Dave's Jeep JL Rubicon: The Gray Goat

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From a wheeling standpoint, it seems you could upgrade skid plates, add the winch, upgrade recovery points (not sure about this but historically jeep recovery, particularly on the rear... are weak) and you might just be done. Then on to the "overland" mods such as comfort, navigation, ease of camping (just like your tailgate table) and whatever else you can fit and "need".

I saw my first JL in person today and it is a nice vehicle. Much more refined it appears.
 
Meh on the intro; from corporate moves over the generations it could be argued that Jeep is only an imitation of its own namesake, far separated from its pedigree beyond grill style, while Toyota had a parallel track of military purpose to commercial endeavor that stopped abruptly and Land Rover was inspired to do better.

I endeavored to write that intro to be both accurate and entertaining. Sorry you didn't like it.
 
I endeavored to write that intro to be both accurate and entertaining. Sorry you didn't like it.
Fun read, didn't mean to be too critical. I probably draw too much of a line between the current commercial market and the GI legend, but the nostalgia and popularity can't be ignored. Don't want to be a distraction to the build progress either, so zipping it. :D
 
Fun read, didn't mean to be too critical. I probably draw too much of a line between the current commercial market and the GI legend, but the nostalgia and popularity can't be ignored. Don't want to be a distraction to the build progress either, so zipping it. :D

Point taken. I remember when the YJ came out and the zealots said "that's not a Jeep". And then when the TJ came out and the zealots said "that's not a Jeep". And when the JK came out and the zealots said again, "that's not a Jeep".

The cycle repeats itself again. No doubt the GI's who served in WWII said the same thing when they saw the CJ. And when Kaiser bought Willy's.

One mans progress is another man's sacrilege ;)

Speaking of progress, my first driving impressions in the JL are honestly pretty favorable. The 3.6 makes very good power (remember, I'm coming from a Cummins 6.7 turbo diesel so I know what power feels like). It's an impressive engine so far. And the 8 speed trans is SMOOTH. Fuel mileage in town is hovering around 17 MPG as I break in the first 500 miles or so.

Slow speed throttle response is really good, and when I shift it into 4LO and manually select 1st gear (manual mode is awesome!), I could get out of the truck and walk away from it because the crawl ratio is so slow as it idles along. Pretty damn cool.

Interior is decent. It's still a Jeep and has some quirks (window switches still in the center stack... seriously?) but overall it's pretty well laid out and I can see it being a comfortable long distance road traveler with the right music on. The Uconnect 8.4 is AMAZING and really adds a lot of functionality as far as information and vehicle status. I've yet to see another brand (cough... Toyota... cough) with a system as good as the Uconnect. When I looked at the 2018 4Runner and 200 Series they didn't even compare in this area.

So far so good!
 
Do the doors still rely on a stupid piece of webbing so they either slam open or shut when on a hill? One of my Jeep gripes....
 
when I shift it into 4LO and manually select 1st gear (manual mode is awesome!), I could get out of the truck and walk away from it because the crawl ratio is so slow as it idles along.

This is awesome. One of the prime things that makes the Rubicon package worth it. People often say you could build one comparable for less... but they forget they would have to get an Atlas or something similar to get that crawl going.

Can you tell I am living a little vicariously through your new purchase? :)
 
Welcome to the seven-slot family. Looking forward to your low-key build on this one. Also reminds me I need to update my own Jeep build page on here.
 
I was looking at AEV for a few things and saw a video where the owner states they will not be first to market with accessories for the JL.

That got me thinking. The aftermarket is really spinning up to support the JL platform, but the first widgets to come out won’t necessarily be the best.

So I think this build will be a little slower than my previous projects. The last thing I want to do is regret early mods when some better engineered things come out in a year.

Right now I’ve got my eye on a few things, but we’ll focus on driving it rather than too many mods just yet.

Less Gear, More Go ;)
 
I was looking at AEV for a few things and saw a video where the owner states they will not be first to market with accessories for the JL.

That got me thinking. The aftermarket is really spinning up to support the JL platform, but the first widgets to come out won’t necessarily be the best.

So I think this build will be a little slower than my previous projects. The last thing I want to do is regret early mods when some better engineered things come out in a year.

Right now I’ve got my eye on a few things, but we’ll focus on driving it rather than too many mods just yet.

Less Gear, More Go ;)

Nice thing about the Rubicon is it comes with most of the gear you need right out of the box. While my TJR is much older it has always done as good or better than all the lifted Wranglers I have gone on trails with. After you do your Goose Gear interior the Jeep will be ready to tackle almost anything you throw at it. Can't wait to see all the amazing things that your JL does get though!
 
Time for an update here. Big brown trucks are bringing a few goodies to get this thing ready for Appalachian Rendezvous and Expo East...

... let’s start with a Superwinch EXP 12si. More than enough winch for this Jeep.

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Progress on the winch today despite some missing hardware in the Artec winch plate kit. The Artec Industries winch plate is the only one that can accommodate the beefy EXP 12.

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Many different mounting holes allow fitment on the JL of anything currently made by Superwinch or Warn. 3/8 steel ensures no nonsense durability.

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It JUST fits ;)
 
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