Sab-a-dab-a-doo! The back-country LJ build has officially started

[sab]

I've been seriously distracted by another non-Jeep-related project at the sab homestead lately, but I feel like it's important to make a little progress on the LJ build every weekend. I had about six hours today to work on the LJ. The first LJ-related project was to fix a small issue with the Atlas twin sticks. After I assembled the interior, I discovered that the rubber boot for the front axle sat too high - the top of the boot would pop up through the console slot. This would cause it to bind a bit on the front console slot. The solution (I hope - time will tell) was to put zip ties on the tops of the boots to hold them down:

Next, I started cleaning up the wiring around the transmission and transfer case. I bought the Rubicon control box for the Atlas four-speed, and the control box needed a home, so I made an aluminum bracket for it that mounts to the top bolt for the clutch slave cylinder:

And then I mounted the control box:

The purpose of that control box is to manage the Low and 4WD lights on the dash. I also have to wire in the microswitch for the Atlas four-speed planetary shifter, as well as wire in the power to the control box, and find a place (preferably in the cab) for the Speedohealer.

Stay tuned...

 

[sab]

I had a few hours to work on the LJ today. I mostly spent it finishing up the wiring for the Atlas installation:

I also (finally) performed the PDC wiring modification in Service Bulletin 25-005-13A that fixes the problem with the 2005-6 TJs where you never clear all readiness monitors. Of course, in the typical sab way, I screwed up. At one point, you have to cut just one of two wires right at the end of one of the terminals for the ADC relay in the PDC. I managed to cut both of them. I then had to disassemble the PDC, remove that terminal, carefully de-crimp the terminal, and crimp it back on the wire. That was a two-hour mistake!

I still have to terminate the wires for the Atlas shift position control box and the Speedohealer. I have a conceptual game-plan for that. Stay tuned!

 

[NashvilleTJ]

I had a few hours to work on the LJ today. I mostly spent it finishing up the wiring for the Atlas installation:
View attachment 616591

View attachment 616592

View attachment 616593

I also (finally) performed the PDC wiring modification in Service Bulletin 25-005-13A that fixes the problem with the 2005-6 TJs where you never clear all readiness monitors. Of course, in the typical sab way, I screwed up. At one point, you have to cut just one of two wires right at the end of one of the terminals for the ADC relay in the PDC. I managed to cut both of them. I then had to disassemble the PDC, remove that terminal, carefully de-crimp the terminal, and crimp it back on the wire. That was a two-hour mistake!

I still have to terminate the wires for the Atlas shift position control box and the Speedohealer. I have a conceptual game-plan for that. Stay tuned!

The best of us make mistakes. The mark of a true craftsman is how we recover from said mistakes.

Nice work, Scott.

 

[sab]

The best of us make mistakes. The mark of a true craftsman is how we recover from said mistakes.

Nice work, Scott.

Thanks for the kind words, Jeff. This one was especially disappointing because it was so preventable, and I wouldn't have made this mistake 20 years ago. I had my readers on, but I just couldn't see well enough with them on to avoid cutting both 20 gauge wires. I still need to work on my patience, especially as I age! In the end, it cost me a couple hours, but it turned out better because there's no longer a cut-off stub of wire in that terminal that would have been there if I hadn't made a mistake. No one would ever know I goofed (well, except that I published it here.)

 

[sab]

Sadly, no progress today. I started the day thinking about how to penetrate the firewall with my electrical connections. I talked with @mrblaine and @jjvw via phone and email to get some ideas (thanks again, fellers!), but that's as far as I got. I wanted to clean my rainwater collection pipes today, and they were a lot dirtier than expected, so that took all day. However, it was much needed and well worth the time spent.

And next weekend, I have a function to attend, so there will be no updates. The following weekend I hope to be back at it. Stay tuned!

 

[sab]

The following weekend I hope to be back at it. Stay tuned!

Well, the following weekend came and went, and I didn't get any LJ work done. Instead, I continued work on the rainwater collection system, which is a priority right now. Work on the LJ will continue to be slow for a bit. Stay tuned!

 

[NashvilleTJ]

Well, the following weekend came and went, and I didn't get any LJ work done. Instead, I continued work on the rainwater collection system, which is a priority right now. Work on the LJ will continue to be slow for a bit. Stay tuned!

[UNWATCH]

 

[sab]

[UNWATCH]

No one is more disappointed than I to have other projects take priority. Building a rainwater collection system that will become a household's sole source of water is not for the faint of heart. It's a lot of work, and unfortunately, there is a sense of urgency since the well is about played out...

 

[Apparition]

No one is more disappointed than I to have other projects take priority. Building a rainwater collection system that will become a household's sole source of water is not for the faint of heart. It's a lot of work, and unfortunately, there is a sense of urgency since the well is about played out...

Don't forget to recycle

 

[sab]

Don't forget to recycle

View attachment 620468

Drinkin' pee with snot comin' out your schnozzle. Life's good!

 

[sab]

After weeks of no LJ build activity due to the plethora of homestead-related issues to deal with, I'm working on the LJ again today! I'm working on the mounting system for the aftermarket subwoofer, necessary to make room for the cutting brake master cylinder assembly. For my mounting system, I plan to use two OEM brackets and weld additional steel to them to hold the sub. I posted a WTB in the Wanted Classifieds related to this, but I'll ask here, too.

Do any of you who removed your center console have a set of these brackets you're willing to part with? They attach to the sub housing with two screws and are attached to the front and rear of the center console with push nuts. I looked at fabricating them from scratch, but the OEM ones are about as lightweight as they can be because they are a stamping. Replicating that would be very difficult.

Thanks for reading this post!

 

[sab]

I got the subwoofer bracket designed and ordered from SendCutSend this morning. Here's the design:

And here it is in paper, as it will be installed in the console:

Since it's mounting using existing holes, I didn't put those in the design - I'll drill them to fit. There's a second bracket that will get welded at the top rear, and it will use one of the console insert holes at the top of the console:

With those brackets ordered, I used a mini-belt sander to remove the stiffener ridges on the inside speaker grille so the new subwoofer will sit flat against the inside surface:

Next, I moved on to cutting holes in the side of the console for the subwoofer's speaker, which is rectangular. First, I made a pattern and printed it. Then, the hard part - figuring out where it goes on the outside, lined up with the subwoofer on the inside. Once done, I laid it in place:

I knew that the pattern overlapped the existing grille, so the next step was to transfer the pattern onto the console using a fine-point Sharpie. To do that, I used thick construction paper and cut out the pattern, then traced it on the console. After that, a little creative modification was required to deal with the overlap:

To cut the pattern out, I taped on a new template with the center points marked and drilled the centers with a small drill bit:

I cut all the radii with a hole saw:

And cut between them with a pneumatic body saw:

And, after a bit of clean up, I present the final product:

Hopefully, final assembly will go without any major surprises. I'm a little worried about getting the console in place. The cutting brake levers need to go through the slots and it was a choreographed move to do so without the subwoofer in the console. With the subwoofer in the console, it'll require even more choreography, and for a feller who can't dance to save his soul, that's gonna be a fun experience!

Stay tuned!

 

[sab]

I nearly finished the Atlas wiring today. I say "nearly" because I'm short one Deutsch connector to finish it. Advance Adapters makes a control module for Rubicon models that takes the inputs from the two plunger switches on the shift rails and converts them into a resistance value that the PCM uses with a voltage divider to determine what position the levers are in. The PCM then signals to the instrument panel to illuminate the 4WD and Low range indicators as appropriate. I added a micro-switch to the planetary lever so that it, too, will cause the Low range indicator to light. Besides the Low range dash light being illuminated, the PDC allows start-in-gear on my manual transmission in Low range.

The control box from Atlas needs a 12V power source, so I bought a used PDC to rob connectors from. I added a small relay to my PDC in the empty position (#34) and wired it so the relay coil is powered by Fuse Block Fuse 7 in the "Run" ignition position, and the Atlas control module is powered by PDC Fuse 2. I put a label on the inside cover of the PDC to identify the new relay:

Now I just have to put the Deutsch connector on the Atlas control module when it arrives and test functionality.

And in the spirit of "while I'm in there," I replaced the deteriorating corrugated loom on both the driver-side and passenger-side harnesses that go up the fenders to the lights and down to the ambient air temperature sensors. I used the same F6 woven loom that I did at the rear of the rig. Here's the driver-side harness pulled out:

And after the re-looming and installation:

And the passenger-side under the fender after re-looming:

I was able to re-use the fir-tree cable ties for both harnesses using a small screwdriver to disengage the plastic tab inside.

The subwoofer bracket is supposed to arrive Monday, so next weekend's agenda is to get the center console installed. Stay tuned!

 

[NashvilleTJ]

I nearly finished the Atlas wiring today. I say "nearly" because I'm short one Deutsch connector to finish it. Advance Adapters makes a control module for Rubicon models that takes the inputs from the two plunger switches on the shift rails and converts them into a resistance value that the PCM uses with a voltage divider to determine what position the levers are in. The PCM then signals to the instrument panel to illuminate the 4WD and Low range indicators as appropriate. I added a micro-switch to the planetary lever so that it, too, will cause the Low range indicator to light. Besides the Low range dash light being illuminated, the PDC allows start-in-gear on my manual transmission in Low range.

The control box from Atlas needs a 12V power source, so I bought a used PDC to rob connectors from. I added a small relay to my PDC in the empty position (#34) and wired it so the relay coil is powered by Fuse Block Fuse 7 in the "Run" ignition position, and the Atlas control module is powered by PDC Fuse 2. I put a label on the inside cover of the PDC to identify the new relay:
View attachment 631874

Now I just have to put the Deutsch connector on the Atlas control module when it arrives and test functionality.

And in the spirit of "while I'm in there," I replaced the deteriorating corrugated loom on both the driver-side and passenger-side harnesses that go up the fenders to the lights and down to the ambient air temperature sensors. I used the same F6 woven loom that I did at the rear of the rig. Here's the driver-side harness pulled out:
View attachment 631875

And after the re-looming and installation:
View attachment 631876

And the passenger-side under the fender after re-looming:
View attachment 631877

I was able to re-use the fir-tree cable ties for both harnesses using a small screwdriver to disengage the plastic tab inside.

The subwoofer bracket is supposed to arrive Monday, so next weekend's agenda is to get the center console installed. Stay tuned!

Yeah, yeah, yeah, Scott. I can't get past the fact that you used the incorrect point size for the font on your PDC label. Step up your game there, son...



Nice work as always. I like how you added the low range indicator for the planetary.

 

[sab]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, Scott. I can't get past the fact that you used the incorrect point size for the font on your PDC label. Step up your game there, son...

I know. I'm embarrassed, but in my defense, I noticed the size mis-match, but 6pt font was the smallest my label maker allows. I don't have NashvilleTJ money (clears throat, "Soundstream RCA adapter replacements") to buy a new label maker, so I'll just accept my embarrassment.

Nice work as always. I like how you added the low range indicator for the planetary.

Thanks, Jeff. Compliments from you mean a lot!

 

[AirborneTexasRanger]

What label & label maker do you use?

 

[sab]

What label & label maker do you use?

It's a Brother P-Touch PT-2030. Over a decade old, and has served me well, even if it can't print small enough for PDC labels.

 

[NashvilleTJ]

I know. I'm embarrassed, but in my defense, I noticed the size mis-match, but 6pt font was the smallest my label maker allows. I don't have NashvilleTJ money (clears throat, "Soundstream RCA adapter replacements") to buy a new label maker, so I'll just accept my embarrassment.

...

Touche!

 

[sab]

Touche!

Honestly, what you did with the RCA adapter is likely something I would have done...

 

[sab]

Hey, look - I found the Atlas control module wiring diagram in the FSM:

Who knew?