Modification Round #1 – Front End
We had specific parameters that we wanted with a front-end package for Eeyore. Weight being a major concern, function, then appearance. Requirements included self-recovery, lighting, damage protection & ability to tow behind a motorhome. Combining a winch and towability proved a challenge requiring quite a bit of research and ultimately some modifications. We like the look of the stock Rubicon steel bumper, so we retained that as a base. Maximus-3 had the most compatibility and overall good design, so we went with quite a bit of their stuff. We had to modify the bull bar mounting brackets to work in conjunction with the tow loops, involved cutting the brackets and welding some new mounts to the frame of the jeep. cutting of the bumper and skid plate was also required in a few locations, none of which are visible when done.

– Maximus-3:
– Winch mount with trim plates and centering plate for the fairlead.
– Classic hoop bull bar
– Tow loops (which also double as secondary recover points, factory hooks also remain)
– Brackets; aux lights, sand flag, and stealth license plate mount.

– Warn: 10k Zeon winch (avoided the platinum due to no manual clutch, and too many electronic components) also the US made warn winches have a superior
method of attaching the winch line to the drum than the imports I have seen (including the VR Warns) also added the factor 55 ultra-hook which is overkill
but has that coolness factor. One issue we found with the Warn synthetic rope is they have made their thimble just a bit wider than normal so it will not fit into the
factor 55 hook (they want you to use their epic hook) a few whacks with a 5lb hammer and it slid right in though, Warn if your listening, not cool!

– KC Lights:
– Pro 6 LED driving lights mounted on bumper (wish the bull bar was a bit more forward to protect them better from damage)
– Gravity Pro LED headlights (so far best improvement to the JK, stock headlights were absolutely scary bad, dangerous on wet nights. Still getting used to the cut off
Optics on the new lights, sharp edge to the lighting pattern, but what does get lit is like daylight. going to adjust up a bit more and check to make sure we are not
blinding oncoming traffic.)
– LED fog lights

– Under the Sun Inserts: we got the faded gray US flag insert for the grill, looks way better than the stock radiator showing, so far no issues with heat, will have to see how
it plays out this summer.

– Daystar: Had issue with hood flutter when driving, added Daystar replacement rubber straps to the stock hood latches. Defiantly no hood flutter now but takes super
powers to fasten them down. been on a while and still that way. if they do not stretch soon, we will look for a better option.

Weight: We removed 8 lbs. of steel, plastic, and old lights, then added 136 lbs. of goodies for a total weight increase of 128 lbs.

Results: 9/10 – Really happy with the way it looks and the way everything works, feels very solid. If you are not doing the tow loop option, all the parts played together nicely with just a bit of trimming for the winch fairlead. Had some issues with Maximus-3, missing part of order, a couple of tight tolerances, and the tow loops not working with bull bar, (not really their fault that we wanted it all, but would have been nice to know in advance) they did come through with some good customer service and sent out missing parts promptly. With the winch in place, it is very difficult to remove or install the grill, to remove the winch you must remove the whole bumper due to the size of the winch. We shortened the locating pins on the bottom of the grill and can now just squeeze it in.