A Jeep Build Goes Sideways: A Cautionary Tale
Chris Hughes’ 2008 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon was a shared vision, until lack of planning ended in disaster.
We’ve all been there. Saved the money, found good deals on parts via Racing Junk and now we’re ready to get started turning a dream into a reality. But were we? Did we have a plan? Did we have a budget? Did we have clear, written goals? No, no, no and no.
Stop. Learn from our mistakes. Without these things you are heading into scope creep, blown budgets and missed deadlines.
Even the simplest projects can get you. Getting new wheels? You’re probably going to want new tires too. And lugnuts. Those need to be replaced. How are the brakes? Might as well replace the pads while you’re in there. What about that wobble in the brake pedal? Probably need to do rotors as well. Do I have fresh brake fluid?
See how an easy project can spiral?
Let’s start with a bigger project like one I recently undertook – replacing the suspension in a 2008 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. My son and I have had a vision for this Jeep so we didn’t want to just do bolt-ons. We had an RIPP Supercharger, D60 and 14b axles with lockers and all other parts from Yukon Gear and Axle, a full cage from Genright, seats by PRP and lighting by Baja Designs. Raceline wheels and BF Goodrich Blue Label Krawler, plus GenRight Aluminum armor and an AEV hood were all parts and pieces that I purchased for this epic build.
We wanted to double triangulate the rear right, and as a result we had to move the exhaust and the gas tank which was NOT cheap.
Then we had the bright idea to add coilovers into the mix. We’re already redoing the suspension, so why not? That meant lots of fabrication (and time and expense) to mount these coilovers in the Jeep. Then we also had to select correct spring rates and do shock tuning. By that point, we had to admit defeat and call in an expert, which means more money and more time.
This story has a bunch of other twists and turns, but in the end it was a failure. My heart bit off more than my wallet and skill set could chew. I ended up selling the “project” to a friend in Minnesota. He had that “new build energy” and was able to finish the Jeep and get it back on the trails. But I wasted tons of money and time and still didn’t complete the project.
Next time I will have a budget and a plan. And I will keep things simple!
