KevinMac's Semi-Budget Build...Project Deathstar
04-25-2014, 07:07 PM
#171
JK Enthusiast
Thread Starter
Housekeeping!
A bit of housekeeping as I had several odds and ends I needed to tie up. 
1) The Tuffy under seat conceal carry drawer. Great idea that delivers as advertised. The update? It rattles relentlessly on our terrible Michigan roads. The fix? The 'standard' install just uses the front (2) seat bolts to hold it down. This allows the back end to flop around all over the place. The fix? They had an 'alternative' install that has you use a 3rd bolt (carriage bolt) in the rear. They made this optional since it requires you to drill through the floor pan. This totally fixed the rattle but beware. When you drill through the floor, the brake lines are just on the other side so take your time and be careful!
2) CB Ground - The CB worked ok but I kept reading how much better reception would be if I ran a separate ground to the mounting location. Well, I went ahead and did this, running the ground to the Teraflex Tire Carrier. Easy fix that did make a difference...do it!
3) AEV Rear Bumper Pump Kit - I finally got inspired to crawl under the Jeep since the snow is behind us. Installing the PEX fittings was easy but even with Teflon tape, the left tank fitting leaked. A bit of silicone and the drip is gone. The pump itself works great, I can't wait to use it camping in a couple of weeks!
The other thing I did was to buy a PEX T fitting and spliced it into the line connecting the tanks. It now gives me the ability to completely empty both tanks, as well as flush them out to clean them.
4) Subwoofer Trim Piece - When I bought and installed the sub enclosure, the non-sub enclosed rear trim didn't fit. I'd found a different part number and ordered it up...fit like a charm! The part number is: 1SK80DX9AE. Here is a photo of the part:
5) Hi-Lift Handle Keeper - Lots of rattling from the hi-lift. Every pot hole let the jack handle hit the main body of the jack. They make what they call a 'handle keeper', especially for this reason. It's a simple piece of rubber but it's worth the investment for piece of mind.
- Costs:
* PEX fittings - $12
* Subwoofer Trim - $17
* Handle Keeper - $11
1) The Tuffy under seat conceal carry drawer. Great idea that delivers as advertised. The update? It rattles relentlessly on our terrible Michigan roads. The fix? The 'standard' install just uses the front (2) seat bolts to hold it down. This allows the back end to flop around all over the place. The fix? They had an 'alternative' install that has you use a 3rd bolt (carriage bolt) in the rear. They made this optional since it requires you to drill through the floor pan. This totally fixed the rattle but beware. When you drill through the floor, the brake lines are just on the other side so take your time and be careful!
2) CB Ground - The CB worked ok but I kept reading how much better reception would be if I ran a separate ground to the mounting location. Well, I went ahead and did this, running the ground to the Teraflex Tire Carrier. Easy fix that did make a difference...do it!
3) AEV Rear Bumper Pump Kit - I finally got inspired to crawl under the Jeep since the snow is behind us. Installing the PEX fittings was easy but even with Teflon tape, the left tank fitting leaked. A bit of silicone and the drip is gone. The pump itself works great, I can't wait to use it camping in a couple of weeks!
The other thing I did was to buy a PEX T fitting and spliced it into the line connecting the tanks. It now gives me the ability to completely empty both tanks, as well as flush them out to clean them.4) Subwoofer Trim Piece - When I bought and installed the sub enclosure, the non-sub enclosed rear trim didn't fit. I'd found a different part number and ordered it up...fit like a charm! The part number is: 1SK80DX9AE. Here is a photo of the part:
5) Hi-Lift Handle Keeper - Lots of rattling from the hi-lift. Every pot hole let the jack handle hit the main body of the jack. They make what they call a 'handle keeper', especially for this reason. It's a simple piece of rubber but it's worth the investment for piece of mind.
- Costs:
* PEX fittings - $12
* Subwoofer Trim - $17
* Handle Keeper - $11
The following users liked this post:
Alextorello (09-17-2018)
04-26-2014, 02:13 PM
#172
JK Enthusiast
Thread Starter
Let there be light!!
Truck-Lites and anti-flicker harnesses...that's all there is to say! 
Light and harness all plugged in:
Light installed:
Both lights in and the grill back on...let's roll!
I did have an interesting observation though. I'd had 'limited' function when using the auto headlights. I now have no function in 'auto' with the Truck-Lite's. No problems in manual mode but I just found it odd that the auto function is completely gone.
- Costs:
* Headlights - $338
* Harnesses - $59
Light and harness all plugged in:
Light installed:
Both lights in and the grill back on...let's roll!
I did have an interesting observation though. I'd had 'limited' function when using the auto headlights. I now have no function in 'auto' with the Truck-Lite's. No problems in manual mode but I just found it odd that the auto function is completely gone.
- Costs:
* Headlights - $338
* Harnesses - $59
06-28-2014, 08:25 AM
#173
JK Enthusiast
Thread Starter
Long time no check in!
I haven't done a whole lot to my rig lately as I've been too busy enjoying it! Been camping in it 3 times so far this spring and I have several more trips planned throughout the summer and fall.
Here is a quick shot of our first trip out. We just car camped in this one as we were trying out some new gear, plus the rig itself.
The rig itself was great. The water reservoirs in the rear bumper were a nice addition. They freed up room inside the Jeep and the pump itself performed as expected. What I didn't like was when I got home, there was no good way to get the remaining water out. To alleviate this, I cut the PEX hose that connects the 2 reservoirs and added a drain valve. Works like a charm!
This was also the maiden trip for the Arb awning and mosquito room. Once again, I was not disappointed! The bugs stayed out and there was plenty of room for 2 of us, our chairs and a cooler which doubled as our tabletop. Good stuff!
One thing I concluded that would be handy to have is a tailgate table. I've looked at all the 3rd party options but it seems to me there isn't a whole lot to them. I've decided I will build my own in the near future. Stay tuned for details!
- Costs
* Valve and various PEX fittings: $14
I haven't done a whole lot to my rig lately as I've been too busy enjoying it! Been camping in it 3 times so far this spring and I have several more trips planned throughout the summer and fall.
Here is a quick shot of our first trip out. We just car camped in this one as we were trying out some new gear, plus the rig itself.
The rig itself was great. The water reservoirs in the rear bumper were a nice addition. They freed up room inside the Jeep and the pump itself performed as expected. What I didn't like was when I got home, there was no good way to get the remaining water out. To alleviate this, I cut the PEX hose that connects the 2 reservoirs and added a drain valve. Works like a charm!
This was also the maiden trip for the Arb awning and mosquito room. Once again, I was not disappointed! The bugs stayed out and there was plenty of room for 2 of us, our chairs and a cooler which doubled as our tabletop. Good stuff!
One thing I concluded that would be handy to have is a tailgate table. I've looked at all the 3rd party options but it seems to me there isn't a whole lot to them. I've decided I will build my own in the near future. Stay tuned for details!
- Costs
* Valve and various PEX fittings: $14
The following users liked this post:
Alextorello (09-17-2018)
06-28-2014, 09:46 AM
#174
JK Enthusiast
Thread Starter
I'm back with a few changes I've made in the last weeks.
First up, I love the Ace sliders. They look good and the coating has held up well so far. The downside is they are slippery as hell when using them as a step to get in. Hello bruised shin!
Simple solution, a roll of 2" wide carbide grip tape. Clean the slider, cut the tape to length and put on being sure to roll any bubbles out!
Next up is the addition of rear AEV Splash Guards. I've noticed the 35's kick up a good bit of stuff (mud, gravel, etc) onto the rear bumper. Theoretically, they go on easy, 3 stainless steel bolts/washers per guard. I was a bit disappointed with my installation though.
The inserts in the AEV Bumper Reservoirs were pretty corroded considering they only have bout 4000 miles of service on them. So much so that while ratcheting in one of the splash guard bolts, it snapped! 
2 bolts has it pretty secure for now. I will try to drill and extract the broken bolt next time I rotate the tires.
One more thing, in the photo above you can see the white drain valve I added for the bumper water flushing/draining. It also appears the high temp black paint didn't stick so well to the muffler!
* Costs:
- Grip Tape: $10
- AEV Splash Guards: $99
First up, I love the Ace sliders. They look good and the coating has held up well so far. The downside is they are slippery as hell when using them as a step to get in. Hello bruised shin!
Simple solution, a roll of 2" wide carbide grip tape. Clean the slider, cut the tape to length and put on being sure to roll any bubbles out! Next up is the addition of rear AEV Splash Guards. I've noticed the 35's kick up a good bit of stuff (mud, gravel, etc) onto the rear bumper. Theoretically, they go on easy, 3 stainless steel bolts/washers per guard. I was a bit disappointed with my installation though.
The inserts in the AEV Bumper Reservoirs were pretty corroded considering they only have bout 4000 miles of service on them. So much so that while ratcheting in one of the splash guard bolts, it snapped! 2 bolts has it pretty secure for now. I will try to drill and extract the broken bolt next time I rotate the tires. One more thing, in the photo above you can see the white drain valve I added for the bumper water flushing/draining. It also appears the high temp black paint didn't stick so well to the muffler!
* Costs:
- Grip Tape: $10
- AEV Splash Guards: $99
06-30-2014, 04:48 AM
#177
JK Enthusiast
Thread Starter
2 birds, 1 stone
So I picked up a new part to add to my toy...a steering stabilizer relocation bracket! I was insprired to do this when I high centered my golf cart at the local course earlier this spring, hehe. Seriously though, my buddy was just out trail riding and tore his up pretty bad so I said why not.
I got the Rough Country unit and the fit and finish of the bracket seems ok. Installtion was supposed to be simple enough, unbolt the steering stabilizer and set it aside. Disconnect the axle side of the front track bar and bolt the new bracket in place. Reattach the track bar and the steering stabilizer. Then do a quick check to make sure the stabilizer isn't bottoming out. If it is, then the stabilizer position is easily adjustable with a 15mm wrench.
Below is the setup as it came from the factory.
Per the Rough Country instructions, they said the stabilizer should mount to the underside of the bracket as shown below. However, when the tie rod rotates, it hits the head of the bolt! You can see where is scratched up the tie rod when I was just moving it back and forth by hand. Not awesome by any means.
I looked through my garage for a bolt with a low profile head, but no luck.
After many google searches and looking at photos of other peoples setups, I concluded it should be possible to mount the stabilizer to the top side of the bracket...so I did!
This caused me to have to rotate the other end of the stabilizer on the drag link with the 15mm I mentioned earlier. This left one more task, checking to see if the stabilizer was bottoming out. The stock stabilizer has a plastic shield covering the piston so you cant see when it's bottomed. None of the aftermarket stabilizers have this so they are quite easy to visually check. So, I took a pair of snips and cut off the plastic shield...DONE!
An adjustment was required but was simple to do. Another thing to note, since I was undoing the track bar I went ahead and upgraded the bolts using the Northridge 4x4 suspension bolt replacement kit. It upgrades everything to 9/16" shouldered bolts instead of stock metric, non-shouldered bolts. A little bit of insurance against potential future issues.
Oh yeah, one other thing. While I was under there I found that my brake hose and ABS sensor wire were rubbing against the tire!! Luckily it must not have been doing it long as there was only minor chaffing on the wire sheathing. The AEV lift kit has you zip tie these to the shock...which I had done. It just appears the zip tie rotated on the shock just enough to allow it to rub. So I added another couple of zip ties, its much more secure now! 
Costs:
- Stabilizer relocation bracket: $26
- Northridge bolt replacement kit: $45
Seriously though, my buddy was just out trail riding and tore his up pretty bad so I said why not.I got the Rough Country unit and the fit and finish of the bracket seems ok. Installtion was supposed to be simple enough, unbolt the steering stabilizer and set it aside. Disconnect the axle side of the front track bar and bolt the new bracket in place. Reattach the track bar and the steering stabilizer. Then do a quick check to make sure the stabilizer isn't bottoming out. If it is, then the stabilizer position is easily adjustable with a 15mm wrench.
Below is the setup as it came from the factory.
Per the Rough Country instructions, they said the stabilizer should mount to the underside of the bracket as shown below. However, when the tie rod rotates, it hits the head of the bolt! You can see where is scratched up the tie rod when I was just moving it back and forth by hand. Not awesome by any means.
I looked through my garage for a bolt with a low profile head, but no luck. 
After many google searches and looking at photos of other peoples setups, I concluded it should be possible to mount the stabilizer to the top side of the bracket...so I did!
This caused me to have to rotate the other end of the stabilizer on the drag link with the 15mm I mentioned earlier. This left one more task, checking to see if the stabilizer was bottoming out. The stock stabilizer has a plastic shield covering the piston so you cant see when it's bottomed. None of the aftermarket stabilizers have this so they are quite easy to visually check. So, I took a pair of snips and cut off the plastic shield...DONE!
An adjustment was required but was simple to do. Another thing to note, since I was undoing the track bar I went ahead and upgraded the bolts using the Northridge 4x4 suspension bolt replacement kit. It upgrades everything to 9/16" shouldered bolts instead of stock metric, non-shouldered bolts. A little bit of insurance against potential future issues.
Oh yeah, one other thing. While I was under there I found that my brake hose and ABS sensor wire were rubbing against the tire!!
Luckily it must not have been doing it long as there was only minor chaffing on the wire sheathing. The AEV lift kit has you zip tie these to the shock...which I had done. It just appears the zip tie rotated on the shock just enough to allow it to rub. So I added another couple of zip ties, its much more secure now! 
Costs:
- Stabilizer relocation bracket: $26
- Northridge bolt replacement kit: $45
09-15-2014, 05:16 PM
#180
JK Newbie
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Coral Springs, FL
Posts: 6
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts