The "I've finally decided to start the build" build

First items on the readjusted list has been purchased and on the way. I've got a 2k mile round trip to make in the spring, so I'm going to start with some creature comforts for it! I've been reading and consulting y'all here for a console sub repair/replace/upgrade.

I'm going with the Kicker CompRT mini sub and Kicker PXA300.4 that RangerRick suggested in his how-to. After reading it multiple times, and asking a lot of questions both here and from some folks I know at work, it looks like that I'll be running it bridged and wire the coils parallel. Since I'll have the console out, I'm going also install the sound deadening. I'm going to start with the 80 mil stuff, and see if it is enough. Bobthetj03 mentioned above that for the work the 170 mil would be better, and I figure the worst case scenario would be that I'd just layer the 170 over the 80 like Chris did for 250 total.
 
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Muahahaha!

The last of my goodies arrived today! I might, or might not be able to do anything for a bit though. My BIL is in the hospital, and I've been there since Friday, but once the dust settles, I've got a project!

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Sorry out your BIL. I did the same upgrade in mine and it makes a big difference. (Mine was blown out though so anything would have been better. I used the Kicker 12px200.1 for the amp and put it in the center console.
 
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Sorry out your BIL. I did the same upgrade in mine and it makes a big difference. (Mine was blown out though so anything wouldnhave been better. I used the Kicker 12px200.1 for the amp and put it in the center console.
Thanks for the sentiment. I've been brothers with him for nearly 30 years, and he truly is my best friend as well. He's got a long road ahead of him, and I'm glad I get the opportunity to make the trip with him.

I will probably change the amp out in the future for the 200.1 monoblock, and use the 4 channel to run the dash and sound bar in the future. I just thought that for now I can get the size figured out for this amp for the best location to mount it, and then plot the course for future shuffling of equipment. I've already got a self contained 10 inch sub and amp on a quick disconnect in the back, and hopefully when all is said and done I'll have a nicely balanced system that sounds great!
 
  • Noico Sound Deadening: Self-explanatory. Since it's on the road a lot, why not make it quieter? I'm unsure of doing the 170mil insulation as of yet, but I'm open to it if the right argument can be made. It's a rag top so I'm on the fence.
  • Armrest Sub Replacement: I've already got one of these installed, but the bigger issue is the sub in the console. It sounds terrible.
Finished these two over the last couple of days. Took longer than I thought, but the results are outstanding! Breaking down the interior went quick enough, it was the cleanup of the tub, and puzzle piecing the sound deadener in place that I was surprised by. I wanted a pro job, and I took my time to make sure it was done properly. Working the amp in required that I rework some wiring I had in place for a self contained sub/amp combo I have in back. I'm admittedly not a audio expert, and I read, and reread several times the manuals just to make sure I didn't set anything on fire. I ended up running 4 guage in from the battery and split off at a distribution block down to 8 guage to each 300w amp. I used a 100 amp fuse for the 4 gauge, and a 50 amp for each 8 guage lead to the amps. When listening to it this afternoon, it was a night and day difference!
 
I was off work yesterday and decided to go ahead and tackle some brake problems I was having. I had a pretty good warped rotor up front, and I was going to hold out for the black magic pads, but decided to go ahead with a good set of ceramics coupled with some new centric rotors I sourced locally. While I was at it, I went ahead and flushed the master cylinder and brake lines with new, clear brake fluid. I also refreshed the clutch fluid from the reservoir by suctioning out the old, and replacing it with new.

I later went out and put the extra 1156 LED bulb that I had ordered for the underhood light in my taillight for a replacement for one of the reverse lamps. It does so well, I've ordered one for the other side!😉
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We're expecting upwards to a foot of snow this weekend, and the temp is dropping fast, but who cares? I'm installing some parts!

Thanks to @Dan T. for a new to me factory air breather box to replace a CAI that the PO had put in. It was going easy enough until I broke a very brittle PCV elbow valve. Couldn't hurt to replace it anyway, so I took my daughter's KJ down to O'Reilly's and picked up a new one with accompanying house, and clamps. While there I nabbed a new Wix air filter.
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Next on the list was the Chevy underhood reel light. Too easy.
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After all this I made a trip to the store, and noticed that my rough idle had seemed to have abated. Purred smoothly the whole ride when coming to stop at a light. Unsure why at this point, but I'll take it!
 
Glad the part found a good mew home. Well done


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We're expecting upwards to a foot of snow this weekend, and the temp is dropping fast, but who cares? I'm installing some parts!

Thanks to @Dan T. for a new to me factory air breather box to replace a CAI that the PO had put in. It was going easy enough until I broke a very brittle PCV elbow valve. Couldn't hurt to replace it anyway, so I took my daughter's KJ down to O'Reilly's and picked up a new one with accompanying house, and clamps. While there I nabbed a new Wix air filter.
View attachment 79984

Next on the list was the Chevy underhood reel light. Too easy.
View attachment 79985

After all this I made a trip to the store, and noticed that my rough idle had seemed to have abated. Purred smoothly the whole ride when coming to stop at a light. Unsure why at this point, but I'll take it!

Happy to take some of that snow here in Atlanta


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Happy to take some of that snow here in Atlanta


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You can have it, brother. I'm ready for spring to get here myself. There's a gentleman here on the forum that's only down the street from me that said he'd show me some of the local trails he knows of when the snow melts!
 
It's been kinda quiet on the jeep parts buying front lately as I've been getting ready for a trip back to my home state of Arkansas to accomplish two things... lots of fishing, and painting various parts of my Jeep.

The left front fender has a couple of places where the paint was lifting, while the grille, cowl, and windshield frame needs some attention as well. While doing this I plan to install new door paddle handles, hinge pins with delrin (sp?) bushings, and since the fenders and grille will be off, I'll go ahead and tackle propping the engine up on some new Brown Dog motor mounts. While there, I might go ahead and rewire the battery terminals, but I'll wait to see how my time is looking. The last thing I want to do is let the crappie and bream off the hook, so to speak. :)

Edit: Aw, to hell with it. I just ordered a set of cables from CustomBatteryCables. Might do that before the trip to save on fishing time.
 
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I’m back!!

Since April I have been traveling all over the nation for both work and fun! I’ve been South Dakota, Florida, Utah, Nevada, and Arkansas 3 separate times. Not to mention the various trips I’ve taken in the Jeep around the state of Colorado. In all of this, I’ve driven all of these, and I’m glad things are kinda dying down for a bit.

One of the earliest trips I made this year was very enjoyable and involved going back to my home state of Arkansas with the intention of painting my Jeep and getting some fishing done. I hadn’t planned to paint the whole vehicle, but once I got started, I figured I might as well take it too far. The unfortunate side effect was that I damn near spent the whole time working and hardly got any fishing done. :(

I thought I’d go ahead and catch up the thread and document my work from April's trip to my dad's shop.

Early breakdown of the rig.
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Added some goodies...
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Prep begins!

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It should be noted here that I bought the jeep with a Bestop Tire Carrier on it. That thing had completely seized to its own bolts in several places, and I decided to remove it entirely, and just go back to a factory tire carrier since this jeep won't be wearing tires above the 31 to 33 inch range in the future. That's why you see a little bit of bondo where I stitched the holes shut, and refinished the corner.
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You might be inclined to wonder why I went down to bare metal in the front cap, and not in the rear. At some point or another, the hood and fenders were painted, and it was either not prepped correctly, or something because it was starting to lift in certain areas. You can see in one of the earlier pics where that was occurring above the left blinker where that was happening. for the windshield surround, and the grill, the paint was original, but had its fair share of rock pecks that were starting to develop surface rust so I took them down as well. As for the rear, the doors, and tub had never been bent up, so all of the paint was original and in good shape. Honestly, if the new paint wouldn't have had a different, better texture and shine, I wouldn't have even bothered to paint the rear because it was in great shape for being 15 years old. That said, if I'm going to do the job, I may as well do a good one.

Moving on! Primer time!!

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New hinge pins along with bushings !
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Took a little time to fish with my dad, brother, and nephew!
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Once sanded and painted, I didn't take many pics of the assembly. It all went pretty quick, and I was running out of time before I had to head back to Denver.

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She came out slick!

Things that I replaced along the way...

1. Old Xenon fender flares that had seen their better days. I replaced them with factory-esque UV protected ones. I've always kinda liked the factory flares for some reason.
2. Antenna assy.
3. Door rubbers and clips
4. Exterior door handles
5. Hinge pins and bushings
6. Blinker assy for front.
7. Factory tire carrier that I picked up a local salvage yard.
8. That custom cables assy I bought before the trip.

I think that was about it! Took a week of solid work, but it came out shiny and ready for the next 15 years!

While I didn't have my dogs with me, my dad's dog (Sophie) made sure I was working hard.
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I've had some other adventures with the Jeep since then too, and I'll try to get that caught up during the course of the long, cold winter.
 
Damn man, that came out looking sharp as hell! It basically looks like a brand new TJ.

I'm going to assume you have experience with painting vehicles? Did you paint it in a booth, or just in your garage?
 
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Damn man, that came out looking sharp as hell! It basically looks like a brand new TJ.

I'm going to assume you have experience with painting vehicles? Did you paint it in a booth, or just in your garage?

Thanks, Chris! Truth be told, I'm supposed to be a 4th gen autobody guy instead of an IT guy. From jr high up through my mid 20's it's what I did for a living. The latter years I got to play with frame straightening and suspension work too!

Dad's shop is at his home since he's retired now, and he doesn't have a booth, but the trick here was that we waited until it rained to keep the air heavy and the dust down. Came out perfect with only a single gnat on the hood!
 
Thanks, Chris! Truth be told, I'm supposed to be a 4th gen autobody guy instead of an IT guy. From jr high up through my mid 20's it's what I did for a living. The latter years I got to play with frame straightening and suspension work too!

Dad's shop is at his home since he's retired now, and he doesn't have a booth, but the trick here was that we waited until it rained to keep the air heavy and the dust down. Came out perfect with only a single gnat on the hood!

I was about to ask how you managed to do it without a booth and not get any dust or anything in the paint. Nice thinking on the rain, that is something I wouldn't have even though of.

It looks like it turned out really nicely, and all that auto body work paid off.

I know what you mean though completely. Somehow I ended up being a web developer, when I'm fairly certain I should have been playing sports or something like that (I have the build for it). Crazy how life works out!
 
I was about to ask how you managed to do it without a booth and not get any dust or anything in the paint. Nice thinking on the rain, that is something I wouldn't have even though of.

It looks like it turned out really nicely, and all that auto body work paid off.

I know what you mean though completely. Somehow I ended up being a web developer, when I'm fairly certain I should have been playing sports or something like that (I have the build for it). Crazy how life works out!

The rain was one of the reasons I waited until the early spring to paint it. With April or May in Arkansas, you can just about guarantee it'll rain several times during the week. Since I abhor the idea of buffing a black vehicle because of the swirls it will leave, I wanted to make sure that I got as slick of a paint job as I could muster. The end result was frankly better than I would've ever guessed, and the only problem is I have a like-new TJ that I cringe to get off road!! Oh well, I learned something with a brand new set of custom made golf clubs I had made for me one time. Take them and beat the shit out of them in a dirt pile for a couple of minutes, then you're free to use them as they were meant to be used since they don't look new anymore! :)
 
Speaking of getting on some trails, I took these on a recent trip down to Great Sand Dunes National Park a few weeks ago. I've got a great submission waiting for the November ride of the month when the thread gets going! Here's some early tastes though!

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It was a gorgeous trip, and had a blast taking Medano Pass down to the park!
 
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The rain was one of the reasons I waited until the early spring to paint it. With April or May in Arkansas, you can just about guarantee it'll rain several times during the week. Since I abhor the idea of buffing a black vehicle because of the swirls it will leave, I wanted to make sure that I got as slick of a paint job as I could muster. The end result was frankly better than I would've ever guessed, and the only problem is I have a like-new TJ that I cringe to get off road!! Oh well, I learned something with a brand new set of custom made golf clubs I had made for me one time. Take them and beat the shit out of them in a dirt pile for a couple of minutes, then you're free to use them as they were meant to be used since they don't look new anymore! :)

I hear you 100%. That's always been my issue with black is that you can see the swirls so easily.

If you really wanted to protect the paint, put some paint protection film on all the painted surfaces. Did that on my Miata (the entire vehicle) and you couldn't even tell it was there. Kept the paint nice and new without any issues whatsoever.

LOL at the golf clubs thing :LOL: