I've thought along this line before.
I would probably try and do something off road and break something the first time out. LOL
I'm going to shop online and see what a Sports look like cost wise.
We're watching a lot of the videos and I'm very surprised that I'm not seeing a single thing said about upgrading the brakes on these Jeeps.
People are adding a huge amount of rotating mass to their Jeep and doing nothing with the brakes? That's crazy to me.
I completely understand there is no comparison between a serious road car and a serious off road Jeep. But rotating mass is rotating mass.
I've been pushing my brother to get the Stainless Steel Brake hoses and Carbon/Ceramic brake pads on his Jeep since day one. They make an absolutely HUGE improvement in braking performance.
www.rockauto.com has all of these and, at least on my Camaro, has been the largest single performance increase from a single part I've ever seen short of a supercharger or NOS.
Again, I understand these aren't cars.
Another thought I'm looking into is buying a Sport as suggested and then buying wrecked Jeeps to part out what I want on them and selling the rest.
Might be a good way to pay for the project if I can get them at the right price.
Things that make you go Hmmmmm......
A lot of people do brake upgrades, I'm doing HD brakes on mine, they come with the 60's I ordered.
Remember, most people you see are mall crawlers, not so much on this forum, but most jeepers in general. Most upgrades are for looks only eg; #LightBarsB4Lockers they bypass most obstacles, or do trails that you could manage with a stocker.
I wanted a jeep ordered to my liking, a virgin if you will.
So, I ordered my rubi bare bones, but like I said,if I had known I was going to go the route I have... I'd have done a sport JKU
If you're as mechanically inclined as you say, and just want a weekend trail rig/ doorless cruiser. Buy a busted up sport,and build it up the way you'd like it
Make a build sheet first
If I was you, I'd get a sport and do my build in stages
Just save up for each stage.
1-
Armor&Winch/Recovery gear
Quick sway bat disconnects
Wheeling gear, tools, onboard air ect
Maybe grab some used rubicon suspension, I sold my full used suspension to a guy for like $150
Some used 33's, just something aggressive, that won't blow out on the rocks like a street tire would
Now you've done some wheeling, seen some rigs, maybe had to do a few repairs, learned a bit about what direction you want to go with your build.
2- (this is the expensive portion, I prefer to do most of these together, once.)
Axles (dependent on tire size) if you want to do 37's, do some upgraded Dana 44's. A true D44 or PR44 up front with 35 spline shafts. And a Rubi 44 rear with 35 spline shafts (FYI; the JK Rubicon 44 front axle, is not a true Dana 44) I'd do all this for 35's as well... don't be the guy with an under built rig waisting people's time on the trail with silly broken shit.
If you want 40's, or may go to 40's go ahead and do 60's. I did Dynatrac's 60/60 kit because I'm not a mechanic, a shop does all my work that requires more than the turning of a wrench. You can do junkyard axles too, there's a lot of great kits for this now, Arctic makes a pretty sweet one.
Lockers, this is a must, might even do this on stage one of your build. And then again on stage 2 with your upgraded axles
I prefer electric lockers, but a lot of guys run air
Suspension, coil overs, coil springs, long arm, short arm, ect. Reminder, with suspension, you get what you pay for. No goes; Rough Country, Sky jacket, Pro Comp.... BDS, and teraflex have some decent kits, next up would be something like metal cloak, or rubicon express. If you want top quality, without going to a full custom build, I'd recommend Evo MFG, or Genright with coil overs
Tires&rims, 35's, 37's, or 40's. Bead locks, regular rims ect
Transfer case
You'll eventually want to upgrade your t case, you could do a rubi case, probably grab a used one, or get a atlas like I, going to eventually do
I'm sure there other ways to do this, and Im sure Im missing stuff, but this is just a rough outline of how I'd do things
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“Our Country won’t go on forever, if we stay soft as we are now. There won’t be any America because some foreign soldiery will invade us and take our women and breed a hardier race!”
– Lt. Gen. Lewis B. “Chesty” Puller, USMC
