Building a Mojave on 40's

[Mojave40]

Here are some pictures of my VKS rock sliders. These things are crazy strong, have beautiful welds, stick out far enough to provide a stepping point, and they bolt to the frame however I welded them to the frame for increased strength.

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[TheOpa]

Here are some pictures of my VKS rock sliders. These things are crazy strong, have beautiful welds, stick out far enough to provide a stepping point, and they bolt to the frame however I welded them to the frame for increased strength.

The VKS sliders look great! I had an email conversation with Barnes 4WD and they don’t currently have plans to build JT sliders that match the Pritchett Canyon bumper, and I don’t think they stick out far enough to work as a step. I like these as an alternative, or I keep playing with sketches to maybe make my own if I can find that many hours this summer to do something like this. I’m still just studying everyone’s build threads for good ideas like these!

 

[yoda13]

Here are some pics of the JCR front bedrack molle system.

I have that JCR Molle Rack in the mail…was it an easy install?

 

[Mojave40]

I have that JCR Molle Rack in the mail…was it an easy install?

Very simple install. The only slowdown was the bedliner material was covering some of the threads for the top mounts so I had to clean them out to get the bolts to grab.

 

[yoda13]

Very simple install. The only slowdown was the bedliner material was covering some of the threads for the top mounts so I had to clean them out to get the bolts to grab.

Awesome! Thank you!

 

[SSinGA]

Do you get any rubbing at full lock/turning? My wheels are 3.5" BS / -44 offset, which I thought would be enough but getting some contact on the control arms.

Nevermind!! wasn't the control arms I was hitting it was the Rubi rails. Guess I need to go shop for sliders now!

 

[21Moja]

Here are some pictures of my Rugged Ridge fender chop brackets without DRL lights. I was able to retain the factory plastic inner fender liner.

Could you elaborate a little on what you did to keep the inner liners? I have the AAL kit on the way and if I don't have to buy inner liners I could use that money on other items...Nice build!!

 

[Mojave40]

Could you elaborate a little on what you did to keep the inner liners? I have the AAL kit on the way and if I don't have to buy inner liners I could use that money on other items...Nice build!!

I followed this video and it seemed to work well.

 

[Mojave40]

I’d be a little worried with stock axles. Just my opinion though. That’s asking a lot from them. Looks amazing though!!!

Your certainly not the first person to tell me that but I've done a lot of research and for the time being I'm happy with my decision. At this point my D44 axles on 40's have gotten me through the Rubicon Trail (just got of trail 2 days ago), 7-9 rated trails in Sand Hollow, Ut....and all the difficult trails in Big Bear, CA plus many trails in between.

I would never tell someone not to buy stronger axles as I too would love bigger and better but the cost is crazy. If you can swing the cost to do it great, but don't be paralyzed into not doing things. I've seen multiple guys gernade ring gears in a Dana 60 in Moab. A lot comes down to how you wheel and how you take care of your shit.

FYI....I'm trussed front and rear with Artec trusses. Adding a few pics of my Rubicon Trip.

 

[Tommyd]

Your certainly not the first person to tell me that but I've done a lot of research and for the time being I'm happy with my decision. At this point my D44 axles on 40's have gotten me through the Rubicon Trail (just got of trail 2 days ago), 7-9 rated trails in Sand Hollow, Ut....and all the difficult trails in Big Bear, CA plus many trails in between.

I would never tell someone not to buy stronger axles as I too would love bigger and better but the cost is crazy. If you can swing the cost to do it great, but don't be paralyzed into not doing things. I've seen multiple guys gernade ring gears in a Dana 60 in Moab. A lot comes down to how you wheel and how you take care of your shit.

FYI....I'm trussed front and rear with Artec trusses. Adding a few pics of my Rubicon Trip.

Glad to hear that!! What was your cost for trussing? Just curious. Thanks for the info!

 

[Mojave40]

Glad to hear that!! What was your cost for trussing? Just curious. Thanks for the info!

The actual trusses are cheap. I believe the front was like $130 and the rear was like $100. My buddy is a very good welder so he did it for free although as a thank you I bought him the same trusses for his gladiator so my total cost was $460.

Another friend of mine with a gladiator bought the same trusses and was getting quotes from multiple shops of around $1800 for install.

 

[Tommyd]

The actual trusses are cheap. I believe the front was like $130 and the rear was like $100. My buddy is a very good welder so he did it for free although as a thank you I bought him the same trusses for his gladiator so my total cost was $460.

Another friend of mine with a gladiator bought the same trusses and was getting quotes from multiple shops of around $1800 for install.

Good to know thanks a bunch! Awesome looking rig!

 

[Orange01z28]

So this Jeep Mojave is my 3rd Jeep. I started with a 2006 TJ Rubicon and just sold my 2016 JKUR Hard Rock to buy the Gladiator. I'm a Rock Crawler by nature having run most of the difficult trails in California and Utah in my 2016 Rubicon. I'm in Southern California and have both Rocks and Desert to play in. The reason I switched to a Gladiator was for work. I'm a home inspector and wanted more room in my vehicle for ladders and tools.

So I picked up this Gladiator in early December 2021 in Arizona. Got a fantastic deal on this Mojave buying it in Lake Havasu which is only 4 hours away from my California resisdence. Because I'm a rock crawler I know a Rubicon or even a sport would have made more sense to start the build with but I fell in love with all the Mojave had to offer.

So the plan was to immediatly get to 40's so I could hang with all my friends who are in JK's on 37's and 40's. So below is a list of modifications either already done or ordered plus a wish list of modifications down the road.

40" Cooper STT Pros on 17" KMC Dirty Harry Wheels
3.5" Clayton Off-Road Overland Plus Lift Kit
Barnes 4WD Pritchett Canyon Bumper
SuperWinch sx10,000 (waiting on bumper to install)
Quadratec Brute Strength Sliders
Fishbone Tackle 1/2 bed rack
Adams Front Drive Shaft 1350
Fox 2.5 Elite Resevoir Shocks with DSC for 4.5 lift
RockJock AntiRock Front Swaybars
Tazer JL Mini Controller
Apex Steering Booster
5.13 Revolution Gears
MagnaFlow Exhaust (Before the axle dump)

Future Plans:
Truss the front and rear axles
Upgrade the Tie-Rod and Drag-Link to an Aluminum Option
Fox Steering Stabilizer
Synergy or Steer Smarts Sector Shaft Brace
Upgrade the cloth interior to a PRP Seat Cover
Hign-Line Fenders / Brace

Are you lifting the tire up there yourself?

 

[Mojave40]

Are you lifting the tire up there yourself?

Yep, its actually easier than a 37"-40" tire on the rear of Wrangler. All I have to do is get it on the tailgate and then it just pivots and slides aross the rack. With my Wrangler I had to lift a heavy tire and try to line up the lugs on the rear tire carrier which was a pain in the butt.

 

[Orange01z28]

Yep, its actually easier than a 37"-40" tire on the rear of Wrangler. All I have to do is get it on the tailgate and then it just pivots and slides aross the rack. With my Wrangler I had to lift a heavy tire and try to line up the lugs on the rear tire carrier which was a pain in the butt.

In between asking that question and you answering I went outside and did it myself with my 37

What are you using to secure it?

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