Journey of a Jeep build, MD

[3VOLVE]

Looks sexy as hell. I was lost in the sauce with how many shock options were available, and I needed some for the lift, so the Rocksports that come with the package will have to do. I was eyeballing those 2.0's though...is it too early to be thinking about shock upgrades? LOL

2.0’s are far better ride than the Metalcloaks on Rocksports I had on my JLUR.

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[Jglad15]

Thanks for the input Joe.

After speaking with a few different places, the Metal Cloak service won out...and continues to win out every time I talk to them about something. I am going to go with their Gamechanger kit, and they are going to include Evo 4.5 HD springs for front and rear. I dont hear great things about EVO springs and the diesel weight, but Im gonna try them out. If they dont work for me, Ill upgrade to the Rock Krawler 4.5's.

Ill be picking up from Bull Run and installing myself, with the help of a few buddies.

What do you like more about the metal cloak?

 

[AjMac]

What do you like more about the metal cloak?

The price was better. It wasnt something drastic that made me feel like I was going with a Dollar General brand, but enough of a difference for me to view it as a pro.

The guys I have been to AOAA and Rausch with both run the Gamechanger, and they are in some capable Rigs. So I have real life experience and people I know that are providing a review.

I see a lot of Positives about the Customer Service. I remember when those guys I mentioned above were installing their kits, they would call in and stay on the line with a mechanic while they worked through some difficulties they came across during install. When I reached out to ask about a 4.5 lift (which was not listed for the JT), they spoke with EVO to check spring rates and are incorporating the HD 4.5 springs from them in my kit at cost. So I feel like I got a little taste of that.

There is a diesel selection option. Does it make a difference? Probably not. Would Claytons have done fine? I would imagine so. But seeing it there made me feel a bit better.

I have a slight fear that Im making a mistake. But this is something I feel every time I make a large purchase, and I am certain I would have felt the same if I went Clayton, and even something baller-rific like Rock Krawler.

In the end, I bet any of the 3 would have functioned great. I just need to get into the game and make something happen.

 

[Dougstdig]

Nothing crazy, posting a little update on the Line-X:

I noticed at the end of the day I had some bubbling...I dont know what is considered substantial, but I had ~ 2 dozen small quarter sized bubbles, a few slightly larger, and one fist sized bubble...and the way I look at it is, if I'm spending money on something, I want the result to be what I paid for.

I called Line-X and they were great. Bubbling is part of the lifetime warranty, and I got an appointment scheduled for the following week (today) to bring it in.

FYSA, they attributed the bubbling to the humidity at the time at application, which in Maryland, is hard to get away from this time of year.

Anyway, the JT was in and out in about 2 1/2 hours, and they cleaned up a little overspray from the initial install as well. Even though this may seem like a ding on Line-X, they were really fantastic with correcting the issue and keeping to the level of quality they want associated with their product.

I don’t know about the humidity story. I drove an hour and a half in the rain to Jacksonville FL and it rained the whole time it was in the shop. I think it had more to do with making sure the paint was scuffed properly…but who’s to say. Line-X was my 2nd mod…. Before and after below. The night before, I squirted clear caulk in the threaded holes for when I accessorize the bed. I figured it would be much easier to deal with that the Line-X in the threads.

I don’t know what everyone else is paying, but this place beat everyone and opened for me on a Saturday, which no one else would do. As a thank you I tipped him…large.

 

[AjMac]

I don’t know about the humidity story. I drove an hour and a half in the rain to Jacksonville FL and it rained the whole time it was in the shop. I think it had more to do with making sure the paint was scuffed properly…but who’s to say. Line-X was my 2nd mod…. Before and after below. The night before, I squirted clear caulk in the threaded holes for when I accessorize the bed. I figured it would be much easier to deal with that the Line-X in the threads.

I don’t know what everyone else is paying, but this place beat everyone and opened for me on a Saturday, which no one else would do. As a thank you I tipped him…large.

I think I paid right around that as well. The Line-X looks good!

Its been great ever since. Rain, snow, sun, heat, moving wood, furniture, jeep parts, children (they get a kick out of riding in the bed), no issues at all!

 

[AXISJT]

I had a Metal cloak gamechanger coming but it was stolen in transit I think I may reorder with Clayton because of the taller and heavier springs as I plan to load the rear down with gear and the metal cloaks just seem too soft. plus they have the bundle with the Currie steering.

 

[3VOLVE]

I had a Metal cloak gamechanger coming but it was stolen in transit I think I may reorder with Clayton because of the taller and heavier springs as I plan to load the rear down with gear and the metal cloaks just seem too soft. plus they have the bundle with the Currie steering.

Sorry to hear about your suspension being stolen in transit.

IRT the Clayton, I purchased their Premium with the Currie steering and it’s been great for the last 700 miles, both on and off road.

 

[AjMac]

I had a Metal cloak gamechanger coming but it was stolen in transit I think I may reorder with Clayton because of the taller and heavier springs as I plan to load the rear down with gear and the metal cloaks just seem too soft. plus they have the bundle with the Currie steering.

I hear great things about Clayton!

Yea, I have seen quite a few reviews about the MC springs sagging with the Overlanding set-ups. That wont be the direction I take my Jeep, but I have the Evo 4.5 HD's coming with the kit just in case. Im thinking they should be a bit better, but we will see. Rock Krawler has some good looking Springs, which is where Ill go if I have any issues with these ones.

No steer kit in this one, but Im seeing it's not needed unless I go higher. But I do have the Adams Driveshaft coming with it.

Let me know how it ends up going! Ill make sure I post in here about the pick-up, install, and performance.

 

[AjMac]

Sorry to hear about your suspension being stolen in transit.

IRT the Clayton, I purchased their Premium with the Currie steering and it’s been great for the last 700 miles, both on and off road.

Give me a month or so Joe, and we can get out somewhere to get a BoH!

 

[AjMac]

Alright, today I made the 1 1/2 drive (2 with wonderful DC beltway traffic) over to Bull Run 4x4 in VA to pick up the lift. Now, I am ironing out some dates with my buddies to see when we are trying to get it put on. Tomorrow is an option, but I gotta get the green light from the wife to spend the whole day out working on it.

I also ordered an OBD adaptor and cable to use with JSCAN in order to get my tire size right. That took all of...30 minutes? And that was mostly because I was so afraid of ripping the wires for the JT out of their adapters. Reset the ECU's, and took it for a little drive...everything is matched up! I was surprised to find though, that my 37 inch patagonias are only just over 35 inches tall.

Ill get some good pics up when the lift goes on. Wish me luck!

EDIT: Got some good driving in today following the JSCAN update. The Jeep feels GREAT! Shifting is smoother, RPMs feel like they are where they should be, and it doesnt feel like it is struggling. 10/10

 

[AjMac]

Alright, big updates!

I started the install on the JT yesterday...Overall, it was a really enjoyable experience. I used the auto skills garage on base, so had a full lift, which I imagined saved my back a bit.

Taking off the control arms was fine, once I got my hands on a breaker bar. The track bars, shocks, sway bar links, all came off without much whining. The big pain, however, was the front E-locker. Disconnecting that in order to make sure it didnt get torn out when we were at full droop was a PITA.

We installed the new brake lines, shocks, and control arms...but the install ended up taking longer than planned, so I had to leave the Jeep in the garage overnight (9 bucks). We showed up this morning and put on the rear bumpstops, the new track bars, sway bar links and the tightened everything up. The front trackbar gave us some grief, but once we got the Jeep back under it's own weight, it wasnt an issue at all.

We spent way longer than we should have bleeding the brakes. We kept bleeding them from the apron nut, and could not figure out why the hell the brakes were trash afterwards. After about 9 bleeds (seriously), we watched a YT video and saw that we should be bleeding from the nipple nut instead. Did that one time, and boom, wouldnt you know! Doing things the right works!

Alright, now all of that aside, Im a little frustrated with the rear springs, and maybe someone has some insight that can help me out. The lift was a Metal Cloak Gamechanger, and since they only go up to 3.5, they replaced the 3.5 springs with some Evo 4.5 HD diesel springs. Now, I dont know if I didnt get special isolators to seat the rear springs because they were not from the original kit, or if they are the wrong springs (because they dont work with the stock isolators, and the top/bottom of the coils are so narrow), or if i am just a total idiot and am missing something. The picture below was taken with the vehicle under its own weight, and any bump bigger than a divot causes it to bow and hit the frame and sounds like a gong.

It looks like i could just seat it...but I cant. The top of the spring is too small, and does not stay.

Aside from those damn springs, im happy with everything else. The height is perfect, and Ill post some pictures as soon as I figure this rear spring issue out. I don't have a rake anymore, which I wanted to keep, so I may be looking at adding a puck to the rear.

 

[AjMac]

Alright, big updates!

I started the install on the JT yesterday...Overall, it was a really enjoyable experience. I used the auto skills garage on base, so had a full lift, which I imagined saved my back a bit.

Taking off the control arms was fine, once I got my hands on a breaker bar. The track bars, shocks, sway bar links, all came off without much whining. The big pain, however, was the front E-locker. Disconnecting that in order to make sure it didnt get torn out when we were at full dropp was a PITA.

We installed the new brake lines, shocks, and control arms...but the install ended up taking longer than planned, so I had to leave the Jeep in the garage overnight (9 bucks). We showed up this morning and put on the rear bumpstops, the new track bars, sway bar links and the tightened everything up. The front trackbar gave us some grief, but once we got the Jeep back under it's own weight, it wasnt an issue at all.

We spent way longer than we should have bleeding the brakes. We kept bleeding them from the apron nut, and could not figure out why the hell the brakes were trash afterwards. After about 9 bleeds (seriously), we watched a YT video and saw that we should be bleeding from the nipple nut instead. Did that one time, and boom, wouldnt you know! Doing things the right works!

Alright, now all of that aside, Im a little frustrated with the rear springs, and maybe someone has some insight that can help me out. The lift was a Metal Cloak Gamechanger, and since they only go up to 3.5, they replaced the 3.5 springs with some Evo 4.5 HD diesel springs. Now, I dont know if I didnt get special isolators to seat the rear springs because they were not from the original kit, or if they are the wrong springs (because they dont work with the stock isolators, and the top/bottom of the coils are so narrow), or if i am just a total idiot and am missing something. The picture below was taken with the vehicle under its own weight, and any bump bigger than a divot causes it to bow and hit the frame and sounds like a gong.

It looks like i could just seat it...but I cant. The top of the spring is too small, and does not stay.

Aside from those damn springs, im happy with everything else. The height is perfect, and Ill post some pictures as soon as I figure this rear spring issue out. I don't have a rake anymore, which I wanted to keep, so I may be looking at adding a puck to the rear.

Looks like these are the rear spings for the JL. Gonna do some calling around tomorrow to make sure, and try to get the issue fixed.

 

[AjMac]

Alright, all straightened up.

I spoke with the shop that sold me the kit...they are super reputable, but specialize in MetalCloak...so when EVO gave them the part numbers for the springs, they didnt notice they were for the JL. They offered to order me the correct set, but I opted to just get my money back.

As soon as I got off the phone with them, I called up the shop that I was scheduled to get my alignment at, and explained the situation. They were able to order me a pair of Rubicon Express rear springs for the JT, and get them to the shop the next day, the morning of my alignment.

After driving to the shop with an upside down steering wheel, banging and bonging from the incorrect rear springs, and a long day of sitting around at the shop, I finally got the result I was looking for.

Behold; Metal Cloak Gamechanger, 4.5 inch HD Evo front springs, 4.5 inch Rubicon Express Rear:

 

[ScottHarr_JT]

Man sucks to hear about to run around with the springs. Glad you got it sorted out! The final product looks great! Also, gotta love those base auto garages! Clutch!

 

[AjMac]

Man sucks to hear about to run around with the springs. Glad you got it sorted out! The final product looks great! Also, gotta love those base auto garages! Clutch!

Absolutely! They had everything I needed, ad it was great being able to get underneath of the rig.

And thanks! I am a little skeptical on how well these springs will do based on some other stuff I see in the forums, but Ill stick with them, and upgrade to RK if need be.

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