It occurs that I'm getting far enough along in my Jeep building and planning to justify creating a build thread as a way to organize my progress, timeline, photos and so on. That said, budget and life constraints dictate this will be a painfully slow process, hence the name of the thread. Forgive the avalanche of back-to-back posts; I'll get the thread caught up to my progress-to-date, and then update as events warrant.

I purchased this 2009 JKX used on March 23, 2013, in Amarillo with 17,710 miles on it. It was in pristine condition, save for some minor hail damage on the hood and a cracked windshield. (I negotiated replacing the windshield into the purchase agreement.)

Although I waffled on her name a bit at first, I settled on "Smokey" as an homage to the die-cast CJ-5 driven by Smokey the Bear my parents gave me at age 4, which ignited my love for Jeeps. (The fact that "smoke" poured out of the grille for an hour after her first time playing in the nearby Canadian River pretty much sealed the deal!)

 

Again, keeping with the idea of storing all kinds of info on my rig and build in one place, here's her build sheet:

VIN: 1J4FA24149L783237
Vehicle Description: JEEP WRANGLER X 4X4 SPORT UTILITY 2-DOOR
Model Year: 2009
Body Model: JK J L 72

Sales Code Description
A7 Cloth Low-Back Bucket Seats
DD Dk Slate Gray/Med Slate Gray
AAQ Big Wheel & Tire Group
AHT Trailer Tow Group
APAS Monotone Paint
BAES 140 Amp Alternator
BC2S 600 Amp Maintenance Free Battery
BNBS Electronic Stability Control
BNGS Hill Start Assist
BNMP Traction Control
BNSP Electronic Roll Mitigation
BNTP Trailer Sway Damping
BPTP Hydraulic Assist Brake Booster
BRWS 4-Wheel Disc Brakes
CACS Low Back Bucket Seats
CAGS Easy Access Passenger Seat
CDBS Reclining Front Seats
CDHP Driver Height Adjuster Seat
CFMS Rear Folding Seat
CGXS RR Head Restraints Outboard Seating
CG3S Advanced Multistage Front Air Bags
CKES Front Seat Area Carpet
CKFP Rear Seat/Wheelhouse/Cargo Carpet
CKTS Cargo Tie Down Loops
CLCP Front Floor Mats
CLMS Sport Bar w/Full Padding
CUFP Full Length Floor Console
CURS Rear Compartment Storage Tray
DGV 4-Spd. Automatic VLP 42RLE Trans
DHES Man Shift-on-the-Fly Transfer Case
DJRS Next Gen. Dana 30 Solid Front Axle
DMEP 3.73 Rear Axle Ratio
DRZS Next Gen. Dana 44 HD Rear Axle
DSA Anti-Spin Differential Rear Axle
DS7S Conventional Differential Frt Axle
EGT 3.8L V6 SMPI Engine
GBBS Tinted Windshield Glass
GCCP Plastic Front Door Window
GCH Half Metal Doors with Locks
GNAS Rear View Day/Night Mirror
GNDS Driver Side Sun Visor
GNYS Passenger Side Sun Visor
GTVS Swing-Away Mirrors
GWKS Sunrider Soft Top
GXXS Sentry Key Theft Deterrent System
HAAP Air Conditioning
JAYS Instrument Cluster w/Tach
JCDS 100 MPH Primary Speedometer
JE8S Manual Door Locks
JFJP Temperature & Compass Gauge
JF8S Manual Windows
JHAS Var Intermittent Windshield Wipers
JJFS Single Low Note Horn
JJJS 12V Auxiliary Power Outlet
JKAS Locking Glove Box
K3XS STRIPE/BADGE/MOLDING/COLOR
LABS Tire Pressure Monitoring Warning LP
LAXS Front Passenger Seat Belt Alert
LMAS Halogen Headlamps
LNJP Fog Lamps
LPSS CHMSL Lamp
MBAS Painted Front Bumper
MB5S Black Rear Bumper
MFRS Black Front Frame Overlay
MFTS Body Color Grille
MRK Tubular Side Steps
MT2S Trail Rated Badge
MVCS Jeep Badge
NAA Federal Emissions
NF2S 18.5 Gallon Fuel Tank
NHMP Speed Control
PX8A Black Clear Coat
QX8S Black Clear Coat
RCGS 6 Speakers
RDDS Fixed Long Mast Antenna
RESS Uconnect 130 AM/FM/CD/MP3
RSC SIRIUS Satellite Radio
SBAS Power Rack and Pinion Steering
SCLP Leather Wrapped Steering Wheel
SDDP Performance Suspension
SHAS Front Stabilizer Bar
SHCS Front and Rear Stabilizer Bars
SUAS Tilt Steering Column
TBBS Full Size Spare Tire
TBRS Outside Tire Carrier
TT7P LT255/75R17 BSW Off Road Tires
TZGP BF Goodrich Brand Tires
VJXA Black Easy Folding Soft Top
WF4P 17X8.0 Alum Machined Cast Wheels
WKBP Matching Spare Wheel
WLZC All Aluminum Wheels
XBNP Tip Start
XEES Fuel Tank Skid Plate Shield
XEFS Transfer Case Skid Plate Shield
XEWP 2 Front & 1 Rear Tow Hooks
XE9P Transmission Skid Plate
XFRP Class V Receiver Hitch
XFUP Trailer Tow w/4-Pin Connector Wiring
XJFS Tethered Fuel Filler Cap
XJGS Non Locking Fuel Filler Cap
XPFS Protective Coating and Remover
X81S Instrument Panel Parts Module
X83S Front End Parts Module
X86S Complete Chassis Parts Module
X88S Tire & Wheel Parts Module
X9BP 1-Year SiriusXM Radio Service
X92S Complete Body in White Parts Module
X94S Complete Painted Body Module
YAAS Build To U.S. Mkt. Specifications

 

About two weeks after bringing her home, some colleagues and I took her to the Spring race at Texas Motor Speedway to broadcast our weekly auto racing show. It was a long six-hour drive with the noise from the soft top, but we had a great working vacation. Saw a really nice Rhinolined JKU in the infield, too. (I'll edit to include pic if/when I find it.)




About the same time, I began itching to do something -- ANYTHING -- to her but, of course, my budget wouldn't allow things like bumpers or a lift. As a stopgap in the bumper department, I picked up a set of Sahara appliques to dress it up until I go with steel replacements.

 

I dropped her top (completely) for the first time in late April. It also was our first "Jeep" lesson.

The day was nice, so we left the windows at home and drove the 20 miles or so south to Palo Duro Canyon State Park. It was a great day. Unfortunately, the temperature had dropped into the mid-40s or so by the time we left, so we ended up detouring to Walmart to buy blankets so everyone could wrap up for the trip home.

 

It wasn't long before I began to hear gentle complaints about how hard it was for my wife to get in the Jeep. Seeing that saying, "Just wait until she's three inches taller and on 35s," was of little comfort, I began looking for a set of grab handles. Thanks to a member of another forum, I was able to inexpensively acquire these Teraflex handles, which were nearly brand new.



About that same time, I also got up the courage to remove the factory X decal. I'd said I was going to remove it from Day One, but it was nonetheless hard to make myself mar Smokey's complete stockness. It absolutely was the right thing to do aesthetically, and the forum decals that replaced them are a nice touch. The silver makes a perfect accent to the black.

 

About two months into ownership, Smokey rolled over 20,000 miles -- nearly 3,000 miles in two months. Loving every minute of it!

 

For a while, I was working 18-hour days following my February promotion, which meant little time for family or Jeep. In July, though, we took a two-week vacation to Louisiana and Arkansas to see family.


We took a break from camping with the in-laws at Shady Lake, Ark., to venture over to Superlift Off-Road Park for what I intended to be my first time taking Smokey off-road. When we got there, the trails were beyond poorly marked and, after nearly turning down a steep trail with Jeep-sized boulders, my wife and kids were screaming -- and I was pretty nervous, too -- so we turned around and left. So much for my first Jeep adventure.

 

It was shortly after we returned from Louisiana that I stumbled upon a Facebook group of local Jeepers, the Panhandle Jeep Coalition. My family and I began getting together with them soon after.

In August, the family took advantage of a beautiful day to drop the top and drive a few miles southwest to the Buffalo Lake National Wildlife Area. It was a lot of fun, but we all came home with tremendous sunburns. I decided then I needed one day to look into a Spiderweb Shade. ;-)

 

In September, I finally picked up a state-mandated OHV decal, meaning I could legally put Smokey to use! We finally connected with the aforementioned Jeep group for a weekend trail run.




I had a blast! My wife? Well, she probably (hopefully) enjoyed it more than she let on.

Soon thereafter, I finally got around to debadging the grille and doing the gutter-guard mod. I went with the black metal mesh from Lowe's. Total cost was around $28.

 

Christmas brought several small goodies, including door sill guards, a Versamount for my Cobra 75 WX ST and, most importantly, a Poison Spyder evap canister skid plate.

These things are stout, look cool and shave 3/4 of an inch of ground clearance over the stock mounting bracket!