Build-Up Thread: Black Sunshine
08-08-2009, 11:21 AM
#51
JK Super Freak
Thread Starter
The End of Stage One
I'm reaching the end of Stage One. My goals for Stage One were to get my bumpers on, some convenience items installed, and basically loose the stock look of the Jeep in general. I'm the kind of guy who will research things to death, then execute my plan. This leads a lot of my friends to believe I'm impulsive as they'll see me blow through a couple of grand at a rapid pace. What they don't see is the months spent reading, researching, and asking experts for their advice and opinions.
I've done a lot of reading here on JK Forum, talking to other JK owners, and consulting with equipment manufacturers before making my choices. The plan is constantly evolving but, as my parts list on the main page of this thread shows, I think I have it all sorted out.
Here's what’s been done thus far:
SUSPENSION:
After reading numerous posts about various budget boosts and lift kits I listened to Dave at Northridge and members of my local club and went with TeraFlex's 2.5" Coil Boost w/ shock extenders. I chose this kit for several reasons. Reputation of the vendor, ease of installation, previous customers experiences, and most importantly reliability.
The TeraFlex kit went on super easy. My only complaint is with the bar pin extenders for the front shock towers. They are incredibly tedious to remove due to the location of the top nut that holds the tower to the chassis. I really with TeraFlex would have offered a bar pin eliminator option as I would have gladly paid extra for it knowing what I know now.
The kit rides as smooth as my factory Rubicon suspension ever did. It took some getting used to the increase ride height but now it feels like it should have always been this tall. I chose to only do 2.5" of lift due to a height restriction on my condos garage. Any taller and I wouldn't clear the garage door after I trade out for bigger tires.
ARMOR:
I had originally planned to order my skid plates before I changed out the bumpers but concerns about load weight of a 35" spare tire on the back gate prompted me to order my bumpers first. I started with the Expedition One rear bumper and, despite some shipping and finish issues, I couldn't be happier. It fits perfectly, is massively rugged, and was fairly painless to install. I'm constantly getting compliments on it. My only major complaint is the lack of CB antenna bracket, something that should be corrected by the time you read this as Expo One has shipped me one of the first brackets produced for this bumper.
I decided to go with the ARB Deluxe Bull Bar for the front as the Expo One was fairly expensive and didn't really match the lines of the JK quite the way their back did. I had some trouble with the first one ARB shipped me as it was damaged in shipping to me. Fortunately I do business with the best and Dave at Northridge had a replacement shipped the same day I told him there was a problem. I wish the texture of the paint matched the rear bumper better but I doubt I'll notice after a week. The front bumper is stout and seems to be built for punishment. I couldn't be more pleased.
ELECTRONICS/COMMS
Like everyone else I've talked to I decided to go with the Cobra 75 CB due to its size and ease of installation. I'm not an over the road trucker so I don't need a ton of range, just enough to keep in touch with the tail gunner and the trail boss. This should be installed just as soon as Expo One's bracket gets in. I did attempt to use the CoolTech GateMount but it wouldn't clear the tire carrier. If anyone needs a bracket, feel free to PM me. We can work something out.
I also installed the AllGig USB to unlock the features of my MyGIG unit as well as the latest firmware. The AllGIG is great in that it unlocked GPS entry while in motion, something that should have been linked to the passenger seats pressure sensor. I also appreciate the fact I can reprogram it using a USB cable rather than having to rip the dash apart to change a DIP switch setting.
I just installed the Superchips Flashpaq thanks to the excellent sale price Dave at Northridge was able to come up with. This thing is a night and day difference. I'm currently running the 87 Octane tune. Gone is the hesitation off the line. Gone is the lag in throttle response. The Jeep feels like a new beast now and is almost peppy. I'm looking forward to trying out the other features like TPMS adjustment, gear ratios, etc when the time comes.
OTHER/MISC
I've done a few other misc mods to my JK such as floor mats and grab handles from Rugged Ridge but the one thing I wanted to touch on here was the M-PAC rack from Springtale Solutions. While they may have a goofy mascot, their product is top notch and Doc is excellent to deal with. The whole thing went on smoothly and it's nice to take advantage of what would otherwise be useless space. My only complaint is that the holes to screw the rack to the tail gate should be large enough to accommodate the screws themselves. Instead I found myself struggling to get the two side screws for the rack in. But once mounted, it's SOLID. It's not going anywhere. I couldn't be happier and I'm looking forward to seeing what else Doc comes up with in the future.
Well, that's my project update to date. Stage One is complete. I plan to drive it like this for a while now and focus on getting out on the trail more. This winter I will probably start Stage Two which will include a complete overhaul of the factory stereo system as well as a few other odds and ends. Until then, see ya on the trail!
I'm reaching the end of Stage One. My goals for Stage One were to get my bumpers on, some convenience items installed, and basically loose the stock look of the Jeep in general. I'm the kind of guy who will research things to death, then execute my plan. This leads a lot of my friends to believe I'm impulsive as they'll see me blow through a couple of grand at a rapid pace. What they don't see is the months spent reading, researching, and asking experts for their advice and opinions.
I've done a lot of reading here on JK Forum, talking to other JK owners, and consulting with equipment manufacturers before making my choices. The plan is constantly evolving but, as my parts list on the main page of this thread shows, I think I have it all sorted out.
Here's what’s been done thus far:
SUSPENSION:
After reading numerous posts about various budget boosts and lift kits I listened to Dave at Northridge and members of my local club and went with TeraFlex's 2.5" Coil Boost w/ shock extenders. I chose this kit for several reasons. Reputation of the vendor, ease of installation, previous customers experiences, and most importantly reliability.
The TeraFlex kit went on super easy. My only complaint is with the bar pin extenders for the front shock towers. They are incredibly tedious to remove due to the location of the top nut that holds the tower to the chassis. I really with TeraFlex would have offered a bar pin eliminator option as I would have gladly paid extra for it knowing what I know now.
The kit rides as smooth as my factory Rubicon suspension ever did. It took some getting used to the increase ride height but now it feels like it should have always been this tall. I chose to only do 2.5" of lift due to a height restriction on my condos garage. Any taller and I wouldn't clear the garage door after I trade out for bigger tires.
ARMOR:
I had originally planned to order my skid plates before I changed out the bumpers but concerns about load weight of a 35" spare tire on the back gate prompted me to order my bumpers first. I started with the Expedition One rear bumper and, despite some shipping and finish issues, I couldn't be happier. It fits perfectly, is massively rugged, and was fairly painless to install. I'm constantly getting compliments on it. My only major complaint is the lack of CB antenna bracket, something that should be corrected by the time you read this as Expo One has shipped me one of the first brackets produced for this bumper.
I decided to go with the ARB Deluxe Bull Bar for the front as the Expo One was fairly expensive and didn't really match the lines of the JK quite the way their back did. I had some trouble with the first one ARB shipped me as it was damaged in shipping to me. Fortunately I do business with the best and Dave at Northridge had a replacement shipped the same day I told him there was a problem. I wish the texture of the paint matched the rear bumper better but I doubt I'll notice after a week. The front bumper is stout and seems to be built for punishment. I couldn't be more pleased.
ELECTRONICS/COMMS
Like everyone else I've talked to I decided to go with the Cobra 75 CB due to its size and ease of installation. I'm not an over the road trucker so I don't need a ton of range, just enough to keep in touch with the tail gunner and the trail boss. This should be installed just as soon as Expo One's bracket gets in. I did attempt to use the CoolTech GateMount but it wouldn't clear the tire carrier. If anyone needs a bracket, feel free to PM me. We can work something out.
I also installed the AllGig USB to unlock the features of my MyGIG unit as well as the latest firmware. The AllGIG is great in that it unlocked GPS entry while in motion, something that should have been linked to the passenger seats pressure sensor. I also appreciate the fact I can reprogram it using a USB cable rather than having to rip the dash apart to change a DIP switch setting.
I just installed the Superchips Flashpaq thanks to the excellent sale price Dave at Northridge was able to come up with. This thing is a night and day difference. I'm currently running the 87 Octane tune. Gone is the hesitation off the line. Gone is the lag in throttle response. The Jeep feels like a new beast now and is almost peppy. I'm looking forward to trying out the other features like TPMS adjustment, gear ratios, etc when the time comes.
OTHER/MISC
I've done a few other misc mods to my JK such as floor mats and grab handles from Rugged Ridge but the one thing I wanted to touch on here was the M-PAC rack from Springtale Solutions. While they may have a goofy mascot, their product is top notch and Doc is excellent to deal with. The whole thing went on smoothly and it's nice to take advantage of what would otherwise be useless space. My only complaint is that the holes to screw the rack to the tail gate should be large enough to accommodate the screws themselves. Instead I found myself struggling to get the two side screws for the rack in. But once mounted, it's SOLID. It's not going anywhere. I couldn't be happier and I'm looking forward to seeing what else Doc comes up with in the future.
Well, that's my project update to date. Stage One is complete. I plan to drive it like this for a while now and focus on getting out on the trail more. This winter I will probably start Stage Two which will include a complete overhaul of the factory stereo system as well as a few other odds and ends. Until then, see ya on the trail!
08-12-2009, 06:20 AM
#54
JK Junkie
My drill has magnetic bits, so I ended up just pressing firmly and it popped right through the outer layer with no issues.
08-12-2009, 08:13 AM
#55
JK Super Freak
Thread Starter
My holes appeared to have been milled about a 16th of an inch to small to fit the screws. That, or like Doc said, the screws that were sent were to big. The only reason I even mentioned it was because I now have to take the rack back appart to install the CB antenna lead and it's going to be a pain to get those screws back in. No big deal.
08-17-2009, 06:27 AM
#56
JK Newbie
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: boston, ma
Posts: 73
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Nice rig
The stealth boxes are great, a place in Mass. will be doing my interior over the next year and I am upgrading my amp, sub and stereo with JL Audio stuff. As well as catskinz will be doing my seats over with a waterproof leather/suede inserts. In the next 3 years I hope to send it off to either screamin lizard or burnsville off road to do the 6.1L swap among other things. Enjoy it, in the process now of instlling the Rugged Ridge XHD bumper once it arrives.
08-17-2009, 07:50 AM
#57
JK Super Freak
Thread Starter
Just put one of those on for another guy in the club here in town Saturday. Just a word of caution, the relocation brackets for the fog lights are SMALL. I mean like 9/32" sized nuts or something smaller. You'll need the smalled open end wrench set ever to get them on.
09-18-2009, 05:50 AM
#58
JK Super Freak
Thread Starter
Bought a Hi-Lift jack the other day off a guy on CL for about $50. He even threw in an extra 4' Firestick he had laying around. I decided to bolt it to my ARB bumper. I worked with a local fabricator to come up with a mounting solution.
Here's what I have and it doesn't obstruct my lights at all. 3" diameter delrin blocks with a bolt threaded through and locked. It's fixed using a lock nut and washer from below. On top I use a washer, lock washer, and a nutt. I'm currently thinking about anti-theft mechanisms. I'm usually parked in my garage here at night so I'm not super worried.
Here's what I have and it doesn't obstruct my lights at all. 3" diameter delrin blocks with a bolt threaded through and locked. It's fixed using a lock nut and washer from below. On top I use a washer, lock washer, and a nutt. I'm currently thinking about anti-theft mechanisms. I'm usually parked in my garage here at night so I'm not super worried.
11-11-2009, 02:04 AM
#60
JK Enthusiast
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Russellville, arkansas
Posts: 158
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Nice Jeep man! I really like the changes. I have a 09 black 4 door but its not the Rubi. I wish I could afford one. I'm about to start my project when the Tax money comes in. You have definetly given me some good ideas. This is my first jeep and I'm a bit of a noobie when it comes to 4x4s.