Storm Cloud - 2023 4xe Rubicon Build

[Storm Cloud]

Nice build! Great touch on the painted F.

Do the lights under the bumper put out a lot of light?

I'm sorry I just saw this post. I'm especially proud of the painted F because I've never seen it done before and it was so easy to do. I believe in less is more so that little splash of color ties it all together.

The lights on the skid plate put out a decent amount of light, but not a ton. It's SAE approved so it can't get too crazy. It's more for daily driving and if you're feeling a bit adventurous, you can keep the skid lights and the regular fogs on at the same time.

Eventually I'll get the KC's or the BD lights for the cowl and bumper so I can go crazy. Also, somewhere down the line, I'm going to do some reviews on these parts with pictures of how well they work.

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[Storm Cloud]

So for Father's day, I got the rear Diff cover from my nephew and had to prep them for when I lifted my Jeep

I couldn't let it sit in my garage alone, so I got the front diff and the locker cover to match. These come unfinished in raw steel, so I had to clean them up and paint them. They even have a warning on them that says to paint the hardware as well, or it will rust.

I taped up the plug hole and started to prep.

Took all the hardware and got it ready too

A little Acetone in a cup was great for the hardware, butt the diff covers, themselves, needed a rag and some elbow grease

Once cleaned off, I didn't want to get paint on the threads for the hardware, so I cut holes in a box and stuck them in there so that just the heads were exposed.

It ended up working great to protect the threads while putting on the primer

I primed up the covers with some self etching Rustoleum and it was so damn hot today, that it dried in no time.

5 coats of Surf Blue later....

I then used a touch up stick to hand paint the Motobilt Logo. I screwed up in a spot where the pen just spit out a bunch of paint at once and it dripped inside, so I ordered a Surf Blue touch up pen to fix the inside of the logo later. I'm going to let this dry overnight and spray it down with a clear coat to let it set. I'll probably tape over the places I'm going to touch up so that it isn't clear coated, but I have to say it looks pretty damn good. It's not like anyone will get close enough to see the mistake under the Jeep anyway!

You probably can't tell, but the hardware is painted the same grey color that I painted the logo, so you'll have a nice contrast and it will look good with the Sting Gray

5 coats of clear coat later and some touch up to the logo

I wanted some rear LCA skid plates to protect that low hanging fruit and did the same to it. I have a FAD skid on order as well, and that will get painted before installing also.

 

[Storm Cloud]

So it's finally done. The lift is on and the winch is installed. It's been a long time coming and I'm sorry that I don't have great pictures, but I haven't been able to get the rig out in the wild for some good shots in action.

I added on the Rockslide Engineering Gen 3 Step Sliders and I absolutely love them. I have to wear a suit for work and I can only imagine how many pants I'd tear, getting in and out of this.

I put in the Clayton Offroad Overland Plus 2.5" lift. I love it because it isn't a huge lift. It barely comes in at 2.5", actual lift, maybe even slightly under, but that's with all the added weight. I was debating the Metal Cloak lift, which I hear is awesome, but I have heard that the 2.5" nets more like 3.5" and the wife would have killed me if I had gotten it any higher. I barely got her to agree to my getting 37's and they are KO2's, which run small.

The height of the jeep now runs at 43 1/2" from the wheel center line to the underside of the fender flares. Not too high, but just right.

Along with the lift, I added in a Warn Evo 10s along with a Factor 55 Flatlink E with rope guard. I had the fairlead and the rope guard powder coated to match the 4xe blue. For those that want the correct formula, it's Tropical Blue (PMB6792) with Tropical Blue Step 2 (PMB6793) over coat. It isn't metallic, but it matches the color spot on. The 4xe Blue Warn stickers were courtesy of Pixel Decals. I may have a new set made, though, with a grey trim, instead of black, to give it separation from the black plastic on the winch.

In my last post, I had prepared my skid plates and Motobilt Differential Covers for install. Here they are in place.

From the rear

And the front

I also added in the Fox TS Steering Stabilizer. I honestly think that the Jeep handled very well before I installed this, but I can definitely notice that the steering tightened up just a bit afterwards and made it feel more connected. I almost went with the Fox ATS, but in the end, it was more money, I didn't like the red color accents, and I know myself well enough to know that I'd never use the adjustability. Rather than crawl under the jeep, I'd set it in the middle and leave it there forever. I accidentally bought the wrong size Steering Stabilizer relocation bracket, so that's going to be coming soon.

I also added in the Fox 2.0 Performance Shocks, which are fine. I'm torn on them a bit, because they do run soft, which is nice for a plush ride, but I'm wondering if I would have preferred a slightly firmer ride. I may end up upgrading them to the Falcon 3.3 shocks. The Fox 2.5's are great, but as stupid as it sounds, the Falcons match the Jeep better since they are black and grey, while the Fox has the red accents, like the ATS Stabilizer that I didn't want. The Falcons are adjustable too, and while I may be too lazy to get under the jeep to adjust a stabilizer, I think I might be more inclined to just reach into the wheel well.

After some time, I'll update on my overall impression of the upgrades, but for now, I'm loving it. I won't go so far as to say it drives better as stock, but I will say it drives better in some ways and worse in others. As time goes by, I'll be able to articulate that more precisely.

Special thanks to @jack bauer for the hookup on the Warn and @kubicon for the referral to All Terrain Garage!

 

[kah.mun.rah]

Looks awesome!!!!!!

 

[Storm Cloud]

Looks awesome!!!!!!

So... when are we going wheeling??? I need to compare your Falcons to my Fox's and see if I have buyer's remorse or not!

 

[jack bauer]

So it's finally done. The lift is on and the winch is installed. It's been a long time coming and I'm sorry that I don't have great pictures, but I haven't been able to get the rig out in the wild for some good shots in action.

I added on the Rockslide Engineering Gen 3 Step Sliders and I absolutely love them. I have to wear a suit for work and I can only imagine how many pants I'd tear, getting in and out of this.

I put in the Clayton Offroad Overland Plus 2.5" lift. I love it because it isn't a huge lift. It barely comes in at 2.5", actual lift, maybe even slightly under, but that's with all the added weight. I was debating the Metal Cloak lift, which I hear is awesome, but I have heard that the 2.5" nets more like 3.5" and the wife would have killed me if I had gotten it any higher. I barely got her to agree to my getting 37's and they are KO2's, which run small.

The height of the jeep now runs at 43 1/2" from the wheel center line to the underside of the fender flares. Not too high, but just right.

Along with the lift, I added in a Warn Evo 10s along with a Factor 55 Flatlink E with rope guard. I had the fairlead and the rope guard powder coated to match the 4xe blue. For those that want the correct formula, it's Tropical Blue (PMB6792) with Tropical Blue Step 2 (PMB6793) over coat. It isn't metallic, but it matches the color spot on. The 4xe Blue Warn stickers were courtesy of Pixel Decals. I may have a new set made, though, with a grey trim, instead of black, to give it separation from the black plastic on the winch.

In my last post, I had prepared my skid plates and Motobilt Differential Covers for install. Here they are in place.

From the rear

And the front

I also added in the Fox TS Steering Stabilizer. I honestly think that the Jeep handled very well before I installed this, but I can definitely notice that the steering tightened up just a bit afterwards and made it feel more connected. I almost went with the Fox ATS, but in the end, it was more money, I didn't like the red color accents, and I know myself well enough to know that I'd never use the adjustability. Rather than crawl under the jeep, I'd set it in the middle and leave it there forever. I accidentally bought the wrong size Steering Stabilizer relocation bracket, so that's going to be coming soon.

I also added in the Fox 2.0 Performance Shocks, which are fine. I'm torn on them a bit, because they do run soft, which is nice for a plush ride, but I'm wondering if I would have preferred a slightly firmer ride. I may end up upgrading them to the Falcon 3.3 shocks. The Fox 2.5's are great, but as stupid as it sounds, the Falcons match the Jeep better since they are black and grey, while the Fox has the red accents, like the ATS Stabilizer that I didn't want. The Falcons are adjustable too, and while I may be too lazy to get under the jeep to adjust a stabilizer, I think I might be more inclined to just reach into the wheel well.

After some time, I'll update on my overall impression of the upgrades, but for now, I'm loving it. I won't go so far as to say it drives better as stock, but I will say it drives better in some ways and worse in others. As time goes by, I'll be able to articulate that more precisely.

Special thanks to @jack bauer for the hookup on the Warn and @kubicon for the referral to All Terrain Garage!

Looks wonderful!
Great attention to detail.

 

[Storm Cloud]

Looks wonderful!
Great attention to detail.

Thank you ?

 

[Yellow4xe]

So I had the fairlead and the rope guard powder coated to match the 4xe blue. For those that want the correct formula, it's Tropical Blue (PMB6792) with Tropical Blue Step 2 (PMB6793) over coat. It isn't metallic, but it matches the color spot on.

Do yourself a favor and skip out on the Mopar paint and use Dupli Color Bahama Blue, available at Autozone. The can is much larger so you won’t run out midway through the project, it’s cheaper, and it’s a perfect match.

I love the blue accents that you added!

Are both of the quotes above the same color? The difference is that the Tropical Blue is powder coated and the Bahama Blue is paint?

 

[Storm Cloud]

I love the blue accents that you added!

Are both of the quotes above the same color? The difference is that the Tropical Blue is powder coated and the Bahama Blue is paint?

Thank you very much! You are correct, the Tropical Blue step 1 and 2 are the PMB codes are for the powder coating formula to get the closest match. The Bahama Blue is Dupli-Color's name for the Mopar Surf Blue paint.

 

[Yellow4xe]

Thank you very much! You are correct, the Tropical Blue step 1 and 2 are the PMB codes are for the powder coating formula to get the closest match. The Bahama Blue is Dupli-Color's name for the Mopar Surf Blue paint.

Thanks! When I look at my 4xe, the hooks appear to be a lighter blue than the decals and other accents. Is that really the case, or are they all the same blue?

 

[Storm Cloud]

Thanks! When I look at my 4xe, the hooks appear to be a lighter blue than the decals and other accents. Is that really the case, or are they all the same blue?

It's a different blue. I believe that's Mopar Chief Blue. I have no idea why Jeep went with multiple blues but I couldn't get myself to paint the hooks to match. It just didn't seem necessary and gave me a false sense of control over my OCD.

 

[mikem20]

The build is turning out great! ??

 

[Storm Cloud]

The build is turning out great! ??

Thanks a lot! It's a process...

 

[Storm Cloud]

Damn it’s cold. By Southern California standards, at least. I woke up and actually had a thin layer of ice on my windshield so I decided to warm up my car with the defroster before I went to work. By the time I was ready to go, the inside of the Jeep was steaming, but the windshield was only defrosted in the middle.

I’m not sure how many people have read about the defroster distributing heat unevenly, but if you look at the vents, they go all across the top of the dash, but the air only seems to blow out of the middle and the outsides barely blow at all.

I read about a clever workaround on these forums and decided to give it a try.

I ordered 5/8” square tubing plug caps off of amazon.

I inserted them into some of the vent holes in the middle to block the airflow, while leaving the outsides open.

I got to use the heater this morning again and they did a pretty good job at redirecting the flow from the center and forcing more to the outskirts. I will probably add about 3-4 more on each side to improve the performance, but it actually turned out to be a pretty good hack.

 

[Storm Cloud]

After reading so many posts on these forums and Facebook about Jeeps getting stolen, I decided to change out my hood latches for the Rugged Ridge locking latches. Ideally, I would have gone with the Bold hood lock. It’s perfect for what I would want and it minimizes extra keys by using the vehicle key, but with the trail cam, it just wan’t an option.

It came with everything you need, whether you have a JK or a JL. I read through the directions and they seemed a bit confusing, but once you open up the box and look at the pieces, it’s very simple and intuitive. You really don’t need the instructions once you look it over.

You just remove the bolts holding the latches in place and put the new latches on. Be very careful when removing and installing the bolts, unless you want them getting stuck in the abyss.

Once it’s on, it’s just a matter of adjusting the latch hook on the hood up or down to ensure that it’s a very tight fit. I wanted to remove any possibility of hood rattle, so I made mine very tight. You have to really press down on the hood to allow the latches to release, but I’d rather it be extra tight than loose.

I have to say that they look really clean. I’ve seen a lot of different latches on the market and these are the ones that have the cleanest look in my opinion. The only drawback is having to carry the keys with you, but it’s a small price to pay. It came with 4 keys so you can stash them in different places and not have to worry about losing it.

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