'22 JLR 2.0T build progress/wheeling thread

[Remorseless]

The only part I hate about it is the running it through the vent. It is a non ideal solution. Other than that I am very happy with mine.

Yeah, tried to minimize the vent issue by cutting the slit and routing the wire out the vent as far to one side of the flap as I could and make things still reach.

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[gek]

Yeah, tried to minimize the vent issue by cutting the slit and routing the wire out the vent as far to one side of the flap as I could and make things still reach.

yea, I did the bottom left corner and put a tiny notch in it so it would sit flat.

 

[failsafe306]

I'm hoping it's as good as it looks lol. Looking forward to getting rid of the crappy stock rod ends.

Other than the fact that it looks like a good kit, the main reason I’m going with them is they make a steering kit for a Super Duty D60 swap that they tell me will work with the JL as well (just leave out the SD knuckle spacers/washers on the JL). That way I can upgrade steering now on my D44 and transfer it over to the D60 later on.

 

[Remorseless]

Finished up the steering install this past weekend along with a tire rotation and full front end greasing:

Steer Smarts rod ends feel nice and tight. Ran with the ATS set to the least damping possible, still tighter than it was with the stock steering with the ATS set to something like 18/24 clicks for damping. Only gotcha for this install was to use a joint separator for the pitman arm joint, she was on there solid, needed to tighten up a joint separator and then tap with a hammer and boy oh boy was there some energy released when she went.

Toe was set to 1/8" toe out. Toe is apparently a controversial thing, but I tend to agree that toe out will help minimize oscillations in the steering as toe in is slightly more flighty in my experience, and prone to allowing tire wobbles and road input through the steering more prominently. At least for bigger/heavier tires. Less important for stock or just slightly larger than stock tires, IMO.

Dig the Artec kit enough that when we trade our KL for a JT we'll be sticking one of these kits under it more than likely.

Next up will probably be the exhaust to start shedding lbs and in-the-way factory parts.

 

[Remorseless]

So, gotten a few more things done on the JL since the last update. Finished up my door hangers in the shop:

Just some $10 Lowe's hangers and some Amazon pipe foam screwed to some leftover 2x6. Did let me get the CMM mirrors installed though, been running doorless for the past month or so and loving it. Full doors, while more weatherproof than the half doors on the JK, aren't as fun. Mirrors work great.

Also got some Armorlite installed in place of the carpet:

Did manage to get one trip to Uwharrie in during April, but it wasn't a typical wheeling trip. My work gives me discretionary days for volunteer work and we decided to do a trail cleanup. Figured it would be a nice mix of picking up trash and wheeling, but it ended up just being picking up trash. Got like 4 bags off of one 2ish mile trail. Found everything from a complete side by side headlight to an empty fifth of rum. People are shitty.

 

[Krondor]

Damn good lookin' machine. Now that winter isn't constantly trying to sneak back, I'll be doing the same. ?

Also got some Armorlite installed in place of the carpet:

FFS man!

I just bought a bunch of expensive shit to try and get back into shape... I have no money for the Jeep. Then you show me this crap?

 

[Remorseless]

Next big thing that happened was we traded in our KL Trailhawk for a '24 JT Rubicon. Needed something with more cargo space for making it easy to take stuff places with the kiddo (beach, my folks, in-law's, etc) and wanted something that could double as a tool hauler and support rig on the trail, as well as pull the JL on a trailer in a pinch.

Gonna be mixing in projects we do to the JT here as well. Got some Armorlite waiting for it as well (gonna be a godsend once the kiddo's got drinks and snacks in the truck).

Projects here started off with the Trail Rail system, including some Teraflex tie downs:

Unfortunately the bed liner goobered up some holes and during a lapse of concentration (I may or may not have been jawing with the wife and making faces at the baby while wrenching...) I snapped a bolt:

Plan is to drill a new hole in the rail in the location of an existing hole in the bed that it covers and use a nutsert to replace the bolt that's broken (I also managed to break off a bolt extractor in the bolt that broke off, she ain't coming out, I tried...). Anywho, rail install was so we could install the Bestop bed topper:

Hardware quality was fairly suspect for the bows and aluminum clamps, but the end result is fairly nice. Looking forward to being able to just toss a high chair in the bed and not worry about disassembling it or anything.

 

[Remorseless]

Next projects up are going to be fixing the goof on the JT's rail bolt and replacing the JL's stock exhaust with the Magnaflow cat back that finally came in after their never even telling me it shipped. Got a Uwharrie trip scheduled for May 18th as well, and one where we're focusing on playing around and not picking up after nasty people. Aiming to get another cleanup day on the books too though, can't pass up time off work to fix up the trails a bit.

 

[Remorseless]

Damn good lookin' machine. Now that winter isn't constantly trying to sneak back, I'll be doing the same. ?






FFS man!

I just bought a bunch of expensive shit to try and get back into shape... I have no money for the Jeep. Then you show me this crap?

Better way to lose weight is to just go play with the Jeep and have enough fun you don't wanna stop and shovel food into yer face. I'm writing you a prescription for some wheeling days in the interest of your waistline.

 

[Krondor]

 

[Krondor]

Better way to lose weight is to just go play with the Jeep and have enough fun you don't wanna stop and shovel food into yer face. I'm writing you a prescription for some wheeling days in the interest of your waistline.

Plan to wheel the end of May as well.

It's not food adding pounds. Beer is great, but adds a bunch to the gut. So I have to keep moving to earn it. ?

 

[Remorseless]

Plan to wheel the end of May as well.

It's not food adding pounds. Beer is great, but adds a bunch to the gut. So I have to keep moving to earn it. ?

The Truth About Beer and Your Belly (webmd.com)

Just replace meals with beers and it'll help since it's really the food that's getting in the way of your liver and the beer having a good time.

 

[GATORB8]

Next big thing that happened was we traded in our KL Trailhawk for a '24 JT Rubicon. Needed something with more cargo space for making it easy to take stuff places with the kiddo (beach, my folks, in-law's, etc) and wanted something that could double as a tool hauler and support rig on the trail, as well as pull the JL on a trailer in a pinch.

Gonna be mixing in projects we do to the JT here as well. Got some Armorlite waiting for it as well (gonna be a godsend once the kiddo's got drinks and snacks in the truck).

Projects here started off with the Trail Rail system, including some Teraflex tie downs:

Unfortunately the bed liner goobered up some holes and during a lapse of concentration (I may or may not have been jawing with the wife and making faces at the baby while wrenching...) I snapped a bolt:

Plan is to drill a new hole in the rail in the location of an existing hole in the bed that it covers and use a nutsert to replace the bolt that's broken (I also managed to break off a bolt extractor in the bolt that broke off, she ain't coming out, I tried...). Anywho, rail install was so we could install the Bestop bed topper:

Hardware quality was fairly suspect for the bows and aluminum clamps, but the end result is fairly nice. Looking forward to being able to just toss a high chair in the bed and not worry about disassembling it or anything.

Good call walking away from the broken extractor. I spent a week trying to get a broken one out, just to break the next larger one in it. Somewhere out there is a BMW missing one oil pan bolt, lol.

 

[Remorseless]

Good call walking away from the broken extractor. I spent a week trying to get a broken one out, just to break the next larger one in it. Somewhere out there is a BMW missing one oil pan bolt, lol.

lol nice. I was making such little progress drilling through the old extractor that I had to give up, only got so many project hours I can get away with. I would've worked at it for longer if I could get away with being stubborn...

Also, oil pan reminds me - somewhere out there is a JK that has a chunk of the timing cover held on with Mopar RTV. Had to get to the oil pump three times - once to replace pump + solenoid, once to replace solenoid again as issue was still present, and then once more to fix a bad RTV seal. Put too much RTV on the last time, wouldn't compress in the bolt boss on the timing cover, and launched a chunk out then end due to hydraulic pressure. Just stuck it back into the RTV and let that be that lol. Oh, and the oil pump issue turned out to be a loose ground that I swear I checked.

 

[GATORB8]

lol nice. I was making such little progress drilling through the old extractor that I had to give up, only got so many project hours I can get away with. I would've worked at it for longer if I could get away with being stubborn...

Also, oil pan reminds me - somewhere out there is a JK that has a chunk of the timing cover held on with Mopar RTV. Had to get to the oil pump three times - once to replace pump + solenoid, once to replace solenoid again as issue was still present, and then once more to fix a bad RTV seal. Put too much RTV on the last time, wouldn't compress in the bolt boss on the timing cover, and launched a chunk out then end due to hydraulic pressure. Just stuck it back into the RTV and let that be that lol. Oh, and the oil pump issue turned out to be a loose ground that I swear I checked.

Unfortunately, I know what will do it. Pure carbide (not coated) two flute drill press bits, $20+ a bit and they walk like hell, too.

https://a.co/d/8eJnUKl

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