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Myopik's "Bad Mpg" 2D JLR Build

Myopik

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2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon
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Introduction-
So just a little back story about me, my first vehicle was a white 1994 YJ with the 5-speed manual and 2.5L engine that I bought from someone that was going back into the military and he just wanted to sell it before he left. Since he was a family friend we got a really good deal on it and I've kind of loved Wranglers ever since. So this JL is the fourth Jeep Wrangler I've owned, and the second one I plan on building. I had a 2006 TJ Rubi that I built back in 2014-2016, but at the time I was doing a lot of highway driving. So while the 4.0 might be bulletproof, it was not very good at highway cruising once you got a lift and bigger tires on it. Unfortunately, I ended up selling the TJ and getting in to the import racing scene for a few years.

Fast foward to present day, where my wife and I just bought a house and my commute to work is fairly short, so I ended up selling my Evo IX and started looking at trading my daily in for a new Jeep.

Enter Jeep, Stage Right-
After a little searching, I ended up finding a dealership about an hour away that had a 2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Recon (2 Door) with almost everything I wanted. The only thing it was missing was the Blind-Spot Monitoring, and it wasn't a deal breaker for me since I don't even have the doors on the majority of the time. After some negotiation, I got the trade-in value I wanted for my daily driver and I also got the Jeep at invoice pricing, plus an additional $1750 off in rebates, so I pulled the trigger and left the dealership with my Wrangler.

Jeep Wrangler JL Myopik's "Bad Mpg" 2D JLR Build 20200718_190233


Mods, Mods, Mods-
So, what is the point in buying a Wrangler if you aren't going to modify it? Within the first week of purchase I've already ordered a few things to get the ball rolling on the build. I reached out to @TTEChris and asked him about his previous JL build (he's a Gladiator owner now :brokenhearted:) and he was a HUGE help letting me know what worked for him, what didn't, and also what brands he recommended for the JL platform. He also gave me a lot of general advice in regards to the JL, because I was completely clueless. So I just wanted to thank him again for that! Without further ado, here is what I ended up ordering:

Wheels and Tires-
Fuel Off-Road Zephyr Beadlocks (Model D100) in 17x9 with a -38 offset
BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 in size LT37x12.5R17

Suspension-

Rough Country 2.5" Spacer Lift Kit

Bumpers-
Road Armor Stealth Front Bumper with Stinger Guard in a mid width
Road Armor Stealth Rear Bumper with Tire Carrier Hole in a mid width

Fenders-
Road Armor Stealth Front Fender Flare with switchback LED DRL
Road Armor Stealth Front Fender Liner
Road Armor Stealth Rear Fender Flare
Road Armor Stealth Rear Fender Liner

Misc-
Mopar Door Sill Guards
iDentity Aluminum Shackles in red

I went with this stuff because it covered almost everything I needed to get my build started, but also gave me room to grow without having to re-purchase expensive components. I don't plan to keep the RC lift on forever, but I'm currently undecided on what lift to go with, and don't want to do the suspension multiple times. I'm currently leaning towards a Rebel Off Road Recon Dual Shock System, but will have to save for a bit before I can afford it. The Rough Country lift is perfect at the price point for giving me the ride height I need so I can get my new 37" tires on without in issue. Plus, in combination with the Road Armor Fender setup I shouldn't have any issues off road either. I also forewent the Road Armor Tire Carrier Assembly. but got the rear bumper that has the hole already drilled so I can add it in the future. This was partially due due to budget reasons, however while the actual movement of their tire carrier is amazing, I do have a few issues with how the set up the rear license plate and the back-up camera is mounted so I'm hoping they address this in the future and make it compatible with current bumpers.

Future Plans-
So, besides getting a custom license plate, haha. I want to get a more suitable suspension system for my off road needs. I'd also like a suitable tire carrier, which will hopefully an updated Road Armor design. I also really need a winch and I'm leaning towards a Warn Zeon 10-S Platinum with a synthetic rope, but still haven't decided. Other than that, I'd like to get a Bestop Trektop before next Spring/Summer, because I tend to take the top off anytime I can - even if I had to put it back on the next day. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions about the build, please feel free to post a reply I'll be sure to get an answer to you!

Note: I know I'm sorely lacking pictures right now, however I plan to take some as soon as I get these parts delivered and the weather cooperates with me!
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Rico1111

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So first off Congrats, Congratz, congratz!! She sure is a beauty! And man that is some build list, your gonna be busy...try and enjoy her a little the mods will come. Welcome to the Jeep Peeps! Oh and I have to say this....pics or it didn't happen...lol
 

4xFUN

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Jeep Wrangler JL Myopik's "Bad Mpg" 2D JLR Build 20200718_190233





She is a beauty! Always have loved the clean, classic look of white w/black trim. Have fun modding and congrats!!
 
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Myopik

Myopik

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So first off Congrats, Congratz, congratz!! She sure is a beauty! And man that is some build list, your gonna be busy...try and enjoy her a little the mods will come. Welcome to the Jeep Peeps! Oh and I have to say this....pics or it didn't happen...lol
Thanks! I'm also not the most patient person and I'm struggling a bit with the wait for the parts to get delivered, haha. I also will have pictures of all of these parts as soon as possible, trust me!

She is a beauty! Always have loved the clean, classic look of white w/black trim. Have fun modding and congrats!!
Thanks, I've also always been a huge fan of white with black accents and that was the color I wanted so I'm glad I could find it. I also like the red accents with the Rubicon/Recon trim levels so it gives me another color besides black to work with.


New Boot Goofin-
So I got my new wheels and tires today put on today and also managed to grab some pictures right as it started raining. The Jeep DEFINITELY needs to get the 2.5" lift put on it as soon as I get it from Rough Country to make it look "right." I also need to get the lift and the new inner and outer fenders installed before I even consider taking it off road. However, the 37" tires fit fine for driving around town, so I can at least get my stock Recon wheels and tires sold. As an added bonus, I haven't really noticed any change in my fuel economy which is good.

I also went ahead and ordered a Z Automotive Tazer JL Mini so I can fix my TPMS stay on because I'm running a lower psi on these new tires. On top of that, I also ran into the issue of not being able to fit my 37" spare tire on the stock tailgate (shocker, I know.) Luckily, my Jeep already came with the Mopar Tailgate Reinforcement Kit. So I just went ahead and ordered the Rough Country Jeep Spare Tire Relocation Bracket and I hope that this will be a temporary fix until I can purchase an aftermarket tire carrier.

I'm really liking the new look of the Jeep, but can't wait to get the lift on it to make it like correct. Will update again as soon as more parts come in the mail :like:.

Jeep Wrangler JL Myopik's "Bad Mpg" 2D JLR Build 20200801_133514
Jeep Wrangler JL Myopik's "Bad Mpg" 2D JLR Build 20200801_133626
 
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Myopik

Myopik

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New (Worse) Bumper-
So the good news is I sold my Mopar Steel Bumpers over the weekend, but the bad news is Road Armor said that I won't receive my new bumpers (and fenders) until mid-September. After explaining this to the person I was selling my steel bumpers to, he offered me his plastic OEM ones free of charge because I had offered to help him put the steel ones on his Jeep. After we got my bumpers swapped to his Jeep I decided to just put the plastic front bumper, but decided to leave the rear bumper-less so that I could mount my 37" spare on the stock tire carrier.

I also found a way to make a simple license plate holder using some of the rear bumper hardware and buying a few small things from Lowe's. The two things I still need to do are extend the tire carrier bump stops and figure out a way to illuminate the license plate. My current tire carrier bump stops are about 2" away from the tire, and I don't have any lights on the license plate. I don't really drive at night, so the light shouldn't be much of an issue but I'd still like to start looking into solutions, because the Road Armor one will need some wiring for a light as well.

So even though my Jeep actually looks WORSE now, I'm glad I could get the steel bumpers sold to someone. Plus, I also have a temporary solution to my bumper situation without having to spend any money - so it worked out well.

Jeep Wrangler JL Myopik's "Bad Mpg" 2D JLR Build 20200804_160245
Jeep Wrangler JL Myopik's "Bad Mpg" 2D JLR Build 20200804_160440
Jeep Wrangler JL Myopik's "Bad Mpg" 2D JLR Build 20200804_160346
Jeep Wrangler JL Myopik's "Bad Mpg" 2D JLR Build 20200804_160401
Jeep Wrangler JL Myopik's "Bad Mpg" 2D JLR Build 20200804_160540
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Myopik

Myopik

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Cody
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Finally Lifted-
So, I have never really worked on vehicles in the past, but decided I wanted to try and install the Rough Country 2.5" Spacer Lift myself. I was pretty confident going into it, even with my lack of mechanical skills, and even ordered a bunch of tools to try and make sure I had everything I could possibly need. However, that confidence faded pretty quickly.

The main issue I had (which affected the entire install) was that my jack stands just simply weren't tall enough. I had issues getting the springs in/out even with the axle dropped almost all the way to the floor on the jack and I ended up having to go buy a spring compressor. Additionally, even with the spring compressor I still struggled to get the front springs back. The issue was the only compressor I could find locally just wasn't long enough to reach the full length of the spring, and so it only compressed the middle section which made the spring still pretty long and hard to fit back in. I also had an issue of actually getting the tires back on to the vehicle once I was done. I basically had to max out the floor jack (where my jack stands couldn't reach) to get the Jeep high enough off the ground to actually fit the tires back on.

HOWEVER, after two LONG days and with my entire body aching, I managed to get the entire lift installed correctly and the Jeep back on the ground! I definitely will not be doing a lift by myself again unless I can find somewhere with a car lift that I could utilize. I also want to thank @TTEChris for helping me with any questions I had via Instagram. I honestly wouldn't of been able to do it without him answering my naive questions.


Jeep Wrangler JL Myopik's "Bad Mpg" 2D JLR Build 20200815_094020
 

plex

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Nice build, I have a license plate bracket you can drill and bolt onto your bumper (or any steel bumper), it also has a license plate light that is plug and play for OEM harness. It is yours if interested.

20200610_202018.jpg
 
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Myopik

Myopik

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Nice build, I have a license plate bracket you can drill and bolt onto your bumper (or any steel bumper), it also has a license plate light that is plug and play for OEM harness. It is yours if interested.
I'll shoot you a PM! I just bought some of those lights that go into the top license plate bolt holes but I can't use them with a temporary tag :facepalm:
 

xtremejoe

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Did you end up installing the fender and liners. I am thinking about the Road Armor inner liners and wanted to get feedback from someone actually using them.
 

Compression-Ignition

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How can you call your Jeep "Bad Mpg", and not give us a rundown of the mpg's? :movember:
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