Jeep Enthusiast Forums banner

Amp'd 2dr Build

21K views 160 replies 16 participants last post by  biggn235 
#1 ·
I have always made build threads for my Jeeps in the past, and I have decided it is about time to start one for the JK.

I bought my JK in December 2014 after going to my local Jeep dealership to check out a silver 06 LJ. The LJ didn't do it for me, so I left with a JK instead. It had one previous owner that had originally bought it in Washington state, drove it to NC, and traded it in for a 4 door. It had low miles, was in perfect condition, and the dealership had just threw on some black AEV Savegre wheels with new 265/70/17 Toyo Open Country ATs. It was only on the lot for 3 hours before I bought it.

First pic of the new Jeep when I got home that night.





I hadn't had an open top Jeep since my old YJ when I was a sophomore in college, so the JK was like having an old friend back. (A much quieter, and much more powerful friend.)

Specs-
2014 Amp'd 2dr Sport
3.6
6 speed
241
30/44
3.21 gears
 
See less See more
2
#3 ·
Had some nice weather a few days later, took the opportunity to take the top down for the first time.





After that it was time to start some mods. First up was a CB and some stickers. I went with a Uniden 510 because it was the cheapest, smallest radio I could find, and a 3ft Firefly on a quick disconnect, mounted to the tailgate.











I ended up finding some 17/58 springs and Rubicon shocks on Craigslist off of a brand new 2015 4 door for $150.

 
#4 ·
Before I had time to get the new springs and shocks on, I took the Jeep on its first wheeling trip in the mountains.

Following my buddy in his TJ on the way to Boone.





I don't have a lot of pictures from that day. I do have a lot of GoPro footage but I haven't done anything with it yet. Maybe I'll edit a few short videos up later. I do have one video of my friend creek crawling with his TJ. My Jeep makes a small cameo.

Video-


Sway disconnected.





And some more shooting.



Found an abandoned truck. We thought it might be broken down and the owner walked off the trail to get assistance, but it was still there several days later so we reported the plate and VIN to the police in case it was stolen.



My friend's dog riding shotgun with me for awhile. She is awesome.



And after wheeling on the way home we stopped by High Country 4x4, also known as RubiTrux to a lot of people. I would kill for a Brute.

 
#5 ·
I never had the time to actually finish the coax run for my CB before we went wheeling, but I took a lot of pictures because I had thought I would do a write-up on the cleanest way to route your cables. I never got around to making the write-up but I'll leave all these pictures here and let them speak for themselves. Maybe they will help someone out and I can answer questions if someone has one.





 
#9 ·
After that I started installing my Rubi shocks and 17/58 springs. I don't have a lot of pictures of the install since I was in a hurry and was losing light. But I have a few comparison shots.

Rubi shocks and sport shocks.



Underway



13s on the left, 17s on the right.



Mad flex!



58s on the left, 55s on the right.



Not pictured is my Teraflex disconnects that I also installed around this time.
 
#10 ·
I gained about 1-1.5" of lift with the stiffer springs, and in my opinion the ride was vastly improved over the stock springs. They were way too squishy for me.

Not long after that we got some snow! I had to play on the snow banks.



Before



After



Because Jeep.







Mileage milestone.

 
#11 ·
I travel a lot for work and have a bad habit of buying Jeep parts when I am away. After spending all of March down in the Florida Keys for work I came home to a pile of boxes.



We were planning a trip to Uwharrie the next day so I didn't have time to get around to everything I had bought, but I did manage to get my new bumper, winch, and Hi-Lift mounted before we headed out to do some wheeling.

Factory bumper off.



My nephew helping me get my fog lights installed into the RR bumper.



I didn't realize I had done this until after I had gotten all bolts tightened and winch cables ran. The fog light connector had managed to stick out over the front bar while installing the new bumper and the plug was too fat to fit in the gap. Grrr. Rather than uninstall the bumper because of this stupid mistake I just cut the plug off the harness, pulled the wires through, and crimped it back together in the correct position. Sometimes I have the dumb.



Bumper and winch installed. I went with the Rugged Ridge XHD stubby bumper with winch guard, and the Quadratec 9500i winch. I like the look of the integrated solenoid on the 9500i, and the combo price for everything at Quadratec is hard to beat.



I didn't get a picture of the Hi-Lift mount since it was so dark by the time I finished, but it is mounted to the tailgate hinges with the Rampage mount. I have mixed feelings, not sure if I like it or not, time will tell.
 
#12 ·
The next morning myself, my buddy in his built TJ, and my other friend in his brand new 2015 headed to Troy.



Uwharrie opening weekend!



Part of our group meeting up at the Outpost.



Wheeling!



















 
#14 ·
I just want to publicly shame this guy for a second. This TJ driver was watching me climb up a particularly nasty part of the trail and come down on my belly pretty hard a couple of times. He walks around behind my Jeep, sees water coming off my muffler, and proceeds to yell through my window at me that my gas tank is leaking. I freak out, get out and look around, and realize he thinks my muffler is my gas tank. :rolleyes:



Anyway continuing- This is my buddy in his built TJ. It was almost boring watching him because he went over everything with no effort.















 
#21 ·
Cleaned the Jeep up over the next few days and cruised with the top down since the weather has been pretty nice recently.

My Jeep fits in the compact spots at the mall. Mall crawler.





Next to my buddy's 2015 at work.

 
#23 ·
After messing around for awhile I finally decided to get my Rubicon Express 2" budget boost installed. It is actually a really nice kit. All the bolts are 10.9, even the bumpstop bolts. Combined with my 17/58 springs I have just over 3 inches of lift over stock. I decided to get an adjustable front track bar and rear track bar bracket from Rough Country, as well as rear brake line brackets from Teraflex (not installed yet). Still need to figure out what I'm going to do with the front lines since they are a little tight now. I have them unbolted and running behind the shock. It is fine for street but I want something a little better before I go wheeling again.





Drilled for bumpstops.



Getting the rear track bar lined up.



I didn't take a lot of pictures, I was running out of light again. But this is how it sat the next morning.



And then this is how it sat that afternoon.



35x12.5 Goodyear MTRs. Love them.

 
#24 ·
I used my Superchips Flashcal to adjust for the new tires. By driving very, very carefully I was able to get over 20mpg at 45-55mph in 5th. I was getting 17 on the interstate at 70mph. Not sure how accurate that is. I am going to do some math during my next few fill-ups.

 
#26 ·
So that is where I am as of now. Next I want to get a full size spare and figure out how I want to mount it. Tailgate with spacer? Bite the bullet and get a bumper+carrier? Haven't decided yet. Wallet needs a recharge anyway.

After that I want-
Gears, maybe Trutracs to go along with them. Looking at 4.56s.
Sliders. These steps took a beating at Uwharrie already.
More armor underneath.

More to come!
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top