KevinMac's Semi-Budget Build...Project Deathstar
10-09-2015, 03:23 PM
#291
JK Junkie
Sorry, I've been busy this summer doing shit like working, getting married, honeymooning and what not. 
There was one point where I hadn't even driven it for about 5 weeks. 
I'll be out wheeling with JWOB this weekend but I believe YOU'RE not joining us! 
Speaking of the wedding, this was a wedding gift from a couple of my buddies. The new wife wasn't thrilled with Jeep parts but I was ok with it!!! 
I'm dropping it off at Ace next week, they are going to fab up some mounting brackets so it works with the Gobi!
There was one point where I hadn't even driven it for about 5 weeks. I'll be out wheeling with JWOB this weekend but I believe YOU'RE not joining us! Speaking of the wedding, this was a wedding gift from a couple of my buddies. The new wife wasn't thrilled with Jeep parts but I was ok with it!!! I'm dropping it off at Ace next week, they are going to fab up some mounting brackets so it works with the Gobi!And, the trip to TN in Nov is a perfect trip to bring the wife. You'd have a blast.
10-09-2015, 05:41 PM
#292
JK Enthusiast
Thread Starter
10-16-2015, 12:14 PM
#293
JK Enthusiast
Thread Starter
Just picked my JKU up from the guys at Ace. They've had it all week fabbing up a set of custom brackets to mount the 50" light bar to the Gobi. They turned out great and still have the ability to run limb risers while out on the trail!
I believe they are planning to offer these for sale since no one else seems to have brackets to allow ths combo. Great job and thanks again Ace!!
Cost: $100
I believe they are planning to offer these for sale since no one else seems to have brackets to allow ths combo. Great job and thanks again Ace!!
Cost: $100
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Alextorello (09-18-2018)
11-21-2015, 06:18 PM
#294
JK Newbie
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Melbourne, FL
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HVAC harness
Kevin, awesome build, awesome thread! You have inspired me to add some things I wish my Sport S had come with from the factory. i have a couple of questions regarding the ATC:
1. Considering the HVAC harness already had wires in cavities 2,3,4,7, why did you have to splice new sensor wires into those? Don't the existing wires terminate somewhere near the sensor locations in the first place? If not where do they terminate? There must be an intermediate connector somewhere that would join the sensor to the HVAC control without the splicing. I'm not squeamish about doing it, but obviously it isn't done that way at the factory.
2. Did you use the existing 2-wire harness for the sun sensor "that is present in every wrangler" and just add two new wires to it for the Sun Sensor signal 1 & 2? In that case did you buy the connector kit just to get a couple terminals to fit into that connector?
Here is a guy that did the same thing you've done in a Dodge Charger, and he obtained the missing terminals from an old PC. I plan to scavenge the same way.
http://www.chargerforumz.com/showthread.php?p=1630110
1. Considering the HVAC harness already had wires in cavities 2,3,4,7, why did you have to splice new sensor wires into those? Don't the existing wires terminate somewhere near the sensor locations in the first place? If not where do they terminate? There must be an intermediate connector somewhere that would join the sensor to the HVAC control without the splicing. I'm not squeamish about doing it, but obviously it isn't done that way at the factory.
2. Did you use the existing 2-wire harness for the sun sensor "that is present in every wrangler" and just add two new wires to it for the Sun Sensor signal 1 & 2? In that case did you buy the connector kit just to get a couple terminals to fit into that connector?
Here is a guy that did the same thing you've done in a Dodge Charger, and he obtained the missing terminals from an old PC. I plan to scavenge the same way.
http://www.chargerforumz.com/showthread.php?p=1630110
Last edited by blawrence; 11-22-2015 at 07:39 AM.
12-11-2015, 11:42 AM
#295
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Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Vancouver, BC
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110V Outlet
Sweet mod on the outlet! PM'd about more details! 
A bit of house keeping!
1st off, since I have a Sport S model, my toy did not come with cabin filters. However, since the Sport, Sahara and Rubi all share the same HVAC system, I added them! The filters were like $36 from the dealer so I went ahead and ordered the Wix replacement filters online. When I received them, they actually had the Mopar part number on them!
The install took 5 minutes, pull the glove box, lift the (2) latched doors and install the filters with the directional arrow pointing down. Close the doors and reinstall glove box...done!
================================================== ========================
Next up, closing out the remote USB port install from the new 730n head unit. I needed a way to mount the USB port to the console so that it was OEM-like. I didn't want a loose cable laying around to plug into, I want to keep the install as clean as possible. So, I picked up this little beauty!
Drill 2 holes into the console and dremel a slot so the plug is exposed from inside the arm rest. Note, I did this when I removed the seats/console to install the heated seats. That made access real easy. Here is a quick shot prior to reinstalling the latch plate.
================================================== ========================
With that buttoned up, I move on to the tuning of my CB antenna. In previous posts I had talked about trying to find someone with a meter so I didn't have to buy one. Well, I gave up and bit the bullet. Here is the kicker, after plugging in and the calibrating the meter, I measured my SWR at 1.2 without any adjustment.
Not believing it, I tried it about 3 more times with similar results. From everything I've read, that is pretty good so I decided not to mess with it and left it alone. Done!
================================================== ========================
Finally, the latch plate itself. Once again, I was not able to get a Sport with an inverter as that is a Sahara/Rubi option. What I could do though is the next best thing...make my own!
I bought my own inverter outlet online, I went with p/n 56046933AA.
Once I got that, I lined it up to my stock latch plate and traced the outline of the outlet. Drilled (4) holes...one in each corner. Then, connected the dots with the Dremel. Ta-da...instant inverter outlet!
Here is the installed product...it looks factory!
One other thing I should mention is that I used a 400w inverter I had laying around and made my own harness for it. The connector for the inverter plug is available from Mopar and is p/n 68087924AA. With that, it is simple to make your own harness to route to an existing inverter you may have (or purchase). I have the inverter laying under the passenger seat for now. I will mount it a bit more securely later this spring, I just haven't decided where or how yet.
================================================== ========================
- Costs:
* Flush Mount USB Adapter - $3
* Wix Cabin Filter - $20
* Power Inverter Outlet - $16
* Inverter Connector - $32
* SWR Meter - $17
1st off, since I have a Sport S model, my toy did not come with cabin filters. However, since the Sport, Sahara and Rubi all share the same HVAC system, I added them! The filters were like $36 from the dealer so I went ahead and ordered the Wix replacement filters online. When I received them, they actually had the Mopar part number on them!
The install took 5 minutes, pull the glove box, lift the (2) latched doors and install the filters with the directional arrow pointing down. Close the doors and reinstall glove box...done! 
================================================== ========================
Next up, closing out the remote USB port install from the new 730n head unit. I needed a way to mount the USB port to the console so that it was OEM-like. I didn't want a loose cable laying around to plug into, I want to keep the install as clean as possible. So, I picked up this little beauty!
Drill 2 holes into the console and dremel a slot so the plug is exposed from inside the arm rest. Note, I did this when I removed the seats/console to install the heated seats. That made access real easy. Here is a quick shot prior to reinstalling the latch plate.
================================================== ========================
With that buttoned up, I move on to the tuning of my CB antenna. In previous posts I had talked about trying to find someone with a meter so I didn't have to buy one. Well, I gave up and bit the bullet. Here is the kicker, after plugging in and the calibrating the meter, I measured my SWR at 1.2 without any adjustment.
Not believing it, I tried it about 3 more times with similar results. From everything I've read, that is pretty good so I decided not to mess with it and left it alone. Done! ================================================== ========================
Finally, the latch plate itself. Once again, I was not able to get a Sport with an inverter as that is a Sahara/Rubi option. What I could do though is the next best thing...make my own!
I bought my own inverter outlet online, I went with p/n 56046933AA.
Once I got that, I lined it up to my stock latch plate and traced the outline of the outlet. Drilled (4) holes...one in each corner. Then, connected the dots with the Dremel. Ta-da...instant inverter outlet!
Here is the installed product...it looks factory!
One other thing I should mention is that I used a 400w inverter I had laying around and made my own harness for it. The connector for the inverter plug is available from Mopar and is p/n 68087924AA. With that, it is simple to make your own harness to route to an existing inverter you may have (or purchase). I have the inverter laying under the passenger seat for now. I will mount it a bit more securely later this spring, I just haven't decided where or how yet.
================================================== ========================
- Costs:
* Flush Mount USB Adapter - $3
* Wix Cabin Filter - $20
* Power Inverter Outlet - $16
* Inverter Connector - $32
* SWR Meter - $17
12-22-2015, 12:22 PM
#296
JK Enthusiast
Thread Starter
Kevin, awesome build, awesome thread! You have inspired me to add some things I wish my Sport S had come with from the factory. i have a couple of questions regarding the ATC:
1. Considering the HVAC harness already had wires in cavities 2,3,4,7, why did you have to splice new sensor wires into those? Don't the existing wires terminate somewhere near the sensor locations in the first place? If not where do they terminate? There must be an intermediate connector somewhere that would join the sensor to the HVAC control without the splicing. I'm not squeamish about doing it, but obviously it isn't done that way at the factory.
2. Did you use the existing 2-wire harness for the sun sensor "that is present in every wrangler" and just add two new wires to it for the Sun Sensor signal 1 & 2? In that case did you buy the connector kit just to get a couple terminals to fit into that connector?
Here is a guy that did the same thing you've done in a Dodge Charger, and he obtained the missing terminals from an old PC. I plan to scavenge the same way.
Upgrade to 8.4N - Page 132 - Dodge Charger Forum - Forums and Owners Club!
1. Considering the HVAC harness already had wires in cavities 2,3,4,7, why did you have to splice new sensor wires into those? Don't the existing wires terminate somewhere near the sensor locations in the first place? If not where do they terminate? There must be an intermediate connector somewhere that would join the sensor to the HVAC control without the splicing. I'm not squeamish about doing it, but obviously it isn't done that way at the factory.
2. Did you use the existing 2-wire harness for the sun sensor "that is present in every wrangler" and just add two new wires to it for the Sun Sensor signal 1 & 2? In that case did you buy the connector kit just to get a couple terminals to fit into that connector?
Here is a guy that did the same thing you've done in a Dodge Charger, and he obtained the missing terminals from an old PC. I plan to scavenge the same way.
Upgrade to 8.4N - Page 132 - Dodge Charger Forum - Forums and Owners Club!
1. I'm sure they do terminate somewhere, I didn't have the full dash wiring schematic, nor did I want to tear the entire dash out to trace wires, so this was the next best solution I could come up with. There are several dash harnesses available, depending on the options from the factory so they would have more or less wiring in them.
2. Correct, I used the wiring that was there but needed the terminals for the sensor itself.
Hope this helps!
12-26-2015, 06:48 PM
#297
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Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Spring Hill, FL
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EVIC buttons
I was wondering if when you installed the EVIC buttons on steering wheel did it just work automatically? I know the U-Connect won't work but I don't care about that. Just want too access the EVIC.
01-01-2016, 02:58 PM
#298
JK Enthusiast
Thread Starter
01-03-2016, 09:40 AM
#299
JK Enthusiast
Thread Starter
Snow Wheeling!
Here are a few shots from our wheeling trip to Rocks & Valleys yesterday. We had a ton of fun playing in the snow and what a great way to close out the 2015/2016 Christmas shutdown here in the Detroit metro area. I dread going back to work tomorrow after 2 1/2 weeks off!
I also go to take part in the recovery of a Jeep in our group. He was guiding our group and got stuck in some deep and thick muck. A single winch wasn't getting him out so me and another rig anchored ourselves to some trees behind us and then put both our winch on him. There is a video linked too.
https://youtu.be/1-3x0myKPmM
I also go to take part in the recovery of a Jeep in our group. He was guiding our group and got stuck in some deep and thick muck. A single winch wasn't getting him out so me and another rig anchored ourselves to some trees behind us and then put both our winch on him. There is a video linked too.
https://youtu.be/1-3x0myKPmM
01-03-2016, 03:16 PM
#300
JK Junkie
Wish I could have made it, but love seeing you out on the trail. Good stuff man. We are planning a trip to TN late Spring. That's a trip you don't want to miss.