Buzzdoc's 2021 JLUR build

[alp0779]

Looks awesome. Great job!

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[buzzdoc]

Got my front bumper on today. It was every bit the pain in the ass that I imagined it would be.

The instructions said to dry fit the bumper with the winch in place but not bolted down to see if you'd need to trim the frame horns. The bumper is theoretically designed with the Warn Zeon series winch in mind, so I bought the Zeon 10S. I beat the hell out of the winch case doing this dry fit. Then had to take it all back off, cut the frame horns, and reinstall everything. If anyone uses this bumper with a winch, just cut the damned frame horns and move on (a Milwaukee band saw worked great to cut everything I needed to cut- that might be one of the best tool purchases I've ever made) That would've saved me 3 hours. I wasn't able to get the bottom inner nuts on the bumper bolts. There's just no friggin way. Hell, 6 out of 8 should be just fine.

I got the light bar and fog lights wired up. Light rail looks great. The fogs came on then turned off after 1 second. Did that several times before they just stopped coming on altogether. I suspect they are pulling too much power. I'll have to check my fuses and do a little investigating, but not today. I'm throwing in the towel for today. Wiring up the winch will be another day as well.

My crew was otherwise engaged today, so I tackled this project all by my lonesome. I would've used this setup even if I had help, but I honestly didn't need anything other than having a kid to yell at when he brought me the wrong socket. I bought this cherry picker from my nurse about 8 years ago. She was moving and selling some of her late husband's stuff. My wife thought I was nuts- said it would sit in the shop unused for 25 years. I showed her!! Only took 8!

I used a ratchet strap on each side so I could raise and lower each side independently. Worked like a charm.

 

[buzzdoc]

My working theory as to why my fog lights would turn on and turn right back off was that the 4 cube LEDs were pulling more power than the factory LEDs. I originally just used the factory wiring to power the new lights.

To fix the issue, I ordered a wiring harness that has a separate power supply for the lights and would allow me to use the factory power just to turn the lights on and off via a relay. That worked like a charm. Now I just need to get out tonight and aim everything when it’s nice and dark.

I also have a little OCD, and I hate messy and random wiring. I ordered a Blue Sea fuse block and mounted it under the hood. It allows for 6 low amp ATC fuses and 4 high amp MIDI fuses. I probably won’t use the high amp capability, but I’m a firm believer that overkill is underrated. This setup looks good so far, but we’ll see if it rattles or causes any other problems.

 

[buzzdoc]

Adjusted/focused my fog lights and light bar tonight. Holy moly they’re bright. Had to make sure the fog lights were low enough to be legal. The light bar is most certainly not legal, but man it’s going to be nice on the farm and the deserted back roads.

 

[Marine2146]

I love the look of the factory Wrangler, but my only complaint is the red accents. They are OK, but I'm just not a huge fan of red on a vehicle (probably something about being a Georgia Tech fan in a sea of UGA fans). I spent last night de-reding the Jeep. The Trail Rated badge and Jeep badges were a huge pain to get all of the adhesive off. I used Goo Gone automotive, WD40, alcohol, and a crapload of elbow grease, be finally got it all off. I was afraid the Rubicon hood decals would be a huge pain, but they came off very cleanly with little residue. The Trail Rated badge slipped a little and is slightly crooked. I bought 2, so I'll have to see how much it bugs my OCD before I fight removing it and screwing with the adhesive again. It certainly wont be changed tonight.

I have a snazzberry JLURD with tan interior on order I ordered bronze- rubicon decals, trail rated badge, Jeep emblems and front & rear tow hooks. Already have the bronze 392 wheels. Love the look of bronze on these two colors.

My Jeep emblems haven’t came in yet, do they come with a backing to help place the Jeep logo or do you have to apply one letter at a time?

 

[buzzdoc]

I have a snazzberry JLURD with tan interior on order I ordered bronze- rubicon decals, trail rated badge, Jeep emblems and front & rear tow hooks. Already have the bronze 392 wheels. Love the look of bronze on these two colors.

My Jeep emblems haven’t came in yet, do they come with a backing to help place the Jeep logo or do you have to apply one letter at a time?

They are shipped already attached to each other with clear transfer tape, so it goes on as one piece and you can see where you're putting it..

 

[buzzdoc]

My vanity plate came in today. I also posted a picture in the bigger what did you do to your Jeep thread. The plate is the standard letter/number format here, so I don’t think most people will know it’s a custom plate.

 

[GaJeepJL]

Nice build! It definitely looks better without the red accents. If you ever plan to replace the Rubicon wheels/tires, I may know fellow Georgian with a Sarge green JLU Sport.

 

[buzzdoc]

Nice build! It definitely looks better without the red accents. If you ever plan to replace the Rubicon wheels/tires, I may know fellow Georgian with a Sarge green JLU Sport.

I already have wheels ordered, but they’re on back order. Current plan is to keep the factory tires and mount them to the new wheels.

 

[EMpunker]

Love your build! I thought I wanted the Fab Fours Stubby until I saw your front bumper... is it the Matrix?

 

[buzzdoc]

Love your build! I thought I wanted the Fab Fours Stubby until I saw your front bumper... is it the Matrix?

Yes it is.

 

[Wolfie88]

I love the look of the factory Wrangler, but my only complaint is the red accents. They are OK, but I'm just not a huge fan of red on a vehicle (probably something about being a Georgia Tech fan in a sea of UGA fans). I spent last night de-reding the Jeep. The Trail Rated badge and Jeep badges were a huge pain to get all of the adhesive off. I used Goo Gone automotive, WD40, alcohol, and a crapload of elbow grease, be finally got it all off. I was afraid the Rubicon hood decals would be a huge pain, but they came off very cleanly with little residue. The Trail Rated badge slipped a little and is slightly crooked. I bought 2, so I'll have to see how much it bugs my OCD before I fight removing it and screwing with the adhesive again. It certainly wont be changed tonight.

Here she is partially naked.

And now fully clothed once again.

I love the new decals! Where did you get them?

 

[buzzdoc]

@Wolfie88

Got mine here

 

[buzzdoc]

My Fab Fours Matrix bumper install took it out of me, so I was lazy getting the winch wired in and spooled up. I was also debating where to relocate the winch control pack to get it out of the way. Fab Fours suggested behind the bumper, inside the engine bay, or even in the cockpit. Those are the obvious choices, but that damned control pack is pretty big. Shoehorning it in somewhere takes a little planning. Putting it any distance from the winch itself would require longer leads than I have currently installed, and due to the winch being hidden in the bumper, installing longer leads would mean removing the bumper and uninstalling the winch which is not on my list of things to do. That leaves my options a little more limited.

I decided to lean on my old days as an electrician's apprentice one summer during college. I removed the control pack from its pretty casing, and using binding tape, rubber tape, and electrical tape, I simulated a high-voltage connection. That makes the control pack much smaller and easier to stuff out of the way behind the bumper.

Here's the control pack half-wrapped and dangling.

Here is it completely wrapped and tucked up behind the bumper.

Now I just have the problem of the plug for the winch control being inconvenient to say the least (especially if you're in mud up to the frame). I bought a remote control assembly from Warn to relocate the plug, and I fabricated a bracket from 1/4" aluminum that I then sprayed with undercoat.

Now, if I'm completely honest, I had every intention of putting the control plug on the driver's side, but when I put the bracket in my vice to start bending, I just got after it with no thought to which direction I wanted the bend to go. Therefore- it's now on the passenger side!

I also added a Factor 55 Ultrahook. I think it's far more than I need in a hook, but what the hell.

 

[buzzdoc]

I took advantage of the rain a few days ago and decided to try out the mud hole we run our 4-wheelers through. I'm amazed at how well the Jeep performed. Got it muddy as hell too.

I went back out the next day and played in a deeper area. Other than having to pick mud and grass out of the grill, she did great! My son wanted to get his truck muddy too (he thinks it looks cool, and well, it does). I told him he was going to get stuck as its a diesel F250, and they suck in the mud. And he did. The ground was too wet for the Jeep or the tractor to pull him out, so I got to use my winch for the first time. Had to prop against a tree to keep from just sliding into him.

My wheels finally came in, and I was able to get those installed today. I'm quite happy.

I ordered these wheels from Discount Tire several months ago before my Jeep was delivered. This was before I learned of a great Jeep/4x4 place near me. I went to check them out for the first time, and they found 5 wheels in stock so I ordered them on the spot. As I was driving home, I called to cancel my previous order only to find that they had been shipped and were expected to arrive within a couple of days. I know I could've refused the wheels and gotten a refund from Discount Tire, but that seems shitty to me. I definitely wasn't going to cancel the order I just placed and paid for at the Jeep store. That's a place I plan to continue to do business. So I picked up the Discount Tire wheels and had the Jeep place swap my factory K02s onto the new wheels today.

So if anyone likes these wheels and would like a set, I know where you can get some new in the box for a pretty good deal... and I have the factory Rubicon wheels taken off at 2600 miles.

Nothing like having 10 extra wheels for your Jeep I guess. Maybe I'll get around to putting them on the marketplace at some point. Right now I'm just enjoying my new look.

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