a stock Sport JL with the only options being a hard top and automatic tranny. One might ask why not a Rubicon? Well I knew the axles were going to be on of the first things
to get replaced and I am cheap what can I say.
So the deal I made with myself was if I was going to sell my CJ7 I was going to make something just as capable or better. So the story begins.
After buying the Jeep I needed to get it ready for Deer Hunting season Mid October. So parts needed to be ordered up post haste.
The first decision was what tires to run. I knew I wanted 37's and really like the BF Krawlers. However with all the other money I was about to spend they were a little out of my price range.
Before I bought the Jeep I had run into this website and binge read and watched everything. I liked the look of the Coopers and seemed from all accounts to do well offroad.
So a trip was made to Discound tire and 37x13.50X17 Coopers were ordered up.
Also after seeing Sandstorm I really liked the wheels that it was running. So as well as the tires a set of Method Double Standard wheels were ordered up. Machined finish of course.
To fit the 37's I knew the first thing I needed to do was get the rubicon fender flairs. So after a month of waiting to get these in here they are. I gained only about a 1/2inch in the rear but 2.25inches in the front. However even though there
rear was only 1/2inch as you can see from the picture it is much wider as well. It currently looks alittle funny with so much space, but the 37's will eventually fill it up nicely.
So the next big decision was axles. My original plan was to get the serious axle set from Dynatrac. Well that fell through fast. It seems a lot of things are still being developed for the JL industry wide and parts are just not out yet.
Second option was to fork out the big money for a pair of prorock 60's well they were not ready for production yet either I may not be for awhile. The axles they had available were the XD60 and elite package. That was just way more th
than I wanted to spend. So I started looking around at other options.
The next option was the Ultimate 60's from Mopar. These seemed to be a decent value and quality and I could get them a lot quicker. The down side was ARB's were a little bit of a lead time if I wanted them and was not sold on the
electric locker. This may sound weird but the brakes on these axles also seemed overkill. I know I know what is a few extra pounds on top of an already beast of an axle.
I looked into Curry, but they didnt have anything ready for marked yet either. I also really dont like the how they are tipped up and have the control arm attached to the cover, but that is just me. Personal preference.
To save money I also looked at just getting an XD 60 in the rear and running a different set of wheels and regearing the front. Yes at the time I was thinking of every option. But eventually a decision was made and I put in an order.
The Tires and wheels came in a couple days after ordering them and I went down and picked them up. All I could say when I seen them on the flour at discount was WOW! The wheels where better looking than I had every expected.
And the Coopers made them look even nicer. Here are some picture of them, but they dont do them justice. They look really good. Did I mention they are big too.
Last but not least I put on the order the suspension. I will be honest I just ordered up what Eddie had suggested. So I put in a call to EVO and ordered the Enforcer 2.5" stage 3 kit. After receiving the parts I was very impressed.
The size of the control arms dwarf the stock ones.
So the suspension and Tire/Wheel's have been sitting in the garage now for about 6weeks just waiting for the axles. This finally brings me to today. Today being October 1,2018 also known as "Axle Day" as I have coined it.
This now leaves me two weekends to get everything in and running for Deer Hunting.
WHATS IN THE BOX!!! Be back tomorrow.
Lyman
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