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Elvis JOE TO PRO build.

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ElvisJL

ElvisJL

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Ordered the SmittyBilt HD Pivot Tire carrier from 4Wheel Parts and installed it this weekend. Install was straight forward and I'm happy how it turned out. The jeep is coming along nicely. I get out to a local parking lot and snapped a few pics this evening.

JLU1.jpg


JLU2.jpg


JLU3.jpg


JLU4.jpg
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acftmec

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So what's your thoughts so far on the Clayton lift? (pros-cons)
 
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ElvisJL

ElvisJL

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So what's your thoughts so far on the Clayton lift? (pros-cons)
I just returned from a road trip up to Colorado and back where I put several thousand miles on the Jeep. The Clayton Overland Plus lift has really impressed me so far for multiple reasons. Ride quality is great on road, there's no unnecessary creeps or squeaks from the suspension offroad, steering is very responsive and has very little play in it, and Clayton's customer service has been top notch when asking questions.

Here's a couple pics I've run through Lightroom, this was 12,000 feet elevation.

DSC01293.jpg


DSC01295.jpg


DSC01301.jpg
 

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ElvisJL

ElvisJL

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Black Rhino why do you do this to me? I considered powder coating my wheels and then I saw these. I really wish these had come out a couple months back when I bought my wheels. I think they would go perfect with my silver paint.

Jeep Wrangler JL Elvis JOE TO PRO build. 1593159000938


Jeep Wrangler JL Elvis JOE TO PRO build. 1593159043157
 
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ElvisJL

ElvisJL

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UPDATES (long post)

My thoughts...

2020 was one hell of a year for me. I bought the Jeep slightly used and jumped right into a lift, wheels, and tires. With a group of great friends, I had the pleasure of hitting some amazing trails in 5 different states. And to be honest, we're just scraping the surface of adventures in this Jeep.

On the most positive note, I paid the Jeep off last week. No more car payment means more money for mods. I wouldn't be moving forward with the "heavy" mods if I didn't own it.

My initial plan was to build this rig for overlanding because I didn't think I would have the desire to get into heavy offroading. But man was I completely wrong. I didn't think rock crawling would be of interest but as I hit the trails as the "little" guy in the group, the more advanced trails I hit with the "big built guys", the more my plans have grown.

A majority of the guys I wheel with have owned their jeeps longer than I have and therefore their jeeps have more in terms of build. I've referred to myself as the little guy because I have less lift, smaller tires, no reinforced axles, lockers, etc... So far the jeep has done everything I've ever asked of it and I've been quite impressed with its capabilities. I've followed buddies down trails when they're fully locked and here I am stock. It takes me longer and requires more finesse but so far I haven't found its limit. I don't want to be the guy who holds up the group or the guy everyone worries "is he going to break".

So a lot of you may be thinking, "why waste money in parts/components you don't need, especially if you haven't pushed it to it's limit?" And that's a great question that I have an answer to. My jeep is my daily driver and when I drive it to the trail, it needs to be driven home as well. I want that extra piece of mind that I'm not going to break my rig out on the trail which I don't currently have. Allow me to elaborate. I'm well aware that no matter what components I have on my rig, anything could break out on the trail. I'm not ignorant to that. I'm less likely to break something with reinforced components, especially when I don't have a heavy foot and wheel with finesse.

My philosophy is "buy once, cry once" and I'm in a position where I can afford things I couldn't before. Take axles as an example, many people will buy take off d44's and build them up, and then potentially upgrade to 60's or 80's down the road. I'd rather not build axles twice and go straight to the 60's or 80's.


Plus is doesn't help when your wife makes comments like "why is the jeep so small" and "you're going to put bigger tires on it, right?". So I'm blaming her, LOL.

So what's changing? (more on the next post)
 
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ElvisJL

ElvisJL

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Remaining build plans:

Disclaimer:
I don't have timeline for these mods going in but I do plan on getting everything purchased and installed at the same time, less back and forth to the offroad shop.

I need to sit down with the guys at Tribe 4x4 in North Dallas and discuss these plans in detail.


More lift! Bigger tire! Beadlock wheels! And more!

LIFT:
4.5" long arm kit. (I want the most articulation)
I reached out to Clayton Offroad to ask about a long arm kit and they said they're actively working on one. No mention of projected release date. If it's available when it's time to purchase, I'll look into picking it up as I've been quite happy with my current lift from Clayton.

WHEELS/TIRES:
40" tires
Beadlock wheels

AXLES:
Fusion Elite Kingpin 60 | Elite Full Float 60 w/ brakes (planned right now)
Fusion Elite Kingpin 60 Front Axle Standard Features:

  • 72" width for ideal steering geometry and tire clearance when running 40" tires. Other width available or call for custom width.
  • High clearance center section with custom low profile fabricated differential cover
  • Genuine Made in the USA Spicer® 10.1" (256 mm) ring and pinion gear
  • 1350 Pinion Yoke
  • 3.5" diameter x 7/16" wall axle tubes
  • Lifetime Warranty US Made 35 Spline Chromoly axle shafts with 1480 solid u-joints
  • Massive, race inspired Kingpin inner knuckle Cs and outer knuckles, no ball joints to wear out
  • Fully machined springless steering arm attached with 6 ARP Studs
  • Steering arm upgrades available for full hydro or virtually any application
  • 1/4" plate axle bracketry designed to be the strongest in its class
  • 8 x 6.5 bolt pattern
  • Massive 13.25" brake rotors and dual piston calipers
  • Yukon Hardcore locking hubs
Other available carrier options: Detroit Locker, Grizzly Locker, Spool, Open Carrier.


Fusion Elite 60 Full Float Rear Axle Standard Features


  • 72" width for ideal steering geometry and tire clearance when running 40" tires. Other width options available or call for custom width.
  • Low pinion design for maximum gear strength
  • Genuine Made in the USA Spicer® 9.75" Ring & Pinion
  • 1350 Pinion Yoke
  • 3.5" diameter x 7/16" wall axle tubes
  • Lifetime Warranty US Made 35 Spline dual heat treated Chromoly axle shafts
  • 1/4" plate axle bracketry designed to be the strongest in its class
  • 3/8" plate fabricated diff cover welded inside and out provides maximum protection to the internal parts
  • 8 x 6.5 bolt pattern
  • Big brake kit with dual piston calipers and 13.25" rotors
  • Designed for use with JK parking brake cables (note: some applications may require longer cables from Mopar)
  • Best-in-class OE quality ABS design and integration make these axles plug and play with the Jeep JL
  • Class leading standard JL width of 72", designed for use with 4.75" - 5" backspace wheels

Steering:
Hydro assist

Suspension:
Rock jock anti-rock

Bumpers:
Still haven't decided on what I want to do about front/rear bumper.
Either a poison spyder/LOD front bumper with winch mount.

Thinking about a rear bumper with the tire carrier built into the bumper
 

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UPDATES (long post)

My thoughts...

2020 was one hell of a year for me. I bought the Jeep slightly used and jumped right into a lift, wheels, and tires. With a group of great friends, I had the pleasure of hitting some amazing trails in 5 different states. And to be honest, we're just scraping the surface of adventures in this Jeep.

On the most positive note, I paid the Jeep off last week. No more car payment means more money for mods. I wouldn't be moving forward with the "heavy" mods if I didn't own it.

My initial plan was to build this rig for overlanding because I didn't think I would have the desire to get into heavy offroading. But man was I completely wrong. I didn't think rock crawling would be of interest but as I hit the trails as the "little" guy in the group, the more advanced trails I hit with the "big built guys", the more my plans have grown.

A majority of the guys I wheel with have owned their jeeps longer than I have and therefore their jeeps have more in terms of build. I've referred to myself as the little guy because I have less lift, smaller tires, no reinforced axles, lockers, etc... So far the jeep has done everything I've ever asked of it and I've been quite impressed with its capabilities. I've followed buddies down trails when they're fully locked and here I am stock. It takes me longer and requires more finesse but so far I haven't found its limit. I don't want to be the guy who holds up the group or the guy everyone worries "is he going to break".

So a lot of you may be thinking, "why waste money in parts/components you don't need, especially if you haven't pushed it to it's limit?" And that's a great question that I have an answer to. My jeep is my daily driver and when I drive it to the trail, it needs to be driven home as well. I want that extra piece of mind that I'm not going to break my rig out on the trail which I don't currently have. Allow me to elaborate. I'm well aware that no matter what components I have on my rig, anything could break out on the trail. I'm not ignorant to that. I'm less likely to break something with reinforced components, especially when I don't have a heavy foot and wheel with finesse.

My philosophy is "buy once, cry once" and I'm in a position where I can afford things I couldn't before. Take axles as an example, many people will buy take off d44's and build them up, and then potentially upgrade to 60's or 80's down the road. I'd rather not build axles twice and go straight to the 60's or 80's.

So what's changing? (more on the next post)
I'm going straight to 60's (axles being built now), I had it planned when I decided to buy a Sport. Will be on 37's for now but already looking at 40's down the road. My build is pretty heavy and I want the most dependability I can afford to buy. A lot of people have that "don't upgrade until you break it" mentality and that's fine, but one seventeen mile hike out of the desert at well over 100 degrees when I was younger (because of a Jeep axle broken in half) has taught me I don't want to ever do it again. Sure, there's always a possibility of something breaking but some risk can be mitigated. Where I travel now a vehicle recovery could cost thousands of dollars and me and my wife like to travel alone. We carry enough emergency gear that we could easily survive in the middle of nowhere for quite a while, but it's not something we particularly want to do, so I will continue to try and make my setup as solid as possible (with some overkill).
 

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JimLee

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Remaining build plans:

Disclaimer:
I don't have timeline for these mods going in but I do plan on getting everything purchased and installed at the same time, less back and forth to the offroad shop.

I need to sit down with the guys at Tribe 4x4 in North Dallas and discuss these plans in detail.


More lift! Bigger tire! Beadlock wheels! And more!

LIFT:
4.5" long arm kit. (I want the most articulation)
I reached out to Clayton Offroad to ask about a long arm kit and they said they're actively working on one. No mention of projected release date. If it's available when it's time to purchase, I'll look into picking it up as I've been quite happy with my current lift from Clayton.

WHEELS/TIRES:
40" tires
Beadlock wheels

AXLES:
Fusion Elite Kingpin 60 | Elite Full Float 60 w/ brakes (planned right now)
Fusion Elite Kingpin 60 Front Axle Standard Features:

  • 72" width for ideal steering geometry and tire clearance when running 40" tires. Other width available or call for custom width.
  • High clearance center section with custom low profile fabricated differential cover
  • Genuine Made in the USA Spicer® 10.1" (256 mm) ring and pinion gear
  • 1350 Pinion Yoke
  • 3.5" diameter x 7/16" wall axle tubes
  • Lifetime Warranty US Made 35 Spline Chromoly axle shafts with 1480 solid u-joints
  • Massive, race inspired Kingpin inner knuckle Cs and outer knuckles, no ball joints to wear out
  • Fully machined springless steering arm attached with 6 ARP Studs
  • Steering arm upgrades available for full hydro or virtually any application
  • 1/4" plate axle bracketry designed to be the strongest in its class
  • 8 x 6.5 bolt pattern
  • Massive 13.25" brake rotors and dual piston calipers
  • Yukon Hardcore locking hubs
Other available carrier options: Detroit Locker, Grizzly Locker, Spool, Open Carrier.


Fusion Elite 60 Full Float Rear Axle Standard Features

  • 72" width for ideal steering geometry and tire clearance when running 40" tires. Other width options available or call for custom width.
  • Low pinion design for maximum gear strength
  • Genuine Made in the USA Spicer® 9.75" Ring & Pinion
  • 1350 Pinion Yoke
  • 3.5" diameter x 7/16" wall axle tubes
  • Lifetime Warranty US Made 35 Spline dual heat treated Chromoly axle shafts
  • 1/4" plate axle bracketry designed to be the strongest in its class
  • 3/8" plate fabricated diff cover welded inside and out provides maximum protection to the internal parts
  • 8 x 6.5 bolt pattern
  • Big brake kit with dual piston calipers and 13.25" rotors
  • Designed for use with JK parking brake cables (note: some applications may require longer cables from Mopar)
  • Best-in-class OE quality ABS design and integration make these axles plug and play with the Jeep JL
  • Class leading standard JL width of 72", designed for use with 4.75" - 5" backspace wheels

Steering:
Hydro assist

Suspension:
Rock jock anti-rock

Bumpers:
Still haven't decided on what I want to do about front/rear bumper.
Either a poison spyder/LOD front bumper with winch mount.

Thinking about a rear bumper with the tire carrier built into the bumper
You can skip the front bumper if you want, the Warn winch carrier bolts right up and you can add some recovery points from Evo. I think it looks good, provides just as much coverage as a "shorty" style bumper, and the Warn plate is just as thick and stout as any aftermarket bumper. You just don't get any place to mount fogs with this setup.

Jeep Wrangler JL Elvis JOE TO PRO build. 20190519_180536
 
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ElvisJL

ElvisJL

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Greg
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I'm going straight to 60's (axles being built now), I had it planned when I decided to buy a Sport. Will be on 37's for now but already looking at 40's down the road. My build is pretty heavy and I want the most dependability I can afford to buy. A lot of people have that "don't upgrade until you break it" mentality and that's fine, but one seventeen mile hike out of the desert at well over 100 degrees when I was younger (because of a Jeep axle broken in half) has taught me I don't want to ever do it again. Sure, there's always a possibility of something breaking but some risk can be mitigated. Where I travel now a vehicle recovery could cost thousands of dollars and me and my wife like to travel alone. We carry enough emergency gear that we could easily survive in the middle of nowhere for quite a while, but it's not something we particularly want to do, so I will continue to try and make my setup as solid as possible (with some overkill).
Precisely! I'd rather be safe than sorry and that extra peace of mind goes a long way with me. These axles will more than likely outlast the life of the jeep. If somehow I grenade these axles, it means I'm being extremely careless or doing something wrong.

At first I planned on 37's with D44 take off's but quickly realized I'd want to go bigger, mine as well do it now.

Plus is doesn't help when your wife makes comments like "why is the jeep so small" and "you're going to put bigger tires on it, right?".
 
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ElvisJL

ElvisJL

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Greg
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Vehicle Showcase
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It's been a few months since my last update and I've added a few new things to the Jeep. Starting with some much needed rock sliders from Rusty's, front/rear fender liners & stubby winch bumper from Motobilt, Mopar highline fenders, and the Badlands Apex 12K winch.

Jeep Wrangler JL Elvis JOE TO PRO build. 20210517_193301


20210517_193246.jpg


20210517_193224.jpg


20210517_193150.jpg


20210517_193206.jpg
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