The Build of Talon and Lana

dhughes16

dhughes16

New member
Hello from Alaska!

I’ve been a member for a couple years and usually just observe or search through all the helpful forums but I finally decided to just go ahead and make a build thread for our two Jeeps. Before buying my JKUR I had limited technical knowledge of Jeeps but this forum has helped me with so much that I figured I’d attempt to contribute. Although it hasn’t always been easy, all the mods I have I have done myself (sometimes with the help of a friend or two). Most issues I’ve run into with our Jeeps I’ve been able to find solutions for on here without having to post but some have been mysteries to me that this community has helped me with.

My wife and I currently live outside of Fairbanks, AK and love exploring here. The original plan was to make her Jeep more of an “Overlander” vehicle and mine was more for wheeling. However we decided we’re just going to get her a Gladiator in the next year or so, so we’re not going to give hers much more attention in regards to mods.

This is what we have on our Jeeps now:

2012 JKUR (Lana):
3.5” RK Coils
RC shocks
RK front upper and lower control arms
RK Tie Rod
RK Drag-Link Flip
RK Adjustable Track Bar
Teraflex HD Balljoints
Dynatrac ProGrips
Crown Automotive Steal Braided Extended Brake Lines
Poison Spyder F/R Dif covers
Poison Spyder BFH II Front and Rear
Smittybilt 10k Synthetic Winch
Poison Spyder Crusher Corners
BestTop TrekTop
Evo Hinged Tire Carrier
Method Race Wheel NVs
37x13.5x17 Cooper STT Pros
AirRaid Air Intake
Dynomax crawler exhaust
Oliver’s 1310 Front Driveshaft
Ten Factory Chromoly Front Axle Shafts

2016 JKU (Talon):
2” Rancho Coil Springs
RS5000 shocks
35x12.50x17 Nitto Mud Grapplers

Upcoming mods:
2012:
- I’m getting some Rancho RS9000s this week!
- I’m going back and forth on a PR44 or an Evo Long-Arm upgrade 🤷🏻*♀️
- Some armor for the underside of the Jeep
- I need to replace my oil cooler

2016:
- Trucklites
- Winch
- I have my old PSC brawler 2 bumper I need to re-paint and mount for her
-

Last thing I’ll say is how much I appreciate the regulars on this forum for calling everyone out on their bullshit and not sugar coating it. You guys make me laugh so fucking hard sometimes!

A few pics of the Jeeps: Image1552430343.807128.jpgImage1552430378.729731.jpgImage1552430393.293392.jpgImage1552430483.919334.jpg


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Nice Jeeps! I bet your glad to have the Sun back up in your part of the world.

Looking forward to watching the builds!
 
Your ball joints are garbage. Seriously though, you have a couple of nice rides with a lot of quality parts. Given the choice, I would prioritize the Prorock axle over the longarms (Actually, I did make that choice on my old JK :D). Lots of threads about how long arms are nice to have but not necessary. Unless you have the travel of coilovers they don't make a huge difference.
 
AZ Explorer said:
Your ball joints are garbage. Seriously though, you have a couple of nice rides with a lot of quality parts. Given the choice, I would prioritize the Prorock axle over the longarms (Actually, I did make that choice on my old JK :D). Lots of threads about how long arms are nice to have but not necessary. Unless you have the travel of coilovers they don't make a huge difference.
Click to expand...

Haha I knew someone was going to say that as I was typing it. It was one of the first things I did when I put on the 35’s 3 years ago. It seems like they’ve held up so far because I keep up with maintaining them but I’m definitely getting ProSteers with the PR44 that I’ll inevitably be getting.


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boardsurfer said:
Any chance you could take a closer shot to show the tire clearance to the bumper for me? Is it close? Touching? Is the Evo carrier set as high as it will go?
Click to expand...

I’m on vacation and not around my Jeep but yes it’s on the the highest setting and on my bumper it’s just barely touching the bumper. I thought about getting a spacer to lift it higher but I’m just going to get a rear stinger like Eddie runs on Jet Li and I think I should be good.


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So I was going to bite the bullet on a PR 44 but turns out the freight shipping to Alaska isn’t worth it considering I’m moving in a few months anyway. So I went with the front and rear Evo bolt on coil-over kit. That being said, anything in particular I should be prepared for for the installation?


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dhughes16 said:
I’m on vacation and not around my Jeep but yes it’s on the the highest setting and on my bumper it’s just barely touching the bumper. I thought about getting a spacer to lift it higher but I’m just going to get a rear stinger like Eddie runs on Jet Li and I think I should be good.


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Click to expand...

Appreciate the info! :thumb:
 
The last two months have been crazy busy as I prepare to move from AK to GA but I’ve still been able to get some work done on the Jeep. I finished up my front Evo bolt on coil-overs, replaced both unit bearings, and replaced my oil cooler housing. I just received my ARB dual compressor that I need to install before I start my trek south. In addition to that, I need to finish the rest of my Evo Pro Tek system (I did the oil pan skid with the last oil change). This week my front drive shaft started screaming like a dying bird so I took it off and, sure enough, the U-joints were smoked so I took it to a local shop and should be picking it up this week. There’s a few more items I need to do before I start my drive and I’ll post those in the next week along with some pictures tomorrow.


PS: my wife and I just drove her JKU (Talon) from Fairbanks, AK to Destin, FL on her Rancho 2” lift and 35” mud grapplers (lol) and I can’t express enough how impressed I STILL am with The quality of Rancho that lift is perfect for what she needs/wants and I’d recommend it to anyone who wants to run 35’s or smaller.


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Wow, talk about a road trip(s)! You need to fill out a map on the "How many states have you visited in your Jeep" thread!
Nice Jeeps BTW. :thumb:
 
Ddays said:
Wow, talk about a road trip(s)! You need to fill out a map on the "How many states have you visited in your Jeep" thread!
Nice Jeeps BTW. :thumb:
Click to expand...

Lol I’ve thought about it. Maybe once everything settles down with the movers and preparing the Jeep I’ll have time to make something cool like that. 3 years ago I made the drive from GA to AK in a uhaul with the Jeep on a trailer. I had 3 flat tires on my trailer in Canada. Some rough roads up here.


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Today I was able to fit in a few tasks on Lana:

I picked up my front drive shaft from the shop and reinstalled it along with the EVO transmission skid. I also serviced the T-Case which is the last fluid change I needed to do before my trip. Lastly, I installed my new Bed Tred mats. I love the way they fit and installation took about 15 min.

Some pics of today’s progress as well as a
My unit bearing replacement from a few weeks ago. Also, a perfect example of how a leaky oil cooler adapter can make a swimming pool in the valley!

Image1555744608.783903.jpgImage1555744623.414517.jpgImage1555744639.632121.jpgImage1555744653.016262.jpgImage1555744690.401690.jpgImage1555744714.120070.jpg


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