SmthnD1ff

nope a WJ got the entire interior doors forward for $70

on the steering wheel- did you swap the column or did the GC wheel just bolt up?

pictures make it look alot better in person it still is obvious it needs alot to be finished. I'm having problems getting the curves of the bezel lined up and the gauge cluster looks terrible IMO but I am gonna leave it for now until I can grab more parts.

still a lot left but closer

thanks its kind of coming along. still in the process of fabricating brackets and figuring out how i want everything wired. don't think I'm gonna be able to use the lower glove box.

So... my "custom dash" was a bust. I just don't have the time or space to do it properly. Picked this up at the parts yard today- bonus points if you can name the Jeep it came out of

If you will forgive my ignorance- how should I run the headlights as to not "hotwire" them?

And I am running stock headlamps- no h4 or anything.

Id prefer to run them as simply as possible- 12V to switch, switch to lights, lights individually grounded. If the stock switch will burn up what kind of switch will I need and where should I get it?

My dash wiring is an absolute nightmare and I'm looking to redo most of it- right now the front parking lamps come on with the break lights and the junction box is black and corroded after being cleaned a little over a month ago. I am building a custom dash and want to run new wiring to the headlights abd rear running lights but am not sure what gauge and switch to use. I have plenty of heavy, medium and light gauge wire and quite a variety of stock and toggle switches. Can I use one of the stock XJ dash switches (trans/defrost, etc) to run the headlights/running lights or is there too much power running through that circuit for the switch to handle? If not, what kind of switch should I use?

Thank you I love the truck but I'm kickin myself in the @ss for choppin up the dash... The wiring nightmare went all the way up through the firewall and the junction box has already turned black again since I cleaned the connections about a month and a half ago. There are more unused plugs and wires that go nowhere than there are functioning parts so Ive ripped all that out and all new wiring will go in with the dash. On a side note- for the headlights I have sourced a good length of heave gauge wire and want to run my own switch- do I need a specific one or can I use any old toggle switch for the headlights?

Unfortunately I may have bit off more than I can chew when deciding to build an entiely custom dash... It has been a week and this is where i sit...

Its the stock HU from an early to mid '00s Grand Cherokee. I chose it because its a Chrystler unit, it has the output for a 10 disc changer, its made by Alpine, it has a wireless rf transmitter for cordless headphones (that ill never use but still cool) and it was 15 bucks. Since mock up I have pulled the dash and cut it up and am in the process of reassembling it into something that looks stock but incorporates the fearures I want. Here is a teaser pic for those interested and I hope to have something solid by the end of the week

So... Ive got something in the works but, as usual Ive hit a creative roadblock. About a week and a half ago I came downstairs and found my drivers side door open, my head unit half ripped out, amp disconnected but still in the truck, glove box and center console rifled through and all my stuff everywhere. Looks like somebody was after my sound system but got spooked and bolted mid-heist. My first solution was to install the 120 decibel siren I had laying around but after giving it more thought I realized I had made myself a pretty easy target- aftermarket head unit with usb and headphone jack strung up to my windshield mount, amp and sub clearly visible between the seats, etc. While in some parts of the country it may be acceptable to show off your toys, around here it makes you a target. I picked up a stock alpine head unit from the JY and mocked it up along w some other things

Unlikely... but the seasons change has brought a new symptom to light that may help me narrow down my troubledhooting. BACK STORY When I got the jeep it had a 2.5 renix w the manual 4 spd, 2WD, and a poor low idle intermittently misding like a plug wasnt firing or lean/rich condition. While driving it home across state lines I found the vacuum line from the throttle body to map disconnected. I reconnected it, had a bite to eat, and started it up and it idled much steadier. After a few hours on the interstate I pulled over to fill her up and noticed the idle was very high. Got her home and pulled the throttle body, IAC, TPS and cleaned everything, red rtv gasked and reassembled. I also took this opportunity to check all my vacuum lines and replaced/rerouted a few brittle or improperly run lines using a diagram I found scanned from a FSM. Idles better but the problem persists. A few weeks later I picked up a stock air box and new filter to replace the P.O.'s version of a "cold air intake" that consisted of a few platic intake pieces from el cheapo parts store with some sort of faded red rice burner air filter duct taped on the end (no joke) Quieter but no change. Possibly unrelated but potentially relevant: Had a continuity issue between the alt signal and ecu and couldnt find the short so my solution was to buy an external regulator from NAPA for a late 80s Dodge Dakota and bolt it to the inner fender well. Now if you think that sounds like a bandaid- it is, but it fixed the charging issue and my 2 year old Walmart special battery reads 12.3 w eng off and a solid 13.8-14.5 v running. Also had the exhaust fall out from under the truck when pulling off the interstate one day. The P.O. used exhaust sealant to couple the cat to the header and it had finall had enough of being forced to do a job it was never intended to do. I replaced the section with a cheap thrush muffler from pep boys and some new hangers and scrapped the cat. I didnt notice it when I got it but it never even had a muffler on it, just the cat. Again, quieter but still screaming. At start up th jeep idles beautifully. Hell half the time I can't tell its runnng for all the insulation I have in the damn thing. After 5-10 minutes at idle or a trip to the shop (4-5 miles) the idles back up there and I'm running the compressor at every stop light for fear the things gonna tear itself apart. End rambling... THE PROBLEM As soon as th jeep warmed up the idle steadily got higher and higher. When I turn on the AC compressor the idle drops down. If I start it with the compressor engaged the idle feels lower than it should be until it warms up. When at operating temp engaging the compressor lowers the idle but it still seems a bit higher than I'm comfortable with. I also noticed the idle decreases ever so slightly when the headlights, stereo, amp and other electronics are engaged simultaneouslt (possibly unrelated but potentially relevant). The newest symptom is the weather: THIS JEEP LOVES THE COLD! Well, what a Florida boy considers cold anyway... for a few days we had a "cold snap" (30-40°F) and the jeep drove beautifully. No high idle, no need to restrict it with the compressor, just beautiful, flawless purring. Since then our beloved yet bipolar mother nature decided it wasnt quite Christmas yet and temps have bounced back and forth, the problem presenting itself and retreating in turn. Now I bought the jeep in Atlanta, GA, a place where they actually have seasons. Am I just grasping a straws to assume that this is an oxygen sat/density related issue? 32° is not enough to affect the operating temperature (I don't think) I appreciate any input/suggestions and thank you for reading. Kris