Protecting the underbody and...
Protecting the underbody and new drive train components are High Caliber/Magnum Off Road's 1/4-inch thick steel skid plate system, which even includes a skid plate that allows the evaporation canister to be kept in its stock location but further protected. The new J.E. Reel driveshaft also benefits from the skid plate system.
Given the amount of steel products added to the JK, the 3.8L V-6 began to experience the consequences in the performance department. To bring performance back to par, we utilized a Hypertech Max Energy power programmer which allowed us to optimize our tuning settings on the vehicle, including fuel programming, speedometer and odometer correction and cooling fan settings. Helping to filter the intake air and provide an additional line of protection to the engine, an American Expedition Vehicles snorkel/pre-filter system was installed which utilizes the factory air box and mounting bolts on the body. Working in seamless conjunction with the AEV snorkel system is an American Expedition Vehicles heat reduction hood that has been designed to provide fresh intake air and critical cooling within the engine compartment. This is achieved through a series of strategically placed openings on the side and top of the steel hood. With attention to detail never overlooked, the AEV team uses perforated stainless steel grates to cover the hood openings. Since the hood came e-coated and ready for paint, our resident paint expert Alex Paul of AP Designs in San Marcos, California, laid down the color matched metallic Jeep Green paint for a factory appearance.
The risk of side injury to...
The risk of side injury to our JK's body has been greatly diminished thanks to PUREJEEP's formed rocker guards that have been built from stout 1/4-inch thick steel plate and heavy walled DOM tubing.
Moving to the interior, a Lowrance GlobalMap Baja 540c GPS unit was installed atop the factory MyGig unit and housed within a Daystar console insert. As anyone who has ever ridden in a Jeep with the top down can attest, you can't hear yourself think due to the wind noise. To resolve this issue, a David Clark 9800 Series "Go Fast" marine intercom system was called upon. Using the latest in voice activated technologies; the intercom system is able to integrate an iPod, a VHF radio and even a cell phone for hands free driving. Tasked with controlling all of the electronics and lighting accessories on the vehicle is an S-pod switching system which incorporates a better than factory looking fuse and relay box which mounts onto the factory ECU mounting bolts and incorporates the six lighted switches above the rear view mirror. Always keeping safety of our occupants a top priority, a Rock Hard 4x4 interior sport cage was bolted in along with their soon to be released rear safety harness bar. The factory front seats were removed and replaced with a pair of Mastercraft's fully adjustable Baja RS units with their 2-inch safety harnesses. To keep the cargo from shifting while traversing trails, a High Caliber Products/Magnum Off Road cargo divider was acquired. Aside from just holding cargo back, the divider also serve double duty as a mounting platform for our Powertank air tank and had the capability to store extra quarts of vital engine fluids should we ever need them.
Our Rat Patrol JK is built for the ultimate in serviceability. This story alone doesn't do justice to the Jeep or to the parts used to build it. Watch for more detail in upcoming issues.