KevinMac's Semi-Budget Build...Project Deathstar
06-19-2013, 10:40 AM
#1
JK Enthusiast
Thread Starter
KevinMac's Semi-Budget Build...Project Deathstar
Below is cross posted from my "New Member Registry" thread when I joined the site last week. I kind of plan to use this thread to document my new JKU as it evolves. Feedback, encouragement and advice are welcome, so let's have at it! Oh yeah, as for the build name...my initial intention is to blacken it out. Bring on the plastidip! 
A few shots before I pulled it off the dealer's lot:
My name is Kevin and after a bit of a hiatus, I'm back with the Jeep brand. Over the weeekend I picked up a new 2013 JKU. It is a black Sport S with Power Group 24S, Sirius Radio, Hard Top, Automatic Transmission and Anti-Spin Rear Axle Differential. I searched high and low for a vehicle with these options and settled on this one. The only thing I wanted that it didn't come with was the 3.73 rear end ratio. The 3.21 is fine for now but I forsee a gear swap in the future. It took a while to find this vehicle as it seems Jeep likes to bundle a bunch of option packages together driving up the costs. There were a lot of things I just didn't want as I knew I'd be upgrading anyway (e.g. Alpine head unit).
A little about myself, I'm an Engineer by trade working in the automotive industry here in the Detroit metro area. I've owned a YJ in the past and had a lot of fun in that ride. From there I made the leap to Ford products (Mustangs & F-series'). I still own an F-series and (2) Mustangs. (1) is a '93 Limited Edition LX Convertible (Yellow w/ black leather) with just 17,000 miles. A very clean car that I usually only pull out for special occasions (e.g. Woodward Dream Cruise). The other Mustang is a '94 GT that is my drag car. It started life a street car and turned into a full blown race project. I was well sponsored and ran it competitively in the NMRA and OSCA Renegade classes. The car is capable of high 8's at around 155mph in the 1/4 mile. Not bad for a little 310ci supercharged 10" tire car. I assembled my own engines and did a majority of the wrenching on the car so I am no stranger to the garage.
The plan for my JKU is still evolving but I have a picture of what I want in my head. I've been lurking on this board for the last few weeks and took a lot of notes (literally!). There are some very knowledgeable folks here and I'm sure I'll have some questions going forward. I look forward to drawing on the knowledge here to hopefully avoid pitfalls others have made and hopefully be able to give back with my diverse background in autmotive in general.
Utlimately, I want a ride that is good on the street, fun to take camping and is able to hold its own on the trail. I dont forsee anything as extreme as a full on rock crawler, I just want to take the platform Jeep provided and 'refine' it a bit.
A lot of my initial changes will purely be asthetic...delete this, plastidip that type things. I'll then gradually make the jump into upgrading the basic systems and see where it goes from there! So with that, I introduce "Project Deathstar"! "
A little about myself, I'm an Engineer by trade working in the automotive industry here in the Detroit metro area. I've owned a YJ in the past and had a lot of fun in that ride. From there I made the leap to Ford products (Mustangs & F-series'). I still own an F-series and (2) Mustangs. (1) is a '93 Limited Edition LX Convertible (Yellow w/ black leather) with just 17,000 miles. A very clean car that I usually only pull out for special occasions (e.g. Woodward Dream Cruise). The other Mustang is a '94 GT that is my drag car. It started life a street car and turned into a full blown race project. I was well sponsored and ran it competitively in the NMRA and OSCA Renegade classes. The car is capable of high 8's at around 155mph in the 1/4 mile. Not bad for a little 310ci supercharged 10" tire car. I assembled my own engines and did a majority of the wrenching on the car so I am no stranger to the garage.
The plan for my JKU is still evolving but I have a picture of what I want in my head. I've been lurking on this board for the last few weeks and took a lot of notes (literally!). There are some very knowledgeable folks here and I'm sure I'll have some questions going forward. I look forward to drawing on the knowledge here to hopefully avoid pitfalls others have made and hopefully be able to give back with my diverse background in autmotive in general.
Utlimately, I want a ride that is good on the street, fun to take camping and is able to hold its own on the trail. I dont forsee anything as extreme as a full on rock crawler, I just want to take the platform Jeep provided and 'refine' it a bit.
A lot of my initial changes will purely be asthetic...delete this, plastidip that type things. I'll then gradually make the jump into upgrading the basic systems and see where it goes from there! So with that, I introduce "Project Deathstar"! "
Last edited by KevinMac; 07-22-2013 at 10:06 AM.
06-19-2013, 10:50 AM
#2
JK Enthusiast
Thread Starter
So as Murphy's Law would have it, I bought the JK and it then proceeded to rain for what seemed like every day last week. Luckily the weather broke and the weekend was beautiful. That left lots of things to be done. I was able to:
Plastidip'd the door locks...I use the key fob anyway!
Plastidip'd the "Trail Rated" emblem:
Plastidip'd the decals on the sunvisors...I couldnt stand looking up at those giant yellow/white warning labels!! The sunvisors look a lot better installed than they do when sitting by themselves. With them being blacked out, your eye isn't drawn to them like it was before.
The obligatory mirror flip:
Filled the soundbar with polyfill. Surprisingly, this truely did improve the sound. Everything I've read says the Kicker upgrade speakers are worth it so for $70, those are now on my 'to buy' list.
Costs:
* Plastidip - $5
* Polyfil - $5
* Mirror Flip - Freebie!
Plastidip'd the door locks...I use the key fob anyway!
Plastidip'd the "Trail Rated" emblem:
Plastidip'd the decals on the sunvisors...I couldnt stand looking up at those giant yellow/white warning labels!! The sunvisors look a lot better installed than they do when sitting by themselves. With them being blacked out, your eye isn't drawn to them like it was before.
The obligatory mirror flip:
Filled the soundbar with polyfill. Surprisingly, this truely did improve the sound. Everything I've read says the Kicker upgrade speakers are worth it so for $70, those are now on my 'to buy' list.
Costs:
* Plastidip - $5
* Polyfil - $5
* Mirror Flip - Freebie!
Last edited by KevinMac; 07-23-2013 at 05:09 AM.
06-19-2013, 10:58 AM
#3
JK Enthusiast
Thread Starter
I also had time to install my new aluminum fuel door. There is just an 'unfinished' look about the Jeep without it. Surfing around, I found this thread with very detailed step by step instructions.
Fuel Filler Door Install
Overall, it was very simple and took less than 30 minutes. The only thing I didn't like about the kit is that the screws were polished so I painted them black to match.
Cost: $91 on eBay
Fuel Filler Door Install
Overall, it was very simple and took less than 30 minutes. The only thing I didn't like about the kit is that the screws were polished so I painted them black to match.
Cost: $91 on eBay
Last edited by KevinMac; 07-23-2013 at 05:18 AM.
06-20-2013, 03:32 AM
#5
JK Enthusiast
Thread Starter
06-20-2013, 03:49 AM
#6
JK Enthusiast
Thread Starter
So in this post I will address my 2 biggest pet peeves so far. I mean, these are fairly obvious, why wouldn't Jeep take care of these things in the 1st place? 
1st up...I cant see very much out the back window with those GIANT rear seat headrests in the way. I saw this in the "Low Cost Modification" thread in the "Modified JK" Forum...it's a great read if you have a week since it is over 300 pages long!
Anyway, someone suggested using bungie cords to hold down the rests instead of cutting them out or taking the whole seat apart. The 2012+ headrests don't just slide out like earlier models. So off to Lowe's I went for (2) 48" Bungie Cords!
My other bitch so far is the lack of door entry scuff plates. I work in automotive, I know what these things cost to manufacture...it's peanuts. They could easily include them in the sales price of the vehicle, regardless of the trim level (Sport, Sahara, Rubi...).
Cost: $3 per bungie, well worth the money to be able to see!!
Cost: $40 later...I now have scuff plates front and back
1st up...I cant see very much out the back window with those GIANT rear seat headrests in the way. I saw this in the "Low Cost Modification" thread in the "Modified JK" Forum...it's a great read if you have a week since it is over 300 pages long!
Anyway, someone suggested using bungie cords to hold down the rests instead of cutting them out or taking the whole seat apart. The 2012+ headrests don't just slide out like earlier models. So off to Lowe's I went for (2) 48" Bungie Cords!
My other bitch so far is the lack of door entry scuff plates. I work in automotive, I know what these things cost to manufacture...it's peanuts. They could easily include them in the sales price of the vehicle, regardless of the trim level (Sport, Sahara, Rubi...).
Cost: $3 per bungie, well worth the money to be able to see!!
Cost: $40 later...I now have scuff plates front and back
Last edited by KevinMac; 07-23-2013 at 05:18 AM.
The following users liked this post:
Alextorello (08-30-2018)
06-20-2013, 03:55 AM
#7
JK Enthusiast
Thread Starter
While I was there installing the new scuff plates I tossed in a full set of slush mats too. I live in Michigan...it snows here...a lot. 
Therefore, it was out with the stock floor mats. I have the full set available, including the cargo area mat, if anyone is interested. I'm open to reasonable offers! 
Costs:
* Front/Rear Seat - $45
* Cargo Area - $68
Therefore, it was out with the stock floor mats. I have the full set available, including the cargo area mat, if anyone is interested. I'm open to reasonable offers! 
Costs:
* Front/Rear Seat - $45
* Cargo Area - $68
Last edited by KevinMac; 07-23-2013 at 05:16 AM.
Trending Topics
06-20-2013, 04:01 AM
#8
JK Enthusiast
Thread Starter
Continuing on with changes that took 10 minutes and/or cost $10 or less...
I drilled the mirrors with a 5/32" bit. Be careful not to go too deep or you will hit the sheet metal inside....slow slow slow!
I removed the GIANT windshield bumpers from the hood. While I was at Lowe's getting my bungie cords, I picked up these 1/2" locking hole plugs. They fit perfectly and look a ton better! They cost about $1 for the pack of 2.
Finally, I removed all the decals for a cleaner look!
Costs:
* Drill Mirrors - Freebie
* Wind Shield Bumpers - $1
* Decal Removal - Freebie
I drilled the mirrors with a 5/32" bit. Be careful not to go too deep or you will hit the sheet metal inside....slow slow slow!
I removed the GIANT windshield bumpers from the hood. While I was at Lowe's getting my bungie cords, I picked up these 1/2" locking hole plugs. They fit perfectly and look a ton better! They cost about $1 for the pack of 2.
Finally, I removed all the decals for a cleaner look!
Costs:
* Drill Mirrors - Freebie
* Wind Shield Bumpers - $1
* Decal Removal - Freebie
Last edited by KevinMac; 07-23-2013 at 05:12 AM.
06-20-2013, 04:17 AM
#9
JK Enthusiast
Thread Starter
Moving on! I didn't see the value in buying a new stubby antenna when I own a chop saw! 
I popped the ball off the top using a pair of vice grips as a "slide hammer" and cut the antenna down to 13". I used an air grinder to remove a bit of material at the end so the ball would then fit back on. I then encapsulated the whole thing with electrical shrink tubing that I got while at Harbor Freight. It looks much better, doesnt bang against the body in the car wash and still gets good reception. I live close enough to the city where I get all the major radio statios without issue. If I go out in the boonies, I'd expect that to diminish a bit.
Oooh...I almost forgot to install my 2013 Metropark Pass
Last but not least, I didn't get the tow package with it but still wanted the ability need it arise. So I crawled under and installed a new Rugged Ridge receiver hitch. I found it new on eBay with the wiring for $65 shipped....not a bad deal. It took about 30 minutes to install. While I was down there and since it was still all shiney and new, I taped off and hit the muffler with 4 coats of Rustoleom High-Temp paint. It's good to 1200F so should last a good bit since a muffler gets no where near that hot!
Costs:
* Stubby Antennae - $2 in shrink tubing
* Hitch & Wiring - $65
* High Temp Paint - $5
I popped the ball off the top using a pair of vice grips as a "slide hammer" and cut the antenna down to 13". I used an air grinder to remove a bit of material at the end so the ball would then fit back on. I then encapsulated the whole thing with electrical shrink tubing that I got while at Harbor Freight. It looks much better, doesnt bang against the body in the car wash and still gets good reception. I live close enough to the city where I get all the major radio statios without issue. If I go out in the boonies, I'd expect that to diminish a bit.
Oooh...I almost forgot to install my 2013 Metropark Pass
Last but not least, I didn't get the tow package with it but still wanted the ability need it arise. So I crawled under and installed a new Rugged Ridge receiver hitch. I found it new on eBay with the wiring for $65 shipped....not a bad deal. It took about 30 minutes to install. While I was down there and since it was still all shiney and new, I taped off and hit the muffler with 4 coats of Rustoleom High-Temp paint. It's good to 1200F so should last a good bit since a muffler gets no where near that hot!
Costs:
* Stubby Antennae - $2 in shrink tubing
* Hitch & Wiring - $65
* High Temp Paint - $5
Last edited by KevinMac; 07-23-2013 at 05:14 AM.
The following users liked this post:
Alextorello (08-30-2018)
06-20-2013, 04:25 AM
#10
JK Enthusiast
Thread Starter
The last of my Lowe's inspired modifications for the weekend was the infamous "gutter grill guard". I opted for the plastic roll of grill guard which was plenty long. Long to the point where there is enough left to probably do 2 more grills. I'm heading to Lake Cumberland, KY for the 4th of July 
and will likely give it to my buddy when I see him so he can do his new Sahara!
Once again, I love the look for under $20...plus it adds a bit of protection to the grill and auxillary coolers mounted in front of it!
Costs: $20 in various materials
and will likely give it to my buddy when I see him so he can do his new Sahara! Once again, I love the look for under $20...plus it adds a bit of protection to the grill and auxillary coolers mounted in front of it!
Costs: $20 in various materials
Last edited by KevinMac; 07-23-2013 at 05:15 AM.
The following users liked this post:
Alextorello (08-30-2018)