Pete M Posted December 12, 2018 Author Share Posted December 12, 2018 installed the grille before heading out for the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted December 14, 2018 Author Share Posted December 14, 2018 ordered a switch panel. I want to try and fit it into the little removable panel on the left where the factory roof light switch would be. I figure I'll need switches for -winch lights -extra reverse lights (still working on where I could put them) -overhead inners -overhead outers (if I go with that plan) -extra (anti-theft?) still contemplating what relay box to go with. where these little guys were mounted: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted December 16, 2018 Author Share Posted December 16, 2018 on the bigger side of this build, I'm now contemplating swapping in 4.10 geared axles (keeping IFS) from a 2.4 Libby. I mean, I'll have the entire suspension torn apart anyways when I do the lift, right? seems a no-brainer to me but finding a front 4.10 is an excruciating exercise in futility. It has to be from an 02-05 2.4L with 4wd. Seeing as they discontinued the 2.4 for 06-07, I can't imagine Jeep built too many of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minuit Posted December 16, 2018 Share Posted December 16, 2018 How many did they make with the 2.4L? I don't think I've ever seen a KJ that wasn't either a CRD or 3.7 although I don't think I'd notice if I did see one honestly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted December 17, 2018 Author Share Posted December 17, 2018 and the ones I've found so far were 2wd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Sam Posted December 17, 2018 Share Posted December 17, 2018 You can just buy new gears........... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted December 17, 2018 Author Share Posted December 17, 2018 yup. If I have to. trying to keep the budget in check. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjeff87 Posted December 17, 2018 Share Posted December 17, 2018 About a month too late, but there was a 2.4/4WD/5 speed down here in the junkyard that I saw recently. What caught my eye was the shifter in the console, then I popped the hood LOL. I'm sure it's long gone by now..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted December 19, 2018 Author Share Posted December 19, 2018 how much more of an excuse do you need to go to a junkyard than a CC friend is in need of a part that juuuust might still be there! Heck, I'm hitting up the pullapart tomorrow in hopes that the other skidplates might still be there. plus for twenty some bucks, I'm getting a new hitch that isn't encrusted in the red stuff. in other news, today I came across an old pic of the Libby. she was so young that the spare tire cover was still on! dollars to donuts that there are a few 8.8s in that trailer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted January 9, 2019 Author Share Posted January 9, 2019 the next phase in bumper build has happened. swapped out the stubby winch mount for a wider one (should have done that from the start) and mounted the light bar on it. this is about as far as I can go without welding. I also swapped out some of the winch electrical hardware with stainless since the OE crap had already started rusting. oh, and I hit the grille with some satin black. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted January 9, 2019 Author Share Posted January 9, 2019 oh, and I re-attacked the pinch seal in the front wheelwells. tires aren't getting chewed up anymore. I'm glad the rims came with crappy tires of the size I want since it has shown that I can't get new tires until after the lift is on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted January 11, 2019 Author Share Posted January 11, 2019 playing around with 4" circles. I think they look about right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted January 21, 2019 Author Share Posted January 21, 2019 started mocking up the center skid plate. it quickly became clear that this needed to be removable so I tacked some brackets in to make this a bolt-on affair. then I moved on to the wings, shaping them from some 3x3 angle iron. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted January 25, 2019 Author Share Posted January 25, 2019 my new lights are here! maybe tomorrow I'll get some good weather to wire them in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted January 29, 2019 Author Share Posted January 29, 2019 lights are kinda wired in (just to the switch/relay that previously powered the 20" bar) and I love them! they have a wide spread and illuminate the area around the front of the Jeep quite well. just what I was looking for. (the future roof lights will point down the road) yesterday I also modified the side panel to accommodate the switches. drilled 1" holes for the switches to fit through and had to whittle out some of the "structure" of the dash behind it to make room for future wiring. as it is right now I don't have need of all 5 so the switch on the far right is to be a master switch. I don't want to accidentally blind people with 400watts of roof lights. also shown is the GPS's home. the suction cup long ago died so I just screwed the mount to the dash. I can't hide that cable just yet because the GPS gets used in more than one vehicle and that cord is the antenna for traffic info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted January 30, 2019 Author Share Posted January 30, 2019 still undecided about the lens protectors Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjeff87 Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 No lens protectors. The aux lights match the profile of the headlights.....I think the guards really look out of place compared to the bare headlights. If they were mounted somewhere else it probably wouldn't matter so much, but my eyes are instantly drawn to them because they are so "non matching". Just my humble opinion, though. Interesting GPS mount you have going on there. My wife bought me a stand-alone Sirius XM receiver a couple years ago and it's still sitting in the box in the garage. I can't find a decent place to put it so it looks clean and not hacked in. Don't think your GPS location would work so well for me though, cause in VA that's where the annual inspection decal goes on the inside of the windshield. For years, it was centered in the windshield but last year the rules changed and they got moved over to the lower left corner. I was thinking I could pop out that little dash piece you put your switches in, but on the other side of the steering wheel, and mount it there somehow. It would be alot easier to access it from that location. Or else eliminate the ashtray and put it there somehow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted January 30, 2019 Author Share Posted January 30, 2019 it's not hard at all to put a sticker on the window. pop out gps, fold down arm, done. your mileage may vary depending on the mount you have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjeff87 Posted January 31, 2019 Share Posted January 31, 2019 Is that a drywall screw? love it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted January 31, 2019 Author Share Posted January 31, 2019 what kind of backwoods hack do you think I am? it's a deck screw. coated for corrosion resistance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjeff87 Posted February 1, 2019 Share Posted February 1, 2019 Classy I have to hit the junkyard today or tomorrow to get some stuff for my new-to-me Focus, and also have to grab some KJ stuff. I royally stripped out the aluminum bleed plug/screw on the water neck housing. I might just grab a whole new timing cover just in case I can't get the old one out with a pipe nipple extractor and just change the whole sheebang out altogether. Also need to grab a new pair of 8.25 rear brake drums....each of mine are originals and have a pretty good score mark inside. I'll grab new ones from a KJ or an XJ, clean them up and paint them and let them dry for a few days before installing them. It's supposed to be in the mid 70's here on Tuesday, and I've already put a leave request in for the day off. Vehicle appreciation day. ill ll be spending most of the day on the focus though. I've got new engine mounts on the way, plus an oil/filter change, trans fluid change, coolant flush/refill, serpentine belt change, wash and wax plus an interior cleaning are all on the schedule. All mixed in with a healthy amount of beer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted February 2, 2019 Author Share Posted February 2, 2019 well, I thought this would be an update about a new steering wheen from a Commander, but after an hour at the junkyard I decided it was reeeeeal close, but just not close enough to buy it without some further research on airbag wiring. but I did find a Libby with decent seats in it (meaning there was still plenty of foam squishy-ness in the padding). Just need to confirm that manual seats will easily go onto to a power seat base and I may go back and get them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted February 3, 2019 Author Share Posted February 3, 2019 some new research on seats has shown that KK seats are an easy swap, are comfortable, and fold forward. now I just need to find one at the 'yards to test out that hypothesis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted February 4, 2019 Author Share Posted February 4, 2019 forgot to include my new hitch silencer thingie. supposed to prevent banging of the hitch. don't know if it does that yet, but it works fantastic and holding my rack up. it's a cheap rack that doesn't fit well and thus hangs down and the corners would drag on the concrete when turning into a steep driveway (which is very common in north GA). now all is well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted February 5, 2019 Author Share Posted February 5, 2019 new aux fuse block is mostly wired up and installed. the only lights so far are the front ones, but they work. next up is the reverse lights (although step one seems to be locating the box. See, I like to hide things on myself. Keeps me on my toes. ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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