"Joyride" Hydro JLUSA Build Thread

[rcadden]

Another update - this is waaaaaaay overdue, but finally had a minute to snap a few photos. For Christmas this year, I just sent my wife my "Jeep Tools" Amazon list and told her to blow her budget there.

Number one was a new toolbag - I have one of those open-mouth little bags from Home Depot, but they're just a big hole to throw stuff in - very little organization. Brad @ TrailRecon had shown off one of these roll-up toolbags and I really liked it, so that was my starting point.

I also wanted a set of wrenches *just* to keep in my Jeep at all times, and had to specifically look for one with a 18mm+. I wish she would have sprung for the ones with the built-in ratchet (and I probably shouldn't have had the simple ones on my list in the first place) but it is what it is.

I also keep two pairs of gloves in here - some cheap leather ones for more hardcore jobs, and a pair of latex work gloves.

When rolled up, the toolbag fits perfectlly in this little nook, and I use tiny bungee cords to hold it to these little loops that fit under the hardtop bolts. This keeps it up out of the way, and the bungees hold up well to jostling around.

You can fit a ridiculous amount of stuff in this bag, as you can see here:

The impact sockets go with an impact driver that I keep in the cubby underneath the cargo mat.

It's not enough to swap an axle or anything crazy, but it's enough to fix most little things that are more likely to happen on the trail. I could probably reduce it down a little (don't really need *all* of those sizes of wrenches, etc) but it works pretty nicely as-is.

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[rcadden]

Joyride got a HUGE facelift yesterday - new bumper w/ bull bar!!

After scouting the local FB marketplace for the past few weeks, I stumbled on a guy ~2hrs away that had the MOPAR OEM steel w/ skid plate *and* a RockHard 4x4 bull bar for $500 cash. Still can't believe how lucky I got with this.

Here's the before:

and here's the after:

You'll notice that the hooks aren't red - they're orange. I've always had a thing about blue and orange in my life, so I wanted that splash of color up front, as well. I think it turned out even better than I'd hoped - the orange looks so awesome against the hydro.

After posting in my local Jeep club about painting vs powdercoating, someone pointed out that the Gladiator Mojave trim has orange tow hooks, and a club member offered to just give me his - freakin awesome.

HOWEVER, while the tow hooks on the plastic bumper are just kind of sitting in there, on the steel bumper, they're held on with these little star-cut push-lock washers. One on each bolt, for a total of 8. They were a ROYAL pain to get off. If I was doing it again, I'd just paint the red ones and be sure to mask it off really good.

Some notes:

• You *need* to have a trim removal kit to get the old one off. They used those little plastic popper trim plugs *judiciously*. My kit was like $8 at Harbor Freight, worked brilliantly.
• The steel skid plate attaches to these little adapters that bolt onto the horns of the frame. You'll need some MOPAR rivnuts to attach these. Only one dealership near me had them. If you have the time, order those online.
• The RockHard 4x4 hoop is really nice - I like the shape and how it attaches to the bumper. HOWEVER, it has a slightly different finish which is driving me nuts. The bumper is matte black while the hoop is slightly gloss black. And it came with silver screws. I'll probably swap it out for a Warn hoop at some point, but for now it works.
• The little black T45 torx bolts that litter the surface of the bumper can cross-thread and strip *really* easily. I plan to find somewhere online that I can buy a dozen or so spares just to have around.
• This dropped my front end right at 0.5", which is about what I expected. I'll probably leave it till I get a winch.

Overall, this was a ~3hr job, with a buddy. Probably would have gone smoother with better instructions and prep - the MOPAR instructions don't list out any of the socket sizes, and while I watched a few YouTube guides, I didn't bother to write down the tools list. They use 4-5 different socket sizes throughout the job, so I would've saved ~half an hour if I'd had that laid out beforehand.

Also, getting the wiring harness out of the old plastic bumper was a huge PITA. You basically have to completely dismantle it, which is a combination of screws and plastic trim poppers. We'll also not talk about how long I fought with those damn star lock washers....

 

[rcadden]

Joyride also got a bit of a summer upgrade today. My goal is to go totally topless as much as possible this summer, so I knew I wanted to get some seat covers to protect the leather. I went with neoprene for a few reasons:

1. I live in Texas. There's no way I'm going to have cool seats or prevent swamp @$$ during the summer, so that wasn't a focus. Protecting the leather was my #1 concern.
2. Wanted waterproof so that the kids can jump into the Jeep from the lake/beach/pool and I wouldn't be worried about it.
3. These will only be on for the summer months (~May - August, ish) so I wasn't looking for an always-on solution
4. Wanted to be at least a little stylish
5. On a budget (have other things to tend to, and keeping in mind #2, something like Bartact was out of range for this particular need)

After researching, I wound up going with Diver Down* neoprene, with the blue insert. I also considered Rough Country's neoprene seats, but they were the same price and Diver Down had blue, so I went with that. Based on my research, quality-wise they're both about equal.

I laid the pieces out in the sun yesterday so they'd loosen up a bit, but then ran out of time so I put them on this morning. Took me about 45 minutes to an hour doing it alone. Not hard, just ... involved.

I was really concerned about the flip-down cupholder in the backseat - we do roadtrips with kids, so making sure they still had access to cupholders was essential. I'm actually really impressed with how Diver Down covers this - just make sure you purchase the ones listed as "for leather seats".

Installation was pretty basic. It all just slips on and then secures with a series of plastic snap buckles, velcro, and a few spots with a stretchy-hook cord for corners and such.

All of the seat functions are fully operational - front seat adjustments and rear seat folding. etc.

My only real complaint (thus far, haven't actually "used" them yet) is that they don't include a console cover, NOR does Diver Down currently offer a JL-compatible one. I'd love a blue/black one to match the set, and really as small/cheap as it is, that should've been included, IMO.

There are a bunch of ~$20 all-black ones on Amazon, but still.

*The best I can tell, Diver Down is a private label brand from Quadratec. I know that Quadratec offers a forum discount, but I've seen too many bad service/experience threads, so I bought from Amazon. It was $20 cheaper thanks to a 10% off coupon, and I have Amazon's return policy protecting me.

UPDATE: Anyone doing this install, don't be dumb like me and forget to run the doubleheader back seat cover through the middle seatbelt. See the photos above - it's missing.

See below, it's back, lol.

 

[grandsrus]

Joyride also got a bit of a summer upgrade today. My goal is to go totally topless as much as possible this summer, so I knew I wanted to get some seat covers to protect the leather. I went with neoprene for a few reasons:

1. I live in Texas. There's no way I'm going to have cool seats or prevent swamp @$$ during the summer, so that wasn't a focus. Protecting the leather was my #1 concern.
2. Wanted waterproof so that the kids can jump into the Jeep from the lake/beach/pool and I wouldn't be worried about it.
3. These will only be on for the summer months (~May - August, ish) so I wasn't looking for an always-on solution
4. Wanted to be at least a little stylish
5. On a budget (have other things to tend to, and keeping in mind #2, something like Bartact was out of range for this particular need)

After researching, I wound up going with Diver Down* neoprene, with the blue insert. I also considered Rough Country's neoprene seats, but they were the same price and Diver Down had blue, so I went with that. Based on my research, quality-wise they're both about equal.

I laid the pieces out in the sun yesterday so they'd loosen up a bit, but then ran out of time so I put them on this morning. Took me about 45 minutes to an hour doing it alone. Not hard, just ... involved.

I was really concerned about the flip-down cupholder in the backseat - we do roadtrips with kids, so making sure they still had access to cupholders was essential. I'm actually really impressed with how Diver Down covers this - just make sure you purchase the ones listed as "for leather seats".

Installation was pretty basic. It all just slips on and then secures with a series of plastic snap buckles, velcro, and a few spots with a stretchy-hook cord for corners and such.

All of the seat functions are fully operational - front seat adjustments and rear seat folding. etc.

My only real complaint (thus far, haven't actually "used" them yet) is that they don't include a console cover, NOR does Diver Down currently offer a JL-compatible one. I'd love a blue/black one to match the set, and really as small/cheap as it is, that should've been included, IMO.

There are a bunch of ~$20 all-black ones on Amazon, but still.

*The best I can tell, Diver Down is a private label brand from Quadratec. I know that Quadratec offers a forum discount, but I've seen too many bad service/experience threads, so I bought from Amazon. It was $20 cheaper thanks to a 10% off coupon, and I have Amazon's return policy protecting me.

Very nice upgrades!!!

 

[rcadden]

Very nice upgrades!!!

Thanks - I'm pretty pleased with them. Ran out of time but looking forward to swapping the shocks out soon. See if they give me that 0.5" back

 

[rcadden]

And then there were four!

Just got my Badge of Honor plates for Snake, Fun Run, and Rubicon Ridge from a few weeks ago - that's FAST!

I didn't put the Northwest OHV one on cause it's just one - now that I have four, I guess I have to figure out how/where to put them on the Jeep. Not sold on the standard fender location just yet, as I like to keep a clean build.

 

[rcadden]

UPDATE:
Wound up returning these a few weeks later, for a few reasons:

• While the Freedom Panels and Sunrider for Hardtop both sit *on top* of the Jeep, these sit *in* the roof holes. Thus, they're positioned ~2" lower in the cabin. I'm 6'1", and kept brushing my head or the brim of my hat on it. REALLY obnoxious.
• Unfortunately, I'm not topless 100% of the time. While you *can* open/close the Sunrider for Hardtop with this thing in place, it's a hassle - you have to reach out the driver's window and around to open/close, and reaching the clips are a pain.

Ultimately, the $100 is better spent elsewhere.


Finally got around to pulling the top off so I could install the Alien Sunshades to complete my "summer upgrades"

Super easy to install, just a bunch of ball-end bungees. Nice and tight, need to drive around a bit and see how I like them.

I wish they'd make a set to cover the rear cargo area, just to keep stuff from flying out. This is my uber-lame temporary solution, lol.

 

[SoCal JLUS]

Joyride also got a bit of a summer upgrade today. My goal is to go totally topless as much as possible this summer, so I knew I wanted to get some seat covers to protect the leather. I went with neoprene for a few reasons:

1. I live in Texas. There's no way I'm going to have cool seats or prevent swamp @$$ during the summer, so that wasn't a focus. Protecting the leather was my #1 concern.
2. Wanted waterproof so that the kids can jump into the Jeep from the lake/beach/pool and I wouldn't be worried about it.
3. These will only be on for the summer months (~May - August, ish) so I wasn't looking for an always-on solution
4. Wanted to be at least a little stylish
5. On a budget (have other things to tend to, and keeping in mind #2, something like Bartact was out of range for this particular need)

After researching, I wound up going with Diver Down* neoprene, with the blue insert. I also considered Rough Country's neoprene seats, but they were the same price and Diver Down had blue, so I went with that. Based on my research, quality-wise they're both about equal.

I laid the pieces out in the sun yesterday so they'd loosen up a bit, but then ran out of time so I put them on this morning. Took me about 45 minutes to an hour doing it alone. Not hard, just ... involved.

I was really concerned about the flip-down cupholder in the backseat - we do roadtrips with kids, so making sure they still had access to cupholders was essential. I'm actually really impressed with how Diver Down covers this - just make sure you purchase the ones listed as "for leather seats".

Installation was pretty basic. It all just slips on and then secures with a series of plastic snap buckles, velcro, and a few spots with a stretchy-hook cord for corners and such.

All of the seat functions are fully operational - front seat adjustments and rear seat folding. etc.

My only real complaint (thus far, haven't actually "used" them yet) is that they don't include a console cover, NOR does Diver Down currently offer a JL-compatible one. I'd love a blue/black one to match the set, and really as small/cheap as it is, that should've been included, IMO.

There are a bunch of ~$20 all-black ones on Amazon, but still.

*The best I can tell, Diver Down is a private label brand from Quadratec. I know that Quadratec offers a forum discount, but I've seen too many bad service/experience threads, so I bought from Amazon. It was $20 cheaper thanks to a 10% off coupon, and I have Amazon's return policy protecting me.

UPDATE: Anyone doing this install, don't be dumb like me and forget to run the doubleheader back seat cover through the middle seatbelt. See the photos above - it's missing.

See below, it's back, lol.

How are you liking these seat covers so far? Interested as price seems reasonable.

 

[rcadden]

How are you liking these seat covers so far? Interested as price seems reasonable.

Thus far I'm pretty impressed (especially for the price). They're comfortable, look good, etc. Haven't gotten them wet yet.

They're only *just* slightly more breathable than the leather, but I still get a sweaty back with them. If that's something you're trying to solve, then I believe something like Bartact or other material might be better. I live in Texas, so I've already accepted that sweaty back is just part of life.

For the price, I think I'd feel good recommending them. Will be interested to see how they hold up over the summer.

 

[SoCal JLUS]

Thus far I'm pretty impressed (especially for the price). They're comfortable, look good, etc. Haven't gotten them wet yet.

They're only *just* slightly more breathable than the leather, but I still get a sweaty back with them. If that's something you're trying to solve, then I believe something like Bartact or other material might be better. I live in Texas, so I've already accepted that sweaty back is just part of life.

For the price, I think I'd feel good recommending them. Will be interested to see how they hold up over the summer.

Thanks for the update. My Sahara OEM seats are cloth and I am just a little concerned about the frequent vacuuming I do on the seats whenever I go out on a dusty trail (I like to leave my front windows open). I was hoping that seat covers (while looking good) could protect my OEM cloth seats. I don't like the idea of having a sweaty back, lol, although the Bartacts are almost double the price. Decisions, decisions!

 

[blink9cd]

Thanks for the update. My Sahara OEM seats are cloth and I am just a little concerned about the frequent vacuuming I do on the seats whenever I go out on a dusty trail (I like to leave my front windows open). I was hoping that seat covers (while looking good) could protect my OEM cloth seats. I don't like the idea of having a sweaty back, lol, although the Bartacts are almost double the price. Decisions, decisions!

I too want to be totally nonchalant about my seats so seat covers would help with that, and think the blue looks great in @rcadden 's pictures (which would be good for me).

I'm wondering the same thing about sweating...like would I be sweating with air conditioning on? I have OEM cloth seats with seat heaters. I saw the Bartacts in real life at my Jeep club and they look good, but it seems like it's more than double the cost...diver down are $200 for the whole front/rear set, vs $720 for the Bartacts. I like buying quality but (unfortunately) don't have unlimited Jeep funds...so trying to prioritize.

 

[rcadden]

@SoCal JLUS @blink9cd quick update after a few weeks of driving - definitely digging these seat covers. They're pretty comfy, and the neoprene+padding adds just a touch more cushion than the factory leather has.

As far as sweat goes, I think I'm approximately as sweaty with these as I was with the factory leather, maybe *slightly* less. I'm not a heavy sweater, though.

To be frank, having dealt with Texas summers for 39 years, I don't understand people's attempts to avoid sweating in the car. It's just part of summer, IMO. Even in my wife's Lexus with the seat coolers, when it's triple digits outside, you're fighting a losing battle.

 

[blink9cd]

@SoCal JLUS @blink9cd quick update after a few weeks of driving - definitely digging these seat covers. They're pretty comfy, and the neoprene+padding adds just a touch more cushion than the factory leather has.

As far as sweat goes, I think I'm approximately as sweaty with these as I was with the factory leather, maybe *slightly* less. I'm not a heavy sweater, though.

To be frank, having dealt with Texas summers for 39 years, I don't understand people's attempts to avoid sweating in the car. It's just part of summer, IMO. Even in my wife's Lexus with the seat coolers, when it's triple digits outside, you're fighting a losing battle.

Haha that sounds rough with the triple digits....I was actually in Forth Worth literally right before covid shutdowns in Mar 2020 so didn't experience that. It gets hot but I don't see it much in VA.

That's good to know how you feel so far. I think I remember searching and people argue back and forth seat covers all the time. Makes it hard to buy anything haha. I guess these aren't super expensive, so not the end of the world if I hate them. So far I've loved having all weather mats and how little I care about dragging stuff on the floor on muddy trails, snow etc. Long term I do want *something* that will function the same way for me with the seats too.

 

[rcadden]

Finally got in the new toys that I bought with the Alien Sunshade money.

No pics cause I'm lazy and they wouldn't really help anyways.

1. Neoprene cover for the console. There's a million of them on Amazon, this one seemed to have decent reviews. Fits nicely. No complaints (other than that Diver Down should have included this). https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07KR1ML1M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
2. Electric Ratchet. Really wanted the Ryobi one, since that's what all my other tools are so I have batteries, etc, but the tool alone is ~$100, whereas this one came with 2 batteries, a bunch of spare sockets, plenty of positive reviews, and cost $55. This is primarily to make it less of a headache to remove my hardtop and swap the Sunrider/Freedom Panels, but will surely come in handy elsewhere. If you go shopping for these, there's quite a bit of variation, so I focused on the RPM and Torque ability. This has the top end of both of those. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08GXDW7YX/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
3. TORX Bit Socket Set. Like the other two items on this list, these are a dime a dozen on Amazon, so I went with one that was priced appropriately but also had lots of reviews. The case is a bit larger than I'd prefer, but otherwise these look nice. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07M9ZF35W/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[sciotola88]

I enjoyed reading thru this. Nice Jeep build so far. Did you happen to upgrade the control arms when you did the lift? If not i'd recommend the mopar extended ones. GREAT upgrade for about $60-$70 and really helps with the caster/steering feel.

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