Thanks in advance if anyone is able to help me out. I bought this '11 JKR with like 4k miles last year. It was tastefully lifted/modified and it passed the smell check while I was crawling around looking at it. So, I jumped on it. Now, that I'm getting into some wheeling and mods, I'm having more and more questions about what I'm starting with.

It had procomp wheels and tires, smittybilt bumpers and winch, and g2 diff covers, so my initial impression was based on the stance it got the base 4 wheel parts hobby kit.

Now that I'm in it, I'm seeing a lot of other stuff that doesn't necessarily match my initial impressions.

1: driveshafts. Definitely not stock. Front has a yoke on both ends - no flanges. Anybody have any ideas on this? Discovered this curiosity trying to install my Adams shafts. The CV joint was making a ton of noise on the old one (it's trashed), but I didn't catch they weren't stock till I pulled it, as this is my first jeep.


2: Front control arms. Both uppers and lowers look aftermarket and uppers are adjustable. Any thoughts?


3: Front suspension (general): have a couple pictures here. Was hoping some more experienced members may be able to dissect this and let me know if anything else doesn't look stock.


4: Rear control arms: lowers don't look like any stock pictures i can find, but the uppers do. Any clue here?


Thanks again for the help - just trying to figure out what I'm starting with to begin addressing weak points.

 

Hmm, my only jk is my 13, I didn't mess with the older ones much.
The u shaped arms look like stock parts. I've never seen any aftermarkets that are u channel. (Not to say that they don't exist, but I doubt it.)
Adjustable arms are definitely aftermarket. It's hard to say who made them.

If you really need to know, pull one off sometime and take pics of the arm and joints. Then you can compare against the existing ones.
Those particular arms may not be made anymore, so it may not be worth the effort.
It is worth inspecting those joints at some point.

It looks like you're missing a clamp on one end of that tie rod (where the rust spots are)

Sorry, I know that's not much help!

 

Thanks! After some more research this weekend, I think I have some idea what's going on. Being that it had ProComp MX6 shocks (and all the other 4 wheel parts goodies) I had just assumed the lift was ProComp, but looking in the wrong direction since I had always thought it was a 2.5" lift. I believe this to be a ProComp 4" stage 2 with a different set of front lowers. Everything else seems to match that kit, for the most part though. Main clue would be those boxed rear lowers and the reuse of the factory uppers.

I was also told that someone thought the driveshafts were Tatton. But I definitely don't want to give any bad impressions as I'm sure he makes a fine driveshaft / has solid joints. It was likely installed back in '11 when the 4k miles were put on the jeep. Then, I got it last year and have put another 15 on it with no service - so that's probably self inflicted.

http://www.procompusa.com/suspension...qa=13498-13202

Do you know what the purpose of the missing clamp is? I agree it looks like there should be something there.

 

The rod is rotated to adjust. Usually it's threaded on the inside of the rod with a slit. The clamp tightens the rod to the joint threads to keep it from turning once it's adjusted. It was probably aligned after being lifted and not torqued enough. The vibration would make it come loose and fall off.

 

That looks like stock steering with a really bent drag link, the track bar is some sort of aftermarket.... No idea how to ID that one.

Looks like Synergy front control arms.

Looks like the rear arms are the old design Pro-Comp.

 

I'm guessing the track bar was from the pro-comp kit. The drag link did cause me some alarm when I was first looking, but checking stock pictures, it looks like they have similar curvature...

My next question for the awesome folks here would be: what would you focus on upgrading/improving? It's clear I have an eclectic collection of parts. I'd like to work on getting everything up to spec for some moderate duty wheeling without any huge weak spots or safety concerns.

 

I think both Synergy and Rubicon Express have the grey powder coating on the control arms. Considering the amount of 4WP gear on the Jeep I'd put a pretty firm guess that those are the Rubicon Express non-adjustable lower control arms.

 

Your jeep was ready for moderate wheeling (except the tires) when it came off the show room floor. Lack of driver off road experience is going to be the biggest thing to overcome. Have the bad joint in your old drive shaft repaired and you will have a trail spare. Get some recovery gear if you don't have it already. Tire plug kit. On board air or portable air tank. Performance gears and selectable lockers are going to take your jeeps performance to a new level.

 

I don't know... it looks bent to me. This is my factory drag link that I modified 2 years ago with a length of heavy channel. It still lives a fine and happy life behind my 37" tires. Total cost.... a chunk of scrap steel and 2 beers worth of time. When it dies maybe I'll consider an upgrade, but I will likely find a low mile take off factory one from Craigslist and add my magic to it again :-)

 

I do appreciate the driver skill aspect, and it's something that constantly evolving. I have recovery gear, a plug kit, gears, and the rubi e-lockers. No air yet, though. It really does perform exceptionally well compared to the K5 Blazers I used to run. I'm mostly concerned with the safety issues and upgrades that will head off costly failures down the road.

Let's be realistic, though. I know a lot of people will always fall back on this sort of thing when talking about upgrades (and i totally get it - it's an honest and true answer), but it's not just the driving part that I get enjoyment out of. I also have a great time modifying/upgrading/wrenching on the jeep, and with my schedule, working on it is far more accommodating than getting out for wheeling trips. I'm not tied to any budget (although I'm not going to spend like crazy or anything). But most parts are well within my reach, and I love the process of researching, learning, installing, etc. Having an intimate knowledge of how each part works and is installed can't help but make you a better driver, knowing the weak points, what parts to avoid stressing excessively, etc...

Not to get excessively wordy (or defensive or anything)... I also have played guitar for many years and have a collection. I modify them, a lot, as well. It's not that I need and upgrade to get out and play a show or that a new part will get me a record contract and make me rich or anything. I do it because it's fun. You get to try new stuff and learn about it at the same time - fun way to pass the time. Is it a waste of money and impractical? Sure. But it's certainly more fun and better for me than other stuff I could be doing.