Omen's JL Willys trials and tribulations.

[Ang1Sgt]

Mike,

I was wondering if you tried the Fox Shocks by themselves or that was part of the Job with all the parts?

How do these shocks compare with the Red Rubicon shocks?

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[Omen]

Nice looking wheel…..I don’t think they’ll poke enough to bottler you, here’s 4.5” backspace on Rubi axle, not sure which axle you have…..but a little poke looks better to me than none at all……

@Roky That helps a bunch, thanks!
I can live with that and for the moment, I'm cursed with sport width axles.
At the end of the day, I require my JL to have certain functionality and care not what it may look like to others.

Also, @Roky, Any chance of getting the plans for your ramp? I'm thinking I might weld one up for my testing and my club's use. If, when you built it, you just kinda winged it, I can do the same, but I hope you might have at least some recommendations on construction.

Thanks for the input!

Omen

 

[Omen]

Mike,

I was wondering if you tried the Fox Shocks by themselves or that was part of the Job with all the parts?

How do these shocks compare with the Red Rubicon shocks?

Chris,

I am running Falcon SP2 2.1 by Teraflex shocks. I have them set to soft/cold due to living in the snow belt. To answer your question as it pertains to my Falcons, the Rubi Reds were better daily drivers. My 2 door is a squirrely bitch on the road. The things I picked up after installing the Falcons are increased ride harshness but the Jeep feels better on the road (more planted, sure footed?) with a noticeable rear bump steer and the ass end doesn't squat on acceleration like it used to. The Rubi shocks really hurt flex and now the factory bushings are holding the articulation back. The new shocks helped ID that problem, proving that there will be more flex in my future. Would I recommend Falcons? Not for a pavement princess, that's for sure. I don't believe the 'highway only' owners would be able to tolerate the difference. Just my take on my parts... YMMV
None of the other parts added at that time should have had any negative impact on daily driving since most of those parts are support for other components. Well, the spring spacers cased some daily issues, but that was more about blinding LED headlights...

If you need anything else, just ask away!

Omen

 

[Roky]

@Roky That helps a bunch, thanks!
I can live with that and for the moment, I'm cursed with sport width axles.
At the end of the day, I require my JL to have certain functionality and care not what it may look like to others.

Also, @Roky, Any chance of getting the plans for your ramp? I'm thinking I might weld one up for my testing and my club's use. If, when you built it, you just kinda winged it, I can do the same, but I hope you might have at least some recommendations on construction.

Thanks for the input!

Omen

Absolutely… I’ll get some measurements for you when I get home this afternoon.

 

[Omen]

Absolutely… I’ll get some measurements for you when I get home this afternoon.

Thanks for that, appreciate it!

Omen

 

[Roky]

Here’s some measurements and pics, I don’t have a drawing or blueprint, I just shot from the hip when I built it…….Unless you are running 30” extended shocks, you might want to build it a little shorter. Once you get your rig built, if you can find a forklift to lift it to get a measurement it would help…..

I built it out of Marine grade pressure treated 2x12s, and put it together with 3” deck screws….. The uprights in the middle are 12” apart and you just measure each one as you go…. The stabilizer boards on the front are very important so don’t change that part……. It’s very heavy so make sure you decide where you want it before you build it, lol…….It’s very solid and stable, you can see from this pic where I didn’t center up very good and am on the edge, it never budged….lol…..

If I left anything out, just holler…….

 

[Omen]

Here’s some measurements and pics, I don’t have a drawing or blueprint, I just shot from the hip when I built it…….Unless you are running 30” extended shocks, you might want to build it a little shorter. Once you get your rig built, if you can find a forklift to lift it to get a measurement it would help…..

I built it out of Marine grade pressure treated 2x12s, and put it together with 3” deck screws….. The uprights in the middle are 12” apart and you just measure each one as you go…. The stabilizer boards on the front are very important so don’t change that part……. It’s very heavy so make sure you decide where you want it before you build it, lol…….It’s very solid and stable, you can see from this pic where I didn’t center up very good and am on the edge, it never budged….lol…..

If I left anything out, just holler…….

@Roky

Thanks a million for that! Amazing strength for wood, especially that off-center attempt. I'll take your measurements and burn some steel together after the holidays. I don't know if I will make it 42", but there are a lot of JLU's and larger in my club so some should be able to take advantage of the height. There are new Broncos, so when they fail to flex to 42", I'll be sure to share the humor.

How are you keeping it from sliding around? I'm thinking circus tent sized stakes. Thoughts?
I'm gonna paint mine pink with purple polka dots so no one accuses me of copying you.

Omen

 

[Roky]

@Roky

Thanks a million for that! Amazing strength for wood, especially that off-center attempt. I'll take your measurements and burn some steel together after the holidays. I don't know if I will make it 42", but there are a lot of JLU's and larger in my club so some should be able to take advantage of the height. There are new Broncos, so when they fail to flex to 42", I'll be sure to share the humor.

How are you keeping it from sliding around? I'm thinking circus tent sized stakes. Thoughts?
I'm gonna paint mine pink with purple polka dots so no one accuses me of copying you.

Omen

Sounds good…… the ramp stays put when I drive up it, some physics involved that’s above my pay grade….. you might need to anchor a metal one down, it will be considerably lighter…. I would make it 36” high to start, and maybe you can make it so it’s not hard to raise it somehow….. it’ll come to you once your hands are dirty…….
they have metal ramps that don’t have the flat spot on top, but I use my ramp fir a lot of different things, so I wanted the piece of mind that it was sitting on something flat…..

 

[Ang1Sgt]

Chris,

I am running Falcon SP2 2.1 by Teraflex shocks. I have them set to soft/cold due to living in the snow belt. To answer your question as it pertains to my Falcons, the Rubi Reds were better daily drivers. My 2 door is a squirrely bitch on the road. The things I picked up after installing the Falcons are increased ride harshness but the Jeep feels better on the road (more planted, sure footed?) with a noticeable rear bump steer and the ass end doesn't squat on acceleration like it used to. The Rubi shocks really hurt flex and now the factory bushings are holding the articulation back. The new shocks helped ID that problem, proving that there will be more flex in my future. Would I recommend Falcons? Not for a pavement princess, that's for sure. I don't believe the 'highway only' owners would be able to tolerate the difference. Just my take on my parts... YMMV
None of the other parts added at that time should have had any negative impact on daily driving since most of those parts are support for other components. Well, the spring spacers cased some daily issues, but that was more about blinding LED headlights...

If you need anything else, just ask away!

Omen

Mike,

Thanks for the reply. I’d say the that is quite the difference. Shocks can make a huge difference in the vehicle. I have a Willys 2 door myself and I know what you mean about the way they dart about. That is why I stick with the 2 doors myself. My driving does include some off-road so I am interested in some upgrades for off road but I don’t need much. I’ve already been on the types of traIls that I use and like and my Willys does what it needs too, at least for now.

What I might do is just look around for a very minor lift, like Stock Rubicon stuff, enough to get some 285/70-17’s under it and call it a day. Being my wife and I are in our late 60’s, she has issues getting up into the Jeep, so she would notice these things pretty quick. Even with an ailing hip I can still get in the Jeep pretty well!

 

[Omen]

Sounds good…… the ramp stays put when I drive up it, some physics involved that’s above my pay grade….. you might need to anchor a metal one down, it will be considerably lighter…. I would make it 36” high to start, and maybe you can make it so it’s not hard to raise it somehow….. it’ll come to you once your hands are dirty…….
they have metal ramps that don’t have the flat spot on top, but I use my ramp fir a lot of different things, so I wanted the piece of mind that it was sitting on something flat…..

Yeah, I've seen those ramps. That's why your was interesting. It was clear the first time I saw yours that it was an inspection tool as well as a test plane. The top flat is just a good idea.
I have to engineer portability into this. Good thing junior is about to graduate with a mechanical engineering degree, maybe I can get some return on my (his) education investment. I'll have him look at adding 6" and 12" caps to the flat to increase the height as needed. Bolt on maybe?

I'll post the design here to continue helping others.

Omen

 

[Roky]

Yeah, I've seen those ramps. That's why your was interesting. It was clear the first time I saw yours that it was an inspection tool as well as a test plane. The top flat is just a good idea.
I have to engineer portability into this. Good thing junior is about to graduate with a mechanical engineering degree, maybe I can get some return on my (his) education investment. I'll have him look at adding 6" and 12" caps to the flat to increase the height as needed. Bolt on maybe?

I'll post the design here to continue helping others.

Omen

That’s great ……. Look forward to it…… you’ll have to figure how to extend the top as well as you go up, the angle gets longer and the flat spot gets smaller……

 

[Omen]

Mike,

Thanks for the reply. I’d say the that is quite the difference. Shocks can make a huge difference in the vehicle. I have a Willys 2 door myself and I know what you mean about the way they dart about. That is why I stick with the 2 doors myself. My driving does include some off-road so I am interested in some upgrades for off road but I don’t need much. I’ve already been on the types of traIls that I use and like and my Willys does what it needs too, at least for now.

What I might do is just look around for a very minor lift, like Stock Rubicon stuff, enough to get some 285/70-17’s under it and call it a day. Being my wife and I are in our late 60’s, she has issues getting up into the Jeep, so she would notice these things pretty quick. Even with an ailing hip I can still get in the Jeep pretty well!

Chris,

Glad I can assist. If you are following along, then you know that I will be doing a Rubi spring swap soon. I will be using the 2 door JLR springs rather than the popular 4 door swap. You will be able to see the progress here and get a real good idea about the result you should expect regarding lift and ride. @Roky set me up with his test ramp design so I will be using that, like he does, to help show and tell.
Too bad you aren't closer, we could have already thrown springs in and had you a little closer to the clouds.

Omen

 

[Ang1Sgt]

Chris,

Glad I can assist. If you are following along, then you know that I will be doing a Rubi spring swap soon. I will be using the 2 door JLR springs rather than the popular 4 door swap. You will be able to see the progress here and get a real good idea about the result you should expect regarding lift and ride. @Roky set me up with his test ramp design so I will be using that, like he does, to help show and tell.
Too bad you aren't closer, we could have already thrown springs in and had you a little closer to the clouds.

Omen

Yep, I’d be there to help out for sure. I’m still good for a couple of hours under a vehicle. Jeeps are one vehicle that seems that I am still capable of working on. Of course the ground clearance helps too! LOL!

I do look at other folks progress. It’s a good way to see what works and what doesn’t.

My Lowly Willys is I guess the SPORT model so it’s pretty stripped down which I don’t mind. About the only thing I do want to up grade are the Speakers. The fronts are done with some JBL CLUB 3 1/2’s and I just got the 6x9’s for the Roll Bar area. I know I have to modify things to install those so it may not be till spring till I can do those. Poor circulation with the cold and having to reach up into that area to do the work makes for a tired old grump! Of course my oldest grand son has told me he can help out. So if he’s willing to learn……

 

[Omen]

Yep, I’d be there to help out for sure. I’m still good for a couple of hours under a vehicle. Jeeps are one vehicle that seems that I am still capable of working on. Of course the ground clearance helps too! LOL!

I do look at other folks progress. It’s a good way to see what works and what doesn’t.

My Lowly Willys is I guess the SPORT model so it’s pretty stripped down which I don’t mind. About the only thing I do want to up grade are the Speakers. The fronts are done with some JBL CLUB 3 1/2’s and I just got the 6x9’s for the Roll Bar area. I know I have to modify things to install those so it may not be till spring till I can do those. Poor circulation with the cold and having to reach up into that area to do the work makes for a tired old grump! Of course my oldest grand son has told me he can help out. So if he’s willing to learn……

Nothing "Lowly" about any JL. The barest version can do amazing things that few, if any, other vehicles can do off of the lot. I intentionally bought a Willys so that I could do it my way. I learned many years ago that OEM parts do not typically cater to enthusiasts. Rubis are great, but still those factory limits exist. Will I save money doing it my way versus just starting with a Rubi? Nope. But, I will still smile happily as I add more and more expensive parts to mine even though I am already very close to eclipsing the price of a new Rubi. Makin' do with what I got...

I hear you about the audio situation. This is my second over-priced Alpine system and I really don't like it. The sub in the 2 door is right in the middle of the cargo area, where the rear hidden storage tray would be. Stupid placement... what on earth were they thinking? The rest of the system is so/so. Clearly, all Jl's need help here. Good luck on your audio endeavors and keep me posted on your results. I will be following in your footsteps in the future.

Omen

 

[Omen]

Time for another update. Some good and some not so good.

A month ago, I walked out to a dead Jeep - unable to start. 7 months and 2 dead aux batteries. It's no longer part of the equation. I just replaced my main battery with a Northstar 94B and hope that's enough. My Taser is preventing the ESS, fortunately.
This morning I had errands to run. Got home, into the garage, and smelled hot and sweet... coolant. The puddle was already forming as I got out. I have a good dealer and they will be 'squeezing' me in to assess the failure. I did tighten the loose water outlet bolts to stem the leak and ran to my said dealer to get coolant to be able to limp it the 4 miles to the dealer Monday. They are well aware of what I am doing between now and Monday and didn't take issue with the plans to limp it in. It never did get to hot while running around, so I hope there isn't any long term damage. If so, lots of Hemis in the salvage yard...


Along the way, I have been working on navigation and communications. I'll share photos in the near future.
The Wouxun KG-1000 plus is an amazing radio. I'm just learning how to use it, but damn, the options it gives you! Cheaper than the equivalent Midland, too. I'll share some thoughts about it more in the future, after I've worked with it some.
Beyond that, there is a Garmin Glo2 for GPS feeding to a tablet running Gaia. I have also made provisions for a GoPro to film my adventures. I have photos, but they are too dark to really see what's going on. Hang in there, I'll get some. I used other people's ideas and their photos to get my kit together, so I'll share to help the next guy.
I also picked up this LasFit switch bank to add for accessories and lockers. It hasn't been installed, yet. I have to wait for days that are comfortable for me to work on the Jeep, being winter in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Here's a question for those that know. I want to get a CO2 system rather than a noisy compressor. Have any of you run BOTH and can provide pro's and con's? I have a portable VIAIR 400 now and I'm not too crazy about small compressors. Anyone help here?

More to follow,

Omen

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