Project Redemptrix [Tentative Name]

[jpkp]

I'm a bit behind because life's been a bit crazy, but I thought it'd be cool to start a build thread anyway and see if I can keep up with it. This is my second wrangler, which takes the place of the supercharged 2013 10th Anniversary Edition Anvil 2-door JK Rubicon I formerly called my own and gave me so many adventures and memories (to whoever drives it now, take good care of it!!). I haven't settled on a name for this e jeep yet, but Project Redemptrix sounds kind of cool and is my current working name. My goal here is to strike a balance between daily drivability, off-road capability, and visual elegance. Constructive feedback/suggestions welcome.

Pictures of the Stock Jeep:

Pictures in the Current State (will try to update as I can):

Modifications:
Completed:

• AEV RX Rear Bumper w/ Tire Carrier (replacing stock plastic bumper/tire carrier)
• AEV Borah Wheels (replacing stock Rubicon Wheels)
• BFG A/T KO2 37x12.5R17 (replacing stock 33" BFG KO2's)
• Mopar Rock Rails/Step (replacing stock Rubicon sliders)
• AEV 2.5" DualSport RT Suspension (replacing stock Rubicon suspension)
• AEV Steering Damper Upgrade
• Flare Extensions and Splash Guards for AEV Bumper
• Mopar Winch Mounting Kit (recycling my Warn VR8-S G2 from previous Jeep)
• Mopar Tubular 3-pc Steel Front Bumper & Skid Plate (replacing stock plastic bumper)

Planned:

• Quadratec Dead Pedal (probably spray painted black)
• Factor 55 Hawse Fairlead
• Factor55 Flatlink
• Paint muffler and back half of exhaust Black using Rustoleum Automotive High Heat Primer & Paint.

Hopes (way down the line):

• AEV Fuel Caddy
• CB Radio Install
• 2M/70cm Ham Radio Install

Base Jeep:

• 2021 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon
• 2.0L I4 DOHC DI Turbo Engine w/ ESS
• 8-Spd Auto 850RE Trans
• Granite Crystal Metallic Clear Coat
• Safety Group
• Advanced Safety Group
• 4:1 Rock-Trac HD Full Time 4WD Sys
• Remote Proximity Keyless Entry
• Black 3-Piece Hard Top
• Remote Start System
• Trailer Tow and HD Electrical Group

Lessons Learned:

• Use the right tool for the job...
• Follow the instructions and don't take shortcuts...

Sponsored

 

[jpkp]

First I decided to tackle... let's get that stock bumper off!

This was a far more tedious process than I expected. There are some good youtube videos explaining the process. I watched some and proceeded to try to find my own way. Turns out, after much trial and time wasting, those videos were pretty spot on. A harsh reminder that I'm an engineer, not a mechanic. But the worst was to come...

The stock plastic bumper is held together by an obscene number of 9mm hex head sheet metal screws. I had an 8mm socket, a 10mm socket, and no open tool stores nearby. So I had to use a pair of pliers to unscrew each screw... and so a 20 minute job became a 2 hour job. But, I got the stock bumper off, extracted the wire harness and park sensors, and took off the stock tire carrier to boot! There's a trick to getting the camera out... the holes where the two small screws keeping the lug stud plate need to be pressed out... NOT the holes where the lug studs go through. In the above picture, we have the interlocking pieces of the stock plastic bumper on top, and the steel AEV bumper pieces at the bottom of the pic.

Getting the AEV RX Bumper on was a real test of my dexterity, patience, and humidity tolerance. But here was the end result:

 

[jpkp]

A few updates, unfortunately not much in the way of in-process pics because I've been rushing through this in anticipation of getting everything all buttoned up for a day of wheeling with Off-road consulting at Rauch Creek on 9/11. Sunday, I got a set of 37x12.5r17 FGoodrich A/T KO2 tires and my OEM tires pressure sensors mounted to a set of AEV JL Borah wheels, and mounted those to the Jeep with the stock suspension in place. That's just how things needed to be with the scheduling, but honestly for the day the Jeep was in that condition, worked out just fine.

For a quick comparison, here's one last pic of stock wheels & tires with the new tires for measure:

And here's what a Rubicon looks like with BFG 37's on a stock suspension:

I absolutely love the look of the Borah wheels, and I'm super happy with this size of tire on the JL's. At first I was afraid the 37's would look too big on the two-door, but this is as close to right as it gets in my eyes (if only they made the Borah's as an 18" wheel... but oh well...). These wheels are without the beadlock or protection ring, at least for now.

Ever since I upgraded the rear bumper and added the tire carrier, I've noticed a definite squat in the rear, and you can almost see that here. To all the cars I passed driving at night with my headlights pointing up as a result, I do apologize. AEV claims the stock suspension is too soft and theirs is stiffened to allow for better load handling; honestly, I don't perceive it as being much stiffer at all, but I can say it leveled out my Jeep pretty well.

Check it out:

The driving experience on-road with these tires on both suspensions was excellent. I wasn't so sure how it would handle with the stock 4.10 gears, but honestly, with this ZF8HP transmission, it works just fine. Honestly, so far, this JL with the 2.0L, 4.10 gears, and 37's is driving better and more responsively on the highway than my previous JK, despite the JK having the engine power advantage, gearing advantage (4.56), and tire advantage (35's), and I'm certain a large part of that is the transmission. I also haven't seen much of a change in how often the transmission selects 8th gear as I've heard other's report.

So to this point, I've made much progress with Project Redemptrix and am getting quite excited to put this Jeep to good use. In anticipation of a new steel front bumper, I went ahead and made room for it, finishing up just as evening made its way to night:

Sponsored