This was supposed to be our third vehicle for my son to drive when he gets his license in May after we sold our '13 JK, but I fell in love with it, missed driving our JK and he doesn't like the green, so now it's mine. Plus, then we needed to find another jeep, preferably an LJ, so I ended up with two jeeps in the garage. Anyway, it's bone stock except for the wheels and 32" tires, pro comp rims and 10yo aftermarket deck, so a perfect blank slate with 3.73 stock gearing. It was also mostly garaged and only had 74k miles, so everything is in great shape including the plastic plastic under the hood, which is unusual for an AZ vehicle. We don't get much rust, but the heat bakes plastic connectors, rubber and wiring. So far all I've done is replace the deck with a new BT Kenwood and swap out the stock speakers in the dash for Polk 5.25" in pods, new OEM fender flares to replace the faded to grey ones, and new parking light lenses. I'm planning on staying as light as possible and going aluminum anytime it makes sense. It will likely be driven daily because it's fun to drive, but I can park it when needed to do work as I still have our '15 Tahoe. I'm not planning anything crazy or unusual, just tried and true basic practical upgrades.
Plans that I already have parts for:
2.5" SL, 1.25" BL, Rancho shocks, rear track bar relocation brackets (recipe from this forum)
Rampage Trektop softtop (I miss my freedom top from my JK and prefer just the opening over the driver/passenger for fall, winter, and spring)
1.25" Seat riser kit (I'm 5'3" and the drivers seat isn't fold forward, so it's even shorter than our LJ)
6.5" polk components for the roll bar
JKS swaybar disconnects
New to me WARN m8000
Near future plans I still need to buy parts for:
1.25" BL (picking up a JKS this week)
1" lift motor mounts
33x12.50 Goodyear Duratracs (I've always had BFGs, but want to try something new between an MT and AT)
Amp and sub (I love music and I'm partially deaf in one ear, muzzle brake whoops)
Odyssey Battery (current battery is due to die from AZ heat by this summer)
TRE Synthetic winch line
Savvy front bumper
UCF rear tire carrier bumper
Big Daddy aluminum or Savvy sliders (TBD)
Savvy steering box skid
Farther off plans I want to keep in mind:
Lockers, regear, TT with all the stuff that requires, highline fenders for 35s?
Plans that I already have parts for:
2.5" SL, 1.25" BL, Rancho shocks, rear track bar relocation brackets (recipe from this forum)
Rampage Trektop softtop (I miss my freedom top from my JK and prefer just the opening over the driver/passenger for fall, winter, and spring)
1.25" Seat riser kit (I'm 5'3" and the drivers seat isn't fold forward, so it's even shorter than our LJ)
6.5" polk components for the roll bar
JKS swaybar disconnects
New to me WARN m8000
Near future plans I still need to buy parts for:
1.25" BL (picking up a JKS this week)
1" lift motor mounts
33x12.50 Goodyear Duratracs (I've always had BFGs, but want to try something new between an MT and AT)
Amp and sub (I love music and I'm partially deaf in one ear, muzzle brake whoops)
Odyssey Battery (current battery is due to die from AZ heat by this summer)
TRE Synthetic winch line
Savvy front bumper
UCF rear tire carrier bumper
Big Daddy aluminum or Savvy sliders (TBD)
Savvy steering box skid
Farther off plans I want to keep in mind:
Lockers, regear, TT with all the stuff that requires, highline fenders for 35s?