To protect the sills and wheel arch flares we fabricated some side rails from 2"x 3mm cds mild steel tube (the same material as we make roll cages from), these were then capped with aluminium tread plate giving a step to help with getting in and out of this now substantially taller vehicle. These side rails will also give good side impact protection.
We then set about relocating the spare wheel inside the rear of the vehicle. To this end we have fabricated a tubular frame that mounts onto the rollcage. This has a mounting point for the spare wheel on it. Note: A problem that is not obvious when you are considering the size of tyre and rim you want to use is where you mount the spare if you are going significantly larger on the tyre size. On the TJ the mount is on the rear door with the standard size spare just clearing the bumper underneath the tyre and the high level brake light just above. If you want to go larger these areas will require attention. Once the spare wheel had been re-located we then set about fabricating a twin jerry can holder and pioneer rack to go on the back door. It is actually Illegal to transport these cans full of fuel in this manner on road, but off road it does allow you to carry extra fuel or water or both.
The next Item was a tubular frame that surrounds the windscreen running along above the door top finishing just behind the door. The purpose of this frame is to protect the windscreen and hood from damage by branches etc. This frame is not a rollbar, although it will of course offer some protection in a roll. The frame has 4 spotlamp positions across the top of the windscreen and provisions to stow 2 bridging ladders.
As the TJ will invariably be dunked In deep water at some point we felt it was prudent to fit a snorkel to the engine air intake. This starts behind the right hand front wheel and finishes over the right hand door.
There are lots of other minor modifications that have been made at jeep UK's request that I won't go into here. I hope this guide gives you food for thought and if there are any points you would like to discuss please feel free to contact us.
