FUBAR-Recon

Hey guys and gals,
Just like all of you have probably had the struggle I am really having a hard time allocating how I would like to spend my money for my upcoming build. I have a 2013 JKU sport and I am looking to spend some serious change in mods for my jeep. The down side is that I am not mechanically inclined and confident enough to do alter my daily driver drastically so a large portion of the fund will need to be allocated for the install. I live in Colorado and hope to join some local clubs for moderate offroading.

Items I am certain of are:
4.88 gears, drive shaft replacement, 35 inch duratracs, AEV pintlers, flashpaq programmer, also need to replace ball joints which im in the build

I have 3 scenarios which I am currently tossing around:
1. Currie 4 inch rock jock, currie johnny joint adjustable front and rear tracs bars,Antirock Front Sway Bar System, teraflex HD frame brace and drag link flip kit, bilstein 5100, no extra goodies and no lockers.

2. Teraflex 3 Inch S/T3 Suspension System with Fox Shocks, teraflex HD frame brace and drag link flip kit, Monster adjustable rear track bar, ARB locker front/rear traction pack

3. Rubicon express 3.5 inch superflex kit, rubicon express high steer kit, rubicon express rear adjustable track bar, bilstein steering stabilizer ARB locker front/rear traction pack, Gen 2 front bumper with smittybilt 9500 winch, Bushwacker flat fender flares

Obviously these kits exist on completely different levels but since I won't have another opportunity any time soon to have significant cash on hand maximizing the build does seem like a plus. From 100's of forum discussions I chose the currie as top quality even though there are not that many builds scattered over the interwebs, teraflex with quality/support/company culture , and rubicon express to maximize the budget and hope that the forum flaming is just people justifying the extra money that others have spent on their builds (hey one can dream right).

Any insight to which route you would go, or any tweaks to the selections above? I know there are infinite possibilities for builds and this is actually a really daunting task once you actually switch form dreaming to doing.

Thanks in advance for your time!

Chuck-The-Ripper

Spend some "serious change" in tools and time and learn. You'll have a lot of nice tools that you'll always have with the money you would have in labor costs

Canvas

The hard part of asking for advice is ride is subjective and the other is product loyalty. There are those who love one manufacture and dislikes the others. I would highly recommend before dropping any coin is to find the local Jeep club and ask them for a ride in Jeeps with various lifts to see what you are looking for. Also might find someone there who will assist with your build so you can get the experience. You will find that most Jeepers are always willing to help wrench on Jeeps even if it is not there own. If you were closer we could work something out. Check out the Four Corners staging area for forum members close to you. Four Corners

R/
Will

kjeeper10

X2 (10 char)

FUBAR-Recon

Thanks Chuck, I do have a decent amount of tools and I have installed basic lifts before. I just prefer not to take a risk with my daily driver and my current skill set. There is an overwhelming amount of information on the internet, a lot of times saying several different things in the right and wrong ways to do any given task.

Thank you Cavas/Jkeeper10 that is very sound advice. I unfortunately have anxiety when dealing with new people and finding a local club and experiencing their rides is a tall order. Took me 3 years of owning a jeep to even join a dang forum lol.

Thanks for the input though.

Canvas

We all have one thing in common, we all love Jeeps.

Where are you going to have the work done on your Jeep? There are two places that come to mind, Northridge4x4 and TrailJeeps in Colorado.

R/
Will

FUBAR-Recon

There is a 4 Wheel Parts located near my house and the guys are super friendly and knowledgeable every time I have stopped by. The shop rates were reasonable and even though they have their own brands that they would benefit in a sale they had no pushy nature to take their products. I have reached out to Trail jeeps before but they didn't seem very interested in helping at the time I inquired. I see that Northridge is very active when I google subjects that take me to forums but I haven't checked into their location or products.

Chuck-The-Ripper

I understand you may not be comfortable with doing it yourself, but an option that should definitely save some money would be to do the instal yourself, and then take it to 4wd to have a complete suspension check and alignment.

nthinuf

Looks like you are jumping right in with a flip? One suggestion might be to hold off on that, drive it with the lift and stock steering setup and see what you think. Maybe it won't be as bad as you thought. Possible that it could save you some money on parts, welding, and drilling out the knuckle to flip it. And a bonus is that you won't lose uptravel from the added bumpstop it will need.

You might also look at the specific flip/high steer setups. Some companies drop their brackets from the frame, others raise from the axle. People on here tend to like one version more than the other. (I also saw a post recently indicating that there is a new company out there which does not require drilling out the knuckle? If accurate, might be worth looking into)

And oh yeah, I used that 4wheelparts for a while when I lived up there. It's been a few years, but they seemed like a decent group of guys for advice on my 'full size dodge truck'. But not a one of them, in any of the 4WP locations I have been in with the JK in three different states, was worth a damn. Verify parts before they are thrown on, then be sure to double and triple check the actual installation...

Also, it doesn't look like anyone had the obligatory "you don't need that much lift for 35" tires" dialogue with you, so there ya go...

FUBAR-Recon

Thanks Nthinuf,
I was wondering when the to much lift for 35's would come in thanks

Sound advice on the flip, in my head I was just thinking to cover my bases from the start but I am beginning to see a pattern of wait and see what you think then make adjustments. I will trim down my initial list and add-on as needed.