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2009 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited JK - JK Explorer - Tech

Posted in How To on July 1, 2009 Comment (0)
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Phil Howell Editor-in-Chief

No, it's not a Ford Explorer, it's a Jeep JK Wrangler Unlimited Explorer. We've owned a number of JKs in the last couple of years and wanted to incorporate all we'd learned into a Jeep that would be an excellent daily driver and would work well for backcountry exploring trips, too. This Unlimited wouldn't be the biggest or baddest Wrangler on the planet, but it would be the best all-around JK we'd ever owned.

Davis Auto Center in Logan, Utah, supplied our brand new, fully loaded 2009 Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited. Charlie and T.J. Davis always take care of us and are getting interested in exploring the backcountry themselves. We drove our Unlimited from the dealer to Mount Logan Off-Road, the northern Utah JK experts, to have the transformation into JK Explorer performed.

When it was finished, the JK Unlimited was what we hoped it would be - the best all-around Wrangler we've ever driven. Peruse the photos to see how that was accomplished.

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0907 4wd 01 z+2009 jeep wrangler rubicon unlimited jk+front The only under hood modifications made were the leak-proof Optima Yellow Top battery and the cooling fan for the Warn Endurance 12.0 winch. JKS sent us a set of their adjustable control arms, track bars, coil retainer plates, and rear track bar mount reinforcement bracket. The control arms utilize greaseable brass bearings for smooth, reliable operation and excellent longevity. Fine pitch adjustment threads ensure superior strength and allow over 3 inches of adjustment. New OE rubber bushings are used to isolate road noise and vibrations without over-stressing the mounting brackets. Finally, a durable powdercoat finish and zinc plating provide excellent corrosion protection.The track bars are adjustable and use OE rubber bushings for superior vibration resistance. This will keep the JK Explorer noise, clunk, and vibration free on road and trail.
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Kent Kroeker, owner of KORE, is as meticulous as we are. He's never released a suspension system before it's perfect for him, which usually means it will be perfect for us. Kent worked very hard on coil rates and shock valving before releasing his JK suspension. The JK 4-inch KORE Technical Series suspension includes variable rate coils, KORE/Fox 2.0 Piggyback Reservoir shocks, Race Series track bar, Race Series swaybar end links, braided stainless/Kevlar brake lines, and Race Series bump stops. The KORE coils and shocks provide a controlled yet supple ride that needs to be experienced to be believed. KORE offers regular and heavy-duty coils and sent us both. We installed the regular rate coils first, then the HD ones. We found that the regular rate coils work well, even for modified JK's like ours. The HD coils would work well if doing long distance overlanding with a fully loaded/overloaded JK. Mount Logan talked us out of the KORE track bar for one of their projects we'll be covering, but we used everything else. Another example of KORE quality is the hollow aluminum front track bar end links. KORE has raised the JK quality and performance bar for the entire industry. The completed frontend is a beautiful thing. The Dynatrac cover is strong and protects the 5.38 Yukon gears and factory E-locker. Currie Enterprises hardened front JK Rubicon axles use the big OE JK joints. Mount Logan built the aluminum drag link and tie rod, then flipped the drag link using a Teraflex tapered sleeve in the knuckle. A Poly Performance track bar bracket gets the track bar up where it needs to be for correct geometry when the drag link is flipped. It also makes a great attachment point for the Teraflex steering stabilizer. We drilled another hole in the Poly bracket so the stabilizer would be level with the tie rod. Expedition One builds the skid plate that protects the Rubicon swaybar disconnect as well as covers the front frame crossmember. The KORE aluminum swaybar links are race-level quality. We like quiet, so retained the factory exhaust system. The big OE muffler changes color because the JK runs so lean. The Kilby muffler skidplate not only keeps the muffler from being smashed flat on a rock, it also covers the unsightly discoloration that soon happens. The heavy-duty Dynatrac cover protects the 5.38 Yukon gears, OE E-Locker, and has a higher oil fill plug, needed with JKs (especially 2-doors) that have rotated the rear end for correct driveline angles. It's no secret that the JK Rubicon's Achilles' heel is the woefully weak front 44 housing. Mount Logan Off-Road beefs these up by sleeving the insides of the tubes with .250-wall tubing, gusseting the inner knuckle forgings, plug welds, then completely welds the tubes at the center section, and adding control arm skid plates. Randy's Ring & Pinion supplied 5.38 Yukon gears and installation kits for the front and rear Rubicon 44s. They set up perfectly and make no noise. 0907 4wd 05 z+2009 jeep wrangler rubicon unlimited jk+tie rod Kilby Enterprises' Evap canister relocator moves it up and out of the way, above a protective skid plate. We've said before that if you have a rock jammed into that skid plate, your problems are bigger than worries about your Evap canister. We retained the 4.0:1 low range Rubicon transfer case. Tom Wood's Custom Driveshafts built the front and rear 1350 CV driveshafts. The OE axle coil bracket sits in the wrong position for a lifted JK. See how the coil is tweaked? JB Conversions makes this nifty coil mount/retainer that easily welds to the axle housing, correcting geometry and keeping rear coils in place.
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0907 4wd 10 z+2009 jeep wrangler rubicon unlimited jk+coil 0907 4wd 11 z+2009 jeep wrangler rubicon unlimited jk+knuckle 0907 4wd 12 z+2009 jeep wrangler rubicon unlimited jk+control arm 0907 4wd 15 z+2009 jeep wrangler rubicon unlimited jk+coil mount 0907 4wd 17 z+2009 jeep wrangler rubicon unlimited jk+driver side 0907 4wd 18 z+2009 jeep wrangler rubicon unlimited jk+spring The Warn Endurance 12.0 winch has an improved duty cycle because a cooling fan mounted under the hood pushes air through the motor housing, which then exhausts through another hose. It features strong 3/8-inch cable, stainless hardware, and a heavy-duty contactor. The new winch is mounted on a Mount Logan Off-Road stubby JK front bumper that uses OE fog lights and TJ tow hooks. The Endurance 12.0 cooling fan mounted easily in the JK's engine bay. 0907 4wd 21 z+2009 jeep wrangler rubicon unlimited jk+roof The Expedition One JK rear bumper and tire carrier is one of the best available today. The tire carrier swings on a spindle with bearings, making it much smoother and stronger than a piece of tubing clamped over another piece of tubing. It swings open with the tailgate, so operation is as easy as OE. The framework in the background is part of the Miller Motorsport Park's Off-Road area that was still under construction. All the photos were shot at the MMP in Tooele, Utah. The bright red gunite will weather to look like red slickrock. The crew at 4 Wheel Drive Hardware supplied these innovative Misch JK armrests. If you've spent any time in a JK, you know that places to rest your arm don't exist. The Misch armrests are comfortable and install in minutes. They're also available for TJ Wranglers. Katzkin makes MOPAR leather seatcovers for the JK. The covers are available through any MOPAR Accessories dealer. Here, Randy Cox, owner of Auto Trim Design in Riverdale, Utah, installs our seatcovers. They have years of experience and only install Katzkin because of their high quality.
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35x12.50R17LT Dick Cepek Mud Country tires are mounted on AEV 17x8.5 Pintler beadlock wheels with Argent finish. The Cepek Mud Country tires have an all-around tread design that's aggressive enough for light mud and heavy trail use, yet have good road manners, too. The AEV Pintler beadlock wheels are D.O.T. approved. We thought that running 35-inch tires on the JK Explorer would be a good compromise for dual-purpose use. We were wrong. JK Unlimiteds need 37-inch tires to look proportional and to help when breaking over obstacles. The 37-inch tires on Unlimiteds look like 35s on other, shorter Jeeps. We plan on 37-inch Mud Country tires soon. The finished installation of the Mopar/Katzkin seatcovers looks fantastic. We like leather for its strength and that it's so easy to clean. Look how well it works on cows. 0907 4wd 27 z+2009 jeep wrangler rubicon unlimited jk+fox 0907 4wd 28 z+2009 jeep wrangler rubicon unlimited jk+rock sliders 0907 4wd 29 z+2009 jeep wrangler rubicon unlimited jk+front angle 0907 4wd 30 z+2009 jeep wrangler rubicon unlimited jk+tie rod

Sources

Currie Enterprises
Corona, CA 92880
714-528-6957
http://www.currieenterprises.com
Dynatrac
Huntington Beach, CA 92647
714-596-4461
www.dynatrac.com
Poly Performance
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
805-783-2060
www.polyperformance.com
Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels
Stow, OH 44224
330-928-9092
www.dickcepek.com
TeraFlex
Murray, UT 84107
801-288-2585
www.teraflex.biz
Tom Wood's Custom Driveshafts
Ogden, UT 84404
801-737-0757
www.4xshaft.com
4 Wheel Drive Hardware
wef, AK
800-555-3353
www.4wd.com
Expedition One
Ogden, UT 84401
801-726-4338
www.expeditionone.biz
Kilby Enterprises
Burbank, CA 91504
818-565-5945
www.kilbyenterprises.com
Mount Logan Off-Road
North Logan, UT 94341
435-752-4272
www.mtloganoffroad.com
Miller Motorsports Park
Tooele, UT 84074
435-277-7223
http://www.millermotorsportspark.com
J.B. Conversions
Sulphur, LA 70664
1-337-625-2379
www.jbconversions.com
Davis Auto Center
North Logan, UT 84341
18773429808
www.thedavisautocenter.com/
Randy's Ring & Pinion
Everett, WA 98204
866-631-0196
RingPinion.com
JACK'S TIRE AND OIL
www.jackstireandoil.com
JKS Manufacturing, Inc.
www.jksmfg.com
Kore, Inc.
www.koreperformance.com

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