The Adventure Durango Build Thread

HemiAaron · Jul 7, 2021

I wasn't really sure what forum I should post this in, but I thought I'd share some details of the adventure build I'm doing on my Durango. I call it "The Adventure Durango" because it doesn't have one specific purpose, except having fun. There will definitely be a very strong off-road/overlanding bias, but there will be compromises. My Durango has spent 99.9% of her 140K+ miles on the road, and will continue to do so. That's because even when I do seek out adventure, a road trip will be required. I live in boring, flat Southeast Texas. People here think off-roading means finding the nearest mud puddle and trying to get stuck. It's cool if that's you, but I'm just not into that. So, since I don't live in the Rockies or the Sierras or canyon country, gas mileage and creature comforts still matter. With that in mind, here she is:

This is one of the oldest pictures I have of the Durango. I'm sure I took some stock pictures when she was new, but after several phone and computer changes, this is what I have. I'm a gear head; I have been for a long time. But I'm also a family man, and at that point, it was just a family car that my wife commuted in, and one that I didn't intend to go much farther with. I was trying to be sensible, and I thought I was done. Life had other plans. This picture was taken right before I loaded her for the trip that would change much of that. We took a family road trip to the Rockies-- I found some soft Jeep trails-- you get the idea.

Mod list at the time:

Bilstein 5100 ride height adjustable front shocks, set at 1.25" lift.
Hankook Dynapro AT2 Tires, 275/55/20 (32x11)
Volante Cold Air Intake
Corsa Exhaust
Rola Roof Rack with Extension
Amazon 20" light bar
R1 Concepts Slotted Rotors

But that picture was four years ago. She's not so pretty anymore. People in this rural town we moved to seem to think bumping vehicles in parking lots is okay. She's been backed into twice with trailer balls in the front bumper, and bumped once on the driver rear quarter panel. The good news? She's paid off, and that means restomod money. Also, the kids are bigger, so more adventures are in the picture. We have decided to fix her up for adventure, park her in the garage for weekends and road trips, and get my wife a commuter car. And so the REAL build starts. More to follow.

HemiAaron · Jul 7, 2021

I always wanted a bigger lift and more clearance, and if we were going to do body repairs, I wanted to do something that would make the Durango more durable in the event of a bump in a parking lot. But there's very little out there in the way of bumpers and armor, and what I found wouldn't work with ACC/FCW. That's very important for those cross-country road trips. Also, I didn't want to look like a police cruiser.

After contacting several well known manufacturers and getting shot down, I started searching for a local fabricator. Initial searching came up empty, but after scouring various off-road oriented forums late one night, I found a promising lead in an old thread. I believe it said "Gulf Coast Crawl Shop is the only answer." I met with Marco, the owner's son and the head fabricator, and we poured over inspiration I had found on WK2 Jeep Grand Cherokees from Australia (see Chief Products, Off Road Animal). We shook hands, made an appointment, and I dropped her off at Javier's Gulf Coast Crawl Shop while we were on vacation.

Watch my bumper disappear.

Fitting up OEM SRT Fender Flares to visualize proper bumper/rock slider fitment:

HemiAaron · Jul 7, 2021

Rock sliders with integrated skids to anchor/stabilize them:

HemiAaron · Jul 7, 2021

Continued Rock Slider Fabrication:

Completed and Painted Sliders:

And is that the start of a bumper !!? Yes, yes it is.

About those SRT flares. They're very small compared to 4-6" pocket flares you see on pickups, but look at the difference they make in the wheel fitment. It looks AWFUL now. Don't worry, I'll fix it soon!

HemiAaron · Jul 7, 2021

Let's stop for a minute and talk about those sliders. I didn't want "steps" or "running boards," because they decrease ground clearance and get torn off in the rocks. These are actual rock sliders, meaning they're built to bear the weight of the vehicle and make contact with the terra firms without getting torn off or damaged. Also, look closely. Marco expertly trimmed my side skirts such that I actually gained an inch of ground clearance over stock with these skirts. He said that these look factory stock, and I agree. There are other designs out there that could have been had for much cheaper, but they don't have the same anchor points, and don't protect the underbody the same way. Other designs on the market remove the side skirts completely, while they look great, if you look closely at some of the pictures, you can see that there are parts of the underbody well below the side skirts. Marco made these a little lower with attached skids to protect the underbody the way other designs simply wouldn't.

HemiAaron · Jul 7, 2021

Bumper construction started with creating some serious recovery/anchor points:

...and continued with various support tubes.

HemiAaron · Jul 7, 2021

Test fitting the new Baja Designs Onx6+ 30" curved light bar:

Adding a hoop to protect the light bar:

Custom light bar mounting tabs to lift the bar and set it farther back for better protection:

HemiAaron · Jul 7, 2021

Fabbing up the skid plates:

Protection for the FCW/ACC Sensor:

Ventilation:

Engine/Oil Pan Skid:

HemiAaron · Jul 7, 2021

Dual fog pod test fit; I'll be going with a single pod at first. Two sets hurt my pocketbook too much all at once.

Engine Skid with oil drain access and paint:

Completed Bumper:

HemiAaron · Jul 7, 2021

Well, that was two hours of my life I'll never get back! Hah! I hope you guys who aren't a member of the facebook groups enjoy my build. I'm sure some have already seen some of it there.

I'll probably have more pictures tomorrow, as I'm supposed to go pick it up in the afternoon. There's lots more to come. Besides painting that bumper and fixing the rear quarter panel, I'm currently waiting on more suspension parts from Oz, I already have wheels, and I'll test fit tires as soon as I get the lift on. The wheels are 20x9, so I'm looking at 295/55/20. 20's on a build like this? Absolutely. It's a Citadel. We are bougie. [emoji23] Seriously though, 33's on 20's will give me plenty of sidewall for anything I'll ever do. I think.

Follow me on Instagram @theadventuredurango for the quickest updates.

HemiAaron · Jul 9, 2021

Here’s the bumper for now. Need to make some adjustments, but I like it!

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Vice-White · Jul 9, 2021

Wow looks awesome. But until the last picture I thought your Drango was gray. LOL

HemiAaron · Jul 9, 2021

Vice-White said:
Wow looks awesome. But until the last picture I thought your Drango was gray. LOL

Thanks! It’s rained in southeast Texas this summer more than anytime I can remember, and we live in a new construction neighborhood. Between the contractors and the four wheelers, and the dirt road for church, she stays dirty.

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HemiAaron · Aug 18, 2021

Just a few small updates for you guys. Progress has been slower than I’d like.

I got my lights wired up. For the Diode Dynamics SS3 Pro fog light pods, I just wired them up to the stock fog light harness. Easy!

For the Baja Designs Onx6+ 30” curved light bar, I went further than I needed to and did a little preparation for future accessory wiring. In order to avoid going back through the firewall in the future, I purchased and installed an Auxbeam 8 gang switch panel to keep things neat and clean. I’m really pleased with the results, and excited about how easy it will make things later. To power something else, I just wire it to the relay box under the hood, and the switch is already there in the cab ready to go. Just needs a label sticker.

Also, to control the high/low power function on the light bar, I added a secondary relay. When I turn on the Auxbeam switch in the cab, it energizes the secondary relay, which shorts the light bar control wire to ground to switch between high and low. Here are some pictures. Don’t mind the dust. Church is on a dirt road.

If you want to see video of the lights in action, I posted an informal test on my Instagram @theadventuredurango.

In bigger news, my suspension parts from RRO came in this week. This has been the main holdup, as the OME parts were on a slow boat from Australia.

This is the Rocky Road/Old Man Emu lift and level, along with the JBA upper control arms that were ordered separately. The OME kit is advertised as 1.75”/2.0” lift, and the RRO spacer adds a little less than 1.5” more to the front spring with their spacer.

I just ordered the OME poly 10mm JK spacers to add to the rear. This will get me another 3/4” of actual lift in the rear and restore some of the factory rake for about $50. That way when I tow or if I have a bunch of luggage in the hitch basket, she won’t squat so much.

Wheels and tires were ordered this week as well. I ended up going a different route than discussed previously, and I’m very excited about it. The 20” Spider Monkey reps I had originally planned went to good use on a local white JGC, and I’m even going a different route than what I discussed on Instagram. The new setup will drop several pounds per corner over either of the other options from my wheel/tire setup, which will result in increased wheel horsepower and better gas mileage on those long road trips.

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Adventurer · Oct 24, 2021

Any pictures of this lift installed? I have the 2.5" RRO spacer lift installed and thinking of adding the Biltstein shocks. Man, I didn't know this EMU lift existed when I ordered the RRO lift. I've also been looking for a prerunner type bumper and debating trying to make RRO or ORA Jeep WK2 bumpers work. I really like what Gulf Coast Crawl Shop did for you. Wonder if they could duplicate without my DD being at their shop.... Lastly, why fabricate your own rock sliders when RRO appears to have a decent option for Durangos?

HemiAaron · Oct 24, 2021

Adventurer said:
Any pictures of this lift installed? I have the 2.5" RRO spacer lift installed and thinking of adding the Biltstein shocks. Man, I didn't know this EMU lift existed when I ordered the RRO lift. I've also been looking for a prerunner type bumper and debating trying to make RRO or ORA Jeep WK2 bumpers work. I really like what Gulf Coast Crawl Shop did for you. Wonder if they could duplicate without my DD being at their shop.... Lastly, why fabricate your own rock sliders when RRO appears to have a decent option for Durangos?

I didn’t realize I hadn’t updated this thread. I will do a more complete update when I can. GCCS cut my side skirts to make these and they actually sit up substantially higher than the RRO sliders. I personally think these look better and are stronger than RRO as well.

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awehlage · Oct 24, 2021

Everything looks awesome! Great attention to detail. Will be following for updates to your build [emoji846] I always enjoy reading what other members do to their Durango to make it unique and their own.

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Adventurer · Oct 24, 2021

I will be awaiting the update along with more pics that hopefully include front shot with the lift installed. I'm surprised the RRO rock sliders sit lower than yours. I was hoping to replace the skirting (or whatever they are called) underneath doors with snug fitting rock sliders. Thought RRO installed that way. Also wanting to make ORA rear bumper fit.... Man, I really like your front bumper. Anyway, here's my DD with 33s installed on Jeep GC Trailhawk wheels and front air dam removed. The lower front fascia doesn't look it, but it's battered and loose from plowing through deep snow during winter months and the occasional curb or rock bashing prior to lift and air dam removal.

Centex16 · Oct 24, 2021

Man that looks great. I hadn’t even considered lifting mine but you’ve got me rethinking that.

HemiAaron · Oct 26, 2021

Let’s start with the wheels and tires. I am definitely pushing the boundaries of what is possible on a Durango at this point.

The wheels are Black Rhino Chase 18x8 +10 in brushed gunmetal. Black rhino says they won’t fit because of the offset, and they are correct. I absolutely don’t recommend running these, especially with tires this big, on a stock Durango. A little more positive offset (+20ish) may have helped the tires tuck better. As it sits, on bigger hits, the tire hits the fender flare and I’ve already broken off a couple of tabs on the flare. I am considering adding a spacer for additional rear lift or going to the heavy duty OME rear springs to help remedy this. I’m open to suggestions anyone might have, for those that are more experienced with stuff like this. The Durango just has a lot more ass hanging over the rear wheels than the JGC does, and I have my little tool compartment back there chock-full.

Tires are Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T 275/70/18.

Relative to the old tires, these things are absolutely huge. I had already bought a set of 20 inch wheels, and I’m so glad that I sold them and went down to 18‘s. The added cushion from the larger sidewall and just the overall look is so much more serious than it would have been otherwise. And look at those side biters! These have the meanest side butters I’ve ever seen on an A/T tire. They’re darn near a half inch… and yet the tires don’t seem any louder to me than the Goodyear’s on my work truck. If I did it again, I might go a size smaller on the tires. That would also give me more room for flex. Also, the initial relocation of the washer fluid reservoir was not sufficient. I was able to melt it with a heat gun and remount it to get a little more clearance, but I still need to do something more substantial and more permanent. It’s just too close to the tires.

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The Adventure Durango Build Thread

HemiAaron

HemiAaron

HemiAaron

HemiAaron

HemiAaron

HemiAaron

HemiAaron

HemiAaron

HemiAaron

HemiAaron

HemiAaron

Vice-White

HemiAaron

HemiAaron

Adventurer

HemiAaron

awehlage

Adventurer

Centex16

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