The new JK just might be the best and most capable Jeep ever built. However, there are still a handful of pieces of engineering that make most owners say, “What was Jeep thinking!?”  Take the JK’s exhaust system, mainly the muffler location and size.  Big size can equate to quiet running when it comes to mufflers but it can also quickly become trailside trash.  We’ve seen a ton of the new Jeeps with smashed and half torn off mufflers due to their larger size and less than desirable location under the rear cargo area.   Got a Jeep? Share pictures and swap stories here!

We inspected the underside of our four-door Project Rubicon and couldn’t help but notice the huge amount of space behind the transmission cross member.  This seemed to be an obvious place to hang a smaller muffler and then route a custom pipe to the rear of the Jeep. However in our experience custom usually means complicated and expensive, especially when you start thinking of mandrel bends. 

With plenty of size and located right at the back, the JK's stock muffler is a definitely a rock grabber.	Behind the transmission crossmember is plenty of space for a muffler.

After some quick research on the net, we found a new company in Golden, Colorado that is making a simple and complete, bolt on kit to rid the woes of bashing your muffler on the rocks.  Above Um All is a new comer to the Jeep JK market who has come up with the most simple and inexpensive way to not only relocate the muffler to the center area of the Jeep chassis but the kit also comes with a top-of-the-line Magnaflow performance muffler.  We spoke with Ed, the owner of Above Um All, and he gave us the low down on his new product and took us on a tour around his Unlimited Rubi that already sported the relocation kit.  After seeing and hearing it, we knew this was the only way to go for our project.

Ed was even nice enough to invite us over to his shop to aid in the simple install.  The kit includes directions, however, I don’t recall ever having to look at them, as the installation is so straight forward.  A Sawzall and some simple hand tools were the only things needed and between working slowly and shooting the breeze, we knocked the job out in about an hour and a half. 

The stock muffler is easy to access and remove.	Ed uses the new Magnaflow muffler as a template to mark where to cut.

Removing the factory muffler is no problem.  We cut the rubber hangers off, as these won’t be needed with the new set up, unbolted the clamp on the muffler itself and the entire assemble slides right off.

The next step was to cut a section of the factory exhaust pipe behind the catalytic converter, just behind the transmission cross member and forward of the evaporative canister.  We used the Magnaflow muffler as a template to measure, mark and cut.  This may sound unnerving for the inexperienced wrencher but we can assure you and confidently use the newly coined term “It’s so easy a caveman could do it”.(Picture 4, Caption:  Ed “The Caveman” cuts a section of the factory pipe)  After cutting the section out, the new performance muffler slips right on and clamps easily and securely.  Believe it or not, we were almost done! As a note Above Um All recommends that you relocate the evaporative canister, however, we didn’t and have had absolutely no problems at all.

The exit pipe sits up higher than any other kit we have seen and the muffler is no longer vulnerable to the rocks.

The Above Um All JK Muffler Relocation Kit includes a new exit pipe that is mandrel bent and ready to bolt on where the stock muffler was removed.  We slid it on, positioned it where it was well out of harms way and tightened the bolts down. (Picture 5, Caption:  The Exit pipe sits higher than any other kit we’ve seen)  The muffler clamps were then torqued down and we were near completion.  The last part of the install is to reuse the factory heat shield that secures above the muffler with sheet metal screws.

Our new muffler is tucked up high and will likely never encounter a rock.  The area where the factory muffler used to ride in is now free to pass through rocks and improves the departure angle in this area tremendously.  At $225 shipped to your location, it’s hard to go wrong when the next best competitor offers their kit at $300 and some as much as $400.  The entire kit is incredibly easy to install, offers a nice throaty sound and nothing is in danger of damage due to rocks. (Picture 6, Caption:  Magnaflow Muffler tucked up nice and high)

The new Magnaflow muffler now rests behind the transmission crossmember and is up and out of the way.

Ed from Above Um All is busy working on other new products for the JK as well.  A two-door JK muffler kit might be in the works and he’s even got a nifty Hi-Lift jack mount that places the jack inside the Jeep and out of the way, as to not put it out in the elements that quickly destroy our Hi-Lifts. 

We highly recommend this muffler relocation kit and if you’d like to check it out, contact Above Um All for yours.

Sources:
Above Um All
www.aboveumall.com
Email:  above-um-all@comcast.net