darksidedesign
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #1
There may already be a thread about this, but I was unable to find it if it does exist.
I‘d love for this thread to become a place for us to share mod ideas for the budget conscious JT owner.
After purchasing a nearly $60k vehicle, I am attempting to make my JTM unique by doing certain modifications without breaking the bank. I haven’t done anything too crazy, but I’m happy with what I’ve been able to do and happy with the amount of money I’ve saved in the process.
Here is what I’ve been able to do so far:
Sunrider for hard-top by Bestop: The black twill top sells for $849. I really wanted to find a way to get one of these because I think they’re amazing, but it was just too pricey. I found an eBay auction for a brand new black twill top (without mounting hardware) for $350. I contacted Bestop to see if I could purchase just the mounting hardware. I was able to order everything I needed for around $150. So I was able to get an $850 Sunrider top for $500 and I absolutely LOVE IT!
Grab Handles: I’m honestly surprised that a Jeep vehicle comes without these. I found several nice options, but didn’t want to spend a lot of money on them. So I picked up $18 worth of paracord and braided my own. They work great And the colors match the orange Mojave accents perfectly! I’ve even made a few sets for other forum members. If you’re interested in a set, click this link. That thread contains all the info you’ll need.
Satin Black Grille: I love the look of the black grilles. The Mopar Satin Black Grille sells for $370 on Quadratec. I kept seeing take-off JL grilles for sale locally. After verifying that they do indeed fit on the JT, I snagged a white one for $75. I tried my hand at PlastiDip. It was much easier than expected. I picked up 5 cans for about $25. I could not be happier with the end result. Not bad for a $100 mod!
Tent: I am really anxious to use my vehicle for overlanding. I can’t really swing $1500+ for a bed rack and an additional $2000+ for a rooftop tent right now. I saw the Rightline bed tent on Quadtratec for $190. I figured maybe that would be the way to go for the time being. While in REI one day, I saw the exact tent in their garage sale section of the store. It had been returned due to a faulty zipper. Only used once and they were selling it for $75. SOLD! I ordered some high quality zipper pulls for less than $10 and replaced them. Now everything works as it should. Bonus... the orange on the tent matches the Mojave orange! And with the money I saved, I plan to pick up the AirBedz inflatable truck bed air mattress for $250. I’ll be trying out my $335 setup in a couple weeks.
Additional tent: I found the Rightline SUV tent on a local marketplace. Same brand as my bed tent The seller had purchased it new last year and had never even used it. It retails for $300. I bought it for $100. I got it in hopes that the two tents could work together. They definitely do! It provides a lot more space and a good private space to stand up. Best part, it can be used as a standalone tent too.
Bumpers: I recently got a smoking deal on both a front and rear JT Rubicon steel bumper. I paid $500 for both bumpers.
We ended up putting the rear bumper on my Mojave. The parts I needed for the park sensors were a major pain to track down, but we finally got it installed and it looks and works great!
As for the front bumper... While I do like the look and functionality of the OEM steel bumper, I really wanted to go with something after market. I put it up for sale on a local classifieds page and ended up selling it for $675.
I chose to go with the Rugged Ridge HD Full Width front bumper and the timing could not have been better. Quadratec had 10% off all Rugged Ridge items and they were offering a $100 prepaid MasterCard with the purchase of any Rugged Ridge bumper. So, all said and done... I got a $550 Rugged Ridge HD bumper for $400 (if you include the $100 MasterCard) and the $175 X-Striker winch guard for $160, as well as a free OEM steel rear bumper. All for a total of $560.
Winch: My new bumper has a gaping hole in it, just begging for a winch. I’ve researched a lot of different brands and frankly, I can’t afford most of them. The Badland Apex 12,000lb winch from Harbor Freight has received some great reviews. Most of those reviews claim it’s the biggest bang for your buck. I know HF has really good sales every so often. Starting today 4/9 and going until Sunday 4/11, they are having their Spring Black Friday Sale. The Badland Apex winch is marked down $100. In addition, if you open a HF credit card account, you get an additional 10% off of your entire purchase (no exclusions). So I applied for the card and got a $599 winch for $450! I just installed it and I am stoked!
More to come!
What ways have you saved some money on your modifications? Please share!
I‘d love for this thread to become a place for us to share mod ideas for the budget conscious JT owner.
After purchasing a nearly $60k vehicle, I am attempting to make my JTM unique by doing certain modifications without breaking the bank. I haven’t done anything too crazy, but I’m happy with what I’ve been able to do and happy with the amount of money I’ve saved in the process.
Here is what I’ve been able to do so far:
Sunrider for hard-top by Bestop: The black twill top sells for $849. I really wanted to find a way to get one of these because I think they’re amazing, but it was just too pricey. I found an eBay auction for a brand new black twill top (without mounting hardware) for $350. I contacted Bestop to see if I could purchase just the mounting hardware. I was able to order everything I needed for around $150. So I was able to get an $850 Sunrider top for $500 and I absolutely LOVE IT!
Grab Handles: I’m honestly surprised that a Jeep vehicle comes without these. I found several nice options, but didn’t want to spend a lot of money on them. So I picked up $18 worth of paracord and braided my own. They work great And the colors match the orange Mojave accents perfectly! I’ve even made a few sets for other forum members. If you’re interested in a set, click this link. That thread contains all the info you’ll need.
Satin Black Grille: I love the look of the black grilles. The Mopar Satin Black Grille sells for $370 on Quadratec. I kept seeing take-off JL grilles for sale locally. After verifying that they do indeed fit on the JT, I snagged a white one for $75. I tried my hand at PlastiDip. It was much easier than expected. I picked up 5 cans for about $25. I could not be happier with the end result. Not bad for a $100 mod!
Tent: I am really anxious to use my vehicle for overlanding. I can’t really swing $1500+ for a bed rack and an additional $2000+ for a rooftop tent right now. I saw the Rightline bed tent on Quadtratec for $190. I figured maybe that would be the way to go for the time being. While in REI one day, I saw the exact tent in their garage sale section of the store. It had been returned due to a faulty zipper. Only used once and they were selling it for $75. SOLD! I ordered some high quality zipper pulls for less than $10 and replaced them. Now everything works as it should. Bonus... the orange on the tent matches the Mojave orange! And with the money I saved, I plan to pick up the AirBedz inflatable truck bed air mattress for $250. I’ll be trying out my $335 setup in a couple weeks.
Additional tent: I found the Rightline SUV tent on a local marketplace. Same brand as my bed tent The seller had purchased it new last year and had never even used it. It retails for $300. I bought it for $100. I got it in hopes that the two tents could work together. They definitely do! It provides a lot more space and a good private space to stand up. Best part, it can be used as a standalone tent too.
Bumpers: I recently got a smoking deal on both a front and rear JT Rubicon steel bumper. I paid $500 for both bumpers.
We ended up putting the rear bumper on my Mojave. The parts I needed for the park sensors were a major pain to track down, but we finally got it installed and it looks and works great!
As for the front bumper... While I do like the look and functionality of the OEM steel bumper, I really wanted to go with something after market. I put it up for sale on a local classifieds page and ended up selling it for $675.
I chose to go with the Rugged Ridge HD Full Width front bumper and the timing could not have been better. Quadratec had 10% off all Rugged Ridge items and they were offering a $100 prepaid MasterCard with the purchase of any Rugged Ridge bumper. So, all said and done... I got a $550 Rugged Ridge HD bumper for $400 (if you include the $100 MasterCard) and the $175 X-Striker winch guard for $160, as well as a free OEM steel rear bumper. All for a total of $560.
Winch: My new bumper has a gaping hole in it, just begging for a winch. I’ve researched a lot of different brands and frankly, I can’t afford most of them. The Badland Apex 12,000lb winch from Harbor Freight has received some great reviews. Most of those reviews claim it’s the biggest bang for your buck. I know HF has really good sales every so often. Starting today 4/9 and going until Sunday 4/11, they are having their Spring Black Friday Sale. The Badland Apex winch is marked down $100. In addition, if you open a HF credit card account, you get an additional 10% off of your entire purchase (no exclusions). So I applied for the card and got a $599 winch for $450! I just installed it and I am stoked!
More to come!
What ways have you saved some money on your modifications? Please share!
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