thewestwon

Hm. That's definitely much straighter than some of the pictures I've been seeing. There's no shortage of jeeps around. I'll have to start scouring some parking lots to compare in person. Thanks for the pics.

TheDirtman

The red link in my signature covers the suspension and what each component does. That thread is also a sticky at the top of the modified section. Jeeps are like playing with legos or building an AR15 and there are millions of ways to build it. Your description of your jeep is a very capable jeep. Are there places you can spend money to replace current components? Yes. Are they going to help you do more things or last longer? That answer is likely no. Only you can tell what is lacking on your jeep by your trail experience, what do you feel is holding you back? Natural progression at this point would be a move to tons, bigger tires, maybe an atlas transfer case, LS swap, coil overs. Do you want a jeep that has resale value or are you willing to hack it up and keep it forever? No matter how much you upgrade you will always have maintenance and things are going to break and built stuff is going to cost more to repair.

I typically recommend that people run no larger then 35" tires with lockers and perforce gears with a 2-2.5" lift and flat fenders. You won't break the bank, have a jeep that will run 90% of the trails out there, and will have resale value. If this configuration is not good enough for the trails you run then you should be looking at building a buggy. A custom buggy won't have the limitations of the JK in terms of clearance that will have you hacking up the body and frame, a buggy will allow you to customize the motor and drivetrain for the needed power to turn the big rubber and maintain momentum on long steep climbs, minimizes damage from roll overs since you don't have to worry about sheet metal and windshield frames. A buggy will allow you to dial in suspension geometry with control arm mounts. A buggy should be much lighter then a JK and the weight of the JK becomes an issue with power and breaking stuff. Heavy vehicle have a harder time climbing things off road and are more likely to break things like driveshafts, control arms, and axle shafts. Most people that do extreme builds on a JK regret it in the end and wish they would have spent the money on a more capable buggy.

Not knowing what kinds of trails you run and how far you are willing to go to modify. If you are simply buying stuff to bolt on like most of the JK crowd then you are just trowing away money for no real reason and there are a million ways to do it and many venders that will be more than happy to take your money. If money is no issue and you plan to keep the JK the sky is the limit. It is easy to drop $80k on a coil over/axle/ls set up that will take you most anywhere you want to go at speed, just realize after dropping that kind of money on a JK it will be worth about half of what your modifications cost.

In the end it comes down to your budget and what you want out of the jeep.

resharp001

Unless the suspension is causing an issue, I'd focus on upgrading the factory steering up front. Look at a DL and TR, and relocate the steering stabilizer from below to up top (keeping the factory SS is fine). I'd also replace that trackbar with something that is better than the procomp that you suspect is on there. Keep in mind, if you still have the factory ball joints you'll need to plan on replacing those at some point. You could also look at replacing brake lines. There is room for improving quality of the suspension components over what you have, but doing so isn't going to net you a jeep that is that much more capable in what it's going to do.

Rednroll

So let me get this straight. There are some mods installed, and you're unsure of the name brands of those parts. You're not currently experiencing any problems with those parts but you'ld like to identify the name brand, so you can "upgrade" them?

How about purchasing some <insert favorite brand name vendor> stickers, and slapping them on those parts and convincing yourself that's what they are?

This is like the ultimate blind test, where it seems you're just determined to fool yourself through some placebo effect upgrades. Stickers will work just as well and cost much less.

Why not just call the guy you purchased it from and ask him?

thewestwon

Not at all. I could care less what brand they are. I just have a limited experience with jeeps to definitively say what is stock/what isn't. You're correct in that I'm not having any issues right this second. Thinking back to my blazer days, I could easily have blocks under the rear leaves and steering at a dangerous angle that may run just fine for years. That doesn't mean it's not an issue and potential concern that should be addressed, especially if taking it out on the trails, not knowing exactly what I may get myself into. Brand isn't as important as figuring out what's there and what it was designed for. I have no desire to upgrade something that is fit for purpose and working as expected. Something that isn't fit for purpose but currently working is another matter entirely. Sure I can pick I line and give it hell, but knowing what I'm starting with will certainly make me rethink my path and the abuse I'm willing to take that day if I intend on driving out.

It was repo'd in Florida back in 2011 and had not been driven since when i got it last year, or calling the previous owner would have been my first step.

thewestwon

No issues at all with the suspension at the moment. This is exactly what I was hoping for. Thanks!

SpicedCrusher

Wow its a 2011 and its been sitting for 6+ years with only 4k on it??! Blown CV? Hmm those 4k must of been pretty rough by the looks of things and those tires must of got swapped on because they got way more than 4k

thewestwon

No it had 4k on it when I got it in October. I've ran it up to 18k since and had it out on the trail a few weeks back. Didn't do a real bang up job cleaning the underside.

resharp001

I think it's good you're trying to figure out what you have. Most people that buy a lifted jeep and no clue, and don't care to know. Knowing is half the struggle, and nothing wrong with posting to have people help at least identify what is stock and what isn't. Sometimes it's really hard to identify a brand by a picture, but can at least tell what is stock and what isn't. I went about things the hard way, so I will say I am a big proponent of just buying high quality parts to begin with and only doing it once, but sometimes you find yourself in a different situation for whatever reason. In this case, you have the parts you have. Probably the most important thing is that you have the proper caster up front. It seems that with the components on the jeep, you should be good in that department....at which point just focus on other things to address in your build, or desired build. If at any point joints fail on those control arms, maybe then look to swap to what you'd really like. If the springs start to sag, maybe then look to swap to what you'd want.

You sound like someone who likes to tinker with things. LOL, this is the perfect vehicle for you!!

thewestwon

That is a phenomenal thread. I had read through the FAQ a bit but not read through yours until now. Much appreciated.