Hopefully Lost... 2015 JKUR beginner build with mostly used parts

dox

Member
Being "lost" isn't necessarily always a problem of Geography. For some of us, "lost" isn't a problem at all... it's a solution.

After work, on vacation or on the weekends... somewhere, I am hopefully lost. Lost in thought, lost in an idea, lost in a new place... Being lost doesn't always have to be a bad thing. My favorite way to get "lost" is in the outdoors, exploring something new... perhaps well inside my comfort zone, and occasionally a little (or a lot) outside of it.

With a young son, my motorcycle adventure days are on hold for now. It seemed that the next best thing and best way to share with him the experiences that my father shared with me was Overland Travel. I've been fascinated with it for years, doing it on adventure bikes in a very novice capacity. But I've always wanted to build an overland Jeep or 4Runner.

There was this old Toyota accessories catalog in my childhood home... full of part names and numbers that I couldn't decipher. But the pictures... Black and white dot-matrix printed pictures. Trucks and 4Runners and Land Cruisers on the most amazing journeys, places that looked like Mars or the Rockies or the Australian outback. Later lusting over videos and photos of the Dakar Rally and her competitors, the support trucks. The insane imagery of a Camel Trophy Land Rover crossing an impassable gap on nothing more than some fallen trees. These things, I think, was the spark - at least on the vehicle end. Frequent trips in a 1985 Chevy conversion van to Colorado with my parents... Dad will never know how much I appreciate those trips now, even if I didn't seem appreciate them then. An obsession with dual-sport and adventure bikes and trips in my late twenties and beyond carried on these passions, for which I could not define or describe to others. A passion that combines travel, customized 4x4's, camping, hiking, photography. A passion that I'm not very good at, but definitely enjoy doing it poorly. A passion that has evolved into the lucrative Overland industry, but no less worthy of my lust.

After a run of sporty-ish cars and autocross in my early twenties, I saw my first JK up close in 2008 as I was about to cruise a Mazda3 rental sedan up Old Falls River Road in Rocky Mountain National Park while on a family vacation. The freedom tops off, looking far more refined than the 2001 Wrangler I test drove some years prior. It sticks in my mind to this day. Three years later, I purchased a used / low-mileage 2007 JKU Sahara in Jeep Green Metallic... the first of three JKU's to date. Some time later, I discovered the Main Line Overland JKU build here on Expedition portal... and I fell in love with an idea. A white JKU Rubicon, built for overland, with white wheels. It became an inspiration... and eventually, a goal. But how to get there...

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Fast forward to March 2019, a random autotrader search reveals a clean, low mileage 2015 Rubicon as a used trade-in at a Toyota dealership in central Ohio. For $3,000 below book. One owner, clean carfax. But what caught my eye was the roof rack, one I have lusted after for a long time. This used 2015 Rubi came already equipped with a Gobi Stealth roof rack. I brought it home the following day, trading in my 2016 JKU Sport.

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While slowly, I was finally going to build my dream Jeep and overland rig. But the cost of everything I wanted to do seemed overwhelming, as did the time investment, so I decided to take it slow and in small bites. I started scanning for some of the very expensive bits online, searching forums and elsewhere just in case I could save a little coin on take-offs. My first few additions were found with random Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace searches... I just had to be willing to drive a little bit. A gently used ARB Deluxe Combo bumper from a nice couple in Charleston, WV was sourced for $500. And a new, unused Smittybilt Overlander roof-top tent from a really nice guy just south of Dayton, OH for only $600. The Smittybilt awning was purchased new from Amazon for $205, it was transferred from my previous JKU to the new-to-me Rubicon and Gobi Stealth rack. The winch is an old Warn XD9000i in good working condition but a bit rough around the edges, given to me by a friend and fellow Overlander on the condition that it would be put to good use.

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Trip planning with my son began for a 10-day introduction to Colorado's National Parks and a few of the more touristy destinations. With my new craigslist bumper and tent, we departed west for some great adventures.

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With all the driving, I had a lot of time to think. Ponder future adventures. Building my dream jeep. What worked on this trip, what didn't. Building the best possible Overland vehicle with quality parts for as little money as possible. Not cheap, but used and less expensive would be okay... and do it bit by bit so I don't break the bank. The idea was planted...

And so the obsessive search began... Quality parts, take-offs, used but in good condition. This is how my dream rig evolved over the next year and continues to do so. With mostly used parts. And lots of adventures, meeting new people and stories were made along the way. Here we go...
 
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dox

Member
I was torn over the big expense of lift, wheels and tires.

Almost resigned that I wouldn't be able to find the wheels I wanted used, I nearly pulled the trigger on a set of new Mopar Winter Wheels and wheel spacers like what was used in the Main Line Overland JKU build. I liked those, but I also liked AEV Savegre wheels. A lucky find, I discovered a poorly listed/described set of wheels that I had a hunch about based on some grainy photos. A whole lot of text messages later revealed my hunch to be correct. Apparently Mopar sold AEV Savegre wheels as an accessory at some point. While they have Jeep center caps... they are AEV Savegre wheels. The owner is trading in his jeep and is looking for $1100 plus your OEM wheels/tires. Some time and patience and negotiating, we finally settled on $850 plus a set of old black Rubicon wheels I had in storage. Trailer in tow, I headed out for a northern suburb of Cincinnati, OH to retrieve a set of five AEV Savegre wheels with very serviceable Toyo Open Country AT2 tires for $850. TPMS sensors included.

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I had not yet settled on a lift, but I couldn't ride like this for long... way too much rubbing. In the interim, I purchased a 3" Motofab spacer lift from Amazon for around $100 as a temporary solution until I could decide which lift to purchase. I needed to buy time and clearance until I could figure that out. I have a couple of lifts in mind and decided that buying new was maybe for the best, suspension is definitely a place I don't want to let cheap be the enemy of safety and functionality somewhere down the road.

With spacer lift:
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Had to remove the OEM rock rails as they were rubbing also. Planned to trim them, but a better option came along later.

In the meantime, I had built a very solid mental list of ways to search for items on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace and forums. I spend a lot of time on the rainy and snowy days in the months to come daydreaming of future trips, looking at other builds for ideas and searching for good deals. Some days, I'm almost certain I reached the end of the internet. But the good ideas just kept coming.
 

rustypayne

Active member
I love builds like this, so much more character. Its coming along very well. I have the same Jeep but a bit brighter color, still running stock wheels, that was a sweet score on yours.
 

dox

Member
The weight of the Toyo 35's definitely seemed heavy for the OEM tailgate hinges. The search was on for a solution... maybe just a tire carrier, or perhaps a bumper/carrier combo. I looked at them all and every option available for most of them. While some were more versatile in theory or just significantly cheaper, I settled with the idea of a heavy duty hinge system from a couple of different brands and then build out from there...

Or an AEV tire carrier. But the complete system is ridiculously expensive if purchasing new. I could source an inexpensive Jeep OEM steel bumper from a few different "special editions" which already has the hole for the carrier. But I loved the engineering of the complete AEV system. Integrated water tanks in the bumper, integrated shovel holder in the tire carrier, optional accessory for hi-lift jack. And the ten gallon integrated fuel tank option. All swinging out in a single button push of the OEM rear gate handle/button. I came very close to pulling the trigger on a heavy duty hinge system, but told myself to be patient. Occasionally, an AEV bumper or tire carrier would come up for sale. But rarely both. After a failure to launch when a complete system for sale in Ohio didn't work out, one popped up on the AEV Buy/Sell/Trade group on facebook.

Missing some bits, no bolts/hardware, but otherwise complete... An AEV bumper and tire carrier in very good condition for sale. In Charlotte, North Carolina. Over five hours drive away. I departed Southeast Ohio for the east Charlotte suburbs with a very open and communicative seller named Brian. Making a weekend trip out of it, I camped at a very cool and remote USFS spot on top of Big Walker Mountain near Bland, VA. Not a soul in sight for a mile.

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Brian was a very cool guy who owned a rare and built LJ with lots of older AEV parts. He'd purchased the bumper and tire carrier with the idea of modifying it to fit his locked and lifted LJ... but decided in the end that it would be too much work and listed it for sale.

I walked away with an AEV bumper and tire carrier for a JK... with almost no bolts/hardware to install it. But for only $780, I can make a few trips to the hardware store. He didn't receive them when he purchased it, it was taken off a traded-in JK or something, so he didn't have them to give.

I scoured the AEV installation manual, ordered a few "hardware kits" from them for missing bits, made a few trips to my local hardware store and wore a path in their tile walking in and out to my Jeep. The end result, however, was fantastic. A complete and installed AEV rear bumper and tire carrier for under $900 in total cost. The nearest complete bumper and tire carrier I had considering purchased used was around 1200-1500 depending on whether I wanted the AEV integrated auxiliary fuel tank. All told, I had most of their entire rear system for less than the cost of only a new AEV rear bumper alone.

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dox

Member
I love builds like this, so much more character. Its coming along very well. I have the same Jeep but a bit brighter color, still running stock wheels, that was a sweet score on yours.

Thank you! Love the Ursa Minor top you've got on your JK, I've lusted after those for a very long time.
 

dox

Member
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure... I always roll my eyes when my friend says this. Probably because he says it all too often even though he's frequently pouring on a cure after he overlooked prevention. I'm not much of a planner, as evidenced by two stickers on the back glass of my JK. One says "Safety Third", the other says "I have no idea where I'm going". But I digress...

Out west, traveling in a very thirsty Jeep with a very thirsty ten year old son gave me a few revelations. First, my trip planning absolutely sucks. Number two: I need better options for carrying spare/emergency water and fuel. The new-to-me AEV bumper has around five gallons of water storage in the corner tanks. And the option to have a ten gallon integrated fuel tank is available for the rear AEV "system". But they want $350 for it. Seems like a lot of coin for a fuel can, but I can see why these things are expensive to engineer and produce with relatively low production volume.

Surely, someone has to have gotten rid of a JK and wants to sell one of these things... right? I watched for a few weeks for an even better deal, but I couldn't find one. So I departed for Canton, Ohio to pick up an excellent condition used AEV Fuel Caddy from a Jeep enthusiast who had listed it for sale on Facebook Marketplace. He even purchased new mounting hardware and siphon kit from AEV and included them for the $200 sale price.

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It also has some kind of siphon tube mod for an electric pump, but I've not used that yet. The ease, simplicity and light weight of the included shaker siphon has worked fine for my needs.

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The whole rear AEV system has worked well for me so far. It seems like solid, clever engineering except for a few minor gripes. Also, frankly, it just looks cool.
 

kootenay

Intergalacticsuperintendent
I like where this is going. Have you thought about white plastidip for the wheels?
 

dox

Member
I like where this is going. Have you thought about white plastidip for the wheels?

Great minds think alike... most of what is posted here occurred over the last year or so. The plastidip idea came to me last fall and I went for it. I’ll throw up a quick post on that soon.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

dox

Member
As mentioned previously, the inspiration for this build was the Mainline Overland build from many years ago here on Expedition Portal. I've always loved the old white on white Land Rover Defenders, and the Mainline Overland JKU build stuck in my mind as a really cool modern interpretation of an iconic look. The overall "look" was a goal of mine in my build, white jeep / black hard top with white wheels. I loved the look with the painted Mopar Winter Wheels, but I'm a little hesitant to run spacers and wanted to do something a little different.

I decided I would plasti-dip the rear spare to see if I liked the look and would maybe do the rest or have them powdercoated. I loved it, so I did them all to see how I would like living with them semi-long term. They've been this way since the end of last summer and I am amazed at how well the plasti-dip has held up. It really hangs on to brake dust, however simple green and a soft scrub brush does a fairly good job of getting them bright white and clean again.

Before:
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After:
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With a little Florida sand, dirt and brake dust from an 830 mile trek:

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dox

Member
Overland builds are everywhere these days, and people come up with the most clever ideas. Probably the single most fascinating thing that always draws my attention are rear cargo kitchen / storage solutions that people have come up with. I can be very disorganized when traveling by car, this is something I strive to improve and also I love the ideas and efficiency and genius ideas that so many people have come up with.

I started drawing up plans of my own, a hybrid of ideas I had found. I had an entire folder of screenshots and saved images and youtube links.

But then, a random search on Facebook Marketplace revealed this neat little setup for sale in Richmond, VA:


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I did a lot of reading, I really wanted the "street cred" of building my own... but this was too tempting to resist. It's already built, painted with bedliner, lock-in lock-out 450lb sliders and I liked the overall design and simplicity. I couldn't have built it as well as this one was built and probably would have spent a lot more money doing so... especially with my woodworking skills, trial and error (mistakes).

After contacting the owner, I discovered that Herb at TrailTec 4x4 in Virginia had built this as a prototype to make more and sell at his shop... but ultimately ended up just building this one and not pursuing it further. He had sold his Jeep in favor of a different shop vehicle, and this was laying around. We ended up meeting in person at Overland Expo East and he showed me the setup in his truck which was built with the same construction method... which was quite solid. I believe he told me he was a custom cabinet maker in a previous life. The system was built to hold an ARB 37 fridge, which definitely comes into play later...

We settled on a price of $500 and a pickup window that would coincide with my next scuba diving trip to Florida. After departing Ohio for the long haul South, an afternoon side trek and I arrived at Trailtec 4x4 a little while before they were to close. Herb helped me hulk it into the back of the Jeep and even brought his tools out to show me how it was all put together / fastened down. Great guys, great shop. And I couldn't be more pleased with the outcome of my new rear storage solution.

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dox

Member
Now, with storage system and fridge slide / kitchen setup in place... I definitely wanted a fridge. Do I need a fridge? Probably not. Do I want to pay a grand for a fridge? Definitely not.

Do I spend too much time searching for gear on Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, forums and elsewhere? Absolutely.

My search history on Facebook Marketplace is littered with search terms that don't make sense, because I often find things poorly named / listed / described that are good deals, I find that certain search terms sometimes yield interesting results. Also, for bigger items, looking a little further out has yielded great results.

An ad for a nearly new ARB 50 turns up about three hours away in Northeast Ohio. Transit bag, new wiring kit included... the asking price was $700. I saved the search, thinking that's a whole lot of money but definitely a deal worth considering. But my storage system / fridge slide is built for an ARB 37. Time moves on, dead of winter, and I see another ARB 50... this time listed for $500. I looked at the two saved ads for the same kind of fridge... same seller. Maybe this person is a scammer? Or just not great with Facebook Marketplace? After looking at his profile, I decided to send a message.

As it turns out, Thad is a school teacher in NE Ohio with an overland built FJ Cruiser. He purchased this fridge, and due to some circumstance or another, missed the return window. And it's too big for what he wanted to do.

And also, a lot of research reveals that the ARB 37 fridge (which my unit was built for) and the ARB 50 (what Thad was selling) have the exact same footprint... one is just a bit taller. Some careful measurements and I determined that not only would it fit, it would give me the larger interior volume of the ARB 50 and I'll still be able to open the fridge when it's tucked away. Not fully open, but open enough to grab things out of it without much trouble.

Thad was kind enough to offer to hold the fridge for me until we got a break in the weather. He even offered to meet me an hour closer, we met and talked overland and life for a long time. He's a great guy and we've been keeping in touch off and on since I picked up the Fridge from him a few months back. Within a few days of getting it home, I had it wired and the ARB tie-down kit ordered from Amazon and installed.

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It even fits nicely with the 4' folding Lifetime table that I purchased. The table is going to be cut & modified for overland camping/cooking based on inspiration I saw at Overland Expo East. The table is usually $40 new, I found it barely used and in like new condition on FB Marketplace for $20.

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With ARB fridge tie-down kit installed:

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d0jo

New member
Great thread, I am a pretty into the whole ones mans trash (not literally with what you have) is another persons treasure. I spend hours on FB marketplace every once in a while looking for stuff for my JK. I love your dedication and build that you have going on. I also do enjoy that it's something completely different and unique. Looking forward to the rest of your build! Safe travels.
 

shays4me

Willing Wanderer
I like your build, and I'm glad you don't live near me because I don't need the competition! It's the perfect time to own a JK now that the JL is out and used parts are coming available. My wife has ridden along on more wild goose chases for parts then I care to mention for sure! I too have bought a used bull bar on CL, I've bought several used Warn Winches and mounts on line as well as my rear AEV bumper. It was an insurance write off from a special edition OEM Jeep. For $75 I drove eight hours! My rear springs were shipped from a fellow Jeeper in Seattle and the shocks were bought one at a time on ebay. They were all new but didn't have boxes so I saved a ton! I think the only thing on the Jeep that I've paid full price for was the Ursa Minor top. The day after I ordered mine one was up for sale for a thousand bucks cheaper with more options! I almost died! People thought I was nuts for purchasing a new JKU in 18 when I could have gotten a JLU for around the same money but I don't regret it a bit. It's sure been cheaper to build!
 

al_burpe

Observer
As mentioned previously, the inspiration for this build was the Mainline Overland build from many years ago here on Expedition Portal. I've always loved the old white on white Land Rover Defenders, and the Mainline Overland JKU build stuck in my mind as a really cool modern interpretation of an iconic look. The overall "look" was a goal of mine in my build, white jeep / black hard top with white wheels. I loved the look with the painted Mopar Winter Wheels, but I'm a little hesitant to run spacers and wanted to do something a little different.

I decided I would plasti-dip the rear spare to see if I liked the look and would maybe do the rest or have them powdercoated. I loved it, so I did them all to see how I would like living with them semi-long term. They've been this way since the end of last summer and I am amazed at how well the plasti-dip has held up. It really hangs on to brake dust, however simple green and a soft scrub brush does a fairly good job of getting them bright white and clean again.

Before:
i-MjBTXq5-M.jpg


After:
i-CkkMbmp-M.jpg


With a little Florida sand, dirt and brake dust from an 830 mile trek:

i-ZvqVBsX-M.jpg
The white wheels look great. Good call on doing that.
 

dox

Member
Great thread, I am a pretty into the whole ones mans trash (not literally with what you have) is another persons treasure. I spend hours on FB marketplace every once in a while looking for stuff for my JK. I love your dedication and build that you have going on. I also do enjoy that it's something completely different and unique. Looking forward to the rest of your build! Safe travels.

Thank you! It's been a challenge and learning experience that continues to this day. This morning in fact lol

I like your build, and I'm glad you don't live near me because I don't need the competition! It's the perfect time to own a JK now that the JL is out and used parts are coming available. My wife has ridden along on more wild goose chases for parts then I care to mention for sure! I too have bought a used bull bar on CL, I've bought several used Warn Winches and mounts on line as well as my rear AEV bumper. It was an insurance write off from a special edition OEM Jeep. For $75 I drove eight hours! My rear springs were shipped from a fellow Jeeper in Seattle and the shocks were bought one at a time on ebay. They were all new but didn't have boxes so I saved a ton! I think the only thing on the Jeep that I've paid full price for was the Ursa Minor top. The day after I ordered mine one was up for sale for a thousand bucks cheaper with more options! I almost died! People thought I was nuts for purchasing a new JKU in 18 when I could have gotten a JLU for around the same money but I don't regret it a bit. It's sure been cheaper to build!

The parts availability on the used market has been great! They are pretty specific parts, but it doesn't sound like either of us needs the competition... although it might save us from buying things we shouldn't :)

The white wheels look great. Good call on doing that.

Thank you... I caught a bit of grief from one friend, however otherwise people who notice have only been complimenting. I really second guessed it, but after living with it for about eight months... I absolutely love how it looks.
 

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