"Joyride" Hydro JLUSA Build Thread

[rcadden]

This bracket from Teraflex has worked out well for my Rubicon takeoffs and steel bumper and the price is decent! The only thing I had to do was replace the two bolts that holds the bumpstops. These were too short.
Amazon.com: TeraFlex 1909200 JL: Spare Tire Relocation Bracket Kit : Automotive

Thanks - that's on my list, but here's where it falls apart for me:

$50 - sensor housings
$50 - side brackets (inside the corners)
$150 - spare tire relocating bracket
= $250 to mount/use this bumper.

That's alot of $$ for a bumper that's been known to cause damage if it flexes up into the body, or if you come down on a rock.

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[SoCal JLUS]

Thanks - that's on my list, but here's where it falls apart for me:

$50 - sensor housings
$50 - side brackets (inside the corners)
$150 - spare tire relocating bracket
= $250 to mount/use this bumper.

That's alot of $$ for a bumper that's been known to cause damage if it flexes up into the body, or if you come down on a rock.

I hear you! I think no matter what steel bumper you end up with, you will most likely need a relocation bracket.

 

[rcadden]

Took Joyride out to Hidden Falls Adventure Park in Marble Falls, TX this weekend with a group from one of the local Jeep clubs. Great park (it's a BoH, too) with a good variety of trails.

This was the 2nd time camping in the back of Joyride (this time without the dog) and overall it was good. Even with the window mesh, it still gets a little hot box back there. I had a hanging fan, which helped, but I think if it's anything above 80° outside, it's going to be too hot to sleep in the back. I also *definitely* want to build @CheaperJeeperTV's sleeping platform to be able to have storage - cramming everything to one side wasn't all that convenient.

Overall, though, Hidden Falls was pretty nice. Lots of good camping area, with a good mix of RV, tent, cabins, etc. I especially liked that they're all kind of clumped together, so if you have friends in an RV but you're in a tent, you can easily walk to their campsite.

They have a decently-equipped General Store, an on-site food truck (burgers, sandwiches, etc) and picnic tables everywhere. Definitely worth making a weekend out of it. We wheeled from 930a till almost 6p, so there's plenty of trails.

Also the first trail ride with the MOPAR steel front bumper and I'm a HUGE fan. Being able to remove the wings to get easier access to the sway bar links is soooo nice.

 

[rcadden]

My wife hit the ol' Amazon wishlist for Father's Day.

Not sure I like the location yet but at least I'm more prepared.

My mom has a cricut and is going to cut me a sticker that has the o|||||||o cut out so it shines when I brake.

Also the cord is a little short.

 

[Pauljacoblong]

FINALLY got my lift in. Decided on just a small spacer lift for my current needs, so I did the 1.5" Teraflex pucks. Install only took ~3hrs, not too bad. You definitely want an impact wrench.

They're actually 2" up front and 1.5" in the back to fix the factory rake, but I didn't have any rake to begin with, so I may have to add their little 0.5" pucks to level it out.

Overall, though, I love it. Next up: 285/75R18s and bumpers (Dec/Jan). I think I've decided to stick with my factory wheels for now. When I wear out the new tires, I'll probably go down to 17s, but for now I'd rather put the budget on bumpers to finish out my initial look.

Did you have to get new shocks or have shock extensions With this kit?

 

[rcadden]

Did you have to get new shocks or have shock extensions With this kit?

I have not yet, and have taken it offroad a few times. I probably should, though, and it's on my list, but 95% of my driving is highway, and when I *do* go off-road, I tend to be pretty pansy, as I'm still learning. If you wanted to do it right, or wheel it hard, I would definitely plan on shock extensions.

 

[rcadden]

No new build additions yet, but I did change the diff fluid - 20.5K miles.

Rear was pretty dirty, but no chunks on the plug, just some paste/shavings.

Front was pretty clean, but of course you can't know that without draining. Clean oil never hurts anything.

Even took the opportunity to teach my 11yo how to get her hands dirty. She thinks she gets the Jeep when she's 16 so I told her she has to know how it works and how to fix/maintain it herself first.

Never too young to learn about cars.

 

[jadewolf]

I just want to thank you for teaching your daughter how to work in the garage. The one good thing my father did was teach me to work on cars. And that skill has gotten me out of so many jams and has kept me from being ripped off by lots of mechanics & dealers who think women don't know anything about what goes on under the hood.

I saw that picture of your little girl and... well... I saw myself many years ago, getting my own hands dirty packing bearings on our old Mustang. It made me get a little misty-eyed. You're a great parent! Kudos to you!

 

[rcadden]

With summer closing out, I was anxious to remove the Diver Down seat covers and get to enjoy my leather again.

Removing the seat covers was much easier than installing them - just unclip the straps under the seats and pull them right off.

I wanted to clean them, so I ordered this "Slosh" wetsuit cleaner (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000GHZMK0?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details) off Amazon - got great reviews. I ordered two 4oz bottles, but realistically I think one would've been enough to clean all the covers for a JLU.

After some forum feedback, I wound up doing it in our laundry room sink - I filled it with warm-to-hot water (not scalding, but not lukewarm) and then added ~half the bottle. I did one piece at a time except for the headrest covers, and just ... sloshed them around a bit. Like aggressive hand-washing, with them all turned inside out.

Then I'd squeeze out the excess water and ran them in my top-loading no-agitator washing machine on a rinse cycle, then hung them in the garage to dry out.

Bought a sturdy plastic tub at Lowe's to store them in without compressing them. Took me a few hours overall, and then I've left them hanging for 2 days to be good and dry.

 

[rcadden]

Had some leftover Amazon funds, so I figured I'd go ahead and splurge on an OBDII adapter and JScan so I could tell Joyride that she's been turning 33" tires since December.

TONS of research (and a really helpful phone call with @Rhinebeck01) led me to:

1. vLinker MC+ BT OBDII adapter. Less than half the price of the other leading option and still on JScan's recommended list. Came in a nice package with good documentation.
2. ECRI security gateway bypass unit. This is what allows JScan to write to your Jeep - otherwise it's read-only with the OBDII adapter.
3. JScan has a $25 license fee, so I bought a Google Play gift card w/ email delivery. This isn't plainly listed on the JScan app store listing or their website, so calling it out here.
4. [ON ORDER] Zautomotive SGW extension cable.

Total cost is ~$165 for all of the above.

Installing the OBDII adapter was obviously easy. Just plug it in.

Installing the ECRI was less fun. You need to pop off the trim panel beneath the steering wheel. Pull gently, starting at the top. Little plastic clips.

There are a few plugs in there, but the two that you need to remove are way up in there. They have little plastic tabs that you depress and can then pull the plug out.

For the first one, I was able to get a skinny flathead screwdriver up there to depress the tab, then pulled gently and it came right out. The other one I couldn't get to - my hands are just too big.

But my daughter has nice little dainty hands, so I once again recruited her:

I'm a bit slow, so it took me a minute to figure out that you DON'T plug the ECRI into where the plugs were, but rather you just plug them into the ECRI, so nothing is in the original plug location, and the ECRI just kind of dangles.

This is where the Zautomotive SGW Extension comes in. @Rhinebeck01 emphasized this to me on the phone, but I'm stubborn and figured he was exaggerating - he's not. I do NOT recommend that you do this without the extension. It's fine just the one time, but if I want to take it to the dealership, I'm going to need to remove the ECRI, and that's going to suck. Just pony up for the SGW extension.

The ECRI and OBDII do *not* connect to one another. They plug into separate places, but the ECRI allows the OBDII to write in addition to read, is my understanding.

The JScan app works great once all connected. Just note that you'll need the $25 license, and also that I had to disconnect my Motorola MA-1 wireless Android Auto dongle completely in order for it to connect.

So that's it - now I can diagnose and manage my own vehicle, and finally let Joyride know she got bigger tires.

 

[rcadden]

Finally picked a spot for my badges. Now if only the BoH team would ship my Hidden Falls one, I'll be set.

 

[RoBWI]

Hi RC, Looks like y'all are having an amazing time with your Jeep! I just got my son (really for me ) a 2020 JLU Willys. I am looking at putting the Teraflex 1.5 spacer kit, the same that you used as well, and going with the 285/70/17 BFG AT KO2 for the Willys stock wheels.

my question to you...once you installed the Teraflex 1.5, did you take it in for an alignment? or, did you get an alignment when you put the new tires on it? if so, how far off were the specs from factory recommended?

appreciate your insight.

Kind regards,
Rob

 

[rcadden]

Hi RC, Looks like y'all are having an amazing time with your Jeep! I just got my son (really for me ) a 2020 JLU Willys. I am looking at putting the Teraflex 1.5 spacer kit, the same that you used as well, and going with the 285/70/17 BFG AT KO2 for the Willys stock wheels.

my question to you...once you installed the Teraflex 1.5, did you take it in for an alignment? or, did you get an alignment when you put the new tires on it? if so, how far off were the specs from factory recommended?

appreciate your insight.

Kind regards,
Rob

I did not need an alignment, as I didn't touch anything that has to do with the alignment during the install.

 

[RoBWI]

I did not need an alignment, as I didn't touch anything that has to do with the alignment during the install.

thank you!! looking forward to adding this kit and tires to our Willys!

 

[rubenm1012]

Finally pulled the trigger on new wheels and tires this week.

After a disgusting amount of hemming and hawing, I wound up picking up a set of Rubicon take-offs for $1,000 off FB Marketplace. Another $300 for Discount Tire to swap my TPMS and mount them and everything and I'm good on wheels/tires for a little bit.

I actually really, *really* wanted the Gladiator Rubicon wheels, but they only come in a 4-pack (because the spare on a Gladiator is just a steel wheel, which I also learned), so I'd have had to go through much hassle to get the full matching set.

Plus, the Rubicon take-offs I got through a local offroad shop - they had less than 100 miles on them. Literally still had the protecting film on the rims. I've got 9K miles on Joyride already, so this also gave me an extra lease on life before I *need* to get new tires.

The other big benefit here is that now I have 17" rims, instead of the 18" that comes with the Sahara Altitude trim. I really liked the black wheels, but tbh, I'm more impressed with the silver than I thought I would be. Instead of the wheels/tires disappearing into the build, they kind of stand out, in a non-obvious way.

Plus, the ride is so much more smooth. I'm sure going from the Dueler A/Ts to the KO2s had to do with it, but my neighbor also pointed out that I'm riding on an extra ~2" of sidewall now (18->17 AND 32->33).

TL;DR - my two goals were to give myself a little more capability out on the trails, and to look good, without going balls-to-the-wall on my budget. A 1.5" Teraflex spacer lift + 33s gave me a total of ~2.5" of lift (2" body lift and 0.5" axle lift). I'd have rather balanced that better, but it works for now and it looks great.

Next up is bumpers to complete the look that I originally planned, and then I can see how far it settles, and take another look at the suspension. Will probably end up with an AEV or Durasport.

Hi RC, Looks like y'all are having an amazing time with your Jeep! I just got my son (really for me ) a 2020 JLU Willys. I am looking at putting the Teraflex 1.5 spacer kit, the same that you used as well, and going with the 285/70/17 BFG AT KO2 for the Willys stock wheels.

my question to you...once you installed the Teraflex 1.5, did you take it in for an alignment? or, did you get an alignment when you put the new tires on it? if so, how far off were the specs from factory recommended?

appreciate your insight.

Kind regards,
Rob

Hello, did you purchase the teraflex 1.5 online? If so, where?

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