2012 Rubicon buid
12-08-2011, 01:02 AM
#1
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Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Bakersfield, CA
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2012 Rubicon buid
Stock:
Build list:
AEV ProCal module
Cut fender flares
Cut pinch seams
Cut rock rails
Fender liners cut, gaps filled with expanding foam insulation and fender wells coated with spray on bed liner
Stock suspension with shocks painted black
1" M.O.R.E. body lift, painted black
Black rock 909 15x10" wheels, 15x8" for spare
35x14.50 super swamper boggers, 35x10.50 for spare
Smittybuilt xrc front/rear bumpers
Smittybuilt x2o 8k lbs waterproof winch with synthetic line
1" Daystar leveling kit for front end
Daystar spare tire extended bump stops
ProComp 7" 100w driving lights
Front Dana 44 sleeved and Gusseted
2.5" Cat back exhaust with 10"x7"x12" oval Magnaflow muffler where the resonator used to sit and no rear muffler with slash tip after rear axle for high clearance
Tires and wheels, but everything else stock:
Tires, wheels, cut fender flares and bumpers, but before cut pinch seams, cut rock rails and painted fender wells:
Cut fender flares:
filling the gaps with foam after cutting the fender liners
drilling the body to attach a tie strap to hold down the cut fender liner
cut fender liner after it's been tied down
Fender wells after they've been painted with pickup bed liner
Thanksgiving with the parents, Horsefall Beach. North Bend, OR
Bay Bridge. Coos Bay/North Bend, OR
Box Car Hill. North Bend, OR
Box Car Hill. North Bend, OR
Hauser, OR
Mt. Ashland, Ashland, OR
Mt. Ashland, Ashland, OR
Edit with new pictures 12/13/11:
First chance I've had to do some flexing since I put my tires, body lift and levelling kit on.
The rear does rub lightly on the fender liner when the opposite side is off the ground. I'm thinking I may need another inch of bump stop.
The front wasn't all the way flexed out. It was close, but the tire was really close to the fender as well. I might need more bump stop for the front. I'll take it out a few more times to find out.
Stair Step, Gold Mountain, CA (3N69)
Talus Slope rock gardens, Gold Mountain (3N69).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xTahHvhZsc Oregon Sand Dunes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugyxu5NdUvI More Oregon Sand Dunes
Previous update was 12/2011
New update 8/2012:
After 8,000 miles the Boggers were down to about half tread and I decided to go bigger. I put 38.5x15x15's on it. When turning, I started scraping the frame rails in the front, On flexing I started scraping the front side of the pinch seams in rear (which I had alread trimmed for the 35's). I was also scraping on the rock rails in the front. I had trimmed the rear of the rock rails for the 35's, but hadn't needed to trim the front. And, I was scraping the fender flares both front and rear. Basically, I couldn't offroad it.
I initially wanted to go the budget route and leave the stock 4.10 gearing and was planning to go 1" longer on the shocks and increase my bump stops by 1" and leave it with 1.5" of lift via coil spacers, then do lots of trimming to make it work. But... the weight of the tires was over powering the dual tube procomp shocks that I put on it and I was getting vibrations between 40 and 60 mph that felt like out of balance tire. I had 11 ounces of airsoft BB's in each tire and a friend recommended I use more. I went to 22 ounces in each and the virations got better, but were still significant and sometimes scary. Retrospectively, the vibration was probably from the driveshafts and pinion angle. It was also very twitchy from improper caster. I was surprised that 1.5" lift could make so much difference in the caster and it's road manners! It also had quite a bit of body roll and lots of dive during braking.
I knew I had to do something that included buying a real lift kit. I toyed with every idea from a basic 2.5" lift and Bilstein 5100's up to a 4.5" long arm kit with King shocks and air bumps. In the end, I settled on a reasonably priced Rock Krawler Pro 3.5" mid-arm all aluminum set up with high steer and their massive aluminum tie rod. The kit was around $2,400. Then I used Fox competition series aluminum remote reservoir shocks in the front and Bilstein 5100's in the rear (on the advice of a friend that said I would likely destroy my rear shocks by hanging them up on rocks and I should use cheaper ones in the back). For now I plan to use 2.75" bump stop extensions and limit straps, but I may go to Fox 2.0 air bumps in the future, depending on how it acts. For gearing, I went with 5.13's and am really happy with the gearing! It is something like 2,600 rpm at 70 mph in high gear. It gives me a little room to climb small grades before it shifts down.
So here is what I have so far:
38.5" Boggers on 1.5" spacer lift. Notice has some nose dive on the little angle of my driveway and the front looks too low. On flat ground, it was level. This has been completely fixed with the better geometry of the Rock Krawler lift.
After the 3.5" Rock Krawler lift
adding the lift, I went from 6.5" of clearance from tire to fender in the back and 7" in the front to 10.5" in the back and 11" in the front! I gained 3.5" over the 1.5" coil spacer lift, making my virgin lift almost 5" total! It hasn't started to sag yet, so it will likely sit a little lower down the road.
Flexing it, my rear tire was scraping the pinch seam, but now it is scraping on the back side of the fenderwell instead of the front side due to the 1" longer wheel base from the longer control arms (X-factor) in the Rock Krawler kit. Extended length of the front shock in this pic is 29.8", which is almost 6.8" more droop than stock! Length of the shocks are F: 17.7"-29.8". R: 17.0"-27.4" The front shock has longer travel due to it being an external reservoir and the rear being an emulsion shock.
On the ramp, I was limited by scraping the pinch seam on the passenger rear. I need to do more trimming and add some additional bump stop. In this picture, it is 93" up a 20 degree ramp with a 96.4" wheelbase (1" longer than stock). That works out to a ramp travel index of 965. Also pictured here is an installed OR Fab sport cage in bicycle black and the optional floor mount kit.
If you're curious, on flat ground, the bottom of the tie rod has 14.25" ground clearance. The front diff has 12.75" and the rear diff has 12.5" of ground clearance.
I'll post more pictures once I get the bump stops and limit straps worked out.
I'm also waiting for delivery on a Rock Krawler 1.625" tie-rod clamp so I can install my Fox 2.0 steering stabilizer. The stock 1.375" clamp won't fit the springy aircraft grade aluminum tie rod.
One last thought on this is that its road manners are impeccable! No more flighty steering and the driveshaft wobble is gone. I feel just a tiny bit of vibration, even at 75 mph. The body roll is much improved and the dive under braking is also gone, gone, gone!
Build list:
AEV ProCal module
Cut fender flares
Cut pinch seams
Cut rock rails
Fender liners cut, gaps filled with expanding foam insulation and fender wells coated with spray on bed liner
Stock suspension with shocks painted black
1" M.O.R.E. body lift, painted black
Black rock 909 15x10" wheels, 15x8" for spare
35x14.50 super swamper boggers, 35x10.50 for spare
Smittybuilt xrc front/rear bumpers
Smittybuilt x2o 8k lbs waterproof winch with synthetic line
1" Daystar leveling kit for front end
Daystar spare tire extended bump stops
ProComp 7" 100w driving lights
Front Dana 44 sleeved and Gusseted
2.5" Cat back exhaust with 10"x7"x12" oval Magnaflow muffler where the resonator used to sit and no rear muffler with slash tip after rear axle for high clearance
Tires and wheels, but everything else stock:
Tires, wheels, cut fender flares and bumpers, but before cut pinch seams, cut rock rails and painted fender wells:
Cut fender flares:
filling the gaps with foam after cutting the fender liners
drilling the body to attach a tie strap to hold down the cut fender liner
cut fender liner after it's been tied down
Fender wells after they've been painted with pickup bed liner
Thanksgiving with the parents, Horsefall Beach. North Bend, OR
Bay Bridge. Coos Bay/North Bend, OR
Box Car Hill. North Bend, OR
Box Car Hill. North Bend, OR
Hauser, OR
Mt. Ashland, Ashland, OR
Mt. Ashland, Ashland, OR
Edit with new pictures 12/13/11:
First chance I've had to do some flexing since I put my tires, body lift and levelling kit on.
The rear does rub lightly on the fender liner when the opposite side is off the ground. I'm thinking I may need another inch of bump stop.
The front wasn't all the way flexed out. It was close, but the tire was really close to the fender as well. I might need more bump stop for the front. I'll take it out a few more times to find out.
Stair Step, Gold Mountain, CA (3N69)
Talus Slope rock gardens, Gold Mountain (3N69).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xTahHvhZsc Oregon Sand Dunes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugyxu5NdUvI More Oregon Sand Dunes
Previous update was 12/2011
New update 8/2012:
After 8,000 miles the Boggers were down to about half tread and I decided to go bigger. I put 38.5x15x15's on it. When turning, I started scraping the frame rails in the front, On flexing I started scraping the front side of the pinch seams in rear (which I had alread trimmed for the 35's). I was also scraping on the rock rails in the front. I had trimmed the rear of the rock rails for the 35's, but hadn't needed to trim the front. And, I was scraping the fender flares both front and rear. Basically, I couldn't offroad it.
I initially wanted to go the budget route and leave the stock 4.10 gearing and was planning to go 1" longer on the shocks and increase my bump stops by 1" and leave it with 1.5" of lift via coil spacers, then do lots of trimming to make it work. But... the weight of the tires was over powering the dual tube procomp shocks that I put on it and I was getting vibrations between 40 and 60 mph that felt like out of balance tire. I had 11 ounces of airsoft BB's in each tire and a friend recommended I use more. I went to 22 ounces in each and the virations got better, but were still significant and sometimes scary. Retrospectively, the vibration was probably from the driveshafts and pinion angle. It was also very twitchy from improper caster. I was surprised that 1.5" lift could make so much difference in the caster and it's road manners! It also had quite a bit of body roll and lots of dive during braking.
I knew I had to do something that included buying a real lift kit. I toyed with every idea from a basic 2.5" lift and Bilstein 5100's up to a 4.5" long arm kit with King shocks and air bumps. In the end, I settled on a reasonably priced Rock Krawler Pro 3.5" mid-arm all aluminum set up with high steer and their massive aluminum tie rod. The kit was around $2,400. Then I used Fox competition series aluminum remote reservoir shocks in the front and Bilstein 5100's in the rear (on the advice of a friend that said I would likely destroy my rear shocks by hanging them up on rocks and I should use cheaper ones in the back). For now I plan to use 2.75" bump stop extensions and limit straps, but I may go to Fox 2.0 air bumps in the future, depending on how it acts. For gearing, I went with 5.13's and am really happy with the gearing! It is something like 2,600 rpm at 70 mph in high gear. It gives me a little room to climb small grades before it shifts down.
So here is what I have so far:
38.5" Boggers on 1.5" spacer lift. Notice has some nose dive on the little angle of my driveway and the front looks too low. On flat ground, it was level. This has been completely fixed with the better geometry of the Rock Krawler lift.
After the 3.5" Rock Krawler lift
adding the lift, I went from 6.5" of clearance from tire to fender in the back and 7" in the front to 10.5" in the back and 11" in the front! I gained 3.5" over the 1.5" coil spacer lift, making my virgin lift almost 5" total! It hasn't started to sag yet, so it will likely sit a little lower down the road.
Flexing it, my rear tire was scraping the pinch seam, but now it is scraping on the back side of the fenderwell instead of the front side due to the 1" longer wheel base from the longer control arms (X-factor) in the Rock Krawler kit. Extended length of the front shock in this pic is 29.8", which is almost 6.8" more droop than stock! Length of the shocks are F: 17.7"-29.8". R: 17.0"-27.4" The front shock has longer travel due to it being an external reservoir and the rear being an emulsion shock.
On the ramp, I was limited by scraping the pinch seam on the passenger rear. I need to do more trimming and add some additional bump stop. In this picture, it is 93" up a 20 degree ramp with a 96.4" wheelbase (1" longer than stock). That works out to a ramp travel index of 965. Also pictured here is an installed OR Fab sport cage in bicycle black and the optional floor mount kit.
If you're curious, on flat ground, the bottom of the tie rod has 14.25" ground clearance. The front diff has 12.75" and the rear diff has 12.5" of ground clearance.
I'll post more pictures once I get the bump stops and limit straps worked out.
I'm also waiting for delivery on a Rock Krawler 1.625" tie-rod clamp so I can install my Fox 2.0 steering stabilizer. The stock 1.375" clamp won't fit the springy aircraft grade aluminum tie rod.
One last thought on this is that its road manners are impeccable! No more flighty steering and the driveshaft wobble is gone. I feel just a tiny bit of vibration, even at 75 mph. The body roll is much improved and the dive under braking is also gone, gone, gone!
Last edited by Phimosis; 08-16-2012 at 02:24 AM.
12-08-2011, 03:16 AM
#4
JK Enthusiast
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: West Chester, PA
Posts: 408
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Would love to see/hear more about how you configured the exhaust. What is the resonance like with that set up? Did you use the stock hangers?
Jeep looks awesome! Nice work.
Jeep looks awesome! Nice work.
