#3ajaj

Jeep Wrangler JK Unlimited 2016 / project 3AJAJ

Words by Griff Gough-Walters

Born from the desire to buck the trend, Project 3AJAJ throws offroad passion and creativity into a stealthy concoction and pours it all over a 2016 Jeep Wrangler.

Farhan Al Bastaki, Project 3AJAJ’s creator, picked up a completely standard Jeep Wrangler Unlimited back in August and took it straight to RAMY Automotive to begin work on a complete upgrade of the car. Born and raised in the UAE, Farhan knew what he wanted to change on the vehicle so with the help of RAMY’s part specialists Marwan Semaan and Dean Le Roux, he quickly decided on how he was going to improve the Jeep.

The biggest change is undoubtable that Action Truck pickup conversion which takes the 4 door Wrangler’s extended wheelbase and throws out the rear seats to make way for a pickup bed. It completely transforms the entire side profile of the car with the external roll cage and that prerunner esque spare tyre mounted in the bed.

Jeeps are not new for Farhan, having previously owned a 2 door Wrangler, so he had a fairly good grasp on what he wanted to modify. Next up, therefore, was suspension. Farhan chose the TITAN Performance Suspension Stage 3+ which includes a 3” lift kit hooked up to adjustable shocks, hydraulic bumpstops and a steering stabilizer for the ultimate absorption when pounding the sand dunes. The updated suspension is linked to Artec reinforced axles, a necessity to ensure the massive 35” KUMHO tires are properly supported. All that extra height would make getting in and out quite a challenge, so a set of AOR powerboards have been included which automatically deploy when the door is opened and retract again when it is closed.

Bigger tires and suspension often lead to a marginal loss of usable power and RAMY knew the perfect remedy for Project 3AJAJ. It starts when a Sprintex supercharger is bolted on, this alone produces a whopping 100 horsepower but the addition of a custom unlocked PCM from Diablo and an axle back exhaust breath new fire into the 3.6L V6. All this extra grunt is routed through a Spec clutch and AOR 4.10 gear ratios so that the truck really takes off when you put your foot down. Diff locks? Yes, it’s got them, a Yukon air locker in each axle and Farhan is really going to notice them if he ever needs to get out of a cross axle situation.

Apart from the pickup conversion, the outside of Farhan’s truck is protected by front and rear bumpers, the former receiving a Warn Zeon Platinum winch (which can be controlled via a wireless remote!). Staying up front, the standard halogen headlights have been done away with in favour of a set of LED’s from AOR to really shine into the night. Another unique detail that caught my eye are the fenders, bumpers and power boards which have all been finished in a Linex style coating that protects as well as it looks.

One of my favourite features on Farhan’s Jeep Wrangler Pickup is the pneumatic system for tires. It incorporates a 4 gallon Extreme Outback air tank hooked up to a Wild Boar air pump which is capable of deflating all 4 tires to a digitally set pressure in a matter of minutes. That lets those big tires increase their contact patch twofold and, when desert playtime is over, can inflate them all back to the road pressure. If that’s not enough, RAMY has included an ExtremeAire portable compressor for good measure.

This type of project is unusual and there are only a handful of similarly modified Jeeps in the region so I was interested to find out from Farhan what his motive was. “I used to have a full size pickup and a two door Jeep, so I decided to combine them and have a Jeep pickup!”. Some may wonder why a full size pickup does not perform so well in the desert and Farhan was quick to point out “those pickups are too big and cumbersome for the dunes” so he is certain that his Jeep pickup will give him the best of both worlds. He also added “everything is more fun in a Jeep!” and I completely agree with him, it really is ‘a Jeep thing’.

Project 3AJAJ is the second pickup conversion RAMY Automotive have completed, following an equally as awesome ‘Project Excalibur’ last year. It was their vast experience of similarly ambitious projects that attracted Farhan to Ramy Automotive, “it gives me the confidence that they are going to complete the conversion properly, without cutting corners” he added.

Do you dream of a project like Farhan’s Jeep Wrangler Pickup? If so get in touch with the guys at RAMY Automotive to turn your dream into a reality.

Below are all the add-ons:

Performance:

Sprintex JK 3.6 Supercharger

Custom Unlocked PCM from Diablo

AEV JK ProCal Module, 2007+ JK

Jeep 3.6L/3.8L V6 2007-2015 - 2 1/2” Axle Back,Dual Rear Exit, BLK Exhaust

Rancho Exhaust Parts

AOR JK 4.10 Ring & Pinion D30 & 4.10 Ring & Pinion D44

Diff Rebuild Kit for D30 F JK & Diff Rebuild Kit for D44 R JK

Yukon Gears JK D30 Front Diff Lock & JK D44 Rear Diff Lock

Yukon Gears Universal Diff Lock Compressor Kit

Spec JK Stage 3+ Clutch -SPE

Chassis, Suspension:

AOR JK 3” Lift Lift Kit

AOR JK Front Track Bar

Titan JK 2.5 W Resi. Adj. 1.5-3.5” Front and Rear Performance Shock

Titan JK 2.0 Front Bump Stop

FOX JK ATS Steering Stabilizer

ARTEC JK Front Axle Armor Kit Dana 30

JK 2007+ Front Sleeve Kit

Wheels and Tires:

AE Wheel Series 012 Beadlock Black W/Machined Lip 17x10 - 5x5

Exterior and Interior:

Action Truck Unlimited JK

Warn Winch Zeon Platinum 12K S

Warn Holder Wireless Remote

3/8” Premium Winch Hook, 12,000 lbs

New Front and rear Bumper

JCR Jeep Prerunner Tire Mount

JcrOffroad Universal Tire Mount

AOR 7” Sealed Beam LED Headlight Black / Set

AOR Power Board for Jeep Wrangler 4DR

Camber Bolt JK (Truxxx)

DRAKE JK 2007+ Power Steering Reservoir Cap

Drake JK 2007+ Black Antenna

Rugged Ridge BLK Aluminum Hood Catch (JK)

ExtremeAire Magnum 12V Compressor Portable

Extreme Outback 4 Gallon Air Tank

Extreme Outback Closed Air Chuck

Extreme Outback 100 Amp Relay ( Continuous Relay )

Extreme Outback 80 AMP Circuit Breaker

Extreme Outback One Way Check Valve ( Non-Return Valve)

Extreme Outback 135 Psi Switch

Wildboar 2-Way-Air Inflation Deflation System

Pressure Perfect Inflation/ Deflation Module

9ft Flag Pole

Interior Accents Paint (Bed Storage Hooks, Removal of body parts, Linex Style Paint and installation again)

Linex Style Painting of Remaining Parts: Side Steps, Hood light bracket, Tire Carrier

Heat and Sound Insulation Mats

AOR JK 2012+ 3.6L Dual Battery Tray Kit

OPTIMA Yellow Top Battery 4.2

DS250S 5-Step, Automatic DUAL 12 Volt 20 Amp Battery Charger + Display

AOR Jeep JK 07+ Windshield Switch Panel

AOR Kill Switch

AOR JK 2007+ Windshield Light Brackets

RR Rocker Switch Green Rugged

Fender lights