A Daily-Driven Emergency Response Jeep JKU

Daily-Driven Emergency Response JKU

Sure, this Jeep JKU just looks like a super-clean military themed build, but there is SO much more than meets the eye! The attention to detail, especially when it comes to functionality on this vehicle, is second to none. Al DeOrleans built this impressive Jeep as a daily driver, family wheeler/overland vehicle, emergency response vehicle, to attract charity donors and eventually to be his son’s, age eight, first vehicle. DeOrleans knows a thing or two about building and using off-road vehicles around the globe, and this build is a culmination of his extensive knowledge and experience.

“THE TRIED AND TRUE MOLLE PLATFORM  IS UTILIZED THROUGHOUT THE JEEP, WITH ATTACHMENT POINTS ON THE REAR TAILGATE FOLD DOWN TABLE, UNIVERSAL HOLSTER MOUNT IN THE DRIVER’S FOOT WELL, DOOR POUCH MOUNTS AND FRONT AND REAR OVERHEAD PANELS.”

DeOrleans is a volunteer for two really special organizations doing great things, and this Jeep is a big part of the work he does with them. The first, OVERT (Off-Road Vehicle Emergency Response Team), is an organization that supports first responders during extreme weather and natural disasters, making sure they can do their jobs, even if their personal or work vehicles can’t handle the extreme weather conditions. The second, US Veterans Corps, is what prompted the patriotic military look of the Jeep. The organization raises funds to help veterans in times of need. DeOrleans’s Jeep, and his impressive Hummer H3 build, are both used regularly to help attract potential donors.

Experienced

This Jeep build is perfectly suited to handle just about any obstacle or weather condition that it might face, especially because DeOrleans is behind the wheel. Each and every part on this build was chosen, and many times refined, from DeOrleans’s many years of doing extreme off-road adventure competitions around the globe. The best known has to be the Camel Trophy (Patagonia), but he has also done most of the other similar style competitions as well: Rainforest Challenge (Malaysia), Outback Challenge (Australia), Croatia Trophy, Vermont Overland Trophy and the Warn Challenge (Morocco).

DeOrleans has used his years of international competition, and specifically learning from all the other highly experienced teams along the way, to build the ultimate do-everything emergency-response off-road machine. Sure that’s a tall order and a major balancing act, but he has managed to pull it off to great success.

It Begins

This build started with a clean ‘16 Mojave Sand Jeep JKU Rubicon, with a manual transmission. Mojave Sand is a factory color that DeOrleans searched out, and then color-matched most of the parts on the Jeep in a matte version. DeOrleans has the strong conviction that automatic transmissions have no place in off-road vehicles, and also wanted his son to learn how to drive a manual for his first vehicle.

The main objectives of this build were to create a super reliable vehicle that could execute both daily daddy duties as well as emergency response ones with equal ease. It was never meant to be a heavy-duty rock crawler or competition rig, as DeOrleans already has a fully built Hummer H3 on ProRock 60s and 40-inch IROKs for those purposes.

Down to Business

With reliability and capability, the top orders of business for this build, DeOrleans made sure to first tackle the Jeep’s known weak-nesses. He first upgraded things like the steering system, ball joints and axels—even though the Jeep comes with Dana 44s, the factory ones are known to be quite weak. Because of this, DeOrleans plans to limit his tire size to 35 inches, has gusseted and sleeved the axels and upgraded the drive shafts, mainly to handle the extra weight of recovery gear and emergency supplies.

In order to fit the larger tires, improve ground clearance and handle all the extra weight, a Teraflex lift kit was fitted, consisting of a LCG Long Arm Kit, 3-inch Outback springs and Fox 2.5-inch internal bypass shocks. To protect the Jeep even further, especially for those off-road obstacles that inevitably sneak up on you, Fox hydraulic bumpstops were grafted into the framerails.

Up Armored

Another key component of reliability is durability, and DeOrleans has addressed this with a plethora of quality and highly tested armor components throughout the vehicle. The under-carriage is protected with a range of Off-Road Evolution armor, which is both minimalist and highly functional.

DeOrleans has learned that big heavy full coverage skid plates accumulate debris and don’t let air circulate to vital components, so while everything is protected the armor that he chose still allows fresh air to cool hot parts. It’s pretty impressive just how protected from impact every component on this Jeep is— engine skid plate, manual trans skid plate, evap skid plate, trans cross member exhaust skid plate, fuel tank skid plate, control arm skids, diff skids, blocker beam skid, rock sliders, light protectors and rear corner protectors—all from a mix of trusted quality brands.

Compact fitted Warn Rock Crawler front and rear bumpers provide quality protection and recovery points, while improving approach and departure angles. Even the fenders and fender wells have been upgraded, with River Raider 2-inch metal fenders and Crawler Concepts aluminum fender liners for protection and to allow full-wheel articulation.

Making it Work

Now that the vehicle weaknesses have been addressed, and all the major components are protected, it’s time to get the Jeep rolling, stopping, breathing and performing just right. Hutchinson dual beadlock wheels are wrapped in super aggressive Interco IROK ND tires in a 315/70R17 size. This combination is perfect for running extreme low psi in order to tackle the toughest mud, sand, snow, rocks and anything else this Jeep might find in its way.

This wheel and tire combo adds up to some considerable rotational weight, and along with the not so lightweight, fully outfitted and loaded-with-supplies Jeep, it was important to upgrade the stopping power. DeOrleans installed a Teraflex Large Rotor Kit, which utilizes a 13.5-inch slotted rotor at all four corners, allowing this heavy machine to stop quite quickly.

In order to make sure the Jeep could cross streams and traverse deep flood waters without ingesting water into the drivetrain, DeOrleans installed raised breathers on the differential, transmission and transfer case, and an engine snorkel. The snorkel’s pre-filter also keeps clean cool air flowing into the engine, a necessity when rolling in convey in dusty conditions, or when high winds are contaminating the air with debris. In order to utilize that clean air and move this loaded Jeep over tough terrain more efficiently, a Superchips Programmer has been installed to optimize the engine performance.

The next order of business on this Jeep build was to address the electrical system, as lots of extra lighting, coms and navigation gear require more power. First a Genesis dual battery kit was installed, utilizing two Odyssey 34-PC1500T batteries, and feeding a Painless Wiring auxiliary fuse block to handle all the accessories.

The entire lighting system on the Jeep has been upgraded with quality JW Speaker LED units—everything such as headlights, fog lights, taillights marker lights and strobe lights for emergency response duties were addressed. Coms are handled with a Cobra 75WXST CB unit while nav is taken care of with a tablet and smart phone. Ram mounts are used throughout to provide secure and adjustable mounting points for all the coms and nav gear.

Recovery is Key

While it is unlikely that you’ll see this super capable Jeep stuck, especially with DeOrleans behind the wheel, it is always important to be ready for such a situation, and maybe more importantly in DeOrleans’s situation to be at the ready to help others. A full complement of recovery gear is always on board, including everything from a full winching kit, Hi-Lift and accessories, Maxtrax, ARB Bushranger X-Jack, Pull-Pal winch anchor and so much more.

A great example of how particular and knowledgable DeOrleans is about outfitting his vehicles just right is the classic Warn 8274-50 winch mounted on the front bumper of this Jeep. DeOrleans has fully customized and upgraded this winch to meet the harshest demands it might encounter; the industrial contactor has been relocated inside the engine bay, winch gears have been shimmed to avoid shifting and loosing 100-percent contact surface between gears, the circlip on the main shaft has been replaced with a threaded cap to avoid it popping off and losing all internal parts, the brake friction discs have been replaced with larger units that cover the entire rotor surface for better braking and drain and fill plugs have been added to avoid full disassembly to change the oil. The winch also uses 200 ft of 5/16-inch Master Pull Superline and a Factor 55 Flatlink Expert, for the ultimate in safe, closed-system winching.

Rescue Ready

Besides having the gear to self-rescue the Jeep and help other vehicles out while off-road and in disaster zones, it’s also important to be able to help the people that might be in need of medical care during these situations. An extensive trauma kit is spread out in quickly deployable Molle pouches throughout the vehicle, with a full kit located on the tailgate fold down table. A lightweight and compact Blackhawk fast attack litter is mounted on the roll cage in the back of the Jeep to quickly and securely transport the injured.

On the rear of the vehicle a Teraflex HD Tailgate Hinge/Tire Carrier is mounted. This unit is much stronger than stock, which is required to handle the extra weight of the beadlock rims and large tires. DeOrleans also chose it over the swing out option on the rear bumper, as it is more secure, keeps the wheel closer to the vehicle for better weight distribution and is a much more durable option overall. Attached to the spare tire is a Bug-Out-Rack, which carries a Stihl MS-211 Chainsaw, a necessary tool when forging new off-road routes or clearing roads during natural disasters.

The interior of the vehicle has been designed to ergonomically and securely handle the wide range of gear onboard. The tried and true Molle platform is utilized throughout the Jeep, with attachment points on the rear tailgate fold down table, universal holster mount in the driver’s foot well, door pouch mounts and front and rear overhead panels.

Raingler Safety Nets are also used throughout the interior to keep gear secured. To secure weapons, documents and other valuables Bestop under seat lock boxes, a Tuffy JK Center Console Lock Box Insert and a rear Tuffy Deluxe Security Deck Enclosure have been installed. The rear deck enclosure has been upgraded with gas struts to hold the lid open and tie-down rails on the lid to securely carry more cargo.

Further Down the Road

Even though this Jeep is already highly modified, and ready for just about anything, DeOrleans has no plans to stop here. Since the photo shoot, Interco released a 35×12.5- 17 IROK ND tire, the bigger tire that DeOrleans has been craving since building this beast, which have already made their way on to the Jeep. DeOrleans will be installing limb risers and some windshield protection very soon as well, mostly to protect the glass from hail, hurricane debris and the like.

To create more interior room for emergency supplies, a Pull-Pal rack will be installed on the tailgate hinge. DeOrleans also plans to install fuel can racks atop each of the rear fenders, in order to further the range of the Jeep and transport spare fuel to those in need. With those few further modifications, this Jeep will be even better equipped to carry out the missions it’s pressed into service for regularly in times of need.

RECOVERY & RESCUE READY

VEHICLE RECOVERY: Built Warn 8274-50 Winch w/ 200 feet of Master Pull 5/16″ Superline, Warn 3/4″ Epic Shackles, Warn Tree Protector, Warn Winch Damper, Factor 55 Flatlink Expert, 3x Master Pull Snatch Blocks, Master Pull Super Yanker Kinetic Rope, Master Pull Superline 100’ 5/16” Winch Extension, 48” Hi-Lift X-Treme Jack, Hi-Lift HA-500 Handle-All Multi-Purpose Tool, Hi-Lift LM-100 Lift-Mate, Reese Jack Foot Plate, ARB Bushranger X-Jack Air Jack, Pull-Pal 11K lb Winch Anchor, Maxtrax

EMERGENCY SUPPLIES: Extensive Trauma Kit (in MOLLE pouches on tailgate fold down table), Blackhawk Fast Attack Litter, MS-2000 Distress Maker Strobe Light, 3x Fire Extinguishers, Stihl MS-211 Chainsaw Mounted on Bug-Out-Rack

UPGRADES

2016 Jeep Wrangler JK Unlimited Rubicon

PLATFORM: 2016 JEEP WRANGLER JK UNLIMITED RUBICON

SUSPENSION: TERAFLEX LCG LONG ARM KIT W/ TERAFLEX 3-INCH OUTBACK SPRINGS, FOX 2.5-INCH INTERNAL BYPASS SHOCKS, FOX HYDRAULIC BUMP STOPS, TERAFLEX HD ADJUSTABLE BARS

DRIVETRAIN: 4.88 GEARS, TOM WOODS FRONT & REAR DOUBLE CV DRIVESHAFTS

WHEELS & TIRES: HUTCHINSON DUAL BEADLOCK WHEELS WRAPPED IN INTERCO IROK ND TIRES (315/70R17)

BRAKES: TERAFLEX LARGE ROTOR KIT W/ 13.5-INCH SLOTTED ROTORS (FRONT & REAR)

ELECTRICAL: SUPERCHIPS PROGRAMMER, GENESIS DUAL BATTERY KIT W/ 2 ODYSSEY 34-PC1500T BATTERIES, PAINLESS WIRING AUXILIARY FUSE BLOCK

LIGHTING: JW SPEAKER LED HEADLIGHTS, LED FOG LIGHTS, LED TAILLIGHTS, RECON LED MARKER LIGHTS, LED STROBE LIGHTS (FOR EMERGENCY RESPONSE DUTIES)

ARMOR: WARN ROCK CRAWLER FRONT BUMPER & ELITE REAR BUMPER, RIVER RAIDER 2-INCH METAL FENDERS, CRAWLER CONCEPTS ALUMINUM FENDER LINERS, WARN DIFF SKID PLATES & BLOCKER BEAM SKID PLATE, OFFROAD EVOLUTION PROTEK ENGINE SKID PLATE/MANUAL TRANS SKID PLATE/EVAP SKID PLATE/TRANSMISSION CROSSMEMBER EXHAUST SKID PLATE/CHROMOLY SPORT CAGE, ROCK HARD 4X4 C-PILLAR BRACE KIT, TJM ALUMINUM FUEL TANK SKID PLATE, TERAFLEX ALUMINUM ROCK SLIDERS, WARRIOR PRODUCTS ALUMINUM REAR CORNER PROTECTORS, RUGGED RIDGE LIGHT PROTECTORS, ARTEC C-GUSSETS ON FRONT AXLE KNUCKLES, SYNERGY CONTROL ARM SKIDS, TERAFLEX AXLE SLEEVE KITS

ACCESSORIES: MOLLE PLATFORM SOLUTIONS (REAR TAILGATE FOLD DOWN TABLE, UNIVERSAL HOLSTER MOUNT, DOOR POUCH MOUNTS, OVERHEAD PANELS FRONT & REAR), RAINGLER SAFETY NETS THROUGHOUT, BESTOP UNDER SEAT LOCK BOXES, TUFFY JK CENTER CONSOLE LOCK BOX INSERT, TUFFY DELUXE SECURITY DECK ENCLOSURE, 2X CAMELBAK THERMOBAK 3.0 HANGING OFF FRONT SEATS, 2X PETZL STRIX VL HEADLAMPS,TERAFLEX HD TAILGATE HINGE/TIRE CARRIER, WARRIOR PRODUCTS HOOD HINGE HI-LIFT MOUNT, BOLT HOOD LOCK, RAISED DIFF, TRANS & TRANSFER CASE BREATHERS, SNORKEL, DAYSTAR HOOD VENT, TERAFLEX HD TIE ROD & DRAG LINK & STEERING STABILIZER, PSC XD BIG BORE STEERING GEAR BOX, HIGH VOLUME STEERING PUMP & POWER STEERING COOLER, DYNATRAC HD BALL JOINTS, COBRA 75WXST CB, OVERLOADED 75WXST CB MOUNT, FIRESTICK ANTENNA, “JESUS BAR” MOUNTED RAM MOUNTS