Mbryson's 2012 JKU "build"

[TJDukit]

Even the 7 second deal leaves some traction control nannies intact. I wired in a kill switch to my accelerometer that turns all the electronic control nannies off including ABS. Very easy mod and it was well worth it. Ive since removed the switch so there isn't any kind of issue with a potential buyer but it's very easy to do.

 

[mbryson]

Even the 7 second deal leaves some traction control nannies intact. I wired in a kill switch to my accelerometer that turns all the electronic control nannies off including ABS. Very easy mod and it was well worth it. Ive since removed the switch so there isn't any kind of issue with a potential buyer but it's very easy to do.

I saw a thread on this and hesitated to do anything as I was within the warranty period. Were you able to run cruise control with the switch off? (Wonder if you ever tried?)

 

[TJDukit]

Not sure if I ran cruise with the switch off or not, probably not since the only time it was off on the street was if there was snow to play in.

You could also do the steering wheel dance to just turn the nannies off, kind of a pain to turn back on though.

 

[mbryson]

Just an update on this: it's ran through the summer pretty well. We had a couple of occasions that I was climbing a hill in 90+ degree weather (long hill like st. George-Cedar) and the engine started to overheat. I assumed this was from lack of airflow through the radiator and that seemed to prove correct when I removed the winch off the bumper at Napa in Cedar City ( very appreciative of the tools from them).

I bought a new new bumper for a bit of a decent deal. I don't love it but I don't hate it. Olympic 4x4 BOA something or other. They don't come with a winch mount and if I knew that before buying I would have likely bought something else. I'm at $450 for the bumper and winch mount.

 

[mbryson]

Need a new battery now. These are a group 91 or 48 (changed from group 34 for the 3.8L JKs). Has anyone seen one of these that has the top mounts and the side mounts (would like to attach my winch leads to the side mount to clean things up a bit)?

 

[UNSTUCK]

Side post are typically not as strong as the top posts. The little plate connects the top post to the side posts acts more like a fuse. Run the winch at full load and you risk melting that plate.

 

[mbryson]

I ended up just buying a replacement battery and leaving my winch connections looking hack. This rig performed admirably over Hells Revenge, Backwards Bill and Flat Iron Mesa for Jeep Safari 2015. It is AMAZING the night/day difference between the smooth ride of this dawg vs. my old "Jeep". I don't let my driver beat on this rig much but it gets around quite well wherever he points it. The long wheelbase and locked axles make things look pretty easy.

 

[mbryson]

Well, this is my official trail rig for EJS this year. It is likely ideal for the time of year of EJS. Heater will be used I'm sure. No heater in my trail Jeep.

Anyway, I'll obviously need to add a few things to make my days more comfortable.

First off, we'll add a RockSlide Engineering tailgate table. Super cool product from our friends in Cache Valley. High quality but light. Very easy install. I spent more time figuring out where I wanted it and measuring than putting it on.

So here's the unit.

I used some masking tape to position the holes correctly on my tailgate. Three holes on the top that I drilled 5/8" (if I installed another, I'd probably go to 3/4" or just a little less?---the lower bolts were perilously close to the vents in the bottom of the tailgate) lower than the black trim on the upper part of the tailgate. Drilled the two holes with the supplied self-drilling/tapping screws and checked for straight.

I put the unit on the tailgate and checked fitment before drilling the other four screws in.

There it is deployed and with the side handles installed.

Compacted package for travel and storage.

Seems like a pretty cool unit. Definitely well built and pretty strong. Good enough to pull out my Grey Poupon from ARB fridge to spread on my bagel while I let my wine breathe at the lunch stops

 

[Bart]

Cool, now I know where I'll be heading for lunch on Saturday.

 

[muleskinner]

That's pretty neat!

 

[mbryson]

Today we took off the Old Teraflex bumper/tire carrier and added the cool new Teraflex hinge mount tire carrier and beefy hinges. Fairly easy install. Had to unbolt the stock hinges (I did that with the door closed) and put on the Teraflex hinge setup that is at LEAST 4 times stronger than stock (that number was not tested in a lab is not an actual tested number but similar to most quoted stats, just pulled out of thin air). I love Makita tools for assembly.

Here's the older Teraflex bumper/tire carrier combo. Good unit but the new one with the stronger hinges opens with the latch from the factory making a two step process into a simple one step unit. Nice upgrade!

So here's two nice white boxes from our good friends at Teraflex. (my "helper" needs a shave or something)

Stock hinges removed

New BEEFY Tera hinges installed. I had to get a helper to hold the hinge up while I put the bolts in the body. (pulled him off a CPS install on a '97 XJ for a minute) Didn't want to scratch my tub.

Here's where things got a little interesting for me. I took my stock tire carrier off a couple years ago and the bolts would have been really handy for me. Tera supplies bolts for the hinge side of the proper depth for the aluminum bracket (did I mention this thing was beefy?). They assume that you'll be taking off your stock carrier and reuse some bolts from that. Can't find any fault in their logic but I don't have my bolts from when I removed the carrier (I bet I do but they are in the "magic bolt bucket" and I didn't want to dig through there). I took a quick run up to the local hardware store (while doing a honey-do) and they had EXACTLY the right metric bolt for the tire carrier side.

Once the bracket is installed, you assemble and install the actual tire carrier piece. I'm running 35" tires and Tera's instructions say to use the middle bolt settings (this will work for 33", 35" or 37" tires according to their instructions). I went with the 35" and sent the wheel studs home with a brass drift. Turned out to be the right setup. Then you need to set depth for the tire so it will rest against the sturdy aluminum bracket. The instructions recommend installing the tire to the carrier, then putting it in place on the tire carrier. Mark where the depth hits the hinge bracket then remove the tire from the bracket and reinstall and secure the bracket about 3-4 mm deeper than your mark. This sets the tire firmly against the bracket and likely reduces rattles and keeps everything secure. The last thing you want to do is lose your spare tire while rolling down the highway and have it hit anyone around you. That would suck.

Test fitting the tire on the carrier

If you're a "normal" setup, you move on to cutting your stock 3rd brake light out of the stock tire carrier. Again, mine were long gone. I had installed a basic marker light in place of the stock brake light. It's worked great and shows through the topmost hole in my spare tire. I had to pull the stock hacked wiring harness back apart (I'd paired that with my CB coax cable and ran it outside the tailgate in my previous install) and reinstall my CB cable (which I broke ) and the light. I drilled some holes in the bracket I had made for the other carrier and drilled some corresponding holes through the 1/4"+ thick plate of the tire carrier and secured the light with a couple of sheet metal screws. The wiring took a few minutes and a parts store run to make "right".

...and we're done with the tire carrier

 

[mbryson]

the rest of the shots in this post.


I did have to reinstall my stock rear bumper for now. Not sure what I'll do there. I spent WAY more time deciding how to reinstall my CB antenna/brake light than I did installing the tire carrier.


I've got a few more goodies to install tonight.

 

[rholbrook]

Apparently you are keeping it?

 

[mbryson]

Apparently you are keeping it?

Probably a good observation

 

[Bart]

It's a sweet rig. Glad you're keeping it.

 

[sixstringsteve]

That table is awesome. I'm going to have to hit them up.

 

[Greg]

I love my TeraFlex tire carrier, I've had vehicles in the past with swing-out tire carriers attached to the bumper and IMO it was a PITA to get into the back. I love how the TeraFlex carrier retains the factory usability as far as swinging out with the tailgate, but adds massive strength to carry bigger spare tires.

I have the RotoPax mount and carry a spare 2 gallons of gas at all times. It's nice when you're getting low offroad (or on!) and you know that even if the low fuel light comes on, you still have a extra bit to get you further.

 

[Skylinerider]

I love my TeraFlex tire carrier, I've had vehicles in the past with swing-out tire carriers attached to the bumper and IMO it was a PITA to get into the back. I love how the TeraFlex carrier retains the factory usability as far as swinging out with the tailgate, but adds massive strength to carry bigger spare tires.

I have the RotoPax mount and carry a spare 2 gallons of gas at all times. It's nice when you're getting low offroad (or on!) and you know that even if the low fuel light comes on, you still have a extra bit to get you further.

Biggest reason I went with the Teraflex carrier also. I am in and out of the back daily, whether it's getting the paddleboard out, or unloading baseball gear, etc. I really didn't want to unlatch a swing out and the tailgate every time.

 

[mbryson]

That table is awesome. I'm going to have to hit them up.

I could be erroneous but I believe Teraflex has a table type setup that has a cutting board on it if that's of interest. I love buying products from our local vendors/mfg as with few exceptions, they build consistently quality products. Rock-Slide's stuff is high quality and rugged. I like the two tiers of table. Sandwich and drink on top and tools and junk to help someone fix their older rig (JKs don't break, right?) on the bottom shelf

 

[moab_cj5]

RockSlide Engineering tailgate table. Super cool product from our friends in Cache Valley. High quality but light. Very easy install. I spent more time figuring out where I wanted it and measuring than putting it on.

So here's the unit.

I used some masking tape to position the holes correctly on my tailgate. Three holes on the top that I drilled 5/8" (if I installed another, I'd probably go to 3/4" or just a little less?---the lower bolts were perilously close to the vents in the bottom of the tailgate) lower than the black trim on the upper part of the tailgate. Drilled the two holes with the supplied self-drilling/tapping screws and checked for straight.

I put the unit on the tailgate and checked fitment before drilling the other four screws in.

There it is deployed and with the side handles installed.

Compacted package for travel and storage.

Seems like a pretty cool unit. Definitely well built and pretty strong. Good enough to pull out my Grey Poupon from ARB fridge to spread on my bagel while I let my wine breathe at the lunch stops

I am going to have to pick one of those up for my new rig! That looks Awesome!