High travel, high clearance & high octane, a streetable adventure LJ story

[toximus]

I've enjoyed my Cobra C75WXST CB radio ever since I first installed it. It's just enough for my needs and it packages comfortably in the Jeep.

I mounted the handset lower than I previously had so the passenger's view of the navigation isn't obstructed.

The rest of the unit is neatly screwed into the under dash mounting plate I had made for the stereo.

The unit comes with a fuse inline with it's wiring. I cut that out to wire it into my fuse block under the dash. If I end up with electrical noise in my signal I'll wire it directly to the battery.

I decided to move my circuits around on the fuse blocks to try and isolate noisy circuits from the CB radio. Here's the updated layout:

Winch (pos and neg) - Directly off battery
Fuse block 1 (engine bay):

• Battery Tender quick connect
• ARB compressor

Fuse block 2a (under dash):

• 4 channel amplifier - 30a
• Mono amplifier - 30a
• Gauges - 7a
• CB radio (won't be used at the same time as the amplifiers) - 5a

Fuse block 2b (under dash):

• LED light bar - 30a
• Reverse lights - 15a
• Rock lights - 15a
• Heated seats - 7a

For the antenna I decided to mount it inside the Jeep off the C pillar of the roll cage. I had previously threaded the bung to 1/2"-13 for a hilift jack that I only used once, hated, and then bought a winch the next day. I was able to get the mount lower to fit the 2ft FireStik antenna under the soft top by switching the cable out for a FireRing style connector (K4-8R18). I also was able to cut the cable to length and soldered the PL-259 connector on.

 

[Midnight LJR]

Even though it'd be nice for long trips (since I plan to drive to trails and not tow my Jeep) I don't plan to at this time. My concern is that water will get under it and not escape until it rusts through and makes its own drain hole. I also don't want the additional 80lbs of it. I could live with that weight if it makes driving more enjoyable — I'd figure out a way to lay down mats instead of using adhesive to the floor so they could be easily removed for cleaning. I will be replacing the carpeting which has the thicker LJ padding.

Sounds good I have similar concerns.

Thinking of doing this under carpet.
http://www.dynamat.com/dynapad/
Or maybe lizard skin.

 

[toximus]

For night wheeling I want enough light around my Jeep so that a spotter can see what's going on. So I'm adding rock lights.

A few years ago I bought magnetic rock lights from LUX as part of my 35" build but never got to installing them. Now that I have a decent amount of aluminum upfront I won't be able to mount them where I want. So I turned to Rigid again, this time for rock lights. I ordered 8 lights total and any leftovers will be kept as spares or go on the wife's khaki TJ.

I was tempted to go with some of the much cheaper rock lights found on eBay and Amazon — some with decent reviews. But I ultimately decided to go with Rigid because I know that they'll hold up well to being submerged in water and if a light does need to be replaced the mounting holes will be exactly the same and can quickly be changed out and not dependent on some chinese manufacturer having changed their sourcing and now using a different hole spacing.

I set my spare battery next to the Jeep and played around with different locations for the lights by taping them up. What I ended up with is placing one above each tire in the wheel well. I think these can show a spotter how much articulation is available on the wheels and this position shines light out to the sides. I then put one in the front and one in the rear to light up the underside better. And finally one under each center body mount to help remove shadows from the wheels.

For a little flair I placed 2 red lights from LUX inside the grill for a little glow because everyone still needs to know it's a Jeep even in the dark!

I installed the lights I can but some will have to wait to be bolted on as I progress in the build.

I used nutserts to attach the light to this rear location:

I mounted the tire to make sure it won't take out this light:

I considered multiple ways to wire up the lights to reduce the number of wires and I can't figure out a clean way to do it since some will be mounted on the body and others on the frame. So I decided to keep it simple and use the wiring harness that came with the lights. The harness does run the full power of the lights, right around 11amps, through the switch instead of using a relay, this isn't my preference but the load on the circuit is low enough that their engineers must have figured it's not a concern.

From the switch, I'm running the power out into the engine bay to a 12 way bussed Deutsch connector (DT04-12PA-P021) where each rock light can be plugged in. I'll figure out where I'm going to mount it within the engine bay after I finish up all of the electronic "end points" and get to actually stuffing stuff under the hood. This method of wiring also allows me to add and move rock lights in the future if I find better light placement based on using them in the real world.

Each light is also getting its own connector close by so they can quickly be swapped out if one dies.

If anyone has figured out a cleaner way to wire rock lights let me know!

 

[toximus]

Sounds good I have similar concerns.

Thinking of doing this under carpet.
http://www.dynamat.com/dynapad/
Or maybe lizard skin.

I'll have to consider that.

On the khaki TJ (which came with sound deadening) I found that finding and fixing creaks and rumbles is significantly more beneficial than the sound deadening. Only after fixing everything would I consider sound deadening. Just something to think about if you're dealing with anything making more sound than it should be.

 

[B00mb00m]

Clearance is clearance! So worst case is passenger stuffed and driver drooped. Looks like I can still fit the OEM size driveshaft. I had never heard that the skinny DS that limits speed was a requirement for Dana 60's + 42RLE that's a big negative for a multi use rig. For situation like driving to the ski hill over the pass or whatever.

When you going to cut inner fenders

@B00mb00m Here are the driveshaft clearance points Blaine and I were talking about. I cycled my axle a few inches at a time and took measurements and wrote them on my driveshaft as I went.

For reference this is a 1-1/4" driveshaft.

This is as close as mine gets to the mid-arm bracket:

View attachment 115694

The lip of the 42rle pan and the test ports get within 1/16" of the driveshaft (this picture shows them a little further than that):

View attachment 115695

Here's my final clearances along with the measurement of how far down the shaft they are:

View attachment 115696

To get a little more clearance you can replace the OEM test port plugs with 1/16NTP allen head plugs (I used Fragola 493201):

View attachment 115697

I did a mock up as if I had 12" shocks and I don't think you'll get nearly as tight of clearances with less droop from the 12" shocks.

View attachment 115693

 

[B00mb00m]

View attachment 115990

To mount the light bar I used the windshield mount from Rigid. I'm pretty sure the mount is manufactured by Poison Spyder for Rigid but they changed the material to stainless steel for Rigid. I painted them color matched red to my Jeep. The mount is honestly not a great design, but nobody makes a better design that I've seen and making something better myself isn't feasible without investing in special tooling. My ideal mount would be one that sits tight against the windshield frame the entire way up. I did leave off the pointless backer gasket that comes with the kit since this will only cause uneven pressure as the bolts tighten down.

I used 316 stainless steel button head phillips bolts with washers to attach the bracket. While I was at it, I replaced the stainless steel hex head bolts I previously had used on the doors with phillips head. Phillips allows more torque to be applied to the fastener before stripping out compared to the hex.

View attachment 115991

The power cable is routed at the top corner of the door frame. It's possible that I'll need to notch the plastic windshield trim slightly once the top goes on. From there the wire is hidden down the inside of the windshield trim to behind the dash.

View attachment 115992

Something I realized about the wiring for the light bar, backup lights, and the rock lights is that the hot power wire for each will be running through the interior regardless of fusing them in the engine bay. So, to prevent having to run multiple hot wires through the fire wall I added a second fuse block under the dash for these items. This allows me to keep wires as short as possible.

I stacked the second block using 1" standoffs (wrapping the one near the hot lead with electrical tape) a serrated flange head bolt on the back side to prevent the standoff from rotating when I unscrew it. I originally wanted a thumb nut holding the second block on so it'd be easy to check fuses without tools but I couldn't find any in the size I needed. A thumb nut would probably be unnecessary and overkill anyway since a screwdriver is needed to remove the under steering panel, but it's the little things like this that make the fit and finish of the build perfect imo.

View attachment 115993

View attachment 115994

The instructions for the light bar suggest using a 15a fuse, but the included wiring harness came with a 40amp fuse, however the bar is 290 watts which is closer to 25 amps on 12 volts. So, I decided on a 30 amp fuse to give a little overhead.

I'm starting to have concerns about trying to ground around 200amps through the dash between both fuse blocks (plus all factory stuff) so I put a 1/4" bolt through the dash to act as a negative stud and will be also attaching a ground wire directly from the battery to this bolt.

I added a plug between the wiring harness and the light bar so it can be replaced without cutting the wires in the future if necessary.

There is a good writeup about different style plugs and when to use each over on Pirate: https://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/ele...-plugs-when-wiring-up-truck.html#post25535218

I have been using WeatherPack connectors on the interior of the Jeep since they are relatively cheap and offer good weather resistance in case things get a little wet. However they are limited to 20amps and my light bar is 25amps so I went with a Deutsch DTP connector with gold solid contacts for the light bar. This connector is rated to 25amps. By going with the gold contacts vs stamped I hope I'm able to fully reach the connectors rating and not cause any resistance in the connector especially as things age.

Outside of the Jeep I plan to use Deutsch connectors instead of WeatherPack since they offer better weather protection and I think they look cleaner.

Crimped:
View attachment 115995

Connector:
View attachment 115996

Light bar plugged in:
View attachment 115997

The light bar install is easy enough that I am tempted to remove it between trips so I don't have to look at it.

View attachment 115998

Did you need a special crimper for the Deutsch connector? I need to add a plug on the diff for the elec locker and need a good weatherproof seal.

 

[toximus]

I had never heard that the skinny DS that limits speed was a requirement for Dana 60's + 42RLE that's a big negative for a multi use rig.

14" of travel also has something to do with it.

that's a big negative for a multi use rig.

That's what I first thought, but then I realized that it's not horrible. My driveway requires 4wd to get out in the winter. When it's -30f out I don't want to hop out and disengage hubs. But I can take it slower into town once I get to the highway and leave the hubs locked. Also if I'm unlocked driving on a highway and then it keeps going between requiring 4wd and requiring 2wd I can always use my rear locker to cheat some extra traction out of my Jeep without touching the hubs (doesn't help with staying in your lane on ice though...). For a less experienced driver or on a shared vehicle I can see how it'd be a problem. On forest roads (and "overlanding trails") where the trail merges with high speed roads often I've found that a rear locker can compensate for not having 4wd and the mid-arm really helps in these situations too.

When you going to cut inner fenders

I did last weekend but I haven't had the time to post everything up. I'm taking the next 2 weeks to enjoy Fall (plus my job) but I'll try to get it posted up for you later today!

 

[toximus]

Did you need a special crimper for the Deutsch connector? I need to add a plug on the diff for the elec locker and need a good weatherproof seal.

Yes it is required and I've only heard bad things about the cheap Deutsch crimping tools — once you make the investment the cost per connector isn't bad, and you can skip investing in weatherpack if you want, but you'll still need a crimping tool for Metripack when doing higher amp draw connectors. As a cheaper alternative, you can either use butt connectors to splice a Deutsch in or I think you'll be plenty happy with a cheaper WeatherPack (you can always swap it out if you get water intrusion). For one connector you can use a cheaper weatherpack crimping tool which requires you do crimp once for the wire and again for the seal (if you're doing lots, the double crimper saves a bunch of time).

 

[toximus]

Wiring the sending units for the gauges is going to have to wait until other parts are in, but for now I'm getting the gauges in place and power wired to them.

My supercharger from BoostedTech came with boost and AFR gauges from ProSport. I'm not sure how I feel about them yet, but they seem nicer than my old Autometer transmission temp gauge so I am also replacing that one with one from ProSport too.

I'm wiring all of the gauges together with 18/4 quadplex wire. They require:

1. Constant (not switched) power to retain settings (run off the fuse block),
2. ACC switched power (see my solution below),
3. Running or headlight power (tapped into the factory wiring harness via plug which I did when I wired the backup lights) (different color or brightness settings can be used at night, although I'm not sure I'll use this feature),
4. Ground (using the stud I put behind the dash).
5. Additionally they require their sensor inputs and stuff unique to the gauge (all of these I'll be doing later when I get to those areas).

For the ACC power I made my own weatherpack connector buss on the radio harness. Everything that needs to be tapped into this area only requires a crimped pin which makes disassembly easy with no cutting. I did the same for my dash lights (although that's only used for the ARB compressor switches).

The transmission gauge is returning to it's previous spot:

The boost and AFR gauges fit between the door and raised dash area via custom made aluminum bracket:

 

[B00mb00m]

Question on setting ram internal stop. I did the method PSC recommended by scribing line on tie rod with square at left and right full turns and yielded 6.050" stroke. Then I installed my ram collapsed at full left turn and turned full right then put a sharpie mark on the ram rod. I then uninstalled the ram and extended rod showing .520 from the preset 6.5" that PSC stopped to. Which equates to 5.980" stroke. I was going to have PSC make me a shim. So you think the sharpie and measure method is accurate enough?

 

[JoshNZ]

Fuse block 1 (engine bay):

• Battery Tender quick connect
• ARB compressor

Fuse block 2a (under dash):

• 4 channel amplifier - 30a
• Mono amplifier - 30a
• Gauges - 7a
• CB radio (won't be used at the same time as the amplifiers) - 5a

Fuse block 2b (under dash):

• LED light bar - 30a
• Reverse lights - 15a
• Rock lights - 15a
• Heated seats - 7a

This makes me so happy. Fuse block 2b is delightful...
But really, nothing gets me going like well thought out wiring, and for some reason my social media feed is full of these stupid "multi-connection" battery terminals that I can picture looking like chaos under the hood.
This sounds like such an elegant solution

 

[B00mb00m]

So tomorrow I start figuring how to chop inner fenders... Got any pics and maybe the order of assembly you followed? Top piece first?

 

[B00mb00m]

I'm going to copy your brake line upgrade for the front. Can you explain why your blocked off a port and how to check what exact line to order? I'll search more for your follow up posts on what flex lines you used.

For the brake lines I decided to run the front lines down to the axle along the UCA (much like how the rear stock lines run). This is cleaner, less to snag on branches and trees on the trail, and with 14" of travel doing a drop is a lot of line hanging. I removed all of the stock lines on the frame.

There are a few different models of the brake distribution block with different fitting sizes if you find this post from searching I suggest you check your own block before ordering parts. On my distribution block there is a ORB union on the rear most port that goes to the front passengers brakes. I won't be needing it and I plugged it with a stainless steel 1/2"-20 ORB from Brennan Industries (6408-05-O-SS). I then bent up new 3/16" annealed stainless steel brake lines with stainless steel inverted flare tube nuts. Eastwood's brake flaring tool is a huge asset when doing the inverted double flare on each end.

View attachment 53154

At the other end down on the frame for the front and rear I used a 3/8"-24 inverted flare tube nut to terminate the hard line and a inverted flare to -3 AN adapter fitting (Aeroquip FBM2936) so I can run AN flex line down to the axle (more on that later once I get to it). The adapters are held in place on the tabs I welded to the frame earlier.

View attachment 53155

 

[mrblaine]

I'm going to copy your brake line upgrade for the front. Can you explain why your blocked off a port and how to check what exact line to order? I'll search more for your follow up posts on what flex lines you used.

The port gets blocked off because the T is moved to the axle housing to split the lines to both sides. The port that is blocked off is one leg of an internal T in the combination block. Both frame mounted front brake lines get removed except for a short section that is bent over to the firewall to end just outboard of and slightly even with the pivot on the upper control arm. That is so a flex line can be connected to it to run down the upper arm to the relocated T to run a line to each caliper.

 

[toximus]

This concludes all of the wiring I can do without stuffing everything under the hood. I buttoned up the dash for now and will return back to the dash throughout working under the hood.

I've done over 100 wire connections over the last week (I'm behind on posting again...). I wanted to quickly share a few tips and tricks that made it easier while it's still fresh on my mind (as always, if you have any questions or suggestions it's never too late!):

1) All of my connections are crimped. I used to solder all of my connections (and I consider myself good at it) but soldering can cause a stress riser in the wiring. Crimping is also faster. I used a bunch of brazed butt connectors and ring terminals from DelCity: https://www.delcity.net/store/Non!Insulated-Butt-Connectors/p_801870.h_801871.

2) All ends and splices are sealed with adhesive lined heatshrink. This seals the ends of the wiring from contaminants and provides stress relief to the ends. I found that the adhesive tubing from DelCity adheres much better than cheaper tubing from Amazon. I used clear so connections are easy to audit: https://www.delcity.net/store/Clear,-Colored-Tubing/p_529895.h_801745

3) I upgraded my 120v heat gun for a cordless Milwaukee 18v heat gun. This gun heats up fast and can be set down without worrying about the cord pulling the hot tip around. Not having to wait on my old heat gun made this project way faster.

4) 12v probe. For a project like this a probe is simpler to work with than a multimeter and helped identify which wires to splice into. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003YNHVQQ/?tag=wranglerorg-20

5) Having an automatic stripper saved a lot of time. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000OQ21CA/?tag=wranglerorg-20

 

[toximus]

Question on setting ram internal stop. I did the method PSC recommended by scribing line on tie rod with square at left and right full turns and yielded 6.050" stroke. Then I installed my ram collapsed at full left turn and turned full right then put a sharpie mark on the ram rod. I then uninstalled the ram and extended rod showing .520 from the preset 6.5" that PSC stopped to. Which equates to 5.980" stroke. I was going to have PSC make me a shim. So you think the sharpie and measure method is accurate enough?

View attachment 118081

I verified my shim by turning to the knuckle stops and fully extending/compressing the cylinder and bolting it into the bracket. For me the sharpie mark was dead on perfect.

 

[toximus]

This makes me so happy. Fuse block 2b is delightful...
But really, nothing gets me going like well thought out wiring, and for some reason my social media feed is full of these stupid "multi-connection" battery terminals that I can picture looking like chaos under the hood.
This sounds like such an elegant solution

Thank you! The only cleaner solution would be one that integrates relays but I only needed 3 relays for all of my added wiring so I tucked them together. Plus my relays have different ratings and connections so I'm not sure that they could have been done much cleaner.

 

[B00mb00m]

My sharpie mark wasn't perfect but very close. Just enough if I wiggle the bolt it aligned the rod and clevis.

You got a pic of your front axle softline to Hardline connection?

 

[toximus]

I'm going to copy your brake line upgrade for the front. Can you explain why your blocked off a port and how to check what exact line to order? I'll search more for your follow up posts on what flex lines you used.

https://wranglertjforum.com/threads...e-adventure-lj-story.9956/page-10#post-212418
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads...e-adventure-lj-story.9956/page-13#post-259023
https://www.eastwood.com/eastwood-pro-brake-tubing-flaring-tool-with-45-and-37-degree-die-set.html
https://www.eastwood.com/3-16-stainless-steel-brakeline-tubing-20ft.html (Copper nickle or similar is way easier to work with than SS)

Note Blaine's comment about flaring for AN instead as that's an improvement.

All of my flex lines are from Fragola since I have a thing for their coated lines. (Almost) all of my fittings are from Aeroquip. Cheaper and house brands may not be formed correctly and brakes are not a place where I'd want to loose performance.

 

[toximus]

You got a pic of your front axle softline to Hardline connection?