The Jeep Build Shop in Houston, TX
One brand, built right. Summit Jeep Works is a veteran-founded, family-run shop that builds Wrangler JK & JL, Gladiator JT, and Cherokee XJ — plus the TJs and YJs that started it all. Founder Kevin Slade has run the shop since 2014: suspension, axles, armor, electrical, and fabrication, all in-house, all in writing.
Whether you're planning a first lift, chasing a death wobble another shop couldn't fix, or commissioning a full Stage 3 crawler — this page is the map. Every part of the shop is one click below.
Jeep Platforms We Build — Wrangler, Gladiator, Cherokee
Every platform has its own failure points, its own geometry, and its own right answers. We document all of it — generation by generation — so you know what your Jeep needs before you spend a dollar. Wondering why a shop would limit itself to one brand? That's a deliberate choice, and here's the whole argument.
Wrangler JK & JL
Two generations, different rules. Stage 1 lifts through Stage 3 axle builds, JK death wobble correction, and in-house ADAS recalibration on every JL geometry change.
JK & JL Wrangler Builds →Gladiator JT
Wrangler DNA on a longer wheelbase, with payload, driveline, and ADAS considerations the JL doesn't have. Trail, overland, and rock builds for every JT trim.
Gladiator JT Builds →Cherokee XJ
Unibody stiffening, Dana 35 solutions, 4.0L longevity, and lift geometry done the way the XJ demands. We've built this platform since the day we opened.
XJ Cherokee Builds →Jeep Build Services in Houston
Eight disciplines, one roof, zero subcontracting. Every install is spec'd to your platform, torqued to documented values, and aligned before it leaves the bay. Start with the system your build needs first — each page below covers the parts we run, the prices to expect, and the mistakes we fix from other shops.
Lift Kits & Suspension
Coil lifts, complete systems, shocks, and caster correction — the foundation every other upgrade sits on.
Lift Kits & Suspension →Long Arm Suspension
Radius arm and four-link systems for 4"+ lifts and 37s-to-40s — geometry the short arm physically can't reach.
Long Arm Systems →Coilover Installation
Fox, King, Bilstein, and Teraflex — installed and actually tuned: preload, valving, and a post-trail recheck.
Coilover Install & Tuning →Wheels & Tires
Fitment math done right — offset, backspacing, regear guidance, and beadlocks mounted, balanced, and aligned.
Jeep Wheels & Tires →Accessories & Recovery
Winches, steel bumpers, skids, sliders, and racks — test-fitted, load-rated, and wired like we own it.
Armor & Recovery Gear →LED Lighting
Bars, pods, and rock lights on relay-driven circuits through factory grommets. No vampire taps, ever.
Jeep LED Lighting →Custom Fabrication
When the catalog ends: tube bumpers, cages, control arms, XJ stiffeners, and one-off brackets — MIG, TIG, and plasma in-house.
Custom Jeep Fabrication →Rock Crawler Builds
Double-triangulated 4-links, one-ton axles, Atlas cases, and cage work — purpose-built machines, quoted honestly.
Rock Crawler Builds →Diagnosis Before Parts — Always
Half the Jeeps that come through our door aren't here for an upgrade. They're here because something isn't right — a shake, a wander, a suspension that flexes worse than stock. We put numbers and written findings on the problem before anyone talks about parts.
Death Wobble Diagnosis & Repair
The violent front-end shake at 45–70 mph isn't a Jeep personality trait, and a steering stabilizer won't cure it. It's track bar, ball joint, tie rod, or caster geometry — diagnosable, fixable, and documented in writing before any repair begins.
Fix death wobble for good →Jeep Articulation Test — $150
RTI ramp testing with a results data sheet and thirty minutes with a builder. Know exactly what your suspension does — and what's limiting it — before you spend thousands guessing.
Put your Jeep on the ramp →The Jeep Build Process — Five Stages, In Order, Every Time
No hidden stages, no surprise charges. Every build at this shop moves through the same five steps, and you see everything in writing before you commit. The full walkthrough is on the build process page.
Not sure which build you want? Drive a fully built Jeep first — daily driver, trail rig, or flagship crawler — and decide from the driver's seat. And if you have questions about pricing, financing, timelines, or supplying your own parts, the Jeep build FAQ answers them the way we'd answer across the counter.
200+ Builds. One Family Shop.
Kevin Slade opened Summit Jeep Works in 2014 after a decade as a military mechanic, and the shop is still run by the Slade family today — with a crew covering suspension, axle work, electrical, and full in-house fab. The work speaks loudest, so look at it directly.
The Build Gallery
JK and JL Wranglers, Gladiators, XJs, and TJs — Stage 1 daily drivers through the Stage 3 crawler that gets pointed at Katemcy. Every rig lists its full mod sheet, because we're proud of what's under the paint.
See completed Jeep builds →The Shop & The People
Who builds your Jeep matters more than any parts list. Meet Kevin, the family, and the builders — and read the standards every build is held to, including the highway test every Jeep passes before delivery.
About Summit Jeep Works →Built for Houston Jeep Country
A build is only as good as the weekends it earns you. We build for the terrain Houston Jeeps actually see — Barnwell Mountain, Rocky Hill Ranch, the beach at Bolivar — and we're part of the community that runs them.
Houston Jeep Community
The clubs, the annual events, the trail groups, and the culture — a complete local guide to who wheels where, and how to join them.
Houston Jeep Community Guide →Before You Wheel
Trail safety and prep: hi-lift technique, winch rules that don't have exceptions, recovery straps vs. kinetic ropes, and the gear every rig should carry.
Trail Safety & Prep Guide →Why Jeeps?
Solid axles, the 4.0L, the wave, and 80 years of lineage — why this shop builds one brand and never second-guessed it.
Why We Only Build Jeeps →Visit the Shop on Westheimer
Walk-ins are welcome — bring the Jeep, tell us what it does, and leave with straight answers. Full directions from Katy, The Woodlands, Sugar Land, and downtown are on the contact page, along with the build inquiry form that starts every quote.
Serving Jeep owners from across Greater Houston:
One Conversation. The Build Follows.
Every Jeep on this site started the same way — an owner, a builder, and a conversation about what the rig needs to do. No pressure, no parts-list pitch. Come in, call, or send the form and we'll take it from there.
Houston, TX 77057
Sat 9am–4pm