Onyx JLUR LCOG Build

[OnyxJL]

I Started this Build little over 2 years ago when I first purchased the Jeep.

I have had two Wranglers before this. A 2008 JKU on 3.5" lift and 37s...

and a 2012 JKUR on 3.5" and 40s....

My goal for this build is to stay as low as possible and achieve the same performance I had on my JKUR LCOG...

So here is what I have done so far since day 1.

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[OnyxJL]

Here is my 2020 JLUR the day I bought it.

I knew the first thing I wanted to do was get a Rubi Steel Bumper so I could take off the end caps and go Stubby. I really liked the way the Rubicons looked with the end caps taken off and figured that bumper would last me a long time and meet my needs for a while. Could find a take off so I turned to Ebay...

This one was a lot less than the take-offs I was finding on local Jeep pages and forums. It came with holes in the plastic covers for front sensors. I ended up ordering replacements from Mopar for about $25 each. For the most part it was the same bumper structurally, But I did find the Powder coat faded quickly and didn't hold up nearly as well as the OEM bumpers.

 

[OnyxJL]

Next Modifications were a bit more preparation for some bigger tires. I decided I was going to go straight to 37s so to make room, I did the fender chop along with Quake LEDs Highline Fender bracket and DRLs.

The fender chop and highline lights are, in my opinion, one of the cleanest looks on fender flares I've seen. As you can see, I only did the front at first because I was worried doing the rear would leave too much of a gap until the 37s came in.

I found the Quake LEDs yellowed really fast which would have been ok because I was going to smoke them, but then random diodes started going out and they started flashing and flickering intermittently. I initially bought them over the AAL because 1) the long ass wait time, and 2) the Quake were plug and play without the need of an additional harness. The tradeoff however was not worth the quality IMO.

 

[OnyxJL]

Finally it is time to add some height. I went with a Teraflex 2" spacer lift and Falcon 3.1 shocks. I went with Falcons for a 2.5" - 4.5" lift to allow for more droop knowing I would be limiting the up travel.

The 2" spacer lift was only going to be a temporary stop gap so I could install the 37s until I decided on what springs to install.

I also did the fender chop on the rear fenders. You can also see the new plastic bumper caps from Mopar were installed.

The bright white fender clips really bothered be and I was able to find some black replacements on Amazon that helped hide them.

Then the 17" Icon Alloy Rebound Wheels and 37" Nitto Trailgrappler Tires FINALLY showed up and I get them installed as well as the Black Fender Clips...

Now this was REALLY starting to come together.

 

[OnyxJL]

Added Some JCR Inner Fender liners to hide and protect all the components in the wheel well. Gave it a much more finished look.

The JCR Inner Fender Liners were made for the Falcon Shocks and were pretty easy to install compared to other Inner Liners I've installed.

Took this set up for a Shake Down run up on Drummond Island...

Overall, this set up worked pretty well but I realized a few things like, the headlights are just as ineffective as the JKs, and I need a bit more up travel or more bump stops for these shocks to prevent them from bottoming out.

Love the look and stance of 37s on 2" of lift.

 

[OnyxJL]

First Issue I tackled from the Drummond Island experience was the Headlights and also added a winch.

Went for the Oracle Oculus Headlights so I can actually see when its pitch black out and also installed a Smittybilt X20 10k Winch with Synthetic Line.

Love the look of the Oracle Oculus Headlights and WOW do they put out some light. The beam pattern is actually pretty precise and doesn't just shoot all over blinding oncoming traffic. They are really well made and easy to install and align.

I'll admit I'm not a huge fan of the hook Smittybilt uses and the fact that they don't make it with a removable pin is annoying. No real great way to keep it from moving around on the front without using one of those IMO ugly isolators. I've seen a lot of people run then to the hooks but that leaves too much of the rope out to face the elements... and synthetic line is expensive. So, I guess I deal with it for a while.

Also decided to add some LED Tailights to complete the LED light set up. Went with the Oracle "Black Series" taillights to compliment the "blacked out" look of the headlights.

This served absolutely no other purpose than looks as they give off almost no light when backing up. They are bright when using turn signals or brake lights but don't try to use them at night to see where you're going... the brake lights put off more light.

 

[Mocopo]

very similar to the initial build I plan with my XR. I have some spacers in the garage ready to go on, a fender chop is on the list, and I'm trying to narrow down the shocks I want for the extra travel. With my 3 foot bump stop on the XR I won't have the bottoming out issue you're seeing tho lol

you mentioned your backup lights are still terrible with the new LEDs. Do you plan on getting a bumper with built in LED spots, or mount them elsewhere, or just live with it? EDIT: I ask because I don't want to spend $$$ on a new bumper just so I can upgrade my backup lights, but I'm not a fan of most solutions I've seen.

 

[OnyxJL]

To address the up travel and bottoming out issues, I added 2.5" RK Triple Rate Springs and Teraflex Speed Bumps.

The extra 1/2" from the RK springs made a huge difference to the ride and gave me a bit more wheel travel.

So of course, the best place to test out the wheel travel and Teraflex Speed bumps was Silver Lake Sand Dunes!

The speedbumps are just awesome! The only issue I have is the clunk noise from the hard plastic ends hitting the bump stops. Not terrible but a cushioned rubber pad would be great. I may see about coming up with something to take care of that.

 

[OnyxJL]

Next on the list was geometry correction to make sure she drives down the road as good as she did when she was new.

I added some Teraflex Alpine adjustable lower control arms and a Teraflex Forged Front Track Bar to beef up the front end.

And then immediately took it out on a shake down run at my local Offroad park.

I have been really happy with this mild set up and its performed well on and off road.



This has been where the build has sat for the past year until Recently when a new wave has come over the last few months. Time for 40s!

 

[OnyxJL]

I knew the goal of this build was going to be 40s. So, after wheeling and driving on the previous set up for over a year I decided it was time to pull the trigger and move up.

Enter the 40" Cooper Discovery STTs.

So, do they fit? Yes. Do they Rub like crazy when turning and over bumps? Also, Yes.
But... Do they look Super sexy? Definitely Yes!

There will be a lot of trimming and modifications to follow... but let's just admire how they look for now...

 

[OnyxJL]

First Mod post 40s was to solve the spare tire location issue. As cool as it looked in the back, I needed to use that space for gear and daily commute needs... aka Groceries.

I went with the Rugged Ridge Spartacus HD Tire Carrier. I liked the cast design and how simple it is. Not a lot of things to fail.

Was a pretty straight forward install and went really smooth. Mounting the 40" by myself was the most challenging part.

I also installed some Oracle Flush mount taillights.

These things are NICE. They definitely solved the Reverse light issue I was having from my previous taillights and now I'm not worried about losing them to a random tree branch or rock as much.

Now it's starting to REALLY look like the build I have in my head!

 

[OnyxJL]

very similar to the initial build I plan with my XR. I have some spacers in the garage ready to go on, a fender chop is on the list, and I'm trying to narrow down the shocks I want for the extra travel. With my 3 foot bump stop on the XR I won't have the bottoming out issue you're seeing tho lol

you mentioned your backup lights are still terrible with the new LEDs. Do you plan on getting a bumper with built in LED spots, or mount them elsewhere, or just live with it? EDIT: I ask because I don't want to spend $$$ on a new bumper just so I can upgrade my backup lights, but I'm not a fan of most solutions I've seen.

My most recent post shows the solution I came up with. These things are crazy bright!! I was originally going to go with lights in the bumper but after installing these they would be over kill.

 

[OnyxJL]

A small delay to the build was caused when a lady hit the front of my Jeep while turning too sharp. She damaged the drivers front corner of the bumper. So instead of moving on to the next phase I had to wait for insurance to do a complete inspection of the front.

The end result was needing a new bumper! (whoa big shock)

I went with the Rugged Ridge Arcus front bumper. I wanted a recessed winch and factory fog light capability, and I really liked the Rubicon steel bumper minus the plastic and several screw heads showing.

I also decided Id finally had enough of the horrible hook and cut it off to add the Factor 55 Thimble and Fairlead.

The install was a little challenging trying to line the bolts up through the bumper, hooks, and frame rails while also holding it into place. And it does NOT work with the factory Rubicon LED fog lights. I'm sure it said it somewhere but reading takes too much time. I managed to "fab" something up to get them to work though.

This is not a thick bumper, and I am fully aware that if I hit anything it's going to fold like a tin can. I think I may change it up for something a bit beefier if I can find something that meets my requirements without sticking out a mile. That being said it is the same thickness as the stock Rubi Steel bumper.

 

[OnyxJL]

Most recently I was able to address some clearance issues. Installed the RK Adventure Series control arms all the way around to center the wheels back in the wheel well as well as a RK Front Track Bar.

Also installed 3.5" of the Falcon Progressive Bump stops to limit the up travel.

Did a LOT of body trimming and gave it the Ol' Forklift test...

The limiting factors right now are the front sway bar links are too short keeping it from taking advantage of all the down travel and there is still some more trimming that needs to be done in the rear wheel well to allow the bumps to touch before tires.

Overall, I'm super impressed! Happy that there are just a few things to finish up to make this thing perfect. Got some parts on order and it will be going under the knife soon to take care of those issues.

May also have to trim the front bumper or replace it... we will see.

 

[Roky]

Most recently I was able to address some clearance issues. Installed the RK Adventure Series control arms all the way around to center the wheels back in the wheel well as well as a RK Front Track Bar.

Also installed 3.5" of the Falcon Progressive Bump stops to limit the up travel.

Did a LOT of body trimming and gave it the Ol' Forklift test...

The limiting factors right now are the front sway bar links are too short keeping it from taking advantage of all the down travel and there is still some more trimming that needs to be done in the rear wheel well to allow the bumps to touch before tires.

Overall, I'm super impressed! Happy that there are just a few things to finish up to make this thing perfect. Got some parts on order and it will be going under the knife soon to take care of those issues.

May also have to trim the front bumper or replace it... we will see.

Nice rig…… if you’re going to be using the electronic disconnect I recommend going with a dbl heim link like RK no limits……

Oem style……

RK no limits

there’s more pics in my build thread , and also I talk about using these links versus unhooking old school, spoiler, there’s no difference in droop……..

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