A rebuild of #miRustyJeep...

[Mike_H]

Going to have to make some time to work on the Jeep soon.

My 4x4 club had our 50th anniversary banquet tonight. Lots of cool give-a-ways including a warn winch, couple on X memberships, couple tread lightly membership, some warn recovery gear, etc.

Yours truly managed to snag a set of Baja design squadron sports. Amber lens with the combo LEDs. I was kinda late getting my ticket called, but they were still there. For some reason, I don’t think people knew what they were, tho I did get a couple side eyes from the folks that did, lol.

I also have a bunch of KC cyclone rock lights to install, plus one of the many aux beam type switch controllers.

Gonna have to get a hold of @Fluxor and get some A-pillar light mounts.

 

[Mike_H]

Couldn’t help myself, i have a couple flush mount S2 sports on order now. If I’m gonna do lights, might as well do them all at once!

 

[psrivats]

... might as well do ...

I've never been more proud of you

 

[Mike_H]

I've never been more proud of you

That is the story of my life…

“While its apart…

 

[Mike_H]

Couple weeks ago, I noticed a crack in one of my fog light mounting brackets. I made these a couple years ago, trying to copy Savvy's design, but using material I had on hand. The material wasn't thick enough, and the fog light bouncing around on it fatigued the steel and caused a break.

I saw a picture of a build that @mrblaine did and he made a very simple aluminum mount for fog lights. I thought maybe I should copy that one instead...So I found some aluminum plate in my box of scrap metal and go to work.

This is the inspiration.

I kludged together a bend fixture...

And I bent up some 1-3/4" wide strips of 6061.

Did some shaping and some sanding. I need to do some hand sanding still, this was just a quick hit with 150 grit on my palm sander. I'll get the bends cleaned up, then "brush" the finish with a scotch brite pad. And yes, I know the bumper bolt holes are off center...Needed to bias it one direction for clearance to the bull bar.

For now, I'm still running the factory fogs with yellow bulbs. Eventually, I'll probably round out my lighting with another set of Squadrons up front.

 

[mrblaine]

Couple weeks ago, I noticed a crack in one of my fog light mounting brackets. I made these a couple years ago, trying to copy Savvy's design, but using material I had on hand. The material wasn't thick enough, and the fog light bouncing around on it fatigued the steel and caused a break.

View attachment 546407

I saw a picture of a build that @mrblaine did and he made a very simple aluminum mount for fog lights. I thought maybe I should copy that one instead...So I found some aluminum plate in my box of scrap metal and go to work.

This is the inspiration.
View attachment 546408

I kludged together a bend fixture...

View attachment 546409

And I bent up some 1-3/4" wide strips of 6061.
View attachment 546410


Did some shaping and some sanding. I need to do some hand sanding still, this was just a quick hit with 150 grit on my palm sander. I'll get the bends cleaned up, then "brush" the finish with a scotch brite pad. And yes, I know the bumper bolt holes are off center...Needed to bias it one direction for clearance to the bull bar.

View attachment 546421

For now, I'm still running the factory fogs with yellow bulbs. Eventually, I'll probably round out my lighting with another set of Squadrons up front.

I found that pic I said I'd look for. I mocked them up in mild steel first before I did the final out of stainless.

I didn't have the front to back space that the longer offset on 6061 bends needed.

 

[NashvilleTJ]

Couple weeks ago, I noticed a crack in one of my fog light mounting brackets. I made these a couple years ago, trying to copy Savvy's design, but using material I had on hand. The material wasn't thick enough, and the fog light bouncing around on it fatigued the steel and caused a break.

View attachment 546407

I saw a picture of a build that @mrblaine did and he made a very simple aluminum mount for fog lights. I thought maybe I should copy that one instead...So I found some aluminum plate in my box of scrap metal and go to work.

This is the inspiration.
View attachment 546408

I kludged together a bend fixture...

View attachment 546409

And I bent up some 1-3/4" wide strips of 6061.
View attachment 546410


Did some shaping and some sanding. I need to do some hand sanding still, this was just a quick hit with 150 grit on my palm sander. I'll get the bends cleaned up, then "brush" the finish with a scotch brite pad. And yes, I know the bumper bolt holes are off center...Needed to bias it one direction for clearance to the bull bar.

View attachment 546421

For now, I'm still running the factory fogs with yellow bulbs. Eventually, I'll probably round out my lighting with another set of Squadrons up front.

Nice fab work, Mike.

 

[Mike_H]

Finally had some time and energy to do a little (very little) work on the Jeep tonight. We launched a new ERP at work Aug 1 and for the last 6 months its been kicking my butt, especially for the last 6 weeks. Its mostly up and running now, but there are still lots of questions, and being the head of the project, they all come to me for triage.

Anyway, I finished up the new fog light mounts. As per usual, I got excited and started working before I really understood my design envelope, so I had to do some modification. Nothing major, just cutting a couple bolts down for length and flipping a couple brackets around to make the lights fit forward enough to not crash into my fenders.

Some pictures...

Installed with the bumper bolts. I should probably go get some a bit longer, since now I'm going through a 1/4" of aluminum and two 3/16" pieces of steel.

And here are the mods...

And the end result (also shows I need to wash my Jeep!)

Overall, I'm pretty happy with how this little project turned out. We'll see if the aluminum lasts. You can see some crazing or cracks in the bends in my first picture. I'll probably look for a couple pieces of scrap stainless to re-create them in the future...but for now, they will work. This ain't California, after all!

 

[Mike_H]

Another little project completed. This one was a little bigger than making a couple brackets for auxiliary lights. I've had my eye on an Android Radio for a while. Having Nav available in dash, while I use my phone for other things is appealing to me. Another reason for the change was when I changed to GMRS, I pulled my CB stuff out. It didn't work that well and was kinda in the way. I also pulled the XM radio antenna, since screw them. I had a lot of "extra" crap in the cockpit that needed to come out. I picked up a Joying Radio from @MikeE024 a couple months ago and finally had the time and energy to do the install. Along with the new head unit, I bought a new phone mount from BulletPoint.

So, Out with the old Kenwood head unit. It was a decent media player, but the buttons were SO small. The Joying was pretty easy to install, its all standard car stereo stuff. Couple differences are it has a LOT more connections in the back vs the Kenwood. Make sure you include a USB cable in the Special USB port (OTG)... It also only has a single channel sub output, vs the dual channel that my Kenwood had. No biggie, a 6 dollar adapter from AutoZone made it all play nice.

A couple other things of note. I bought the magsafe mount/charger from bullet point and I can't stand having cables run all over my car. So, I installed a 12V power outlet right up top on the center stack. This is wired into the 12V power port in the lower dash. Its always hot, so I can charge while my Jeep is off. Was a little bit of a hassle to get in...Had to heat up the vent supports and bend a little bit of clearance into it to make room for the body of the adapter.

And with the Joying mounted up and turned on...Wireless Car play is such a nice feature...I don't even have that in my Daily, which is a 2017!

Got the Bulletpoint setup installed too...

That is just the cord that comes with the mount. I'll get something much shorter, and get a power adapter that is more flush to clean up that mess.

But...Wireless Charging! Just slap it up there and it stays put. no clamps, arms, spring loaded anything to deal with.

OK...So how does the Joying work? Its actually pretty nice so far. When I first turned it on, I was a little disappointed with the bass output. Like so many others, I have a Soundstream Picasso nano 5 channel amp to drive (4) 5-1/4 speakers and that 6-7/8 or so Kicker sub in the center console. A few messages back and forth with @MikeE024 to make sure I wasn't missing anything (lots of after sales service, Thanks Mike!), and it just was kinda flat. I had it sounding decent, but not great and not nearly the amount of bass I was used to.

I decided to look into a firmware update and Joying had one. They install through USB though...and I didn't include that. So, I had to pull the radio back out, to put the USB extension wire back in (to the wrong port). Back and forth we go, and I finally got the USB extension into the correct port on the back of the radio and it found the update. Finished installation and it transformed the radio. The update included a new EQ app and better control over the low level outputs. The bump is back, baby! Speaking of the EQ, the built in cross-overs are pretty good. I was able to dial it in far more easily than I could the Kenwood and keep the right frequencies going to the right speakers. Its crispy clean sounding now.

The only negative with something like this is that it blocks the view of the HVAC controls. Not manipulation, but just line of sight for me. There is room behind the radio, and the faceplate is real close to being able to fit flush to the center bezel. I might have to get creative with my 3d Printer...but that is another project for another time. It also doesn't have any physical buttons, but Mike included a wireless controller that uses self adhesive tape to control output, so I'm using that. It would also work with Steering wheel controls, so that is another possible project, if I get a Grand Cherokee wheel and the multiplexer.

 

[JMT]

Another little project completed. This one was a little bigger than making a couple brackets for auxiliary lights. I've had my eye on an Android Radio for a while. Having Nav available in dash, while I use my phone for other things is appealing to me. Another reason for the change was when I changed to GMRS, I pulled my CB stuff out. It didn't work that well and was kinda in the way. I also pulled the XM radio antenna, since screw them. I had a lot of "extra" crap in the cockpit that needed to come out. I picked up a Joying Radio from @MikeE024 a couple months ago and finally had the time and energy to do the install. Along with the new head unit, I bought a new phone mount from BulletPoint.

So, Out with the old Kenwood head unit. It was a decent media player, but the buttons were SO small. The Joying was pretty easy to install, its all standard car stereo stuff. Couple differences are it has a LOT more connections in the back vs the Kenwood. Make sure you include a USB cable in the Special USB port (OTG)... It also only has a single channel sub output, vs the dual channel that my Kenwood had. No biggie, a 6 dollar adapter from AutoZone made it all play nice.

A couple other things of note. I bought the magsafe mount/charger from bullet point and I can't stand having cables run all over my car. So, I installed a 12V power outlet right up top on the center stack. This is wired into the 12V power port in the lower dash. Its always hot, so I can charge while my Jeep is off. Was a little bit of a hassle to get in...Had to heat up the vent supports and bend a little bit of clearance into it to make room for the body of the adapter.
View attachment 552116

And with the Joying mounted up and turned on...Wireless Car play is such a nice feature...I don't even have that in my Daily, which is a 2017!

View attachment 552117

Got the Bulletpoint setup installed too...
View attachment 552118

That is just the cord that comes with the mount. I'll get something much shorter, and get a power adapter that is more flush to clean up that mess.

But...Wireless Charging! Just slap it up there and it stays put. no clamps, arms, spring loaded anything to deal with.

View attachment 552119

OK...So how does the Joying work? Its actually pretty nice so far. When I first turned it on, I was a little disappointed with the bass output. Like so many others, I have a Soundstream Picasso nano 5 channel amp to drive (4) 5-1/4 speakers and that 6-7/8 or so Kicker sub in the center console. A few messages back and forth with @MikeE024 to make sure I wasn't missing anything (lots of after sales service, Thanks Mike!), and it just was kinda flat. I had it sounding decent, but not great and not nearly the amount of bass I was used to.

I decided to look into a firmware update and Joying had one. They install through USB though...and I didn't include that. So, I had to pull the radio back out, to put the USB extension wire back in (to the wrong port). Back and forth we go, and I finally got the USB extension into the correct port on the back of the radio and it found the update. Finished installation and it transformed the radio. The update included a new EQ app and better control over the low level outputs. The bump is back, baby! Speaking of the EQ, the built in cross-overs are pretty good. I was able to dial it in far more easily than I could the Kenwood and keep the right frequencies going to the right speakers. Its crispy clean sounding now.

The only negative with something like this is that it blocks the view of the HVAC controls. Not manipulation, but just line of sight for me. There is room behind the radio, and the faceplate is real close to being able to fit flush to the center bezel. I might have to get creative with my 3d Printer...but that is another project for another time. It also doesn't have any physical buttons, but Mike included a wireless controller that uses self adhesive tape to control output, so I'm using that. It would also work with Steering wheel controls, so that is another possible project, if I get a Grand Cherokee wheel and the multiplexer.

I don’t know about the Joying. I’ve looked at it, but never gotten over the receiver not being “in dash.” I keep thinking about a DDin receiver, but can’t find any I like that aren’t $1200+.

I’m happy with my phone mount, and it’s similarly placed. I have 2” of charging cord hanging out the dash to plug the phone in, but MagSafe would be nice too. Nice work. Glad you found the Joying update. Definitely worth restoring the “bump.”

 

[Mike_H]

I don’t know about the Joying. I’ve looked at it, but never gotten over the receiver not being “in dash.” I keep thinking about a DDin receiver, but can’t find any I like that aren’t $1200+.

I’m happy with my phone mount, and it’s similarly placed. I have 2” of charging cord hanging out the dash to plug the phone in, but MagSafe would be nice too. Nice work. Glad you found the Joyong update. Definitely worth restoring the “bump.”

Joying makes a double din as well. I think they are about 500 bucks

 

[en480c4]

Looks great.

Have you adjusted the clips on the back of the screen as far down as possible? You just need a small Philips head screw driver. When I ran that one I was able to shift the screen up to just clear below the vents but just above the line of sight on the HVAC controls.

Before:

After:

I’m running their 11.3” in my JKU. I had to do the same adjustment of the clips on the back to move the screen up above the vents. But I really like the Joying stuff… It’s hard to find the level of quality they have for the price in a lot of the other manufacturers.

 

[Mike_H]

Looks great.

Have you adjusted the clips on the back of the screen as far down as possible? You just need a small Philips head screw driver. When I ran that one I was able to shift the screen up to just clear below the vents but just above the line of sight on the HVAC controls.

Before:
View attachment 552231

After:
View attachment 552232


I’m running their 11.3” in my JKU. I had to do the same adjustment of the clips on the back to move the screen up above the vents. But I really like the Joying stuff… It’s hard to find the level of quality they have for the price in a lot of the other manufacturers.

View attachment 552218

I’ll take a look. I had to order a new set of clips anyway…some ham fisted hammer mechanic got all jiggy with it and broke a couple, lol.

 

[Mike_H]

Just got back home after a week long trip that ended up being a LOT more camping than I thought it would. Living out of a wrangler for a week is Tough Sledding. I'll do a regional write up on my trip to cover the "off-road" aspects of it, but thought I would add a couple pics here of my poor jeep and make a list of things than need addressing in the very near future. TLR...Being on dusty, rocky, washboarded dirt roads and paved roads that are rougher than that for a week and not having good shocks is HARD on stuff.

First, the nicest Pic of my Jeep that I took all week.

The trip was the "7 Hour Plan Crash" which runs from Cranden, WI to Copper Harbor Mi. Its about 300 miles and we took three days to do it. Saw some really cool stuff (waterfalls, rocky bluffs, old RR trestle bridges) and had a great time camping. Once the trip concluded and my buddies left for home, I returned to my In-laws (who all live in the Keweenaw Peninsula) to visit with them for a bit. My wife (who was already there to help take care of my Sis in Law after a major surgery) came down with Covid and in the interest of not spreading it to my 91 year old Father in law (who still lives at home), He went to stay with my Sis-In-Law, and I bugged out to their camper on Lake Superior. Not terrible, it has a real bed and an amazing view...

But not having running water, or a flush toilet and shower, gets old. Lake superior is REALLY cold to take a bath in!

First issue I found with the jeep is my Sierra Off-Road top has passed its expiration date. I had two zippers give up the ghost on me this trip. One jammed up when the little metal clamps they used as a stop fell off. The zipper went too far and stuck. I was able to fix that one pretty easy...but its only a matter of time before that happens again. The second problem is the rear window zipper. The teeth are plastic and deformed where it gets tight, coming around the passenger side radius at the top. That is a bigger issue...I had to duct tape it closed so the dogs wouldn't escape on the 500 mile trip home. That zipper is completely broken and I'll need to replace it. While I'm at it, I will replace them all with steel zipper teeth.

Second issue is Mud...I hate mud. We found ONE spot that was a nasty, sticky mess. I was trail leader for this run and dropped into it. Hadn't seen ANYTHING like it anywhere else the whole trip, and sure enough, I dropped down into the flippin rut that was almost as deep as my tire is tall. Made it through fine. After the other guys in my group (who were in factory pick-ups) saw that, they were like, NOPE! So, I turned around and had to go back through it. Coming back through took a couple tries, since I was diff'ed out on the rut trying to climb out. This little escapade plugged up my trans cooler and radiator, so I had things running a bit warmer than normal. Trans was around 180-200 and my coolant was about on the zero or just to the right on the 210 mark. Found a hose and sprayed it out a bit to get back to a place where I could actually clean it. I still need to inspect and clean, but for the 500 mile trip home at 70-80 mph, temps were stable (coolant on the 2 of 210 and trans running 130-150), so I'm pretty good there now.

Third...My stereo conked out! Looks like the remote turn on broke for my amp. I have a Soundstream Picaso Nano and it has broken and been fixed once. I'll have to see if I can source the little connector they use and make a new cable (since you can't buy it as a spare). Its like 24 gage wire, too...

Fourth, and probably the most pressing is my high beams all of a sudden started cutting in an out. Its vibration related, so there is a loose connection, somewhere. My power to the headlights is in an auxiliary harness and I suspect its either a relay or in the PDC where I pulled power, but I gotta track that down. Alternatively, I may pull the auxiliary harness, return to factory and install some Holly Retrobrights (this is probably more likely).

Fifth...I need tires, BADLY. I've tried everything I can think of to get them to run smooth...and they just don't. Balance Beads have worked the best, but since its dynamic, I loose balance as well. Probably going to go with a set of MT Baja Boss or another set of BFGs. I'm leaning toward the Baja Boss AT, since its more of a Hybrid, and I see more than my fair share of mud. I'm tired of running mud terrains 100%.

Sixth, I have something loose in my steering. I don't know what, the usual culprits are all tights, but something is knocking back and forth. Its not something you hear, but its something you can feel in the steering wheel.

Seventh, I need to look at my grill body mount. I noticed yesterday that the Left front fender was moving along with the hood in time to the out of balance tire. Makes me think that the bolt might have backed out (not the first time) and my front end is kinda bouncing around.

Eighth. Time for some control arm maintenance. I've been neglecting this task this year. No squeaks, but I know its time, based on previous history. Been focused on the motorhome and time for my jeep projects and tasks has taken a back seat to everything else (and it shows, based on the list above).

 

[Woodrow]

Just got back home after a week long trip that ended up being a LOT more camping than I thought it would. Living out of a wrangler for a week is Tough Sledding. I'll do a regional write up on my trip to cover the "off-road" aspects of it, but thought I would add a couple pics here of my poor jeep and make a list of things than need addressing in the very near future. TLR...Being on dusty, rocky, washboarded dirt roads and paved roads that are rougher than that for a week and not having good shocks is HARD on stuff.

First, the nicest Pic of my Jeep that I took all week. View attachment 560087

The trip was the "7 Hour Plan Crash" which runs from Cranden, WI to Copper Harbor Mi. Its about 300 miles and we took three days to do it. Saw some really cool stuff (waterfalls, rocky bluffs, old RR trestle bridges) and had a great time camping. Once the trip concluded and my buddies left for home, I returned to my In-laws (who all live in the Keweenaw Peninsula) to visit with them for a bit. My wife (who was already there to help take care of my Sis in Law after a major surgery) came down with Covid and in the interest of not spreading it to my 91 year old Father in law (who still lives at home), He went to stay with my Sis-In-Law, and I bugged out to their camper on Lake Superior. Not terrible, it has a real bed and an amazing view...

View attachment 560088

Beautiful. I love Lake Superior.

But not having running water, or a flush toilet and shower, gets old. Lake superior is REALLY cold to take a bath in!

First issue I found with the jeep is my Sierra Off-Road top has passed its expiration date. I had two zippers give up the ghost on me this trip. One jammed up when the little metal clamps they used as a stop fell off. The zipper went too far and stuck. I was able to fix that one pretty easy...but its only a matter of time before that happens again. The second problem is the rear window zipper. The teeth are plastic and deformed where it gets tight, coming around the passenger side radius at the top. That is a bigger issue...I had to duct tape it closed so the dogs wouldn't escape on the 500 mile trip home. That zipper is completely broken and I'll need to replace it. While I'm at it, I will replace them all with steel zipper teeth.

Second issue is Mud...I hate mud. We found ONE spot that was a nasty, sticky mess. I was trail leader for this run and dropped into it. Hadn't seen ANYTHING like it anywhere else the whole trip, and sure enough, I dropped down into the flippin rut that was almost as deep as my tire is tall. Made it through fine. After the other guys in my group (who were in factory pick-ups) saw that, they were like, NOPE! So, I turned around and had to go back through it. Coming back through took a couple tries, since I was diff'ed out on the rut trying to climb out. This little escapade plugged up my trans cooler and radiator, so I had things running a bit warmer than normal. Trans was around 180-200 and my coolant was about on the zero or just to the right on the 210 mark. Found a hose and sprayed it out a bit to get back to a place where I could actually clean it. I still need to inspect and clean, but for the 500 mile trip home at 70-80 mph, temps were stable (coolant on the 2 of 210 and trans running 130-150), so I'm pretty good there now.
View attachment 560103

That looks work coming.

Third...My stereo conked out! Looks like the remote turn on broke for my amp. I have a Soundstream Picaso Nano and it has broken and been fixed once. I'll have to see if I can source the little connector they use and make a new cable (since you can't buy it as a spare). Its like 24 gage wire, too...

Fourth, and probably the most pressing is my high beams all of a sudden started cutting in an out. Its vibration related, so there is a loose connection, somewhere. My power to the headlights is in an auxiliary harness and I suspect its either a relay or in the PDC where I pulled power, but I gotta track that down. Alternatively, I may pull the auxiliary harness, return to factory and install some Holly Retrobrights (this is probably more likely).

Fifth...I need tires, BADLY. I've tried everything I can think of to get them to run smooth...and they just don't. Balance Beads have worked the best, but since its dynamic, I loose balance as well. Probably going to go with a set of MT Baja Boss or another set of BFGs. I'm leaning toward the Baja Boss AT, since its more of a Hybrid, and I see more than my fair share of mud. I'm tired of running mud terrains 100%.

I've had real issues with BFG lately. I like the KO2 tread on my pickup because they work so well on packed snow but my current set are all not very round so the road force is way out. They used to be good, but not lately.

Sixth, I have something loose in my steering. I don't know what, the usual culprits are all tights, but something is knocking back and forth. Its not something you hear, but its something you can feel in the steering wheel.

Seventh, I need to look at my grill body mount. I noticed yesterday that the Left front fender was moving along with the hood in time to the out of balance tire. Makes me think that the bolt might have backed out (not the first time) and my front end is kinda bouncing around.

Eighth. Time for some control arm maintenance. I've been neglecting this task this year. No squeaks, but I know its time, based on previous history. Been focused on the motorhome and time for my jeep projects and tasks has taken a back seat to everything else (and it shows, based on the list above).

You have Johnny joints, correct? What symptoms do you get when they need service? Asking because I'm chasing a noise in the rear of my Jeep.

 

[Apparition]

Getting a set of 35” Baja Boss AT’s installed on my truck next month. I’m curious to see how much weight they need to balance them.

My Boss mud terrains are pretty good without being balanced.

 

[Mike_H]

Getting a set of 35” Baja Boss AT’s installed on my truck next month. I’m curious to see how much weight they need to balance them.

My Boss mud terrains are pretty good without being balanced.

I have 33" Baja Boss ATs right now on my Colorado. They are very good. I don't remember them taking an obscene amount of weight.

 

[Mike_H]

Beautiful. I love Lake Superior.

That looks work coming.

I've had real issues with BFG lately. I like the KO2 tread on my pickup because they work so well on packed snow but my current set are all not very round so the road force is way out. They used to be good, but not lately.

You have Johnny joints, correct? What symptoms do you get when they need service? Asking because I'm chasing a noise in the rear of my Jeep.

I do have Johnny Joints. I just know they need service, since in my environment (clay mud) the grease dries up and they get stiff. Once the water gets in, the balls start to rust, too. They aren't creaking or squeaking yet, but I just know they are due.

 

[NashvilleTJ]

Beautiful. I love Lake Superior.

…

Never gives up ‘er dead…

 

[Woodrow]

Never gives up ‘er dead…

RIP Gordon Lightfoot...