2013 Jeep Rubicon Build

[Cole Trickle]

http://www.jk-forum.com/jk-show-tell-33/cole-trickles-rock-spyder-build-2013-jkur-273352/

 

[djunkie]

Is it that hard to copy and paste everything over here so we don't have to go to another site? Don't be so lazy man.


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[Cole Trickle]

Is it that hard to copy and paste everything over here so we don't have to go to another site? Don't be so lazy man.


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Yes it was hard with the 3 minutes I had before lunch..lol

I will work on adding it later

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[djunkie]

Yes it was hard with the 3 minutes I had before lunch..lol

I will work on adding it later

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Afraid your boss may fire you huh? LOL


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[ROZ]

Comon B, everyone's doing it.lol

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[pronstar]

I love the JK's.
They're huge, but hugely capable.
And they just look SICK when they're done right :thumbup:

 

[Cole Trickle]

Well it's about time I got this show on the road.

About a year ago I made a desicion to sell my Kawasaki Teryx and jump into the jeep game. The Teryx was fantastic and we had a blast with it running everything from dunes to rocks.

The biggest issue I had with the sxs was always having to trailer it every place you go (I can't stand towing at 60 mph...lol) and the fact that you have 12K+ sitting in your garage that you only use 5x a year. The dust while not a deal killer kind of sucks and I will be happy to have a windshield and air conditioning on future adventures.

The Kawi was completely build up to run as fast as you could through just about anything. My son is growing like a weed and I knew it was just a matter of time before I could no longer put him in the back........California legislation might make that decision a little earlier than I had hoped so I figured I would beat the other SXS to market and list the Teryx to get a fair price.

It took a couple months but I ended up getting fair $$$ on the Kawi and my trailer.

 

[Cole Trickle]

I knew from the get go that I had to have a 4 door Wrangler. I have been around jeeps and the JK for a couple years and decided when the 2012 models came out that I could finally daily drive a jeep with the new motor and tranny. During this time I was driving a 2010 Ford Flex and promised myself that I would sell the Flex and save my monthly payment for a couple months while driving one of my other cars so I would have a decent down payment on the new Jeep.

It was tough but I managed to grind out daily driving my 1998 2 Door tahoe while I saved my pennies. After a ton of research I" decided that I was going to order a 2013 JKUR. Out of the avaliable colors for order I was set on either ordering Dune or Billet. I waited until the very first Dune hit the local lots and wen't to check it out. In my mind I was hoping this color would be a darker version of Sahara tan. When I showed up at the dealer they d=had a dune Sahara parked right next to a Billet Rubicon........Needless to say I wasn't a fan of the Dune from the first time I laid my eyes on it......can't do it

I wen't home and told the wife Dune was out and she laughed at m e becuse she knew I wouldn't like it...lol

So I start shopping a 2013 Billet with... Auto, Dual top group,4:10, heated seats,430n. Around this same time my sisters father in law (were buddies) decides he is getting a Billet 4 Door Rubicon after looking at all the other colors.

I was still fully commited to the Billet becuse the choices for ordering were so limited.....The current colors avaliable just did nothing for me

So I'm talking back and forth with the dealer I had planned to order from and he sends me the order sheet. He forgot to send me the pricing that I had requested as jeep had recently raised there base price on the jeep and some of there options......I sent a couple emails and left a message mid day asking him to give me a buzz back as I had a couple questions and needed hard pricing before I submitted my order.....I didn't hear back until the next day.

So I get home and tell the wife I want to go look at a local Dark Cherry Red Jeep as Its always been one of my favorite colors and I didn't really want to have matching Billet Jeeps with Ken. We go to the local dealer and instantly I know I'm making a mistake not getting the DCR with the painted top and fenders .I know this is a terrible decision for offroading but it looks so good....lol

I get home that night and there is a $500 bonus cash offer from jeep in the mail box

The next morning I start doing a search and find close to what I'm looking for at Orange Coast Jeep in Costa Mesa. I made contact with Logan Sakamoto and had him do a search for a DCR with the options I wanted....Nothing popped up so I decided to get the one on there lot...DCR JKUR,4:10 ,painted top and fenders,Auto, 430n, Tow package (I had to pay for a worthless tow package and my wife didn't get her heated seats

)

We struck a good deal at 3% under invoice and he was nice enough to throw in slush matts since I signed up for the Tread Lightly program. Funny story but we ended up buying 3 2013 JKUR from Logan within about 3 days (Ken got a Billet Rubi and my sister ended up with a White Rubi at the last second)

So I give you the humble begginings of the Rock Spyder....

 

[Cole Trickle]

So I buy the jeep on a Thurday at about 3 pm and head home to Show the wife and kid.....We go for a little cruise and wouldn't you know the jeep some how tricked us into using 4lo before there was 40 miles on the odometer

Gotta break them in right....

So I brought the Jeep home the night of 3/14/13 and have started to plan out my build and aquire parts. My plans are pretty simple. Throw quality parts at the Rubicon and end up with a Jeep that can go just about anywhere safely. I want this jeep to be just at home on the road driving to work or family camping trips as it is on the rocks. I know there is no such thing as a comfortable go anywhere rig that gets 17 mpg so I'm hoping to dive a little into each category.

So far this is what has been ordered/delivered or is on the build list.

Suspension

Rock Krawler 3.5 X Factor
Rock Krawler Bump Stops front and rear
RRD Remote Resevoir shocks
RK's new High Steer kit once released

Rims

Procomp 7036 (Helldorado) 17" rims

Tires

35" Nitto Trail Grapplers

Bumpers/Armor-Poison Spyder

Brawler Lite Mid Width with Brawler bar
Mid Width Skid Plate
Rock Brawler II Rear Bumper with Tire Carrier (jack mount,license plate relocation and l.e.d.back up lights)
4 Door Brawler Rockers (steel)
Extreme Duty Cross member
Evap Skidplate
Dana 44 Bomb Shell Diff Covers (2)

Artec Truss

Electrical/Lighting

Spod
10" l.e.d. (Poison Spyder front bumper mount))
4" led x2 (Poison Spyder A pillar brackets)

Communication

Cobra 75WXST
3' Fire Stick Antenna

OBA

Jeepswag Viar 400 Compressor with 2012+ Dominion mount

​

 

[Cole Trickle]

First off I started with a couple of the small visual things that bothered me about the jeep.

For a 40k vehicle a couple needed things were left off.

Mopar fuel door....I found the best price on eBay. The directions are laughable but with some basic skills anyone should be able to figure out the install. Teraflex has a good video showing the install if you were to get hung up on the project.

The silver antenna just doesn't flow so I decided to paint it satin black. No big deal here but I think it looks better and I didn't want to spend $20 on a black stubby antenna that would hurt reception.

I also stripped off the unlimited/ trail rated stickers and plasti dipped the silver door locks black.​

 

[Cole Trickle]

We then had a family BBQ and my sister brought over her new Rubicon. My brother in law had purchased some 3m clear bra so we made some fender templates and installed those while drinking more beer than the project officially required.

I'm pleased with how the project turned out as the painted fenders are rock magnets...we even got my sister in on the action

 

[Cole Trickle]

Things are now starting to heat up. Headed down to poison spyder to pick up a pallet of goodies. Rick took great care of me and gave me a tour of the operation as they were loading the truck.

For anyone interested in PS gear I can tell you that there facility is top notch there equipment is top tier and there people are extremely efficient and knowledgeable about there products. All of my parts were wrapped tightly for transport and I was a little nervous that something would be missing and I would have to make another 50 mile drive...when I got home and unloaded everything every single part was accounted for...impressive considering the mountain of parts I left with

 

[Outlaw]

We then had a family BBQ and my sister brought over her new Rubicon. My brother in law had purchased some 3m clear bra so we made some fender templates and installed those while drinking more beer than the project officially required.

I'm pleased with how the project turned out as the painted fenders are rock magnets...we even got my sister in on the action

Man I need some of those

Jeeps looking great

 

[Cole Trickle]

Comon B, everyone's doing it.lol

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Ain't got no d60 $$$

Hoping I can make this crappy 44 last

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[ROZ]

Me neither. Lol

Just heard from Jrat today. Foundry is slow. Get back to him in 3 weeks...

Dude, your ride is looking good. .. great idea using clear bra on fenders. May help preventing desert pins. ..

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[Cole Trickle]

Me neither. Lol

Just heard from Jrat today. Foundry is slow. Get back to him in 3 weeks...

Dude, your ride is looking good. .. great idea using clear bra on fenders. May help preventing desert pins. ..

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I think the artec truss and c gussets will help most of the weak links with 35's. I would need flat fenders to fully flex on 37's so that's not going to happen for awhile so I don't ruin the daily driver take it on road trips deal...I don't just want a rock pony

Thanks....the clear bra was getsomes doing I just had my own ideas for templates. The painted fenders are a terrible idea but it looks bad ass so anything to help I guess...lol

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[Cole Trickle]

Next up was choosing a cab. I didn't really want to screw a box into the side of my console and with the spod switch box
Above my rearview my options are limited.

I decided on the cobra 75 with all the electronics and controls in the hand set.

I wanted the install to be hard to spot and a little different than the others on the net.

After some checking I found I could mount the small connector box on the bottom of my glove box and and then flush mount the disconnect flash inside the glove box.

Here is what I came up with..the power and ground will be quick disconnects wired to the spod power source.

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[Cole Trickle]

Not sure if I am going to try and hard mount the mic while out or just let it hang out sit in the top console?

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[Cole Trickle]

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[ROZ]

Artec :thumbup:

CB install is clean:thumbup:

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[Cole Trickle]

A couple weeks back I needed a day to just sit back and putter in the garage. Anyone that's married with kids understands alone time is hard to come by and you need to take advantage when you can. ...with that said I stayed home on a Friday to work on the jeep and drink some beer.

The first mod I purchased for the jk was a spod. I enjoy wiring and have extensive experience with car stereos but when I saw how completed and clean the spod was I knew I had to have one. I ended up contact ink Jason at krawl off road and he took great care of me. I can't recommend Jason and kor enough as his prices are great and he goes out of his way to inform you about the product both prior to ordering and during shipping...two thumbs up!!!

I started my day off by getting ready for the spod and OBA install. The spod was extremely easy to install and fit like a glove...it might be the most well thought out modification I have ever installed in a vehicle. The install was easy and as the same time I had the header panel removed I tapped into the rear view mirror so I would have keyed power for my valentine one radar detector.I used a black short coiled telephone cord so the wire would be hard to see

 

[Cole Trickle]

Next up was the jeep swag/dominion off road OBA viar compressor and mount. The kit is very well thought out and goes in without a ton of trouble. My only recommendation would be to follow there directions to a t and don't install the filter until after the compressor and mount are completed. I ended up breaking the plastic fitting for the filter when I was wrestling the unit into place.

I painted the dominion mount gloss black so it would tie in better with the factory engine compartment.

I spent a good amount of time running the wires for the spod and compressor so they would be hidden and look factory.

The compressor seems to work great and will take care of my inflating on the trail needs. Just a FYI but when the compressor is on there is a ton of vibration through the break pedal as the amount attaches to the break boostet. Not a big deal as I won't be driving while filling tires. I'm not sure how air lockers work but if I had to have the compressor running while driving more than about 100' it would drive me crazy..lol

 

[Cole Trickle]

I have a ton of work to do in preperation for the 2013 big bear forest fest. Its a little over a month away with two weekends in the middle that I will be indisposed (mothers day and memorial).

I am going to keep moving forward with what I can control. We will see if everything falls into place...haha

I decided early on that I wanted a rig that could get me through a trail without issues from the things that sneak up on you. The Rubicon seems pretty well protected underneath with the exception of the tranny cross member and evap canister. The 2012+ have a evap canister skid but its pretty thin and people have had issues with it making contact with the rear drive shaft.

I ended up with the poison spyder 2012+ extreme duty cross member and evap skid.

The evap skid came with good directions but I had read that people were having problems breaking some of the factory connections when removing it for the new skid plate. I figures the skid wasn't worth much so I cut/bent it so I could keep everything attached. The new PS skid plate bolted right up with zero issues. Make sure you only start the bolts while locating all the holes. Once the holes are found it tightens up perfectly....this thing is rugged!

Next up was the factory cross member. The jk's tranny mount is prone to damage when hitting rocks and I wanted a stringer set up. The 2012+ poison spyder extreme duty x member is a great piece and fits like a glove. The x member came without directions and hardware so I was a little confused when reading the online instructions. I messaged PS on there Facebook page and had a answer almost immediately that they revised the product so all of the factory hardware would work....nice

Before install I painted it with a primer/gloss black from krylon. Honestly I thought this paint kind of sucked but it turned out good. I would probably recommend using a etching primer and a desperate can for the color but we will see how the single action can works out.

Once again I have been extremely impressed with all of the poison spyder gear. I have built enough cars to know that typically there is some "fine tuning" that has to happen for bolt on items but that hasn't been my experience with PS.....great american made products!!

 

[ROZ]

That PS crossmember fits up under their nicely

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[Hammer]

What is a spod ? Looking forward to the build CT !

 

[Hammer]

If you went with an air locker differential would it run off the air compressor you installed ? Do they give you rubber mounts with the air compressor brackets or is it a rigid mount ? Is it possible for you to install some rubber bushings/isolaters to limit the vibration you feel in the pedal ?

 

[Cole Trickle]

What is a spod ? Looking forward to the build CT !

http://www.4x4spod.com/category_s/12.htm

spod is a power distribution block that mounts in the engine compartment. Its a single plug that then runs into the jeep and hooks up to a switch box.

Basically it makes wiring any after market switched iteams clean as can be and a breeze. The block has 6 inputs that are fused and relayed. It also has battery run down protection and cuts off all switched items when your voltage drops to a set level. I figured this could really save your ass while out on the trail.

honestly its about the most well thoughtout device I have ever installed on a vehicle. Not cheap at around $400 but flat out bad ass....

 

[Cole Trickle]

If you went with an air locker differential would it run off the air compressor you installed ? Do they give you rubber mounts with the air compressor brackets or is it a rigid mount ? Is it possible for you to install some rubber bushings/isolaters to limit the vibration you feel in the pedal ?

The rubico has electric lockers so I won't need to use it for lockers. I'm sure some people set it up accordingly with a distribution block and solenoids but thats not my plan....I just need it for airing up tires and a blow up mattress.

The compressor has small rubber footings that bolt to the mount. I'm sure you might be able to cushion it a little more but the vibration in the pedal will never go away with this set up.

 

[Cole Trickle]

That PS crossmember fits up under their nicely

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It slid right in and already had captured factory nuts to bolt all the factory skid pplates back on....its a nice peice:thumbsup

 

[Cole Trickle]

Its starting to feel like Christmas with all the deliveries... lol

Last Friday was no exception when ups dropped off 13 boxes from rock krawler suspension.

Rock krawler makes some of the best off road jeep suspension in the world and there warranty on there arms is unbeatable.

I decided to go with the 3.5 x factor mid arm kit. The kit should give me about 4" of lift and the dual rate coils in the front should provide a decent ride on the street. The x factor kids basically replaces every suspension price on the jeep and includes 8 flex arms......this kit will articulate with the best of the best.

I chose not to get a long arm kit for a couple reasons...first is I do my own work at home. Cutting off arm mounts wouldn't be a problem but welding on new mounts for all the arms is above my pay grade.

Next is I tend not to keep things forever. I am really excited about this build but I don't want to be married to a kit if I ever decide to go back to stock and part out the jeep.

Lastly long arms are known to get hung up climbing obstacles because they take away some ground clearance. I never plan to go all "river" on my jeep and run 40's so this kit will plenty and then some.

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[poncho]

Nice build, I just bought a 13 Sahara so I'm checking out what you do here....I thought the Rubicon came with a compressor?

 

[Cole Trickle]

I have officially hit my first delay with the build....

Rock krawler accidently got my shock order confused and mailed me the non resivore version of there rrd shocks. 1 call straightened out the issue but these shocks still need a 2 week round trip bus ride to New York for a resi addition. Not a huge deal with mothers day in the middle but it tightens the deadline

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[Cole Trickle]

Nice build, I just bought a 13 Sahara so I'm checking out what you do here....I thought the Rubicon came with a compressor?

Congrats.....thumbsup

Whats the plan?

No compressor

The only difference between a Sahara and Rubicon are:

Gearing....Rubicons can be ordered with 4:10
front and rear electronic lockers
Different transfer case.....Lower crawl ratio
Dana 44 in the front
Electronic sway bar dosconect
obviously tire size,some tow hooks and rock rails

 

[ROZ]

Its starting to feel like Christmas with all the deliveries... lol

Last Friday was no exception when ups dropped off 13 boxes from rock krawler suspension.

Rock krawler makes some of the best off road jeep suspension in the world and there warranty on there arms is unbeatable.

I decided to go with the 3.5 x factor mid arm kit. The kit should give me about 4" of lift and the dual rate coils in the front should provide a decent ride on the street. The x factor kids basically replaces every suspension price on the jeep and includes 8 flex arms......this kit will articulate with the best of the best.

I chose not to get a long arm kit for a couple reasons...first is I do my own work at home. Cutting off arm mounts wouldn't be a problem but welding on new mounts for all the arms is above my pay grade.

Next is I tend not to keep things forever. I am really excited about this build but I don't want to be married to a kit if I ever decide to go back to stock and part out the jeep.

Lastly long arms are known to get hung up climbing obstacles because they take away some ground clearance. I never plan to go all "river" on my jeep and run 40's so this kit will plenty and then some.

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If I wasn't stretching my rig, I definitely would have gone Krawler or Tnt 3 link.

Definitely a great choice! :thumbup::thumbup:

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[poncho]

Congrats.....thumbsup

Whats the plan?

No compressor

The only difference between a Sahara and Rubicon are:

Gearing....Rubicons can be ordered with 4:10
front and rear electronic lockers
Different transfer case.....Lower crawl ratio
Dana 44 in the front
Electronic sway bar dosconect
obviously tire size,some tow hooks and rock rails

Not sure yet, builds like this are motivating though. Wife drives 74 miles daily so I am limited not to mention off-roading in this liberal state is a felony.:eek....I have a bad habit of doing what's impractical, headed up north next week so i'll have plenty of time to think about......good luck with you're rig:thumbup:

 

[Cole Trickle]

Not sure yet, builds like this are motivating though. Wife drives 74 miles daily so I am limited not to mention off-roading in this liberal state is a felony.:eek....I have a bad habit of doing what's impractical, headed up north next week so i'll have plenty of time to think about......good luck with you're rig:thumbup:

Thanks...

I commute ab out 53 a day so I'm building this up to the point where it works on and off road.....I'm pushing the on road deal a tad

If you have any questions feel free to ask River, Roz or me as we could probably get you pointed in the right direction.

 

[LHC30]

Cole, great build up....my Rubi is way behind yours, but I do love my RK LCA's!

I am still thinking about the big bear fest...just need to figure out where to stay - we don't have an RV

 

[Cole Trickle]

Cole, great build up....my Rubi is way behind yours, but I do love my RK LCA's!

I am still thinking about the big bear fest...just need to figure out where to stay - we don't have an RV

Were tenting it with rivers group...I figure we can drink until the ground is comfy...lol

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[Hammer]

..I figure we can drink until the ground is comfy...lol

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Lmao

 

[poncho]

Thanks...

I commute ab out 53 a day so I'm building this up to the point where it works on and off road.....I'm pushing the on road deal a tad

If you have any questions feel free to ask River, Roz or me as we could probably get you pointed in the right direction.

Thanks a lot, nice to hear its still a commuter, that's the biggest thing holding me back.

 

[phuggit]

Cool build. We'll be looking for a ruby in a couple months. Not quite as modified as yours, just a mall crawler for my better half.

droidage.......

 

[Deleted Account]

No freaking love, lol. I installed most all of this and the PSC product is Sick. I wish I could have pulled this off in '08. The parts quality these days are 10+.

CT turn your porch light off lol.

 

[Ivan Dan]

Were tenting it with rivers group...I figure we can drink until the ground is comfy...lol

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What are you 18 again?

 

[Cole Trickle]

What are you 18 again?

No....I had more $$$ than and a truck with a better tow rating...lol

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[Cole Trickle]

No freaking love, lol. I installed most all of this and the PSC product is Sick. I wish I could have pulled this off in '08. The parts quality these days are 10+.

CT turn your porch light off lol.

I don't pay the electric bill

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[Deleted Account]

Might not be tenting it this year lol

 

[Cole Trickle]

Might not be tenting it this year lol

I know thats not yours and you have to big of a family to push up on a buddy like that...lol

If it is yours.....eat shit!!!

 

[Deleted Account]

Man you're getting kind of sensitive, lol. Here's the PSC setup on my friends '13 I put on last week. Great build!

 

[LHC30]

That's a sweet setup. I am saving for that rear bumper but going with a mid on the front.

 

[Cole Trickle]

That's a sweet setup. I am saving for that rear bumper but going with a mid on the front.

That's what I have at powder coat

Not sure why I went with the mid except I wanted a little more fender coverage.

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