'22 JLR 2.0T build progress/wheeling thread

[Remorseless]

For other curious about the install of the Shrockworks sliders, got these instructions (they're not posted online anywhere I could find, so did some digging and found them).

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[GATORB8]

Yep, Rusty's frame-side rear LCA skid. Stout piece, but haven't touched it yet lol. I whacked that spot on the JK a fair number of times, but haven't touched it on the JL at all yet. Either it's due to the slightly different lines I've been running/obstacles I've been avoiding due to stockliness or it's some difference in location/wheelbase/etc between the JK and JL. Stout piece though, looked and felt high quality.

Just some extra backup on skidding the LCA uppers (which I installed after seeing them here), your probably fine stock from a direct hit from below, but my passenger Upper mount got hit from the side, I would assume from my rear tire sliding off a rock, and significantly bent both ears toward the center of the Jeep.

 

[STW]

For other curious about the install of the Shrockworks sliders, got these instructions (they're not posted online anywhere I could find, so did some digging and found them).

Good find. Those are the instructions that come in the box from Shrockworks.

...I might consider drilling a hole in the front passenger mount and seeing if I can get a bolt or self-tapping screw in there that isn't holding the mount via a slotted hole.

I was thinking the same thing as I got a good look at it posting the photo.

 

[Remorseless]

Well, last trip of the season is in the books. Rained the whole drive there, and the whole time we were on the trails, but of course cleared up for the drive home. That being said, very few photos or videos due to not wanting to be out in the wet. We ran Dutch John > Slab Pile > Rocky Mountain Loop > Sawmill > Wolf's Den > Falls Dam > Dickey Bell. Rocky Mountain Loop and Dickey Bell were quite slick and chewed up, with very limited traction.

Might be a little low res, but this video shot by my wheeling buddy on Rocky Mountain Loop shows the kind of slick we're talking about, lots of sliding sideways whenever you'd try and climb a rock because there's simply no traction to be had.

This spot on RML was a good traffic jam. Two Broncos on KO2s were struggling to get up this section and kept sliding sideways towards a tree (narrower Jeeps FTW).

The TJ in front of me there was on 31" KOs and it was this guy's second time ever being off road and watching these Broncos struggle with lockers and bigger tires, he thought there was no way in hell he was going to make it and I could tell he was super nervous. This trail is well within the capabilities of his Jeep, RML isn't hard, but the sloppiness and intimidation factor were getting to him. It was a good opportunity to give him some advice on how to handle his Jeep on this kind of wet trail day. Felt good to pay it forward and help him build confidence, everyone was new at some point and hopefully he'll do the same in the future. Great reminder to lend a helping hand if you can.

Other than RML being sloppy, Dickey Bell was too. No pics here, was raining again, but this was probably the most time I've spent struggling on Dickey Bell in years. My buddy's JKU is open/open and we sent him up the climb first in case I needed a tug up - hubris does not allow me to take the bypass, though perhaps I should have ignored my ego this weekend. Anyway, it took a lot of work to get his JKU up the hill without lockers in the wet, despite having a decently flexy 4" lift on 35s. The little JLR, even with lockers just didn't have enough clearance to deal with suboptimal lines caused by sliding off of rocks. All 4 wheels spinning against rocks simply resulted in sideways movement and lots of hard hits, including the below:

Finally got the steering stabilizer! Looks like tie rod is fine, was a glancing blow, but will be keeping an eye on it. Also, finally got the frame-side rear LCA skids, was starting to wonder if I'd actually needed them, and yes, I was very glad to hit them. The bottom picture is a little shitty, but one of those hits put a divot in that 1/4" plate between a 16th and an 8th deep. It would have been very unkind to the thin stock bracket.

Anyway, we did eventually conquer the hill with the stock JLR, but it did not come easily. I spent a LOT of time on the MORE gas tank skid. Very glad to have had that as well. As I said, I probably should have taken the bypass, but I never have before, and ego dictated that I did not this weekend. It was very, very slick and chewed up for a stock Jeep.

Thankfully, that stockness is going to be going away soon. Prior to this trip I did get some orders in to start accumulating parts. The following is what's been ordered, hopefully all arriving soon:

• @JKS Manufacturing 3" JL 2 door lift, standard rate coils, Fox 2.5 DSC, Fox ATS stabilizer, fixed length arms
  • Simplicity and low maintenance are a must for me, and this lift fits the bill properly
  • I waffled hard between the Fox ATS and Falcon 2.2 stabilizers, but with the sale that JKS is putting on it made it an easy decision for me. The Fox stabilizer is going in the stock location, which may end up meaning it gets hit. If it does, I'll relocate it, but hopefully a few extra inches of clearance at the axle mades a difference.
• Mopar steel knuckles
• Dynatrac ball joints
• @TeraFlex tire carrier, trackbar bracket, and progressive bump stops
  • I ran the JK version of the speedbumps for years and enjoyed them, but just not the form factor. I managed to get one of the speedbumps stuck in the collapsed position after a particularly gnarly hit in one of Uwharrie's many pot holes on the main gravel road, which can get pretty big. Replacing that was a chore. I'm hoping for similar performance with less install/removal hassle with the standard form factor progressive bumps.
  • The JK hinged carrier was phenomenal, and I expect good things out of the JL adjustable carrier. Hopefully the Mopar reinforcement stands up, but if not, will without hesitation run the Teraflex reinforcement.
• @RanchoShocks e-brake bracket
  • Small part, nothing exciting, just a really nice touch to be able to positively locate the e-brake lines after routing them under the rear crossmember

Also a huge shoutout to @Northridge4x4 - ordered on Thursday and delivered on Saturday:

After the holidays, the next round of purchases should be:

• KMC Riot beadlocks
  • I'm torn on offset - 17x8.5 will give 0 offset which will be easier on the steering, but is looking to have spotty availability. 17x9s are -12 offset, which pokes out a little more than I prefer. We will see when the time comes which way I go.
• General Grabber X3s in 37x12.5
  • Have run BFGs the majority of the time on my Jeeps, and they've always been decent tires (though I will never run KO2s again due to wet performance issues with clay), but want to try a new tire. These have my interest and will give them a go first.
• Rancho rear adjustable track bar
• Teraflex brake line anchors
• ECRI
  • With these last 3 items, Jeep should be all set to install the suspension and tires and be on the trail by spring, barring any availability delays. I am still planning a winch, the Shrockworks rails, and a lower profile exhaust, but they aren't critical to getting the Jeep back out to Uwharrie.

Anyway, until parts finish coming in and I can order the rest of it in the new year, I'll just be waiting and thinking about building it...

 

[Krondor]

I know you will like the JKS springs and Fox DSC combo!

I'm jealous of the money you saved! Could have used the $600 to justify the Fox stabilizer and steel knuckles (still on the list).

The e-brake bracket was super simple and something I should have done a lot sooner. Given the stretch they were getting on the MC suspension, I'm really kicking myself for missing it. I'm not going to have the legs I use to have, but at least this will help the rear quite a bit.

Really look forward to your thoughts after putting it all together.

 

[RanchoShocks]

Such a nice little piece that just works!!!

@RanchoShocks e-brake bracket

• Small part, nothing exciting, just a really nice touch to be able to positively locate the e-brake lines after routing them under the rear crossmembe

 

[Remorseless]

I know you will like the JKS springs and Fox DSC combo!

I'm jealous of the money you saved! Could have used the $600 to justify the Fox stabilizer and steel knuckles (still on the list).

The e-brake bracket was super simple and something I should have done a lot sooner. Given the stretch they were getting on the MC suspension, I'm really kicking myself for missing it. I'm not going to have the legs I use to have, but at least this will help the rear quite a bit.

Really look forward to your thoughts after putting it all together.

Yeah, I'm really looking forward to that combo of spring and shock, and fiddling with the adjusters. Every weekend we've been out I've missed having better controlled damping. The stock Rubi shocks fade pretty quick and it's hard for me to keep up with my buddy on Fox 2.0s.

And yeah, that e-brake bracket is such a little thing, but very nice. With the JK it always seemed odd to just have the lines loose under the crossmember.

 

[Remorseless]

Ball joints showed up!

Dynatrac's ball joints were one of the best things I ever put into my JK build and they're one thing I knew I absolutely would be putting into the JL build. With the JK, I went through 3 or 4 different sets of ball joints in roughly 30k miles. The Dynatrac set went in and lasted over 70k miles without needing rebuilt and completely solved my steering shimmies. Once the Mopar steel knuckles show up, these alongside the knuckles and tire carrier will go on the planning board for install days.

 

[yokramer]

Ok so I got ~$330 from the boneyard for the Xterra, thinking of spending it towards some under body protection. What do you hit the most out at URE in the stock JL? Gonna be a minute before a lift is in the picture.

 

[Philly_]

Ok so I got ~$330 from the boneyard for the Xterra, thinking of spending it towards some under body protection. What do you hit the most out at URE in the stock JL? Gonna be a minute before a lift is in the picture.

Stock skids do okay for the most part, but they leave out the oil pan. What I hit the most are the rear lower control arm/shock brackets so I recommend skids for those at a minimum.

Doesn’t hurt to cover differentials either.

 

[Remorseless]

Ok so I got ~$330 from the boneyard for the Xterra, thinking of spending it towards some under body protection. What do you hit the most out at URE in the stock JL? Gonna be a minute before a lift is in the picture.

Things I hit most that aren't covered by a factory skid are, in order from most often to least often, the rear diff skid, front diff skid, engine skid, axle-side LCA/shock skid. With the stock 285/70/17 tires, the diffs are really low, and the engine/trans pans are pretty exposed at stock suspension height. The diffs and engine skids are the most important, for the lines I'm taking anyway.

Stock skids do okay for the most part, but they leave out the oil pan. What I hit the most are the rear lower control arm/shock brackets so I recommend skids for those at a minimum.

Doesn’t hurt to cover differentials either.

Interesting, I hit those way less than my diff skids lol.

 

[Philly_]

Things I hit most that aren't covered by a factory skid are, in order from most often to least often, the rear diff skid, front diff skid, engine skid, axle-side LCA/shock skid. With the stock 285/70/17 tires, the diffs are really low, and the engine/trans pans are pretty exposed at stock suspension height. The diffs and engine skids are the most important, for the lines I'm taking anyway.



Interesting, I hit those way less than my diff skids lol.

Maybe it’s driving style or the types of rocks we’re in?

I hit my rear LCA mounts so often in Arkansas that the first thing I did when I got back was order the Artec skids. I would barely scratch my diffs here and there, but not anything to be too concerned about. I still haven’t gotten a skid for the oil pan, but I’ve been saving for the Artec full belly.

I’m not in too much of a hurry for more armor now that I’m in Michigan, though. It’s almost all sand here.

 

[Remorseless]

Maybe it’s driving style or the types of rocks we’re in?

I hit my rear LCA mounts so often in Arkansas that the first thing I did when I got back was order the Artec skids. I would barely scratch my diffs here and there, but not anything to be too concerned about. I still haven’t gotten a skid for the oil pan, but I’ve been saving for the Artec full belly.

I’m not in too much of a hurry for more armor now that I’m in Michigan, though. It’s almost all sand here.

That'd be my thought too - I know I hit different parts of the JK when I did Rausch Creek with a buddy up north than I hit here in NC. And Moab was a whole different game compared to either NC or PA wheeling.

 

[Philly_]

That'd be my thought too - I know I hit different parts of the Jeep when I did Rausch Creek with a buddy up north than I hit here in NC. And Moab was a whole different game compared to either NC or PA wheeling.

I guess it’s safe to say “just armor everything” and you’ll be good. ?

 

[Krondor]

That'd be my thought too - I know I hit different parts of the JK when I did Rausch Creek with a buddy up north than I hit here in NC. And Moab was a whole different game compared to either NC or PA wheeling.

Moab scraped the rear diff skid a bit, but nothing else. I even sent a few bigger rocks down the middle to tap on the full belly skid. Nothing.

Got my rear shock mount on a rock here in Colorado, but it was the only hit. Even in and around a bunch of bigger rocks. It really is more about the line and how fast you are going to allow your Jeep to bounce or dip low into the rocks.

Keep it slow and tip toe through those rough sections, and you will do fine.

My biggest want would be a skid to protect that oil pain.

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