Robbie Pierce is a busy man; but it's a good busy. When he's not busy running his company, MasterCraft, he's busy testing and racing his JIMCO-built Trophy Truck at SCORE off-road events. When he's not busy testing and racing he's busy in his Jeep tackling trails from Baja to Moab to the Pacific Northwest - all in the name of seats, of course. Like we said, it's a good busy.
Having owned a handful of 4x4s over the years, the most recent being a Jeep Wrangler TJ, Robbie set his sights on the latest model Wrangler in an effort to advance his brand in that market but also because he really fell for the size and capability of the JK. The four-door JK held the trail gear better and could also be used around town or on the highway more easily and with greater comfort than the TJ ever offered.
After Robbie picked up a 2008 Jeep Wrangler JK Rubicon Unlimited he made some calls to industry friends to get a gauge on the hot set up for JKs. Shortly thereafter his JK made a trip to Fabtech to receive the company's latest 5-inch long arm Crawler Suspension System and front Coilover Conversion System. The kit uses Fabtech's Dirt Logic shocks and bump stops and modifies the factory front set up to a radius arm arrangement. Once in place the Fabtech Crawler system made way for a set of 37x12.50R17 BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain KM2 tires on 17x8.5 Walker Evans beadlocks.
With the JK Rubicon now riding at a more respectable height, Robbie went on to address the areas MasterCraft knew best. The factory front and rear seats were removed and replaced with a set of four MasterCraft Baja RS seats using MasterCraft mounts and adapters. MasterCraft grab handles were also added at key grab points throughout the JK and MasterCraft gear bags are also in place to keep gear safely stowed.
Helping to speed up and simplify the build-up of his JK was the fact that just about all of the parts Robbie used were essentially bolt-on items. By using off-the-shelf parts rather than custom one-offs, the build-up of his JK could be completed much more quickly so he could get back to being busy: busy manufacturing seats, busy racing Trophy Trucks, and busy Jeeping to his heart's desire.
Bushwacker fender flares open...
Bushwacker fender flares open up the wheel wells for the 37x12.50R17 BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain KM2 tires on 17x8.5 Walker Evans beadlocks. The crew at MasterCraft fabricated the rear bumper with spare tire carrier, which supports a full-size spare. A MOPAR fuel-filler door is also in place along with the factory Rubicon rocker guards.
With its race-inspired graphics...
With its race-inspired graphics and paint Robbie Pierce's 2008 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon certainly stands out in a crowd. Along with paint the JK features Fabtech's advanced coilover suspension system and a comfort- and stability-enhanced interior designed by MasterCraft.
Fabtech's 5-inch long arm...
Fabtech's 5-inch long arm Crawler System is installed along with the Fabtech front coilover conversion. The Fabtech kit uses a radius arm design up front and Dirt Logic 2.5 coilover shocks and 2.25 Dirt Logic bump stops.
The factory Rubicon Dana 44...
The factory Rubicon Dana 44 axle with Tru-Loc diff and 4.10 gearing resides at the rear of Robbie's JK. Also in view are the Dirt Logic 2.0 smooth-body rear shocks and MagnaFlow exhaust system.