SNOWBIRD - JLUS Overlander That Wants to Crawl

[69 ORIGINAL]

SNOWBIRD (JLUS 3.6) was purchased in late 2018 with no real plan other than to have a fun second car. It came with the rear D44 M220 LSD - we thought that sounded trippy and cool, but had no idea what it was. We started to take it to the beach, on trails locally, Nat'l Parks and and got hooked. That's when the slide to financial ruin started ... a cell phone mount ... and then I don't know WTF happened. It was all a blur.

> 67 Designs mounts, cell phone and Hero holder
> Cage webbing to keep the dogs in the back and seat covers - still no big deal, right? Then ...
> Mopar 2" Lift, fox shocks, Toyo RT 35s and HD tire carrier with camera and brake relocation
> Warn Elite steel front full-width bumper with Warn 12-S Zeon winch
> Some big KC 'look at me, I'm so cool' mall crawler lights
> LOD frame-mounted steel rock slider rails and boathouse sides
> Spartan front lunchbox locker in the stock M186 D30
> Teraflex swaybar manual disconnect
> ARB diff covers, front and back
> Comms pack - CB, GMRS, FRS with remotes and and Iridium sat phone.
> SPOD HD 8 switch controller
> Key-matched hood lock
> UrsaMinor J30 Camper hard top with electrics, ARB side and rear awnings, yakima racks
> Camp Kit: 55L fridge, Yeti 1000 Lithium, 100W solar, sat phone and all kinds of other camping crap - so much camping crap
> Tool and spares. I went a little overboard here ... but trimming things down and adding new stuff as I learn through failure. Lots of failure.
> Frame-welded front towing tabs through the bumper
> Goose Gear rear seat delete and plate system with in-floor, locking cubbies
> American Adventure Labs aluminium rear fridge slider and drawers
> More camping crap (most of which I just leave at home now, so much waste)

I'm a better two-footed driver now and am starting to push the crawling to 11. The mall-crawler drivetrain paired with the heavy overlanding stuff is not sustainable

. My factory skids are totally chewed up, my tailpipe is an oval, my tie rod looks like a silly straw, and my rear bumper and fenders are barely holding on with a few plastic retainer clips and duct tape. You get the idea. So, I know I need to do something fast, but I just can't commit to a full-on, stripped down crawler, and I don't want a camper that can't crawl. So, trying to do a little bit of both:

> Ultimate Dana 60s front and rear, 5.38s, elockers, Adams 1350 shafts, etc.
> Teraflex Alpine IR longarms and draglinks all around, synergy tie rod, steering stabilizer , etc.
> Offroad Only AiRock air suspension with self-leveling system, 2.0 shocks with resevoirs and SwayLoc remote
> 39" KM3s (would have gone Nitto or Toyo 40s if I could find them anywhere in the US), full beadlock Machetes
> Artec Aluminium bellypan skid and misc other armor - LCA, diffs, rashguards
> GenRight aluminium rear tire carrier, bumper and rash guards
> Inner and outer fenders TBD
> American Adeventure Labs dual ARB and AUX battery system, redarc charger and rear 8 fuse panel
> VSS hood-mounted 80W solar and MPPT charger (no dead batteries again!)
> Some TBD LED fogs, drivers, sides and crawl lights to replace the freakishly large KC lights
> ESPAR Diesel heater with high-altitude kit for those chilly nights up in the tent during winter
> Proper full-replacement, offroad car insurance just in case I roll this thing or have it stolen
> 4WD 4-season Sprinter Van with head/shower/AC for the long drives, so my wife will come along
> Towbar, remote braking, wiring and links / tabs / lights for Jeep flat tow

Will post pics as things come off and on and provide rationale/thinking for design choices in installments.

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Wow... big plans.

Are 39” tires legal in your state? In NJ max is 38”. I don’t know if they go by what it says on the tire or actual measurements.

 

[69 ORIGINAL]

Wow... big plans.

Are 39” tires legal in your state? In NJ max is 38”. I don’t know if they go by what it says on the tire or actual measurements.

Wow! I had absolutley no idea that could be a thing. I just looked it up - sure enough - max of 38" and no more than 6" over the largest standard tire offered by the OEM. The "40" inch KM# is actually 38.5". So, technically, I guess it would not pass the 'lifted' inspection for registration in NJ. I'll have to confirm that as long as I'm validly registered in Texas, I can drive on NJ roads.

UPDATE: I have confirmed that as long as I have Texas registration, I can drive on NJ roads, irrespective of NJ inspection or registration requirements. So, 40" or 42", fenders or no, I'm good.

 

[69 ORIGINAL]

All parts are ordered. Shop date scheduled for week of June 28. Adding PSC steering at the recommendation of my builder. Took the Jeep to the beach for some camping. The 100W goal zero 'boulder' solar briefcase was kicking and producing more than enough juice to keep the fridge going. The surplus toped off the aux lithium battery. ARB shades kept it cool in the Texas 95F sun. The C Gear sand blankets kept the sand at bay. A collapsible wash bucket from REI filled with two bottles of fresh water allowed me to dip my feet in before I got into the Jeep and up into the tent. Nice to have clean feet when you go up there. So peaceful hearing the surf. Brought a Solo fire ring - but never used it. It took up a lot of space. I don't think I'll bring that again. Really loving the AAL aluminum drawers and fridge slide. I have all of my tools, spares and sundry stuff in there. Safe and secure. Have to think more about water ... woudl like to have internal water storage and maybe a little electric pump that goes to the back by camp kitchen.

 

[69 ORIGINAL]

Took SnowBird out to Wolf Caves offroad park last weekend in Mason, Texas. Holy cow! Granite outcroppings everywhere. Trails go green, blue, yellow, red and purple. Snowbird handled the greens and blues no problem. However, the yellows were more challenging and resulted in lots of scraping, turtling and some winching. The yellows are more like the 5's at Hidden Falls outside of Austin. The 2DR 40" crowd took on some of the red trails. Lots of crazy angles, 3 wheels, pinstriping and drama. The day made me realize how challenged my approach angle is. I could not 'get it up' on a few of the ledges with my bumper hitting the rocks and my tires about 2-3" away from even making contact, with rocks underneath. Also, slammed my muffler and broke the retaining bracket. On the bright side, I'm feeling really good about weight and weight distribution (took tire off and left in the camping area). That dropped the rear by 120 lbs! I'm also getting much better at 'memorizing' my lines and using reference points to line that up without a spotter. However, still going to put a dual front camera system in so I can actually see for myself. Looking online for options. Seems I can get a 7" LCD that will show up to 4 camera simultaneously and then some cheap wired cameras to plug into that for under $200. So, that's a no brainer. More wires through the firewall - but what are you going to do. Not going to spend another $1000 for bluetooth.

 

[69 ORIGINAL]

I wish I could post a picture of my Jeep. She's still in the shop going through her current evolution. So, this drawing is all that I have to get me through. Going on three weeks now. I clearly have a bad case of withdrawal. But, I guess if you want it done right, it takes what it takes. Found someone to buy my steel steering box and JL axles. No takers on the rest of the stuff that is coming off. Could not even give it away. The only items I have not sourced yet are the dual front-facing trail cams and the low-profile exhaust for more rear clearance. Very excited to get the roof and hood-mounted solar on for 195W of solar charging. Can't wait!

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