Manual 2 Door Rubicon Bikini Build

[RubiSc0tt]

Fantastic build. I love it so far. The stance, the colors, the thought and effort put into it.

I had an RK XFactor long arm on my '98TJ, I will be going for the 2.5" RK Kit and 37's on my JLUR, and eventually upgrade to the full long arm. I saw Diezel when the LItebrite gang came to RK's shop and did a Meet and greet. I've known Jeremy at RK for a long time now, as he is involved with the local off road community here. Great company, great products, great people. He spoke highly of Diezel (and Kevin and Brittany as well). You can't go wrong with RK.

One question: Where did you find the skid that protects the swaybar disconnect motor? I've been looking for one but have had no success.

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[Creeker]

RubiSc0tt,
Thx for the kind words.

The front skid was purchased from Extreme Terrain. Part number J123338-JL.
I like the front skid as it appears to be really heavy duty. Have not tested it yet.

It is likely that front skid will be removed once the Artec front bumper with skid plate gets back from powder coat.

 

[Creeker]

Getting in shape for ski season... My son skis for a university.
Moved the boat from the car port next to the lake to the boat ramp.

The Jeep did a good job, backing the trailer down to the ski lake
Don't think I would try towing the boat on a public road.

 

[Creeker]

The Artec bumpers Diezel ordered for me came arrived.
The front and rear Artec liners also arrived.
The rear liners had to be trimmed to around the RK rear shock brackets.
Here are the parts being prepped at the Powder Coat place, AmeriCoat.

When with Satin type black powder coat.
Some accent pieces will have a different color...
More on that later.
The parts should be coated soon. :D

 

[JPAloha]

Looking good - nice to see another Bikini going down the “pretty yet purposeful” route.

 

[Creeker]

BikiniJLR,
Thx for the kind words.

The Artec Bumpers and Fender Liners are back from powdercoat.
Hope to get some of those items installed this weekend...

Installed the left rear fender liners along with American Adventure Lab's fender retention kit.

So far so good. Just three more fenders to go...

 

[Krondor]

Fantastic build.

Loving some of the work you have done and look forward to following along.

 

[Creeker]

Krondor,

Thx for the kind words.

Installed the passenger side rear Artec fender liner.

Used all stainless steel fasteners and washers along with blue Loctite
Also installed the AAL fender retaining clips.
When using both Artec and AAL stuff, carefully map out which holes are for what.
Some holes in the body are for both Artec liners and the AAL retainers. Those holes don't get the nutserts.

Once again, Diezel really recommended the right stuff.
Rock solid liners, no vibrations, no noise from the liners. :D

Next, Artex rear bumper and Rough Country license plate relocation bracket.

 

[Creeker]

Had time to work on the Artec rear bumper.
Like most Jeep projects, when they say 1-2 hours, they mean all day for us armatures.

Removing the bumper is straight forward.
If you have the sensors in the OEM bumper, then the old bumper has to be gutted to get those sensors out.

The instructions from Artec are pretty good, so no need to repeat stuff here.
A couple of lessons learned.
Use painters tape to protect the Jeep's paint when installing the bumper.
When tightening up the last 14 mm bolt, the nut inside the frame came loose.
After removing the bumper, this is what was discovered.

Seems that those nuts are just pressed into the frame.
Nothing a few tack welds cannot fix.

Did all the 14mm nuts on both sides and the 1/2" ones from Artec.

Anyway, recommend adding tack welds to hold the 14mm nuts onto the frame and then adding a little rattle can paint.

Other tips, make sure all the sensors are fully seated into their housings and make sure none of the sensor wires get pinched when installing the bumper.

Really pleased with the results.

One thing I really like about the Artec rear bumper is how well the corners of the Jeep are protected.

The body seam of the Jeep is a known weak point.

Next, the license bracket with light.

 

[Krondor]

Had time to work on the Artec rear bumper.
Like most Jeep projects, when they say 1-2 hours, they mean all day us armatures.

Truth.

I really like Artec's offerings. If I start rubbing I might have to go there. MetalCloak's are $730 while Artec are still a bit spendy at "only" $500... What I really like is their aluminum skids and truss setup. I'm a bit interested but worry about deformation and other issues if the welding isn't done right.

 

[Creeker]

Went to the Ski Lake.
The owner of the property said it was OK to play on his rock pile.

The Jeep did well for its first off road adventure.
Learned a couple of things, like 5.13 gears are definitely a need for a future protect.

 

[Creeker]

Krondor,

Here is some additional information Diezel posted regarding the Artec Skids and the Artec Truss Systems.

 

[SteadyC]

The body seam of the Jeep is a known weak point.

I installed this before replacing the rear bumper to add protection for the seam, just FYI.
https://www.rustysoffroad.com/rusty-s-rear-fascia-cover-kit-jl-wrangler.html

 

[Creeker]

SteadyC

The Rusty's system looks great.
If I somehow manage to bang up the seam, that will definitely be the fix!

 

[Krondor]

Krondor,

Here is some additional information Diezel posted regarding the Artec Skids and the Artec Truss Systems.

That’s a lot of work put into that system. Look forward to reviews as you go. What did the skids add in weight when done modifying them?

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