Updating (backdating?) the TJ grille
- Thread starter jscherb
- Start date
OP
Be curious no longer
Before and after. Removed the fog lights and the bumper hoop for a better view.The way I made the mold, making grilles with no turn signals is very easy - the mold was made with no turn signals so that's easiest and making grills with turn signals like the first one I made involves putting inserts into the mold (also easy but slightly more work than making a grille with no turn signals).
Thank you very much.
OP
A few years ago I built a proof-of-concept pickup using a Dinoot Jeep-style trailer tub I designed as a bed and one of the trailer tub end panels as the back wall of the cab. I did the project to document the process of building a pickup using the trailer tub parts, and since then several have been built by people. I tried a bunch of different grilles and fenders on it, here's what it looks like with the MB-style flat fenders (and a factory TJ grille).
The proof-of-concept truck has a prototype half cab version of my Safari Cab, and it also has a cold-air intake "Cool Cowl" with an air intake mounted on it.
OP
About this grille getting into production...
I just do these projects for my own enjoyment and I'm not in business and I don't sell anything. Occasionally I'll mold a copy of something for a friend for no charge, but I don't ever plan to sell anything. Selling things would take all the fun out of my projects.
Sometimes companies pick up what I've done and put it in production, so if any company or person is interested in doing that I'll be happy to explore it with them. Or if someone wants to find a fiberglass shop and arrange for a small "group buy" run for a forum members they can explore that with me too.
As I said before, I'm thinking of molding maybe one more example before I put the mold away, probably with recesses to support factory JK turn signals, but maybe I'll also mold one without turn signals. Or maybe I'll mold both, it doesn't take too much to make one.
I've got other TJ/LJ projects in the works so I want to get to them so I want to put this project aside soon. I'll start threads on the other projects before too long.
I just do these projects for my own enjoyment and I'm not in business and I don't sell anything. Occasionally I'll mold a copy of something for a friend for no charge, but I don't ever plan to sell anything. Selling things would take all the fun out of my projects.
Sometimes companies pick up what I've done and put it in production, so if any company or person is interested in doing that I'll be happy to explore it with them. Or if someone wants to find a fiberglass shop and arrange for a small "group buy" run for a forum members they can explore that with me too.
As I said before, I'm thinking of molding maybe one more example before I put the mold away, probably with recesses to support factory JK turn signals, but maybe I'll also mold one without turn signals. Or maybe I'll mold both, it doesn't take too much to make one.
I've got other TJ/LJ projects in the works so I want to get to them so I want to put this project aside soon. I'll start threads on the other projects before too long.
OP
Rather than use my pickup as a starting point for a digital installation of the new grille, here's a stock TJ:
And with turn signals in the grille:
Edit: corrected the second set of photos.
And with turn signals in the grille:
Edit: corrected the second set of photos.
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OP
Not sure if your question is meant to be serious, but I'll answer it in a serious way.What do I have to do to become one of your 'friends'?
Usually the people the people I meet in the forums that become friends are people who contribute in some way to my projects without expecting anything in return.
A good example is my friend Donny - he spends a lot of time camping in his Jeep and I met him over at the Expedition Portal when I was designing what became the Trail Kitchen. Donny commented and criticized my design and contributed his extensive experience to the project and the result was a much better kitchen than I probably would have designed by myself. Here's a Trail Kitchen in my LJ, it's now a commercial product - this photo was taken at Easter Jeep Safari last year when the company borrowed my LJ to show off the kitchen in their booth at the vendor expo:
Donny also suggested an idea to accessorize tailgate tables - a "Cutlery Keeper" that fits in the space between the tailbgate and the folded-up table. I sewed one for him to test and it ended up being picked up by another company and it's also on the market, here's a prototype in Donny's JKU (this photo was posed with tools in it but usually Donny has cutlery in it):
All during this time Donny loved the "barn door" I made as part of the custom hardtop I built for my JKU. Replacing the glass liftgate, the barn door is like a "hard upper half door" for the tailgate and converts the tailgate into a full door. So I made one for him. In this video he's demonstrating his barn door; my JKU with its barn door is in the background.
Donny and I get together every time I'm in Florida to talk Jeeps, since I'm in Florida now we're getting together tonight.
Donny is perhaps an extreme example, but the people I've made things for all have added value to my projects in some way.
OP
The Trail Kitchen is a MORryde product, and can be found in the Jeep section of their site, as well as at Quadratec (https://www.quadratec.com/search/morryde), OK4wd (https://ok4wd.com/morryde-jeep-trail-kitchen-kit-mhdjp54-038) and Retrofit Offroad (https://www.retrofitoffroad.com/product-category/jeep-trail-kitchen/), although I don't think any of those retail sites are fully up-to-date with all of the options available (unfortunately the MORryde site isn't up-to-date either).
BTW the Cutlery Keeper idea Donny came up with was picked up by Overland Outfitters (https://www.overland-outfitters.com/). They've got a growing range of products for most Jeep models, including the TJ/LJ and more TJ/LJ stuff on the way soon.
For the record: I am not an employee of any of the companies that offer products that I've designed and I don't sell anything. I do these designs for myself and sometimes companies ask me if they can manufacture and market something I've designed. Sometimes I let them, sometimes I don't
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Thanks, cool stuffThe Trail Kitchen is a MORryde product, and can be found in the Jeep section of their site, as well as at Quadratec (https://www.quadratec.com/search/morryde), OK4wd (https://ok4wd.com/morryde-jeep-trail-kitchen-kit-mhdjp54-038) and Retrofit Offroad (https://www.retrofitoffroad.com/product-category/jeep-trail-kitchen/), although I don't think any of those retail sites are fully up-to-date with all of the options available (unfortunately the MORryde site isn't up-to-date either).
BTW the Cutlery Keeper idea Donny came up with was picked up by Overland Outfitters (https://www.overland-outfitters.com/). They've got a growing range of products for most Jeep models, including the TJ/LJ and more TJ/LJ stuff on the way soon.
For the record: I am not an employee of any of the companies that offer products that I've designed and I don't sell anything. I do these designs for myself and sometimes companies ask me if they can manufacture and market something I've designed. Sometimes I let them, sometimes I don't
Was supposed to be a bit of a joke. (Thus the winking emoge) Apparently I'm just as funny on-line as I am at home.
OP
For the photos I've taken so far, I've had amber turn signal lenses installed in the grille:
I like the look of the amber lenses, but many factory CJ's had clear lenses:
I'm on my way back north after visiting mom in Florida and today I stopped at a big rig "chrome shop"; these shops are a good source for a lot of things that we can use on our Jeeps, including lights. I picked up these clear lens units with amber LEDs:
Most LEDs like these are single function but the CJ and TJ front turn signals are dual function with separate turn and marker lights. No problem though, it's easy to wire single function LEDs so they have separate running light and turn signal functions.
I like the look of the amber lenses, but many factory CJ's had clear lenses:
I'm on my way back north after visiting mom in Florida and today I stopped at a big rig "chrome shop"; these shops are a good source for a lot of things that we can use on our Jeeps, including lights. I picked up these clear lens units with amber LEDs:
Most LEDs like these are single function but the CJ and TJ front turn signals are dual function with separate turn and marker lights. No problem though, it's easy to wire single function LEDs so they have separate running light and turn signal functions.
OP
Popped the clear lens LEDs in the grille this morning.
These are single function LEDs; in this video I've wired them for dual functions with different brightness:
These are single function LEDs; in this video I've wired them for dual functions with different brightness:
OP
This hood is a little bent and doesn't fit perfectly but it's good enough to give an idea of what the grille will look like when installed with the flat fenders.
OP
Thank you. Factory appearance is a design goal for most of my fiberglass projects. My goal for this one was for it to look like the factory did an updated version using design cues from the CJ and the JL.