Lord Al Sorna's 2014 JKUR Build Thread

[Lord Al Sorna]

I got the wheels from Jegs, and tires from Discount Tire. Moving to the 15's was definitely a good decision in my book for the reasons listed above.

http://www.jegs.com/p/Cragar/Cragar-Street-Lock-D-Wheels/751052/10002/-1
352 Series Street Lock ''D'' Wheel
Size: 15'' x 8''
Bolt Circle: 5 x 5''
Rear Spacing: 3-3/4''
Offset: -19mm

 

[MR.Ty]

Awesome, thanks for the info.

 

[Nuclear Redneck]

Thanks for the detailed write-up of your experiences. Makes things a little easier for those of us considering our upgrades.

 

[Lord Al Sorna]

I have added a few more modifications to the Jeep in my process of doing some finer tuning/building:

I added the 1" Teraflex coil spacers on all four corners, with AEV Geometry Correction Brackets in front and Off Road Evo "Rockstar" lower shock mount / skids in the rear. I really like the slightly taller ride height, and having that extra inch of compression travel has proven to be very beneficial. The few tests I have done at-speed on local street drainages have not caused contact with the bumpstops post-spacer, so I consider my line of thinking on this sound.




The AEV brackets worked very well on my Jeep and this was a good decision. Washboard and small/fast bump compliance is noticeably improved with this component, as the chatter and feedback coming through the suspension and body is reduced. Steering response is also a lot more linear, predictable, and solid, and a little less "fidgety." At $100 for the set, if they do in fact take a big hit off road and can't survive I will not consider it a catastrophic repair.


The Evo Rockstars have proven to be a cool little upgrade in the context of my build. Based on the length and available travel of my Fox 2.0's and the rear bump stop extension in the Teraflex kit, I had about 2" of shock travel still avaliable at full compression. The Evo brackets raise the lower shock mounting location and bottom of the axle brackets up 1.5", and have nicely fabricated skid plating on the bottoms for added protection. This was perfect to get me an extra 1.5" of down travel and added ground clearance, with no other compromises. I does require cutting and grinding on the lower shock brackets, which doesn't bother me but may some.

I am really feeling like the suspension on this truck is 100% dialed-in now, and ready for some long-haul 4x4 trips throughout the west!

 

[Lord Al Sorna]

Took the jeep to my "RTI Hill" to verify rear suspension movement.. Everything looks good, still have about 3/4" of shock travel left at the bumpstops, which is good to account for mushing of the foam puck. Extra extension travel looks good, now dropping a full 35 below the body line, and tire still had a little bit of pressure on it with the front sway bar connected. Stoke is high! :wings:




I also drove it to the coffee shop this morning and nothing fell off, which tells me I put the bolts back in the right holes. I found this to be a positive.

 

[HRPINDC]

Sweet, I'm digging the new setup.

 

[Lord Al Sorna]

Thanks HRP, I hope you are getting to "live vicariously" a little.


Just for fun, here is some majorly amateur video from Moab, with my four-legged compatriots spotting me up:

 

[Lord Al Sorna]

I have completed the hitch raise and minimalist rear bumper setup I had planned:

I performed surgery on the factory receiver assembly to strip the unwanted brackets and parts, leaving me with the receiver tube. I used some of the cut metal to weld on a nice "goatee" for the bottom lip of the hitch to help it slide over ledges. Then, measuring 8x and cutting once, I cut in a pocket to the factory crossmember. I then fully welded the hitch into the pocket. You can also see the Off Road Evolution D-ring mounts that trim out the frame ends.


To add strength, lateral support, and further tie into the crossmember reinforcing I cut an 8" circle to use on top and bottom. This created a nice finished look, and this assembly is NOT moving...


To finish out the rear I used Off Road Evo's trim plate assembly. I had to trim the area around my receiver hitch raise about 1/2" up, and I drilled the hole for and mounted a 7-way trailer plug in the piece. The trailer plug fits between the bottom of the body and the top of the crossmember with ZERO room to spare, but it ended up lining up very well with the top corner of the trim piece. *Almost* like I planned it that way... I also painted the exposed portion of the tub below the tailgate flat black, which I ended up liking the look of a lot.


I now have excellent clearance and departure angle back there with nothing hanging below the bottom of the crossmember.

I will follow this up with OR-Fab's tire carrier, with a few custom touches to finish out the rear - coming soon. Also, I will be fabricating a pair of mounts for removable mudflaps.

I drove the Jeep to Phoenix for the Thanksgiving holiday, and it proved to be very comfortable and easy to drive on the road. (11 hrs each way) Once I got there, I stripped down the top and removed the doors, and the vehicle was a real treat to just cruise around town in. I did not log any off-highway miles, but it was extremely important to me I did not impact the highway driveability of the vehicle and this was a great test of how it performed on a long distance trip.

 

[DEFENDERBEAM]

everything about that is sweet.

good work, and vision.

 

[KlausVanWinkle]

Subscribed. If I could have two jeeps, this is how I'd build the second one. Keep it coming.

 

[DallasJKU]

Very nice build.

 

[Lord Al Sorna]

Skiing has been a total bust in Park City where I live, so it has lit the fire of spring 4x4 work a little early. I have added the planned OR-Fab Tire / Gerry Can carrier and am very happy with this modification, which completes the tail section. The rack is super solid, latches and swings smoothly and easily, and holds a lot of essentials.



It moves the spare up 5.5", which nets plenty of ground clearance and clearance for the raised hitch. I mounted an Adventure Trailers jerry can holder to the rack using carriage bolts, which I had from my previous rig. It has already been modified slightly to allow clearance for the spout on the bottom of my Frontrunner water jug. I LOVE this water setup, just flick the valve on the hose bib for water and Voila! On the OR-Fab rack it works great, as you can access the spout with the assembly both closed and open. I have also mounted up my High-Lift on the rack, and a full-sized D-handle shovel for "Plan B" situations. Mounting is super solid, and nothing rattles




The only thing I want to do to this is add an ammo can to hold extra recovery gear. I have to locate the right size can for this though, as they are somewhat rare, but there is one similar in size to a gerry can. I will keep this second slot flexible as well, so that I may add a 5 gal fuel can if needed for certain trips.

As a side note, with the extra weight on the back the Teraflex springs are riding worlds better, and the overall ride quality is very good. With the adjustable shocks I can dial in the ride for crawling slowly on rough terrain, or stiffen everything SIGNIFICANTLY for hauling it down dirt roads. The adjustments are very noticable and effective. Set on "1" I might be bottoming out hard on the larger dips / ledges at 15 - 20 mph but the ride is super supple. Set on "4/5" I can be doing the same road at 50 - 60 with total confidence, comfort, and stability. I have yet to need level "6". That could get crazy.

 

[KlausVanWinkle]

The build is looking great. You have my trying to justify the storage space for a second set of 15" wheels and 35x12.5 tires. Did you notice a braking distance when switching ot the 35s? According to TireRack some of these 35x12.5x15s are only a few lbs heavier than the stock KM1s.

 

[Lord Al Sorna]

Thanks mate!

Sorry to add fuel to the disease... This wheel & tire package is on the heavy side, with the steel wheels being a larger factor in that equation. The JK wears the extra unsprung weight very well. If it did affect braking and acceleration, it isn't at all significant or even noticeable. In contrast, the most pronounced change to the "seat-of-the-pants" feel of driving this vehicle has been the increase in ride height. That isn't to say its detrimental, its just a lot different than stock.

 

[Lord Al Sorna]

The latest photos were shot on a long weekend my girlfriend Lauren and I had in Kanab, UT for the long Valentines/President's Day weekend. The weather was perfect for desert hiking (weird in Feb but we went with it...) We had a GREAT time, and explored an area we had passed through frequently on the highway but had never really "seen."
I am going to do a full writeup sooner than later, but until then:

Cottonwood Road, just north of Hwy 89 between Kanab, UT and Page, AZ.


Red Canyon, aka Peek-A-Boo just north of Kanab, UT. Access to this spot included about 4 miles of fun 4x4 sand roads and cruising down a neat dry wash until it dead-ended at the mouth of this slot canyon.


Jeeping our way across Coyote Buttes South, with "The Teepees" pictured.


White Pocket, accessed after 10 miles of super fun 4x4 sand roads.