"Joyride" Hydro JLUSA Build Thread

[RoBWI]

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

Hi Rubenm1012, i did not put the 1.5 teraflex level kit. i went just with the KO2 on the stock Willy's wheels and it looks ok...for now. however, i was going to purchase it from either Extreme Terrain or Quadratec. those are really the only places i am familiar with regarding aftermarket Jeep accessories. I am sure there are others, I just haven't found them...yet.

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[Philly_]

Hi Rubenm1012, i did not put the 1.5 teraflex level kit. i went just with the KO2 on the stock Willy's wheels and it looks ok...for now. however, i was going to purchase it from either Extreme Terrain or Quadratec. those are really the only places i am familiar with regarding aftermarket Jeep accessories. I am sure there are others, I just haven't found them...yet.

I’m a huge fan of Northridge4x4. I believe they have a forum discount, and if not there are plenty of YouTubers that have discount codes for them. They tend to carry high quality brands, too.

 

[Storm Cloud]

I’m a huge fan of Northridge4x4. I believe they have a forum discount, and if not there are plenty of YouTubers that have discount codes for them. They tend to carry high quality brands, too.

Jlwranglerforums is the code

 

[rcadden]

Topless Christmas Light Looking is fun for the whole family, even when it's 37°F! 🧊

 

[rcadden]

While I'm waiting for my @Grimm OffRoad winch plate from @Northridge4x4, I used some leftover Amazon gift cards to pick up a set of the @Redline Tuning hood struts.

Super nice product - thick, solid metal plates with nice coating, easy instructions, smooth struts. I especially like the slowdown at the end as the hood fully raises.

These should have come from the factory.

Video of it opening and closing:

 

[rcadden]

So...today's adventure was [finally] installing the @Grimm OffRoad winch plate and Harbor Freight Apex Badlands winch that I got myself for Christmas.

I'd say the install went ... mostly OK. I ran into a few issues:

• The winch sits ~1-2mm away from the bottom of my grill. It's not touching, but I'd struggle to fit a sheet of paper between the two. I wish that Grimm had moved the holes up 0.5" up to provide a bit of room.
• Due to the above, I had to relocate the power cable on the winch to come out the side instead of the rear. This wasn't difficult, per say, but it was tedious to dismantle the Badlands and then figure out how/where to move the power cable.
• It took me a solid 10 minutes of staring/thinking to figure out how to re-attach the bumper studs to the mounting holes once the winch was installed. You'll need a deep socket, plus a 3-inch and 12-inch extension, and you swap between them for each bolt. It wasn't fun/easy, but doable once you figure the angles.
• Both @Grimm OffRoad and HF provide A2-70 bolts to attach the hawse fairlead to the fairlead plate. These are about 1/4 inch too short - they have to go through four pieces (listed inside-to-outside below). There's simply not enough thread on the inside to thread the nut on. More on this below.
  • Tabs on Grimm winch plate (~1/4" steel)
  • JL OEM Bumper
  • Grimm fairlead plate
  • HF Badlands hawse fairlead plate

Before:

My dad helping with the install. Getting the Grimm winch plate installed was actually pretty easy/straightforward:

Unfortunately I didn't really take many photos during the install - sorry. But here's the mostly-finished product.

I re-routed the power cable out the side:

A few photos showing how close the winch sits to the grill. I really wish the winch plate could shift the winch up just 0.25-0.5", it'd be much more roomy back there, and I think there's plenty of room in the front.

Wiring took me a minute to figure out, but was actually pretty easy once I got it. I zip-tied the power cable and grounds to frame just behind where the winch plate mounts - there's a decent-sized hole there. Then I came up through the engine bay, in front of the pulleys. I zip-tied the cables to the hoses that were already up there, so they don't risk coming into contact with the pulleys.

I went ahead and used the power disconnect that Harbor Freight included in the box. It was simple enough and nestled in nicely right there next to the battery. I may spring for the Warn kit later (~$100) to wire it up to an AUX button, but for now this is good and it works well.

Now, on to my bolt issue. Here are the three bolts:

LEFT: M12 1.75 that I picked up at Lowe's. It fit great, but the head is too big for me to fit a socket over through the HF Badlands hawse fairlead.
MIDDLE: A2-70 that Harbor Freight provided
RIGHT: A2-70 that Grimm provided

So I'm running with no hawse fairlead at the moment. No plans for offroading in the next few weeks, so should be fine while I try to find a place to order a hex-head A2-70 that's just a little longer.

 

[rcadden]

UPDATE: Took a while but finally got it sorted.

Short version: M10 1.50 75mm hex-head bolts from Ace Hardware ($7/ea!!). You NEED flex-head wrenches to be able to hold the nut on. $16 for bolts, washers, lock-washers, and nuts.

This is looking down in from above. The top bolt here is actually inner - goes through the winch plate tab, bumper, fairlead cover plate, and hawse fairlead cover. Royal pain in the ass.

A few things I figured out along the way:

1. You'll need to remove the steel skid plate, as you'll drop the nut/washer a dozen times trying to get it on.
2. You need flex-head wrenches. My nut was 17mm. Lowe's has a 7pc Craftsman set for *$70* that they'll gladly let you return the next day (with receipt)
3. A 60mm bolt would be fine if you can find it, but that's about as short as I'd go.

 

[rcadden]

No real updates recently - moved house so have been getting settled in and whatnot. Got the trail itch pretty bad though.

I *did*, however, finally get to give Joyride a good cleaning - 5 months parking in the street at my parents' house while we were between houses was rough.

The outside actually took much less time than the inside. I have two young daughters, plus my wife and a lab-german shepherd mix, so that damn interior carpet collects EVERYTHING. Can't wait for Armorlite to complete their JLU kit with the cargo liner so I can ditch it all.

 

[rcadden]

Had a chance to get Joyride out of town a bit ... to the state park. I'm counting it.

I *did* gear up a bit, so here's the recap:

• First, you'll notice the rooftop basket. Harbor Freight special for $100. It's pretty small - it could be 2ft wider and still not overhang the sides of the roof, but it went on easily and it's pretty sturdy. Minimal wind noise with it on. I'll probably keep it, would be handy for suitcases and such on road trips, though I lost ~2 MPG with two plastic bins up there.
• Bought this 2-pack of collapsible sinks (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08JGCQ86C?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details) they worked gangbusters. They store pretty flat and are nice and deep for doing dishes. We used the orange for "dirty side" and the white for "clean side"
• We have a strong dislike of regular air mattresses, so I picked up this sleeping pad based on a recommendation from another group (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09PR9TXBY?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details). It's for sleeping in a tent/shelter, not for the back of the Jeep. If you're not a side-sleeper, it's pretty great, albeit large - took up too much room in the back of the Jeep, and as a side-sleeper, my shoulders hurt in the morning. Probably sending it back to Amazon, as my search for a comfortable sleeping solution that packs small continues.

 

[Ratbert]

Had a chance to get Joyride out of town a bit ... to the state park. I'm counting it.

I *did* gear up a bit, so here's the recap:

• First, you'll notice the rooftop basket. Harbor Freight special for $100. It's pretty small - it could be 2ft wider and still not overhang the sides of the roof, but it went on easily and it's pretty sturdy. Minimal wind noise with it on. I'll probably keep it, would be handy for suitcases and such on road trips, though I lost ~2 MPG with two plastic bins up there.
• Bought this 2-pack of collapsible sinks (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08JGCQ86C?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details) they worked gangbusters. They store pretty flat and are nice and deep for doing dishes. We used the orange for "dirty side" and the white for "clean side"
• We have a strong dislike of regular air mattresses, so I picked up this sleeping pad based on a recommendation from another group (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09PR9TXBY?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details). It's for sleeping in a tent/shelter, not for the back of the Jeep. If you're not a side-sleeper, it's pretty great, albeit large - took up too much room in the back of the Jeep, and as a side-sleeper, my shoulders hurt in the morning. Probably sending it back to Amazon, as my search for a comfortable sleeping solution that packs small continues.

As a side-sleeper we went with a pair of these NEMOs. Not exactly tiny (or cheap), but they're really comfortable. https://www.rei.com/product/186711/nemo-roamer-sleeping-pad-xl-wide

 

[rcadden]

@Ratbert appreciate the reco. As a previous owner of a GMC pickup, none of my current/old camping gear was purchased with space in mind - I have three big plastic totes that I would just toss in the bed whenever we went camping.

So now I'm working on replacing with an eye toward packability and compact-ness. I was able to reduce my three bins down to two, and I'm working on plans for a removable storage drawer to go in the back that should be able to hold 90% of what's in those bins, so I only lose ~9" across the bottom of the cargo area vs half the space in two bins stacked up.

 

[rcadden]

No major updates, but did add a few things recently.

Picked up a 22.5mm impact socket. This thing alone shaved ~half an hour off my tire rotation.

Steelman 61022 22.5mm x 1/2-Inch... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09PFHH1YW?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Also bit the bullet on a Fumoto valve.

And my Hidden Falls OHV Badge of Honor finally came in!

Heading back there in a few weeks.

Also picked up the Topsy brackets, think I have an updated hardtop hoist design all planned out. Just need a free weekend.

 

[rcadden]

Finally had a few hours (and a helpful buddy) to get my new and improved hard top hoist system set up. The previous one was only $40, but was also just 4 ratchet-straps, which was a pretty big pain in the butt to go corner-to-corner raising/lowering it.

So I added a little investment to the new system - this one cost $160 total, but it's vastly improved.

Two 6' 2x4s to go across my rafters, with eye hooks, and then aircraft cable routed through to a hand-winch mounted to the wall.

I offset the hand winch, so that all of the cables come in at an angle, and it's mounted nicely out of the way.

I also invested in a set of Topsy brackets for the back, mainly so that I can raise it up with the rear windshield down, which will let me get it closer to the celing.

Yes, I realize that the S-hooks are superfluous, but I wanted the extra little bit of modularity to the overall system.

This is the most "rigged up" part of the system - had to build a little shelf for the hand winch to sit on, to have room for the handle.

I also have four 12" lengths of chain with S-hooks on either end to serve as backup, so I'm not leaving all the weight on the hand winch all the time.

So, the process would be to back-in, unscrew the top, attach all the hooks, turn the crank to raise it up just a little higher than the end of the chains. Then hook the chains and release the hand crank so that all of the weight is on the chains instead of the cable/winch.

Overall, I'm pleased. I might make some adjustments here and there, and I need to get some marking on the garage floor to help me back in straight, but otherwise it's money.

Shopping List:

• 1x 2x4x12 (cut in half at Lowe's)
• 4 eye-hooks
• 16 saddle clamps
• Total of 32' of steel aircraft cable
• 18 s-hooks
• 1 hand winch (only thing I couldn't find at Lowes, so got it at HF)
• 1 wall-mount steel ring
• 1 swivel pulley
• 1 2" steel ring
• Four 12" chain lengths

 

[rcadden]

Some tweaks needed.

The original shelf pulled right off the wall when I tried it, so I upgraded. Eight 4" screws now hold this section of 2x10 to the studs, and four 4" screws hold the shelf to that 2x10. I'd like to replace the wooden shelf with a metal bracket but not sure where to start on that.

Also was happily able to shorten the chains from 12" to 8", so it sits much closer to the ceiling.

Happy Jeep, finally ready for the summer. Wish I'd sprung for the half doors, and I'm on the lookout for a soft top.

 

[rcadden]

Finally saved my pennies and was able to get the Armorlite Front+Rear kit. I'll have to save up a little more for the wheelhouse covers. The front/rear kit comes in a GINORMOUS box. Finally had a Saturday free to do the install.

Took about 3.5hrs to do alone - not too shabby. I don't know if having a second person would speed it up, necessarily, but it would be significantly easier if you have a friend to help.

Their instructions suggest simply loosening the bolts holding the front seats down, but I went ahead and just removed the bolts entirely. I had intended to fully remove the seats, but I couldn't get the wiring harness plug loose, and figured it was just as good to be able to move them around - and it was.

Here you can see the difference in thickness of the carpet (bottom) vs the Armorlite (top). The Armorlite is maybe 2mm thicker, but the under part is significantly more dense, and of course it has the hard part on top.

The only photo I took mid-install. Their install video is pretty in-depth and self-explanatory:



The only thing I would recommend doing differently is to install the front pieces before the rear. Reason being, underneath the front seats, the front piece goes *under* the rear part. If you follow the video, you have to manually adjust this (or re-loosen the seat like I did), whereas if you just installed the front first anyways, it'd be mostly set up.

You just need to be patient with the install, and use a flashlight to figure out where it's getting hung up on. I did have a particularly rough time getting it under the dashboard trim in the driver's wheelwell, but otherwise it all went pretty smoothly.

I would *strongly* recommend a headband flashlight for this install. Even in a well-lit garage, it's pitch black up under the wheelwells and rear seat.

I opted for the orange drain plugs to go with my color scheme, and was pleased to see that they also included the black ones that come standard. @Armorlite Kail, it would be nice if we could select the drain plug color while shopping, so we only get one set instead of two, but it's not a big deal.

Functionally this isn't significantly different from the Weathertech mats I had before, but I really like the additional insulation, and the integrated drain plugs, and frankly I just despise carpet, so it was worth the upgrade to me.

Can't wait to get those rear wheelhouse covers done soon.

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