2012 rubicon build

[Phimosis]

Stock:
[img]http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k34/ldmcnutt/DSC_0984.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k34/ldmcnutt/DSCN6440.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k34/ldmcnutt/DSCN6437.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k34/ldmcnutt/DSCN6429.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k34/ldmcnutt/DSCN6420.jpg[/img]


Build list:
AEV ProCal module
Cut fender flares
Cut pinch seams
Cut rock rails
Fender liners cut, gaps filled with expanding foam insulation and fender wells coated with spray on bed liner
Stock suspension with shocks painted black
1" M.O.R.E. body lift, painted black
Black rock 909 15x10" wheels, 15x8" for spare
35x14.50 super swamper boggers, 35x10.50 for spare
Smittybuilt xrc front/rear bumpers
Smittybuilt x2o 8k lbs waterproof winch with synthetic line
1" Daystar leveling kit for front end
Daystar spare tire extended bump stops
ProComp 7" 100w driving lights
Front Dana 44 w/ Polyperformance sleeves and gussets
2.5" Cat back exhaust with 10"x7"x12" oval Magnaflow muffler where the resonator used to sit and no rear muffler with slash tip after rear axle for high clearance

Tires and wheels, but everything else stock:
[img]http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k34/ldmcnutt/DSC_0992.jpg[/img]

Tires, wheels, cut fender flares and bumpers, but before cut pinch seams, cut rock rails and painted fender wells:
[img]http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k34/ldmcnutt/DSC_1002.jpg[/img]



Cut fender flares:
[img]http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k34/ldmcnutt/DSC_1006.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k34/ldmcnutt/DSC_1073.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k34/ldmcnutt/DSC_1029.jpg[/img]
filling the gaps with foam after cutting the fender liners

[img]http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k34/ldmcnutt/DSC_1024.jpg[/img]
drilling the body to attach a tie strap to hold down the cut fender liner

[img]http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k34/ldmcnutt/DSC_1027.jpg[/img]
cut fender liner after it's been tied down

[img]http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k34/ldmcnutt/photo-25.jpg[/img]
Fender wells after they've been painted with pickup bed liner

[img]http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k34/ldmcnutt/photo-24.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k34/ldmcnutt/photo-23.jpg[/img]


[img]http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k34/ldmcnutt/photo-16.jpg[/img]
Thanksgiving with the parents, Horsefall Beach. North Bend, OR

[img]http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k34/ldmcnutt/DSC_1248.jpg[/img]


[img]http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k34/ldmcnutt/DSC_1254.jpg[/img]
Bay Bridge. Coos Bay/North Bend, OR

[img]http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k34/ldmcnutt/photo-18.jpg[/img]
Box Car Hill. North Bend, OR

[img]http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k34/ldmcnutt/photo-19.jpg[/img]
Box Car Hill. North Bend, OR


[img]http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k34/ldmcnutt/photo-20.jpg[/img]
Hauser, OR

[img]http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k34/ldmcnutt/DSC_1344.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k34/ldmcnutt/DSC_1331.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k34/ldmcnutt/DSC_1260.jpg[/img]


[img]http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k34/ldmcnutt/photo-21.jpg[/img]
Mt. Ashland, Ashland, OR

[img]http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k34/ldmcnutt/DSC_1349.jpg[/img]



[img]http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k34/ldmcnutt/photo-22.jpg[/img]
Mt. Ashland, Ashland, OR


[img]http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k34/ldmcnutt/photo-26.jpg[/img]




[url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xTahHvhZsc[/url]
Oregon Sand Dunes



[url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugyxu5NdUvI[/url]
More Oregon Sand Dunes


Previous update was 12/2011

New update 8/2012:

After 8,000 miles the Boggers were down to about half tread and I decided to go bigger. I put 38.5x15x15's on it. When turning, I started scraping the frame rails in the front, On flexing I started scraping the front side of the pinch seams in rear (which I had alread trimmed for the 35's). I was also scraping on the rock rails in the front. I had trimmed the rear of the rock rails for the 35's, but hadn't needed to trim the front. And, I was scraping the fender flares both front and rear. Basically, I couldn't offroad it.

I initially wanted to go the budget route and leave the stock 4.10 gearing and was planning to go 1" longer on the shocks and increase my bump stops by 1" and leave it with 1.5" of lift via coil spacers, then do lots of trimming to make it work. But... the weight of the tires was over powering the dual tube procomp shocks that I put on it and I was getting vibrations between 40 and 60 mph that felt like out of balance tire. I had 11 ounces of airsoft BB's in each tire and Desert Dog recommended I use more. I went to 22 ounces in each and the virations got better, but were still significant and sometimes scary. Retrospectively, the vibration was probably from the driveshafts and pinion angle. It was also very twitchy from improper caster. I was surprised that 1.5" lift could make so much difference in the caster and it's road manners! It also had quite a bit of body roll and lots of dive during braking.

I knew I had to do something that included buying a real lift kit. I toyed with every idea from a basic 2.5" lift and Bilstein 5100's up to a 4.5" long arm kit with King shocks and air bumps. In the end, I settled on a reasonably priced Rock Krawler Pro 3.5" mid-arm all aluminum set up with high steer and their massive aluminum tie rod. The kit was around $2,400 and install (with shocks) was $700. Then I used Fox competition series aluminum remote reservoir shocks in the front and Bilstein 5100's in the rear (Desert Dog said I would likely destroy my rear shocks by hanging them up on rocks and I should use cheaper ones in the back). For now I plan to use 2.75" bump stop extensions and limit straps, but I may go to Fox 2.0 air bumps in the future, depending on how it acts. For gearing, I went with 5.13's and am really happy with the gearing! It is something like 2,600 rpm at 70 mph in high gear. It gives me a little room to climb small grades before it shifts down.

So here is what I have so far:

[img]http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k34/ldmcnutt/photo-42.jpg[/img]
38.5" Boggers on 1.5" spacer lift. Notice has some nose dive on the little angle of my driveway and the front looks too low. On flat ground, it was level. This has been completely fixed with the better geometry of the Rock Krawler lift.


[img]http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k34/ldmcnutt/photo-46.jpg[/img]
After the 3.5" Rock Krawler lift

[img]http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k34/ldmcnutt/photo-47.jpg[/img]
adding the lift, I went from 6.5" of clearance from tire to fender in the back and 7" in the front to 10.5" in the back and 11" in the front! I gained 3.5" over the 1.5" coil spacer lift, making my virgin lift almost 5" total! It hasn't started to sag yet, so it will likely sit a little lower down the road.

[img]http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k34/ldmcnutt/photo-45.jpg[/img]
Flexing it, my rear tire was scraping the pinch seam, but now it is scraping on the back side of the fenderwell instead of the front side due to the 1" longer wheel base from the longer control arms (X-factor) in the Rock Krawler kit. Extended length of the front shock in this pic is 29.8", which is almost 6.8" more droop than stock! Length of the shocks are F: 17.7"-29.8". R: 17.0"-27.4" The front shock has longer travel due to it being an external reservoir and the rear being an emulsion shock.

[img]http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k34/ldmcnutt/photo-43.jpg[/img]
On the ramp, I was limited by scraping the pinch seam on the passenger rear. I need to do more trimming and add some additional bump stop. In this picture, it is 93" up a 20 degree ramp with a 96.4" wheelbase (1" longer than stock). That works out to a ramp travel index of 965. Also pictured here is an installed OR Fab sport cage in bicycle black and the optional floor mount kit.

[img]http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k34/ldmcnutt/photo-44.jpg[/img]
If you're curious, on flat ground, the bottom of the tie rod has 14.25" ground clearance. The front diff has 12.75" and the rear diff has 12.5" of ground clearance.

I'll post more pictures once I get the bump stops and limit straps worked out.
I'm also waiting for delivery on a Rock Krawler 1.625" tie-rod clamp so I can install my Fox 2.0 steering stabilizer. The stock 1.375" clamp won't fit the springy aircraft grade aluminum tie rod.

One last thought on this is that its road manners are impeccable! No more flighty steering and the driveshaft wobble is gone. I feel just a tiny bit of vibration, even at 75 mph. The body roll is much improved and the dive under braking is also gone, gone, gone!

Special thanks to Alex at 4 Wheel Parts for giving me discounted prices even though I'm not on the IOR member roster and special thanks to Tony for installing everything and getting it right! Retrospectively, it's funny that Desert Dog was the first IOR member that I met, but at that point he was just a cocky, bald guy that was a customer at 4WP!

[mcgee149]

How did the 35s do with just the leveling kit on there? Where you hitting at all?

[Dirty LJ]

Looks great!!

How are the Boggers on the road?

[Phimosis]

McGee149: Your question: "with just the leveling kit".. Answer: You'll hit the stock front bumper when you turn. You'll hit the front and rear fender lips when you go over bumps. After adding smittybuilt bumpers, I could turn lock-to-lock with no problem, but tires would still hit the fenders if you went off-road. After cutting the fender flares, the rears would rub on the rock rails. The rockrails are in the same position as the pinch seams, so if you just do the rock rails, the pinch seams will rub. So after the pinch seams and rock rails, you should be ok. I added a 1" body lift and so far, no rubbing at all. I haven't found a ditch to get it to flex all the way, then get out and take photos.

I would say to do 35" tires, the minimum you need is aftermarket front bumper (or cut the stock one), cut fender flares, cut rock rails and cut pinch seams. The levelling kit and body lift are extras to guarantee it all works and to make it level and look a little lifted. The rear bumper guarantees a 35" spare will fit on the stock carrier, but is not needed to clear the rear tires. If you're thinking about 35x12.5 on stock wheels, I think you need hub spacers. If you do aftermarket wheels for $110 each, you can get into 15" wheels, which gives you 1" of extra side wall and can clear 14.5" wide tires. Probably even wider, but I did't try it. I have the airtools and the know how. If you're confident you want to do it, you can come kick it with me on a weekend in my garage and we can get you set up.

Dirt LJ: In regards to road manners..... They're fine.... for me. I just drove my Jeep 1500 miles round trip to Oregon for Thanksgiving on the Boggers. You have to baby sit it. No texting and driving, or you'll look up to see which side of the roadway you are exiting from. Emergency braking can be quite un-nerving. You have to make at least 5 and up to 15 minor steering corrections on a brisk 80-0 stop to keep it going straight. It wanders everywhere. They aren't radials. You get huge dive under braking from sidewall flex with massive 10" tall sidewalls. When I first got them, I was afraid of them. They felt dangerous. As I got to know them and trust them, I started driving faster, braking harder, cornering harder. Now I completely trust them. They are very predictable. I end up hitting the traction control all the time from doing clover-leafs too fast. I can run 45 mph corners at 60. No, that's not real fast, but it is for a jeep on big tires. You can cruise them all day long at 80 if you want to as well. I don't recommend it though because of the gas mileage. You get 13-ish at 80. 15-ish at 70 and can pull 17 mpg if you're on flat ground on cruise at 55 mph. Because they are bias-ply, they get flat spots. When you've got flat spots, freeway speeds will rattle the fillings out of your teeth. They'll get flat spots every time you park. Even if its just for a few hours. But, I drove them for 13 hours straight going up to Oregon and they were fine. You just have to pay attention to the steering wheel feedback and adjust accordinlgy. The flip side is that out in the sand dunes, I could go where no other 4x4's with street tires could. Same thing with snow. In the pictures I posted, the snow is over 12" deep. Notice how none of the lugs are filled with snow? It floats nicely, but also bites hard for traction. A caveat is that everyone reports these tires to perform poorly on packed snow/ice. They don't have any siping, so that made sense. I went out and bought an Ideal brand heated tire grooving knife and I siped about 4" on the middle portion of every lug. With the tires siped, they work just fine on packed snow and ice. They're very comparable to my Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armor's, which have the winter mountain snow flake symbol. Overall, I'm extremely happy with them and their road manners are tolerable. If you spend most of your miles on pavement, they may not be tolerable.

[Phimosis]

Bump for edits to my original post. It now has description and pictures for a 3.5" Rock Krawler Pro aluminum lift kit with 38.5x15x15 tires.

[c_njeepin]

Nice build... and very descriptive

[robnoxious1]

Which cage kit did you go with? Thats very high on my list of stuff to do.

[H. Badger]

I have been inspired. I don't know with my 12 JKUR If I want 38" but you gave some awesome details. How did the stock 4.10 gearing go with the 35"? Also when you did your lift did change out the lockers or the sway bar disconnect? I bought my rubi thinking I wouldnt have to change much but am hearing I will sooner or later. Also how much and where did you get the front 44 gussets and sleeves from and installed?

Great looking ride!!!

[munepit]

Rig looks good bud! I want to see the pictures you didn't post!!!!












To everybody that reads this, Google this crazy guys screen name, then click on pictures.

[abendx]

Omg... What a find! That is some playground shit right there.