Diesel Build - 2020 Sting-Gray JLURD

[Themistocles]

Any new work being put in sir? I always find myself coming back to your build thread. I consider yours to be a big inspiration for where I want mine to be.

First, thank you and I am glad this thread provides some value. As for work, not really, I have CCM A-pillar mirrors that are waiting to be installed. But no real hurry on that as the top and doors are not coming off until it warms up a bit. I am in the middle of a complete garage reconfiguration, which when done will allow me to put in a hoist for my hardtop. I need to put in an AAL remote manifold for my compressor, an AAL Versa-table, and AAL quick release rear inner fenders. I am also probably going to switch to a 2.5 ton aluminum tie rod probably from Fusion 4x4. Plus, I am breathing deeply and getting ready to put in aluminum belly armor, probably @Artec Industries.

Work has been pretty busy and I am wrapping up my military time with all the admin stuff that comes with retirement...so jeep has taken a back seat for a while. But that itch can only go unscratched for so long, and I am reaching my limit. Probably start back up again in March or early April to prep for at least a couple East Coast wheeling trips this summer. Though at some point in there I am going to have to find a real job...after playing around in the military for 30-years.
The fix I did for death wobble appears to be holding fine. Zero problems since I initially repaired, and steering feel is still tighter and more responsive than it is on my wife's 2022 MB GLE. Overall, everything is working well, no reconfigurations or changes to installed stuff, fingers remain crossed that holds.

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[ChuckQue]

First, thank you and I am glad this thread provides some value. As for work, not really, I have CCM A-pillar mirrors that are waiting to be installed. But no real hurry on that as the top and doors are not coming off until it warms up a bit. I am in the middle of a complete garage reconfiguration, which when done will allow me to put in a hoist for my hardtop. I need to put in an AAL remote manifold for my compressor, an AAL Versa-table, and AAL quick release rear inner fenders. I am also probably going to switch to a 2.5 ton aluminum tie rod probably from Fusion 4x4. Plus, I am breathing deeply and getting ready to put in aluminum belly armor, probably @Artec Industries.

Work has been pretty busy and I am wrapping up my military time with all the admin stuff that comes with retirement...so jeep has taken a back seat for a while. But that itch can only go unscratched for so long, and I am reaching my limit. Probably start back up again in March or early April to prep for at least a couple East Coast wheeling trips this summer. Though at some point in there I am going to have to find a real job...after playing around in the military for 30-years.
The fix I did for death wobble appears to be holding fine. Zero problems since I initially repaired, and steering feel is still tighter and more responsive than it is on my wife's 2022 MB GLE. Overall, everything is working well, no reconfigurations or changes to installed stuff, fingers remain crossed that holds.

I notice you ditched the steersmarts tie rod, why is that? My builder, who did awesome work and I have zero complaints, recommended that steering setup for me when I had it in to get the RK kit put on. I was out of town and extremely occupied so I trusted his recommendation and told him to get it done. Now, after the fact, I see several serious wheelers here have removed theirs including @Roky which worries me….

Also, how’s the MBRP exhaust now that you’ve had it a while? Did you ever put a DEF skid on, and if so, does it clear that exhaust? Any drone at highway speeds?

 

[Roky]

I notice you ditched the steersmarts tie rod, why is that? My builder, who did awesome work and I have zero complaints, recommended that steering setup for me when I had it in to get the RK kit put on. I was out of town and extremely occupied so I trusted his recommendation and told him to get it done. Now, after the fact, I see several serious wheelers here have removed theirs including @Roky which worries me….

Also, how’s the MBRP exhaust now that you’ve had it a while? Did you ever put a DEF skid on, and if so, does it clear that exhaust? Any drone at highway speeds?

Hey brother,
My issue was with the drag link, as I had a synergy tie rod on so I can’t speak to their tie rod….. my drag link let loose at 15k which surprised me but figured the way we use the rig,…ok…. But when I went to buy the end to replace it, it was 200.00 ish, that’s when I decided it was time to upgrade…. I was expecting 50.00 ish as I just bought an end for my synergy tie rod and that’s what it was…. I’m not gonna talk shit about the steersmart company as there stuff is well built, but I’m not gonna lie, I was disappointed it let loose that soon……

 

[ChuckQue]

Hey brother,
My issue was with the drag link, as I had a synergy tie rod on so I can’t speak to their tie rod….. my drag link let loose at 15k which surprised me but figured the way we use the rig,…ok…. But when I went to buy the end to replace it, it was 200.00 ish, that’s when I decided it was time to upgrade…. I was expecting 50.00 ish as I just bought an end for my synergy tie rod and that’s what it was…. I’m not gonna talk shit about the steersmart company as there stuff is well built, but I’m not gonna lie, I was disappointed it let loose that soon……

Yeah, I am surprised at that cost as well. Another thing I didn’t realize about the steersmarts is the two clamps with the protruding bolts being so…vulnerable. Looks like a nasty hang up spot. I kept my OEM tierod as a spare for severe trails just in case…

 

[Themistocles]

I notice you ditched the steersmarts tie rod, why is that? My builder, who did awesome work and I have zero complaints, recommended that steering setup for me when I had it in to get the RK kit put on. I was out of town and extremely occupied so I trusted his recommendation and told him to get it done. Now, after the fact, I see several serious wheelers here have removed theirs including @Roky which worries me….

Also, how’s the MBRP exhaust now that you’ve had it a while? Did you ever put a DEF skid on, and if so, does it clear that exhaust? Any drone at highway speeds?

Appreciate @Roky jumping in, great insight as always.

So as for MBRP muffler eliminator, it is holding up great. Really no change to sound of the vehicle, rock solid, and no rust. Very happy with it.

Nope, no DEF skid yet. My understanding is Artec is in the final stage of minor modification to their diesel belly pan...once that is done, I will likely just take the plunge and order it all.

The Steersmarts was in my cart, ready to buy, decision made...and I just kept dragging my feet. I ordered the Steersmarts sector shaft and track bar brace...and just kept delaying on the tie rod and drag link. Part of the issue was I saw a few comments about it contacting aftermarket differential covers, also, as I kept researching and reading posts, I heard a few stories like Roky's. In the end I decided that I would look elsewhere. Haven't pulled the trigger on the Fusion yet, but to date have not heard / read a single negative about the Fusion 2.5 ton. Now, I am absolutely not saying I think the Steersmarts is a bad product. I am sure if I had ordered I would have been happy with it. But I think I will end up with the Fusion.

 

[sciotola88]

Nice build! I'm looking at doing Reid knuckles and either ball joint deletes or dyntrac ball joints when i decide to regear. Looks like the knuckles were a good buy.

 

[Themistocles]

Nice build! I'm looking at doing Reid knuckles and either ball joint deletes or dyntrac ball joints when i decide to regear. Looks like the knuckles were a good buy.

Yeah, I really couldn't be happier with the outcome. I did knuckles, sector shaft brace, ball joints and steering stabilizer all at the same time, so it is really hard for me to tell what did what, but I can say that with all those in...and 2.5 Accutuned Fox DSC shocks, the way it feels and handles now is, in my opinion, what it should have been like from the factory.

 

[Themistocles]

Well, it has been way too long since I was on here and posted any updates. A bit of life got in the way, retirement from the military, job hunting, job finding, and all the life changes that come with the transition from military to civilian. So, the Jeep has remained pretty much the same for the last 8 months. The positive there is that as built it is performing wonderfully, is a pleasure to drive, gets pretty decent milage (23 mpg averaged), and does really well on most trails.

This again was proven last week. I took my son down to Space Camp in Huntsville Alabama for the week and then had Monday - Friday with nothing to do...and my Jeep. So, I headed out to Stony Lonesome and then Windrock. Both were amazing, quite different, but both really fun.

At Stony Lonesome I did the BoH trail #404 and agree with many that it really probably shouldn't be a badge of honor trail. Really nothing spectacular, or even particularly interesting there. Gut Buster was completely closed down, the manager at the park said that even trail buggies were not able to make it up at the moment. I looked at Switchback to Whose Your Daddy and decided not to run it. I was driving solo and was not with a second vehicle. I probably could have made it, but 1000 miles from home, in my daily driver, and with a kid to pick up in a few days I chose caution. With all that said, the park was still great. The manager there was amazingly helpful, told him it was my first time there and asked for recommendations and he took nearly 30 minutes to lay out an entire route for me. Walked me through all the landmarks and talked through the trails. Bootleg Creek turned out to be one of my all-time favorite trails. It was absolutely a blast to run. Bootleg, IMHO, should replace 404 as the BoH trail. Overall, I really had fun at Stony Lonesome, what a great place.


Entrance to BoH Trail 404 at Stony Lonesome

Entrance to Bootleg Creek Trail

Bootleg Creek Trail

I then headed to Nashville, spent a day helping my cousin move to a new place, then the next day we headed out to Windrock. We ended up doing two BoH trails there, Trail #26 and Panther Rock, plus a bunch of non-BoH trails. Again, a whole lot of fun, amazingly pretty country and a truly extensive tail system.

Trail 26

Trail to Panther Rock

Panther Rock

After Windrock, went back to Nashville, dropped my cousin off and then headed down to pick up my son in Huntsville. The two of us then headed out to Uwharrie in North Carolina to run Dickey Bell and some of the other trails there. I was actually not expecting that much from Dickey Bell, but the hill climb section was really fun and made the whole trail worthwhile. After a couple more trails in Uwharrie we headed back home.

The one new "part" that I added for the trip was a new cooler. My experience out in Moab and Colorado last year convinced me that I had to replace my old Igloo BMX 52 cooler. I decided on a Canyon 45 cooler and was very happy with it. It held ice at least twice as long, probably more like 3 times as long, has a partnership with Tread Lightly, and has some outstanding features, like a divider that doubles as a clip on table, and selectable standard sized food trays. It worked perfect on the trip.

Canyon cooler in the back of the Jeep

Overall, a great week; from long interstate stretches at 75 MPH to 6 - 8 rated trails the jeep did perfectly. Next up Rausch Creek and Anthracite OHV parks if I can find some time this fall...and a second jeep to go with me, as both have a 2-vehicle minimum.

As for coming upgrades, my 35" Toyo Open Country ATIIs are reaching the end of their life (just over 50K by the end of this trip). They were amazing tires and Toyos remain my favorite overall, but they are heavy and I have decided to go up to 37s. So, time to try something else...probably BFG KO2s. I still have my eyes on aluminum belly armor, and I have to add a tailgate table and a remote manifold for my ARB. Plus, I now have to repair my driver side rear fender. A root reached out and grabbed it on a trail in Stony Lonesome...broke about half the retaining clips.

Also have to provide a big kudos to @Metalcloak. The LED DRLs on my Metal Cloak fender braces started to lose LEDs and blink intermittently a couple months ago after having been in about a year. First it was one LED on one side, within weeks it was multiple LEDs on that side, and a few out on the other side. I emailed MC to ask about replacement, expecting to have to buy a set of lights from them. Nope...asked me for pics and then sent me a new set just like that. What great customer service.

 

[Themistocles]

Well, as I mentioned in my last post my 35" Toyo AT2s were reaching the end of their service life. They have been a great tire, but it was time. Spent a lot of time looking around. Almost went with the BFG KO2s, but in the end decided to try a set of 37" Mickey Thompson Baja Legend EXPs. They are now sitting in my garage waiting for install.

Also, after hesitating for years, I went ahead and bought an AFE Momentum HD Cold Air Intake. That hasn't been delivered yet but should be an easy install once it is. Will post pictures and impressions as soon as things are on.

 

[Themistocles]

37" Mickey Thompson Baja Legend EXPs Are On!

I really like the look. Looks like the tire the Jeep was meant to have.

Initial impression of feel is great. The Toyo Open Country AT2s I had were load range E and even with around 30 psi they still felt stiff. These are load range D and already feel a bit softer. They track very nicely on the street and as I drove home in the rain yesterday grabbed the wet road very well. In fact, while I was able to break free and slide around a bit with my 60k+ Toyos there was nothing I could do (while on public roads) to get these Legends to slip.

My first task this morning was to set the right tire size using my Tazer JL Mini. I measured the tires at 34 PSI at 35.25". Tazer's closest number was 35.26. Overall, a task made very easy by having the Tazer. Took about 10 mins total to get new tire size updated.

My next task is going to be a bit more complicated. While we did all the measurements the last time I had the Jeep on a ramp to make sure there was room for 37s with no additional work, now that they are on I need to go back and verify that IRL.

However, I already see a potential concern...the rear pinch seam.

As you can see, the tire does overlap the pinch seam. It would take about 5.5 inches of up-travel to contact as it sits, but as it travels up it will also off set backwards a bit (due to arc of control arms). So maybe more like 4.5 inches of up travel ... plus add in body roll and I am starting to get uncomfortable.

So, @Roky I know you have posted about this before. Could I ask for some your thoughts? How much pinch seam did you take off, how did you make the cut? Overall, any suggestions, guidance, thoughts I could get would be much appreciated.

 

[phageghost]

However, I already see a potential concern...the rear pinch seam.

As you can see, the tire does overlap the pinch seam. It would take about 5.5 inches of up-travel to contact as it sits, but as it travels up it will also off set backwards a bit (due to arc of control arms). So maybe more like 4.5 inches of up travel ... plus add in body roll and I am starting to get uncomfortable.

So, @Roky I know you have posted about this before. Could I ask for some your thoughts? How much pinch seam did you take off, how did you make the cut? Overall, any suggestions, guidance, thoughts I could get would be much appreciated.

How are you in front of the tire? No room to pull the axle forward an inch or so?

 

[Roky]

37" Mickey Thompson Baja Legend EXPs Are On!

I really like the look. Looks like the tire the Jeep was meant to have.

Initial impression of feel is great. The Toyo Open Country AT2s I had were load range E and even with around 30 psi they still felt stiff. These are load range D and already feel a bit softer. They track very nicely on the street and as I drove home in the rain yesterday grabbed the wet road very well. In fact, while I was able to break free and slide around a bit with my 60k+ Toyos there was nothing I could do (while on public roads) to get these Legends to slip.

My first task this morning was to set the right tire size using my Tazer JL Mini. I measured the tires at 34 PSI at 35.25". Tazer's closest number was 35.26. Overall, a task made very easy by having the Tazer. Took about 10 mins total to get new tire size updated.

My next task is going to be a bit more complicated. While we did all the measurements the last time I had the Jeep on a ramp to make sure there was room for 37s with no additional work, now that they are on I need to go back and verify that IRL.

However, I already see a potential concern...the rear pinch seam.

As you can see, the tire does overlap the pinch seam. It would take about 5.5 inches of up-travel to contact as it sits, but as it travels up it will also off set backwards a bit (due to arc of control arms). So maybe more like 4.5 inches of up travel ... plus add in body roll and I am starting to get uncomfortable.

So, @Roky I know you have posted about this before. Could I ask for some your thoughts? How much pinch seam did you take off, how did you make the cut? Overall, any suggestions, guidance, thoughts I could get would be much appreciated.

Hey brother,
Rigs looking great….here’s a pic of mine, I used a grinder with a metal cutoff wheel, but you can use a dremel or sawzaw with metal blade, really just whatever you’re comfortable with…….
Depending on how much you need to remove will determine how much higher you’ll need to go…. I then filled mine with JB Weld and hit with color match touch up paint…..

 

[Themistocles]

How are you in front of the tire? No room to pull the axle forward an inch or so?

I think I could probably pull it forward 1/3 to 1/2 and inch, which might be enough. That still wouldn't cover all the tire / pinch seam overlap in the back, but it might give me the clearance I need. Need to do a bit more measuring.

 

[Themistocles]

Hey brother,
Rigs looking great….here’s a pic of mine, I used a grinder with a metal cutoff wheel, but you can use a dremel or sawzaw with metal blade, really just whatever you’re comfortable with…….
Depending on how much you need to remove will determine how much higher you’ll need to go…. I then filled mine with JB Weld and hit with color match touch up paint…..

THANK YOU! That is exactly what I needed, both the picture and the JB Weld comment. I really appreciate the response.

 

[Roky]

THANK YOU! That is exactly what I needed, both the picture and the JB Weld comment. I really appreciate the response.

Anytime brother…….

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