Building Clutch's Battle Station

Clutch

Clutch

Caught the Bug
Well, another build thread. I joined the forum in Dec 2015, before I even bought my jeep, albeit I was searching for one incessantly. I was also researching how I wanted to build up my jeep balancing reality and fiction; we all know how that goes. And although coilovers are not in my future, due to living in the midwest, I still want to build a jeep that most would envy. After doing sufficient analysis, I decided all my 2 door would need is a leveling kit, big tires, a CB, and some protection...and maybe some other stuff.

Here is my 2013 Rubi the day I picked it up (Jan 31, 2016) for some poser shots. IMG_20160131_152937.jpg

Then for Valentine's Day my wife was sweet enough to get me some Wayalife swag!
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It wasn't long before I needed to "Evo-out" my ride. So I threw on some D-Rings and a Rear Fascia.IMG_20160305_131401760_HDR.jpg

And, that got the juices flowing, but I was still tip-toeing in so I got a stubby antenna and some grab handles.
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Still wanting to do more, now was the time for a fender and bumper choppin!IMG_20160422_194843661_HDR.jpgIMG_20160422_200539008.jpgIMG_20160423_112555101_HDR.jpgIMG_20160423_150132351_HDR.jpgIMG_20160424_101939.jpg

This has been my favorite mod so far! No stress, doesn't affect drivability, etc. But holy hell, does it call for bigger tires now! Since, I couldn't bite the bullet yet, I just had to go for a spin out in the country.IMG_20160430_123850412.jpg

And do some wheelin' with some Wayalife friends (Stotch and FNGSport)!
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I haven't been able to do much off-roading since then, but I have gotten some stuff done in preparation to add some 35's.IMG_20160723_113832473_HDR.jpgIMG_20160625_101753782_HDR.jpg

Then I put on a bunch of Evo protection! For the welding work, I have to thank Ronco Customs in Litchfield, IL.
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Finally, to get up-to-date, I finally threw on Evo 2" front coils and 1.75" spacers in the rear... along with Evo Rockstar skids. I wound up getting nearly 3 1/4" in the front, which caught me off guard; hopefully I won't need any control arms. Here's some measurements before and after the evo plushies. I know I didn't measure in the official way, but everything is consistent between the pics, so it should still work.IMG_20160818_192259642_HDR.jpgIMG_20160821_104708132.jpg


Putting the lift on required a week or two lay-over so I'll post a pic of my jeep mid way through; with only the front done.IMG_20160821_184444374.jpg

Here's a pic of the Rockstars installed.IMG_20160910_105825547.jpg

And all buttoned back up, well sorta!IMG_20160906_184215261.jpg
 
I developed a leak in my steering stabilizer; not sure if my axle shifted over an inch or 2 in the process of lifting this guy? IMG_20160906_184204246_HDR.jpg

I read somewhere that eye-to-eye should be 17", but mine is currently at 19". Is correcting the leak as simple as re-adjusting that stabilizer back to 17"? Any feedback would be helpful here, Thanks!
 
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And, last week we took a vacation to road trip in Cali! Here some cool pics!IMG_20160830_101829254.jpgIMG_20160831_171015664_HDR.jpgIMG_20160831_174206477_HDR.jpg

No jeep unfortunately, but we did make a voyage over to Off Road Evolution and met Mel Wade and Drew. Very cool guys, they showed us the shop and some of there current builds.IMG_20160902_150106610.jpg
 
TrainWreck618 said:
Great build so far! I'm not sure how I missed this..

Im diggin those rockstars!
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Thanks, there is a little bit of that pucker factor, but overall it was pretty easy. Happy to help, if you need any, when you decide to pull the trigger on a set.
 
Great pics and build. Chances are you hit the stabilizer and bent it. They don't usually leak , especially from a lift kit.
 
WJCO said:
Great pics and build. Chances are you hit the stabilizer and bent it. They don't usually leak , especially from a lift kit.
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I think you hit the nail on the head, there is a slight dent on the bottom. I think at one point when I was lifting in on the hydraulic jack, it slipped off and hit a jack stand. Hopefully that will be a simple fix. Unfortunately, I'm fighting a few other gremlins with the handling. I may need some adjustable front lca's due to getting over 3" of lift. I'm going to call a shop tomorrow, cause I'm tired!
 
Clutch1981 said:
I think you hit the nail on the head, there is a slight dent on the bottom. I think at one point when I was lifting in on the hydraulic jack, it slipped off and hit a jack stand. Hopefully that will be a simple fix. Unfortunately, I'm fighting a few other gremlins with the handling. I may need some adjustable front lca's due to getting over 3" of lift. I'm going to call a shop tomorrow, cause I'm tired!
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Don't let it bother you too much. A lot of guys take it off and don't even run one.
 
Well, since my handling has been pretty poor with the 2" evo coils, I decided to go back and try 2" spacers and see if that fixes my issues. With the coils I managed nearly 3.5"of lift. I should have that knocked out tomorrow evening or the next. I had a wild experience with hitting a bump while going around a curve and had some big time steering wheel shimmy.
 
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Looks like it's coming along! Good call on the oil pan skid :thumb: Hope you get all the kinks worked out. You ought to just leave the plush rides in and get a heavier bumper to compensate for the extra lift ;)
 
Stotch said:
Looks like it's coming along! Good call on the oil pan skid :thumb: Hope you get all the kinks worked out. You ought to just leave the plush rides in and get a heavier bumper to compensate for the extra lift ;)
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Ha-ha, that is solid advice, but the pockets are only so deep. My priority now is to get the geometry back and bigger tires. If the front starts sagging, those coils will go back in..if not I'll try to sell them.

Yea, the oil pan skid is a must!
 
Clutch1981 said:
Ha-ha, that is solid advice, but the pockets are only so deep. My priority now is to get the geometry back and bigger tires. If the front starts sagging, those coils will go back in..if not I'll try to sell them.

Yea, the oil pan skid is a must!
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Let me know if you decide to sell. I'd buy them for the right price :D
 
Well, I ended up selling my 2" evo coils to Stotch and adding a 2" spacer instead because I have no plans for a heavy front bumper. While doing the lift I ended up having 2 occasions of death wobble. I tried to troubleshoot a bit, but was worn down and ended up taking it into the shop. Turned out it was just a semi- loose track bar at the axle side.:icon_crazy: Rookie mistake!
 
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