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Ethan's Silver JLUR Build -- with fabrication involved

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Ethan

Ethan

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Not sure if you addressed it but, on the 3.5 Mc lift , I’m in same boat waiting on shocks, did you go with extensions temporally or ?
My shocks showed up today! If I'm lucky and have time I'll be able to install them this weekend. They look like your average OEM shock. Hopefully they'll perform better than they look.... I would expect them to compete with Rancho or Bilstein.
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JeepsterMac

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Very nice! Any photos of the rear bumper and how it goes around the to the fender?

-Scott
 

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My shocks showed up today! If I'm lucky and have time I'll be able to install them this weekend. They look like your average OEM shock. Hopefully they'll perform better than they look.... I would expect them to compete with Rancho or Bilstein.

Nice yea I talked with them today, semi good news, my rear arms ,the spuds, are still 1-2 weeks out
 

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AlrightAlready

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I love some weld porn. Looking forward to seeing your interior layout for the camping/sleeping!
 
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Ethan

Ethan

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I haven't had much time for wrenching lately and my date with Dusy Ershim Trail is coming up fast!

-Replaced squished OEM steering stabilizer with a Fox ATS unit in a high mount situation.
-Installed Mountain Off Road evap canister skid.
-Installed Motobilt diff covers, as my OEM units were wearing thin on the bottom.... The rear was the worst.
-Installed a new set of custom Artec 1/4" belly pans.
-Replaced the crappy OEM lug nuts that got squished by rock rubs and made it a chore to remove the wheels. If you don't go off road I'm sure the OEM lug nuts are fine, but they have a squishy sheet metal overlay that balloons and smears when making out with rocks....
-Installed Mountain Off Road dead pedal. Had one in my JK, it's nice to be able to brace yourself sometimes, though my left foot is mostly on the brake when crawling these days...

I did manage to find a perfect used Fox ATS stabilizer for $250 and get it installed. I used a combination of Fox and Teraflex parts to make it happen. The only real fab I had to do was bore out the bushings on the heim end to fit the Teraflex shoulder bolt (stacks the stabilizer mount on top of the axle side track bar mount). Here is what it looks like:
IMG_5418.jpg
IMG_5419.jpg


And here is the evap skid. This is pretty darn straightforward. They did a nice job on the fab. My only gripe is that the cross member its mounted to isn't the most solid thing.... Bottom line is that if a rock jammed up there the Evap can would survive, but the cross members factory nutserts may tweak. See below:
IMG_5427.jpg
Evap canister.


IMG_5428.jpg

Evap protected.


Moto Bilt diff covers are nice and beefy, though the spatter on the inside was concerning. If you buy these ($99) each, take the time and clean off the spatter, as you wouldn't want little hard steel BB's meshing with your gears... I wire brushed the majority, sanded the tough ones, and then powder coated both sides. I also debadged the covers as I din't want rust puking out from under the badges. See below:
IMG_5431.jpg
Here you can see what Sierra granite does to stamped sheet metal.


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Wear had actually started to compromise the reusable diff cover gasket, but I put a stop to it in time.


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Here is one of the bottom bolts.


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Pretty shiny things.


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Unacceptable spatter.


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More of same.


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Mostly cleaned up.


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Powder coated and mounted. That should help. Notice the nifty locker wiring connector shield on the top right.


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Dead pedal.

IMG_5425.jpg

And here's where I put my 10lb CO2 bottle and one of my Halotron Fire Extinguishers. With 37x12.5R17 Cooper STT Pro's, I got 16 tire fills from 12psi to about 33psi from one 10lb bottle... I have a bottle exchange arrangement with my welding supply store and it costs about $15 per exchange.

That's all for now. We'll be hitting the Dusy from October 10-15. There are two Jeeps going. If you want to come, let me know.
 

Mud2Sno

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Ethan, Have you tested out the sliders on the rocks yet? I am looking into making some for mine and could use and feedback from your awesome design!
 

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-Replaced the crappy OEM lug nuts that got squished by rock rubs and made it a chore to remove the wheels. If you don't go off road I'm sure the OEM lug nuts are fine, but they have a squishy sheet metal overlay that balloons and smears when making out with rocks....
Just curious what replacement lug nuts you went with? I had the same problem with the factory units after our Rubicon trip back in early July... Had a heck of a time when it was time to rotate the tires last month :no:
 

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Shackle mounts go though the bumper and weld to the frame mount brackets as well.
Can you elaborate on the shackle mounts? Did you carve them out of 1" plate? Any insight as to how you welded them to the frame brackets? You said you used stainless on the bottom of bumper correct? Did you just weld that to the plain steel? Thanks
 

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Ok, speaking of the Dusy, I have a list of jobs to complete. I'll share it here and then update as I go.

My girlfriend, Jenn, wants to remove the rear seats, pack everything low, strip down our camp kitchen (which takes up more room than anything), and then sleep in the Jeep rather than our tent. We're both shorties at 5'-8"-ish, so it seems feasible. She said it will keep our center of gravity lower, reduce weight, and sleeping inside will be warmer at the end of September..... She's been thinking about this more than I. What a woman!

Tasks:
-Fabricate a new high mount steering stabilizer.
-Fabricate skids for all bashable control arm mounts, axle side and frame.
-Reinforce the factory FAD skid.
-Fix and reinforce diff covers. The rear is seriously warn down, as much as half way through the lower bolt heads. I'll post pix later. The fix will be easy. I'll just add some metal like you see on heavy equipment buckets.
-Powder coat & install new custom 1/4" thick Artec steel belly pans.
-Rebuild the OEM trans cross member.
-Finish swing out tire carrier.
-Finish front bumper.
-Make a floor panel where the rear seats are. Maybe even strip-out the carpet? Hmmmm...
-Mount my other set of Rigid cube lights up on the hood cowl.

I think that's it....
And it gives you a chance to put that “if the Jeeps a rockin, don’t come a knocking” sticker on that baby!
 
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Ethan

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Ethan, Have you tested out the sliders on the rocks yet? I am looking into making some for mine and could use and feedback from your awesome design!
Oh yeah, I have tested them and they work like a charm! I've done the old drop onto a rock ledge thing a few times and used them to pivot around countless obstacles. They have been on the Rubicon Trail, Barrett Lake Trail, Sierra Buttes and down through the Gold Lake OHV area.... I wouldn't change a thing about them. We're hitting Dusy Ershim Trail next Wednesday.
 
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Ethan

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Just curious what replacement lug nuts you went with? I had the same problem with the factory units after our Rubicon trip back in early July... Had a heck of a time when it was time to rotate the tires last month :no:
I went with some offshore brand from Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076P5VQGK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I"m installing a set of UD60's in a few months so I went cheap. They work perfectly.

Edit: I forgot to get enough lug nuts for the spare too! Don't make my mistake...
 
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Ethan

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Can you elaborate on the shackle mounts? Did you carve them out of 1" plate? Any insight as to how you welded them to the frame brackets? You said you used stainless on the bottom of bumper correct? Did you just weld that to the plain steel? Thanks
I fabricated them form 1"x2-1/2" Hot Rolled Flat Bar. I simply cut 45˙ angles to the exposed side and drilled 1" holes. And yes, they go through the bumper and to the frame mount flanges and got welded to in multiple spots. The only way they're coming off is if the frame tears off...

And yes, I plated the 45˙ cut on the bottom edge of the bumper with 1/4" 304 Stainless plate. The 45˙ outside corners are also plated in stainless because, in my experience, the corners see the most rock rash. It's common practice to weld stainless onto mild steel with stainless wire. If you are using 304SS you use any higher grade stainless wire, i.e, 308, 316, or 317L... Any of those fillers will do. I TIG weld pretty much everything, but the same theory applies to MIG.

Good luck on your build!
 

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Thanks for the info. Got me thinking now maybe just make the bumper out of stainless and not paint it, just leave it satin finish. Maybe have the center section plain steel for strength and ease of fabrication/drilling but plate the exterior in stainless.
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