CO Ketchup Build

[mushroomax]

Left the pitman arm in place and used heat and 2 hammers to get the stock draglink TRE to break free without having to remove the pitman arm. The complete Doetsch Off-Road JL 2 inch 7075 aluminum steering kit has been installed for a couple months now and I have to say, the anit-flop seals/bushings are awesome.

So a year in review: the lift, tires, and other select parts were installed around this time last year. I've put about 8,000 miles on those components since then and can't get over how well Accutune valved my shocks. I get compliments from every single person that rides in the JL about it.

The lift:
Bought thru Accutune it's a Currie/Rockjock lift with Johnny Joints. I've run jjoints in the past with great results and I can say for this application, so far, so good. However, the springs are not side specific and, as others have experienced with certain lifts, the passenger side sits lower....to the point when I go on trips I load the heavier bags and equipment on the drivers side to help offset, but this is mostly in vain since on trails the tires still occasionally rub in the passenger wheel wells, both front and rear.
At the front, there's at least 1 inch in height difference between the driver and passenger fenders, and since driver side never rubs and the passenger side does, I ordered this Teraflex 0.5" front and rear load leveling kit off amazon to try and level things out. I ordered the complete kit with idea in mind that if I go to 38's down the road, a 0.5 spacer on all four corners and a fender trim may be all I need. But for now I'll only be installing the front passenger spacer and go from there.

Teraflex 0.5 spacer stacked with passenger front upper spring isolator:

The Dana Spicer 44 AdvanTek Chromoly rear axle shafts:
I'm not impressed with the quality of Dana parts or packaging during this build and the axle shafts take the cake. Long story short I had a total of 7 wheel studs spin between the 2 axle shafts after install. Had to tack weld the backside of the studs to get the lug nuts off and disassemble:

These were both warrantied and replaced free of charge by Dana, thru Northridge. In my experience, Northridge's customer service is top notch...but at the time everything was on backorder so I reinstalled the stock shafts and did the majority of this past years wheeling running stock. In the meantime I ordered the Yukon version and have those currently installed. The Dana replacements sit in my garage as spares but if needed, I would use my stock axles over these.

Nemesis Billy Rockers:
With a slight modification I like the fact that I can run these with the Artec aluminum belly skids. They are frame mounted and you have the option to secure with fasteners or weld-on. I secured with fasteners but eventually circled back and hit the frame mounts with 1 inch welds and they've held up to the abuse. The standoff from hungry rocks is a plus and using the billy rocker to pivot around them is even better.

Artec Lower Control Arm weld on skids:
These have taken some hard hits and abuse and haven't budged. But if I'm adjusting anything that includes the lower control arms, I have to fully pull the arms in the rear. This wouldn't be an issue if both sides of my control arms could be adjusted. Makes me think I should have gone the bolt on route for LCA skids:

...........and a current before and after shot /year in review:

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[mushroomax]

Had a great solo trip on the White Rim Trail in August:

 

[mushroomax]

On the way back to CO I swung by Crested Butte for a friends Bachelor Party, so of course we got in some great mountain biking and a trail run over Scholfield Pass to the Crystal Mill. That TJ you see was totaled and my friend got it on the cheap and has slowly been building it up, currently sitting on 33's next to the JL. Not the best picture for height comparison but it gives you an idea of how far the Jeep has come with the JL in the ability to keep it low and increase tire size:

 

[mushroomax]

More random pics of trail runs this year:

Hit 15K along the way:

Somewhere in there a friend bought the 7.3 Tremor Super Duty. It's tits, I love the color:

And another friend decided to backhalf his TJ......again. We're also adding a lovely RTT, cutting edge cardboard ya know.

My girlfriend started driving the TJ on trail runs while I cruised around in comfort:

So we started chasing fall colors:

 

[mushroomax]

And since I started chasing things I now have the need for speed so I'm throwing some fancy sauce at the JL:

Started disassembly and mock-up on the front:

Checking full bump:

Gonna have to get those bump pads turned down, that is 1.25" of shaft still showing :

 

[blnewt]

You've had quite a full summer/fall Max, great shots and great work you're putting in on those rides!

 

[mikem20]

super nice build! Gorgeous pics!
I went similar to yours with accutune. I’m pretty happy with mine as well. Kinda wish I’d gotten the dsc adjustable shocks tho.

 

[SCOverlander]

Got everything buttoned up and been driving around enjoying the 4.88s for the past 2 weeks. Shift points feel stock again and I’ve been seeing 8th gear on a regular basis. Really like how the rear locker line routing turned out all tucked in and protected now.
Installed the Nemesis Aluminum Titan Tub armor which I got powder coated to match the factory paint and then installed the Nemesis Billy Rockers. I ended up notching the Artec Aluminum Belly Skid in 1 spot on the driver side but already knew this was needed during the install when I drove the Jeep up to the Nemesis shop and test fitted a set back in November. The Billy Rockers rely on 3/8 rivnuts to secure to the frame rails. I was off drilling a couple holes so plan to run two 1 inch welds on the front and mid support of the subframe in the near future.

Rear Locker routed thru truss:

Nemesis Titan Tub Armor and Billy Rocker:

Artec Aluminum Belly Skid notched for Nemesis Billy Rocker on drivers side...I didn’t think there was enough material in that spot to counter sink the fastener for the Rocker but the more I look at it the more I think it might work. Doesn’t seem long to me before that bolt head snaps off:

Took the Jeep to the nearest scale to find out curb weight and trail ready with tools, recovery gear, full tank of fuel, no occupants...forgot to weigh this thing before the build. Crazy to think I added 1,000lbs of mods to this thing:

I was thinking about getting those Billy Rockers but without the tub skins. Do you think they will hold up and not flex into the body like the rubicon sliders do?

 

[mushroomax]

You've had quite a full summer/fall Max, great shots and great work you're putting in on those rides!

Thanks Brad, I'll have to get with you offline about New Mexico trails, been meaning to explore down that way for a while now.

super nice build! Gorgeous pics!
I went similar to yours with accutune. I’m pretty happy with mine as well. Kinda wish I’d gotten the dsc adjustable shocks tho.

Thanks Mike, Accutune is a great company to work with. I read thru your build thread, how are those Locked bump stops treating you? I'm curious to see how these Fox 2.0 bumps will do with the weight of my JLs 5500+ lbs.

I was thinking about getting those Billy Rockers but without the tub skins. Do you think they will hold up and not flex into the body like the rubicon sliders do?

Hey Jeff, I just went out in the garage and gave the Billy Rockers a thorough look over and see no signs of them having flexed into the Titan Tub Armor. I doubt they'd flex into the body even on the hardest hit and personally think the Billy Rockers are a great choice for those that want a frame mounted slider and/or rocker protection; and I know there isn't a lot of information out there on these so if you have any more questions about them ask away!

 

[SCOverlander]

Thanks Brad, I'll have to get with you offline about New Mexico trails, been meaning to explore down that way for a while now.


Thanks Mike, Accutune is a great company to work with. I read thru your build thread, how are those Locked bump stops treating you? I'm curious to see how these Fox 2.0 bumps will do with the weight of my JLs 5500+ lbs.


Hey Jeff, I just went out in the garage and gave the Billy Rockers a thorough look over and see no signs of them having flexed into the Titan Tub Armor. I doubt they'd flex into the body even on the hardest hit and personally think the Billy Rockers are a great choice for those that want a frame mounted slider and/or rocker protection; and I know there isn't a lot of information out there on these so if you have any more questions about them ask away!

Thanks for the reply back. That's good to hear because these are some of the best looking sliders. Was it a PITA to install the 32 nutserks?

 

[mushroomax]

Thanks for the reply back. That's good to hear because these are some of the best looking sliders. Was it a PITA to install the 32 nutserks?

I'm sure others have had an easier time with the install but it was a pain for me. I used a step-down bit as suggested but was off drilling a few holes per side so added a couple welds later.

 

[mushroomax]

Front bumps are in and everything's back together:

Had the aluminum bump stop spacers cut down to length at a friends fabrication shop. Also had the front Teraflex 0.5" load leveling pucks milled out so they can freely slide over the lock rings on the Fox bump stops. The rubber OEM upper coil spring isolators are fine with the help of some soapy water. Don't know if this will be a permanent thing so for ease of install/removal I went this route instead of having to remove/reinstall the 2 lower lock rings on the bump stops everytime:

Decided to start with 150psi on the bench and go from there. These schrader valves are recessed quite a bit for nitrogen fill, I imagine it'll be even more difficult to snake the air chuck thru the coil spring if I need to add pressure so a valve stem extension is in the works for fills:

The location of these valve stems on the Fox bump stops are a double edged sword, inconvenient for the front axle but on the rears you don't have to remove the entire bump stop to adjust pressure, simply remove the strike pad and you're good to go. Most others are still running their schrader valves on the top of the cans so you have to loosen the lock rings and thread the entire unit out.

Rear bumps are back-ordered, no ETA yet. Should give me time to get the fronts dialed in. You can see another feature I like about these bumps in the below pic. Fox has added wrench flats to the tops of their bump stop cans to help with tightening the lock rings down:

I'll keep you guys updates once I put some miles on them.

 

[mikem20]

Thanks Mike, Accutune is a great company to work with. I read thru your build thread, how are those Locked bump stops treating you? I'm curious to see how these Fox 2.0 bumps will do with the weight of my JLs 5500+ lbs.

Thanks For checking my build. I told myself I wouldn’t mod this one too much. ? diff covers led to stronger tracbar, led to air compressor, led to lift, etc haha

up next I plan on RPM steering and maybe quake fender chop.
My lift height side to side is a bit annoying. I might get the TF spacers like you’d done.

looking forward to seeing how your rear bumps turn out. That’ll probably be next years project.

I haven’t been out much since I installed everything so I can’t really say on the locked bumps. Hope to get out soon tho.

 

[mushroomax]

Thanks For checking my build. I told myself I wouldn’t mod this one too much. ? diff covers led to stronger tracbar, led to air compressor, led to lift, etc haha

That's how it usually goes! I told myself the same thing at the beginning of this but should have known better.

 

[mushroomax]

Had a chance to take the jeep out this weekend to check trail clearance versus what I could simulate in the garage. 150psi in the bumps was a bit ambitious, the initial hits were pretty harsh. At this point I'm sitting at ~100psi and it feels better. Got about 1/8 in clearance at full stuff/lock after rolling the dice and shaving the bump stop pads down to 2" inches. I'm sitting at 3/4 shock shaft showing which is fine by me considering I usually allow for 1/4 of deformation of the bump stop pad and strike pad over time, giving a final result of 1/2 shaft showing. Are people shaving the front grill when running tires bigger than 37s?

Still amazed at what the JL can do on the trail and still being a smooth ride on the street, not even getting into the bump stop here:

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