A Few Wrangler Upgrades
Thread Starter
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Jun 2019
Posts: 109
Likes: 10
From: Houston Missouri
A Few Wrangler Upgrades
My 2013 MOAB came with a few desirable features. AEV Front and Rear Bumpers, AEV Rock Rails, Rubicon Wheels, Rubicon Springs and Shocks, Off Road Tires (Good Year Silent Armor) Skid Plates, Limited Slip, and lots of other features that come on a loaded Jeep.
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I have been adding a part here and their the last couple years. Front Shackles, Grab Handles, Metal Cubby Cover, Rear Mat, Bikini Top, Factory style mirrors to mount to the door hinges when the doors are off. I upgraded the tires to Cooper Discoverer S/T Maxx 265-70R17 X 5 each. This tire was the best compromise of Traction, Road Noise, and Tire Mileage that I came up with doing my research.
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I now have the MORride HD Tailgate Hinges, and MORride Hi-Lift Jack Mount or order along with a can of Rock Lobster Dupli-Color paint to touch up under the factory Hinges. I need to reassemble my 1973 Vintage Hi-Lift jack that I have had Sand Blasted, Painted, and put a Rebuild Kit in.
That will take care of the back end of the Jeep.
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Headlights have been lacking on this Jeep since I bought it. I have the Hella 7" E-Code Headlight Conversion with 60/55w Bulbs on order, along with the H4 to H13 Plug Adapters required to plug the lights in.
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For "doors off" driving this Summer a set of Skid Row Foot Pegs to mount on the lower door hinge should be handy. Better than resting my foot on the hinge.
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I have been researching winches for a couple years now. I had an in new condition Warn M8000 found, but the owner never made time to dig it up in his garage for the last year. I gave up on it, and ordered a new M8000 from Summet Racing. I found one cheaper on Amazon, but checking the vendors history I was not impressed. I am 100% sure the one I have on order from Summet will show up in the next week or so.
To go with the Winch, my AEV Front Bumper needed the AEV Winch Mount Upgrade Kit to reinforce the front of the bumper and provide a winch mounting point.
The AEV Bumper's removable top cover is set up for the Winch Control Pack to be mounted centered. Lots of reading finally paid off. I have a Center Mount Control Pack Bracket coming from Searchers. They come in both steel and aluminum, and center mount or offset to the front or back. I selected the steel version and the AEV bumper required the offset version for the control pack to clear.
To reattach the Front License Plate I have ordered a Road Armor (Roller Fairlead) License Plate Mount. This mount is hinged to flip up out of the road of the winch. It mounts between the roller fairlead and bumper. I am hoping that this is a really great product. Most license brackets I have seen used with a winch look cheap and junky, I hope this high dollar license bracket is much better quality.
Under the hood I ordered Extreme Battery Terminals to connect the winch power wires.
A trip by my local welding supply store confirmed that they do indeed stock welder lead wires in #1 as well as 1/0. They also will install the terminal ends. That was very good news.
Last on the list is the Quardatec 1.75" Front and .75 Rear Spacer Leveling Kit. This should offset the weight of the winch and also provide a slight lift.
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All those parts should keep me busy for a few of my days off. I also need to have the cut-outs put in the OEM front Skid Plate for my Hi Lift Jack while I have the front end apart. The AEV Front Skid Plate comes this way to stabilize the jack. Jeep did not use the AEV Skid Plate with the AEV Front Bumper.
I do not rock crawl so these upgrades should have my Jeep in pretty good shape for a trail rig when I am done.
Bob R
*
I have been adding a part here and their the last couple years. Front Shackles, Grab Handles, Metal Cubby Cover, Rear Mat, Bikini Top, Factory style mirrors to mount to the door hinges when the doors are off. I upgraded the tires to Cooper Discoverer S/T Maxx 265-70R17 X 5 each. This tire was the best compromise of Traction, Road Noise, and Tire Mileage that I came up with doing my research.
*
I now have the MORride HD Tailgate Hinges, and MORride Hi-Lift Jack Mount or order along with a can of Rock Lobster Dupli-Color paint to touch up under the factory Hinges. I need to reassemble my 1973 Vintage Hi-Lift jack that I have had Sand Blasted, Painted, and put a Rebuild Kit in.
That will take care of the back end of the Jeep.
*
Headlights have been lacking on this Jeep since I bought it. I have the Hella 7" E-Code Headlight Conversion with 60/55w Bulbs on order, along with the H4 to H13 Plug Adapters required to plug the lights in.
*
For "doors off" driving this Summer a set of Skid Row Foot Pegs to mount on the lower door hinge should be handy. Better than resting my foot on the hinge.
*
I have been researching winches for a couple years now. I had an in new condition Warn M8000 found, but the owner never made time to dig it up in his garage for the last year. I gave up on it, and ordered a new M8000 from Summet Racing. I found one cheaper on Amazon, but checking the vendors history I was not impressed. I am 100% sure the one I have on order from Summet will show up in the next week or so.
To go with the Winch, my AEV Front Bumper needed the AEV Winch Mount Upgrade Kit to reinforce the front of the bumper and provide a winch mounting point.
The AEV Bumper's removable top cover is set up for the Winch Control Pack to be mounted centered. Lots of reading finally paid off. I have a Center Mount Control Pack Bracket coming from Searchers. They come in both steel and aluminum, and center mount or offset to the front or back. I selected the steel version and the AEV bumper required the offset version for the control pack to clear.
To reattach the Front License Plate I have ordered a Road Armor (Roller Fairlead) License Plate Mount. This mount is hinged to flip up out of the road of the winch. It mounts between the roller fairlead and bumper. I am hoping that this is a really great product. Most license brackets I have seen used with a winch look cheap and junky, I hope this high dollar license bracket is much better quality.
Under the hood I ordered Extreme Battery Terminals to connect the winch power wires.
A trip by my local welding supply store confirmed that they do indeed stock welder lead wires in #1 as well as 1/0. They also will install the terminal ends. That was very good news.
Last on the list is the Quardatec 1.75" Front and .75 Rear Spacer Leveling Kit. This should offset the weight of the winch and also provide a slight lift.
*
All those parts should keep me busy for a few of my days off. I also need to have the cut-outs put in the OEM front Skid Plate for my Hi Lift Jack while I have the front end apart. The AEV Front Skid Plate comes this way to stabilize the jack. Jeep did not use the AEV Skid Plate with the AEV Front Bumper.
I do not rock crawl so these upgrades should have my Jeep in pretty good shape for a trail rig when I am done.
Bob R
Last edited by Bob Roach; Apr 12, 2021 at 08:20 PM.
Thread Starter
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Jun 2019
Posts: 109
Likes: 10
From: Houston Missouri
My parts are starting to arrive. Today Fed Ex brought two boxes. One had the Rock Lobster Dupli-Color paint, and the other had the Skid Row Foot Pegs.
I just did an oil change today, and had a Five Tire Rotation done yesterday. I am rotating all Five every other oil change (6K on tire rotation, 3K on oil).
The Hi Lift is all back together minus one bolt that I will pick up tomorrow at work.
Back to waiting on parts.
Bob R
I just did an oil change today, and had a Five Tire Rotation done yesterday. I am rotating all Five every other oil change (6K on tire rotation, 3K on oil).
The Hi Lift is all back together minus one bolt that I will pick up tomorrow at work.
Back to waiting on parts.
Bob R
JK Jedi
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 5,642
Likes: 486
From: Knoxville
Hey Bob, I don't know what your usage looks like but you can extend that oil change interval out. I started at 3k changes and was doing it once a month. The cost of supplies and time got to me so I had an oil analysis done to see where I was on the oil. Running a high quality synthetic and 1qt of Lucas stabilizer since new, I'm able to do 10k mile oil changes. I can get a little further but 10k is a round number. I've got basically zero city traffic even though I work downtown. So between highway and rural roads, the oil has no issues. I imagine with more idling about in down you'd want to pull that interval back towards 7.5k or annually if you don't see much mileage.
Thread Starter
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Jun 2019
Posts: 109
Likes: 10
From: Houston Missouri
When I got home from work I had three more box's.
So Far I have gotten:
Hella 7" E-Code Headlights.
Extreme Battery Terminals
MorRide HD Tail Gate Hinges
MorRide Hi Lift Jack Mount
Dupli color paint.
Skid Row Door Hinge Mount Foot Pegs.
Per e-mail notification Summet has the M8000 winch in the mail, and it should arrive by Monday.
Quadratec also has my AEV Winch Hardware and H4 to H13 head light adapters in the mail.
Searchers has the M8000 Winch "Contactor Pack" Center Mount Bracket in the mail.
I plan to call Road Armor tomorrow and check on the License Plate Mount for the Roller Fairlead. So far no e-mail saying it has shipped. It is a show stopper. The license plate mount goes between the Roller Fairlead and the Bumper. I will need it before putting things back together, or taking them apart to start with.
Winch Power Cables will only require a trip to the welding supply shop with the correct lengths measured out.
The Hi Lift Jack Nose Holes in the OEM Front Skid Plate will be taken care of by a buddy who works at a metal fabrication shop. I have no doubt the holes will look factory when he gets done with the work. Nice to have high end toys to work with. I forgot to mention he is very skilled working with his high end toys also.
Patiently waiting on more parts. Probably no work this weekend if the weather is nice. I have a tree trimming contractor scheduled to take down a huge old oak tree beside the house. No work on the Jeep until the yard is back to normal.
Bob R
So Far I have gotten:
Hella 7" E-Code Headlights.
Extreme Battery Terminals
MorRide HD Tail Gate Hinges
MorRide Hi Lift Jack Mount
Dupli color paint.
Skid Row Door Hinge Mount Foot Pegs.
Per e-mail notification Summet has the M8000 winch in the mail, and it should arrive by Monday.
Quadratec also has my AEV Winch Hardware and H4 to H13 head light adapters in the mail.
Searchers has the M8000 Winch "Contactor Pack" Center Mount Bracket in the mail.
I plan to call Road Armor tomorrow and check on the License Plate Mount for the Roller Fairlead. So far no e-mail saying it has shipped. It is a show stopper. The license plate mount goes between the Roller Fairlead and the Bumper. I will need it before putting things back together, or taking them apart to start with.
Winch Power Cables will only require a trip to the welding supply shop with the correct lengths measured out.
The Hi Lift Jack Nose Holes in the OEM Front Skid Plate will be taken care of by a buddy who works at a metal fabrication shop. I have no doubt the holes will look factory when he gets done with the work. Nice to have high end toys to work with. I forgot to mention he is very skilled working with his high end toys also.
Patiently waiting on more parts. Probably no work this weekend if the weather is nice. I have a tree trimming contractor scheduled to take down a huge old oak tree beside the house. No work on the Jeep until the yard is back to normal.
Bob R
Last edited by Bob Roach; Apr 15, 2021 at 09:18 PM.
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Thread Starter
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Jun 2019
Posts: 109
Likes: 10
From: Houston Missouri
I made a call to Road Armor to get a feel for when I might be getting the License Plate Mount. They do not drop ship Quadratec Orders. So I will be waiting for them to get their Quadratec shipment together and shipped (In May), Quadratec will process the Road Armor parts, and then ship to me. With luck I will get the part by the end of May. I may need to rethink how to get this part sooner. I am not sure if the License Plate Mount can be installed with the Bumper installed and Skid Plate off or not.
My Quadratec Leveling kit is supposed to be in stock in May some time. I can wait on installing it. I am not out at night much, so my headlights being low due to the winch weight is something I can live with for a while.
Bob R
My Quadratec Leveling kit is supposed to be in stock in May some time. I can wait on installing it. I am not out at night much, so my headlights being low due to the winch weight is something I can live with for a while.
Bob R
JK Freak
Joined: Dec 2018
Posts: 596
Likes: 112
From: East texas
Hey Bob, I don't know what your usage looks like but you can extend that oil change interval out. I started at 3k changes and was doing it once a month. The cost of supplies and time got to me so I had an oil analysis done to see where I was on the oil. Running a high quality synthetic and 1qt of Lucas stabilizer since new, I'm able to do 10k mile oil changes. I can get a little further but 10k is a round number. I've got basically zero city traffic even though I work downtown. So between highway and rural roads, the oil has no issues. I imagine with more idling about in down you'd want to pull that interval back towards 7.5k or annually if you don't see much mileage.
even without running synthetic and additives, you get good oil life if you want to change just the filter and top off, not bad with any oil, the oil itself doesn’t normally break down under normal driving, normal temperatures and normal pressures, even running dinosaur oil, it just gets dirty, mineral oil or synthetic oil gets dirty the same.
im not recommending any type, brand, synthetic or mineral oil, but keeping it clean makes a difference and changing the filter it will last longer than the oil change places like you to know
Thread Starter
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Jun 2019
Posts: 109
Likes: 10
From: Houston Missouri
The last few days I have installed the new Hella 7" E-Code 60w/55w Headlights. Glass Headlight Housing, not plastic.
I have installed the MorRide HD Tailgate Hinges as well as the Hi Lift Jack Mount. I rebuilt my 1973 Vintage Hi Lift Jack and painted it Red. It looks good installed.
This evening I Removed the Frame Cover ( Flat Plastic Piece behind the Bumper). I had to remove it to get the Front Skid Plate off. The back two bolts on the skid plate have loose nuts that need to be held to get the bolts out. They are in a channel much easier to access with a long extension and 15mm deep socket from the top while holding the bolt from below.
I will get the OEM skid plate to my fabricator to have the Jack Holes installed like they come on the AEV Skid Plate. These holes are to stabilize the Hi Lift Jack.
I have the M8000 Warn Winch, AEV Winch Mounting Upgrade Kit, and Searchers Contactor Center Mount Bracket ready to install. I am waiting on the Road Armor License Plate Mount to come in to get started.
The Quardatec 1.75 Front/.75 Rear Leveling Kit is also on back order, but it can go on after everything else is installed.
Back to waiting on parts.
Bob R
I have installed the MorRide HD Tailgate Hinges as well as the Hi Lift Jack Mount. I rebuilt my 1973 Vintage Hi Lift Jack and painted it Red. It looks good installed.
This evening I Removed the Frame Cover ( Flat Plastic Piece behind the Bumper). I had to remove it to get the Front Skid Plate off. The back two bolts on the skid plate have loose nuts that need to be held to get the bolts out. They are in a channel much easier to access with a long extension and 15mm deep socket from the top while holding the bolt from below.
I will get the OEM skid plate to my fabricator to have the Jack Holes installed like they come on the AEV Skid Plate. These holes are to stabilize the Hi Lift Jack.
I have the M8000 Warn Winch, AEV Winch Mounting Upgrade Kit, and Searchers Contactor Center Mount Bracket ready to install. I am waiting on the Road Armor License Plate Mount to come in to get started.
The Quardatec 1.75 Front/.75 Rear Leveling Kit is also on back order, but it can go on after everything else is installed.
Back to waiting on parts.
Bob R