Destroyer 2013 jku a slow & painful process

Destroyer

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Destroyer 2013 jku a slow & painful process

The Destroyer: Purchased May 20th, 2013.

Forum Start Date: May 11th, 2017.

It was a childhood dream of mine to purchase a Jeep Wrangler, and in 2013 I got a little closer to that goal as I purchased a brand new Sahara Unlimited. The Destroyer ought to be paid off by next year, 2018. Had I known the addictive behaviour associated with wranglers I'm not sure I would have purchased one. Who am I kidding... it's been a hate/love relationship that I wouldn't trade for the world.

I have no mechanical background, however I'm a master at internet research and YouTube, which has been a blessing as I've done all the work myself and really have a difficult time trusting my local dealer. I'm not afraid to tackle these jobs on my own and I've learnt a lot by being independent. Nevertheless, I'm starting this thread a little late as I've completed a decent amount of modifications over the past 3-4years. I'm going to do my best and travel back in time to retrieve photos of my installs if possible. In addition, I plan to come up with a standard maintenance plan and instructions for " How to" based on mileage of our JKs.

***What's the Destroyer Packing:

Rock Krawler 2.5" Max Travel
- Mid Lower Control Arms Front and Rear
- Progressive Coils
- Rear Track Bar
- Front Bomb Proof Track Bar
- Crown Stainless Extended Brake Lines
- Quick Release Extended Sway Bar Links

2.0 Fox Shocks 4 - 6"

Teraflex Bump Stops Front and Rear

1" Teraflex Spacers

OME Steering Stabilizer

Arctic Front Dana 30 Truss

Synergy C Gussets

Teraflex HD Adjustable Ball Joints

Yukon 4.88 Gears & Master Kit

Synergy Axle Tube Seals

ARB On-Board Comprerssor

SPOD 6 Channel

Zeon 10S Winch with Solenoid

Poison Spyder Front Bumper

Poison Spyder Hood Louvre

Poison Spyder Tramp Stamp License Plate

Bushwhacker Trail Armor Hood Deflector

1310 CV Extreme HD Adams Drive Shaft

Rigid Industries LEDs A-Pillar & Fog Lights

LED Angel Eye Head Lights

Poison Spyder Differential Covers

D3 Control Arm Skid Plates

Under Seat Driver Side Tuffy Lock Box

Smittybilt rear trunk pouch hanger

Drake Aluminum Front Fender Grill Slots

Angled Pucks for Passenger Seating Recline

Extreme Terrain Snorkel Kit

Dirty Dog Cargo Netting

Rugged Ridge Hood Latches

Cobra 75 CB with Fire Stick

Pro Comp 17" 7069 4.75BS

Mickey Ts MTZ 35" x 12.5" 17" (Going to 37's)

I'm sure there's a few items missing here, however I'll try and update it as I go along.

***Current Jobs Being Completed (May):
- Line-X front bumper as the powder coat has came off.
- Transmission fluid needs to be changed
- Poison Spyder Side Armour going in for Line-X
- POR15 the undercarriage (Paint Over Rust)
- Coolant Change Out
- Need to check my toe-in
- Check Axle U-Joints

***Purchasing within the next month (May early June):
17" Beadlocks (Still Deciding ATX Slabs or Spyderlocks)
37" x 13.5" x 17" STTs
New Coil Springs: Most likely RK3.5" or TF 4"
Custom Rear Gas Tank Holder and Mount
Drag Link Flip Kit (supplier not decided)
Evap Skid Plate (Evo or PSC)
Rear Dana44 Truss (TMR Customs or Arctec)

***Things I need to get ASAP:
- Lockers preferably ARB (Want Rears for the Summer)
- Tie Rod (Synergy)
- Upgraded power steering or Fox ATS Steering Stabilizer for now
- Sliders / Side Steps..most likely Poison Spyder

*** Note, my jeep is a weekend warrior and my daily driver. It takes me to the cottage, hunting camp and a few off-road trails with some of the jeep clubs around the area. My goal is to make the Destroyer an only summer driven vehicle as the salty winters are pretty rough, and to upgrade to 40s on wontons in the near future.


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I'm going to apologize in advance as I'm going to be all over the ice with this build thread, however I'll do my best to stay on topic of each install or item purchased.

Thanks in advance for your views and or follows.






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Destroyer 2013 jku a slow & painful process

My first install mention will actually be my latest or most current installation. CV 1310 Front Drive Shaft by Adams Offroad. It was an easy install and I could probably do a write-up strictly using photos.

I typically go under the jeep to make sure everything is in tact...and no I don't have a ritual or a certain amount of miles...it's more of a gut feeling I guess you could say.

While I was under the jeep I noticed a ton of spray coming from the front drive shaft and the boot was ripping and melting on the exhaust pipe. I knew it was only time before I'd have to replace it so I took some preventative maintenance and bought a new one.

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Nice build tho. I have been looking into those trusses. Seems more beneficial than standard outter sleeves. Still researching more into it.


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I've asked around and found a lot of guys don't sleeve their axles. I'm no expert but I've been told it doesn't really do anything. Again, I've only been told this buy a few shops and a couple of mechanical engineers. Either way I did the front truss and it's a breeze.



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Since I installed new Yukon 4.88 gears, I decided to change out the diff fluid and do a quick check to see if any shrapnel was coming out. All looked good to me....no fragments of steel etc. I do plan on taking of the diff cover and doing a full change out next month. IMG_9221.jpgIMG_9225.jpg

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Yeah it looks pretty easy, just requires some welding. I do hear different opinions on it, but it seems to make sense. Ideally 60's would be nice but budget wise sometimes you can only make do with what you got.


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Yeah it looks pretty easy, just requires some welding. I do hear different opinions on it, but it seems to make sense. Ideally 60's would be nice but budget wise sometimes you can only make do with what you got.


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Agreed. For now it'll do the job. However, there's always hope for those 60s, lol. Wife says I need to pay our mortgage off first lol. I'm sure ill be getting them sooner than that. Haha what she doesn't know cant hurt her, lol.


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Since I installed new Yukon 4.88 gears, I decided to change out the diff fluid and do a quick check to see if any shrapnel was coming out. All looked good to me....no fragments of steel etc. I do plan on taking of the diff cover and doing a full change out next month.


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You're probably fine but it's always a good idea to pull the cover when you have a chance and give things a look.



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Destroyer 2013 jku a slow & painful process

You're probably fine but it's always a good idea to pull the cover when you have a chance and give things a look.



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Thanks! I definitely agree with you. When I have a little more time I'll remove the diff and be more thorough. The gears lined up really well and I haven't really pushed the jeep hard. I've read that it's a good idea to take it easy for the first 800miles on new gears. Unfortunately, I probably drove 1200miles before changing out the fluid. Either way I'm going to assume all is well for now.


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Destroyer 2013 jku a slow & painful process

Here's a couple of recent photos of the transfer case fluid change I did 2 weeks ago. It's simple to do and I feel that she drives nicer, however I'm sure that's just a placebo effect. I've read through different forums that suggest it's a good idea to change out the transfer case fluid every 60,000miles....I decided to do it a lot earlier...30-35,000miles. I'm going to do the transmission fluid next as I believe it's suggested to change it out every 30,000miles.

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Well it's been a while since I last posted. A lot of things have been going on...The Destroyer has had a few modifications over the past couple of weeks so I thought I should update my build thread.


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Next, my ATX Slabs came in and they were installed incorrectly on the tire...what an awful time that was. I removed the tire off of the rim and re-installed the beadlock wheel.


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