JK Wrangler Dual Build - Camp Jeep

Today, this stock four door four by four gets treated to an off road makeover from mild to wild and for those who eat sleep and breathe the Jeep brand, we'll take you to summer camp

that plus

Ian's Tech tip right now on Xtreme 4x4.

Hey everybody, welcome to Xtreme 4x4. You know, I feel like I'm back working in the dealership with the number of new trucks that have been in the shop lately, but a lot of these trucks have been pretty cool, especially this one.

And since the guys at Quadri

tech called us up, so they got their hands on a brand new Jeep JK with only 1000 miles on it

that we can modify any way we wanted.

We had to run and pick it up straight away.

This one a little different. We're going to start by putting it together the way most people would by using off the shelf parts and keeping it very straight

and then

we're going to tear into it, making

it extreme.

Uh Jeep had a pretty tall order to fill when they decided to redesign their classic Jeep.

This has been the first major redo on this vehicle in almost 20 years. But I think considering the fact that they kept their removable hard doors, even though there are now four of them and the removable hard top Jeep lovers are gonna be pretty happy.

So the aftermarket manufacturers are just as happy that the JK is still a Jeep at heart and are pumping out things like

bumpers and fenders and soft tops, tube doors and of course suspension upgrades all for the new model. Ours is Skyjacker

and since we're building this truck in two different stages, stage one, we're going to be using the 2.5 inch suspension system

comes with new control arms that are 30% stronger than stock springs for front and rear.

Skyjacker Hydro 7000 shocks and of course all the hardware and relocation bracket.

Now you can order this model of Jeep in a Rubicon package and that'll put a Dana 44 axle underneath the front end of your Jeep. Thanks Jessi.

But the data 30 that's under this one right now is perfectly capable of supporting the 33 inch tires we plan to install as part of stage one.

And before we can put the suspension in, the first step is disconnect the sway bar

with the front shocks removed, the axle can be lowered

and the stock springs pulled out,

the new bump stops are then installed onto the axle

and the new coil springs can be installed.

Then the new lower trailing arms will replace the stock pieces.

Now, the rear axle is the day of 44 and we're going to be swapping out both front and rear axles in the next stage of our build. So for now, I'm gonna go ahead and install the track bar relocation bracket and then go ahead and replace the lower control arm, the shock and the spring.

Yeah,

these new Hydro 7000 shocks are equipped with multi sensitive valving.

Basically, it means when the shock is cycled, the valve gets stiffer to eliminate will ha.

Now we got a pile of parts for our JK all from the guys at quadri

tech.

Some to improve this truck's off road ability like that new Skyjacker lift kit and others purely cosmetic like the A V hood, the new bushwhacker fender flares to replace the ones I'm taking off and of course new bumpers front and rear.

The stock flares on this Jeep are ok, but the new bushwacker pocket style flares will not only cover our new tires better.

They also give this Jeep the tough new look it needs.

I thought that was in there for

the fab four bumpers, both front and rear are made with a quarter inch plate under standard.

It is and 360 inch plate body.

The taper design will help with our approach angle on the front

down the rear bumper. The swing tire carrier has provisions for a high lift jack

and clears for my head,

the new A EV hood allows for additional cooling for our engine.

Plus the styling lines of the hood really sets the truck off.

The number one reason Jeeps are so damn cool is the ability to take the doors off whenever you want and two doors just make the trips on the trails even better

for stage one of our kit, we decided to install a set of tires that'll work well, both on and off road. These 33 inch dick C

pack mud terrains have a deep aggressive lug pattern that works really awesome for off road traction.

And the close knit center section of this tread along with the alternating tread block design will really limit this tires on road noise. We went ahead and mounted these on a set of Mickey Thompson classic two wheels 17 by eight.

Later stage one is done and hits the trail for a little fun. But up next, it's fun for all ages, whether you're licensed to drive or not. Camp Jeep when Xtreme 4x4 continues

time now for an Xtreme 4x4 tech tip,

let's say you have an engine that's exactly like this one. It's got a pilot bushing in the back of the crank shaft because it had a standard transmission installed behind it. Well, maybe you need to replace that bushing because it's worn out or you're installing an automatic and the bushing is interfering with the torque converter. Well, they do make a special tool that fits on a slide hammer to pull out those bushings. But I'm gonna show you how to take it out using a hammer, a bolt and some grease

by filling the pilot hole bushing with grease and then forcing the bolt into it with a hammer. The grease pushes the bushing out much like a hydraulic crest.

You will have to add more grease as you go.

No special tools required and the bushing is out

as you can see, stage one of our Jeep build is complete and we about ready to take it on the trail. Now.

J

owners are kind of a rare breed. They love their truck so much that sometimes they even go on vacation together

for three summer days. Camp Jeep hosted thousands of families for a weekend of nonstop adventure fun. Camp. Jeep is mainly made up of just enthusiast. We work hard all year. This is our family vacation. We love it. Oh, it's great. I had a

blast

from the state park to the Adventure Tower.

There were hundreds of activities for the kids to love.

It's fun just to uh you

go out there and like

be messy and all that kind of

stuff. It's just so nice around here. Like everyone's so polite. Those with a driver's license, have their ticket and bigger toys. Keep it real

testing out the newest line of Jeeps on the obstacle course and mud

or putting the pedal down on the road. America racetrack

this weekend was all about getting out going for a Jeep style. My first camp Jeep, really good experience so far

around Elkhart Lake Jeep set up 12 off road trails ranging from scenic to difficult folks push their rigs as hard as they saw fit. A lot of people don't get to use their Jeep and this is a good time to come out and use it.

My favorite part is the trail rides.

We enjoy them most because we don't do that except at Camp Jeep.

Yeah, it's my dad's Jeep. So I'm not worried about anything.

Newbie Ian

Souser was a little too excited in getting dad's tires dirty

and in the vehicle,

you've got some of the novices who get out and they really don't have a clue. They don't know how to set the vehicles up and they get hung up.

They're the ones that are really green and really impressionable and that's what we're all about trying to teach them the proper ways of healing,

not just ripping stuff

off

and you let the clutch all hit it

hard.

We're gonna have to strap them. Well, you're the first one that has to get strapped.

What do you say?

I don't know, embarrassed.

You only learn by doing it.

It's all part of the experience.

I'm tired, buddy.

Since the first Camp Jeep. 12 years ago, companies like

Garin have used this event to showcase their newest Jeep accessories.

G's

excited about bringing a new portable navigation device that's waterproof has the ability to do downloading map capability to Jeep.

Um for the uh for the outdoor enthusiasts. Skyjacker is known as the People's Suspension company and they wouldn't think of missing camp Jeep anytime we have a chance to ride with the Jeep enthusiasts. We wanna ride, we wanna hear what they have to say. We want to be out and enjoy with them

outdoor adventure. This year, Skyjacker brought with them their latest off-road innovation. This new Rock Lock Sway Bar skyjacker

has come out with allows someone to disconnect their sway bar

to go off roading so that there's no resistance and no anti control from their sway bar.

And then when they're through off roading to get back on the highway, so it's safe.

They can just lock it right back in

and maintain all their sway bar control immediately allows the suspension to do what it was designed to do with so much to do and only one weekend to do it.

No one went home disappointed

all the activities,

just the camaraderie, the people and I love it that there's no smoking, no alcohol,

people are behaving. They're all terrific. It's just a good fellowship. A good family out here.

Let me guess. We gave that newbie kid a hard time because his name was Ian. No, we busted his chops because he tried to spin his wheels in the mud hole and get our cameraman dirty So he paid the price.

So

welcome back to extreme with our

JJ K put together in what we are calling stage one,

2.5 inch lift, plus a few cosmetic goodies.

We pulled it out of the shop and on the streets to see how it would handle

right away. You get the feeling that this Jeep is a little more trail than it was when it first came into the shop

with more aggressive rubber and more ground clearance. This JK not only looks ready for the trail,

it is ready for the trip

and even though we increased the height and have more aggressive tires, we still found some limitations with our stage one build up.

But the name of the show is Xtreme 4x4.

See or at that time,

it's all about the bounce effect.

So it's back to the shop for some streams.

Now, obviously, one of the first areas we want to address on our Jeep and we're taking it from stage one to our extreme stage is gonna be the suspension.

I've got to admit our 2.5 inch suspension system actually worked pretty good and we had this thing out on the trail and we only scrub the tires probably about once,

but we wanna upgrade the suspension for a couple of reasons. Number one,

we obviously want room for larger wheels and tires. Number two, we want a better performing suspension system.

So we're gonna install the Skyjacker six inch kit. We're gonna be

putting on new control arms, both front and rear and on one end, they have very typical poly joint, but on the opposite end has their next generation rod end joint that allow us for more articulation when we're off road now

because it's a bigger kit. Obviously, we're gonna install four new longer shocks, all the drop down brackets. We need four new coil springs and then of course new dot approved brake lines

to install our six inch kit. All of our two inch stuff is gonna have to go.

Now there will be some cutting to install this kit,

but come on, this truck's wore out. It's already been on the trail once.

What

the new Jeep, we definitely in need of some larger tires. And with it being in stage two, we're going to need something that's a little bit more trail worthy.

So going to swap out those DC P

for these 37 inch by

Hala

radios from the

Thompson.

This deep aggressive trade pattern is going to work great off road. Plus the radio construction is going to be highly friendly all around. Great to purpose.

You can lift that or you

problem

if you can do this

as she falls on her back.

All right, let's take a good look at this.

Yeah, see now that's starting to look extreme. What do you think? I think it's slowly becoming a truly trail rated four by four I'm totally stuck. Now, those fenders look pretty good for brushing things away, but for true off road, check this out,

these two fenders from rev 111 are constructed with inch and a half deal

M tubing and are making tig welded to make them extra heavy duty.

So not only will these new tube fenders obviously offer the body more protection. When Ralph wrote, it allows us to run a bigger tire because of the high arch design.

And one unique feature of the rev 111 fenders is the ability to remove this outer flare if you're in tight situations

and you just need more room.

And once we get these fenders on the JK goes back up on the hoist and it's time to get the drive train trail ready.

Welcome back to extreme. As you can see, our 2007 JKJ

is well on its way to becoming more trail ready.

We started to build this truck like most of you guys will by adding a 2.5 inch left new bumpers and a pile of parts from Quad.

Then

we went ahead and we

the truck all back apart and installed a six inch Skyjacker suspension system, some functional A EVB locks and of course 37 inch Mickey Thompson Baha

Clause. But before we continue to convert this project, we're gonna take a look at some other areas that might need a little bit of improvement.

Yeah,

and we're pulling our transfer case out right now for a couple of different reasons. Number one, the Rubicon edition of this truck is equipped with what's called a rock track transfer case has a 4 to 1 gear ratio.

This truck is not a Rubicon and this is not a 4 to 1 case. But even if it was the rock track as well as this one are chain driven cases, there's a great big chain wrapped around two gears inside of here and that chain can stretch and the worst case scenario it can break. So we're gonna replace this with all gear transfer case. Our dilemma there is this, Jeep is too new. No one has a drop in case ready to go. So what we've offered to do is crate up this transfer case and ship it off to a couple of different builders and let them have a look at it. They'll be looking at things like the bolt placement,

the spines on the input shaft and the position of the two output shafts. And they'll use this as the basis to build an aftermarket case specifically for the JK. So in essence, we're doing them a favor and they're doing one for us.

The front

on the new Jeep is a day

30 like we said before and it wasn't that big of an issue when we were only running 33 inch tires and the stock transfer case.

But when we put new gearing in that transfer case,

it's going to put a lot of strain on this axle. So we're going to go ahead and take it out and get it ready for an upgraded axle. And of course, we're going to go ahead and put new gears and lockers both for

by looking at the markings on the ring gear. We can tell that the ring gear has 41 teeth and the opinion has 10 teeth

giving us a gear ratio of 4 10 1.

Now, our Jeep rolled in here on about a 30 inch tire. Now we've gone ahead and installed a set of 30 sevens on it. So we're gonna divide the 37 by 30 multiply that by a 410 gear ratio which means for this truck to act like it has a set of stock gears on it. We need to land somewhere around five. No one really makes a perfect 50 gear ratio. So we're probably gonna be dancing between a 488 and a 513 and that's all we have for you today guys. So the next time you'll see this thing, it'll be out on the trail. Extreme style.

Oh yeah.

Mhm.