Jarg1
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- Scott
- Joined
- Mar 12, 2021
- Threads
- 2
- Messages
- 45
- Reaction score
- 72
- Location
- San Jose, CA
- Vehicle(s)
- 2021 JLUR, 1997 911 (aka 993), 2023 Telsa 3
- Occupation
- Jeep modder, among other things.
- Thread starter
- #1
Why Joker? This name would make more sense with a purple Jeep, but it comes from the “J” for Jeep call sign my daughter picked when we were off-roading with friends and the name stuck. So Joker it is.
Day One
Mods so far
Front Bumper. I ordered with the base bumpers because I knew I was going to replace them anyway. Since I wanted to mount a winch, I was concerned about weight so limited my search to aluminum bumpers. My preferences included being able to mount the winch inside the bumper, and no bull bar/stinger/winch hoop as I didn’t see much utility, plus more front weight. Eventually I chose the MP Concepts clone of the OEM steel bumper. It was a straightforward install and I like that I can still use OEM parts with it. For example, rather than reusing the fog light harness from the plastic pumper I installed the Mopar steel bumper wiring 68336460AD. The main limitation with this that I know of is the use of tow hooks. WARN and Maximus-3 make tow loop kits for the OEM bumper but they mount below the bumper thus reducing approach. If I stick with this bumper long-term I may try something like the HK Offroad front shackle tab kit.
WARN 103253 VR EVO 10-S. It seems to be solid and is relatively light with the synthetic rope. I contemplated a XEON but was concerned about the fit.
Rusty’s winch mount. The MP Concepts bumper includes a winch plate but unfortunately it is too deep to use with the sway disconnect motor. I considered trimming the plate or seeing if rotating the motor would clear the plate, but instead went with Rusty’s. I like that it seems to be engineered to provide the minimal necessary strength and therefore saves a few pounds up front. Plus because of the way it mounts it doesn’t push the bumper forward. I worry that it may not be strong enough though based on a reported failure by another forum member.
WARN 102642 winch cover. Fits well. I like the look of the exposed winch better but figure it best to protect against sun and moisture. Note it should be installed before you put the bumper back on since the drawstrings in the middle would be almost impossible to route afterwards. Thankfully I figured this out beforehand.
WARN 62132 power interrupt kit. Since I have the auxiliary switches included with the tow package, it made sense to me to wire the winch to one of the switches to be able to power off when not in use. Note the kit includes a lot of stuff I didn’t use other than the solenoid and the battery lead. I built my own wiring and bracket.
Badge Glow Simple aux. I like that wiring is better organized. But I don’t yet have any other accessories that need to connect to the auxiliary switches and I worry about the exposed connections.
Factor 55 winch lock. It seems to me it would be very difficult to get to the mounting screws but just in case…
I originally planned to use a hook with the winch so bought the WARN 102222 hook stay and fairlead backing plate. It seemed flimsy plus it included slots for a front license plate which I didn’t plan to use, so I replaced it with a Maximus-3 winch hook anchor. Definitely beefier, but then I decided I didn’t like the looks much, plus it protruded further out and added weight to the front. I replaced it with the Mopar 82215528AB winch fairlead adapter plate.
WARN fairlead. This is included with the winch and is a pretty nice piece so even though there are some other great looking aftermarket options I’m sticking with it for now.
Maximus-3 filler trim plates for ZEON & EVO. Cleans up the top of the bumper. Easy install but required tapping the original plastic cover attachment holes. Would be even better in aluminum. Note Maximus-3 also makes another “standard” kit which they say is also compatible with EVOs but this version worked fine.
Factor 55 Flatlink E. After ditching the hook I first installed a Factor 55 Prolink and while I like the concept better it sticks out a bit more. Thus the Flatlink.
Rear bumper. There is an aluminum clone of the OEM steel rear bumper but I have read that the OEM is prone to damaging the body when hit hard, and I don’t want that. Really the main disadvantage I see with the factory plastic is the lack of a good tow point. Plus losing cred with the hardcore crowd. I’ll stick with it for now.
Rhino USA shackle hitch receiver. See rear bumper above. This is really solid, but it will only be attached if needed.
Hooke hitch skid plate. Having ordered the tow package it occurred to me that the hitch is the low point in the back. I like that this protects the hitch area including the wiring. But it weights ~17lbs and is even lower. I added a rattle silencer kit after realizing the bolt on hitch stabilizer wasn’t going to let me mount the plate all the way in. I would like a hitch receiver skid that sits flush with the bottom of the receiver to avoid a lower contact point but haven’t found anything yet.
Rough Country front and rear differential skids. These weren’t my first choice. Ranchos looked to be higher quality but apparently their front skid isn’t a good fit with the latest Dana 44s on Wranglers. I emailed them to see if they were planning to fix that but never received a reply. Oh well, it saved me having to paint them black.
Rusty’s rear LCA frame side mount skid. As far as I know this is the only bolt-on solution. I prefer bolt-on parts in case I do severe damage or find something I like better. Of course, the fasteners are a potential weak point. Note one of the passenger side fasteners has clearance issues on the inside and I had to move the inside washer to the outside to get a solid fit. Also, these come unpainted, so I sprayed on some black chassis paint. I wish there was an equivalent for the front since I’ve already managed to ding one of them.
Rock Hard 4X4 bolt-on front and rear LCA skids. Solid and only a little bit of a pain for one person to install. I learned how to align the LCAs to the mounts both by using a jack on the frame or by bumping the tire against a chock.
Rock Hard FAD skid plate. Not really super necessary since there is already a plate there but what the heck.
Longer control arms. I have adjusted to Wrangler vague steering and tracking but wouldn’t mind improving it. Towards that end I replaced the factory arms with the slightly longer 68322798AA part. Some users report great improvement after this swap, but for me the difference was subtle. On the other hand, it was inexpensive and easy, even with having to remove the LCA skids to install.
ASFIR aluminum underbody protection kit. Partial failure/success. I realized after installing the mounting brackets for the engine and transmission skid that it would sit against the front differential skid. So that isn’t going to work. I have emailed ASFIR to see if they can put something together that will work for my application. I’d really like to have a plate there and I prefer aluminum, particularly for the large skids. Better results with the transfer case skid which went right on. Note it sits below the existing skid so is kind of redundant. I'm debating whether to paint this black.
Plus a bunch of minor mods
Mopar all weather mats. I order these with the Jeep, but they were dropped at the factory. I like the look but wish the back was a single piece since the seam of the 2 sections doesn’t like to stay connected.
Mopar cargo mats. 82215185AC. I like that they cover the entire cargo area with the seats down and they also match the style of Mopar floor mats.
Mopar trail rail management system. MTRMS. I really got these to replace the carpeted area on each side of the cargo mats. Pretty pricy for that purpose but I didn’t find any alternative unless I used another mat. I think it would be nice if there was a way to replace all the carpeting in the rear but this gets me most of the way there.
Voodonala door buckle covers. Dress up the door latches a bit. Seem well made.
Mopar lug locks. Another XR owner had their spare stolen, so this became a priority. Hopefully can discourage the bad guys.
Ryonair 13” antenna. I don’t want exterior chrome and I don’t listen to FM very often so unconcerned about reception.
Hothead headliner kit. I considered ordering the Jeep with the OEM headliners but went this route based on forum reviews. I chose black since most of the interior is already black. Installation was easy. The passenger side rear panel didn’t want to stay on, so I purchased what I think is the same 3M tape (4941 VHB) that it came with and replaced the original. That didn’t work any better – I guess some small discrepancy in the panel was reducing contact between the top and the tape. There is enough space to place 2 strips of tape per section, and that did the trick.
OEM cargo tub liner. Limited utility but it makes cleaning the tub easier and some owners report it can be used as a covert cooler.
Threedom key lock caps. More chrome hidden. Note I also ordered the tailgate lock cap not realizing there is nowhere to put it on this build.
Threedom Model S+ fob. First fail. I couldn’t get all the buttons to work. Support tried to help but nothing fixed it and I gave up. I suspect there is too much flex in the case. I’ve learned to live with the monster OEM fob.
CDEFG tempered glass touch screen protector. Easy install with no impact on touch screen function. Does have a bit more glare.
¼ inch rubber cord. After the first off road trip there were a bunch of small rocks wedged in between the fenders and body. This will prevent a repeat.
JKCOVER central console organizer. Mainly like having a semi hidden space below to stash my gold bullion.
Bartact roll bar mount and Amerex B417T fire extinguisher. I’ve read the extinguisher is required for some events and of course it is always a good idea to have one in your vehicle. I considered just using an Element E50 – I have it in my other cars – but somehow it didn’t seem right for this.
Which gets me to Day 50.
Next projects.
I have a pair of Rock Hard 4x4 patriot tube sliders on order. Hopefully they can better keep rocks away from the body. I’m not looking forward to removing the factory sliders though.
I definitely want to relocate the stabilizer. It seems like the weakest link left. I’ve ordered the Synergy kit to try. Once there is a better consensus on the Exact Center stabilizer I’ll probably grab one.
Oracle Lighting tail lights. I don’t have either of the safety packages – pretty much the only options I omitted – but will wait for it to be plug and play before purchasing. I don’t love the monster XR tail lights.
Day One
Mods so far
Front Bumper. I ordered with the base bumpers because I knew I was going to replace them anyway. Since I wanted to mount a winch, I was concerned about weight so limited my search to aluminum bumpers. My preferences included being able to mount the winch inside the bumper, and no bull bar/stinger/winch hoop as I didn’t see much utility, plus more front weight. Eventually I chose the MP Concepts clone of the OEM steel bumper. It was a straightforward install and I like that I can still use OEM parts with it. For example, rather than reusing the fog light harness from the plastic pumper I installed the Mopar steel bumper wiring 68336460AD. The main limitation with this that I know of is the use of tow hooks. WARN and Maximus-3 make tow loop kits for the OEM bumper but they mount below the bumper thus reducing approach. If I stick with this bumper long-term I may try something like the HK Offroad front shackle tab kit.
WARN 103253 VR EVO 10-S. It seems to be solid and is relatively light with the synthetic rope. I contemplated a XEON but was concerned about the fit.
Rusty’s winch mount. The MP Concepts bumper includes a winch plate but unfortunately it is too deep to use with the sway disconnect motor. I considered trimming the plate or seeing if rotating the motor would clear the plate, but instead went with Rusty’s. I like that it seems to be engineered to provide the minimal necessary strength and therefore saves a few pounds up front. Plus because of the way it mounts it doesn’t push the bumper forward. I worry that it may not be strong enough though based on a reported failure by another forum member.
WARN 102642 winch cover. Fits well. I like the look of the exposed winch better but figure it best to protect against sun and moisture. Note it should be installed before you put the bumper back on since the drawstrings in the middle would be almost impossible to route afterwards. Thankfully I figured this out beforehand.
WARN 62132 power interrupt kit. Since I have the auxiliary switches included with the tow package, it made sense to me to wire the winch to one of the switches to be able to power off when not in use. Note the kit includes a lot of stuff I didn’t use other than the solenoid and the battery lead. I built my own wiring and bracket.
Badge Glow Simple aux. I like that wiring is better organized. But I don’t yet have any other accessories that need to connect to the auxiliary switches and I worry about the exposed connections.
Factor 55 winch lock. It seems to me it would be very difficult to get to the mounting screws but just in case…
I originally planned to use a hook with the winch so bought the WARN 102222 hook stay and fairlead backing plate. It seemed flimsy plus it included slots for a front license plate which I didn’t plan to use, so I replaced it with a Maximus-3 winch hook anchor. Definitely beefier, but then I decided I didn’t like the looks much, plus it protruded further out and added weight to the front. I replaced it with the Mopar 82215528AB winch fairlead adapter plate.
WARN fairlead. This is included with the winch and is a pretty nice piece so even though there are some other great looking aftermarket options I’m sticking with it for now.
Maximus-3 filler trim plates for ZEON & EVO. Cleans up the top of the bumper. Easy install but required tapping the original plastic cover attachment holes. Would be even better in aluminum. Note Maximus-3 also makes another “standard” kit which they say is also compatible with EVOs but this version worked fine.
Factor 55 Flatlink E. After ditching the hook I first installed a Factor 55 Prolink and while I like the concept better it sticks out a bit more. Thus the Flatlink.
Rear bumper. There is an aluminum clone of the OEM steel rear bumper but I have read that the OEM is prone to damaging the body when hit hard, and I don’t want that. Really the main disadvantage I see with the factory plastic is the lack of a good tow point. Plus losing cred with the hardcore crowd. I’ll stick with it for now.
Rhino USA shackle hitch receiver. See rear bumper above. This is really solid, but it will only be attached if needed.
Hooke hitch skid plate. Having ordered the tow package it occurred to me that the hitch is the low point in the back. I like that this protects the hitch area including the wiring. But it weights ~17lbs and is even lower. I added a rattle silencer kit after realizing the bolt on hitch stabilizer wasn’t going to let me mount the plate all the way in. I would like a hitch receiver skid that sits flush with the bottom of the receiver to avoid a lower contact point but haven’t found anything yet.
Rough Country front and rear differential skids. These weren’t my first choice. Ranchos looked to be higher quality but apparently their front skid isn’t a good fit with the latest Dana 44s on Wranglers. I emailed them to see if they were planning to fix that but never received a reply. Oh well, it saved me having to paint them black.
Rusty’s rear LCA frame side mount skid. As far as I know this is the only bolt-on solution. I prefer bolt-on parts in case I do severe damage or find something I like better. Of course, the fasteners are a potential weak point. Note one of the passenger side fasteners has clearance issues on the inside and I had to move the inside washer to the outside to get a solid fit. Also, these come unpainted, so I sprayed on some black chassis paint. I wish there was an equivalent for the front since I’ve already managed to ding one of them.
Rock Hard 4X4 bolt-on front and rear LCA skids. Solid and only a little bit of a pain for one person to install. I learned how to align the LCAs to the mounts both by using a jack on the frame or by bumping the tire against a chock.
Rock Hard FAD skid plate. Not really super necessary since there is already a plate there but what the heck.
Longer control arms. I have adjusted to Wrangler vague steering and tracking but wouldn’t mind improving it. Towards that end I replaced the factory arms with the slightly longer 68322798AA part. Some users report great improvement after this swap, but for me the difference was subtle. On the other hand, it was inexpensive and easy, even with having to remove the LCA skids to install.
ASFIR aluminum underbody protection kit. Partial failure/success. I realized after installing the mounting brackets for the engine and transmission skid that it would sit against the front differential skid. So that isn’t going to work. I have emailed ASFIR to see if they can put something together that will work for my application. I’d really like to have a plate there and I prefer aluminum, particularly for the large skids. Better results with the transfer case skid which went right on. Note it sits below the existing skid so is kind of redundant. I'm debating whether to paint this black.
Plus a bunch of minor mods
Mopar all weather mats. I order these with the Jeep, but they were dropped at the factory. I like the look but wish the back was a single piece since the seam of the 2 sections doesn’t like to stay connected.
Mopar cargo mats. 82215185AC. I like that they cover the entire cargo area with the seats down and they also match the style of Mopar floor mats.
Mopar trail rail management system. MTRMS. I really got these to replace the carpeted area on each side of the cargo mats. Pretty pricy for that purpose but I didn’t find any alternative unless I used another mat. I think it would be nice if there was a way to replace all the carpeting in the rear but this gets me most of the way there.
Voodonala door buckle covers. Dress up the door latches a bit. Seem well made.
Mopar lug locks. Another XR owner had their spare stolen, so this became a priority. Hopefully can discourage the bad guys.
Ryonair 13” antenna. I don’t want exterior chrome and I don’t listen to FM very often so unconcerned about reception.
Hothead headliner kit. I considered ordering the Jeep with the OEM headliners but went this route based on forum reviews. I chose black since most of the interior is already black. Installation was easy. The passenger side rear panel didn’t want to stay on, so I purchased what I think is the same 3M tape (4941 VHB) that it came with and replaced the original. That didn’t work any better – I guess some small discrepancy in the panel was reducing contact between the top and the tape. There is enough space to place 2 strips of tape per section, and that did the trick.
OEM cargo tub liner. Limited utility but it makes cleaning the tub easier and some owners report it can be used as a covert cooler.
Threedom key lock caps. More chrome hidden. Note I also ordered the tailgate lock cap not realizing there is nowhere to put it on this build.
Threedom Model S+ fob. First fail. I couldn’t get all the buttons to work. Support tried to help but nothing fixed it and I gave up. I suspect there is too much flex in the case. I’ve learned to live with the monster OEM fob.
CDEFG tempered glass touch screen protector. Easy install with no impact on touch screen function. Does have a bit more glare.
¼ inch rubber cord. After the first off road trip there were a bunch of small rocks wedged in between the fenders and body. This will prevent a repeat.
JKCOVER central console organizer. Mainly like having a semi hidden space below to stash my gold bullion.
Bartact roll bar mount and Amerex B417T fire extinguisher. I’ve read the extinguisher is required for some events and of course it is always a good idea to have one in your vehicle. I considered just using an Element E50 – I have it in my other cars – but somehow it didn’t seem right for this.
Which gets me to Day 50.
Next projects.
I have a pair of Rock Hard 4x4 patriot tube sliders on order. Hopefully they can better keep rocks away from the body. I’m not looking forward to removing the factory sliders though.
I definitely want to relocate the stabilizer. It seems like the weakest link left. I’ve ordered the Synergy kit to try. Once there is a better consensus on the Exact Center stabilizer I’ll probably grab one.
Oracle Lighting tail lights. I don’t have either of the safety packages – pretty much the only options I omitted – but will wait for it to be plug and play before purchasing. I don’t love the monster XR tail lights.
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