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Jay's 05 WK Build Thread

75K views 151 replies 53 participants last post by  K9SAR 
#1 ·
Figured I'd start a proper build thread so I'd have somewhere to post up my progress rather than dropping random pics all over the place. After wearing out my WJ I decided to stick with another Grand and get a WK. Here is the WJ prior to selling with 180k miles on the clock:



After selling the WJ I looked long and hard across the entire US for the best deal on the exact WK I wanted. I had a few color choices but a few other specs were must have's-
-tow
-5.7l Hemi
-Heated Seats
-Sunroof
-QDII
-<50k miles
After a few months of patiently waiting and negotiation attempts I found the right WK at a steal of a price. So I made a two hour trip and negotiated that steal price further down and drove it home. I sold my Yakima basket with the WJ, so I picked up a Rola and installed it along with my Yakima load bars and bike trays:



I found that along with my Yakima parts, some of the black trim was beginning to fade, so I picked up some U-Pol Raptor liner and began removing and spraying parts. It's been months since spraying and each piece looks brand new. I highly recommend this stuff!




After saving for a couple more months and reading what seems like almost every lift related thread on the forums I decided on a 4" Superlift. My WJ had 2" pucks and crappy shocks and rode like a shopping cart. This time around I wanted maximum lift with minimal geometry change and ride impact. I'm picky about chrome but decided I liked the mix of chrome and silver on the Jeep, with the exception of the stock chrome wheels. I wanted a bit of a dish, but a very simple wheel. I also wanted a tough wheel that would take some abuse. The winning choice for me was the AEV Savegre. AEV makes great products and I knew I couldn't go wrong with them.



After much debate I decided to have someone do the Superlift install as I just didn't have the necessary tools to do it right. I wouldn't take it just anywhere, but I got connected with a great local shop that does awesome work. Here is the post-lift result:





The next product I recommend is Plasti-Dip, at least as a temporary solution that is completely reversible. I'd read about it on the forums and I was toying with the notion of painting my grille black. So a trip to Home Depot and 5 bucks later, I sprayed the grille with Plasti-Dip:



I'm glad I only used Plasti-Dip instead of actually sanding, priming, and painting, becuase after two weeks of it I decided it wasn't for me. I peeled it off in about 30 seconds and my chrome grille was good as new. I've got plenty of upcoming projects, starting with a lighting overhaul. I chose Rigid Industries for the majority of my aftermarket lighting. They are pricey, but if you compare their light output vs current draw, then watch their ballistics testing videos on YouTube, you will see they make an incredibly great product. I am currently testing different fitment locations to achieve the max light output. Once that is complete I will setup a shoot that shows the different lights and their outbut brightness, all at same ISO/speed/arpeture. Here is a quick look at light output of just the Rigid LED, no headlights:

 
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#61 ·
I got some ORT8 badges and added some MOPAR style striping to compliment them. I'm stoked with the result!



Also, I tested flex after putting on my 35's. they rub a bit when stuffed (of course).



Here are some more pics I took since finishing the 6" lift/35's.








 
#71 ·
Yes!!! I love the hood. Especially now that I'm adding weight to the front end with the winch.
 
#72 ·
Bama_WJ said:
Loving the WK man. Looks great.

Might have to look into the lights behind the grille idea. I've been wanting to throw some Rigid Dually D2s somewhere but couldn't figure out where until now.
Good idea! Check out Omelet's build thread. He put D2s between his grille slots.
 
#74 ·
OhFiveHemi said:
your rig is magnificent!
Well thank you sir!!! As always it's a work in progress.
 
#76 ·
Thanks Jerry!
The sticker is an old logo for Burton Snowboards. If you lookup "Burton Mountain Sticker" you should be able to find it on Amazon or EBay. I just left off the Burton text and applied the mountain part of the sticker.
 
#79 ·
Ur right Omelet, it does kind look like Mt Rainier! Jerry, start a build thread if you haven't already and keep us updated!
 
#81 ·
Awesome wk man! How the hell have I not seen this thread until now! I guess I look at subscribed threads only too much...but now I'm subscribed so all is good!
 
#82 ·
Thanks man!! I'm guilty of only checking subscribed threads as well. Being a member on 3 jeep forums there are too many threads to keep up with!
 
#86 ·
Wow, I haven't been on here in forever! I've made several changes since my last post, so here goes...

I worked for a while on a custom front skid but decided to scrap it. Just too big and bulky:


I installed a hidden winch behind the front bumper using Omelet's method. I added weld on shackle mounts and cut out the bumper for those as well. I coated everything including the fairlead (except for rope contact area) with Raptor Liner. While I was at it, I went ahead and sprayed my side view mirrors and Rola Rack.





After that I started on a headlight retrofit. I wanted a good mix of pure white, then intense yellow light when I needed it. I came up with a solution I wanted to achieve:



I picked up a set of Eagle Eye aftermarket 2008-10 projector headlaps. When they arrived I tossed the projectors and picked up a set of FX-R 3.0(infiniti replica) bi-xenon projectors with clear lenses, OSRAM 5000K CBI bulbs, and DENSO ballasts(OEM Lexus).
First step was to sand all the chrome off the housings:



Then I primed and painted to color match to the Jeep.



I ordered rattle can paint and clear gloss from automotivetouchup.com. Once again, I stole one of Omelet's great ideas and used the Jeep 7-slot grille logo for my turn signal covers. I just applied a vinyl sticker, painted over it, then carefully removed it to expose the orange reflector. I then sprayed clear over the entire thing:





After painting was complete I went on to mount the projecters, which was a total PITA. The projectors were huge and required me to cut out the factory mount and fabricate a mount plate and stand offs. I then used spacers to align them inside the housing.




These lights are paired with 3000k HID in my fogs and NOKYA yellow halogens in my high beam housing. Here is a chart of my results. Note my hid cutoff steps up to the right instead of a flat alignment. This is to help more with keeping them out of oncoming traffic. Its really hard to aim super bright HIDs that are about a foot higher off the ground than stock!



here are some more output shots:




for right now, to take care of the gap that using the 08-10 lights creates, I simply covered the lower portion in silver vinyl. I'll do something more permananent later.



I am SOOOO glad to have this mod over with! I have 50+ hours in it due to having to fabricate projector mounts.and align them. I'm sure glad I did it though, the output is stupid bright!
 
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