KevinMac's Semi-Budget Build...Project Deathstar
JK Newbie
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 39
Likes: 0
From: San Jose, CA
Borrowing another idea from the guy who had installed the trench covers, he had rigged up an iPad holder in the cargo area so he could watch movies while laying in the back. 
Shopping around, I found one I thought I could easily adapt and use so that I didn't have to customize any mounting brackets. The bit in question is shown below and is about 20" long. As you can see it has a 'fork' shaped mount on one end. It's actual purpose is to be used as a floor mount on the passenger seat.
Poking around under the roll bar padding, I came across this lovely 13mm bolt...a perfect location to mount it!
Tighten her down and the mount is quite rigid, it isn't going anywhere.
Here is a side shot showing stowage. A simple bungee to the rollbar should keep it from moving so it doesn't flop around while driving.
SHOWTIME!!!
Costs: iPad mount - $24
Shopping around, I found one I thought I could easily adapt and use so that I didn't have to customize any mounting brackets. The bit in question is shown below and is about 20" long. As you can see it has a 'fork' shaped mount on one end. It's actual purpose is to be used as a floor mount on the passenger seat.
Poking around under the roll bar padding, I came across this lovely 13mm bolt...a perfect location to mount it!
Tighten her down and the mount is quite rigid, it isn't going anywhere.
Here is a side shot showing stowage. A simple bungee to the rollbar should keep it from moving so it doesn't flop around while driving.
SHOWTIME!!!
Costs: iPad mount - $24
Thread Starter
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 422
Likes: 24
From: The D, MI
2wd
The snow is gone...FINALLY! We are going to have a great spell of weather over the next 2 weeks so I am motivated! 
When I got home from work this evening, I turned my Jeep into a 2WD rig. Testing out the new creeper I got for Christmas, I pulled the skid plate and then the front driveshaft!.
If all goes to plan, by the end of the weekend I will have the new Rubicon transfer case installed and my new 4.10 geared Rubicon rear end, as well. I've just got a bit of welding to do on it as I picked up a set of Teraflex rear flexarm skids on Black Friday! Here is a quick mockup photo and Teraflex's video.
http://youtu.be/U-8-3umgc58
Costs:
- Teraflex Rear Flexarm Skid - $47
When I got home from work this evening, I turned my Jeep into a 2WD rig. Testing out the new creeper I got for Christmas, I pulled the skid plate and then the front driveshaft!.
If all goes to plan, by the end of the weekend I will have the new Rubicon transfer case installed and my new 4.10 geared Rubicon rear end, as well. I've just got a bit of welding to do on it as I picked up a set of Teraflex rear flexarm skids on Black Friday!
Here is a quick mockup photo and Teraflex's video.
http://youtu.be/U-8-3umgc58
Costs:
- Teraflex Rear Flexarm Skid - $47
Thread Starter
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 422
Likes: 24
From: The D, MI
Making progress!
Last night I came home and threw some of my finest booger welds on the skids. The fit of the skids to the axle brackets wasn't great in my opinion. I was trying to weld gaps as big as 3/16", not ideal for my little Lincoln buzzbox.
So, it's safe to say I won't win any "welder of the year" awards. But, they are on and will definitely take hits without breaking so I'm not too concerned about it. 
Moving on! Today after work there was enough daylight left that I was able to tear out the factory rear end and move all the bits over to the new rear end that I need to reuse (AEV track bar mount, bump stops, vent fitting). I also swapped out all the bolts for the track bar and lower control arms for those in the Northridge 4x4 kit that I'd bought last year.
Since I ran out of daylight and motivation, I wrapped up today's activities by changing the ring and pinion ratio with my Flashpaq, 4.10 it is!! That's all for now, I should have the rear back in and buttoned up tomorrow! 
Last night I came home and threw some of my finest booger welds on the skids. The fit of the skids to the axle brackets wasn't great in my opinion. I was trying to weld gaps as big as 3/16", not ideal for my little Lincoln buzzbox.
So, it's safe to say I won't win any "welder of the year" awards. But, they are on and will definitely take hits without breaking so I'm not too concerned about it. 
Moving on! Today after work there was enough daylight left that I was able to tear out the factory rear end and move all the bits over to the new rear end that I need to reuse (AEV track bar mount, bump stops, vent fitting). I also swapped out all the bolts for the track bar and lower control arms for those in the Northridge 4x4 kit that I'd bought last year.
Since I ran out of daylight and motivation, I wrapped up today's activities by changing the ring and pinion ratio with my Flashpaq, 4.10 it is!!
That's all for now, I should have the rear back in and buttoned up tomorrow! 
Thread Starter
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 422
Likes: 24
From: The D, MI
Boom goes the dynamite!
Success! Well, sort of. 
Today was full of SNAFU's, if it could go wrong, it did!
I slid the axle up under the body and went about the business of attaching all 4 control arms. Then I threw the springs in, followed by the track bar, sway bar end links and then the shocks. Ok, half the shocks. I never disconnected the upper mounts so no issue there, however I quickly found out I didn't have bolts for the lower mounts. The Teraflex LCA skids I installed came with longer shock mounting bolts as the skids wrap around the shock mount, making it much thicker. The stock bolts are way too short. However, the new bolts are too large in diameter to fit through the hardened bushings in my Bilstein/AEV shocks! 
Teraflex supplies standard bolts, stock are obviously metric. I threw calipers on them and there was a sizable difference...enuff to make it a no go.
Ok, I threw some smaller diameter bolts in, just to tide me over until I could run out. I buttoned up the driveshaft, brake calipers, vent tube, etc. I put the tires on and felt accomplished! It was time for final torquing so I grabbed my trusty torque wrench and the locking mechanism on it would not lock, it just kept turning and turning. Grrrr....I've had this wrench for 10+ years so it had a good run but could it have broke at a worse time?? 
Ok, so a hardware store run was in order. I needed shock bolts anyway so I could replace my torque wrench while out. I decided to clean up all my tools in the mean time and started the Jeep to recharge the battery as I had been playing the radio on and off throughout the day. As it was running, I noticed I now had an illuminated ABS and ESP light. 20 minutes of googling the forum led me to believe I had damaged one of the connectors or had a bad vehicle speed sensor. I had been really careful with the connectors but maybe one of the sensors in my new rear was bad from the factory??
For shits and giggles I threw my Flashpaq on to check DTC's...nothing showed. I made it clear codes anyway and wah-lah, the lights went out! I guess having "key on" earlier to play the radio when I hadn't yet reconnected the VSS connectors tripped something!
So, off to replace my torque wrench...check! Large diameter bolts over 75mm long on a Saturday afternoon? Not as easy as it sounds. It took trips to a few places but I finally scored them!
So...final torquing will take place tomorrow morning. Assuming no issues on the test drive, I will then move onto tearing out and swapping the transfer case. Good times!
Here a quick shot, got to love that shiny new AEV diff cover!!
Today was full of SNAFU's, if it could go wrong, it did!I slid the axle up under the body and went about the business of attaching all 4 control arms. Then I threw the springs in, followed by the track bar, sway bar end links and then the shocks. Ok, half the shocks. I never disconnected the upper mounts so no issue there, however I quickly found out I didn't have bolts for the lower mounts.
The Teraflex LCA skids I installed came with longer shock mounting bolts as the skids wrap around the shock mount, making it much thicker. The stock bolts are way too short. However, the new bolts are too large in diameter to fit through the hardened bushings in my Bilstein/AEV shocks! Teraflex supplies standard bolts, stock are obviously metric. I threw calipers on them and there was a sizable difference...enuff to make it a no go.Ok, I threw some smaller diameter bolts in, just to tide me over until I could run out. I buttoned up the driveshaft, brake calipers, vent tube, etc. I put the tires on and felt accomplished!
It was time for final torquing so I grabbed my trusty torque wrench and the locking mechanism on it would not lock, it just kept turning and turning. Grrrr....I've had this wrench for 10+ years so it had a good run but could it have broke at a worse time?? Ok, so a hardware store run was in order. I needed shock bolts anyway so I could replace my torque wrench while out. I decided to clean up all my tools in the mean time and started the Jeep to recharge the battery as I had been playing the radio on and off throughout the day. As it was running, I noticed I now had an illuminated ABS and ESP light. 20 minutes of googling the forum led me to believe I had damaged one of the connectors or had a bad vehicle speed sensor. I had been really careful with the connectors but maybe one of the sensors in my new rear was bad from the factory??
For shits and giggles I threw my Flashpaq on to check DTC's...nothing showed. I made it clear codes anyway and wah-lah, the lights went out!
I guess having "key on" earlier to play the radio when I hadn't yet reconnected the VSS connectors tripped something!So, off to replace my torque wrench...check! Large diameter bolts over 75mm long on a Saturday afternoon? Not as easy as it sounds. It took trips to a few places but I finally scored them!
So...final torquing will take place tomorrow morning. Assuming no issues on the test drive, I will then move onto tearing out and swapping the transfer case. Good times!
Here a quick shot, got to love that shiny new AEV diff cover!!
Thread Starter
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 422
Likes: 24
From: The D, MI
Ok, NOW we have success! Torqued everything up this morning and just took it out for a 20 mile test drive. No funny noises or vibrations, everything is as expected.
More so, I am happy that for the first time since I got my 35's, the transmission used OD and didn't hunt for gears on the highway. She ran about 2300rpm @ 70mph and 2600rpm at 75mph, right in the sweet spot. Also, the acceleration is greatly improved, it was REALLY sluggish with the stock 3.21's.
That's all for now. I will put some more mileage on her this week and retorque everything again next weekend!
Torqued everything up this morning and just took it out for a 20 mile test drive. No funny noises or vibrations, everything is as expected.More so, I am happy that for the first time since I got my 35's, the transmission used OD and didn't hunt for gears on the highway. She ran about 2300rpm @ 70mph and 2600rpm at 75mph, right in the sweet spot. Also, the acceleration is greatly improved, it was REALLY sluggish with the stock 3.21's.
That's all for now. I will put some more mileage on her this week and retorque everything again next weekend!
Last edited by KevinMac; Mar 15, 2015 at 09:52 AM.
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 267
Likes: 0
From: coquitlam bc
A quick addendum on my underhood lighting.
When I did the install I tested all my wiring for function before soldering it all together. When I did this, I tested it without the inline switch. Well, when I put the switch inline, it just dimmed the lights, it didn't turn them off as expected.
This made me scratch my head quite a bit, as I inspected all my connections thinking maybe I had a loose ground or something. Well, turns out the problem was in the switch itself...there is a resistor bridging the 2 terminals! 
I'm not sure how this switch is supposed to function but I knew how I wanted it to function, so I took my needle nose pliers and tore that resistor out! putting it back inline, it now functions as intended!!
Here is where the resistor was located:
Also, here is a shot of it installed in the bracket:
When I did the install I tested all my wiring for function before soldering it all together. When I did this, I tested it without the inline switch.
Well, when I put the switch inline, it just dimmed the lights, it didn't turn them off as expected. This made me scratch my head quite a bit, as I inspected all my connections thinking maybe I had a loose ground or something.
Well, turns out the problem was in the switch itself...there is a resistor bridging the 2 terminals! I'm not sure how this switch is supposed to function but I knew how I wanted it to function, so I took my needle nose pliers and tore that resistor out! putting it back inline, it now functions as intended!! Here is where the resistor was located:
Also, here is a shot of it installed in the bracket:
Thread Starter
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 422
Likes: 24
From: The D, MI
Should see them with this link: https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/jk-s...5/#post3994329
Thread Starter
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 422
Likes: 24
From: The D, MI
Hothead!
I almost forgot, I bought a Hothead Headliner kit during one of their sales over the winter. It's been too cold to install them so I've been sitting on them a while. With the warmup, I got around to installing the front 2 panels yesterday in the Freedom Top. I will install the remaining panels when I take the top off and finish bed lining it this spring!
The fit was spot on, very impressive.
- Costs:
* Hothead Headliners - $215
The fit was spot on, very impressive.
- Costs:
* Hothead Headliners - $215
Last edited by KevinMac; Mar 16, 2015 at 04:32 PM.
Thread Starter
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 422
Likes: 24
From: The D, MI
Lock it up!
With the new rear in...and the new front installation to quickly follow, I started prepping the wiring to actuate the lockers. I've already got the OTRATTW switches installed on the A-pillars as I did this last fall.
So, first up is the mounting of the (2) relays. I found some 30amp relays that I had leftover from an old project, so I plan to use those.
I found a nice place to mount them, close to where the relays would be mounted on a Rubicon. As you can see, I drilled 2 holes for the mounting using push pins.
Then it is as simple as pushing in the fasteners! As you can see, the relays tuck in nicely next to the battery.
From there, I moved to the axle side connections. I did some investigation and found the correct service connectors to plug into the locker pigtails. The part number for those is: 68148098AA
Assembly of the connectors was simple and here they are, ready to plug in! I will just be using some 14/2 shielded wire that I get from Home Depot...good stuff as it is already jacketed to resist against abrasion.
- Costs:
* Connectors: $60 (2 x $30)
* Relays: Freebie!
So, first up is the mounting of the (2) relays. I found some 30amp relays that I had leftover from an old project, so I plan to use those.
I found a nice place to mount them, close to where the relays would be mounted on a Rubicon. As you can see, I drilled 2 holes for the mounting using push pins.
Then it is as simple as pushing in the fasteners! As you can see, the relays tuck in nicely next to the battery.
From there, I moved to the axle side connections. I did some investigation and found the correct service connectors to plug into the locker pigtails. The part number for those is: 68148098AA
Assembly of the connectors was simple and here they are, ready to plug in! I will just be using some 14/2 shielded wire that I get from Home Depot...good stuff as it is already jacketed to resist against abrasion.
- Costs:
* Connectors: $60 (2 x $30)
* Relays: Freebie!
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 212
Likes: 1
From: San Antonio, Texas
Have you thought about making one of these? I did and its simplified how I power my lights. Im sure it would help you out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYMe2xTvyUQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUlLZo1kegU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYMe2xTvyUQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUlLZo1kegU