Rollover Rebuild + Hemi Conversion
 

This week I took a chance and bought a '14 JKU rollover from an insurance auction. I'm starting this thread to track my progress and honestly, help me keep track of the build many months to come (my memory isn't as good as it used to be). Tentative plan is to build an affordable trail toy that I can still take out on the road around town.

Here's what I know about the JKU - it's 2014, auto, no key, D30/D44, lots of damage. I have no idea if it runs or any indication of mileage at this point. From the damage, I believe it fell backwards and then landed on its passenger side...but hell, I could be completely off. Hood, side and rear gate are thrashed. Open to theories here...

Anyway, my first step - get a key. I need to make sure it runs before I start spending $ on other repairs. I'm heading over to the local Jeep dealer on Saturday morning with Jeep on my trailer to get a key. It's around $200 for the key & programming.

Here's the starting point:
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jk-...4bb4903dce.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jk-...65072a4cb9.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jk-...b4452ebbc3.jpg

That looks like it has potential to be a fun project. Do you mind me asking generally what something like that costs to buy?

i would pull the plugs and then turn it over before just trying to start it

This looks like fun! Looking forward to reading updates. Pretty high profit margin at $200 for a key, but that's what happens when technology has a single source solution...

:beer:

Oh that will buff out, duct tape, band-aids and super glue. besides hit the trails someone would think you've got miles of off road experience under your belt.

With auctions, pricing is all over the place. I'd say an average would be around 50% of retail value. Biggest factor at auction is competitive bidders. For this one, another bidder and I went back and forth for a bit. If he wasn't there, it could have been really cheap. Regardless, my overall budget all-in is roughly $20k. Let's hope I stay under....

skip to minute 1:34
3 out of 4 rims is not bad at all... lol. I would just hold of on the 200 dollar key... Pull the plugs then go ahead and hot wire it. Its not like your gonna mess it up.

Took the Jeep over to the dealer on Saturday am as planned. When the tech finally came out to program a key, he noticed the original key was broken off in the column. The key is set in the on position. Hmm, that explains why the battery was dead. Not sure how I missed that; probably because it's been raining here for a week and Sat was the first time I'd really seen the Jeep in the daylight. Regardless, I felt like an idiot. It happens. But, I'll know to look next time I buy a vehicle w/o a key (and you will too).

In better news, the service rep gave me the key which works the doors and I scheduled an appt to go back next Saturday to replace the ignition cylinder. While I was there they ran the vin # and we learned the Jeep is still under warranty until Nov. WHAT??? Score. If I have any mechanical issues, I'll just need to clean up the body work before bringing it back in (they photograph/scan all vehicles in service shop but not mine as it was on the trailer in the parking lot). Bonus, they printed out all of the maintenance and service records for me too. So, I left the dealer with my paperwork, warranty, key and no bill. They cut me a deal on programming the key and replacing the ignition cylinder - $175 all-in. I'm good with this as I'll retain factory setup. Last service mileage was 44k. Should know more next Saturday.

Thanks for all the posts so far. I thought about hot wiring the jeep, but decided against it for now. Biggest reason here - I'm also in the process of remodeling our kitchen and guest bathroom, so figured I'd just wait another week on the jeep and work on the house to keep my lady happy. This strategy will help me more when large boxes start showing up with parts....

Hey any updates? I just got one from a rollover too. :)

Yes. Updates!

I've been traveling a ton for work and haven't had much time to wrench; however, I did re-visit the dealer last Saturday and I now have a new ignition cylinder and a working key. Dash is reading just over 61k miles; although I still haven't started her yet.

Before I could start wrenching, I had to get the Jeep from my trailer into the garage. To make this process easier, I installed a d-ring shackle in the floor so I could winch the Jeep off my trailer. It was fairly simple, but I was really nervous about the Jeep shifting around when coming off the trailer or having too much momentum - which could result in damage to my house, causing my wife more grief about this project. To combat this, I let the air out of the front tires so it wouldn't roll as fast. It was still a little sketchy, but it worked. Next time, I'll leave my truck attached to the trailer to provide added weight and leverage, as front of trailer rose at least 3' off the ground as Jeep rolled off.


https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/ZG...r=w545-h726-no

Here's how she sits in the garage currently. I started pulling the plugs and as you guys know the driver side bank is a PITA to access. I also pulled the fenders and hood to provide a clean workspace. If anyone needs a driver quarter panel (white) in good shape, let me know.

​​​​​​https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/yn...a=w545-h726-no
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Au...P=w968-h726-no

Since I'm being patient with the first start-up, I figured I'd do ahead and change fluids/filters while I'm digging around. Wrote myself a note between wrench sessions so I wouldn't make too many dumb mistakes...

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Q_...D=w968-h726-no


I'm traveling again this week and wknd, but my intention is to finally start her up St Patrick's Day. If/when she purrs like she should, I'll start ordering parts.

First parts on the list - steering gear box, XRC fenders and new hood.
Next task on the wrench list - pull the front axle and calculate damages. It's pushed at least 10" to the passenger side, so not sure what's salvageable.

I've been talking to a member on this forum about a set of axles. No deal yet, but I am in the market for rubicon or better axle set with 4.88 or 5.13 gears and lockers. If you know of anyone that went to 60s/tons and is selling, please let me know!

More to come next weekend...

Watching! Not that I need a project but I've often thought of either a flood salvage or rollover project. My intention would be to bring back to daily driver stock. thanks for sharing

Thanks for the update!

Well...finally started her up this week. TONS of smoke....from engine bay and from exhaust...notice the precautionary fire extinguisher in the driver's seat.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jk-...859410a51a.png



After a few minutes, the smoke dissipated. The 3.6L idles; however, there's definitely an internal issue.
Here's a quick video of the "noise"... Anyone with super-hearing want to take a guess at the issue?

It sounds louder than normal to me, but can't make out anything. Since it rolled, maybe it ran a while upside down without oil pressure. Thinking oil pressure would be good to know -- Does the 3.6L have an oil pressure sender, perhaps readable with an OBD scanner?

:beer:

When I let it idle, oil pressure read 43-45, which I believe is in normal range. It is definitely louder than normal, so I know there's an issue. It never threw a code on the dash, which surprised me. I plan to hook my OBD scanner to it this weekend and see if it provides any additional detail.

Louder than normal.. perhaps exhaust... cracked exhaust manifold or one of the joints.. thought I would think you'd get a CEL based on one of the O2 sensors detecting more/less O2 in the exhaust than expected if there were an exhaust leak between the last O2 sensor and the head....

My scanner is reading a 'pending fault' - PO452, Evap Emission Control System Pressure Sensor Low Input; but no other issues.
It's still smoking a little in the engine bay, but haven't found the source yet. Not sure if it's burn off or if there's a leak.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/RT...=w1211-h681-no PARTS!!!!! My credit card and the mailman hate me, but digging all of the new parts arriving every day!

Haven't had much time to wrench, but I did take an hour or so today to check the condition of all the packages that arrived. Plus, the boxes took up so much space, I needed to get them on the jeep to gain some space back in the garage. It's a weird problem to have - too many new parts in boxes taking up space.

Parts List:
Topfire Fury Hood
Gladiator Grill
XRC Fenders (front and rear)
XRC rails
Stock gearbox (junkyard find)

Nothing here is close to final - mostly a test fit / garage clean-up.
Here's the hood right out of the packaging -https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jk-...ab883b436e.jpg

Topfire FURY hood
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jk-...866ce09ddd.jpg

Quick mock-up of front end

Parts are just barely attached here and definitely not in their final place. I noticed today the plastic housing that holds the headlight is cracked on the passenger side. I'll add it to the list of items to replace.

My April weekends are booked, but hopefully I can find a few random hours to start installing the XRC fenders. I will say this, the XRC fenders were superbly wrapped. Lots of bubblewrap, tape, plastic, etc...If the packaging is any indication of the quality, this should be good!

It's been a few weeks and I'm way behind where I wanted to be on this project right now. The good news here is that in light of not wrenching, I have been able to source most of the parts for my build. The biggest purchase came last Friday. I drove a few hours down to Georgia and picked up a set of mildly built Rubicon 44s from a Jeeper that stepped up his axles to go to 40s (believe he has a 2016 JK).

Here they are...

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jk-...54941dd7bd.jpg

Rubi 44s w/ Nitro covers, Carbon Shafts, Synergy ball joints, Metal Cloak bump stops, Artec C-Truss
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jk-...39964ec002.jpg

Mocking up Artec kit for front (truss and HD track bar bracket)



As for wrenching, I've only had time to pull the stock front axle. Next step is to install the Artec truss kit and HD track bar bracket. They are just mocked up on the front now. The plasma cutter made easy work of removing the old bracket, but my Dewalt grinder (2 yrs old) is giving me some grief. Argh...

Anyway, plan is to weld on Artec parts this week and finally install lift and axles this weekend. If this happens, it'll be the first time I will be able to test drive my JKU. Woohoo...well, I still have to figure out my engine issue...

Since it's a '14 if you haven't already check for the dreaded cracked oil filter housing. When looking at where you change out the filter on the top of the motor, look directly down behind it. You may need a flashlight. Oil seeps out of there, puddles up on top of the motor, then slowly drains down the back of the motor making it appear to be a rear mail seal leak.
I replaced one on a buddy's Jeep, not an overly complicated job but very time consuming.

Just to get ahead of things what years are these known to have this problem?

My 2012 had it. The transmission was just coated in oil top to bottom from the slow leak being blown around while driving. Took a while to diagnose.

very common on '14s but can be found with previous years as well as the above post shows.

Replacement steering box and Rubi 44 front axle are finally installed. With work and family, it took me a few random hours to finish welding in the truss kit and then install all of the front suspension and gear box. The gear box was easy, just a few bolts on the frame; although, I'm not sure I aligned the pitman correctly. Guess I'll find out soon...
And don't judge me on my welds as I'm not a professional - they ain't pretty but they're solid.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jk-...0e84136e23.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jk-...ed2e713447.jpg

The front end is a mix of parts - Metal Cloak drag link flip, artec truss and high steer bracket, teraflex adjustable track bar, stock tie-rod (may change this later), RC adjustable lower arms, rock krawler springs, fox shocks and soon to be Metal Cloak sway bar disconnects.

Now that the front end was back in, I was able to push it out of the garage. It had been on jack stands for the past few weeks, so there was a sense of accomplishment just getting it back outside under its own weight. It's good to have small victories, right? The Jeep won't stay there long, but it does allow me to clean out the garage a bit and makes my lady a little less crazy about the project taking up so much space.

​​​​​​Anyway, I started putting on the XRC fenders. I have the full set plus the side plates to install. I started with the front and noticed immediately that I'm missing some hardware parts. I went ahead and mocked-up the fronts to gauge the body line w/ my Fury hood. The lines are not good, so I know i have some adjustment ahead of me. We'll save that for another time, as I still have to swap in the Rubi D44 rear axle to match my front axle. Below is how she sits currently. Hopefully w/ the long holiday weekend, I can make a little more progress...https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jk-...32b5171d91.jpg

We're all a little judgmental, and they look pretty solid! :beer:

Still working on the '14 JKU when I can find a few hours in the garage. Since the last update I trussed the rear axle, installed it, put on the original wheels, removed the smashed oem front bumper and swapped over the front radiator assembly.

The rear axle as I've mentioned is a built Rubi D44. I purchased the Artec rear truss kit. Welding setup was same as the front, although easier second time around. My welds are still crappy looking but will hold. I had to remove the rear Metalcloak raised track bar bracket as it would not work with the truss without cutting notches into the truss. I wasn't thrilled about cutting into Artec's design, so I ordered a different aftermarket raised bracket that does not mount over top of the truss. On that note - anyone need a rear raised track bar bracket?

Bracky no worky...https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jk-...9c6763be31.jpg




https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jk-...9fec4c1d27.jpg


Now that both Rubi axles are in, I started messing with the front end again. The front bumper looked to be bent slightly on both ends, right around the mounting points, so I used a sawzall and cut off the plastic bumper to see this....how the airbags did not deploy on this wreck is beyond me. The top portion of metal bumper by the driver fog light was completely sheered. I used the plasma cutter to easily cut off the ends and middle then had access to the tow hook bolts.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jk-...77f8acdf61.jpg
Just a little bent...https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jk-...91fe334abb.jpg

Here's how she sits currently. I made a list of the remaining tasks to complete her and honestly, I wish I hadn't....way too much left to do and so much more $ (ouch) to spend to get her setup the way I envisioned. Oh, and the check engine light is back on again and issued a new code PO501. More fun.
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jk-...05b65c8825.jpg

The air bag deployment sensors are behind the headlight buckets. Without an impact to give them a trigger (while meeting other criteria) is why they didn't deploy. I think there are certain speed requirements or other input from the G sensor inside the vehicle, but I'm shaky on that.

Good to see progress on this. Keep us posted!

Yes I agree great work and progress! I imagine its getting to you to get it going and be able to drive it. At least this way you know when finished it will be rock solid and will run for a very long time.

Great job bringing it back from the dead!

That would make sense. The headlight bucket area was not damaged, as the bumper took the brunt of the front end damage.



Ordered a rear driveshaft. Once that's in, I should be able to finally drive it around the neighborhood. Definitely a work in progress..

I'm assuming you want to use the sport cage you have. If you have a high-lift, you can bolt the driver side up to the window frame. Then position the high-lift so that it's pushing on the unbolted passenger bar while it's braced to the bolted driver bar. That may be enough to push the passenger bar into position.

Keep posting about your progress. I really enjoy this thread.

It's been a while since my last update. Honestly, it's been so hot here in TN this summer, hard to find the energy to sweat through wrenching sessions in my garage. Thus, I've spent the past couple of weeks researching body repair/collision companies to repair my rear tub. The tub is pushed in about 1/2" or less on both sides at the rear, just enough to ensure that my new tailgate will not mount properly. My windshield is cracked too, so planning to have a professional shop repair them both at once.

My Adams Driveshaft arrived and I started the install; however, I need to work at getting the old yoke off the transfer case. I'm probably going to buy a yoke puller at Harbor Freight since beating on it with several different hammers has not worked yet. I'll try again tomorrow with the hammer before I hit HF.

Since the last update, I've also installed the rear adjustable track bar bracket and stock track bar. The old Metal Cloak one interfered with the Artec truss so I went with a basic bolt-on one. Easy peasy. I also installed longer rear sway bar links. Thus, the rear suspension is now complete. Yay.

Once I finish up the driveshaft, I should be able to drive her around. I don't have any good pictures to show, as I dropped my phone and cracked the cover to the camera lens and now all my pictures are blurry...and I've spent all my $ on Jeep parts so a new phone is not in the budget.

Long holiday weekend ahead, so hoping I can get the driveshaft in and finally ride her on the road!

Most auto parts stores will rent you the puller tool so you can save cash for other projects.

Finally got my rear driveshaft installed. I did not need the yoke puller after all, a few light taps and she popped out. It did take me some time to find the 1 5/16" THIN WALL socket needed to install the new yoke. What a PITA. I did find one at AutoZone.

Anyway, once it was together, I finally drove the jeep. Only took me 6 months to get her somewhat drive-able and guess what; she rode like absolute...

CRAP.

So, I did what I was trying to avoid - I loaded it on the trailer and towed it to my local shop. Once there, we discovered a slew of small issues - including my front bearings were shot, the wheels were loose (swear I tightened them, I know i tightened them) and my traction control is not liking my newly installed steering box.

In better news, one of the locals at the shop hooked me up with his super-cheap painting contact and I had my hood and grill painted factory white. Yay!
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jk-...642f1f4c29.jpg

At the shop, I had my wheel bearings replaced and the wheels tightened. It rides much better but still has some major smoking/exhaust issues. It did finally throw a code, but I haven't checked it yet. I'll get to that next, followed by the massive project I've been dreading - fixing the rear tub and tailgate.

You can see from this picture (below) that the aftermarket tailgate is not level. This is due to the passenger side tub damage (that or a really crappy new tailgate). The local body shop I trust, quoted me at $3k to repair the tub. Ouch. I watched a few youtube videos about fixing tubs, so now I'm basically an expert on body repair...ha. In all seriousness, I am going to try repairing it myself first.

Has anyone ever tubed their tub? Thinking worst case I could cut off the bed, tube the rear and make one crazy cage with a tire carrier where the tailgate goes. Been searching online for ideas, but haven't seen any that cut the tub as much as I'm thinking here.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jk-...e8ab376ecf.jpg

With the level of detail you're thinking with a tube tub, you can go with a rear end shell (eBay.....or I just saw one locally go for $600) or just turn the back end into a truck and terminate the cab portion early.

It looks like the tailgate just needs to be adjusted a little bit and it would work, but you've got it in front of you so maybe it's different.

Well, I installed the tailgate over the past couple of days. What a PITA. Even without dealing with my body damage, the Smittybilt tailgate is overly complicated to install. The instructions are sub-par, as several of the steps are out of order which caused me to install and then remove several parts multiple times. The routing for the factory wiring harness and the wiring for the included 3rd brake could use some improvement. I thought it had a nice finish to it, but it scratches super easy. On the positive side, the door itself is extremely sturdy and heavy. I've destroyed the camera on my phone, so it'll be a bit before I can upload new pics. I ended up having to slot hinge mounting points by about 1/8" to get my door to open/close and sit properly. Overall, it's going to work great and is beefy, but I won't forgot how much it sucked getting it done.


I've also been working on the JKU rear tub, trying to straighten it a bit and remove the dents. I took some backyard mechanic liberties to my approach on the body work, including using my SxS winch to pull out a few dents. I don't have any professional body tools or a handy frame machine, so I welded tabs (with pull holes) to various dents and then used the front winch on my Polaris to pull them out. It actually worked (kind of)! The hardest lesson I learned is that the tub metal is VERY thin, so you have to weld very carefully. Anyway, the dents aren't as bad now, but I do still need to spend more time touching them up.

My DIY dent pulling tabs...
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jk-...cbc4facf73.jpg


Still have a TON to do, but making progress here. Maybe I'll have it run by Feb, which would be the 1 YR anniversary of me buying it. Ha.

Picked up a new phone this weekend, so now I'm back to taking some pics. Below are the latest pictures.

The plan for this week...

Tuesday - Hopefully one of the losers from Safelite will actually show up and replace my windshield. I've never been more frustrated and furious with a company - worst customer service ever.

Saturday - assuming windshield is fixed, I'm hauling the Jeep over to the dealer to get it scanned again. Maybe I'll finally figure out what's wrong with the motor. Once I get the diagnosis, I'll know if we're fixing it or pulling the motor. I've had my mind/heart set on the 6.4L conversion...but it's pricey, so we'll see what dealer says first. Just need a little bit of a reason here. Ha....

Meanwhile, my list of repair items is getting smaller. I still need to tidy up a few things here and there, but getting much closer to driving it regularly. Aside from titling the Jeep and paying taxes on it, I still need to buy wheels/tires, fix passenger side doors and the lingering question....should I raptor liner the entire jeep? Was thinking about a grey/blue color. Thoughts on bedliner on exterior? With the exception of two (both faded black), all of the ones I've seen in person have looked great.

Alright, here's how it sits currently (ignore the other black/white vehicles in my drive. ha)
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jk-...f0e93c5375.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jk-...e3180426c4.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jk-...ff8ba011ee.jpg

That is truely on of the ugliest jeeps in the world