Ok I thought the ls was 580 pounds

 

Back from the dead. The project took a long break waiting on parts. The last piece was the new Overland Performance stainless exhaust. Its done through magnaflow, and because of various parts and labor shortages it took a while to come to fruition. The fit and quality are great, sort of justifies me waiting this long. In any case the swap runs and drives now. Just a few more things to button up till its complete.

To do list:
Front/rear bumpers
Fenders
Winch
Raptorline interior tub
Finalize alignment
Install AC lines and recharge
Install soft top
Air compressor and locker wiring

 

The build is looking great!

Here is food for thought. I raptor lined my tub years ago. I didn't miss the carpet at all cuz it was such a headache when wheelin....always dirty from dust, dirt, and white dog fur. I actually preferred the utilitarian aspect of the raptor liner but after a short while I realized that really wasn't much easier to keep looking half decent either unless you had just a trail rig you didn't mind taking a hose to the interior to all the time. It was constantly dirty and it never looked as good as the day it was sprayed. Here is what my rear "trunk" storage looks like with raptor liner -



That is black, and if I clean it up and use some armor all on it it comes back to life, but that is what it looks like a lot of the time when the jeep gets used and not cleaned...which is most of the time. My front footwells looked like that and I just got tired of it. I tired some Bed Rug since it was reasonably priced and dang if that isn't a great product. Easy to install and pull back out and just helped things look a lot nicer without the headache of real carpet. Anyhow, just something to think about if you find the raptor liner hard to keep looking nice. Outside of that I have been really happy with raptor liner. It was easy to apply and has stood up to years of use. I have some nicks on the back of my deck there but that is just cuz it's made of plywood and things get banged into the edge taking a chunk out of the wood or denting it in, as to be expected.

 

Great info. I'll definitely consider a bed rug once it's sprayed in. I'm most interest in corrosion protection.

 

One other thing I forgot to mention that may come in handy for others. If doing the j8 mc/booster upgrade, be aware a lot of them ship without the o ring that goes between the two. I bled the brakes countless times, but still had no power behind them. I ran across another post from a few years ago with the same issue. I now have 50 of the o rings, so if anyone needs one Im happy to help out.

 

If you haven't already, cut those black plastic shock covers off asap. They are a huge PITA and will crumple on you in no time. Love your build btw, I'll have almost the exact same thing finished shortly (minus the v8 part)

 

Made a lot more progress. Currently tuning the transmission shift points to my liking. Since last time, I've bedlined the interior tub, installed fenders and bumpers.

Still to do:
- Winch
- Air compressor
- Switch panel and locker solenoids
- Rocker panels
- Fender liners

I'm probably going to spray the exterior with a colored raptorliner. I really love the product and think some kind of light blue would look pretty good.

 

I like that rear transmission support bracket to bottom of x-member on Post #57. Mine only has the flat plate but not issues with it after 2 years.

 

Got the top on it, been dialing in the tune and really just breaking it in. Still a work in progress, but its at least usable now. I'm planning on putting at least 1000 street miles on it before I venture offroad. Just don't want any surprises on a trail or in a swamp.

 

Wow. Seriously nice work. And as petty as it sounds, I like the look of the raw Aluminum fender flares on the dark paint. I have been thinking of removing the paint from mine as well.