38's & 40's JL Pics W/Lift Kit! Post Em Up

[Carlton]

39 km3s on a 4 inch lift. Lots of extras, here and there.

Is that the Mopar reinforced swing gate? If so, any modifications to get it to work/fit? Holding up alright?

Sponsored

 

[Motoristx]

Is that the Mopar reinforced swing gate? If so, any modifications to get it to work/fit? Holding up alright?

Yeah so, that Mopar reinforcement holds up pretty well. It did great for the 38 inch Patagonia’s. For the 39’s I had to get a lift plate. This is using the Teraflex mount Alfa HD in conjunction with the Mopar Reinforcement. The lift plate start peeling off due to the weight, break a few welds at the top. It also started jiggling at the latch when closing the gate.

I swapped over to the MotoBuilt tire carrier and had it powder coated white. You lose the little retention bar that holds the gate open, but it is a lot more solid. I’m still using the Teraflex Alph HD mount for the 3rd light and camera mount.

 

[Headbarcode]

Yeah so, that Mopar reinforcement holds up pretty well. It did great for the 38 inch Patagonia’s. For the 39’s I had to get a lift plate. This is using the Teraflex mount Alfa HD in conjunction with the Mopar Reinforcement. The lift plate start peeling off due to the weight, break a few welds at the top. It also started jiggling at the latch when closing the gate.

I swapped over to the MotoBuilt tire carrier and had it powder coated white. You lose the little retention bar that holds the gate open, but it is a lot more solid. I’m still using the Teraflex Alph HD mount for the 3rd light and camera mount.

Great choice, going with a hinged reinforcement and adjustable carrier. And body color matching the Motobilt looks good. Can't say that I e seen that before. Great job with your Jeep!

The mopar reinforcement just ends up being more dead weight on the hinges, and carrier relocation brackets are a complete waste of money because they bandaid one issue while also adding others.

 

[jeepingib]

So if you trim the factory inner liner up inside the fender that's gone there's nothing there right? So basically you've trimmed it to look like it aftermarket inner fender on the fender itself that's all gone the plastic right

Yes, I cut the black plastic that hangs below the painted off evenly, then trimmed the inner liner so that it ended up similar to an aftermarket liner. It doesn't move in the wind, and still looks similar to something from the factory.

 

[Jammer]

Ok thanks. Do you think the rear has to be done is it noticeable if you don't do the rear because in the rear you would have to get an inner fender wouldn't you

 

[Headbarcode]

Ok thanks. Do you think the rear has to be done is it noticeable if you don't do the rear because in the rear you would have to get an inner fender wouldn't you

Here's pics of chopped fronts and unchopped rears, back when I had a 2" lift and 315 ko2's...

 

[Jammer]

Here's pics of chopped fronts and unchopped rears, back when I had a 2" lift and 315 ko2's...

Did you eventually do the rear or keep it like that

 

[Headbarcode]

For the record, chopped factory rear fenders are only a tad more weakened after the chop. The chopped fronts are still quite rigid in themselves. It's the loss of the four bolting locations to the body, leaving only the white plastic clips to take the primary role of keeping the fenders attached to the body, that leaves them more susceptible to being lost to the wind. Drilling the outer lip of the fender for that nut and bolt attachment to the AAL fender brace, and replacing those factory white clips with the fender retention hardware kits will return the fender to body rigidity back to near factory condition. Having the underside of the fenders completely hollowed out is where the full 3.5" of tire clearance can be gained.

And I'm not at all knocking the ingenuity shown in these recent posts. They just prove that there's more than one way to skin a cat. I simply don't want anyone to think that fully splitting the bottom half of the fender will render it flimsy within itself. Again, it's just a matter of having to address the attachment of the fender to the body.

My liners took a while to show up, so I modified the factory liners with a razor blade to keep the under bits protected. Here's a pic that, for the most part, shows how I abbreviated them to work with the chopped rears. It also shows how hideous the white clips are when left exposed. 2nd shot is how much cleaner the wheelwell looks with the new liners and retention hardware. The 3rd shows the finished front and three of the factory fender bolting locations that dont get used after the chop...

@Jammer
Just saw your question after posting this, which also shows that I did eventually chop everything after bumping up from the 315's to 38's.

 

[Jammer]

For the record, chopped factory rear fenders are only a tad more weakened after the chop. The chopped fronts are still quite rigid in themselves. It's the loss of the four bolting locations to the body, leaving only the white plastic clips to take the primary role of keeping the fenders attached to the body, that leaves them more susceptible to being lost to the wind. Drilling the outer lip of the fender for that nut and bolt attachment to the AAL fender brace, and replacing those factory white clips with the fender retention hardware kits will return the fender to body rigidity back to near factory condition. Having the underside of the fenders completely hollowed out is where the full 3.5" of tire clearance can be gained.

And I'm not at all knocking the ingenuity shown in these recent posts. They just prove that there's more than one way to skin a cat. I simply don't want anyone to think that fully splitting the bottom half of the fender will render it flimsy within itself. Again, it's just a matter of having to address the attachment of the fender to the body.

My liners took a while to show up, so I modified the factory liners with a razor blade to keep the under bits protected. Here's a pic that, for the most part, shows how I abbreviated them to work with the chopped rears. It also shows how hideous the white clips are when left exposed. 2nd shot is how much cleaner the wheelwell looks with the new liners and retention hardware. The 3rd shows the finished front and three of the factory fender bolting locations that dont get used after the chop...

@Jammer
Just saw your question after posting this, which also shows that I did eventually chop everything after bumping up from the 315's to 38's.

So after doing the rears you still see those bolts all the way around right that's part of it you can't get rid of it

 

[Headbarcode]

So after doing the rears you still see those bolts all the way around right that's part of it you can't get rid of it

Yes, that's how it looks in the end. Bronze nutcerts get installed in the holes that the white clips used, and stainless Allen button head machine screws reattach the chopped fenders to the body. The AAL liners utilize mounting plates that get sandwiched between the fenders and body, which serve to both black out the exposed body colored wheelwell and provide mounting points for the dzus sockets because the actual liners are designed to be removable in seconds. I've had to pop my front liners out on multiple occasions to more easily run wiring for lights, winch, and compressor. Knock on wood, I've yet to have to pop them for mechanical repairs.

It would also be easy enough to black out the hardware with paint, powder coat, or plastidip. Even though I've added an aftermarket antenna from The Antenna Source and door lock caps from Threedom to black out those shiny bits, I've yet to be inclined enough to go after those stainless fender bolts. They're really only noticeable when leaning into the wheelwells for a closer look.

 

[Jammer]

Ok thanks

 

[jeepingib]

Ok thanks. Do you think the rear has to be done is it noticeable if you don't do the rear because in the rear you would have to get an inner fender wouldn't you

I trimmed the rear the same way, but I don't think that I would recommend it to anyone. I think it's unnecessary to retain the hard black plastic as reinforcement of the painted part. And the liner is very floppy and took a few times to trim it down to where it doesn't flap in the wind during a cross breeze.

 

[Tpsillos]

@Tpsillos ….. Is that a Rock Krawler lift ? If so , it looks like the rear lower control arms are upside down…..the bend goes up for ground clearance……..nice looking rig…. Love the wheels……..

Thanks for the heads up! After going back and looking they are upside down

 

[Tpsillos]

I can't tell did you do the rear ? The front looks really good

I still need to put my rear fender liners back on but it’s getting pretty close. Still contemplating painting black the exposed body from the fender chop front and rear.

 

[Jammer]

That's what they were saying or you were saying somebody did that when you dear the rear you see those white clips even if you put aftermarket inner thinners you still see those white clips right

Sponsored