Jeep Tech

There is nothing worse than having a vehicle that won’t start. Well, maybe starting your vehicle and not being able to shut it off. It’s the absolute worst when you have each of those problems on both of your vehicles. Last year the ignition on the 2004 LS powered LJ broke. A few weeks later […]

Jeep Tech

Product Install

Product Review

Storage

Tuffy Security Products: Mid-Size SUV Drawer

Every vehicle based travel enthusiast suffers from the same quintessential problem: WHAT DO WE DO WITH ALL OUR STUFF?!? More precisely, how do we keep it secure and how do we keep it safe. No one likes sifting through a rat’s nest of gear to find something. Worse, no one likes having their vehicle broken […]

Anatomy of an Engine Swap

2019-02-03

If you’ve been following ECOA social media (if you’re not you should be) you’ve no doubt seen me drop a few clues that the LJ is off the road and undergoing an engine swap. While the details regarding the progress of the process are limited for now (long story) I thought I would at least […]

Product Review

STOP!

2018-04-07

One of the overlooked areas on most modified vehicles whether they are cars or 4×4’s is brakes. A lot of people emphasis going fast, few emphasis handling, and even fewer stopping power. Given the heavy E load range tires, towing a trailer, and the fact that the Jeep is my daily driver, my brakes have […]

Suspension Upgrades: Round 4 – Spring relocation perches

2018-02-02

Ever since I got the LJ I’ve been plagued with rear suspension issues. The combination of added length and weight over a base TJ meant the stock rear springs had trouble keeping up. Add to that a bunch of gear, a trailer, and an oversized fuel tank even the JKS JSpec springs couldn’t keep […]

Overland Tech

Electrical Upgrades: Round 2 – Odyssey AGM Battery

2017-07-28

It’s been a while since I’ve done anything with the electrical system on the LJ. Thankfully that’s because everything has been working just fine <knocks on wood>. That said, a recent addition to the Jeep led me to upgrading the battery on the Jeep. Had to go to the local freight terminal to pick up […]

Overland Tech

Suspension Upgrades: Round 3 – Rear Adjustable Air-Springs

2017-07-07

Ever since the very first day of the 2015 No Highways Tour I have been plagued with rear suspension issues. This is partly because the LJ is 15″ longer than a base TJ. This increase in length translates into an increase in base weight. 15″ more frame. 15″ more body. 15″ more hard-top. Ounces become […]

Overland Tech

Phase 3

Skid Plates – Time for some upgraded armor

2017-05-14

When you start to push your overland adventures into more remote and technical terrain the risk of damage, and the repercussion from such damage, starts to escalate quickly. Figuring out how to deal with that kid of thing is a delicate balance between risk identification, risk assessment, and risk mitigation. Not a position you want […]

Jeep Tech

Basics of DIY Diagnostics – aka the joys of owning an old haggard Jeep

2017-04-07

If you’ve been a fan of ECOA and the NHT series for a while you’ll know my seemingly ceaseless plight of vehicle problems. I love my 2004 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, I really do. I’ll never sell her. She’s the last newest Jeep I’ll ever own. That said, she can be a real pain in the […]

Jeep Tech

Overland Tech

DIY Storage Boxes

2017-03-31

Last year at Overland Expo West & East I taught a workshop on “DIY Storage Solutions for the Budget Overlander” (title was something like that, I honestly don’t remember it verbatim). Sadly I won’t be teaching it this year, but that does give me an excuse to talk about my new rack. How to fit […]

Overland Tech

Phase 3

Product Review

New Tires – A long time coming, but worth the wait

2017-01-27

Without going into too much detail, tires for the LJ have been a sore point for me for the last year or so. When I put together my plan the ultimate end game was to have the LJ rolling on a set of 33’s. The combination of the 1″ body lift and the 2″ JKS […]

Opinion/Educational/Humor

Product Review

In-Depth Look – AtoZ Fabrication

2017-01-25

AtoZ Fabrication came on board in 2015 as the first Corporate Partner of the annual “No Highways Tour.” The 2004 Wrangler Unlimited I drive is outfitted with a set of their heavy duty rocker guards, heavy front bumper with grill and winch hoops, and one of their heavy duty rear bumpers with swing-out tire carrier. […]

Overland Tech

Phase 3

Large Capacity Fuel Tank: the GenRight Off Road Safari Tank

2016-09-07

The biggest limiting factor of any overland adventure is not time or money. The one universal thing that limits all trips is fuel capacity. It doesn’t matter how shiny your titanium spork is. It doesn’t matter how comfy your roof-top-tent is. It doesn’t matter how knobby your tires are or how many LED’s are bolted […]

Phase 2

Suspension Upgrades: Round 2 – JKS Manufacturing control arms

2016-06-20

Back in March, before the 2016 No Highways Tour, I shared a writeup about installation of the JKS Manufacturing J-Spec lift kit on my LJ. The highlights of the kit were 2″ dual-rate springs and shocks along with new adjustable track-bars front and rear. This was all done because my stock springs and shocks had […]

Product Review

JKS JSpec Lift Kit – 5,000 mile review

2016-04-04

It’s been 5,000 miles since I installed the JKS 2″ JSpec Lift Kit on the Wrangler. I know what you’re thinking. “But Dean, it’s only been a month.” True. In the last month I drove to and from Denver and back which alone was a 3,000 round trip. Fully loaded and towing a trailer. Barely […]

Overland Tech

Phase 1

Lighting Upgrades: Round 1 – LED Headlights and Driving Lights

2016-03-11

As I mentioned in the last post on lighting, no 50″ LED light-bars will be harmed in the making of this post. This is about upgrading OEM lights with aftermarket lights. Look at it this way, how often have you seen someone going down the road using a 50″ lightbar? No? Neither have I. Trust […]

Overland Tech

Phase 2

Suspension Upgrades: Round 1 – JKS Manufacturing 2″ Jspec Lift kit

2016-03-09

As previously mentioned the OEM suspension on the ECOA Wrangler left a lot to be desired. At 12 years old and just over 150,000 miles it was played out. I had a nasty case of butt-sag in the rear and the front was soft and squishy giving me a “floaty” feeling while driving. Brown Santa […]

Overland Tech

Phase 1

The ECOA Wrangler – Phase 1 Summary

2016-03-07

When I penned my piece on “First mods and planning a build” one of the things I talked about was having a picture in your head of what you wanted your rig to be when you were done and then work backwards from there. In Part 2 of that piece I went through some of […]

Overland Tech

Phase 1

4×4 Maintenance

2015-11-11

Whether looking it over for the first time when you get it home, or looking it over for the 1,000th time in ten years, there a few things to look for when it comes to preparing your overlander for your next journey. Don’t let this be you on your next outing.Take the time to maintain your […]

Overland Tech

Phase 1

Electrical Upgrades: Round 1 – Go!

2015-09-21

There are few more disheartening moments for an automotive enthusiast than that moment you turn the key and nothing happens. No clicking. No start then stall. Just dead silence. A few days ago I had one of those moments. Not a good sign when you’ve turned the key. In this week’s post I’ll go through […]