RubiSc0tt's Big Orange Jeep build

[RubiSc0tt]

Ah good old F road. That gatekeeper has gotten me every time. It’s our four-door wheelbase with our crappy break over. There’s one other tough ledge on that trail. It took me a few tries, but I got over. that gatekeeper though I’ve had to winch every time.

Yup! Back in the day I used to walk it w/ my Long Arm TJ on 33's, rear ARB. I got this and got it on 37's and thought it would be easy mode- NOPE.


Another quick update:
Attempting to rebuild the track bar- it had other plans. the Set screws that hold the retainer were rust-welded in place and rounding out. So, I had to drill them out and tap them. Shoved it back in the jeep, torqued it down, and drove it to get the 10-24 tap needed at lunch today. This will be an upcoming weekend day project.

This morning, I took it for inspection: FAILED. The tie rod end is loose. I never would have found that out if they didn't fully lift it off the ground. Thankfully, Rock Auto is going to Warranty it for me. That's the Mevotec TTX one installed in fall of 2024, and it will be here Wednesday, and installed by the weekend, ready to try again next week.

When it rains, it pours.

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[RubiSc0tt]

Well friends, the time has come. This will be the last update on the Big Orange Jeep.

We got out on the same loop we did last year around this time. It was good, 20ish miles off road with the same pavement connector.

The wobble was getting worse and I did some investigation. Turns out the frame side track bar mount was ovaled out. So I ordered and installed the Barnes 4WD reinforcement bracket. Hit it with POR15 and black Rustoleum. Thing is BEEFY. Pretty much solved it.

Sadly, that wasn’t the only issue. With the clutch making it harder to put in gear, and the lifter tick getting louder, I had some decisions to make. My shop talked to several clutch Vendors and based on their experience with Aftermarket Clutches and the JL's, it seemed like McLeod was the way to go. The problem is, McLeod seems to think (based on their data and the trends they're seeing) that people running sub optimal gearing with large tires are prone to repeated early clutch failure due to excess slippage. So if I do the clutch, I also have to do the gears. Both of us were skeptical, but it was the best answer we had at the time. So I had some math to do: Would it be worth spending money on the clutch, gearing, eventual engine work, plus the various updates and upgrades to fix other things (powder coating bumpers, new tire carrier, replacing the rest of the beat Mopar control arms with RK units)?

I had a very frank conversation with my shop. Asked them: if I do the engine and clutch/ gearing work now, can I get 2-3 years from it with no major issues. They said I would be pushing my luck. So, that was it. It was time to start shopping. I had been shopping on and off but it was time time to start shopping more seriously. I reached out to a bunch of dealers, got a few solid offers back, and eventually settled on one. More on that at the end.

Overall, I'm satisfied with the Big Orange Jeep. If life was different, I probably would have kept it and just bought a daily driver, then engine swapped it. But that's at least $18-20k in parts I don't have and at least hundreds of hours in a shop I don't have doing work I'm not really qualified for. If I had to do it over, I would probably order the cold weather package, and keep it stock for longer, or maybe just not play as hard with it. I learned a lot about the JLUR platform and still can't believe how capable it is for the work put in to it- a 2.5" lift and 37" tires will pretty much get you anywhere outside comp courses and King of the Hammers type trails and you can still drive it on the highway pretty easily. That's a win. My only regret is that I went with arguably the worst drivetrain for what I had planned for it- but i didn't know that back in 2018. It's still my favorite color though.

Next up: 2022 392XR in Sarge Green. Here's a preview. I'll have more when I do eventually start a build.

 

[Roky]

Well friends, the time has come. This will be the last update on the Big Orange Jeep.

We got out on the same loop we did last year around this time. It was good, 20ish miles off road with the same pavement connector.

The wobble was getting worse and I did some investigation. Turns out the frame side track bar mount was ovaled out. So I ordered and installed the Barnes 4WD reinforcement bracket. Hit it with POR15 and black Rustoleum. Thing is BEEFY. Pretty much solved it.

Sadly, that wasn’t the only issue. With the clutch making it harder to put in gear, and the lifter tick getting louder, I had some decisions to make. My shop talked to several clutch Vendors and based on their experience with Aftermarket Clutches and the JL's, it seemed like McLeod was the way to go. The problem is, McLeod seems to think (based on their data and the trends they're seeing) that people running sub optimal gearing with large tires are prone to repeated early clutch failure due to excess slippage. So if I do the clutch, I also have to do the gears. Both of us were skeptical, but it was the best answer we had at the time. So I had some math to do: Would it be worth spending money on the clutch, gearing, eventual engine work, plus the various updates and upgrades to fix other things (powder coating bumpers, new tire carrier, replacing the rest of the beat Mopar control arms with RK units)?

I had a very frank conversation with my shop. Asked them: if I do the engine and clutch/ gearing work now, can I get 2-3 years from it with no major issues. They said I would be pushing my luck. So, that was it. It was time to start shopping. I had been shopping on and off but it was time time to start shopping more seriously. I reached out to a bunch of dealers, got a few solid offers back, and eventually settled on one. More on that at the end.

Overall, I'm satisfied with the Big Orange Jeep. If life was different, I probably would have kept it and just bought a daily driver, then engine swapped it. But that's at least $18-20k in parts I don't have and at least hundreds of hours in a shop I don't have doing work I'm not really qualified for. If I had to do it over, I would probably order the cold weather package, and keep it stock for longer, or maybe just not play as hard with it. I learned a lot about the JLUR platform and still can't believe how capable it is for the work put in to it- a 2.5" lift and 37" tires will pretty much get you anywhere outside comp courses and King of the Hammers type trails and you can still drive it on the highway pretty easily. That's a win. My only regret is that I went with arguably the worst drivetrain for what I had planned for it- but i didn't know that back in 2018. It's still my favorite color though.

Next up: 2022 392XR in Sarge Green. Here's a preview. I'll have more when I do eventually start a build.

Man, I’m glad this turned out to be a “ I’m moving on to a newer Jeep “ rather than “ I just can’t take it anymore, I’m getting a bronco “ post…. I look forward to following your new project brother, congrats….

 

[RubiSc0tt]

Look, I ain’t gonna spend MY money on a Bronco, nor will I get rid of my Jeep for one. However, if Ford was like “here is a Free Bronco”, I’d drive it. But just to keep the miles off the 392 . We save the real work and adventure for the Jeep in this house.

Thanks, my friend. Loving it so far. Trying to get all the parts I saved bolted on bit by bit, and figure out which new ones I have to order. I’ll have a build thread up with some pictures and details eventually.

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