’Jeep Wrangler JKU

TEXT BY VICTOR NGUYEN | IMAGES BY FRANK LOPEZ

“WITH THE GOAL OF MAINTAINING THE RELIABILITY OF THE FACTORY 3.6L PENTASTAR V-6, THE ENGINE IS LEFT STOCK SAVE FOR A SUPERCHIPS REFLASH AND AN AEV SNORKEL WHICH KEEPS CLEAN AIR RUNNING THROUGH THE ENGINE.”

There are few vehicles that are as capable off pavement as a factory stock Jeep Wrangler. You don’t have to tell that to Frank Lopez, whose modified ‘14 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon has been improved in almost every way to be the ultimate camping, wheeling, and expedition vehicle.

Frank’s first experience with the Jeep brand was in the form of a ‘10 Wrangler Sport model. Over the years, he clocked over 140K miles on wheeling and travel expeditions. One day, after coming back from an eight-day trip, he experienced overheating and transmission issues. Instead of spend- ing the additional downtime and money to upgrade an older truck with high miles, Frank found himself the proud new owner of this ‘14 JK Unlimited in the hard-to-find Anvil Gray color.

The color-matched Ursa Minor J30 Hardtop only adds 10 inches in height but contains a useful pop-top camper tent.

“ROUNDING OUT THE REAR, A TITAN FUEL TANKS TRAIL TREKKER II FUEL TANK MOUNTED WITH AN AEV TIRE SWING HELPS WITH THE STORAGE OF AUXILIARY FUEL IN AN OFTEN UNUSED SPACE.”