LOL not far from it!

Mostly assembled...

 

And... finished. Now to take it out and initiate it! I think we can steal away this weekend for a quick overnight.



The nice thing is we can load an ATV on the top. Right now I just have some plastic tubs strapped to the top.

I guess that's going to be the next "mod"...

 

what trailer is that?


edit: nevermind... found it... jumping jack by lifetime trailers...

sheesh... kinda pricey lol... too rich for my blood

 

Close... it's the smaller Lifetime Tent Trailer. The jumping jacks are about a foot wider and a foot longer.

 

Thanks to help from Spleify and Scooter09JK, I have two new additions: CB and Bumper Chop! Here are some pics of the bumper chop.







For the CB, I went with the Cobra 75 WX ST and the Cool Tech license plate mount kit. Was easy as pie to install, and looks great. I added a quick disco for the antenna so I am not advertising "Break Into Me" when going downtown or something.

 

Been awhile since I updated this. I have:

1) Added Rubi sway bar with a manual disconnect (god bless craigslist!)

2) Went to 35x12.50/17 Wrangler MT/Rs (Kevlars). The 305's were getting a bit short on tread depth. This required upper and lower adjustable control arms in the rear to stretch the wheelbase by 1". That centered the axle in the wheel well on full compression. I also did a whole lot of pinch seam and rubi rail trimming, and ditched the rear bumper.



3) After ditching the rear bumper, I went with the Evo D-Ring Mounts



4) I originally just went with an extension bracket for the tire carrier, but the rattling tailgate was killing me. It was especially noticable with the hard top on. So, I stepped up to an Or-Fab Jerry Can Tire Carrier. I got the regular full Jerry Can version, and then ordered the optional Rotopax Mounting Plates (thanks BigRedJK for the info on how to do it! https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/modi...4/#post3180015). This lets me carry up to four 2-Gallon Rotopax containers, and by simply removing two bolts I can go right back to the regular Jerry Cans and carry 10 Gallons of fuel if I am doing an extended trip.



Even with the Locking Handles and the mount extensions, I still have quite a bit of clearance between the tail gate and the handle tops (those stick out the furtherest)



I am still at Zero Lift



I still need to sort out some clearancing issues... Relocate Rear Track Bar Frame Mount and relocate the rear sway bar. To relo the sway bar, I need to relocate the muffler, and to do that I need to relocate the Evap Canister. So next weekend should be busy.

Here are a couple more glamour shots:





I just got notified that the Artec Trusses have shipped this week for Rubi 44 Front/ Non-Rubi 44 rear. Axle build up is next!

 

looks sweet, im also thinking about buying those d-ring mounts and selling my current rear bumper, how do you like them so far?

 

I like them quite a bit. I like the look and I like the function. I have zero worries about them performing as advertised should I need to use them.

A couple of install notes if you go that route... If you have a sticker on your frame rail on the passenger side, and you think to yourself "I should pull off that sticker before I bolt on the side plate", be aware that you may find unpainted metal under that sticker. I sanded down the surrounding area and painted that whole section of the frame, so be prepared.

Also, getting the nut on the rear bolt can be a real pain. I took a sawzall and enlarged the triangular area inside the frame cross-member in order to fit the nut in there, basically just lopped off a section of metal that closed in that area. You'll see once you get to that step.

I decided not to trim the frame rail ends, but primarily because I tow the trailer and didn't want to cut into the welds that hold the cross-member.

 

shouldn't have any problems, already have reamed out that hole for my new custom bumper. im just really really liking the bare frame look. had my bumper off to monster line it and over the course of those three days it really grew on me, plus i have some free play between my d-ring mounts and my d-rings, all the banging around ruined the last paint job, did you have any problem with this? do they come powder coated? sorry for all the questions. just not trying to waiste money as im paying for college too.

 

The Evo D-Ring Mounts don't come with the D-Rings, you need to purchase those separately. I got the mounts from Northridge but the D-Rings from Quadratec (only because they had the rings in the right size in black). The mount itself does come powder coated. I didn't trim the frame rails, so if anything the D-Ring gets a little beat up instead of the mount, but I have not had any issues with noise or anything. Use a lot of plumber's white teflon tape on the threads of the D-Rings to keep them from working themselves loose.

Yeah, I saw the bare frame look on a local guy's jeep and liked it quite a bit, but disliked the gaping holes in the ends of the frame rails. When I saw the EVO mounts, I knew that would solve that problem!