Ascent Overland

Ascent Overland Welcome to Axis Overlanding, your go-to experts in outdoor-rated, functional travel equipment. Go & See.

Where are we now? Jeep is finished and making memories in the middle of no where, where are your adventures taking you?
09/15/2022

Where are we now? Jeep is finished and making memories in the middle of no where, where are your adventures taking you?

I know it’s probably worse than Maaco, but hey it’s a budget build. I used rustoleum sand colored truck bed liner. My on...
03/14/2021

I know it’s probably worse than Maaco, but hey it’s a budget build. I used rustoleum sand colored truck bed liner. My only complaint with this product is that you really need to shake it for 3-4 minutes and continue to aggressively shake while painting otherwise you end up with slightly different colored areas. Not exactly the “spray touch up” you’ll want for those nature badges in the future.

After all the messed up rust that was found in the old calipers and the sheer amount of wear and tear on the old units I...
02/24/2021

After all the messed up rust that was found in the old calipers and the sheer amount of wear and tear on the old units I decided to upgrade with some remanufactured power stops brake kits. Now, I first made the mistake of going the eBay route which I believe to be identical or close to the quality of these, but the customer service was horrible. No videos, instructions or anything at all, but it all boiled down to me sending an entirely functional kit back over a single clip as they refused to help me or even take the time to answer a phone call. Crazy... there’s a very specific break in process for these brakes, so when you upgrade, be sure to go through the process correctly to get the best outcome. Enjoy your upgraded stopping power!

The cost of the aftermarket CV’s was higher than I wanted to invest at this stage with the total project build goal of l...
02/23/2021

The cost of the aftermarket CV’s was higher than I wanted to invest at this stage with the total project build goal of less than 12k including all of the gear I decided to rebuild the joints. It’s surprisingly straight forward with a bit of patience and mine were in basically perfect condition with the exception of new grease and removing some debris. Most of these jeep parts are actually well built and will easily outlast the vehicle itself. For example, you’ll notice I left the rust on the cast iron parts for now. My plan is to sand blast the entire under carriage in one shot to get rid of the all that Ohio

You honestly never have any idea what you’re going to run into with restoring a vehicle to not only be roadworthy, but t...
02/23/2021

You honestly never have any idea what you’re going to run into with restoring a vehicle to not only be roadworthy, but to be capable and dependable as an off-road, cross country vehicle.

Breaking into replacing some hubs. I’ve been wanting one of these 1/2” drive impact guns and this was a perfect excuse t...
02/23/2021

Breaking into replacing some hubs. I’ve been wanting one of these 1/2” drive impact guns and this was a perfect excuse to run down to ol’ harbor freight and grab one. May not be the fanciest of them, but it made quick work of a nut that I put all 220 lbs of my dad bod into busting loose without luck. Definitely a huge asset for various projects where sheer willpower simply won’t cut it.

After tackling a big project, I find it very rewarding to get a few small wins. So, I ordered the cabin filter and went ...
02/17/2021

After tackling a big project, I find it very rewarding to get a few small wins. So, I ordered the cabin filter and went ahead and installed a carbon filter upgrade. For some reason Jeep didn’t think it would be super great to put a cabin filter on anything less than the Overland edition for this year model. An easy upgrade and I’ll feel much better knowing I’m not sucking down loads of dust on some of the dirt roads I plan on exploring with this amazing rig.

Having a properly functioning emergency brakes is probably one of the most overlooked pieces of equipment on a vehicle. ...
02/16/2021

Having a properly functioning emergency brakes is probably one of the most overlooked pieces of equipment on a vehicle. Many of the vehicles I’ve ridden in suffer from a half functioning or non-functioning ebrake and the most common thing I hear is, “eh, it’s an expensive fix that’s inconvenient so I let it ride.” Well, I’m here to tell you that with a little research and understanding your product brands and quality, you can get this project done for typically under $30 and about 2 hours of finicking around with the springs that hold these in place. By the time these rigs are finished there are thousands of dollars invested and hundreds of hours of love. You might as well protect it and yourself with a small investment that cost less than your monthly coffee budget. Travel on.

Having the help of my brother was huge on the replacement of this massively heavy transfer case. I promise to start maki...
02/15/2021

Having the help of my brother was huge on the replacement of this massively heavy transfer case. I promise to start making videos of these things soon, but for now I’m such a newbie in the social posting world that I’m happy to just get photos of the projects I’m accomplishing. With the transfer case back on and the motor mounts, transmission mount, and fluids all being change the total cost of DIY was around $170 vs the $1800 + tax I was quoted to do it. Taking my time to make sure all of the seals and gaskets were 100% and the bolts were torqued properly gives me great confidence for a successful shakedown soon to come.

How awesome is it how “YouTube easy” some of these projects look. The person recording the video has often times disasse...
02/15/2021

How awesome is it how “YouTube easy” some of these projects look. The person recording the video has often times disassembled the item prior to making a video so they don’t have mistakes while recording. Well, for those of us breaking through years of build up and rusty bolts, it can be a bit defeating. Just remember, they probably had a similar amount of difficulty the first time and taking a quick step back makes all the difference in the world. Breathe.

In order to drop the transfer case down I had to drain both it and the transmission. There’s a very specific process to ...
02/15/2021

In order to drop the transfer case down I had to drain both it and the transmission. There’s a very specific process to change the transmission fluid and you should always consult a qualified transmission professional / do your research before moving forward. That said, I was able to change the filters and check on the condition of my transmission. The magnet inside revealed very little metal shavings which is a huge win and is a good sign I’ll get many more years, and more importantly, miles out of it. For reference, I made an absolute mess of my garage floor dropping this down even with plenty of prep and caution... be prepared to be a mess. After I replaced the oil pan, I left the fluids empty. Since I’m doing the engine oil, differentials, and brakes my plan is to leave everything empty until the very end so that every fluid is checked and filled to ensure nothing is assumed or missed. Be sure to write these things down in your “final checklist” before starting the engine up again.

When taking the transfer case and adapter down at pick and pull yard, I took the time to document each step of the proce...
02/15/2021

When taking the transfer case and adapter down at pick and pull yard, I took the time to document each step of the process with pictures (I’ll probably just record in the future) and it really helped with the “I’ll get around to it” timeline that ended up happening. With a pregnant wife, two toddlers, and a small business to run, this a definitely a small project here and there venture. That said, this was no small project.

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Dallas, TX

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