Stingray XR build

Firedude said:

Our season is just starting here. Temps are dipping into low 90's maybe even upper 80's. Been getting ready for it.
One thing I have been looking for was a muffler skid. This is one of the few mufflers I actually like and will probably not change. Love the stealth mode for the neighborhood. With that in mind I do seem to scrape my muffler once in a while and this one hangs down a little more. I looked at 392 specific skids. Dang. They seem to be made of gold. Prices are really just to much. So I looked for a inexpensive model for a standard JL knowing I would be modding/cutting it. Found one at CJ Offroad for 152.95. Again, I fully expected to have to cut it up and space it. The skid showed up in a few days. It is very heavy and looks to be well made. After a few trial fits, I had to make one cut for lower exhaust tip on driver side and spaced the front 1/2 inch and rear just over 1". My cut is very rude and ugly but you just don't see it. You can take your time and make a clean cut out. It is heavy gauge metal though. I am happy with the end results. It cleans up the area and looks better as well.

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Wow that looks great, thanks for the info.

Firedude said:

At this point I checked the ball joints as well. Three of the four were loose. One was very loose. In all my years of working on this stuff I have never seen this. Does not instill much confidence. All of these had paint marks . Check your nuts.

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Geeze. Good to know. Im a Jeep fan but I am totally unimpressed with the lack of Quality Control.

Damnright said:

Geeze. Good to know. Im a Jeep fan but I am totally unimpressed with the lack of Quality Control.

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Right there with you.

Just went over 2000 miles. 1600 on lift. I feel its broke in for the most part. Re-torqued bolts again. Then went on to address the passenger side lean. This jeep (and my last jeep) had right around 1/2" of lean to the passenger side. That's with 1/2 tank of fuel. This was before and after lift. Not a big deal and somewhat expected. I have a wide selection of spacers and shims laying around to correct this. I ended up using a couple left over spacers from my last MC kit. This lifted the pass. side about a 1/4 inch or so. Now with me and my 210 lb's and stuff I am very close to level. I wanted to keep it a little high on driver side. It might still drop a slight amount over time. I get to anal with this stuff sometimes.
While I was doing this I also re-located the lower rear shock mounts with EVO brackets. I also used EVO on front this time. The fronts only move the shock out at the bottom to clear the shock from the frame when flexing. The rears are adjustable in inch or so increments. On the rear I was not using all my up travel and leaving down travel on the table. My shocks have just over 11 inches of travel. I want to be in the middle of that at ride height. I went up about 1 1/2 inches on rear. Much closer to middle. I could still go up a little but will keep it here for awhile and see. As a side benefit you can cut over a inch off bottom mounting area and gain that in clearance.

Good thread/build.

My XR had some loose tie rod ends (need to check ball joints now) and I had the lean as well. When I put 1" leveling coil spacers up front and .5 in rear, it's pretty close to level at all 4 corners.

Ted392 said:

Good thread/build.

My XR had some loose tie rod ends (need to check ball joints now) and I had the lean as well. When I put 1" leveling coil spacers up front and .5 in rear, it's pretty close to level at all 4 corners.

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Thanks. I enjoy your build thread as well. We have many of the same parts on our jeeps. Great minds think alike. Not hating the color either..

Any guesses what's next? Pic hint.

Stems and sensor install. Giving Apex valve stems a try this time.

Cool. No extra exposure to catching it on rocks?

At first I thought you were going to install the chair!

Ted392 said:

Cool. No extra exposure to catching it on rocks?

At first I thought you were going to install the chair!

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Lol. That would be a sweet install.
Once the rings are on the stem is very protected.
Here is a pic after swap. Looked like a pinata filled with balance beads was sacrificed.

All cleaned up with the new wheels.

Caught this dude enjoying the weather.

Been busy logging miles. This is the start of our season. Loving the weather. I have done some updates. I installed the Metalcloak Pro'Lignment ( Control arm relocation ) brackets. I was actually going to install these on my last jeep before the trade in. I have been going back and forth on long arm and coil overs before I even purchased the jeep. They are still on the table. I just could not find the arms that I liked enough to push me over the edge. had been waiting for Metalcloak to get theirs out. They are out now but this setup rides so nice I am in no hurry to change it.
The install is very easy with no surprises. Everything fits very well and tight. No slop. Very well built. I have seen some of these from other companies in the past that were not very sturdy. Not these.
I now have 500 miles on them with a few offroad days. I must say these make so much difference it is hard to put into words. The on road is night and day. Potholes, bridge expansion joints, railroad and everything else is just not a factor. Off road is also very much improved. Washboard roads and faster stuff is very much improved. I actually notice it everywhere. My wife, who does not notice anything (except when I raise it more) even committed how nice it rode and actually suggested we now take it out of town. That's a big indorsement. I know some point to loss of 2 1/2 inches of front clearance lost but I really do not think most will ever see it as a problem. I will report if I see it. Even if you are a frame grinder I would seriously consider them. Even if you had to replace them once in a blue moon. I don't think you would though. The end result and ride improvement really are worth it.
Two thumbs up here.

Forgot to mention I only did fronts. No intention of doing rears.

I know this is an older thread. Which accutune option did you select, adventure or dual sport? How would you describe the tune paired with your springs?

chrisazm said:

I know this is an older thread. Which accutune option did you select, adventure or dual sport? How would you describe the tune paired with your springs?

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I went Adventure. Paired with the MC springs it is a very plush ride on the road. I am getting older and really want a plush ride these days. Just a click or two of adjustment and you can firm it up as needed or wanted.. Going offroad I do not even change the settings anymore unless I have added weight. It rides that good. I could not be happier.

Firedude said:

I went Adventure. Paired with the MC springs it is a very plush ride on the road. I am getting older and really want a plush ride these days. Just a click or two of adjustment and you can firm it up as needed or wanted.. Going offroad I do not even change the settings anymore unless I have added weight. It rides that good. I could not be happier.

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What springs/spring rates did you choose?

They are the Metalcloak 2.5's for the 392.

Firedude said:

I went Adventure. Paired with the MC springs it is a very plush ride on the road. I am getting older and really want a plush ride these days. Just a click or two of adjustment and you can firm it up as needed or wanted.. Going offroad I do not even change the settings anymore unless I have added weight. It rides that good. I could not be happier.

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Did you add air bumps or did you keep the factory bumps? How does it handle whoops at say 40 mph?

chrisazm said:

Did you add air bumps or did you keep the factory bumps? How does it handle whoops at say 40 mph?

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I am using the Metalcloak bumps. Have thought about air bumps.
I have not taken it that fast through the whoops around here. They can get big. Guess I am getting old. Faster desert and rocky sections are very smooth though. The MC drop brackets really helped as well.