Cactus Dave's Storm Trooper Rubicon Build

[JeepinJason33]

Did they also tell you to stick with the 1310 vs 1350? 1310 has a bit more room and creates a fuse for breakage vs the 1350, but the 1350 is super strong...

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[CactusDave]

Did they also tell you to stick with the 1310 vs 1350? 1310 has a bit more room and creates a fuse for breakage vs the 1350, but the 1350 is super strong...

Yep - The thought is that it is easier to replace a driveshaft than anything else in the drivetrain. I actually saw a stranded Jeep on Metal Masher in Moab that had broken off his axel shaft. That didn't look easy to fix on the trail!

 

[CactusDave]

I found my grip lacking a few times out on the trails, so I swapped out my BFG KO2 37x12.5x17's for BFG KM3 39x13.5x17's.

 

[ExpeditionBuilds]

I found my grip lacking a few times out on the trails, so I swapped out my BFG KO2 37x12.5x17's for BFG KM3 39x13.5x17's.

Looks great, any clearancing needed?



-Steven

 

[CactusDave]

Looks great, any clearancing needed?



-Steven

I still have good clearance turning wheels lock to lock, but I don't know what it's going to be like at full flex. I'm waiting on my Road Armor fenders and inner liners to get installed before fine-tuning things, and then I'll look at adjusting bump stops or getting spacers if needed.

 

[JeepinJason33]

It was great meeting you in Moab. Will be interested in seeing how the axles hold up to those tires. I am looking at the 37" version. Did your seats clean up? Still trying to decide whether to cover up the cloth or not.

 

[CactusDave]

It was great meeting you in Moab. Will be interested in seeing how the axles hold up to those tires. I am looking at the 37" version. Did your seats clean up? Still trying to decide whether to cover up the cloth or not.

It was nice meeting you too! The seats cleaned up just fine after the trip, but I did have to spray the interior for a half hour with a compressor air gun

I am going with a truss and RCV’s upfront and chromoly axle shafts in the rear. The KM3’s are only 37.5” actual, so that’s basically what the Milestar Pats are that everyone has been running. And there are only 5 pounds heavier than 37” Toyo’s. So I’m going to risk it. If they break, I’ll buy some tons.

 

[Bran]

I took the Jeep through Moab this past weekend and tackled Fins 'n Things, Hell's Revenge, Steel Bender, Metal Masher, and Poison Spider. The Jeep did great, and I only had a couple of issues. The computer freaked out when I tried to put it into 4WD and disconnect the sway bar on the first obstacle. This normally wouldn't happen, but we were aired down all weekend and just rolled right onto the trails. Lesson learned. Also, I think I knocked my muffler lose, so I have to crawl under and check that out this weekend. The Jeep was so capable that I was making it over obstacles that my buddy in a Sport couldn't. He was lifted on 35's, but the lack of lockers became an issue on some of the obstacles. I can't wait to go back and get the rest of the Jeep trail badges!

Amazing build!! You say the computer freaked with putting it in 4wd and releasing the sway bar. Why and how did you get past it? Thx.

 

[JeepinJason33]

I wish the BFG's ran more true to size... My dealership is off road friendly and will warranty the axle breakage, but only if your tires are labeled as 37's. I am half way tempted to keep the stock tires and wheels and then go buy bigger tires and swap the stock wheels back on anytime I need to go to the dealership. Part of my sales pitch to the wife on this Jeep was that I would not go too crazy with the build (well at least not more than 20k) in the first four years/ 48k miles. New axles would not fit into that budget...

 

[CactusDave]

I wish the BFG's ran more true to size... My dealership is off road friendly and will warranty the axle breakage, but only if your tires are labeled as 37's. I am half way tempted to keep the stock tires and wheels and then go buy bigger tires and swap the stock wheels back on anytime I need to go to the dealership. Part of my sales pitch to the wife on this Jeep was that I would not go too crazy with the build (well at least not more than 20k) in the first four years/ 48k miles. New axles would not fit into that budget...

Yep! In your case, I would recommend Toyo or Nitto tires. They both seem to run more to size.

I hear you on the budget! Jeeps are endless black holes for money. My original plan in August was to put $6k into wheels, tires, and a lift. That budget didn’t last a week

 

[CactusDave]

Amazing build!! You say the computer freaked with putting it in 4wd and releasing the sway bar. Why and how did you get past it? Thx.

Basically every warning light lit up my dash. It wouldn’t go into 4 low, engage lockers, or release the sway bar. I knew it was a computer problem - not mechanical- so I used my Tazer to reset all of the check engine lights and reboot the computer. That fixed everything except my stability control. But it saved my Moab trip from being ruined!

I took it into the Jeep dealer this past weekend, and they ended up replacing a sensor on my transfer case. That was a total hassle, because they had to drop my skid plates, my transmission, and my transfer case to get to it. But the sensor replacement did fix the stability control error.

 

[Bran]

Thanks, maybe I should look into getting a Tazer just in case!

 

[CactusDave]

Got my front axle trussed with the Artec armor kit, RCV's installed in the front axle, a Metalcloak front differential cover and skid plate installed, and Teraflex 1" spacers added to the rear to level out the Jeep.

 

[JeepinJason33]

Looking good! What did they charge you to weld the truss on?

 

[CactusDave]

Looking good! What did they charge you to weld the truss on?

$750 for labor

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