Bender's 2022 392 Build

[RubiSc0tt]

Awesome build. Great videos. I need to stop watching these 392 threads....

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[BenderRodriguez]

Those are awesome! What are you using to edit video?

Final cut pro on the Hell's Gate video - had to go to youtube a lot to figure out how to do the side-by-side thing...

 

[Jreycnc]

Final cut pro on the Hell's Gate video - had to go to youtube a lot to figure out how to do the side-by-side thing...

Thanks! It came out great! Your wife and I shared the same sentiments when I ran it lol, especially on the entrance.

 

[driventoadventure]

Man, I wish I could find a group who is as good at communicating and actually working as a group, as what I saw in your hell's gate video...

 

[BenderRodriguez]

Man, I wish I could find a group who is as good at communicating and actually working as a group, as what I saw in your hell's gate video...

That's a fact! We met those guys at the top of Hell's Gate - they are the reason we tried it in the 1st place... They told us it was no big deal, and that we HAD to go up it.

I think we could have gone up blindfolded and just followed Dave's spotting (the spotter giving us radio instruction). Afterwards, he took us up some other obstacles I never would have attempted - very glad we ran into them. We were lucky enough to get to go an another trail with them the next day.

I love the way his instructions were only "driver... driver... good... ok passenger... passenger..." etc. he never said "go straight" or "hard driver" - seemed like always calm subtle moves.

 

[BenderRodriguez]

not quite done with the build - but a couple of progress pics to get me excited!!

 

[Fast-n-Furious]

Here's our run up Hell's Gate - it's got both the driver's point of view along side of the view from the top.




The 392 runs up it almost effortlessly, as I would imagine any low geared Jeep would do... There's only one point where I had to give it a little more gas - because I stopped right before the tricky part. But it only took a little more pedal.

I'm definitely going to run it again next May - the whole trail is my 2nd favorite so far. We bypassed the tipover challenge and the staircase last time, so next time we will hit those obstacles too.

Looks awesome! I have no off-roading experience at all, totally new and wanted to learn before I can go give it a try. In the video, were you running on 4L with sway bar disconnected I assume, what about lockers?

 

[BenderRodriguez]

Looks awesome! I have no off-roading experience at all, totally new and wanted to learn before I can go give it a try. In the video, were you running on 4L with sway bar disconnected I assume, what about lockers?

4-Low, sway bar disconnected, and we were told to lock front & back just in case, but we didn't need them at all on this obstacle... it doesn’t hurt to be safe.

As you might have heard my wife say in the video, this was only our 2nd trail - I'd recommend going up and down the steepest obstacles you can find. It's amazing what a stock rubicon can do - especially with a 392!

I was lucky enough to choose “Fins & Things” as our first trail - almost nothing dangerous, and it challenged me to get way out of my comfort zone. By the time I went down “Hell’s Revenge”, I was pretty confident going up & down really steep stuff.

 

[Fast-n-Furious]

4-Low, sway bar disconnected, and we were told to lock front & back just in case, but we didn't need them at all on this obstacle... it doesn’t hurt to be safe.

As you might have heard my wife say in the video, this was only our 2nd trail - I'd recommend going up and down the steepest obstacles you can find. It's amazing what a stock rubicon can do - especially with a 392!

I was lucky enough to choose “Fins & Things” as our first trail - almost nothing dangerous, and it challenged me to get way out of my comfort zone. By the time I went down “Hell’s Revenge”, I was pretty confident going up & down really steep stuff.

Thanks a lot for sharing the information and your experience! Honestly I felt nervous just by watching your video and pictures. Breathtaking view! I’m always not that confident with any stock tires. Were yours the stock 33” wheels? They look like 35” to me.

 

[BenderRodriguez]

Thanks a lot for sharing the information and your experience! Honestly I felt nervous just by watching your video and pictures. Breathtaking view! I’m always not that confident with any stock tires. Were yours the stock 33” wheels? They look like 35” to me.

Yes, I put 35’s on in the 1st 150 miles. I don’t think you’d have a problem with 33s on either of those trails. But I’ll save you some dough - go ahead and upgrade to 37s or 38s as soon as you can - 37s can be done without a lift, I think.

 

[BenderRodriguez]

Picked up the Jeep from Exodus today - I have a very short window to get the 500 mile break-in on the new gears before taking it on our next trip.

Initial thoughts:

• WOW - is this thing a beast! Probably 5 1/2" of new height at the driver's seat. I knew it was going to be bigger, but HFS, it's huge.
• It rides so much better than I thought it would. The suspension is tight, and I have no fear of driving fast and cornering at speed.
• I thought the Rock Slide Step Sliders were going to be a luxury, but no, they are a necessity.
• It has TONS of power at all the same gears as it did before the re-gear and new tire sizes. I Went from 3.73 gears on 35" (34.5 BFG KO2's) tires to 4.56 gears on 38" (37.75 Nitto Trail Grapplers). It's still very fun to drive (yes Exodus, I'm not racing it during the break-in period... yet...)
• The NV skid plates are awesome! ain't no way anything underneath, including the tailpipes, is getting dinged. If any rocks come close to the new clearance, we've just going to slide on over them...
• I can't wait to get back on some trails to see how much easier it's going to be with this much clearance. The EVO high clearance long arm brackets are so much higher up than the stock short arm brackets.

 

[JL ME]

 

[wranglerbro]

Picked up the Jeep from Exodus today - I have a very short window to get the 500 mile break-in on the new gears before taking it on our next trip.

Initial thoughts:

• WOW - is this thing a beast! Probably 5 1/2" of new height at the driver's seat. I knew it was going to be bigger, but HFS, it's huge.
• It rides so much better than I thought it would. The suspension is tight, and I have no fear of driving fast and cornering at speed.
• I thought the Rock Slide Step Sliders were going to be a luxury, but no, they are a necessity.
• It has TONS of power at all the same gears as it did before the re-gear and new tire sizes. I Went from 3.73 gears on 35" (34.5 BFG KO2's) tires to 4.56 gears on 38" (37.75 Nitto Trail Grapplers). It's still very fun to drive (yes Exodus, I'm not racing it during the break-in period... yet...)
• The NV skid plates are awesome! ain't no way anything underneath, including the tailpipes, is getting dinged. If any rocks come close to the new clearance, we've just going to slide on over them...
• I can't wait to get back on some trails to see how much easier it's going to be with this much clearance. The EVO high clearance long arm brackets are so much higher up than the stock short arm brackets.

Beautiful. Did you go with -25mm offset on the Olympus Wheels?

 

[BenderRodriguez]

Beautiful. Did you go with -25mm offset on the Olympus Wheels?

Yes - and I love the stance too. I've driven it about 600 miles so far and it corners far better. Some of that has to be the 86.5" width!

 

[72Blazer]

Here's our run up Hell's Gate - it's got both the driver's point of view along side of the view from the top.




The 392 runs up it almost effortlessly, as I would imagine any low geared Jeep would do... There's only one point where I had to give it a little more gas - because I stopped right before the tricky part. But it only took a little more pedal.

I'm definitely going to run it again next May - the whole trail is my 2nd favorite so far. We bypassed the tipover challenge and the staircase last time, so next time we will hit those obstacles too.

“Holy shit!”


Killer build. You out wheeling Texas as well? I’d like to get out to K2 or WolfCaves again some time after February.

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