Buy Once, Cry Once Mojito

[TCogs1]

The more recent mod's I've completed in the past couple weeks apart from the CMM mirrors and some tube Doors from Jeep Beach were to flip the sway bar motor to get some more clearance as well as getting the EVO-kit Specific Inner liners from AAL. The CMM kit was super easy. Just pop out the upper bolt cover, slap some blue loctite on there and screw it in. Very nice CNC work.

The plan was to get some tube doors. I bought a set at Jeep Beach for what I thought was a good deal but it was Meh at best. Free TJ mirrors included which I'll never use with them lol.

Tube doors are SOLID. Really hoping they release the Mesh they had on the Orange one at the event... I actually have not looked lately so may call on that tomorrow.

The motor flip was just a single bolt from Metalcloak if my memory serves correct. I purchased it from a member on this forum. Pictures don't show exactly how well it gets up and out of the way.

Before:

After: (night Pic on phone so enjoy this super duper high resolution artistry)

Lastly, this is my most recent addition and one I've been anxiously awaiting for quite some time to protect all those electrical bits on the firewall. I originally purchase Artec Inner liners with the thought that I would just chop them up to fit my coil overs. Yeahhhh, that plan was going to fail for sure so I decided against it and was going to go back to oem plastic set that I would cut for now and fab my own eventually. About that time, Brit from AAL emailed me saying he was going to produce a set of liners nobody was making... After some peer pressure to tell me and some groaning of my issue, he mentioned a quick turn set, one with a panel specific for EVO. As a motorcycle guy who loves 1.4 turn dzus for tearing down bikes quick, it definitely had my attention. They arrived last week and I just installed them a couple days ago. 100% easiest install I've ever done on any vehicle. I mean seriously, every liner should be made like this, it was freaking awesome. Took not even an hour of me working at super snail pace while checking my Tinde... I mean Emails.

The tires rub the liner at full lock. I am going to pull out the back section, toss it on the brake and bend it back into the body towards the bottom. Might stretch the front a little as I need to replace the driveshaft anyways and that should alleviate most of my issues. That's pretty much where I stand right now. I'll grab some pictures tomorrow of my accidental DIY clearanced corners via the flex/crunch method with 40's... oops. I plan to throw on the Jtop Sunshade when I get a break from the rain which is a no-go right now.

Most intriguing things on my list right now are the Bestop Sunrider, removing rear muffler and doing something in the middle of the body to clean up the rear end while keeping it silent, better spread reverse light(s), trailer plug solution, drilling bumper to add back up sensors again.

I am really hoping I can come up with a solid system for fitting my winch plate/winch in this bumper without cutting the grill to clearance it. It's too tight of a fit currently but I really don't like how far most JL bumpers stick out from the body so I WILL make this bumper work. Who else will be running a JK AEV Stubby on their JL? Hope everybody reading this has enjoyed the pictures so far. Feel free to ask any questions and I will post up more soon! Going to Hardrock Asap, Jasper Jeep fest for labor day weekend in ATL, then Windrock in Oct.

Hey Brother Mojito!

Thanks for all the mod pics... after running Rubicon and Coyote trails.. I really need to get serious about rear inner fendors...

Did you do yours yet?

Mine rub at full flex, even with adding 2000LBS Airsprings… (not a bad)..

Thoughts..?

Thanks..

TC

Are you rubbing in the same area as my jeep that the pictures show or is it somewhere else? What Lift height are your running? Unless it's a lower height build, with 37's, I'm surprised your having issues as my buddy is running them on 3.5 inch lift and it clears perfectly fine in the rear. I am not familiar with running the airsprings assuming it is similar to pressurized airbags within the coils to reduce or slow compression? The main issue if I am not mistaken would be correcting your bump stops to limit travel to the point of touching the body.

Correct me if I was wrong in interpreting your issue!

Lift height is 2" mopar, everything else is stock
Rub is real light in the front (bumper and top of fender liner), which I am not worried about.
Rub in the rear, is more significant thus my query about rear liners.. thanks for the pictures and mfg name.
Airspring (air bag), really helped push the weight forward and minimized the rubbing in the back.. but its still there even with 2000LB more spring rate (via air bag @ 50PSI = another 1.5" lift fully loaded)


"The main issue if I am not mistaken would be correcting your bump stops to limit travel to the point of touching the body."
Your probably right, but this is my last choice, as it would limit travel and I am hoping to run the same inner fender you did and hopefully gain some room that way...

Thanks again!

TC

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[AlrightAlready]

Is it me, or is there a smile on the driver side?

She was crying hysterically. I made sure my dog was alright, got out of the jeep super pissed like "HOW THE **** DID YOU NOT SEE ME?!?" Saw it was some young girl crying and apologizing profusely so then I went into comfort mode to try and get her calmed down. From what I gathered talking to her, assessing the situation, and researching the family, I realized this accident was probably going to affect their family much more significantly than it would me. I carry a good policy with plenty of uninsured/underinsured motorist just to cover my bases. (lesson learned from a bad motorcycle crash and other person not being able to cover anything) I just wanted to make it as painless for them while trying to explain to her that if I were on my motorcycle, she would have killed somebody and that's not just a little boo boo that gets wiped away due to negligence. I hope she learned her lesson but with kids these days, who knows.

Rub is real light in the front (bumper and top of fender liner), which I am not worried about.
Rub in the rear, is more significant thus my query about rear liners.. thanks for the pictures and mfg name.
TC

Unfortunately, when it comes to specific area's that rub, the only fix is to Cut, cut, cut away metal or bumpstop it to get as close as you can without rubbing that spot. I plan on adding adjustable bumpstops to mine as the wheel would go straight through my fender with up-travel if I don't stop it myself. I don't think the rear liners will give you any additional space, if anything, it's just cosmetic in my mind which I'm okay with.

 

[BajaDesigns]

I appreciate that @BajaDesigns ! I plan on swapping some squadron sports into the front bumper eventually. I've got a little project in mind to run a cornering lense in a squadron for one reverse light in bumper and use the 2nd light hole for a flush trailer wiring setup. Conteminating combo lenses for lp9 as the current ones go so damn far down the road/trail, it's comical. I'll post up a picture of the motorcycle setups. Roommate boutand I are about to order your ktm450 kits for our Supermoto's.

Wide Cornering or Work/Scene would be my recommendation for the reverse light

Changing the LP9 bumper lights to combo will certainly spread out the pattern a bit. You will have a little bit less distance but the near/mid advantage makes up for it

Looking forward to more pics

 

[AlrightAlready]

Been a while everybody, lol. Did not realize I have not posted in this long. I went to Europe last year before the Vid showed up to get some certifications that I was hoping I could turn into a business. Worked in Hamburg, ventured south to Cologne and Ripped around on an Aprilia Dorsoduro, rode in a track built GT3 RS around the Nurburgring (horrifying), met some lovely ladies in Amsterdam and almost got mugged, Realized everybody in Denmark is f*cking Beautiful, ate some good food in Paris, then ventured home. I am so grateful I made that trip just before the Plague started shutting the world down. My sister met up with me for a few days and was an epic travel partner as she just knew where to find super cool stuff that I would never have stumbled upon.

Early this year, I was let go from work from the Vid and as I was stretched thin from too many personal projects/renovations, some of which got postponed indefinitely, I took the Jeep off Insurance and tucked it away until I had a reason to drive again. Ended up ripping my E-bike around to do daily tasks. Now that I'm somewhat back on my feet, I started enjoying taking it out again and driving her.

 

[AlrightAlready]

Having found a new love of mountain bike riding during the "temporary" lockdown as well as picking up cable wakeboarding again, I am looking to venture down a more "overlandish" build than just a rock rig. I am trying to Decide these main things currently:

1. What tire Carrier to hold 40's as I want a spare. CavFab seems like a solid setup and I heard motobilt had a decent one.
2. I need new Rubber all around. (5) 40 inch tires.... Oof, what to get?
3. Roof Rack that is not bulky/ugly/heavy. Might have to go to my local welder and have an aluminum one built.
4. Roof Top Tent or just an Awning and regular camping gear... I am hesitant on RTT as they are pretty damn bulky/heavy for the infrequent use. The 270 awning is very appealing as I tailgate/setup at parks to ride almost weekly and having a place to hide from the Florida heat is paramount.
5. Onboard Fridge Vs Decent Yeti Cooler.
6. Mountain bike rack that has decent clearance. Mount on tire or hitch mount.

 

[AlrightAlready]

Nothing crazy mod wise but for under 100 bucks, having quick connect hood struts is nice. It blows my mind jeep doesn't do this OEM for what we pay for these newer jeeps.

Had the unfortunate situation of my right rear control arm bracket cracking and splitting. Not sure if I need to blame initial welder for not welding that round edge or in some instances, the bracket itself but I painstakingly pulled arms off, cut off some excess, then beat it back in and had a friend reweld and reinforce areas that even remotely looked suspect. Noticed some welds on the Evo brackets themselves had signs of rust but we fixed those. I wish my welding skills were up to snuff as I would take my time and really get it dialed in.

Ordered a set of 5.13s so that will be my adventure for next week.

 

[KansasJL]

have you looked at the Maximus3 spare tire carrier?
ARB is supposed to be releasing a roof rack that looks to be pretty sharp and I think it is aluminum. Not sure how much weight it will be rated for or how it is supported. The Rhino Rack backbone seems to be the cleaner finished product over the Maximus3 rack support for the hardtop. EVO has a nice clean looking roof rack but it won’t support a tent or awning.
I have used a yeti cooler for the past 6 years and it works but dealing with ice and soggy food isn’t much fun. I have been looking hard at the dometic 55.
Love your build and looking forward to what you do next.

 

[AlrightAlready]

have you looked at the Maximus3 spare tire carrier?
ARB is supposed to be releasing a roof rack that looks to be pretty sharp and I think it is aluminum. Not sure how much weight it will be rated for or how it is supported. The Rhino Rack backbone seems to be the cleaner finished product over the Maximus3 rack support for the hardtop. EVO has a nice clean looking roof rack but it won’t support a tent or awning.
I have used a yeti cooler for the past 6 years and it works but dealing with ice and soggy food isn’t much fun. I have been looking hard at the dometic 55.
Love your build and looking forward to what you do next.

I just looked at the Maximus and although it claims to "hold 40's and accessories" I see no weight limit in there. Not all 40's are created equal and I usually like to see what they give it a limit at even if it engineering wise can hold more. Looks pretty similar to the Cavfab and a few others. Any reason you like it more than others?

In terms of roof racks, I also want to do one that does not interfere with the freedom panels as I plan on replacing them with the Sunrider softop section. Upon further thought, I don't plan on going RTT and will build out my interior to allow sleeping inside. The toprack will mainly hold an Anwning of sorts, a board box for wakeboards and maybe SUP boards every once in a while. That Maximus-3 Rack seems legit but if I can get away with not drilling, that would be ideal. The thought of a removable rack is nice as i could just leave it hanging in garage then attach before a trip that needs it. Tempted to have a buddy weld me up an aluminum rack based on that design. Will have to inquire with him on it's strength.

In regards to the fridge option, they seem to work fine with a small batch of solar panels and a good relay/monitoring system which would be the route I go. Ice cold beer is nice but soggy food isn't so much.

 

[AlrightAlready]

Oh, I didn't realize how the Rhino attached. I now realize it also had holes drilled for those mounts. Regardless, it seems like a sleeker design.

 

[KansasJL]

It’s been a while since I fell down the rabbit hole on tire carriers but I believe Maximus 3 had one of the better camera mounting systems.
If your not going with a rooftop tent I would check into exposed racks. They seem to be fairly sturdy and they have options to be have the support bars on without the hardtop on.
I installed the Genesis dual battery kit to help power the eventual fridge. One of my camping buddies has the genesis system on his Tundra with a dometic CFX3-75 in the bed of his truck. While he is riding his dirt bike his truck won’t move from the camp site for days with just a small solar charger attached to the battery’s.

 

[AlrightAlready]

Been a while once again, I'm as bad at updating this as I am my social media lol.

Scooped some hardly used forties in St Pete for $1000 bucks that still had the nipples on them.

Next on the list was this Voswitch setup which was way nicer than I expected for the price paid.

Mounted the Panel on my CMM mount and ran the wires up behind the plastic shroud.

Ran this down the thin gap and it fits perfectly. No stress or tension on the wire.

I ended up running my BD LP9 Low beams to bottom left switch and High Beams to top left. Way easier than using the Factory buttons which kind of suck haha. Scooped this Winch from my buddy as his JL got totaled out. 300$ for it with wireless controller. More on that install in my next post.

 

[AlrightAlready]

So the goal for this project was:
Install new wiring for LP9's. This includes Low Beam/High Beam/Running Light/Ground
Install new Amber dual function lenses from Baja Design which is stupid easy. Did I mention I love Baja Design products?
Hide winch control box and if possible, wire without needing to buy new wiring.
Here was the start:

That's my Lab Cooper as well. He is a basket case.

New Connectors/Soldered and waterproofed connections for the LP9's. I ended up hiding all the wiring as well. This was to check clearance for winch initially. It's uhhhh... Tight lol. You can see I moved the winch enough to mount the control box on the side. Had to disconnect the wiring and re-route at all as there is like no room at all. It's still easy to click that red button although I plan on wiring it into the cab eventually.

Close up of how tight the control box is

Mounted up

Little light check. All works. The Amber Backlighting is pretty cool. I run them to my OEM Jeep button so it's on when jeep is on. The Amber Lenses have made it significantly easier on the eyes at night as they don't reflect as much and I can use the Low Beam which is the bottom three with diffused light and it's amazing. The full lights are still absurd in how much light they put out.

 

[AlrightAlready]

Time to mount the new rubber. I also took the time to install some APEX valve stems which ARE THE SHIT for airing down. It's ridiculously quick. Like, 10 seconds MAYBE to go from 36psi to 8. Took all the KMC's off and the jeep was sitting like this for a few days:

I pressure washed and then bead blasted the inner rings as they were super gunked up. Definitely forgot to take after pics so here are the before:

Did the same for the rims and cleaned up some area's that were looking rough.

Apex Stems installed. Also added TPMS back into them

Dog protecting all the tires in my living room as I was putting them together.

Was funny walking into my garage everyday looking at this:

Installed outside in the driveway:

UHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

It's the weather stripping so it still fits but needless to say, I pull into the garage quite slow. It fits by just below a half inch. Next post will be my never-ending hunt to repair the wheel wobble and occasional Death wobble that I've run into in the past couple months.

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