Jeep JK Winch Bumper by ShrockWorks
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Really popular modification that most Jeep owners will do to their Wranglers is to replace the factory front plastic bumper that came with their stock Jeep JK, with a heavy duty offroad bumper. Aftermarket bumpers offer a ton of advantages over the factory bumper, providing better protection for the front of the Jeep, but most of all allowing you to install a winch and additional offroad lighting. Depending on the design, aftermarket offroad front bumper might also increase your Jeep’s approach angle and expose the front wheels, making it easier to put tires on large obstacles. It might also include steel skid plate, protecting the electronic sway bar disconnect motor, if your Jeep has one.
Aftermarket bumpers generally come in three sizes: full width, mid width, and stubby. When choosing your new offroad bumper you will need to decide on the width, which depends on the way you plan on using your Jeep. You need to also decide if you’re going to mount a winch to it, and whether you prefer a top mounting winch bumper or an in-bumper mounting option with winch plate located between frame rails.
There are plenty of manufacturers offering aftermarket offroad bumpers. You can find different designs made by companies like: Poison Spyder, Rugged Ridge, Rock Hard 4×4, Teraflex, ShrockWorks, Evo Manufacturing, Smittybilt, Artec Industries, M.O.R.E., Crawler Conceptz, LOD, Rampage Products, ARB, Bestop, DV8, Or-Fab, AEV, Rough Country, Warn, Barricade, JCR Offroad, and others. You can often order your new bumper from an online store like Northridge4x4, ExtremeTerrain or Quadratec and if they have it in stock, you’ll receive it in few days. Some manufacturers build your new bumper after you place an order with them, so you will have to be more patient since it might take few weeks before you receive your bumper.
Depending on the brand and design of your new offroad front bumper, there might be some modifications to your Jeep that are necessary before installation. If you go with a bumper that has a winch mounting plate between the frame rails, you need to make sure that it will fit, and that might mean that your vacuum pump needs to be relocated and it’s stock mounting bracket needs to be cut off. Refer to instructions that come with your aftermarket bumper to be clear on requirements.
Obviously before installing your new aftermarket bumper, the factory bumper needs to come off. This is often the part that takes the longest, and if you have factory fog lights, you need to pay close attention to the wires and disconnect everything before pulling off the stock bumper.
Here’s a good video showing you how to remove factory front bumper on your Jeep Wrangler JK.
There were several requirements I had for my new offroad bumper. I decided that I wanted a stubby bumper, with low winch mounting position between frame rails, allowing good air flow to the radiator, integrated recovery points, no fog lights but instead brackets for offroad flood lights, welded-on bull guard providing additional protection, and included skid plate.
After researching for a very long time and reading countless reviews, I decided on a Shrockworks stubby front winch bumper. It checked all the boxes for me, and other owners seem very happy with the quality of their products (especially the quality of their welds).
I contacted the sales person at Shrockworks and discussed all the options. They were very knowledgeable and helpful, and after mentioning that I already own the Superwinch Tiger Shark 9500 winch, I was advised to get the “offset” version of the bumper, with the fairlead slot cut off center, towards driver side. It is due to the position of the drum on the Tiger Shark winch.
This post will describe steps to install a Jeep JK bumper by ShrockWorks, including removal of the vacuum pump bracket to fit the winch plate, as well as installation of the Superwinch Tiger Shark 9500 winch.
Whatever combination of bumper/winch you select for yourself, I would advise you to contact manufacturers of both, to confirm fitment. You can also contact the authorized dealers, including aftermarket offroad parts stores, since they should be knowledgeable in this topic.
Disclaimer: Like I always mention I am not a professional mechanic, I just try to do as much work on my Jeep as possible. It helps me learn more about my vehicle and save some money that can be spent on parts and upgrades.
I take no responsibility for any injury or breakage which might occur if you decide to follow these steps. You have to decide if you’re comfortable working on your Jeep. If you’re not, please have a professional complete this project for you.
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Jeep Wrangler JK unfortunately lacks proper lighting in the rear cargo area. Any Wrangler owner probably experienced a situation when they were loading or unloading their Jeep after dark and could not see anything in the cargo area behind the back seats.
Changing the fluid in your Jeep JK front and rear differentials is an important part of routine maintenance. Fresh gear oil insures your differentials are well lubricated and function properly. And, unlike previous Jeep Wranglers, it is not necessary to remove the differential cover in order to do this. It is however recommended that you do so anyway from time to time (possibly every other fluid change) as it will give you a chance to inspect your gears and catch any damage or unusual wear. 
The most common situation when extended brake lines are necessary is when you install a lift on your Jeep. The distance between the frame/body of the Jeep and axles increases after a suspension lift, therefore longer brake lines are required during articulation. You might also want to replace your stock rubber brake lines with stainless steel braided brake lines when you realize that the stock lines are deteriorating due to weather conditions (very high temperatures in the summer or lots of salt on the road due to ice and snow in the winter) and when you begin noticing a much softer, spongy brake pedal feel. That feeling is most likely due to moisture getting into the brake lines, which leads to reduced boiling point of the fluid and forming of air bubbles, as well as corrosion of the metal components of the system and consequently contamination of the fluid.
When it comes to Jeep upgrades, brakes are often very low on the list of priorities. After upgrading wheels and installing larger 35″ tires, your stock brakes will have a very difficult time stopping your vehicle, both on the road and especially while negotiating thru an obstacle while offroading. When you increase the size and weight of your tires, you should really think about upgrading your brakes as well. It will improve your confidence while driving and just might help you avoid a collision or an accident. New, upgraded brakes are not cheap, however knowing that your braking power has been increased and stopping distance has been reduced is definitely worth the investment.
During routine maintenance and after doing any kind of modification to your steering, suspension, or drive train, all bolts and nuts should be checked to ensure that they have been tightened to specification.
A/C blend door actuator in your Jeep JK is a very important part of the heating and cooling system and is responsible for controlling the temperature of the air blowing thru the vents and into the cabin. To blow heat into the cabin, the blower motor sends air through the heater core and on through the dash vents. But when heat is not desired, the blend door actuator directs that airflow away from the heater core. Unfortunately blend door actuators can fail at some point and cause the inability to change the air temperature inside your Jeep. The reason I needed to replace the blend door actuator in my Jeep was due to the horrible and loud ticking/grinding noise that it was making every time I put the key in the ignition. I also noticed that the actuator resets itself and makes the same noise after about two minutes from turning off the engine. With the Jeep being topless and doorless, and me using public parking lots, I was afraid someone walking by would freak out and call the cops, thinking my Jeep was about to explode…
One of the greatest benefits of owning a Jeep is the possibility to drive topless and doorless. Removing the top and doors does however leave the interior of your Jeep exposed and unprotected. One of the items that could be stolen from your vehicle is your garage door remote. Most people have it attached to their sun visor, which makes it very visible to a passer by. This post describes the steps to hide your garage door remote inside one of the plastic panels of your Jeep and use a small, discrete push button switch to activate it.
All 2012-2018 Jeep JK models have the vacuum pump installed in a bracket located on the inside of the driver side frame rail right behind the bumper.