Diesel Build - 2020 Sting-Gray JLURD

[Themistocles]

So projects have been building up a bit. As of this morning I had an MBRP muffler delete, back-up & chase lights, and a Quadratec Stealth 10k winch (@Quadratec) sitting in my garage waiting to be installed. I also have the new Oracle (@ORACLElights) flush mount taillights ordered, arriving early Jan...should be one of the first 100 or so installed. The back-up and chase lights I will do at the same time as I put in the new taillights, so those can wait. The winch would have taken me more time than I had to spend this morning...so it was the MBRP muffler delete that got installed.

MBRP Instructions were simple...remove old muffler, install new pipe (ok there were not quite that simple, but not far from it). The reality was a little less simple.

As instructed I first removed the clamp holding the pipe and muffler to the rest of the exhaust system. I first sprayed it down with a little bit of penetrator, and tried a 3/8 inch drive ratchet on it (nut is 5/8). It would not budge and no room for a breaker bar. Switched to a 1/2 drive ratchet...same result. So pulled out the impact wrench...that did it. Bolt was off in about 30 seconds.

Next was to pull off the muffler. That was not quite as easy as I had expected. The two hangers are pretty tight and they each prevent the movement needed to remove the other. In the end I came to the revelation that one of the hanger brackets is bolted on (driver's side front hanger). Once I figured that out it was pretty easy.

With the bolts out I had to twist the hanger bracket 90 degrees to clear the DEF tank, then remove it. With that hanger out of the way, the passenger side rear hanger was fairly easy, just took a little twisting and some leverage and the hanger came out of the rubber mount.

The install was smooth. The MBRP does not have a driver side front hanger so I did not re-install that mount. The pipe fit cleanly and easily and the passenger side rear hanger took a little twisting and some leverage, but it popped in without that much effort.

It is very solid, tucked up well out of the way, and looks great. I did video clips to capture sound at idle before and after. I can post if anyone is interested, but truthfully I cant tell any difference at idle. Maybe just a bit more of the diesel rattle, but that could well be my imagination. Will see what it sounds like at speed, but I suspect with all the emissions stuff, the muffler is mostly irrelevant. Project took about 1.5 hours from the time I decided to do it, to the time my tools were put away and I was back inside with a cup of coffee.

I was hoping that the OEM muffler would be a bit heavier...as every pound counts in the JLURD. Really I think the difference between the OEM muffler and the MBRP product is probably 6 - 8 lbs. Now that is not nothing, but i am not sure that 6 - 8lbs of sprung weight justifies the project. However, lower weight, a little more diesel sound, maybe a touch freer flowing exhaust, and a cleaner look with some space created, all together I think that justifies the 115$ the MBRP pipe cost. Will give it a little road and trail time and report back.

EDIT 12/14 - Have been driving for a couple weeks now. Overall, I was surprised that it actually did seem to have some impact. I drive the same route in to work most days and have become very attuned to the mileage I get. I seemed to have jumped about .2 or .3 MPG, and gained a little seat of the pants felt power. It is possible that there is something else causing the change...but sure can't think of what that would be. I have noted no change in sound from idle up to 80 mph.

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[BroncoHound]

Great build thread so far, one I should've checked out a long time ago.

How many miles do you have on your little oil burner now? After having it for a year and a half, what are your impressions? Besides the uptravel restrictions during your suspension outfitting, GVWR challenges, and the little emissions sensor needing replaced, have you experienced any other diesel-specific issues that have popped up?

What kind of fuel economy are you generally seeing with the 35" tires? Are you still on 3.73 gears? Any plans to regear? Any thoughts towards the Banks power module or is the torque delivery sufficient even after the weight of mods, tires, gear, and people? Any overheating and derated issues when pulling grades at freeway speeds?

Any plans to visit back home in Montana anytime soon?

 

[Themistocles]

Great build thread so far, one I should've checked out a long time ago.

How many miles do you have on your little oil burner now? After having it for a year and a half, what are your impressions? Besides the uptravel restrictions during your suspension outfitting, GVWR challenges, and the little emissions sensor needing replaced, have you experienced any other diesel-specific issues that have popped up?

What kind of fuel economy are you generally seeing with the 35" tires? Are you still on 3.73 gears? Any plans to regear? Any thoughts towards the Banks power module or is the torque delivery sufficient even after the weight of mods, tires, gear, and people? Any overheating and derated issues when pulling grades at freeway speeds?

Any plans to visit back home in Montana anytime soon?

Thanks...and a bunch of stuff to come...winch in the garage, Oracle flush mount taillights shipped, and a Expedition One Mule mid-rack ordered.

To your questions: I am just under 21K now and no other issues besides what I have posted about. Overall the power with 35s is great. I really enjoy driving it, it is plenty quick for me, it will jump into traffic great and cruise along at 70 or 75 perfectly happily. Though once past 80 it seems to start to complain a little and by 90 it feels unstable to me and I can tell it just doesn't really like the speed. Bottom line if one wants to cruise around 80 - 100 mph...don't buy a Wrangler. The wheeling I have done with it has been really impressive, it just idles up obstacles that the gas rigs need to rev (and often break traction) for. In rocks and steps the torque is really helpful.

The economy is good...not great, but that is my fault. It started stock at about 23 - 24 or so city and 26 - 28 highway, as long as I was sensible on the throttle and kept the speed down to 70 or below (it is really speed sensitive for mpg.) The 35s dropped me down to maybe 22 - 23 city and 25 - 26 highway. The 2.5 (really more like 3) inch gain in height from the Clayton lift dropped it to around 21 - 22 city and 23 - 25 highway. I think I clawed back maybe .2 or .3 mpg with the muffler delete (wasn't expecting any gain there at all...but seemed to get a little).

I have no plan to regear at the moment. It absolutely does not lack for power with the 3.73 gearing. If I jumped to 37s I would probably go to 4.10s. I have looked at both Banks and GDE. I am not completely comfortable with how Banks is making the power and I am worried about dealer flashes for GDE...however, really I just don't feel like I need more power. So at least for now I am not going to go for any tuners. Don't have anything against them, have a tuner in my 2500 Cummins, but I just don't feel like this jeep on 35s needs it.

No plans on returning to Mt at the moment...always trying to find an excuse, but right now no Mt trips on the horizon. I am planning a Moab trip this summer if I can swing it.

 

[Themistocles]

Great build thread so far, one I should've checked out a long time ago.

How many miles do you have on your little oil burner now? After having it for a year and a half, what are your impressions? Besides the uptravel restrictions during your suspension outfitting, GVWR challenges, and the little emissions sensor needing replaced, have you experienced any other diesel-specific issues that have popped up?

What kind of fuel economy are you generally seeing with the 35" tires? Are you still on 3.73 gears? Any plans to regear? Any thoughts towards the Banks power module or is the torque delivery sufficient even after the weight of mods, tires, gear, and people? Any overheating and derated issues when pulling grades at freeway speeds?

Any plans to visit back home in Montana anytime soon?

BTW...forgot to mention, I love your build journal. Wonderful write-ups. I have very much enjoyed reading it.

 

[BroncoHound]

BTW...forgot to mention, I love you build journal. Wonderful write-ups. I have very much enjoyed reading it.

Back at you, amigo. I've been considering trading into an Ecodiesel so your thread has been extremely helpful. Looking forward to future updates!

 

[rickinAZ]

Though once past 80 it seems to start to complain a little and by 90 it feels unstable to me and I can tell it just doesn't really like the speed. Bottom line if one wants to cruise around 80 - 100 mph...don't buy a Wrangler.

I couldn't agree more. I'm amused at the forum members who want to remove the factory speed limiter so they can explore triple-digit speeds. The absolute worst vehicle in the world to take over 100mph. I'd feel safer at 100+ in a BMW Isetta. [well...maybe not]

 

[Themistocles]

I couldn't agree more. I'm amused at the forum members who want to remove the factory speed limiter so they can explore triple-digit speeds. The absolute worst vehicle in the world to take over 100mph. I'd feel safer at 100+ in a BMW Isetta. [well...maybe not]

Yeah, a bunch of great vehicles out there at the moment for going fast...but the Wrangler is not one of them. Lots of air getting under the vehicle, soft suspension, high center of gravity, aerodynamics of a brick, solid axles, etc etc. It is not even particularly good at going fast off road...at least not compared to vehicles like a Raptor or a buggy. But, then again I don't see a lot of Raptors running Hell's Revenge or the like. If I want to go out and blast through the desert at 80mph or go pickup a load of mulch I will use my Ram. If I want to cruise down the interstate at 100mph I will use my wife's GLE. And if I want to cruise forest trials or go camping or go run the rocks in a vehicle that puts a smile on my face every single time I get in it, I will use my Wrangler.

 

[CamperShamu]

Thanks...and a bunch of stuff to come...winch in the garage, Oracle flush mount taillights shipped, and a Expedition One Mule mid-rack ordered.

To your questions: I am just under 21K now and no other issues besides what I have posted about. Overall the power with 35s is great. I really enjoy driving it, it is plenty quick for me, it will jump into traffic great and cruise along at 70 or 75 perfectly happily. Though once past 80 it seems to start to complain a little and by 90 it feels unstable to me and I can tell it just doesn't really like the speed. Bottom line if one wants to cruise around 80 - 100 mph...don't buy a Wrangler. The wheeling I have done with it has been really impressive, it just idles up obstacles that the gas rigs need to rev (and often break traction) for. In rocks and steps the torque is really helpful.

The economy is good...not great, but that is my fault. It started stock at about 23 - 24 or so city and 26 - 28 highway, as long as I was sensible on the throttle and kept the speed down to 70 or below (it is really speed sensitive for mpg.) The 35s dropped me down to maybe 22 - 23 city and 25 - 26 highway. The 2.5 (really more like 3) inch gain in height from the Clayton lift dropped it to around 21 - 22 city and 23 - 25 highway. I think I clawed back maybe .2 or .3 mpg with the muffler delete (wasn't expecting any gain there at all...but seemed to get a little).

I have no plan to regear at the moment. It absolutely does not lack for power with the 3.73 gearing. If I jumped to 37s I would probably go to 4.10s. I have looked at both Banks and GDE. I am not completely comfortable with how Banks is making the power and I am worried about dealer flashes for GDE...however, really I just don't feel like I need more power. So at least for now I am not going to go for any tuners. Don't have anything against them, have a tuner in my 2500 Cummins, but I just don't feel like this jeep on 35s needs it.

No plans on returning to Mt at the moment...always trying to find an excuse, but right now no Mt trips on the horizon. I am planning a Moab trip this summer if I can swing it.

Great build thread. Did you get the mule rack? I have been eying that and one thing i notice, at least from the pictures is that the bars don’t seem to have any mounting slots like t-slots or such for mounting accessories. Wondering how you plan on mounting stuff like Cargo boxes or traction boards/awning. Other than of course tying things down the old school way.

 

[Themistocles]

Great build thread. Did you get the mule rack? I have been eying that and one thing i notice, at least from the pictures is that the bars don’t seem to have any mounting slots like t-slots or such for mounting accessories. Wondering how you plan on mounting stuff like Cargo boxes or traction boards/awning. Other than of course tying things down the old school way.

Thank you, it continues to be a lot of fun learning and building. Regarding the rack, no it is not in yet, though it should be very soon. The old school way has worked for me for a long time, and really what I plan to use it for would generally require tie-downs anyway. Will see what it looks like when it gets here. I am in the middle of moving at the moment, and Jeep projects have been put on hold. Have a winch, flush taillights, chase and back-up lights, and soon a rack all that need installing. Once I am in the new house hopefully I will have some time to do the work...will post once I am moving forward again.

 

[Themistocles]

Well the Jeep has had to take a back seat for a while. Just bought a new house and sold our old house...and all the work that goes into both. And has been crazy at work for the last few months. Things settling in at the new house and work beginning to slow down just a bit. Have a pile of stuff to install in the garage and more on the way because...I pulled the trigger, put in for nearly a month of leave and am taking the kids and going to the Grand Canyon North Rim, Moab, and Ouray area this summer. Lots to do before then.

Plan as it stands now is to drive out from Virginia (long drive yes, have done it before, kids are good travelers and we have a routine that is kind of fun) leaving in late June. Start with two-days of camping at Tuweep campground (already have backcountry permit for that). Then up to Moab until the middle of the second week of July, then up to Colorado on the Rimrocker trail. Then about 3 days in Ouray / Telluride area. Hopefully will be a great trip. But lots to do before the Jeep is ready for that adventure.

I have a Quadratec Stealth 10k in the garage, along with a roll cage mount for my hi-lift, and a ARB dual compressor standing by. I also have Reid knuckles, Dynatrac ball joints, and a set of Accutune 2.5" Fox DCS 4.5 -6" shocks on the way. Plus a bunch of miscellaneous little things...like figuring out why my CB has ridiculously high SWR no matter what I seem to do.

But I have managed to knock out a few projects. First was I got my Expedition One Mule mid-rack installed. Thanks to @ExpeditionBuilds for the point in that direction. Really like how it looked on Rubi Recon, so did some research and ended up pulling the trigger...then waiting about 14 weeks to get it. Now that it is on I couldn't be happier with it. Amazing build quality, very light, and strong. My only gripe about Steven's write-up in Rubi Recon was he failed to mention the like 6,000 bolts required to put the damn thing together. Also the bolts are in exactly the place they should be to add optimum strength...perfectly engineered...except where they need to be structurally is frequently not where they need to be to reach with adult sized fingers. But after a fair bit of swearing, lots...LOTS of time tightening bolts, and at least a couple beers, the roof rack is on.

Overall instructions are pretty good. The times I went rogue and figured I didn't no instructions...those were the times I had to take bolts out and redo a piece. After a couple of those, I followed the instructions and things went smoothly.

Here are all the parts laid out waiting for the endless application of bolts.

This is the bag of bolts that came with it. When I saw the number I figured it was going to be like what Roam sent for my bumpers and Rock Rails...a good selection of every possible fastener I might need...and then some more just for good measure. But no, every single bolt, washer, and nut you see here has a place...and needs to go in that place.

Ok...enough whining about all the bolts...I did have a helper. My son is getting more and more interested in vehicles, so I get him out to help every chance I get.

And the final product. Officially approved by my son.

Oracle flush mount tail lights up next.

 

[Themistocles]

The other project that I have managed to sneak in between work and house stuff has been installing my @ORACLElights flush mount taillights. I bought these as part of the initial group buy from @Doetsch Off-Road multiple months ago. I had great plans to put them on as soon as I got them, but life intervened and they sat in my garage sadly collecting dust. Last week I finally had an evening with nothing pressing to do, so figured I would work on the Jeep. Not enough time to do the Quadratec Stealth winch or the ARB compressor...and didn't feel like doing the Hi-lift roll cage mount, but available time and motivation seemed to match the taillight install.

Reality was that the two-hours I allocated was wildly more than was needed. The light install was done in about 20 minutes and I was kicking myself for not doing months ago.

There is only one bolt holding each taillight in place. It is accessed from the inside of the vehicle, just behind the roll cage. You just pop off the plastic cover and pull out the bolt that it covers....that is it, taillight will come out. Unclip the wiring harness and you have detached the taillight...total time less then 5 minutes.

Once the taillights were completely off I had to pull off the mounting bracket from the old lights and install it on the new lights. I think Oracle made a great choice here. Instead of supplying the lights with a new bracket (and passing that cost to the consumer) they just reused the OEM one...smart and efficient. Bracket took maybe 3 minutes to take off and reinstall.

After that it was just a matter of plugging the electrical back in on the new lights...perfect fit, and bolting the new lights back on. Total work time about 20 minutes. I really like the look, fit is perfect, and craftmanship of the lights it top notch. Overall very happy with this purchase and should have done the install months ago.

 

[Themistocles]

About 3-weeks ago my son flipped down my passenger visor a little bit too hard and the entire assembly fell out of its mount. Turns out broken JL visors are a thing and after taking a careful look at how the visor attachment is designed I am amazed it is not a bigger thing.

A bit more research brought me to what seemed like a pretty slick solution, a set of visor clips that hook over the attachment and presses it into place. I ordered a set immediately and just got it installed.

Install took about 10 minutes for both sides and it seems to fix the broken passenger side mount and solidify the unbroken driver's side mount.

Will see how it holds up, but as of now happy with the purchase.

 

[Themistocles]

Well its an exciting day....

Dynatrac Ball joints finally here...just waiting for Reid knuckles.

Fox 2.5" DSC - just arrived from Accutune and ready to go.

Edit: Delivery guy just dropped of knuckles...now need to get everything installed...

 

[Themistocles]

Well the shocks are on and I simply could not be happier. I had the MetalCloak Rockshocks extended travel put on as a temporary option when my @Clayton Off Road suspension was installed about a year ago. They were good shocks and, from my seat of the pants perspective, at least as capable / comfortable as OEM. However, there is absolutely no comparison with the @AccuTune Off-Road Fox DSC 2.5".

I have spent the last year looking for the right shock. I really wanted to go with Radflo as I think their quality is perhaps the best in the industry at the moment. However, nothing they had on the shelf or could, for a reasonable price, make matched my suspension geometry. I needed a shock that would collapse to under 19" on the front and extend to as close to 31" as possible. After an inordinate amount of time spent looking at different shocks, calling and emailing shock companies, and trolling through countless forum posts (thanks to @AnnDee4444 for putting together a great shock comparison chart) I decided the Fox 2.5 DSC 4.5" - 6" shocks from Accutune were the way to go. Numbers nearly perfectly matched my geometry, both front and rear, and the feedback from users was very very good. Plus fully rebuildable, so the nearly $3k cost becomes slightly more tolerable.

I did the install myself at the local Marine Corps base Auto Hobby Shop. I have seen a couple folks trying to compress the shocks without a lift, can't imagine trying to do that. However, with a lift the job was very easy. Had all four shocks off in about 15 minutes. Another 15 minutes and the rear Fox shocks were on. The front was a bit more challenging. The MetalCloak inner fenders I have were not compatible with the mounting location for the reservoirs (really for the hose running to the reservoirs.) The result was lots of trimming of the inner fenders.

Overall, the job took me about 2.5 hours from the time I put the Jeep on the lift to the time I had the bay mopped out and was driving away. At least an hour fifteen of that was spent on the inner fenders.

It really is hard for me to express how much of a difference these shocks make in the feel of the vehicle. The bumpsteer is gone...not reduced...gone. I now hit bumps that used to send me skittering around in the lane (bad expansion joints on a high speed corner) and barely feel them, vehicle remains rock solid and tracking perfectly. I haven't taken it out on the trails yet, but I expected even better there. I participated in the Nova Jeepers annual Show and Shine event this last weekend and put the JLURD on the ORI Ramp there. It scored an RTI of 849 without airing down tires. Figure if I had put the tires at a trail level (about 15 psi) I would have hit pretty close to 900. For a mid arm JL on 35s I am pretty darn happy with that number, can't wait to see how it does at Moab this summer.

Rear with Rockshock pulled off

Front just prior to pulling Rockshock
(blue circled area is where the hose to the reservoir was rubbing)

Back Fox Installed

Front Installed

Front Reservoir Mount

 

[ChuckQue]

Well the shocks are on and I simply could not be happier. I had the MetalCloak Rockshocks extended travel put on as a temporary option when my @Clayton Off Road suspension was installed about a year ago. They were good shocks and, from my seat of the pants perspective, at least as capable / comfortable as OEM. However, there is absolutely no comparison with the @AccuTune Off-Road Fox DSC 2.5".

I have spent the last year looking for the right shock. I really wanted to go with Radflo as I think their quality is perhaps the best in the industry at the moment. However, nothing they had on the shelf or could, for a reasonable price, make matched my suspension geometry. I needed a shock that would collapse to under 19" on the front and extend to as close to 31" as possible. After an inordinate amount of time spent looking at different shocks, calling and emailing shock companies, and trolling through countless forum posts (thanks to @AnnDee4444 for putting together a great shock comparison chart) I decided the Fox 2.5 DSC 4.5" - 6" shocks from Accutune were the way to go. Numbers nearly perfectly matched my geometry, both front and rear, and the feedback from users was very very good. Plus fully rebuildable, so the nearly $3k cost becomes slightly more tolerable.

I did the install myself at the local Marine Corps base Auto Hobby Shop. I have seen a couple folks trying to compress the shocks without a lift, can't imagine trying to do that. However, with a lift the job was very easy. Had all four shocks off in about 15 minutes. Another 15 minutes and the rear Fox shocks were on. The front was a bit more challenging. The MetalCloak inner fenders I have were not compatible with the mounting location for the reservoirs (really for the hose running to the reservoirs.) The result was lots of trimming of the inner fenders.

Overall, the job took me about 2.5 hours from the time I put the Jeep on the lift to the time I had the bay mopped out and was driving away. At least an hour fifteen of that was spent on the inner fenders.

It really is hard for me to express how much of a difference these shocks make in the feel of the vehicle. The bumpsteer is gone...not reduced...gone. I now hit bumps that used to send me skittering around in the lane (bad expansion joints on a high speed corner) and barely feel them, vehicle remains rock solid and tracking perfectly. I haven't taken it out on the trails yet, but I expected even better there. I participated in the Nova Jeepers annual Show and Shine event this last weekend and put the JLURD on the the ORI Ramp there. It scored a 849 without airing down tires. Figure if I had put the tires at a trail level (about 15 psi) I would have hit pretty close to 900. For a mid arm JL on 35s I am pretty darn happy with that number, can't wait to see how it does at Moab this summer.

Rear with Rockshock pulled off

Front just prior to pulling Rockshock
(blue circled area is where the hose to the reservoir was rubbing)

Back Fox Installed

Front Installed

Front Reservoir Mount

I really dig your build. This is exactly what I’m looking to do with mine when it arrives. Thank you for putting together such a comprehensive thread! Any photos of how it sits now that you have your suspension dialed in with the new shocks?

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