Rancho-equipped highly-modifed JK Wrangler

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REAL 4WD 2013 JEEP WRANGLER JK

E L G A E L A G E L WORDS BY

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PHOTOGRA NIEL REBER,

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• Fully engineered • 3.5in suspension lift and 35in tyres • Fully braced, sleeved and armoured Dana 30 front housing

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aving owned a few modified Zooks in the past as well as a 4WD Colorado, I decided I wanted something that was a bit of an ‘in-betweener’,” says Sam Jolly, the owner of this neon green and tough as old boots JK Jeep. “My criteria were pretty specific though; I wanted modern tech, off-road ability and front and rear live axles with a stack of aftermarket support – the Jeep was meant to be. Sam always had a soft spot for the JK Wrangler and after the first test drive, it was settled – the Jeep was coming home!

Sam scored the unmodified, unmolested JK with a measly 9000km on the clock through a private sale and already had a fairly hefty to-do list knocked up before he even pulled into the driveway with the new acquisition. Now, when you earn your bread and butter being a self-employed 4WD engineer, you can bet nothing’s going to stay stock for long!

The rig before your eyes is not only a weapon off-road, but this beast is completely legal and 100% engineered. Enjoy the read folks and start getting some ideas!

EXTERIOR • Steel JPA Stubby front bar w/ Smittybilt X20 winch • Crawler Conceptz Rocker Knocker, two-piece side bars • SPI modified steel rear bar with auto-opening swing away • 50in Aurora LED light bar w/JPA windscreen mount • 4 x 2in LED lights • LED strip rock lights • AEV snorkel “I chose the barwork for pretty specific reasons,” says Sam. “The front bar offered one of the more ‘sedate’ looks for a daily driver with a more set-back front hoop, while providing good clearance for the 35s. The sliders are unique in that they are a two piece unit that mounts to the body mounts, with an external skin that mounts to the body, this means if the outer section gets damaged it can be switched out and the impact won’t hurt the mounts or the body.” Sam had the rear bar modified so that the rear tyre swing-away was able to swing out automatically when the rear door was opened – handy!

2013 JEEP WRANGLER JK

• 3.5in raised Ironman springs front and rear • Rancho RS7000 shock absorbers • Extended bump stops and Rancho sway bar disconnects • Rancho drop boxes to realign castor angle • Ironman adjustable Panhard rods • Synergy heavy-duty ball joints • Synergy high steer drag link and adaptor • Pro Comp Series 52 steel wheels, 17x9 -22 offset – Minimum 17s needed to clear brakes • 35x12.5R17 Atturo MTZ tyres “I pieced the suspension together rather than using one kit, because previous experience with past 4WDs let me know what worked for my needs. The Rancho shocks work perfectly with the JK to remove the body-roll when cornering,” explains Sam. “The drop boxes and heavy-duty ball joints have improved the overall feel of the front-end to really firm it all up and I’ve now got a setup that’s not only top-notch off-road, but also handles the daily on-road duties very well. In the not too distant future I’ll be converting to coil-overs for greater travel and strength.”

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THIS BEAST IS COMPLETELY LEGAL AND 100% ENGINEERED

REAL 4WD

SUSPENSION, WHEELS & TYRES

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ENGINE & DRIVELINE • Fully braced, sleeved and Terra Flex armoured Dana 30 front housing • Standard Dana 44 rear diff with Terra Flex guard • Double cardan slim shafts front and rear • Control arm skids and colour coded knuckles • Stock engine, with future plans for turbo kit

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“Ultimately I’m going to fit Dana 60 diffs, front and rear, but in the meantime I’ve braced up the front Dana 30 so it’ll survive till the 60 goes in,” says Sam. “Cost-wise I’ve saved $6000 building the diff this way. It’s between $8,000 - $10,000 to get the 60s in there, however it’s only cost me about $1300 to brace and bulletproof the Dana 30, so for now until I win the lottery, the 30 is standing up to the task.” The reason behind the slim shafts was simple; with all the flex, the shafts would bind on the fuel tank and clobber the crossmembers – an issue that the slim shafts eliminated.

Because Sam is only just starting to explore the world of 4WD touring with his Jeep, the mods thus far have been aimed at the off-road, low-range ability. Slowly, the touring mods are creeping in though, with Sam soon to cut out the NS WHAT ARE YOUR TRAVEL PLA rear storage compartment WITH THE JK? to fit a pre-fabbed dual been hitting battery and air compressor “My main thing with the Jeep has start getting to keen storage box in its place. the rocks but I’m definitely accuse ever ld wou one No ing. tour e Watch this space! into mor n it whe ker drin light a g the petrol JK of bein n the line is to comes to fuel, so an option dow , jerry cans will fit a long range tank but for now drains the 80L JK the do the trick. With the 35s, thirsty!” s she’ yep, – m 400k t abou tank in

2013 JEEP WRANGLER JK

• GME TX3420 UHF w/ aerial • HEMA HN7 GPS • Projecta battery monitor • Future plan to fit dual battery and compressor to rear cargo compartment

“I SAVE D $6000 BU ILDING TH E DIFF TH IS WAY!”

REAL 4WD

INTERIOR

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REAL 4WD

2013 JEEP WRANGLER JK

RUNDOWN VEHICLE: 2013 JK Jeep Wrangler ENGINE: 3.6L inline 6-cylinder petrol, Pentastar GEARBOX: 5-Speed automatic 4WD ACTIVATION: Part time 4WD SUSPENSION: 3.5in Ironman springs, Rancho RS7000 shocks WHEELS AND TYRES: 17x9 Pro Comp rims, 35x12.5R17 Atturo MTZ

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THANKS I’d like to thank my father who has my JK helped through the whole build – out him. wouldn’t be where it is today with Also have to thank James from After his market Jeep Parts Australia for all . I can’t help and info throughout the build e Puls with g alon gh, thank 4WD1 enou g, Mobile Auto Electrics for all the wirin kham Baul King tyre ing, neer Young Engi the Hills and Craft Metal Works for all to ks than lly Fina n. catio fabri om cust James Sarah for all the support, Rob and but for all the help and advice and last her all for mum zing ama my not least love and support with the build.