Trail Raider Photo Diary/Build Thread

[wayoflife]

Dzz is finally growing up.

Some big changes at Exodus Jeeps:

Awesome, congrats to you :thumb:

 

[WJCO]

Wow. Badass mods.

 

[DWiggles]

Awesome, congrats to you :thumb:

Thanks, it has been a LONG road in the making for sure! Honestly, Ive been saving for THIS moment since 2012 :wings:

Wow. Badass mods.

:thankyou:

AND just for Icing on the cake, we got to shake down everything on the 2018 Exodus trip! Our FIRST time wheeling the new setup, and for the very first time wheeling in Colorado AND Moab!! :thumb: :brows:























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DZZ Build thread

 

[Ddays]

Pretty sweet! What is the difference in the on-road handling characteristics? How much better off-road? I'd like to know so it'll torture me more knowing I don't have that fucking system :daydream:

 

[DWiggles]

Pretty sweet! What is the difference in the on-road handling characteristics? How much better off-road? I'd like to know so it'll torture me more knowing I don't have that fucking system :daydream:

It's... well, AWESOME. I definitely want to tune the shocks because things feel a bit stiff, but really REALLY cleaned up ALL the "slop" it had before, its basically like a modern day (stock) sports car on the road. That's pretty much the best way to describe it. but, Either my jeep is too light/empty for the "out of the box setup" or "out of the box" isn't setup at all, aside from the EVO valving. which is fine. Not every jeep is going to be exactly the same.

I was doing 45-50mph ish, connected, and at about 12psi on the fire roads in Moab between trails, and it was a little "jarring" feeling. but like I said, They haven't been tuned or anything, and if I'm being honest, I was afraid for my OEM wheel bearings and OEM rear axle housing to go any faster. Ultimately, I think its WAY better than it was, light years ahead actually, but I think loading the jeep down with my "standard carry" trail gear and tweaking things out somewhere with someone who knows what they are doing shock wise will solve that issue easy. PRE-dtd, There was NEVER any hope of driving that fast in relative comfort, but then again, I wasn't running any thing fancy shock wise either.

The jeep is WAY more stable in "tippy" situations, I'm sure a lot of this has to do with the additional travel, where a standard setup might lift a tire off the ground, the DTD keeps all 4 on the floor, and I definitely feel much more "planted" I actually TRIED to lift that tire in the Hell's Gate photo in my previous post, for a glam photo keepsake for the wife and I if nothing else. :thumb:

I did have to install 1.5" Wheel spacers front and rear, and I still rubbed the bypasses a little up front on both driver and passenger sides at full lock when flexed, So I need to put a washer or two behind the steer stops and see where that gets me. .. and get some new stickers from king of course :doh:

I have to figure out whats going on with my rear brake lines, they seem to be getting snagged by the sway bar, Exodus DID relocate the hard-line to behind the frame rail, but It doesnt QUITE clear everything as is since they welded a new brakeline mount to the frame rail rather than using the old coil spring perch, which I actually prefer the nice clean, neat, purposed look of but; worst case, I'll revert to the coil spring perch solution if I cant wiggle enough clearance out of the way Exodus Jeeps set it up.

Also, it looks like the front passenger brake line MIGHT have gotten pulled/bent/pitched by the bypass shock sometime during the trip, not a big deal as its not leaking fluid or anything, but I need to figure that out as well so it doesn't happen again, on either side for that matter. I do NOT want to mess with that no brakes AND no clutch nonsense being manual, yikes!

the usual little do-dads and knit-picky things with any new setup. All in All, I love it. I also get a kick out of how the jeep "bucks" when coming to a "hard" stop. it sort of bounces on the suspension for a second after stopping and it just feels AWESOME. I'm still a bit gitty about the whole setup overall. :wings: :beer:

 

[Ddays]

Yup, bout what I figured. Thanks for the info. Gotta go now. Gonna kick the cat across the lawn, maybe help me feel a little better....

 

[wjtstudios]

That’s awesome! What a massive upgrade. It’s really cool to read your comparison of how your old moderate build compared to that beast you now have! Congrats.


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[Jsouder53]

That looks awesome!! Congrats on the upgrade! [emoji106]


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[DWiggles]

I noticed that my driver side front bypass hose was rubbing on the windshield washer reservoir, so I got the bright idea to try and trim it just a BIT more... well, an 1/16" too close would be better than this right about now...



Ok, that looks pretty good now, let's just clean things up a bit, and START ALL OVER because the son of a bitch is leaking... anyone know where I can get an OEM resevoir without getting hung out to dry (pun intended) by the dealer?

I'm expecting this 1/16" of clearance just cost me about $50 and no additional clearance.

...Live and learn...



EDIT: I made a new thread on this for a bit more exposure here:

https://wayalife.com/showthread.php?t=55100


I figured I CANT be the only one who's done/will do this, after all, we have a whole bolt-on coilover thread that states OVER AND OVER ..." do NOT cut into the battery"... same idea... :crazy:

sent from SPACE!
DZZ Build thread

 

[Benito]

Just put some flex seal tape on it

 

[WJCO]

Just put some flex seal tape on it

Agreed.

If you can't find a cheap junkyard one, or check partsmarket.com

 

[DWiggles]

As some of you know, I have been having a bit of trouble with the (2nd) OEM battery, So I decided to order up a Odyssey Extreme. I ordered the battery from amazon, using Eddies amazon affiliate link. however, upon opening the package mid last week, I found the positive terminal smashed into the shell of the battery, among the standard cap covers and such being completely smashed under the battery entirely... obvious signs of a rather rough ride via shipping and handling...

My question is, since this is a AGM battery, can I RELIABLY just grab the terminal with some pliers and straighten it back out and enjoy the same 100% reliability of the battery? or is it indeed compromised? As most of you know, the battery isnt cheap, and I fully intend to utilize the comfort of purchasing a "quality product"... otherwise, I would have just swung by the local autoparts store and grabbed the cheapest battery... I'm trying to AVOID problems.

Anyway, Here is the current $300 paper weight until I either hear back from UPS or the seller...




*For anyone interested, I have filed a claim with UPS as well as notified the seller of the arrival condition of the battery on Thursday, no reply or response yet for either, realizing that this last weekend was the 4th of July and companies may be observing holiday either on Friday or Today.

 

[19YJ94]

I would question the internals of that area now, so personally I would just exchange it. [emoji106]

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[nbunga]

I would say it is compromised. As much as it’s bent, the terminal probably isn’t sealed in the case anymore. It would probably work fine for a while, but it’s life would be shortened due to not being sealed anymore, allowing the gasses to escape.


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[DWiggles]

I would question the internals of that area now, so personally I would just exchange it. [emoji106]

Sent from my SM-S506DL using WAYALIFE mobile app

I would say it is compromised. As much as it’s bent, the terminal probably isn’t sealed in the case anymore. It would probably work fine for a while, but it’s life would be shortened due to not being sealed anymore, allowing the gasses to escape.


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Thanks guys,

:doh: Pretty much as I was expecting...

Guess we just sit and wait...

 

[DWiggles]

A little maintenance before the cold weather.

Merry Christmas

 

[wayoflife]

Hey there! It's been a while and good to see you around. Hope you're doing well and that you have a very Merry Christmas!