The Ultimate Adventure is a weeklong on/off-road road trip. We do it every summer with a small group of 4x4s (about 20) including readers, sponsor, cronies, and crew. And each year we build some over-the-top, superwacky, high-dollar dream machine to lead the trip. The vehicle of choice this year is a ’12 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. Our JK rolled off the assembly line and 24 hours later we were wheeling it in the Michigan woods. The Rubicon has got to be the best out-of-the-box, showroom-ready trail wheeler on the planet. Knobby tires, front and rear lockers, sway bar disconnects, and a 4-to-1 transfer case are hard to beat.Our JK rolled off the assembly line and 24 hours later we were wheeling it in the Michigan Last month we visited the home factory of the Wranglers in Toledo and saw our little OJ (Orange Jeep) roll down the assembly line. This month we’ll show you just how quickly and easily you can have an Ultimate Adventure spec vehicle ready to go. Though many of the vehicles are extreme machines, it’s possible to build a tough, nimble little 4x4 that meets all the requirements and could easily attend Ultimate Adventure without too much drama. However, as much as we like the Rubicon stock, our rules say that all Ultimate Adventure participants must have 35-inch or larger tires. So we headed to Zone Off-Road Products to discuss a bit more vertical tire clearance. Four days after OJ came off the assembly line we were already sprucing it up. We may have a slight Modification Addiction problem.However, as much as we like the Rubicon stock, our rules say that all Ultimate Adventure p We decided that a long-arm suspension and a 4-inch lift would give our two-door great road handling characteristics, minimal caster change through suspension movement, and clearance for a set of 35-inch Nittos. The problem was that Zone had only a prototype of its long-arm kit, so OJ became the guinea pig to test the new suspension.We decided that a long-arm suspension and a 4-inch lift would give our two-door great road On the driver’s front framerail a bracket is added to attach the longer suspension links and still retain the factory exhaust. Though the heavy-duty 1⁄4-inch suspension brackets hang lower and farther back on the frame than the factory short-arm mounts, they should be stout enough for trail abuse.On the driver’s front framerail a bracket is added to attach the longer suspension links a Modifying the factory suspension and body mounts is required in the rear. This means the Zone long arm is not a suspension you can easily return to stock, but we doubt you’ll want to.Modifying the factory suspension and body mounts is required in the rear. This means the Z A threaded bung is welded into the frame, and three bolts are fished through the framerail and down inside for mounting the new rear link mounts. The suspension brackets will be bolted on but may also be welded for additional security if you wish.A threaded bung is welded into the frame, and three bolts are fished through the framerail The upper links have adjustable flex joints for fine-tuning the suspension geometry. The lower links have large bushings to reduce transferring road and tire nose.The upper links have adjustable flex joints for fine-tuning the suspension geometry. The l New Zone shocks are installed at each corner, and rear coil mounts are set to compensate for the adjusted suspension angle. We had the prototype 4-inch kit on in about a day and a half of cutting, wrenching, and welding.New Zone shocks are installed at each corner, and rear coil mounts are set to compensate f Our final step before hitting the road to Moab was bolting a set of 35-inch Nitto Trail Grapplers on the factory 17-inch wheels. This required Spidertrax wheel spacers (arrow) to clear the rubber on the rear axle.Our final step before hitting the road to Moab was bolting a set of 35-inch Nitto Trail Gr To get the 35-inch spare to fit our factory tire hanger, this Zone tire mount adapter was fitted. By raising the mounting point slightly the spare was squeezed on and we headed west.To get the 35-inch spare to fit our factory tire hanger, this Zone tire mount adapter was Our 35-inch Nittos measured just about 34 inches tall and were wreaking havoc with our tire pressure sensors and speedometer on the drive west. We decided a stop at AEV was in order.Our 35-inch Nittos measured just about 34 inches tall and were wreaking havoc with our tir AEV (American Expedition Vehicles) has an easy plug-in device known as the Pro-Cal. The Pro-Cal plugs into the onboard diagnostics port at the bottom of the dash and allows speedometer calibration, tire pressure monitoring adjustment, engine code clearing, engine idle speed adjustment, and turn signal and ESP fine tuning.AEV (American Expedition Vehicles) has an easy plug-in device known as the Pro-Cal. The Pr With a lift and tires, along with factory lockers and transfer case gears, we were quickly on the road to southeastern Utah and the Easter Jeep Safari (“Moab Mecca,” Aug. ’12). The little Jeep looked awesome, wheeled great, and had us wondering why anyone would ever want more than 35s on a lightweight Jeep.With a lift and tires, along with factory lockers and transfer case gears, we were quickly After a week in Moab we headed home and realized we were still short a few required parts for the Ultimate Adventure. Our front plastic bumper suffered damage on the Metal Masher trail, causing us to rename it the Plastic Masher. We decided a better bumper with a required winch was next.After a week in Moab we headed home and realized we were still short a few required parts Synergy is the official body armor of the Ultimate Adventure, so we headed there for a new stubby bumper/ winch mount/skidplate combo. The new bumper will drastically improve approach angle in front of the tires.Synergy is the official body armor of the Ultimate Adventure, so we headed there for a new Portions of the front framerails are trimmed for even greater approach angle. A low-hanging crossmember and a portion of the front mounting plate were deleted. The sway-bar disconnect motor is spun up out of harm’s way, and a single metal line is bent slightly for clearance and then covered in hose to prevent chaffing. Some earlier models may require trimming the radiator shroud.The sway-bar disconnect motor is spun up out of harm’s way, and a single metal line is ben The ’12 Wranglers with the new 3.6L Pentastar engine use a small vacuum pump to help with the brakes. This needs to be moved rearward and the mounting bracket cut off and rewelded onto the frame to clear our winch.The ’12 Wranglers with the new 3.6L Pentastar engine use a small vacuum pump to help with The Synergy winch bumper barely protrudes past the grille sideways and is tucked up nice and tight to the frame with an additional skidplate that guards the sway-bar disconnect. We also opted for a small light bar for a future set of night brights.The Synergy winch bumper barely protrudes past the grille sideways and is tucked up nice a In the bumper we fitted a Warn 9.5 CTI-S winch. Warn is our longest-running UA sponsor, and we’re glad because Warn’s amazing cable pullers have drug us out of some stupid mistakes. The 9.5 CTI-S has redesigned contactors and a thermal warning in the winch remote. The -S stands for the new Warn Spydura synthetic winch line that routes through a polished aluminum Warn fairlead.In the bumper we fitted a Warn 9.5 CTI-S winch. Warn is our longest-running UA sponsor, an The factory plastic fenders work for covering the tires, but what if we want to go larger down the road? That concern plus the fact that they are curved (making setting tools or a coffee cup on them impossible) helped convince us to talk to Genright, the official tube fender of UA.The factory plastic fenders work for covering the tires, but what if we want to go larger The new Genright fenders attach to factory holes via threaded inserts. The fenders are lightweight but strong, as they are made of 6061 aluminum tubing and 1⁄8-inch plate. The 4-inch fenders are no wider than stock but offer a better approach angle and a flat surface should you need to lay down a wrench or cup.The new Genright fenders attach to factory holes via threaded inserts. The fenders are lig At full stuff our 35s clear the fenders with ease, but going much larger may require some trimming of the body that hangs down inside the fender. The TIG-welded fenders and clean aluminum finish look great contrasted to the orange paint.At full stuff our 35s clear the fenders with ease, but going much larger may require some Our Orange Jeep is essentially ready for Ultimate Adventure. It has 35s, a winch, lockers, armor, and a cage, and with the factory low-range case it wheels awesome. Throw in a fire extinguisher, Bubba Rope recovery rope, a first aid kit, and our camping gear, and we are ready for a week of four-wheeling.Our Orange Jeep is essentially ready for Ultimate Adventure. It has 35s, a winch, lockers, Since the Jeep was complete to go two months early we did what any wheeler would do. We headed to Hazzard FabWorx and cut it in half. Come back next month or log onto 4wheeloffroad.com to find out why! SOURCES American Expedition Vehicles 28025 Oakland Oaks Ct Wixom MI 48393 248-926-0256 www.aev-conversions.com Zone Offroad Products 888-998-ZONE Nitto 6021 Katella Ave, Suite 250 Cypress CA 90630 714-252-0007 www.nittotire.com Gen Right 4535 Runway St Simi Valley CA 93063 805-584-8635 www.genright.com Spidertrax Off-Road 7510 Hygiene Road Longmont CO 80503 800-286-0898 www.spidertrax.com Off Road Design 970-945-7777 offroaddesign.com/ Warn Industries 12900 S.E. Capps Road Clackamas OR 97015 800-910-1122 www.warn.com Synergy Suspension 870 Industrial Way San Luis Obispo CA 93401 1-805-242-0397 http://www.synergysuspension.com Jeep N/A AK 877-426-5337 www.jeep.com Hazzard Fabworx 509-995-1176 Bubba Rope 310 W Melody Lane Casselberry FL 32707 N/A www.bubbarope.com Off-Road Power Products 866-379-8685 http://www.offroadpowerproducts.com By Fred Williams Enjoyed this Post? Subscribe to our RSS Feed, or use your favorite social media to recommend us to friends and colleagues!
