This page is not linked anywhere on photoshopscaresme.com so if you’re reading this either you’re a mate that I’ve shared the URL with, or I forgot to update the robots file again. Either way, hello, welcome.
This is my build log for a 2016 Jeep Wrangler. I’m doing so much to it that I thought I should write it all down. The page lists the parts used, not the sales tax, the shipping costs, the labour charges or the hundreds of hours tinkering and researching. If I had to guess I’d say that my thirty grand stock jeep has cost me about, well, lots. So far.
Shopping List
Here’s the parts list in no particular order. The items crossed out were installed and then I changed my mind.
| Vehicle | M000 | Jeep Wrangler Unlimited sport | $30,000 | plus California fees | |
| Trim | M009 | $100 | looks great but there are angrier ones on eBay now | ||
| M052 | ‘Mountain’ door decal | $30 | Don’t do this. Was a nightmare to install | ||
| M054 | Various ‘Vendetta’ decals | $10 | |||
| M054 | $5 | ||||
| M025 | $35 | Replaced with the louvre below | |||
| M076 | $10 | Doesn’t really work. | |||
| M007 | $18 | Removed because it clashed with the roof rack | |||
| M021 | Bushwacker hood scoop | $55 | |||
| M012 | Sunluway Cowls | $15 | |||
| M010 | Rugged Ridge stone guard | $70 | Impossible to install correctly. I’ve gone through two | ||
| M061 | Shift knob | $40 | |||
| M061 | 4×4 shift knob | $30 | |||
| M071 | Door handle cover trims | $30 | |||
| M045 | Door handle scratch protectors | $40 | actually needed, not just for looks | ||
| M062 | Red shift knob plate | $15 | |||
| M024 | Window Tinting | $450 | Love this look but already damaged 3 of them when cargo bumped them. | ||
| M069 | Rugged Ridge entry guard | $30 | |||
| M095 | Trail Badge and backlight | $40 | Saw this on YouTube and had to have it | ||
| M100 | Hood bump delete kit | $10 | |||
| M083 | Interior pillar moulding | $25 | Sigh. I ruin stuff by experimenting | ||
| M113 | Solid door pockets | $160 | Damn, that’s a lot of money | ||
| M054 | Jeep Wave Decal x2 | $14 | 4 mirrors, therefore 2 decal packs | ||
| M075 | Legacy license plate | $50 | |||
| M009 | Shark front grill | $300 | wow, just realized this is 300% more than the one it replaces | ||
| M121 | Roof headliners | $300 | |||
| M133 | Lighted whip | $60 | |||
| M113 | $20 | ||||
| M113 | Cloth door pocket with cupholder | $40 | |||
| M143 | Console storage | $30 | |||
| M154 | Incredible new switches | $10 | |||
| M157 | Truck Bed Liner paint | $40 | For the outside of the hardtop | ||
| Lighting | M019 | OEM switch console | $70 | way too expensive | |
| M027 | Rigid Ind fog lamps x2 | $400 | |||
| M046 | $40 | ||||
| M026 | $600 | ||||
| M028 | $400 | ||||
| M079 | Rock lights x32 | $200 | both red and white used as bed, rock and display lights | ||
| M046 | LED side turn signals | $15 | |||
| M030 | Rigid Ind front flood lights x2 | $400 | |||
| M057 | $200 | Love these. I modified them with the arrows and additional blinkers. Got two sets, one for the normal doors and one for the trail doors | |||
| M058 | $100 | I’ve purchased and thrown away 4 different versions of these. They simply are not effective. | |||
| M058 | ModifyStreet side mirrors x2 | $260 | I’ve purchased these for both the winter and summer doors. | ||
| M058 | LED blinker on mirror x2 | $30 | |||
| M043 | Rigid Ind reversing lights x2 | $250 | |||
| M042 | 3 rd brake light | $35 | love this | ||
| M022 | $60 | ||||
| M055 | $140 | These things rattled like crazy. You get what you pay for. | |||
| M055 | Rigid Ind side flood lights x2 | $1,100 | |||
| M051 | Rigid Ind rear flood lights x2 | $400 | |||
| M068 | Interior red LEDs | $10 | |||
| M067 | Interior white strip LEDs | $10 | |||
| M048 | $15 | Not needed now I have the amazing 3rd light | |||
| M019 | LED switches x8 | $160 | Well worth the money (see below) | ||
| M102 | Entry courtesy lights | $35 | They project a Jeep logo! | ||
| M118 | Rear window work light | $30 | Its actually not, but with some small modifying… | ||
| M088 | Devil Lights switch | $15 | |||
| M122 | $30 | ||||
| M046 | Amber turn signals | $30 | |||
| M026 | $160 | ||||
| M028 | $30 | these are insanely cheap | |||
| M028 | $60 | pretty good | |||
| M028 | 12″ Triple row yellow light bar | $40 | |||
| M026 | $130 | ||||
| M138 | 3rd brake light | $15 | |||
| M026 | $110 | ||||
| M140 | Flowing Blinker Strips | $15 | |||
| M026 | $350 | I’m done changing headlights now. These are amazingly bright | |||
| M022 | Rear LED Brake / Turn lights | $100 | |||
| M026 | YEEGO Angle Eye headlights | $90 | Last lot failed. Again. | ||
| M191 | Engine bay lights | $60 | |||
| Armor | M029 | Poison Spyder front bumper | $900 | wish I’d got the one with the towing loops | |
| M040 | Poison Spyder rear bumper & carrier | $1,700 | |||
| M011 | $90 | Look stupid and I hardly ever mount them | |||
| M076 | $125 | ||||
| M076 | $15 | ||||
| M034 | Poison Spyder rock sliders | $1,000 | These clash with the lifts so they need to be modified by the shop | ||
| M104 | Poison Spyder front inner and rear inner fenders | $800 | added rock lights to these | ||
| M094 | Transmission skid plate | $150 | |||
| M094 | Transfer case skid plate | $200 | |||
| M094 | Oil pan skid plate | $100 | |||
| M096 | 2x Poison Spider diff cover | $200 | Actually purchased 3, now that I’ve added 44’s on the front. | ||
| M094 | Fuel tank skid plate | $150 | |||
| M076 | Hood hold downs | $50 | |||
| Audio | M008 | $15 | looks good but doesn’t work as well as the stock one | ||
| M023 | PolkAudio speakers | $150 | |||
| M013 | $200 | Superb just doesn’t have carplay | |||
| M013 | $700 | ||||
| M059 | Rockford subwoofer | $300 | |||
| M064 | Rockford amplifier | $220 | |||
| M059 | Under-seat tray x2 | $120 | overpriced | ||
| M013 | $40 | damn buzzing is driving me nuts | |||
| M013 | Handbrake bypass | $15 | essential | ||
| M020 | Poly-Fil | $10 | |||
| M013 | $140 | waste of money | |||
| M013 | Low profile ODB II splitter | $10 | so that I can also use the HUD | ||
| M008 | 2′ CB antenna & spring | $30 | |||
| M008 | KEY01E stubby antenna | $35 | |||
| M013 | $700 | finally, FM I can listen to | |||
| M131 | Dash-mount USB / AUX port | $10 | |||
| M148 | American SoundBar Kicker Kit | $1,000 | |||
| M013 | Alpine iLX507 | $650 | |||
| Security | M002 | Door actuators | $20 | needed on a 4 door | |
| M003 | $300 | essential | |||
| M001 | $300 | I love this. It’s the only one of its kind Unreliable at best. | |||
| M016 | Smittybilt fire extinguisher | $25 | |||
| M074 | Rear grab bars | $25 | |||
| M006 | Front grab bars | $25 | |||
| M073 | ‘Oh shit’ Grab handles | $15 | I replace thee every year because UV destroys them | ||
| M070 | Rotopax 2 gallon cans x2 | $160 | these balloon alarmingly | ||
| M070 | Rotopax DLX mount x2 | $80 | |||
| M070 | Rotopax L bracket x2 | $70 | According to Poison Sypder I have the only rear tire carrier that’s been modified for gas cans. Their design reps asked me to send pictures 😉 | ||
| M074 | Secret garage door opener | $20 | I know this is silly but hiding a button on your dash that opens the door is awesome. | ||
| M083 | TPMS | $100 | Why do they only come with 4 sensors when I have 5 wheels? | ||
| M085 | Air horn high (x2) and air horn low (x2) | $260 | Moar cowbell! | ||
| M091 | Heads up display | $40 | this should default on all cars | ||
| M106 | Shackle brackets | $60 | No idea why the front bumper doesn’t have these | ||
| M081 | Hi-Lift Jack 48″ | $230 | plus all the accessories (boots, tree savers etc) | ||
| M110 | Locking Cubby Cover | $180 | wish I could get this on the same key as the doors | ||
| M016 | Extinguisher holder | $20 | |||
| M111 | Cargo Cover | $50 | |||
| M112 | Back-up camera | $15 | amazing value | ||
| M001 | Dashcam | $650 | Probably the best available | ||
| M117 | Front camera | $60 | 60 is the aggregate cost of all the cameras I’ve tried. This one is actually $20 and is the best | ||
| M117 | Small switch | $10 | used to toggle front and rear cameras | ||
| M099 | Locking door hinge | $30 | |||
| M123 | JeepUnique CB and walkie-talkie holder | $40 | |||
| M124 | 4′ CB antenna, spring and bracket | $40 | |||
| M124 | Cobra C75WXST CB radio and tuner | $140 | |||
| M124 | 5 DIN panel mount plug | $40 | |||
| M117 | $10 | used to toggle front and rear cameras | |||
| M003 | Viper 1 way security & VSM550 GPS system | $350 | |||
| M128 | Tuffy security deck enclosure | $440 | |||
| M136 | 2x JeepUnique Midland Radio clips | $60 | |||
| M137 | Headrest grab handles | $20 | |||
| M144 | Tiny horn | $15 | |||
| M144 | Horn switch | $5 | |||
| M146 | Escape Hammer / Cutter | $15 | |||
| M153 | Tuffy Glove Box | $200 | |||
| M158 | weboost overland | $500 | |||
| Infrastructure | M078 | Magnaflow rear exhaust | $500 | ||
| M056 | Poison Spyder hood louvre | $185 | Scariest install I’ve ever done. | ||
| M035 | Poison Spyder rear flares | $670 | |||
| M033 | Poison Spyder front flares | $670 | |||
| M032 | ProComp 17” 7036 wheels | $750 | |||
| M032 | $1,200 | Loved the look but going bigger | |||
| M063 | Genesis dual battery | $1,400 | Way too much fun installing this. | ||
| M089 | Harness connectors – various sizes | $100 | You can’t easily reuse installed connectors, just cut them off and start again. | ||
| M089 | Cigar lighter | $10 | I’ve tried several of these as I keep changing my mind and relocating. This one is the best | ||
| M088 | sPod with air gauge | $700 | Added cool switches too | ||
| M089 | WARN power interrupt kit x2 | $140 | way overpriced | ||
| M087 | aFe Momentum GT Pro Guard7 cold air intake | $400 | |||
| M092 | Spider Web half doors with easy on door guides and locks | $580 | Time for more trail air! | ||
| M098 | Drive shaft | $1,000 | |||
| M032 | 37″ Goodyear kevlar tires | $2,150 | wow, these are expensive and don’t look as good | ||
| M097 | 2x ARB locking diffs | $2,000 | |||
| M098 | 4.88 gear set | $425 | 14MPG tops now. Sigh. | ||
| M093 | FOX steering stabilizer | $500 | |||
| M093 | $300 | ||||
| M093 | $400 | ||||
| M093 | Exhaust spacers | $50 | |||
| M093 | Exhaust loop delete | $90 | |||
| M093 | 3.5″ lift kit | $3,500 | Drives well on and off the freeway | ||
| m116 | Extra fuse panel | $25 | |||
| M119 | G2 big brake kit | $1,600 | installed price. Parts were $950 | ||
| M120 | Dynatrac ball joints | $1,350 | installed price. Parts were $550 | ||
| M149 | Ultimate Dana 44 Front Axle | $7,200 | installed price. Parts were $5200 | ||
| M093 | MetalCloak Durotrak track bar | $200 | |||
| M093 | MetalCloak HD Steering System | $800 | |||
| Utility | M036 | Garvin roof rack & half basket | $1,000 | ||
| M039 | Garvin side ladder | $200 | waste of money. Looks cool | ||
| M037 | Garvin wind reflector | $160 | |||
| M034 | $140 | replaced with a ‘spider’ pattern one | |||
| M034 | $180 | Loved this. Just fancied red. | |||
| M049 | Alien red sunshade | $100 | |||
| M049 | $100 | replaced with a red one | |||
| M060 | Rugged Ridge floor liners | $100 | |||
| M066 | Tie-down D-rings | $15 | very useful | ||
| M053 | Easy top bolts | $10 | |||
| M014 | $10 | ||||
| M015 | 110v power outlet | $20 | Modified this to be installed as a proper outlet in the centre console | ||
| M050 | $160 | ||||
| M018 | Cargo Compartment first aid kit | $20 | |||
| M080 | Trench cover | $80 | greatest invention for Jeep owners ever! | ||
| M084 | Smittybilt XRC Winch with Poison Spyder fairlead mount . Synthetic cable, fairlead and shackle . | $580 | waste of money. Until it isn’t. | ||
| M082 | BOLT hi-lift door mount | $350 | the 48″ jack goes on it. The base, boot, and other stuff goes in a box in the trunk | ||
| M065 | Red rollbar cover | $290 | |||
| M034 | Spider web cargo cover | $300 | Damn it, I waste a lot of money on silly shit | ||
| M086 | ARB Twin on-board air compressor with Manifold and Mounting plate | $650 | |||
| M088 | Digital air gauge | $80 | |||
| M115 | 2x Door hinge step | $85 | |||
| M114 | Tailgate table | $80 | |||
| M086 | EZdeflator, ARB inflator kit & Tire Gauge | $90 | |||
| M014 | USB type-C outlet | $20 | |||
| M125 | Rollbar bag | $30 | not sure about this | ||
| M125 | Trail pouch | $20 | seems less than useless | ||
| M125 | rubbish sack | $40 | |||
| M125 | Side rollbar storage bags | $70 | |||
| M126 | Cargo sunshade | $180 | |||
| M132 | Trailer harness mounting bracket | $10 | |||
| M132 | Trailer hitch wiring harness | $20 | |||
| M134 | OCD Console Organizer | $20 | |||
| M135 | Power charger panel | $30 | |||
| M141 | Flashlight and holder | $30 | |||
| M142 | Bottle opener | $25 | |||
| M150 | 3 pin connector | $20 | |||
| M150 | Dual battery trickle charger | $120 | |||
| M151 | LED fuses | $50 | |||
| M155 | Winch cover | $15 | |||
| M156 | Rear trunk bag | $40 |
This is my toy the day she arrived.
A few months later I snapped these
And now, a year later, with the sun in full force, I get to take the top and doors off.
We’ve just completed our first successful run at the Rubicon Trail. Woohoo!!
Summer is over, now we’re dressed for the winter.
We’ve just completed the Rubicon again. This time we pulled the teeth off the front diff ring. Not sure what to do about that, but here’s a nice video and a few photos.
Professional Helpers
I really wanted to do as much of the build as possible myself. However, some things are just outside of my skill set. Here’s who has helped me.
4 Wheel Parts
4 Wheel Parts of San Jose did the initial build. They added the front and rear bumpers, rock sliders, tire carrier, roof rack, driving lights, floodlights, and rear floods. They did a less than average job. I had to rewire all the electrics, the tire carrier broke within the first month because they’d installed it badly, and the paint job on the rear bumper is terrible. They don’t care. They charged me $16,000 of which about $10,000 was labour. Avoid.
Auto Sound of San Jose
Not knowing anything about security I went to these cowboys to install the front and rear camera system, the remote central locking, and the GPS tracker. They did everything wrong. After 3 visits they basically told me it was too hard to work on Jeeps and I should go somewhere else next time. It’s taken me almost a year to get the cameras working correctly because of how badly they messed up.
The Car Stereo Company
The Car Stereo Company of Mountain View are superb. It took them two goes, but they basically fixed everything that Auto Sound had messed up. I highly recommend them.
Arabia’s Overkill
Arabias Overkill are the masters. In just five days these guys added 3.5″ lifts, replaced the drive train gearing and added locking diffs and skid plates. I love what they’ve done and I’m going on the Jeepers Jamboree with them later in the year to really test their work. They charged me $18,000, of which $8,000 was labour.
Build Log
(Things didn’t always happen in the order I’ve documented them here)
The starting point.
My much loved 2006 2dr soft-top was stolen so I need to start again. It must be a very cold day in hell because I’ve replaced it with a 4dr hard-top. It’s a crap colour too.
I’m going to use this page as a log for every single change I make to the ‘platform’. Regardless of how awesome or how trivial. It’s been 3 weeks since it was delivered and all the awesome bits are still being painted. I’ve spent the time adding junk to the car to make me happy and to distract from the bland colour.
The boring starting point: Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sport in Crystal Metallic, Automatic, Track-Loc, 3.73 ratio, Black 3-Piece Hard Top.
Mod1: dashcam
I’ve replaced the interior mirror with one that has an inbuilt front and rear, constant recording dash cam. This is the only one on the market that I could find that records front and back at the same time.
Mod2: remote central locking
Given that I now have the awkwardness of 5 doors, I’ve added central locking. Absolutely bugger to install but well worth it.
Mod3: GPS tracking
It was 5 weeks from the time my last Jeep was stolen to the time they found the remaining wreak down a ravine 10 miles from my house. So I’ve added Viper Remote GPS Tracking, locking and alarm
Mod4: garage Door opener
Nobody wants a garage door opener clipped to their visor so I took it apart, added a proper switch and mounted it to the driver’s side door column.
Mod5: sun visor sticker replacement
OK, this is the silliest of the mods I’m likely to document but I really hate those huge yellow warning stickers on the sun visors, so I purchased replacement funny one with things like “warning: remove tight clothing”. But then I realized 2 things a) I’m not 14 b) there’s no point replacing a big yellow sticker with another big yellow sticker. Turns out they make Duct Tape in sheets. Who knew?
Mod6: front grab handles
Or as my wife calls them, Oh shit handles.
I have 4 but can’t work out where to put them in the rear that makes sense. So for now, just 2 up front.
Mod7: gas door
New, nicer filler cap
Mod8: stubby Antenna
Replaced that stupid stock antenna with something a little more stylish.
Mod9: angry grill
The fact that Jeep shares the Wrangler grill with other cars should be a criminal offence. I replaced mine with an angry bird one.
Mod10: hood stone guard
This little bugger doesn’t fit out of the box but with a little persuasion looks rather nice. I ruined one trying to get it on. The current version is 95% installed correctly.
Mod11: hood risers
This might be the silliest addition yet, but in an effort to make it look different I’ve added Hood Risers. I suspect I’ll remove them soon. You’re looking at that black wire that rises from the front of the hood to the top of the windscreen. The idea is that they direct branches away from the glass.
Mod12: cowlings
More nonsense to hide the bland colour.
Mod13: Bluetooth hands-free audio
Time to replace the stock radio with something that connects to my phone
Mod14: powered USB outlets
Bottom right corner of my dash is a large plastic paperclip. On more expensive models the space is used as a second cigar lighter. I have no idea what Jeep thought I would use a paper clip for. Anyway, I replaced it with a much more useful USB power source. Took a fair amount of Dremeling and glue.
Mod15: 110v power outlet
I’ve decided that I need to charge my camera and laptop on long weekends. The laptop drains 85w and the camera considerably less. I purchased this 150w cigar outlet converter and modified it http://amzn.com/B018E6UEUC
First, I threw away everything except the PCB. Then I bonded a new massive heat sink to the existing tiny ones. I did this because the original included a fan and I didn’t want that.
Everything is mounted on the underside of the centre console, taking power off the always-on cigar plug there. I added a switch so the inverter isn’t always running.
The final thing looks unobtrusive and works a treat. I just hope it doesn’t overheat.
Mod16: fire extinguisher
Not really a mod but I said I’d include everything
Mod17: repositioning window crank
I know this is also trivial but it was annoying the hell out of me that the driver’s side window crank was resting against my knee. I used the ‘old rag’ method to pop the jesus spring – worked first time
Mod18: first aid kit
Amazon sells a perfect little (expensive) tin that fits in that little hole in the floor of the Wrangler.
You just need to update the contents to be something more useful
Mod19: OEM switch console mod
I was determined to make use of the blank switches on the centre console. It’s not easy but it’s not impossible. If you screw this up the Mopar replacement part number is 4602995AE. With shipping, it’ll set you back $70
The switches are http://amzn.com/B00A0BAYR8 They fit the blank perfectly but you’ll need to trim off the rear connectors and get your soldering iron out. The switch case is a mess of bits of plastic that you’ll need to Dremel off. Then you’ll need to modify the blank’s mounting tubes to allow for the switch body. Mine doesn’t look 100% even and one day I may take another crack at this (I still have the spare part).
I just wish I’d have been able to find switches that have a dash light on them too.
On the left is a blue switch that will power the rear floods.
Then there are the 3 OEM switches.
Then we have 3 front facing green ones: Spotlights, Hood Lights, spare
Mod20: better audio
Before I spend money on new speakers (I know that’s coming) I thought I’d try the poly-fil trick the youtubes are all raving about. I only did the overhead bar, there seems no way to sensibly do the front speakers.
At first pass, I think it sounds better. But then I also think I can tell the difference between good and bad wines.
Mod21: vent hood
They claim it helps with the air conditioning. They’re probably lying.
Mod20: better audio REDUX
I’ve now added the poly-fil to the front speakers.
Mod22: LED rear lights
Nicer rear lights.
Mod23: new speakers
Decided to upgrade the speakers to see if it’ll make a difference. I know I’m just dancing around the lack of sub-woofer, but I really don’t want to build a box.
Mod24: tinted windows
50% on the front windows, 15% on the rest
Mod25: black hood decal
Another attempt to hide the boring colour
Mod26: new headlights
Upgraded the headlights to something that lets me actually see
Mod27: new fog light
Upgraded the fog lights to LED (Dually Flood)
Mod28: new driving lights
added driving lights on the bumper bar
Mod29: front bumper
Got the Poison Spyder Brawler bumper. Painted matt black
Mod30: hood lights
Additional lights for annoying people
Mod31 & 32: new wheels and tires
Upgraded to the 17″ ProComp 7036 wheels with Mickey Thompson Baja ATZ P3 Radial Tires 33″
Mod33: front flares
upgraded to the Poison Spyder Slim Crusher Flares
Mod34: rock sliders
added the Poison Spyder Rocker Knockers sliders
Mod35: rear flares
upgraded to the Poison Spyder Narrow Crusher Flares
Mod36, 37, 38: roof rack, basket and windshield
Added the Garvin Adventure Rack, half basket and wind deflector
Mod39: ladder
Added the Garvin Adventure Side Ladder
Mod40, 41: rear bumper & tire carrier
Added the Poison Spyder RockBrawler II Rear Bumper with Tire Carrier
Mod42: 3rd brake light
Added a pair of lug nut brake lights to the tire carrier. Really not sure I like this mounting plate.
Mod43: reversing lights
added additional LED reversing lights (Dually) to the rear bumper. They’re not as bright as I’d hoped. I might have to add more
Mod44: cargo net
replaced the hardtop (until it rains) with the Smittybilt Cargo net. Like all things Smitty it doesn’t quite fit the way you think it should.
Mod42: 3rd brake light REDUX
The shop installed the 3rd brake light when they installed the tire carrier. I hated it. It looked silly and was very impractical, so I’ve redone it. And I’ve improved the placement of the rear camera (very centre of picture)
Mod45: door handle protectors
another in my series of trying to hide the boring colour of the Jeep: door handle scratch guards
Mod46: LED blinkers
And now there’s not a single stock light on the vehicle. They really should sell Jeeps as a bare platform and not a complete car
Mod47: grab handles
Seems the Jeep is a tad high for some people, and so grab handles are needed
Mod48: 4th brake light
I decided that I almost never use the hitch so I may as well get some value from it
Mod49: sunshade
With the hard top off, and the cargo net on the back it looks cool but my wife and I got very badly sunburned on a long drive last weekend, so we now have the Alien Sun Shade. It looks great and fits perfectly over the cargo net
Mod8: not so stubby REDUX
The stubby 4″ antenna was just terrible; barely found any radio stations.
So let’s try this again with a 13″ one.
Mod50: cargo liner
OK, so this is another of those silly ones. Our dog destroys the Jeep so this time around we’ve lined the cargo space with a wipe clean surface.
Trust me, in real life, it looks nowhere near as gaudy as in the picture
Mod51: rear flood lights
Even though I’ve got LEDs in the new rear light housings, and LEDs built into the new rear bumper, occasionally it’s still dark out. So we added the same floods as we have on the front for when we’re going backwards.
Damn, that’s a lot of light!
Mod52: door decal
I prettied up the side view with some nice decals.
I strongly advise you not to do this. The decals are $30 but I had to buy two because I screwed up the first one so badly. The second ones I took to a professional and it took him over an hour and cost me $100. Don’t do this.
Mod53: hardtop lockdown bolts
I decided to replace the hardtop bolts with hand-tightened ones instead. A minor mod I know, but it makes a big difference
Mod54: general decals
Everything is black so I added a splash of colour with V sticker
I was given a “don’t follow me” decal so I popped it on the back window. With the tinting, you can’t see it
Mod55: side flood lights
I really wanted side floods for camping but they’re hellishly expensive so I purchased some off-brand ones from Amazon. They work great. Rather than buy expensive mounts I’ve drilled them straight into the roof rack. It seems stable.
When the factory installed the roof rack they just zip tied a bunch of cables to the frame for the various lights. It looked ugly. So I’ve drilled the frame and routed the cables. There’s even a disconnect so I can remove the rack easily.
Mod55: side flood lights REDUX
the side lights are rattling like crazy. I’ve changed how they’re mounted but it’s not helping. A friend has suggested that it might be the wires rattling inside the rack’s tubing. To overcome this I’ve filled all tubing with expanding foam.
Mod56: hood Louvre
OK, this is easily the scariest thing I’ve done on the Jeep. Deciding that the black decal was not sufficient, I cut massive sections of the hood away and installed the Black Spyder Louvre.
It looks fantastic and lets the engine cool when I’m in Death Valley. (I sprayed the little spider red too)
Mod57: side mirrors
Xpite makes superb side mirrors that contain both a forward facing blinker and peripheral vision floodlights. With these babies, I now have full 180-degree lighting from the driver’s head position. Awesome.
Mod58: better blinkers
The side mirrors are great if you’re looking at the jeep front on. I added side blinkers and rear-facing running arrows. There’s no excuse now for other cars to say they didn’t know I was turning.
Mod59: subwoofer
I really didn’t want to build a subwoofer box but the jeep is just lacking in good music when the top is off. Thankfully, the guys at Crutchfield introduced me to the powered self-contained subwoofer that’s designed to fit under a seat.
I had to make a little platform for it but the sound is great.
Mod60: rubber floor mats
I added front and rear rubber floor mats a while ago, I just forgot to mention it them here.
Mod19: OEM console switches REDUX
I finally figured out how to add lighted switches to the centre console! A vendor on Alibaba is now making them but they switch negative, not positive power. Very confusing. It’s taken me weeks to work out how to get them to work (the secret is an additional relay – build thread here).
[update: Amazon now sell the switches too. Link above in the table]
Mod49: sunshade REDUX
they now make coloured sun shades! Woot. Changed mine out for a red one.
Mod61: shift knob upgrades
and now the gear knobs match the floor mats.
Mod62: centre console upgrade
More red! For no reason, I’ve added a splash of colour to the centre console
Mod63: dual batteries
There are now so many lights on the Jeep that I fear getting a flat after a long night out.
It took most of the day but I’ve now rewired all the ‘extras’ on the vehicle to go to the second battery in the Genesis dual kit. The installation is quite easy but a little scary.
Most people hide the control switch somewhere near the steering column. I put mine by the parking brake.
Mod54: general decals REDUX
I know, I know, I need to stop with the silliness. The V decal came with a smaller one that I’ve now decided to splash on the front bumper.
Mod44: cargo net REDUX
and now a red cargo net too! This is great. Finally some colour on my dull Jeep.
Mod64: powered amplifier
Now that the audio makes all the right noises it just doesn’t seem to get it loud enough. I’ve made another little platform (hidden under the carpet) and I now have an external powered amplifier under the passenger’s seat.
Mod55: side flood lights REDUX II
I can’t stop these damn things from rattling so they’re going in the trash. I’m spending the big money on Rigid Ind combined spots and floods. There’s a guy on eBay selling them for offers. I got mine $50 cheaper than the Amazon price.
I was very concerned about routing the cables given that I’d filled the tubes with foam but it’s not an issue. I can’t get the old cables out – they’re locked in solidly, but the new ones pushed through the foam easily.
This time I used proper mounting brackets.
Mod65: roll bar padding
They now make replacement roll bar padding in red! They claim a simple 30 min install but it took me almost 90 mins to work it out. Grrr.
Mod66: cargo strap hooks
keeping my backpacks in place is proving to be a pain, so I’ve added strap hooks to the hardtop quick release fasteners
Mod67: improved interior lights
I spend a lot of time in my Jeep at night (see the rest of this website for the reasons). The interior lights just don’t cut it. Rather and just upgrade the bulbs to super bright LEDS, I’ve added 3 extra LED flexible strip lights to the overhead console – 1 facing forward (as shown), two facing to the rear.
Mod68: night vision interior lights
OK, so flooding the cabin with bright white light is great for reading but it destroys your night vision – not good for a star photographer! So now I’ve added rear-facing red lights. Perfect for finding that spare lens while keeping your pupils open wide.
Mod69: kick guard protection
And now the paint is protected as people climb in and out
Mod70: Spare Gas
Oddly, when I spoke with Poison Spyder about this they were really interested in how I achieved it. Apparently, no one else has this tire-carrier and gas can combo.
Mod71: pretty handles
just some door handle inserts
Mod72: door disconnects
When I added the mirrors and door actuators I wired them straight in to the cabin. Now I’m considering taking the doors off on some trails I’m going on so I need to break the cables. I’ve spent weeks talking to people, searching google and buying the wrong pins for the supplied connectors. I’ve now decided it’s not worth it, so I’ve cut off the supplied ones and replaced them with some after-market modules.
Doing the rear doors was a cake walk. The driver’s side front was a tad harder. The passenger side alone took me two hours. Thanks Jeep for making the wires just too short.
Mod73: rear ‘oh shit’ handles
I finally had a few people in the back of the jeep and they really wanted something to hang on to. Flexible handles added
Mod74: rear grab handles
It seems it’s hard to get in and out of the rear so I’ve added helper bars. Not sure they’re facing the right way. I might turn them around.
Mod7: gas filler REDUX
having a door on the gas filler was really annoying – the roof rack got in the way – so I’ve gone back to a standard filler type.
Mod75: black license plates
In CA if you pay $50 you can get your white license plate replaced with a superb black one.
Mod76: bottle opener
While upgrading the license plate I added a bottle opener. I’ve actually used it a few times but it’s not very robust. You’re better off using the door latch loop.
Mod77: Hood tie downs
Replaced the hood fasteners with something that actually works off-road
Mod42: 3rd brake light REDUX II
Finally, a 3rd brake light that I love!
Mod48: 4th brake light REDUX
With the new 3rd light being so awesome, there was really no reason for the 4th, so I’ve trashed it.
Mod78: rear exhaust
I decided I needed more power down low and also to sound like a bad-ass so I’ve added a Magnaflow rear box. Looks awesome.
Mod79: rock lights
Bored and I had a spare switch, so I added a combo of standard rock lights and some LED spots I had originally purchased as cabin lights but changed my mind.
Mod80: trench covers
The single greatest mod of all time. I don’t understand how Jeeps ship without these. DirtyDog makes little flaps that cover the giant hole created by folding the rear seats flat. Thanks to these covers, I can now sleep more easily in the back, and more importantly, the dog isn’t going to break a leg!
Mod81: Hi-lift Jack
The stock jack just doesn’t cut it, so I’ve upgraded to a 48″ hi-lift plus all the extras. Just because, I’ve also painted the red handle in black rubberized paint and replaced all the cotter-pins with more accessible locking pins. It’s already beginning to show wear. Dumb idea. Don’t paint jack.
Mod82: j-mount
Now that I have the hi-lift I need to carry it somehow. The j-mount seems perfect, and with the locking pin on the base, I can remove the foot so there’s no rattle.
Mod13: radio upgrade REDUX
The Kenwood was nice, but having played with CarPlay in a rental I had, I just had to have it. The Siri integration alone makes it worthwhile. Just need to work out how to get Waze to work on it.
Mod59: subwoofer REDUX
having a sub under the driver’s seat is very cool, except when it rains and you’ve left the roof off, then its just a lot of expensive electronics sitting in a pool of water. A nice guy on eBay makes seat trays to hold your sub off the floor. There’s an annoying bar under the driver’s seat that stops you raising it really high. I did consider removing it, but you know, it might be there for a life-saving reasons.
Mod64: amplifier REDUX
just like the sub, the amp needs to be lifted. The good news is that the passenger seat doesn’t have the annoying bar so you can really raise it up. I realized this after the photo was taken, so this is not a real representation of what I’ve done – the amp sits 2″ higher than shown.
Mod83: Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
I’ll soon have the ability to air up and down the tires so it’s important that I can see how well they’re inflated. My Jeep is the base model so it only comes with a warning light if the tires are flat. This little gadget improves on that. Right now it’s in the cigar lighter but I’ve bigger plans for it
Mod84: winch
About time I added a winch though now I’ve purchased it, I’ve been told it’s ‘optional’ for the adventure I’m about to undertake. Ho hum. I own it now. I’ve also added a solenoid to the battery so I can isolate this beast.
Mod85: new horn
I decided I needed more honk honk. At 150db this is the loudest integrated horn on the market. To get more noise you have to go full on train and get an air-tank.
Mod86: Air Compressor
I need the ability to air up and down the tires so I’ve added a compressor. This will also come in handy later if I decide to add locking diffs
Mod87: cold air intake
I’ve made bigger pipes for the out, now I need bigger pipes for the in. Breathe baby, breathe
Mod88: sPod (switches)
I’ve added an overhead switch console to control the winch and the air compressor. It also powers off the subwoofer and amplifier. By modifying it, it’s also the final resting place of the TPMS. The switch on the right (passenger eject – will say Speakers when the new plate arrives) has its own power supply – I ran an ACC to the sPod for this switch and the night lights. If I were being pedantic that might count as a mod on its own.
Mod89: mother of all rewires
I’ve totally rewired all the extra parts I’ve added. It’s taken weeks to design, prototype and build. Read the high-level details here.
Mod83 / 88: TPMS REDUX II
Having finally placed the TPMS in the sPod as desired, I hate it. The viewing angle is all wrong. So, after a week of thinking about it, I finally installed a cigar lighter in the door pillar and plugged the TPMS into that.
Mod88: sPod REDUX
Having removed the TPMS from the sPod I now had a hole to fill so in pops a nice digital air pressure gauge.
Mod90: external air outlet
The idea of the air compressor is that I can air up and down the tires. The easiest way to do that is with an outlet on the front bumper. It’s not easy to do but with the right combination of AN and NTP fittings, you can make it work.
Mod13: radio upgrade REDUX II
There’s a buzzing that’s driving me nuts. So I’ve added ground loop suppressors to all three channels, and an antenna filter to that wire. I’ve also upgraded all the speaker wire and the RCA source leads. For now, it looks like I may have cured the problem. Fingers crossed.
Update: no I haven’t.
Mod91: HUD (heads up display)
I’ve been playing with a few of these because I love the idea but they’re all too distracting. Because the Wrangler has a double layered glass screen, you need to install a reflective screen for the HUD to work, and that frankly is a problem. I found myself looking around rather than through the thing. Very unsafe. Then there’s all the info they display. Do I really need a rev counter on an Automatic? Do I really need to see the battery voltage and water temperature all the time? The answer is no. So I’ve settled on this one. It’s tiny, takes up just the corner of the windscreen and works perfectly. And before you tell me off for speeding, I have it set to display 8% faster than the actual speed.
Mod92: spider web half doors
How cool is this? Spiderman’s Jeep!
Saying Goodbye
This is the last time the Jeep saw mud before her big surgery. What happens next will transform her into a beast more than capable of tramping the Rubicon Trail.
Mod93: 3.5″ lift
I’ve decided to go tall in preparation for the Rubicon Trail later this year. Because this is my only car, it actually spends most of its life on the freeway, and so we decided to splash the big bucks and go with a long arm lift. The articulation is spectacular and there’s no noticeable change in ride. Though it is really tall. The whole package now tops out at 7 feet. If you live in NorCal you should pay a visit to Arabia’s Overkill Jeep Fabrication. They do good work
Mod32: new tires
I replaced my 33’s with 37″ of Kevlar coated Goodyears.
Mod94: skid pans
I’ve added pans to the transmission, engine, petrol tank, basically, everywhere.
Mod54: decals REDUX
I decided that having those manufacture’s stickers all over the Jeep was silly. So using the hair-dryer technique I stripped them off.
Mod95: lighted trail badge
This is silly but awesome. Freakin’ love it.
Mod96: diff covers
I replaced the diff covers with armoured ones. Naturally, I painted them red.
Mod97: locking diffs
Front and rear ARB locking diffs. Nothing to see, just an air tube going into a diff case.
Mod98: new drive shaft gearing
I changed the gears on the main drive shaft to be 4.88 up from the original 3.77 ratio. There goes my MPG.
Mod99: locking door hinges
No one gets to steal my drop-in half doors, without putting a little effort into it.
Mod100: hood bump eliminator
Jeeps have these little rubber stoppers on the hood that give protection when you lower the windshield. I can’t lower mine because of the mods I’ve made. These overpriced plastic caps eliminate the bumpers.
Mod101: engine bay work light
figured I might need some light on the trail if things go wrong.
Mod85: new horns REDUX
With just one of these, it sounds a bit silly because they’re so high pitched. Add two of them, and it sounds like a train is coming.
Mod83: TPMS REDUX III
When I moved to 37″ tires I took the opportunity to get a TPMS that instals inside the tire rather than outside – much safer when off-roading. However, the new display has a more restricted viewing angle so I had to move the cigar holder one more time. Which of course meant buying a brand new pillar moulding. Still, this one looks funky.
Mod102 & 103: entry lights
When you’re in a remote, dark place and you step out of your car and tread on a snake, it’s not a good thing. That will never happen to me but still, I added puddle lights on the underside of the 4 doors just in case. Also, they’re projectors so I got to choose a logo. I was going to go with the bat signal but relented and went with the cheesy Jeep logo instead.
There’s no power in the doors to drive these things so I needed to hack into the main harness while doing that, I took the opportunity to replace the front footwell lights with something brighter, and I added lights under the rear seats.
Mod85: new horns REDUX II
Two horns certainly give volume. I don’t know how the math works with decibels but if I have two 150db horns, doesn’t that give me 300db? If so, that’s louder than a jet engine. Can’t be right.
Anyway, these Tornados are very high pitched, so I swapped one of them for a deep noted Hurricane and now I have dual tone air horns. Finally happy.
Mod104: rear inner fenders
The Jeep’s inner fenders are made of plastic. There’s nothing wrong with that but I thought I’d go one better and get some hard metal ones. More money to poison spyder.
Mod105: front inner fenders
I also replaced the front ones. They come with unfinished metal grills which I painted to match the Jeep. Nearly.
Mod79: rock lights REDUX
With new metal inner fenders I now finally, have something solid to add proper rock lights to. So I did. Two in the front wells, and one in the rear.
Mod106: Earrings
Poison Spyder make two versions of my front bumper. One has tow hooks, the other doesn’t. No idea why, but I accidentally purchased the one without. So now I’ve added earrings.
Mod84: Winch REDUX
Having a steel rope and open hook seems dumb so I’ve replaced it with a closed nylon system. Cheap and easy.
Mod13: Radio Upgrade REDUX II
The Alpine CarPlay is ok. It has some glitches that are annoying and a few things it does by design that is there to piss me off. I fixed one of those with this little wire. Its a parking brake ‘safety bypass’ that enables a bunch of locked menus.
Mod108 & 109: Trail door mirrors with extra blinkers
The new spider web trail doors have very large nice mirrors built in but I like the modified ones on the real doors. They have forward-facing floodlights, and blinkers. I’ve added side blinkers and rear-facing running arrows (see Mod58). I now have these on the trail doors too.
Mod110: Secure Cubby Hole
Under the rear mat, there are two storage holes. One for the OEM Jack, and the other, presumably, where subwoofers are placed in more expensive Jeeps. I’ve now covered mine with a lockable lid. Finally some secure storage!
Mod111: Cargo Cover
Now that we’re topless for the season, the cargo net is cool ‘an all, but people pinch things from out the back. There are no good covers on the market for hardtop truck beds, and I understand why. The GPCA Cover is the best I could find.
Mod112: back-up camera
The Alpine iLX-107 car play head unit is capable of acting as a backup camera display so I added one. They make super expensive Alpine ones or really cheap Amazon ones. I opted for the Amazon route. Works well.
I actually tried out two different cameras. The first had white LEDs for aid with night vision. It was terrible. This one uses infra-red and has a 170-degree viewing angle.
Mod112: blind-spot mirrors
I seem to like mod-ing mirrors. I’ve added these little stick-on things that eliminate the blind spots. Very handy.
Mod16: fire extinguisher REDUX
I like having a fire extinguisher but it’s been bothering me that I hang it from the rear rollbar way out of reach in an accident. So now, it sits alongside the driver’s seat.
Mod1: dashcam REDUX
I loved the idea of the dashcam I had but it refused to work reliably. So now I’ve replaced it with a BlackVue. I gotta say, I’m impressed.
Mod113: solid door pockets
For reasons I don’t understand, my model Jeep doesn’t have door pockets. Instead, it has stupid door nets. I’ve replaced them with real pockets. Here’s one in the centre console
Mod114: tailgate table
Who doesn’t need a table at the back of the car for holding wine and cheese?
Mod115: door hinge steps
Getting to the front of the roof rack just became a lot easier thanks to two of these little hinge mounted steps.
Mod116: extra fuse box
Generally, for all the extra stuff I add the relays have their own built-in fuses. However, occasionally I’m forced to use in-line ones and I hate that. So now, on the passenger pillar, under the dash cover, there’s a new 4 fuse panel that comes straight off the second battery. Right now I’m just using it for the security cams (power brick shown in this photo), and for the extra interior lighting.
Mod117: front facing camera
When you’re offroading sometimes the front of the car is pointing towards the sky and you can’t see anything so, I’ve added a downward angled front facing camera. The Alpine head unit clearly states that this is not supported. However, with the use of a small switch, a relay, and 3 diodes everything works perfectly. And it looks like I need to clean the garage floor.
I tried out 4 cameras to get one I finally liked. Most rear cameras are sold as high-def (which they’re not) with a 170 degree viewing angle. Most front cameras are low-def and 120 degrees. This one has the same “high-def” as the rear and also has 170 degrees of viewing pleasure. No infra-red LEDs but then they’re not needed.
Mod118: rear window work light
By adapting a backup, turn, drive LED strip I was able to make a great work light for the rear screen. It has just bright enough white, or retina saving red LEDs. I had to replace the rear quick disconnect but I’m getting good at that now.
The green circles show the position of the power switch – up for white, down for red.
Mod67 & 68: interior lights REDUX
The white and red interior lights take their power from the existing map light. They’re a pain to use because the computer is constantly trying to turn them off. There’s a combination of switches that’ll make them stay on but I can never remember what it is. So I’ve rewired them to have their own constant supply direct from the second battery. Now I can have all the light I want, computer be damned.
Mod57, 58 & 112: side mirrors REDUX
I seem to be obsessed with the side mirrors. The first ones I loved are by Xpite. They include everything I want except in-mirror turn arrows. I modified these to have an extra side blinker and tried about 4 variations of those in-mirror blinkers that you tape to the back of the glass. People on Amazon love them, but they simply don’t work for me. Maybe Wrangler glass is thicker?
Then ModifyStreet came out with mirror combo that has the turn arrows I want. Woot!
However, they don’t include front/side facing flood lights, only daylight running ones.
So after a few hours of cutting and soldering, I mashed both manufacturers’ mirrors together. What you’re looking at is ModifyStreet mirrors, with an additional side blinker, with the forward facing blinker and flood light assembly taken from the Xpite. Finally, the perfect mirror!
Mod119: big brake kit
See that red bit in there? That’s a G2 Big Brake Kit. Got it on all 4 wheels. Now we can stop.
Mod54: general decals REDUX
Added a waving hand to the drivers’ side mirror. No idea why. Bored I guess.
Mod120: ball joints
bigger wheels means I messed up my ball joints. Time for bigger balls
Modxxx: door storage
I’m not counting this as a mod because, well, it’s not one. I needed somewhere to store the doors during the summer and yes you can buy something, but those solutions don’t seem well designed and are generally very expensive. I noticed that a reasonably priced dolly was available on Amazon and with a few bits of 1″ pipe and some lagging I made the below. It’s perfect-ish.
Mod118: rear window work light REDUX
Red light is very hard to see by, that’s one of the reasons we night photographers love it. However, the rear work light was taking this to the extreme, so I’ve doubled the number of LEDs by adding side lights. I just hope the rear window heater doesn’t melt them. I really should have tested that first.
Mod121: roof padding
We’re heading off to play in snow soon, so it’s time to make the cabin more weatherproof. I’ve added these simple installation pads to the roof of the hardtop.
Mod13: radio REDUX III
I’ve decided to upgrade the car/radio interface to include everything the onboard computer is willing to share. Using the iDatalink Maestro Rr package I get lots of gauges to choose from. I choose the cooling selection. Total evil thing to install. I needed an ODB splitter too.
Mod14: USB REDUX
Time to get all high-tech and add USB Type-C to the car to charge my laptop. I’ve rerouted the power so this is no longer reliant on the ACC circuit. Because of that, I had to install that small silver switch under the panel.
Mod9: angry grill REDUX
I know this is a waste of money but I couldn’t resist. It’s called the Shark Grill
Mod9: antenna REDUX II
I had stubby and they looked ok but didn’t work. So I upgraded to 14″ and it really only worked in strong signal areas so now I’ve gone 24″ and added a spring. Maybe I should just stop listening to the radio?
Mod88: sPOD REDUX II
I saw this devil switch on Amazon and just had to have it. Now I just need something for it to control.
Mod122: devil lights
OK, this is dumb and I can’t imagine I’ll ever turn them on but I needed something for the devil switch so I added halo eyes to the headlights and red LED strips behind the front grill. Very unhappy with the halos. They came with no fixing gear so I had to hot glue them to the lamps. I can’t imagine they’ll last.
Mod123: CB & walkie-talkie holder
More junk I’m never going to use but it was insisted upon by an off-road adventure I’m about to go on
Mod124: CB and tyre mounted antenna
I went for the smallest and most unobtrusive CB I could find. The connectors on it are shite so I’ve replaced them with panel mount DINs. I then added the antenna to the tire rack. You can read how I re-configured the CB connectors to be more grown-up here. The picture shows it with one of my walkie talkies. The other needs to be in the hand of the co-pilot I guess.
Mod125: trail bags
I’m always looking for better luggage options. The small red thing is a bag that hangs on the passenger handle – it’s probably going in the trash.
The big red thing is a spare tire trash bag. Then we have two side mounted luggage bags and a rollbar back.
Mod126: cargo shade
Now that we’re taking the puppies on the trail they need more shade than they currently get from the cargo net. I’ve installed the Alien Shade over the existing cargo net because I only have it on when the dogs are in or we’re camping.
Mod117: front facing camera REDUX
The switch to activate the cameras was so tiny and hidden that I couldn’t see it in the dark. After months of searching, I finally found a place in China that makes little lighted pushbutton switches. So now I have a soft glow bottom left of the radio.
Mod46: turn signals REDUX
I hate my Sunpie turn signals. They look great but they’re built like crap. The connector is badly placed and comes apart all the time. I need duck tape to hold them in the grill. Then I found these new ones. They’re smoked so they look great, they’re bright, and they have a superb connector/fastener redesign that is a huge improvement over the Mopar design.
Mod26: headlights REDUX
I love my headlights but there are better options now. I’ve upgraded (for a quarter the price) to new Xprite ones that have built-in blinker halos. Super cool and visible.
Mod122: devil lights REDUX
The new halos in the headlights also have a red option so in the trash go my glue on rings. That makes me happy. While I was at it, I also replaced the LED strips in the grill with rock lights and added one underneath and one in both front wheel wells. Stupid I know, but I like it.
Mod3: GPS tracking REDUX
I said at the start of all this that the guys that installed my remote locking, GPS tracking system, and security cameras were utterly shite at their jobs. After 2 years of the Jeep randomly appearing on maps in places I’ve never been, doors locking and unlocking according to the moon cycle and an alarm that simply never worked, I’ve had the whole thing ripped out. The great guys at The Car Stereo Company installed the latest Viper technology and so far, it seems to work.
Mod28: driving lights REDUX
We’re about to head out for some night time snow driving so I’ve switched the white lights for these monster amber ones. They’re crazy cheap. I hope they work
Mod28: driving lights REDUX II
Given how crazy cheap the lights are I feel no shame in replacing them one week after I installed them. Big rectangle yellow lamps on the front just looked out of place. I loved the light though, so I’ve added round ones. Not sure about hanging them under the bar. May have to move them.
Mod127: winch lights
While playing in the snow at night last week, I learned that smart people put lights on their winch so they can see what they’re doing. So I did. Pretty pleased with how subtle these micro-spotlights are too.
Modxxx: safety gear
I don’t always carry everything in the picture, but sometimes I do.
In no particular order:
| 1. Sleeping bags | 2. Tire deflators | 3. Hi-lift jack |
| 4. Winch tree saver | 5. Tire pressure sensor tools | 6. Hi-lift jack mate |
| 7. Winch dampener | 8. Tire repair kit | 9. Hi-lift base |
| 10. Spare D rings | 11. Tire inflator gauge | 12. LED road flares |
| 13. Ground Sheet | 14. Pocket knife | 15. Road flares |
| 16. Spare rags | 17. Air hose | 18. Winch remote control |
| 19. Walkie-talkies | 20.Flash flight | 21. Snow chains |
| 22. CB radio | 23. Folding shovel | 24. Pulling strap with d-Rings |
| 25. Winch synthetic shackle | 26. Hand warmers | 27. Various headlights |
| 28. Winch gloves | 29. First aid kit | 30. Work lights |
| 31. Jumper cables | 32. Spare fuel | 33. Spanners / sockets / fuses / zip ties /etc. / etc. / etc. |
| 34. Seat belt cutter | 35. Trac-Grip (2) | 36. Ham radio |
Mod28: driving lights REDUX III
This is getting silly. Fourth times a charm? The cheep round fog lights looked great but put out no light. I found this 12″ bar on AliExpress for very little money and so far it’s been great. Doesn’t look too bad either.
Mod117: front facing camera REDUX II
The orange glowing switch annoyed the heck out of me at night. I’ve switched it for a white one. I also took the opportunity to rewire the cameras so they’re powered by the same relay as the radio. Meaning I can throw the sPOD breaker and kill the power to everything in a water situation.
Mod9: antenna REDUX III
I found a dead wire on my radio that was causing all my antenna woes, so now that’s fixed I’ve gone back to being stubby.
Mod128: security deck enclosure
With all the expensive camera gear I carry I decided to get serious about locking stuff away. This meant I had to remove the cargo liner that frankly, was a pain in the neck anyway. Tuffy makes the most reasonable one. Easy to install, looks good. I might make a few mods.
Mod129 & 130: deck enclosure lights & hooks
Using the switch and power supplies for the extra lights I added to the tailgate window, I now have both red and white lights inside the security enclosure. I also added cargo hooks to stop things from sliding around.
Mod85: new horns REDUX II
I’ve doubled up on the number of horns. Bored I guess. Finding somewhere to hide them was quite difficult. In the end, I bolted them on the gas tank protection shield about halfway down the length of the vehicle just under the skid plates.
I realized that the horns weren’t that loud. After a little pondering, I realized that they were wired in series using 14g wire. I’ve now rewired everything in parallel using 12g, and holy hell. My wife thinks they’re illegal they’re so loud.
Mod13: audio player REDUX III
I both love and hate the Alpine iLX-107. It does everything I want and no more. The problem is it’s just not very good at its job: it crashes, sometimes it forgets to connect to my phone, it randomly reboots, it randomly fast forwards through audio books. As I said, it’s just not very good at its job.
And so I’ve switched. The Pioneer AVH-W4500NEX does way more than I need (really, DVD?) but it works. It’s lightning fast at connecting to my phone, it supports two cameras so no more fuxing with relays and tiny switches, and it supports Andriod so now my guests can connect. It doesn’t boot up as nice as the Alpine but it does do it faster. A wise choice I think.
Mod117: front camera REDUX II
Now that the new headunit supports two cams, I’ve ditched all the clever wiring. That makes me happy.
Mod131: aux & usb input
Most headunits require a USB to upgrade them. Rather than have a cable sitting in the glovebox messing the place up, I’ve installed this nice little gadget. Bet I never use it.
Mod132: trailer wiring harness
I never pull anything (insert your own joke) but I do have all the gear so it occurs to me that one day I might want a trailer for my bike, or a backhoe from HomeDepot so I added the wiring. Easy, tidy job too.
Mod26: headlights REDUX II
Damn, I loved the halos on my headlights but they were just terrible lights. The full beam was a joke. So now I’ve gone with something a lot brighter, has in-built blinkers and DRL but no red halos. Looks like the devil look is now a thing of the past. A sad day, but at least I won’t die on the highway for lack of light.
Mod133: lighted whip
I’m a little unhappy about this. For this year’s Rubicon my co-pilot suggest we fly the Union Flag, so for that, I need a flag pole. The only ones you can buy are lighted, and mine came with USA flag. I never thought I’d be the kind of jeep with a lighted whip. Silly.
Mod134: console organizer
Now I can keep my sunglasses, ear protectors and lip balm away from my other junk.
Mod135: rear power station
I’ve purchased a spray box box mini and needed somewhere to plug it in. Adding this nice outlet panel to the deck enclosure was a very simple task. Looks superb too. It gives me 12v cigar outlet, 2 USBs, and voltmeter and control switch. Not bad for less than twenty bucks.
Modxxx: spray box
Another ‘not a mod’. This is my new dog shower, boot washer and emergency hand washer. It’s larger than I thought. Maybe I should have got the mobile version.
Mod136: walkie talkie holders
I’ve added a HAM radio to the CB mic holder, which means I needed somewhere to put the two walkie talkies. JeepUnique make what I needed.
Mod59: sub-woofer REDUX
My sub-woofer comes with a remote line control thingy. Now that I’ve got the roof and doors off, I play music at much higher volumes so I need more control over the bass. I’ve painted the control to hide all the garish manufacturer’s logos and installed it next to the parking brake.
Mod137: headrest grab handles
I added these not for humans to hold on to, but as a good place to attach some of my cargo netting when offroading
Modxxx: bed
another ‘not a mod’ that I thought I’d share with you. I now have an inflatable mattress that fits perfectly in the back of the Jeep. Very handy for those long nights when I can’t be bothered to pitch a tent. Without the pump, it costs $150
Mod5: sun visor sticker replacement
When it gets over 100F in California no matter what black tape I’ve placed over the ugly yellow warning stickers, they just fall off. So I finally painted the damn things. They look better IRL than they do in this picture.
Mod138: 3rd brake light
Actually, it’ll be fourth on my car. I used to have one of these but I removed it when I added the spare tire lights. Now that I have a towing harness I decided I may as well use it.
Mod139: interior devil lights
I got bored and decided to add red lights to the centre console and front footwells. Only took 30 mins because all the wiring passed through the footwell on the way to the whip.
Mod26: headlights REDUX III
I know this is silly, and even though I almost never used them, I missed the red devil halos on my headlights. As far as I can tell no one makes what I want, but I have found the next best thing. Let’s recap. This whole thing started with these Xprite lights. They had the perfect red halo that turned amber when needed. The only trouble was the full beam was beyond terrible. I replaced them with these non-halo lights from COWONE. Amazing lights, nice built in blinkers but I really missed the halos, so I added these 145mm glue on halos from NSLUMO. I hated them. They didn’t sit well with the grill, and the glue didn’t want to hold. Next I replaced the headlights with these from AUDEXEN. They have a little remote control that sets the color. No halos, but they looked sweet, however, they simply didn’t work. The remote barely worked, and the colored lights only showed when they felt like it. The manufacturer was no help. Then I moved to these from 4xBEAM. In theory these should have been perfect. They have halos, good driving lights, and blinkers. The trouble is the way I want to use them. I don’t want an app for my lights. I want to set the color once, and then never touch them again. I have a cute devil switch that I use to control all the red lights. In order to get the halos to work, I wired the RGB controller to that switch. Unfortunately, the controller had no persistent memory, so every time I turned them off and on again, it forgot I wanted red, and started doing a multi-color demo.
And that brings us to today. I now have these from AAIWA, and they work perfectly. No halos, but they do have a good red glow, and I’ve set them to “breathing”, so that’s cool. The RGB controller is wired to my devil switch, but this time, the device has persistence, so every time I throw the switch they start breathing red. I’m happy.
Mod113: solid door pocket REDUX
I love my over-priced JK hard pockets. They’re perfect for trail maps and park entrance tickets. However, the wife needs more cupholders so we switched out the passenger side one for this cheeper Amazon one. It doesn’t fit as snuggly, but it works. Everyone is happy.
Mod140: flowing blinked strips
I decided to cut in to my expensive front grill, and with the help of some cheep red/amber flowing LED strips, and a lot of Sugra, I now have blinking eyebrows. Fun.
Mod26: headlights REDUX IV
The red halo lights I settled on were not actually as bright as I’d like them to be when on full beam. And having been through several new sets (all returned thanks to Amazon), I finally settled on these. They’re way over the top, and don’t include blinkers, but they’re amazingly bright. Here they are with the red eyebrows on too. According to Amazon, these are the 10th set of headlights I’ve tried. I really hope they’re the last.
Mod22: rear light cluster REDUX
After two years the rear light clusters started failed. The new ones aren’t as bright which is disappointing but they are pretty. These are the ‘smoked glass’ verity. I suspect the clear ones are brighter.
Mod141: flash light
I decided to add a flash light to the side of the passenger seat. Not sure why.
Mod142: bottle opener
You don’t need a bottle opener on a Jeep. The door lock loops work perfectly well. I also have a terrible one fastened to the rear license plate: it barely works. And now, for no reason, I’ve added one to the driver’s door pillar in front of the mirror.
Mod143: console storage
There’s not enough places to put phones, face masks and hand sanitizer in the Jeep, so I added some more. I like them but I’m not sure they’re going to stay. This is a set of 3: one for the drivers side, one for the passenger, and one for the passenger’s grab rail. I’ve not installed the driver’s one, and the grab rail is useless so that will probably go in the bin soon.
The other issue is that the console storage stops the front seat from coming all the way forward. This is an problem when I want to sleep in the back. Hmmmmm.
Mod144: toot toot
Having 4 air horns is awesome: people get out of my way. However, it’s a little rude when you just want to give someone a little toot to let them know the light has changed. So, I added a comically sweet motorbike horn for when I want to gently arouse the car in front from their deep text messaging.
The switch is up on the driver’s pillar next to the garage opener.
Mod113: door pocket REDUX II
The solid pocket I added to the passenger door is terrible. Everyone kicks it off, or it falls because it’s Tuesday and the moon is in Uranus. Terrible. I’ve swapped it out for the cloth one. I hope it works better.
Mod145: cargo hooks
When using the rear strong box with the lid off, as we do when we go camping, and we have lots of gear, we needed more places to fasten the cargo net. Three new cargo hooks added to the rear plate of the box.
Mod146: escape tool
For a while now, my emergency kit has contained a seatbelt cutter. I also thought it was stored in a silly place and glued so hard to the dash, that I’m never be able to get it off should the need arise. So now I have two of these little hammer / cutter things mounted to the door pillar for passenger and driver.
Mod102: entry light REDUX
The cheep entry lights failed after 2 years, so I’ve replaced them with some very similar. The main difference is that these appear on a red circle, that for some reason you can’t see in the photo.
Mod54: decals REDUX
I’ve always hated the Don’t Follow Me sticking the rear window. Seemed trite. So I replaced it with one that looks like a tattoo I sport. And yes, I should probably clean my window.
Mod147: Rear power
I’ve decided to add extra 110v outlets to the rear of the Jeep. They’ll be handy for charging my drone. I modified a commercial inverter to get the outlets where I needed them
MOD148: soundbar upgrade
Decided to add more noise to the ride, so I added the American SoundBar Kicker Kit. Because it comes with built in LEDs I also rewired most of the interior lighting so that everything operates on fewer switches and power circuits. As you can see from the picture, I also modified the soundbar to include my own lighting system. This thing can now light the front and rear cabins in both flooding white light, or night vision red.
The only downside, is that it’s so big, the rear is now only suitable for dogs and children. Works for me.
MOD149: bigger front axle
After the disaster on the Rubicon a few years back I decided to upgrade the front axle to a Dana 44. Only trouble is that thanks to the pandemic, nobody has had one in stock for 3 years. Finally, I found one and the nice people at Arabia’s installed it for me. Added a Poison Spyder cover too: very badly painted.
Mod137: headrest grab handles REDUX
The grab handles were never used and did not provide the tie-down capability I needed. So I added some D-rings and moved them to the rear headrests. All works good now.
Mod150: trickle charger
Thanks for Covid, the Jeep spends a lot less time on the road than it used to, and all that security stuff drains the battery. I’ve added a dual battery trickle charger to fix the problem.
Mod151: LED fuses
Another silly little thing, but I’m very happy with it. I’ve replaced all the fuses with ones that glow when they’re blown. Should make things a lot easier in future.
Mod152: repainted hardtop interior
The white interior of the hardtop has always frustrated me. I’ve been meaning to color it black for years, but recently I’ve seen some videos of people that have done that, and regretted it because it made everything too dark. So I opted for a light grey.
Mod153: glovebox
We were robbed. Parked in a crowded area outside a grocery store and some SOB leaned in and destroyed the glovebox, only to discover that they now had access to paper wipes. We’ve gone full metal jacket.
Mod154: pillar upgrade
I’m installing the WeBoost Overlander cell signal boost kit. Actually, I’ve already installed it and after 3 weeks it fell apart. When they ship me a replacement I’ll take photos, but in the meanwhile, they now make these really cool switches, so I upgraded my auxiliary horn to match my new cell phone booster control.
Mod26: yet another set of headlights REDUX V
My much loved headlights failed. What’s it been? 3 years? Terrible. Anyway, I got these new ones from Amazon. The wiring assumes that DRL is always powered, which in turn powers the blinkers. However, red DRL is illegal in CA so I had to do a little clever thing with a some diodes.
Mod101: engine bay lights REDUX
The lights I added lasted a few years but the heat finally killed them. I’ve added rock lights now. Prettier and hopefully more robust.
Mod77: hood hold-downs REDUX
Seems this is the year of failure. The hold-downs finally failed, so new ones were added.
Mod93: steering system REDUX
I’m either a terrible driver, or I really abuse this vehicle. Maybe both. The steering system was shot. It was hard to keep the jeep in a straight line. Welcome the new MetalCloak RockSport System. Reasons unknown, it’s gold.
Mod155: winch cover
I’ve been using the Smittybilt one that came with the winch, but after 10 years it’s just nasty. Got a new one. No photo needed.
Mod156: rear trunk bag
it is what it is, and it fits the hole perfectly. It’s just a bag, but man, did it help me organize.
Mod157: painted hardtop
The top os dinged to heck, so after watching lots of YouTube I followed the herd and used Herculiner Rollon Truckbed Liner. It’s so nasty to use, and it looks terrible. Maybe I didn’t mix it properly? Some places are super glossy, others near mat. It’s a real mess.
I slept on it for 2 days and decided Simply couldn’t live with this. Rust-Oleum make a spray on ultra-mat that claims to stick to anything. Let’s see if this works. The top is now a much nice (but still slightly patchy) mat grey. Deanna hates it.
Mod158: weboost overlander
Added the WeBoost Overlander Cell Signal booster. It broke within 3 weeks. The manufacturer were superb, recognized the problem and sent me a replacement by express delivery.
This is the super tidy unit installed attached to the rear cargo box. Nice.
Mod146: escape tool REDUX
The two hammers I had mounted on the door pillars just kept getting in the way. I’ve replaced them with a more subtle tool on the center console. (It’s the silver bullet looking thing level with the seat belt fastener)
Mod13: radio upgrade REDUX V
Dear lord, I’ve just installed by 6th, SIXTH!!, head unit. I liked the last one but after it got wet (oops, left the roof off) it became erratic. The new one is faster, better, blah blah.
I also took the opportunity to remove the Maestro computer. I loved seeing all the stats but when off-roading in extreme heat I get a lot of engine warning messages. The Maestro has no way of ignoring these. That means at critical times, I loose my map in favor of it telling me I might have a sticky oil sensor – an important message that it needed to tell me every 30 seconds. No more.
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