2021 JLUR Diesel Build (10 years+)

[PhoenixM3]

Sharp! For stock height, I don’t need the fancy one. Doesnt mean I don’t want it. Which brand? Thanks!

Ha, I guess I responded to the wrong photo. I was referring to your hitch.

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[Extremneon]

PRP seats are on order.

I went ahead and got them with front and rear heating elements with hopes of getting them to work properly with the OEM buttons, guess we will see. All the Motobilt seat brackets have been powder coated to match the cage and ready to go in the Jeep with the seats. I also had all the brackets with Next Venture Motorsports skids powder coated to match.

Now looking at boosting the steering of the Jeep. The steering was struggling when backing the boat into the driveway. Especially with needing to cut the wheel while stopped on pavement.

Full PSC or Apex and Redneck ram?

my goals is to go full width aftermarket axles and larger tire (40”+) down the road. I also have all double throwdown kit and rear coilovers just sitting in the garage once I get the time and long arm kit ordered and get everything cut off and welded on.

 

[Extremneon]

Been also buying parts for the second money pit, Yamaha boat.

All new rims and tires with two spares, NOCO battery charger and jump box, covers, LED trailer taillights (match the Jeep), Slick Stick guide ons, Lowrance HDS 9 with ram mount, Thrust vectors and Lateral Vectors, bushings, plugs and oil and just random maintenance stuff.

 

[Extremneon]

Hopefully will have some new updates soon with the PRP seats in the Jeep. Coming up on 7 weeks since I order them.

 

[Tredsdert]

Hello,

My name is Joe Roberts and live in Montgomery, Alabama. I purchased a 2021 Jeep Rubicon JL from a dealership in North Carolina with the diesel motor In December 2020, with the intension of modifying it over the long term (10 years+) for my son (currently 5 YOA). With the sole purpose so we can work on it together over the years and hopefully he can have it when he starts driving.

This is bold statement coming from a person who has done nothing but buy and sell muptible vehicles over the years. I have owned and worked on tons of things from Mustangs, Vipers, GTR, Hellcats, CTSV, Raptors, Corvettes, etc.. and now this is my 5th Jeep. I have owned 1984 CJ7, 1993 Jeep YJ, 2013 Jeep Jk, 2016 Jeep Jk and now this 2021 Jeep JL. I have modified all the Jeeps except the 2013 Jeep Rubicon 10th Anniversary I had.

So I have started this thread to have over the years and hopefully one day have the privilege of given it to my son and hopefully in still the same love I have for all things automotive. My enjoyment or hobby is the modification of the vehicle, the time researching and working on it in the garage. The interest it brings from others when they see it and looks its brings from something that is just unique and sometimes over the top.

I have never been big in actually offroad driving, mudding or rock crawling etc... to be honest. I think the Starbuck drive-thru jokes are funny and Mall Crawler etc.. Maybe that is something that can change for me over this build and I can make more of commitment to use the Jeep more for what it is built for.

So with that said, here is my Jeep that I purchased back on December 2020..

Doesn't look like this today.. lol.. Started modifying it from the very start.

Not to give away all my greatest ideas, but the Cummins 5.9L diesel (the famous million mile engine) will fit inside a JLU engine bay. It's something I plan on installing in my JLUWSD after my 3.0 craps out.

Cummins 5.9L JKU

(Video credit to the poster of linked video)

I saw another video of a different guy installing one in his JK on some other non YouTube website. It was a tight squeeze, but he made it fit. The JKU is smaller than the JLU, less wide. So I have to imagine the engine bay on the JLU is bigger or at minimum the same size. Let's just hope I can still find them in junk yards or be lucky enough that Cummins is still making their rebuilt 5.9L's. Which by the way you can order from any Mopar dealership. Not sure the cost, but it's a rebuilt (like new) engine and it will last you FOREVER, what more can you want?

Btw, can't wait to see more of your build as it progresses. You got a sub from me!

 

[Extremneon]

Not to give away all my greatest ideas, but the Cummins 5.9L diesel (the famous million mile engine) will fit inside a JLU engine bay. It's something I plan on installing in my JLUWSD after my 3.0 craps out.

Cummins 5.9L JKU

(Video credit to the poster of linked video)

I saw another video of a different guy installing one in his JK on some other non YouTube website. It was a tight squeeze, but he made it fit. The JKU is smaller than the JLU, less wide. So I have to imagine the engine bay on the JLU is bigger or at minimum the same size. Let's just hope I can still find them in junk yards or be lucky enough that Cummins is still making their rebuilt 5.9L's. Which by the way you can order from any Mopar dealership. Not sure the cost, but it's a rebuilt (like new) engine and it will last you FOREVER, what more can you want?

Btw, can't wait to see more of your build as it progresses. You got a sub from me!

That sounds like great upgrade in the future, I am definitely going to check it out!

 

[Extremneon]

PRP seats are in..

now need to find out how to disable the air bag lights.. lol

started assembling Motobilt seat brackets for the seats and hopefully will get the stock front seats pulled out and workin on the wiring for the heating elements and lights on the dash.

 

[Tredsdert]

PRP seats are in..

now need to find out how to disable the air bag lights.. lol

started assembling Motobilt seat brackets for the seats and hopefully will get the stock front seats pulled out and workin on the wiring for the heating elements and lights on the dash.

Dang guy, looks like you have pretty much the same ideas I do for my Wranglers goals. Any chance you can post a link to where you got these seats?

I take it you plan on putting in a five point harness?

I'm going to do this too at some point down the road, just right now my finances are needed on other things for the time being.

Currently I have my driver's seat belt completely disabled, minus all the safety features which I couldn't disable from the JL's computer without disabling the airbag system. If you don't mind The dash telling you the airbag is disabled at all times. Then technically you can just unplug the safety switches from underneath the seat and your airbag will be disabled, I'm not sure if there are any long-term issues with doing that. I would highly recommend you disconnect both batteries assuming you have an auxiliary battery before you start taking apart your seat belt. If only because there is a shotgun style charge on the lap belt portion of the OEM front seat belts. It's purpose is to eject a steel cable backwards in the event of an accident thus tightening your lap belt. Right now I just have mine facing backwards and don't have a back seat or really anything in the back, so in the event of an accident mine would definitely enact and I might scratch up the paint and mess up some plastic trim, but no one would be hurt. Definitely make sure you remove that. Otherwise you're basically going to be shooting a shotgun cable towards your rear passengers feet. Not a great idea unless you don't like your rear passengers.

I kind of wonder if the taser JL doesn't have a airbag disabled feature somewhere on it. If not I would have to assume you're going to need to do a tune to the PCM to get rid of the airbag off warning you'll see on the dash every time you start it and constantly while driving it.

Loving the thread already!

 

[Tpsillos]

wonderful build! Thoughts on adding a muffler or do you like the way it sounds with just a resonator?

 

[Tredsdert]

wonderful build! Thoughts on adding a muffler or do you like the way it sounds with just a resonator?

Not to take over the spotlight, but I removed the muffler on my 3.0 diesel and it didn't really make a lot of difference.

At least until I removed the tub in the back. Once I remove that I guess there was a bunch of sound bouncing around down there that never made it upwards, and though it's not any louder I can actually hear it a little more than I did with the tub in place.

However the second I cover that hole up there goes the sound again.

Honestly I think the only way you can make these 3.0 diesels sound any better, is to do a DEF and EGR delete style straight pipe. And even then the Ram 1500s I've seen who've done that are not particularly loud either.

My ultimate opinion on how to make these 3.0 diesels louder and or better sounding is through upgrading a lot of the parts that most people wouldn't do on a smaller diesel. Put a better turbo on there, start putting serious work into the engine, put a solid cold air intake, and honestly put a exhaust right out through the hood. If you did that, you could definitely make them sound a whole lot better, I'm not sure it would necessarily make it last any longer, but I also don't think really anybody but maybe a select handful of people would even think about doing that. You'd almost be better off just dropping in a different engine.

 

[Tpsillos]

It’s pretty load at WOT with this exhaust kit he is running, I’ve been thinking hard about adding a muffler to mine. Also have the AFE stuff which makes that turbo sing(which I don’t mind a bit). It just sounds like a 3.0 and after owning several straight pipe Cummins it’s not really what I was expecting for some reason lol.

 

[Extremneon]

wonderful build! Thoughts on adding a muffler or do you like the way it sounds with just a resonator?

I like the way it sounds.

I also have a cold air intake and charge pipes and it made huge difference on the way it sounds also from the outside.

I have been tackling the seats today and welded in some new brackets to support the cage to the B-pillars. I noticed with the B-pillar chop I lost a lot of structural support it had and noticed the whole B-pillar twisting when opening and closing the full doors. Figured the tabs welded to the B-pillars and then to cage it would keep them straight and stop twisting.

I plan to take it and have it all painted back Firecracker Red, but to be honest you will never see it behind the plastic interior trim. As long as it keeps rust away it will be good.

I also have the seats pulled out and now looking at the best way to wire up the heated seat elements in the PRP seats. The harness has probably 10 wires in it and have no clues which run the OEM heated seats currently.

I also started pulling the seat belts and the tensioners and need to see if there is way to get the lights on the dash to turn off with resistors or modifications with JSCAN.

 

[Tpsillos]

I love the way it sounds at idle!

Those a some good looking welds! A lot harder welding off the table.

 

[Extremneon]

I love the way it sounds at idle!

Those a some good looking welds! A lot harder welding off the table.

Thanks, was a pretty tight space to get too.

 

[Tpsillos]

Thanks, was a pretty tight space to get too.

Be careful, the auto darkening hood will blind you if it catches a shadow!

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