As you may have guessed, the JK aftermarket is growing faster than the list of losers who have dated celebutards. But this year's Easter Jeep Safari vender showcase offered quite a bit more than an arrest and a bad case of VD. Lots of cool products for many different Jeep models surfaced, but some had to be searched out. Perhaps the biggest surprise at the Moab Easter Jeep Safari was the presence of Mopar Jeep Performance. The company pulled out all the stops and came to the uranium boomtown with way more than the useless chrome wingdings and phitzers from the past. Check it out!
If you own your own military outside of North America, you may want to consider transporting your army to the front lines with a fleet of J8 Jeeps. The J8 is a stripped, long-wheelbase JK that features a 2.8L VM Motori diesel engine, increased load-carrying capacity, and a Dana 60 rear axle. A base two-door J8 has an MSRP of $34,250 and the four-door version runs $35,620. When your soldiers aren't busy fighting the latest insurgent, they can fight over who gets to drive-or maybe do both at the same time. The Jeep Underground crew slapped this mostly stock J8 together and dubbed it Sarge. Don't expect to see the J8 available in North America any time soon, unless we're invaded by Egypt. But if that's the case, you'll have to dodge automatic weapons fire and resort to thievery to get one.
It's true: Mopar Jeep Performance has picked up the Rubicon Express JK long-arm kit and dubbed it their own with a few minor changes, namely in the rear track bar bracket and the shock valving. The changes to the Mopar Jeep kit are said to improve handling and work a little better with the Jeep's ESP system.
Information: Mopar Jeep Performance, your local Jeep Dealer, mopar.com
For now it's only a concept, but the Mopar Jeep Performance crate diesel engine could be just the swap for those drooling to have a diesel engine under the hood. It may be offered as a kit, but the swap seems pretty simple since many of the parts used have been available on overseas Jeeps for years. The 2.8L CRD engine bolts up to the factory TJ/LJ NV3550 transmission in place of the 4.0L gas engine with only a simple plate adapter. If the idea is a go, the use of other transmissions will likely be possible.
Information: Mopar Jeep Performance, your local Jeep Dealer, mopar.com
Rock Hard 4x4 Parts offered up its four skidplate kit to protect the underside of '07-and-newer two- and four-door JK Wranglers. The skids cover the gas tank, transfer case, engine oil pan, transmission, exhaust, and EVAP canister with 3/16-inch, laser-cut, CNC-bent, and jig-welded steel plate. Plus, all bolts at the frame crossover are replaced with tapered bolt-head protectors to allow rocks to easily slide across yet still enable you to get a socket on the bolt heads for removal.
Information: Rock Hard 4x4 Parts, 308/750-4690, rockhard4x4parts.com
One of the coolest products we saw was the Advance Adapters Rubi-Crawler low range box for '03-and-up Wranglers with the 42RLE four-speed automatic. This box completely replaces the factory transmission tailhousing adapter with an NV241HD six-pinion planetary. It bolts on with no driveline or other modifications and the 2.72:1 and 1:1 gearing allows more low-range versatility for both Rubicon and non-Rubicon model Wranglers.
Information: Advance Adapters, 800/350-2223, advanceadapters.com
In the past, a one-off JK Hemi V-8 engine swap seemed a bit expensive. Today you can use a kit from American Expedition Vehicles (AEV) along with a wrecking yard engine. Also, keep an eye out for some AEV redesigned '07-up Wrangler lift kits that are coming soon. They'll be paraded under the Nth Degree Mobility flag.
Information: American Expedition Vehicles, 406/251-2100, aev-conversions.com
Yep, Mopar Jeep Performance is dabbling in the axle market as well. The company is passing its buy-in-bulk savings on to you. Not only can you get factory front and rear JK Rubicon axles for cheap, you should soon be able to get the military J8 35-spline Dana 60 rear axle in several different configurations for TJs and JKs. We expect the same treatment for the Rubicon 44s, but wouldn't a bolt-in Mopar Jeep Dana 60 frontend be sweet? Call your dealer a bunch of times and ask for it and it just may happen.
Information: Mopar Jeep Performance, your local Jeep Dealer, mopar.com