CavFab Installation Experience

[j_stew762]

Finished the instal today.

The carrier matches up beautifully, no shims or washers were needed. The latch side is still about 1/16th high but I’m sure it will settle a bit, and I’ll be changing to 37s here in a few weeks.

I love the look of the factory rear camera, the third break light, and license plate. I wired the license plate lights on a quick disconnect so I can disconnect all wiring (brake light, camera, plate lights) when/if I need to access the spare tire. 1/4 allen head and extension can be used to access it behind the brake light without removing the license plate from its mount.

Happy over all. She’s a beaut Clark.

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[j_stew762]

Couple of thoughts:
Nice paint job on the CavFab, looks like a good match.

I would think your 35" spare and aftermarket rims would fit on to your lug plate just fine. I think most folks are investing in new rims. I decided to keep my stock OEM rims and they did fit without modification.

You said you are "sitting about 1/8 inch high on the latch side" but it looks pretty good to me. I thought the same thing about my setup, but I found that once those hinge bolts are snugged tight, that tailgate isn't dropping at all.

The 1/8inch high, is on the latch side, just prior to closing the door by sighting the body lines. The latch forces the door down some once you close it. It settled a bit when I put the 35 on and now the door closes without any “catching”. My new method 703/37inch baja AT setup is only 5lbs heavier than my current one….should be good to go.

 

[DarkhorseJL]

Under Cover Fabworks makes a lighter version...........Its been holding up my 40" -119 lb wheel /tire combo just fine for thast last three years.........However, I modified it with a different wheel plate to accomodate an 8 lug wheel.

@JEEP4U I was looking at just the hinge reinforcement and it says it adds 2 bolts with the bracket… is that the 2 silver bolts? where do the brackets actually mount… in the cab side of the tub or behind the taillight?

 

[DarkhorseJL]

Oy... out of curiosity I went to see if I could tell and it looks like that total costs well over 1k with all the parts sold like a Lego kit.

https://undercoverfab.com/jeep-jl-j...outer-tire-carrier-reinforcement-bracket.html

where do you get your math? The link shows $230 for the carrier, the hinges are $100 and the spare relocation is $350… $680. Now if you went to a cerakote or powdercoat shop, it can get expensive to match factory color but let’s be honest, who sees the carrier esp if you do the interior/hidden set up and otherwise, most of us would just paint it black and be done with a rattle can (primer, base and clear).

 

[jhackathorne]

Outer Reinforcement: $234
Inner Reinforcement: $351
Tire Carrier: $351
HD Tailgate Hinge: $288
Inner Hinge Reinforcement: $93
Total: $1317 plus any finishing.

Granted this is the full kit. If you did what most others that are equivalent you’re still looking at $873 plus finishing. That is the outer, HD hinges (not the inner ones) and tire carrier.

 

[Jackalope]

Finished the instal today.

The carrier matches up beautifully, no shims or washers were needed. The latch side is still about 1/16th high but I’m sure it will settle a bit, and I’ll be changing to 37s here in a few weeks.

I love the look of the factory rear camera, the third break light, and license plate. I wired the license plate lights on a quick disconnect so I can disconnect all wiring (brake light, camera, plate lights) when/if I need to access the spare tire. 1/4 allen head and extension can be used to access it behind the brake light without removing the license plate from its mount.

Happy over all. She’s a beaut Clark.

J_stew762

Thanks for adding the final installation pictures - you've got to be happy with that.

Question1: License Plate Lights. When I took off my third brake light from my 2019 Rubicon (which I have to find) I'm really pretty darn sure there are no license plate lights on my brake light since my original plate mounts into a recess on the lower left (driver side) of the bumper illuminated by a single light is mounted on the side. So how is it you have two lights on your setup?

Question2: " I wired the license plate lights on a quick disconnect" maybe this has been answered on another thread, but would mind providing some information on that disconnect. Is that inside the tailgate or outside by the CavFab mount?

"I love the look of the factory rear camera, the third break light, and license plate. I wired the license plate lights on a quick disconnect so I can disconnect all wiring (brake light, camera, plate lights) when/if I need to access the spare tire. 1/4 allen head and extension can be used to access it behind the brake light without removing the license plate from its mount."

Thanks

Mike

 

[Jackalope]

I'm actually glad this thread came up.
we were a very small company (3 people) that grew extremely quickly, and currently growing significantly. initially we never really had the resources to develop extensive installation instruction manuals.
along with the application parameters that arise when many more wheel and tire combos and other accessory compatibility comes into play.

We recently bought a 2023 (i goofed and put 22) ecodiesel so we can re-visit the install procedure and thoroughly document the process with video and produce an installation document for all our products to be visible on our website.

I totally get the frustration some of you have experienced, and i really apologize about that.
we hope the process documentation that we are investing into our products for you guys with this build will help you tremendously.
we wont necessarily be clogging up the thread with the steps, but we will have formal documents posted on our website.

check it out below and we really apologize for not being able to produce this sooner.

(10) CavFab 22 Diesel JLU Shop Build | Jeep Wrangler Forums (JL / JLU) - Rubicon, Sahara, Sport, 4xe, 392 - JLwranglerforums.com

CavFab –

Thank you for taking time to read though this thread, add to its content and apology to the Jeep community at large.

The amount of product testing performed by Jeep enthusiasts on the Elite Series Body Mounted Spare Tire Carrier at no-cost to CavFab has been a bonanza for your company and your competitors.

Armed with the knowledge that installers are reporting experiences ranging “no issues – great fit” to “significant problems – thank goodness I’m handy” should be a wakeup call to your organization.

As a customer, I would like to know you heard my and the communities concerns with actionable remedies rather than use this forum to send out links to self-promoting manufacturing shots.

Save us valuable installation time. Your focus must be to first to close the installation gap by quickly developing thoughtful material, printed and electronic, that meets the needs of the average installer. I don’t think anyone of us would imagine you to be “clogging up the threads” if you had an installation PDF for download or a link to one.

Communities of like-minded enthusiasts turn to forums like this seeking information, answers and sharing product information, both good and bad.

I look forward to your continued commitment to product development and future growth as a valued provider of aftermarket Jeep enhancement and off-road products.

Mike Cooley

25 years a small business owner

 

[UrbanCowboyAZ]

I have the CavFab tire carrier, and one of their rear bumpers and didn’t have too much trouble. I did use the YouTube video shown earlier in the thread as a guide, which helped.

Overall, it is super high quality stuff and I get compliments fairly regularly on both the carrier and the bumper.

Glad to see they’re addressing concerns as well. I was between Rusty’s and Cavfab and have no regrets in my decision as it’s been great for the 2 years I’ve had it on with a heavy 35” tire setup.

 

[dragoneggs]

I’m starting my research on aftermarket rear bumpers and spare tire mounts. Gotta admit those ’stack of dimes’ are a tribute to quality welding. I don’t care if it is a robot.

 

[j_stew762]

Jackalope

Question1: License Plate Lights. When I took off my third brake light from my 2019 Rubicon (which I have to find) I'm really pretty darn sure there are no license plate lights on my brake light since my original plate mounts into a recess on the lower left (driver side) of the bumper illuminated by a single light is mounted on the side. So how is it you have two lights on your setup?

Response: There is a plastic covering behind your license plate, with the license plate light to the right of it. That plastic covering pops right off with some trim tools. The license plate light is on a factory quick disconnect. I cut the wires (one black/ground, one white/hot) and wired in some 12 gauge I had (more than you’ll need for the 12v power). I routed the 12g in some wire lume through the rear bumper to the pass side, up through a rubber grommet that dumps into the pass side tail light. Now inside the rear cargo area, I ran the wire to the factory harness that goes inside the tailgate. I wrapped the brake light wire, my new license plate light wire, and the camera wire in cloth wire harness tape out the driver side vent in the tailgate. I’ll try to get some pictures later and post them in my build thread here:

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/2020-jlurd-in-middle-america.107715/

Question2: " I wired the license plate lights on a quick disconnect" maybe this has been answered on another thread, but would mind providing some information on that disconnect. Is that inside the tailgate or outside by the CavFab mount?

Response: For now, the license plate light is on a standard bullet connector you can find at box stores. It’s not my permanent solution but one I’m using until I find a waterproof connector I like.

All wiring was zip tied, shrink tubed, and cloth tape wrapped for longevity. <— O.C.D.

 

[CarbonSteel]

I went a slightly different way with my CavFab. Since I have the OEM steel bumper I did not relocate my license plate and I also did not want to have to remove or replace anything when I have to pull the spare.

To that end, I went with LOD camera relocation kit and it turned out really clean:

 

[Jackalope]

I went a slightly different way with my CavFab. Since I have the OEM steel bumper I did not relocate my license plate and I also did not want to have to remove or replace anything when I have to pull the spare.

To that end, I went with LOD camera relocation kit and it turned out really clean:

Thanks for sharing your setup and yep, that's clean. I have the exact same Rubi and this is the first time I ever heard of the LOD camera relocation kit. I see a nice advantage to your setup with:
Ease at which you can pull off the spare without special tools
Environmental protection of the rear view camera.
Already powder coated.

Question: which vendor did you choose for your third taillight ring?

Another approach to solving a problem is always appreciated.

 

[CarbonSteel]

Thanks for sharing your setup and yep, that's clean. I have the exact same Rubi and this is the first time I ever heard of the LOD camera relocation kit. I see a nice advantage to your setup with:
Ease at which you can pull off the spare without special tools
Environmental protection of the rear view camera.
Already powder coated.

Question: which vendor did you choose for your third taillight ring?

Another approach to solving a problem is always appreciated.

I picked it up from Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08QFNKTCC and it works very well (it is also plug and play with no wire cutting needed).

However, I am fabbing a new mount to reinstall the OEM third brake light. It will bolt to the adjustment part of the carrier behind the tire.

 

[JeepSmash]

Besides some operator error mine went on pretty flawless. No shims needed. It's totally going to depend on your wheel and tire set up. Which is the case with any carrier.

Luckily I had already moved my plate to the spare tire previously so my wiring was ready. Otherwise that would probably be the biggest part of the job.

I also messaged cavfab looking for instructions. I realize now that they've posted they didn't exist. It's pretty straight forward but without at least a sheet saying what should be included it can be frustrating. I had no ideas if shims should have been included or used. Other manufacturers tell you 1 shim for 35's etc etc.

Overall. It's built VERY well and I still think it's one of the best options. Teraflex is the most adjustable but it's overpriced and made with parts that may or may not be sourced from overseas. Cavfab, motobilt and Rustys are all 100% made in USA.

 

[AnnDee4444]

How did the hinge reinforcement brackets turn out? Easy install? Does the factory plastic install over the bolts?

I have just their inner plate coming to keep everything stealth, and was wondering if these would do anything worthwhile on stock hinges.

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