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2013 Sahara Unlimited Build

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30K views 103 replies 22 participants last post by  pepatrick  
#1 ·
I have only had it for almost 4 years so I will finally document the build. I will start with the current list of mods and go from there.

2013 Wrangler Unlimited Sahara
Mopar full doors and half doors
AEV Pintler Wheels
AEV Front and Rear Bumper
AEV rear corners
AEV Tire carrier
AEV heat reduction hood
AEV 3.5 Dualsport lift
Yeti XD tie rod
Yeti XD drag link
Griffin HD attenuator
OME steeriing stabilizer
Dynatrac ProRock 44 front 4:56 gears
Stock Dana 44 rear 4:56 gears
Eaton e-locker front and rear
RCV shafts
Reid racing knuckles
Mopar big brake kit
Teraflex rear rotor kit
JW Speaker 8700J head lights
JW Speaker 6145 fog lights
JW Speaker 279 J tail lights
8 switch SPOD
Vision X 4.5" light cannons wind shield mounts
knock off ARB intensity LEDs on the bumper
Rigid backup LED on AEV mast
Kenwood DNX893s head unit
Alpine PDX-V9 5 channel amp
JL-Audio speakers in 2015 Wrangler sound bar and dash pods
2015 factory Jeep Alpine sub wired to 2ohms for the sub channel on the PDX-V9 - This sub works great with enough clean power.
Trek Armor front and rear seat covers
Carolina Metal Masters grab handles
Carolina Metal Masters dash grab handle
Besttop Trektop
Jeep backbone trunk enclosure
Jeep backbone rear window

Here are some pics of when it was just a baby and where it is now.

I put the wheels on a week after I bought it, then the gas cap. Then I developed a sickness that won't seem to stop. I will add additional notes to this thread to document things that were done, redone, reviews and opinions and what is coming next. At first many of the things I had someone else do but more recently I have been doing much of the work my self. The latest was removing the Dana 30 and replacing it with the Dynatrac PR44.

Things that will be coming in the very near future
Rock Krawler front and rear, upper and lower adjustable control arms. These are to address the addition caster of the unlimited axle which has 10* of separation between pinion and caster. This in theory is better for taller lifts and is less strain on the drive shaft while providing improved caster angles for better handling. This will require me to remove the AEV correction brackets.

Next on the list is AEV 4.5" spring and bump stops. In preparation for 37" tires. I have the the springs but will wait for the tires to wear out before I install them. Not a huge hurry to do this but will have the set up ready for it when the time comes.

Dana 60 rear axle. This is a little farther out. I can probably get by with the rear 44 for a while. Not to much in GA that is going to hurt it, but planning a MOAB trip in a few years so a little D60 insurance would be nice.

Last on the list is a RIPP super charger. Perhaps by the time I am ready to do this, I will be old enough or broke enough where I can't justify buying one and it will be off the bucket list by then. Still would quench my thirst for a little fire under the hood and as much as I would love to drop a Hemi under the hood even I can't justify that...not yet.

Yes.. I feel like I am getting close to the end of the Jeep mod list. We all know there will be more..Roll cage..new tops, bead locks...Crawler Concepts flats and fender liners...yeah..Im thinking about it..but these things are low on the list right now..
 

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#3 ·
Nice looking JKU!

I have the same year Sahara and like you have been slow at building her out. I am trying to figure out the tires I want/can have on the MB TKOs rimes I bought shortly after getting the JKU. Backspacing is 5.98 so I'm somewhat limited on tires I think. I was going to go with 35s with a 2.5" lift and spacers, but your comment on 37s got me thinking. Bigger is better, right?

Here's mine as it sits today:
Image
 
#4 ·
Its debatable if bigger is better (well don't ask my wife that). My Jeep is not a daily driver but I don't mind taking it out for a leisurely drive so I do want it to have decent road manners. 35s look good on the 4 door. I like 37s too, but not if you have enough back spacing for 37s to not rub on the frame. Spacers could help but make sure you go with good spacers. There is a lot of argument as to weather spacers are a good idea. If they are hub centric such as Spidertrax I would think they would be fine. Im sure there are some other reputable brands. Follow the torque settings and check frequently.
 
#5 · (Edited)
This was probably around the 1 year mark. I had just put on the AEV bumpers. It was not lifted but I found someone with a 10th Anniversary Rubicon who installed a bigger lift. He sold me his springs and shocks on the cheap so this was my first experience installing a very mild lift. It gained about an 1.25 to 1.5 inches over the stock height and never had an issue with rubbing on the 33" Duratracs. The mono tube Rubicon shocks were a little stiffer and it did seem to ride better at the time. I had also purchased (used) an original set of JW Speaker 8700 head lights. These were far better than stock. I currently have the 8700 J which are designed for the Jeep canbus system and do not need the anti flicker adaptor.
 

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#7 · (Edited)
I have gone through a bunch of different stereo option set ups in this Jeep since I have owned it. It originally came with the 730n RHR radio. The first one was bad from the get go. During the day it would work fine, but making a blue tooth call at night and it would reboot. The dealer replaced the radio as I was able replicate the problem by turning the lights on and making a call. Yeah..strange. Six months later the radio died again CD player wouldn't work. I never used CDs so the first time I went to use it, it wouldn't work. The dealer swapped it again. Then it was time to plan a new system.

First set up.
Alpine ICS-X7hd head unit. Nice set up but useless as a radio. I had it for about a week. Thank you Crutchfield for having a gracious return policy.
Next: Kenwood DNX-890. Pretty cool radio but buggy as all get out.
Next: Alpine INE-W927 lasted about an hour..and I gave up.
Back to the 730N
Alpine INE-W967
Kenwood DNX893s

I going to link to a build thread I did on this which pretty much covers everything I did on the main electronics. I have changed a few things over the years but mostly the head unit. The amp, speakers and wiring are the same. I have changed the rear sub to the factory 2015 Alpine sub in the hidden compartment.

http://www.wranglerforum.com/f274/2013-jeep-wrangler-unlimited-sound-system-build-339545.html

http://www.wranglerforum.com/f40/2015-wrangler-subwoofer-review-1350905.html

The current radio is a Kenwood DNX893S. It replaces and Alpine INE-w967. The Alpine is a really nice mechless 7" display however Alpine is has a very slow interface. It takes for ever to scroll through songs and that drove me crazy. As crappy as the 730N was, you can zip right through the play list and find a song in seconds. Now..Kenwood has the just release the DNX893s. It is fast, so far I have had NO problems with it. There is no lag when scrolling through songs and the interface is easy to move through. I have never been a huge Kenwood fan in the past but the knocked it out of the park with this radio.

I have added a 2015 sound bar. It is supposed designed by Alpine, but more importantly the speaker compartment are isolated from each other and you don't need to stuff it with fiberfill. The sound bar is considerably thicker and the rear speakers sound noticeably better without the tinny sound before.
 

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#10 · (Edited)
I have been eyeing the Jeep backbone enclosure ever since last years Jeepfest in Jasper GA. I had already had the Tuffy deck enclosure and liked it for the most part but did not like that it didn't cover the sides. Through a mutual friend I got to meet the guy that designed the Jeepbackbone and he came over and installed one on my Jeep and I believe this will be a keeper.

They have a couple of add on features such as the cargo carrier and rear windshield I had to have too.
 

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#11 · (Edited)
I had been looking for an excuse to buy a Dynatrac PR44 for a while. The D30 was fine and probably would have held up for most of the wheeling I do in GA. As the tire size went up and wheeling skills (debatable) went up I figured it would be time to look in to a new axle. I looked at all the other brands and almost pulled the trigger on the Dana Spicer 44 setup. It was priced right and I could have had it trussed, sleeved and C gussets welded on and made it pretty strong. All the research led to Dynatrac so that was ultimately what I went with. The guys at Northridge were great in getting it configured. I had a couple of issue with the install and between Northridge support and Dynatrac everything went pretty smooth.

I had already purchased some Yeti products to go along with set up. The XD tie rod and new XD drag link with HD attenuator. The combo provides great steering feel.

A couple of notes. The Dynatrac Unlimited axle has additional caster built in. This probably is not the best axle for an AEV lift or any lift with drop brackets. Currently I have moved the upper control arms in the upper drop bracket holes which gives a little lower caster reading and better road feel. This is a short term fix as I am planning on removing the drop brackets in favor of adjustable control arms. I will probably give up some road handling characteristics but from what I have researched it may not be much if the controls arms are set up correctly.
There have been a bunch of people on this forum that have been huge help in getting this dialed in including the manufacturers of said products and the vendors.
 

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#12 ·
I have decided to start turning the wrenches again and install the Rock Krawler adjustable control arms. I also decided to take the Jeep a little higher and put 4.5" springs. I plan on going to 37s for my next tires and may do it sooner than later so I might as well knock this out while I am putting the control arms on.
 

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#13 ·
I am a wiring OCD junkie. Maybe not as bad as I used to be but still it has to be right. Wire loomed, zip tied, and now I am starting to use the fabric wire loom that spod sells. It looks better than the plastic stuff and is way more durable. Here is my SPOD set up. I had the 6 port spod and ran out of ports pretty quickly once I did front and rear lockers. I upgraded to the 8 port spod and now I have a couple of extra switches to expand if I need it. I stuck with the rocker switches as I like that layout, but the display screen may have some advantages too. External light wiring has to be solid too. No loose connections while riding at night. Notice the big connector for the winch by the battery. Some guys will connect this to the spod. I like to keep it unplugged when not in use. That is a big fire hazard if for whatever reason something shorts out. Pop the hood plug the connectors together and the winch comes to life. Easy enough!!!
 

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#14 ·
AEV 4.5 springs and Rock Krawler adjustable control arms installed. It was actually a pretty fun project except having to torque the jam nuts down. That still wasn't too bad.
 

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#16 ·
In the list of many things to do, I finally installed the brake booster and master cylinder for the Mopar big brake kit. I installed the rotors and calipers a few months ago and the Teraflex rear big rotor kit a couple of weeks later. This should complete the braking improvements.
 

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#17 ·
Well the Jeep had to sit for a while. After putting everything back together and bleeding the brake line I noticed the primary line from the master cylinder to the ABS control unit was leaking. I ordered a new brake line but apparently these things are on major back order. Of course they are not SAE lines and no body carries the right parts so I had to improvise. I purchased a double flare kit and a 1/4" pre-made line. Although the line was too small the fitting threads seem to match up so I highjacked the fittings. Since Jeep lines are not 1/4 or 5/16 (but somewhere in between) I used the 1/4 in fitting for the double flare kit and after a few practice runs with the pre made line, I tried it on my factory line and it seemed to work. No signs of leaking. I had a local shop find me a new brake line so I will replace my contraption when the new one comes in but for now I am operational. The top fitting (closest to the brake booster) is the one that was leaking. It is no longer.
 

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#19 ·
Sweet build @pepatrick!

I also have the AEV 3.5 with 35's and planning on going to 37's (small 37's: KO2's) when my current tires wear down. Just can't decide between AEV's 4.5 springs & bumpstops vs just adding 4.5 bumpstops to my 3.5 lift . . . No flatties: I plan on keeping my factory fenders with AEV bumpers.

Noticeable difference in the way your Jeep handles from 3.5 to 4.5?
 
#20 ·
Its hard to say because I did the RK control arms at the same time, but no...not really. I had some issues with steering being a little flighty at low speed and figured it could not caster as it was at 5.8. It turns out that the right lower rear control arm was rubbing up against the rear tire just enough to cause a braking effect. I had a shop weld on some lower control arm skid plates and they fixed it and the problem went away. Stupid rookie mistake. LOL.
 
#22 ·
That looks so much better! :happyyes:
 
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#23 ·
Well well well. 37s came a little faster than I thought they would. A guy on one of the local Jeep clubs decided sell his Jeep project and sell me his virtually brand new 37x12.5x17 GY MT/Rs on the cheap. Well, they were not terribly cheap but they were considerably cheaper than buying them new and on top of that included 5 Pro Comp steel wheels that I will sell off to someone who needs them more than I do.
 

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#24 ·
Wheels too? Looks like very similar to mine.
 

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#28 ·
Got those 37s mounted today. Found a tire shop that (not my go to shop) that said they could mount them today. Yeah..Im not patient. They balanced out really well and got them up to 80 and smooth as can be.
 

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#29 ·
So most of this list still has not been done yet. It has been cold, and although we did go through a warm spell I have been crazy busy at work so the Jeep has been on the back burner, but the list has been added to.

Adams front drive shaft
ARB twin compressor
Ten Factory rear axle shafts
Synergy LCA skid plates - installed
LUX Rock lights
37" x12.5x17 Good Year MT/Rs - installed
Level 8 Bully Pro Wheels - installed
Spod HD 8 panel switch (just got this) very cool - picture
42" Hi-lift bar to replace the 48" bar (would not fit in the garage) - installed
PSC HD Steering gear (no hydro assist needed) - just ordered
 

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