Hi everyone! I have owned a gladiator and currently own a 4xe JLUR but was wanting to get into a cheaper and bit older jeep to off-road with and not care as much but also use as a daily driver. I have found a 2017 Willy's that has had quite a few mods to it which I'm ok with as they are quality parts and it saves me money on the long run. It is a 2 door with the 6 speed manual and it is a 1 owner vehicle. The guy who owned it previously definitely off roaded it but it doesn't look bad underneath. There are a few scratches on the skid plates and muffler has a dent in it but other than that it's a pretty clean vehicle with no rust. The guy who built it has a whole binder of all the mods done to it.I forgot to mention it has a soft top and half doors. The only leak I noticed on it was the front pinion seal and the diff seals had some wetness around them but that's easily fixable. Mods: Auxiliary switches, Arb air compressor, Regeared with poison spider diff covers and truetrac installed, Teraflex 3" lift with fox shocks, All 8 adjustable control arms, track bar, fox steering stabilizer, sway bar disconnects, Front and rear steel bumpers with winch, Cb radio, Brand new 35" mickey Thompson r/t tires, I don't remember the brand of wheels, Teraflex tailgate reinforcement with oversized tire carrier, Flat fenders, Some extra skid plates and rock rails. Any thoughts on good idea or not? I like the idea of not spending basically the same money on a stock one and then spending all the extra money on the parts it takes to get it where I want it when this one is darn close to what I would have done with it. Price is decent to me and I've been wanting a 2 door manual jeep for a long time. Was going to have it checked by a mechanic nearby before purchasing as well.I did go by and drive it the other day and it actually tracks and drives straighter than my 2024 JLUR.

 

If the mods are quality and done properly I wouldn’t automatically pass, but I would do a more thorough inspection of all the components, brackets, etc. to make sure there is no damage caused by poor installation or inferior parts.

I would also pay close attention to any unusual noises or leaks resulting from the regear/axle work. Pinion and axle seals can leak even when the axles haven’t been touched, but I would be a little concerned if the Jeep has lower mileage, especially if the regear/axle work is fairly recent. It could be an indication of shoddy or careless work.

 

Nothing of concern as far as drivability. The previous owner had shops do all of the installation and everything is from a reputable brand. The pinion seal on the front seemed to have a small leak and both diffs seemed to be a bit wet on the bottom from the cover seal. I believe they had custom driveshafts put in as well. I feel like a small diff leak isn't the world as I can just put new seals in it. I had a regear on my gladiator but never changed the stock covers and never had any leaks. I was told the diff fluid was recently changed so maybe it was over filled or the gasket wasn't done correctly?
Either way, if I buy it, diff gasket/fluid change, and manual transmission fluid change are first thing. I've always been anal about changing tranny fluid on manuals.

 

this tells me a lot about you, and i'd say there's nothing all that concerning i see from the couple pics and what you wrote. those do look like factory fenders that were just cut so don't value those. can't see the rear bumper, but the evo front is decent. Teraflex isn't my personal preferred brand, but you could do a lot worse (rough country, rubicon express, and hoards of others). More important is having the full set of control arms. Also, the TF rear tire carrier rather than a knock off says something about the previous owner paying for quality item rather than cheaping out. if you like it and the price is right, i'd say go for it. the leaky seals are what they are. hopefully it was regeared some time ago. if it was recently, the pinion seals might concern me a bit more as sign of shoddy regear job, as mentioned above.

 

Leaking from the diff cover itself wouldn’t be as concerning to me - I’ve had small leaks after doing it myself (I now use Lube Locker gaskets instead of RTV). Definitely worth changing all the fluids when buying used, just for peace of mind.

When I was looking for my Jeep I checked out a few that were modded. One LJ was done well but had a trans issue - most likely a bad torque converter - but a few were either poorly done or not quality components (the old style TJ TeraFlex control arms, which were notorious for breaking brackets).

It sounds like you’ve done your research into the mods the one you’re considering has. Bottom line, if you’re comfortable with the condition and quality of the work then go for it! Definitely looks like a nice JK based on the pics!

 

Here's the rear bumper. Not entirely sure what brand that is.
It also has an armorlite floor put in and a steel privacy box in the trunk.

 

Regear and lift were put on in 2018. The fox shocks were put on in 2023. C gussets were also added to the front.

 

People sure go goo goo over those half doors. They are so highly desired. I think they'd be great for top off, but I sure can't imagine what those soft uppers are like to live with on a daily. Having your other vehicles probably helps alleviate that aspect a bit. I've noticed some well-built jeeps around my area being listed for cheaper than I'd have thought. Our JKs are just getting older .

In all my time, I've never seen that rear bumper, but there are so many random bumpers out there, and that rear is just not very important, especially since the spare is on a hinge carrier. The previous owner likely preferred that look of a factory'ish bumper while being steel.

The 3.6L does have it's known issues, but it's easy to work on. Give how many vehicles on the road have that engine, there's tons of videos out there to reference when issues do pop up. Anyhow, good luck with the purchase if you go through with it.

 

Thank you! Only time I've ever dealt with half doors was on a TJ and honestly, removing them is almost easier than unzipping them haha. I know the 3.6 has some issues here and there. Had the 3.8 on an 07 and would never get one again. The 3.6 on my gladiator was pretty stout though. Is there anything I need to look for with the manual transmission in these? It reminds me of my old ranger I use to have (jumps around, shakes, long and tractor feeling). I noticed that shifting to 2nd and 3rd made a little "click" noise when accelerating but 4th, 5th, and 6th didn't. Down shifting didn't make any of the same noises.

 

I’m liking that rear bumper - the lines are smoother than many of the ones on the market, and something I likely won’t be able to duplicate when I finally build mine.

I really miss the half doors I had on my TJ. It was my daily driver for several years, and unzipping the windows was a pain going through the drive-thru, but I’d love to have a set for my JKU. The Jeep isn’t my daily driver so I’d be more than willing to deal with the compromise.

Regear in 2018 is good, as the leaky pinion seal is more than likely just a bad seal and nothing relating to the install. Can’t help on the trans concerns, the last stick I owned was my ‘98 TJ and it was a much different transmission.