Mr.T

• Custom Filter Tray
• 2011+ JK Cabin Air Filters - Mopar # 68233626AA or equivalent
• 2011 Cabin Air Filter Screen Door - Mopar # 68235887AA

Materials for custom filter tray

• Kydex plastic or other material of your choice, 1/8" thick, about 7"x9".
• 1/2" aluminum angle stock, 1/16" thick and about 2' length.
• 1/8" square key stock, 24" length.
• Double-stick adhesive tape, outdoor, 1/16" thick.
• Silicone adhesive.

Procedure

1. Remove the glove box by opening it, squeezing the sides near the travel stops, and then lowering it further until the glove box comes out.
2. Remove the original plastic screen. There are four tabs, one at each corner. Squeezing from the back side will allow it to come out with little force, except for the lower left (red arrow in pic below). Cut the lower left with an Exacto saw blade or similar tool. The new Mopar Filter Access Door only uses the top two mounting holes, so nothing will use this hole behind the support brace. Clean out the dust, especially the blower intake where silicone adhesive sealer will secure the new filter tray.
3. Fabricate the filter tray. Make a cardboard template of the base plate first, see the PDF in this post, the outside dimensions of the filter tray are 7" x 7". Note how the filter is offset from the blower intake for clearance with the recirc/fresh door. Cut the 1/8" key stock and 1/2" angle stock using a Mopar 68233626AA filter as a guide for size. The filter edges rest on the keystock, the concept being that with the filter raised 3/16" (1/8" keystock + 1/16" double-stick tape) there will be better flow through the filter in the areas not directly above the blower intake. Using a filter as a guide, apply the double-stick adhesive tape, keystock, and angle aluminum. The filter should fit snug, but not tight.
4. Test fit. The aluminum should have about 1/4" gap to the plastic that the recirc/fresh door seals on. Operate (with key on) the recirc/fresh door to check for clearance.
5. Apply a small amount of silicone adhesive to the blower intake top face, position the new filter tray in place, and wait for it to dry.
6. Install the new Mopar filter access screen door using the top two holes that the original screen used, and install a new air filter in the tray. The screen keeps out "overflow" from the glove box that can interfere with the electrically operated recirc/fresh door.
7. The filter access doors naturally want to be in the closed position, but using two lengths of vacuum hose per the picture makes a nice tight closure.
8. A spare filter is tucked into the space left of the filter access door. Note that the left door doesn't fully open, and it's this way on the 2011 JK as well. But a one-piece filter like the 68233626AA Mopar can still be inserted at an angle with a little flexing of the right-hand filter door.
9. Now is a good time to remove the four air outlets by turning the bezel 1/8 turn clockwise, and clean out the dust.
10. Replace the air outlets and the glove box. Enjoy!

S2art

I'm part way in to making this filter tray, but I can't see how the tray can slide in to the fan platform. The screen is removed. I used rigid plastic instead of Kydex.... I now get it that Kydex is flexible, but I've still got a rigid tray when the aluminum angles and key stock are added to the Kydex, don't I? Could I get a couple of pictures of how the tray gets placed on the fan platform? Or at least an elaboration has to how you got the filter tray installed?

Thanks S2art

Mr.T

Glad you're building it! Actually the kydex wasn't flexible with the angle-stock stuck to it. It goes in at an angle and a bit high on one side if I remember right. If you play with it and it doesn't go, look were it should be trimmed -- probably in a corner.

Also, I may have put it in sideways then rotated it. Wish I could remember, but am confident you'll figure it out.

The first art-board template I made fit in easy. But like most, when cutting the plastic I left some extra material that subsequently had to be removed. One can always cut more off, but it's hard to put back on... When looking at the pics above, I certainly could have taken even more of the plastic off and trimmed it closer to the metal parts.

Hope it works out well, look forward to hearing back!

S2art

Well alright!.. I have the ultimate JK cabin filter replica installed. Thank you! It must've taken you some design work to come up with that solution.

My mistakes were: I thought I could use some 1/8inch rigid, clear plastic sheeting, however it's very rigid, and it can crack if drilled, sawed or flexed. I did not know what Kydex was, nor did the stores where I tried to find it. I discovered 'key stock' could also be called 'bar stock' depending on where you're looking for it.
Next mistake was to think the plastic should be 7"x9". It's more like 7"x7.75"... no wonder I had trouble fitting it! The 7"x&.75" platform/base fit my '09 JK plenum chamber. After getting past those things, I just had to make a template for the size of the fan throat so I could rout about a 5" hole in the plastic platform/base. I put a tape "handle on the template when I cut it to size so if too small it could be lifted out of the fan throat. I also used the tape "handle" when fitting the platform/base so I could lift it out of the plenum easily while fitting it.
I gotta say that "outdoor double-faced tape is killer! I'm definitely going to

My first fitting of a template to make the base plate.


Doodling and TRACING since I used clear plastic and could see my cardboard template under the plastic. Note the tape handle.


Using a cardboard cut out fit into the throat of the fan, and then sandwiching the filter, the clear base and the fan throat template to figure fit and alignment.


Top side of finished filter holder


The underside shows (since I used clear plastic) how the key stock lifts the filter above the base.


Fits just fine. Now I have to order one of those JK plastic screens for the front. The dealer will probably 'hammer me.' The filter cost $24.
have some of that stuff in my tool kit.

Mr.T

Great, glad you like it! For the screen door, Mopar # 68235887AA is about $30 online. Curious if you tried using the PDF template in the first post?

S2art

I looked at it, but figured it wasn't to scale, or it would've said so. So I treated it as a rough guide.

Mr.T

I totally missed adding any dimensions to that PDF -- The tray base is 7 x 7 inches on mine, and yours looks very close to that. Will modify the first post.

We're used to the filter now, but for the first month we would turn on the fan and it was like having a new toy. I've got an eye problem, my wife has a respiratory issue, and this filter really helps.