Advice, First upgrades should be?

WranglerWilly83

WranglerWilly83

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As some of you may already know, I am a new and VERY proud Wrangler owner. Please help me on exactly what I should do to lift a little bit and first upgrades I should get. I need to know exact details because I don’t know the lingo and parts by name yet. IMG_5523.jpgIMG_5507.jpgIMG_5506.jpg


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WranglerWillys,

There are a lot of people that choose "pretty, shiny, cosmetic" over functionality. Your question to yourself should, honestly, be, 'Which do you want most, something bright shiny and pretty that people can see and say Oh, that's a pretty jeep, it 'looks' like it's a beast offroad, or functional to add to the true strength, stability and reliability of your rig, though mostly out of sight to those who only know face value of anything?
Answer honestly and I'm certain that you'll get much advice that will help you decide on your upgrades.
 
It really depends on what you want to do with your Jeep. Pretty much no matter what your goals are, a CB and recovery gear is a good place to start.

Nice Willys btw.

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Nice looking rig. As it's been stated you need to be honest with yourself on what your goals with your Jeep are. If you wheel it recover gear is a great starting point while you figure out what you want to upgrade. This forum is full of great info so use it to your advantage and learn from others. Goodluck with your adventure 🍺

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Primarily, don’t get caught up thinking you need a ton of crap to go off road. If you’re like most people you’ll push the Jeep to about 10% if its true capability the 1st 2 times you go. Step 1, go out with a few people and have a tow strap between the group.

Then start working on the things I mentioned below...you don’t need all of these things to start with. But eventually, you know ask for some things for your birthday, Christmas, Father’s Day, and anniversary. Maybe even President’s Day[emoji106].

CB, air compressor, tow strap, Evo ProTek Oil Pan Skid. And then put together a tool kit and extra fluids to take with you while off-roading.


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The first upgrade I did was a Warn winch and various straps and recovery gear. I haven't used if except to pull start my Jeep when my starter went out. Never thought about using it for that! After that I purchased new gears to compensate for the larger tires. There are a lot of cool accessories I wish I could get right away but I'm trying to focus on the functional side of upgrades. Just my 2 cents.
 
My advice (with the above proviso, “depends what you want”):

I’d say a Warn winch and recovery gear first. Then research safe winch operation (lots of videos online), then go out somewhere with an experienced buddy with the goal of getting stuck, and use it. That way if you ever need to use it, you’ll have some experience; but also, you’ll grow into what you want the next mods to be.


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I’d add a fire extinguisher and first aid kit to the earlier mentioned tow strap and CB. Your Jeep is an amazingly capable vehicle just as it sits. It will take you there and get you back if you treat her right. Make sure you have all the tools to jack and change a tire, a tire patch kit is way up on the list too especially when you get that compressor mentioned earlier. Have fun!


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Yeah there is a lot of good information on here from people who trail from light to hardcore.

So it all depends what you want to do with your jeep. Is it a daily driver? What trails are you interested in going on?

But some cheap necessities are just the basics: recovery gear, tool kit, fluids, cb, and if you do trail try to go with someine else or a group.

Good looking 2 door you go there! Enjoy it, read thru some posts on here and feel free to ask any questions!
 
Figure out what you want to do that you can’t do now. The reason for the recovery gear and tire repair kits and safety stuff is to give you confidence to use it as is. You will find it is extremely capable as it sits. Then if you want it to do more, research like this will point you in a direction. Figure out what you need to accomplish your goal and save up until you can do the key stuff all at once. Keep the mods in mechanical balance as doing some things without the other will do damage that costs more later and can cause avoidable breakdowns. Remember it IS a vehicle. Pay attention to the key things like steering geometry, drive lines and suspension. You have to drive it to have fun with it.


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I also just bought my first Jeep, fortunately the guy who had it before me had put upgraded bumpers and winch and whatnot. I would totally agree on the taking it out first. I discovered that my jeep has way bigger balls than me and will go places i did not think possible. (May have gone with an experienced group first time). If you are going with an experienced group a winch and recovery gear is not absolutely necessary. And as for the CB, they had an extra hand held that they lent me. Just find other Jeepers to get out with! I will admit that having my winch was nice as i used it 3 times on my first day out snow wheeling (mostly driver inexperience). IMG_0227.JPG


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Ok wanted to give it a full day before responding so I could listen instead of talking. This is my daily driver and would like to go on light to medium outings. So first I’m going to get a CB, and under body armor to protect everything underneath. I will get a wench and first aid kit and tools to change a tire. My thing is I like nice things and to keep my Jeep looking “shiny” I guess was a term used but I wouldn’t say that takes away from what I’d like to do with it. I want to enjoy it and go in nature with myself and my family. I also like it to show my patriotism towards America as my grandfather was a WWII war veteran. Thanks for the advice everyone, I will direct my first upgrades towards safety as that’s the overall consensus here.


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+1 Go screw around with her and then decide what you want to spend your money on.

My own experience: I thought I would need to get some new tires and a small lift and a winch..etc. then I went to a few little spots around here and didn’t have any problem getting where I wanted to go, so I bought some nice seat covers, a soft top, and bought a new tent to sleep in on my adventures.

If you don’t have LED headlights those are a huge improvement over the stocks.

Good luck, and cool Jeep!


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I might be totally wrong but to me it looks like the jeep is already lifted and have bigger tires than stock.

Since it is a 2 door you have less problem with the break over angle compare to 4 doors rig so if it was my jeep I would install some good rock slides and protection for the automatic gearbox if it is a automatic. Thats all to start with.

And the safety things as mentioned.
 
Bingobelle said:
I might be totally wrong but to me it looks like the jeep is already lifted and have bigger tires than stock.

Since it is a 2 door you have less problem with the break over angle compare to 4 doors rig so if it was my jeep I would install some good rock slides and protection for the automatic gearbox if it is a automatic. Thats all to start with.

And the safety things as mentioned.
Click to expand...

It’s a stick.


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Where in Florida are you?

Great advice so far. I'll add my 2 cents.

Step 1 and this is free. Avoid all the bolt on or stick on crap from China. So much of those 200 page catalogs do nothing but crap up your jeep and waste your money.

Step 2- and this is needed before you can go on to step 3. Cb radio (even a handheld is okay, or a Cobra 75, or a mini size like a Midland 1001. 30' tow strap with loops, not hooks. 10' strap for trees. 2, 3/4" d-rings. Gloves. First aid kit. Flash light or headlamp.

Step 2a, because you're in Florida like me: Extend your vent lines. Google it. Cost about $10 for 3/8" rubber hose and a couple of barb fittings. Get the rear axle breather hose up behind the passenger tail light. Get the front axle hose extended up towards the brake booster. Keeps the water out of your axles.

Step 3- join a club and hit some trails!


If you want to upgrade, I'd start with a stubby front bumper and warn winch (M8000S is my recommendation).

You'd be amazed how capable your Jk is the way it sits. Get out and enjoy it. Don't worry about some custom "pin striping" from the bushes, most will buff out. The rest are badges of honor.

With a 6 speed you really don't need skids unless you're getting into boulders. You'll be fine with the factory stuff.
 
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