The Road So Far...

[Headbarcode]

First Rubicon I've seen at a local dealer in quite some time. Spotted it while it for a late night therapy ride, and stopped to take some side by sides.

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[Headbarcode]

Started flex testing the new 3.5" lift. This is with 2" bump stop spacers all around and at 34psi for the street. I have to add 1 more inch up front, because the springs are starting to drop out of pocket. That will also keep the top dead center of the tire from rubbing the AAL liners. I should be able to turn to full lock without hitting the liners, after adding that inch. Only rub out back with the 2" bump stops, is at the rear pinch seam. I was surprised at how high she went. I couldn't unweight a second tire because the pinch seam was digging hard and the front sway links need to be extended. They were pulled straight. I should be able to get at least another couple inches of tire lift, once the rear can be fully stuffed.

I'll take more detailed pics after adding the front spacers, extending the front sway links, and trimming the pinch seam. I also needed more light under there to come through in the pics.

 

[D60]

What am I seeing with the rear fenders? They look repositioned near the rear?

I like that the wheels give a "faux full floater hub" look on the rear axle

 

[Roky]

Started flex testing the new 3.5" lift. This is with 2" bump stop spacers all around and at 34psi for the street. I have to add 1 more inch up front, because the springs are starting to drop out of pocket. That will also keep the top dead center of the tire from rubbing the AAL liners. I should be able to turn to full lock without hitting the liners, after adding that inch. Only rub out back with the 2" bump stops, is at the rear pinch seam. I was surprised at how high she went. I couldn't unweight a second tire because the pinch seam was digging hard and the front sway links need to be extended. They were pulled straight. I should be able to get at least another couple inches of tire lift, once the rear can be fully stuffed.

I'll take more detailed pics after adding the front spacers, extending the front sway links, and trimming the pinch seam. I also needed more light under there to come through in the pics.

Looks great brother........ you should get to at least 42”- 43” once you trim some fat in the rear. I maxed out at 43” before I lifted a wheel. The RK springs are still tight at full extension.

I think it’s the triple rate coils. Although they’re more like a dual rate, I can’t see where the third rate comes in unless it’s the ability to stay seated, lol.

 

[Notorious]

Looking good! Very impressive.

 

[hoag4147]

Started flex testing the new 3.5" lift. This is with 2" bump stop spacers all around and at 34psi for the street. I have to add 1 more inch up front, because the springs are starting to drop out of pocket. That will also keep the top dead center of the tire from rubbing the AAL liners. I should be able to turn to full lock without hitting the liners, after adding that inch. Only rub out back with the 2" bump stops, is at the rear pinch seam. I was surprised at how high she went. I couldn't unweight a second tire because the pinch seam was digging hard and the front sway links need to be extended. They were pulled straight. I should be able to get at least another couple inches of tire lift, once the rear can be fully stuffed.

I'll take more detailed pics after adding the front spacers, extending the front sway links, and trimming the pinch seam. I also needed more light under there to come through in the pics.

Looks great. Love all the angles

 

[Headbarcode]

Looks great brother........ you should get to at least 42”- 43” once you trim some fat in the rear. I maxed out at 43” before I lifted a wheel. The RK springs are still tight at full extension.

I think it’s the triple rate coils. Although they’re more like a dual rate, I can’t see where the third rate comes in unless it’s the ability to stay seated, lol.

Thanks man! I'm gonna start on those pinch dreams this weekend. It looks like the inner liner will need a tweaking as well. I also need limiting straps for the front, because the springs become fully unweighted and can be spun before the shock hits full extension. After the back gets trimmed, I'll have to see if it will also need straps. These shocks are crazy. They could definitely support a set of 4.5" springs.

 

[Headbarcode]

Looking good! Very impressive.

Looks great. Love all the angles

Awe shucks!

Thanks fellas!

 

[Headbarcode]

What am I seeing with the rear fenders? They look repositioned near the rear?

I like that the wheels give a "faux full floater hub" look on the rear axle

Fenders are in the stock location, just chopped. For some reason the body cutout doesn't extend as far back as the fender opening.

The center caps covering the lugs gives the wheel a cleaner look. Plus, it's another time soaker to any would-be thieves.

 

[Headbarcode]

Finally making some more pushes over the last couple months:

- Got rid of the factory "trash can" and went with the Borla Touring Climber cat-back for added clearance, some weight loss, and a tasteful growl for the 2.0 turbo.

- Baja Designs amber LP4 Pros on the front bumper and a pair each of spot and flood Squadron Pros on the a-pillars.

- I have the factory aux switches but am using them for the winch and other possible electronics. I wanted more switches placed in an easier to use on the fly location for lighting, so I went with the SwitchPros SP9100 switch panel and controller. The switches are mounted to the bottom of the a-pillar grab handle and doesn't impede the use of anything around it.

- The factory rear sway bar was hitting the bottom of the frame and the extended front links weren't long enough, so I went Antirock front and rear. Was able to ditch the lower front bumper skid along with the edisconnect sway motor, and used the tazer to avoid warnings from the sway motor being unplugged. That helped shed some weight to offset what I've added.

- Added a Warn Zeon 12s, mounting plate, and shut-off solenoid. Finished it off with a Factor55 Ultrahook and 1" fairlead. Side note: I'm hearing that Warn now owns Factor55.

- A couple Saturdays back was a very long day. My buddy showed up to help by drinking beers and making it too easy for me to take too many breaks. I installed RCV axle shafts and outer housing seals, Reid Racing knuckles, Dynatrac HD ball joints, Moog hub assemblies, and RPM Performance 2.5 ton 2" aluminum tie rod and drag link along with a new clamp to mount the Fox TS stabilizer to the larger tie rod. I also wanted to add the SteerSmarts front track bar frame reinforcement and the Metalcloak front and rear track bars that have been sitting around, but it was already 4am by the time everything else was done and I still had a 50 mile ride home. Those will go on soon.

I previously had the SteerSmarts tie rod and drag link, which were great, but clocking all the various adjustment clamps to not hit anything was becoming tedious. The Metalcloak articulation is ridiculous and things hit that you'd previously think would never be an issue.

My 38x13.5 Milestar Patagonias are getting a bit tired lately. I've been slipping on the rainy days, so that means their snow traction is gone. They've also begun to wear very inconsistent and have developed a side to side shimmy in the 55 mph range. I really wanted a set of Mickey Thompson Baja Boss M/T's but they could take months to show up. I can't run these 38's that long. I decided to go with another set of Pat's because I didn't have any complaints for about 40k miles. Despite being very close to advertised size, they are lighter than most, so I'm giving a set of 40x13.5's a try. I have a mount and balance appointment in the morning.
I didn't think they'd be quite as bigger in comparison, seeing as they aren't bloated with tire pressure.

 

[Moto_21]

How long have you had that rpm steering on the shelf? They changed all their joints to apex designs

 

[hoag4147]

Finally making some more pushes over the last couple months:

- Got rid of the factory "trash can" and went with the Borla Touring Climber cat-back for added clearance, some weight loss, and a tasteful growl for the 2.0 turbo.

- Baja Designs amber LP4 Pros on the front bumper and a pair each of spot and flood Squadron Pros on the a-pillars.

- I have the factory aux switches but am using them for the winch and other possible electronics. I wanted more switches placed in an easier to use on the fly location for lighting, so I went with the SwitchPros SP9100 switch panel and controller. The switches are mounted to the bottom of the a-pillar grab handle and doesn't impede the use of anything around it.

- The factory rear sway bar was hitting the bottom of the frame and the extended front links weren't long enough, so I went Antirock front and rear. Was able to ditch the lower front bumper skid along with the edisconnect sway motor, and used the tazer to avoid warnings from the sway motor being unplugged. That helped shed some weight to offset what I've added.

- Added a Warn Zeon 12s, mounting plate, and shut-off solenoid. Finished it off with a Factor55 Ultrahook and 1" fairlead. Side note: I'm hearing that Warn now owns Factor55.

- A couple Saturdays back was a very long day. My buddy showed up to help by drinking beers and making it too easy for me to take too many breaks. I installed RCV axle shafts and outer housing seals, Reid Racing knuckles, Dynatrac HD ball joints, Moog hub assemblies, and RPM Performance 2.5 ton 2" aluminum tie rod and drag link along with a new clamp to mount the Fox TS stabilizer to the larger tie rod. I also wanted to add the SteerSmarts front track bar frame reinforcement and the Metalcloak front and rear track bars that have been sitting around, but it was already 4am by the time everything else was done and I still had a 50 mile ride home. Those will go on soon.

I previously had the SteerSmarts tie rod and drag link, which were great, but clocking all the various adjustment clamps to not hit anything was becoming tedious. The Metalcloak articulation is ridiculous and things hit that you'd previously think would never be an issue.

My 38x13.5 Milestar Patagonias are getting a bit tired lately. I've been slipping on the rainy days, so that means their snow traction is gone. They've also begun to wear very inconsistent and have developed a side to side shimmy in the 55 mph range. I really wanted a set of Mickey Thompson Baja Boss M/T's but they could take months to show up. I can't run these 38's that long. I decided to go with another set of Pat's because I didn't have any complaints for about 40k miles. Despite being very close to advertised size, they are lighter than most, so I'm giving a set of 40x13.5's a try. I have a mount and balance appointment in the morning.
I didn't think they'd be quite as bigger in comparison, seeing as they aren't bloated with tire pressure.

No more pile of goodies . Everything looks awesome. Brave man working on the dirt. Those 40s will look sweet, can’t wait to see pics. Hopefully not too much more trimming required in rear ??

 

[Headbarcode]

How long have you had that rpm steering on the shelf? They changed all their joints to apex designs

At least a few upwards of several months now. I thought I've recently seen some aluminum linkages that are blacked out. Is that the apex joints? What's the difference, if you don't mind feeding my curiosity?

 

[Headbarcode]

No more pile of goodies . Everything looks awesome. Brave man working on the dirt. Those 40s will look sweet, can’t wait to see pics. Hopefully not too much more trimming required in rear ??

Thanks buddy!

Yeah, just a few boxes left in the corner of the garage and they're looking kinda lonely. Also, my UPS buddy is gonna start getting worried. It's been a few weeks. I'll have to kill 2 birds with 1 stone.

As for the trimming, I still haven't done any. It's the modifying of the AAL liners and their mounting plates, in a clean and artful manner, thats kept the trim on the back burner. It's next on the to-do list, because my winter off season is around the corner and I'll be heading out of state to really test everything out.

 

[hoag4147]

Thanks buddy!

Yeah, just a few boxes left in the corner of the garage and they're looking kinda lonely. Also, my UPS buddy is gonna start getting worried. It's been a few weeks. I'll have to kill 2 birds with 1 stone.

As for the trimming, I still haven't done any. It's the modifying of the AAL liners and their mounting plates, in a clean and artful manner, thats kept the trim on the back burner. It's next on the to-do list, because my winter off season is around the corner and I'll be heading out of state to really test everything out.

I thought you already trimmed the pinch seam to allow all that flex with 38s ?‍

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