KevinMac's Semi-Budget Build...Project Deathstar
Thread Starter
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 422
Likes: 24
From: The D, MI
Back from vacation! It was pretty much a washout, it rained 3" over the 4 days 
but at least I wasn't at work. Good friends, good food and a whole lot of good drink were to be had! 
Not a whole lot to update as parts have been slow to arrive due to the holiday. Below is a picture of the plasti-dipped grill. I was hoping the clear plastidip would allow the gloss black paint underneath to shine through but wasn't so lucky. It gave it more of a 'silver' appearance than clear. Not loving that look, I went to the backup can of black and that gave the matte finish I now have. It wasn't my 1st choice, but I'll take it!
Since I had the grill off, I also upgraded to a set of Sylvania Silverstar Headlights. I found them, like most of my parts, on eBay...I got the set for $27...much cheaper than the $47 the local Autozone wanted!
There is a night and day (Get it? See what I did there? Pun intended 
) difference in the amount of light cast, I highly recommend them!
Also from vacation, after 3 hours of driving with the windows down, I couldn't stand the seat belt flutter any longer. We pulled over in BFE Ohio and found a parts store where for $9/pr we scored these lovely "anti-flutter" devices. Yes, I realize they are shoulder pads but they work way better on flutter than they do for their intended purpose!
Costs:
* Plastidip - Freebie
* Seat Belt Pads - $9
but at least I wasn't at work. Good friends, good food and a whole lot of good drink were to be had! Not a whole lot to update as parts have been slow to arrive due to the holiday. Below is a picture of the plasti-dipped grill. I was hoping the clear plastidip would allow the gloss black paint underneath to shine through but wasn't so lucky. It gave it more of a 'silver' appearance than clear. Not loving that look, I went to the backup can of black and that gave the matte finish I now have. It wasn't my 1st choice, but I'll take it!
Since I had the grill off, I also upgraded to a set of Sylvania Silverstar Headlights. I found them, like most of my parts, on eBay...I got the set for $27...much cheaper than the $47 the local Autozone wanted!
There is a night and day (Get it? See what I did there? Pun intended ) difference in the amount of light cast, I highly recommend them!Also from vacation, after 3 hours of driving with the windows down, I couldn't stand the seat belt flutter any longer. We pulled over in BFE Ohio and found a parts store where for $9/pr we scored these lovely "anti-flutter" devices. Yes, I realize they are shoulder pads but they work way better on flutter than they do for their intended purpose!
Costs:
* Plastidip - Freebie
* Seat Belt Pads - $9
Last edited by KevinMac; Jul 23, 2013 at 05:25 AM.
Thread Starter
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 422
Likes: 24
From: The D, MI
Another low cost mod I fnished yesterday is the heated wiper fluid...I think this is a great idea for the $15 I have into 12' of 5/32" silicone tubing and (2) 5/32" vacuumn connectors! 
I found the idea here and there was some good follow up posts with more detail. Thanks to rinkishJK for the idea!
Heated Wiper Fluid
In the 2nd photo you can see the routing I used, it is highlighted in 'green'. I un-bolted that large plastic tray and fed the tubing between it and the fender apron.
Cost - $15
I found the idea here and there was some good follow up posts with more detail. Thanks to rinkishJK for the idea!
Heated Wiper Fluid
In the 2nd photo you can see the routing I used, it is highlighted in 'green'. I un-bolted that large plastic tray and fed the tubing between it and the fender apron.
Cost - $15
Last edited by KevinMac; Jul 23, 2013 at 05:25 AM.
Thread Starter
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 422
Likes: 24
From: The D, MI
Upgrade o' the day...tunes! 
The stock speakers are horrible, so based on the reviews found here on the ol' inter-web, I took the leap and ordered a pair of the 6.5" Kicker replacement speakers. Holy improvement! They weight about 1/3 more each and have poly cones vs. the paper in the stock units. I installed these units in the soundbar and there was a clear difference in sound quality. I will not hesitate to order another set and replace the dash speakers as well.
Cost: $72 a set....yes please!
The stock speakers are horrible, so based on the reviews found here on the ol' inter-web, I took the leap and ordered a pair of the 6.5" Kicker replacement speakers. Holy improvement! They weight about 1/3 more each and have poly cones vs. the paper in the stock units. I installed these units in the soundbar and there was a clear difference in sound quality. I will not hesitate to order another set and replace the dash speakers as well. 
Cost: $72 a set....yes please!
Last edited by KevinMac; Jul 23, 2013 at 05:26 AM.
Thread Starter
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 422
Likes: 24
From: The D, MI
Happy Monday...bah! 
This weekend's improvement was to install some homemade quick discos. The thread detailing the "how to" is here:
Homemade Sway Bar Disco
If you read through it, there are 2 ways to go about it. You can remove the 18mm bolt and use a 7/16" clevis pin but you will have a loose fit and some rattling when you drive over bumps. The other option, and the way I went about it, was to remove the sway bar end link from the vehicle, drill the steel bushing out to 1/2", reinstall on the vehicle and then use the 1/2" clevis pin. This gave a nice tight fit and after some road testing, no rattles or clunking noises were heard!
A quick note, keep the drill bit well lubed (cutting fluid or WD40 in a pinch) as the bushing is some pretty hard material and getting through it takes a bit of work.
Cost: $10 in parts and about an hours time, it's time to disco!
This weekend's improvement was to install some homemade quick discos. The thread detailing the "how to" is here:
Homemade Sway Bar Disco
If you read through it, there are 2 ways to go about it. You can remove the 18mm bolt and use a 7/16" clevis pin but you will have a loose fit and some rattling when you drive over bumps. The other option, and the way I went about it, was to remove the sway bar end link from the vehicle, drill the steel bushing out to 1/2", reinstall on the vehicle and then use the 1/2" clevis pin. This gave a nice tight fit and after some road testing, no rattles or clunking noises were heard!
A quick note, keep the drill bit well lubed (cutting fluid or WD40 in a pinch) as the bushing is some pretty hard material and getting through it takes a bit of work.
Cost: $10 in parts and about an hours time, it's time to disco!
Last edited by KevinMac; Jul 23, 2013 at 05:26 AM.
Thread Starter
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 422
Likes: 24
From: The D, MI
So I'm quite sure the UPS guy is beginning to hate me. Especially yesterday when it was a balmy 94F and I came home to find my new Rubicon takeoff rails sitting in the driveway instead of on my porch as usual. 
Oh well, no biggie...here they are propped up in my Florida room. On the right you can also see the set of black takeoff rims I picked up off of Craigslist...I'll get to using those in the coming months! 
So yes, my rails have arrived courtesy of sponsor JeepSWAG...thanks guys! They didn't come with mounting hardware but I was able to find the nut and bolt sizes I needed after a quick search. The fasteners required are listed below. I didn't get them from the dealer, I just took the list to home depot and picked up what I needed.
12 each, 06104725AA, NUT AND WASHER, M6x1, used to attach rails to the pinch seam.
*6 each, 06105103AA, SCREW, Hex Head, M8x1.25x30.00, used to attach the rails to the underside of the body tub
*6 each, 06101833, U-NUT, M8x1.25, used to attach the rails to the underside of the body tub <--not needed on 2012+ models.
Rubi Rail Fastener List
Also knowing that I will be going to a bigger tire in the future, I took my newly arrived rails and threw the chop saw at them, taking about 1.5" off the back end of them. There is a good photo tutorial in this link: Cutting Pinch Seam & Rubicon Rails
Since it was sweltering yesterday, that is about as far as I got. I just wasn't THAT motivated.
It isn't going to be any cooler today but cutting them down was the hard part. I will fire up the compressor and use the air ratchet to install them this evening, that shouldn't take more than 30 minutes. I'll hopefully post up a picture or two tomorrow!
Speaking of weather...after the spending monsoon season in Kentucky over the 4th, I had ordered vent visors for the windows as a bit of fresh air is always a good thing. I was able to toss those on last night too. I got the "in-channel" version. It is a cleaner appearing install than the type you stick solely to the outside of the door. The downside is you get a bit of a clicking noise as the window first contacts the vent when you put the window up. I tried to move the vent around as best as possible to reduce it before pulling the 3M tape liner but I still hear it a bit. Having been trained to pin point BSR issues (buzz, squeak & rattle), working in automotive has somewhat ruined the enjoyment of cars for me.
Costs:
* Rubi Rails - $170
* Rubi Fasteners - $10
* Vent Visors - $46
* Takeoff Wheels - $150 on Craigslist
Oh well, no biggie...here they are propped up in my Florida room. On the right you can also see the set of black takeoff rims I picked up off of Craigslist...I'll get to using those in the coming months! 
So yes, my rails have arrived courtesy of sponsor JeepSWAG...thanks guys! They didn't come with mounting hardware but I was able to find the nut and bolt sizes I needed after a quick search. The fasteners required are listed below. I didn't get them from the dealer, I just took the list to home depot and picked up what I needed.
12 each, 06104725AA, NUT AND WASHER, M6x1, used to attach rails to the pinch seam.
*6 each, 06105103AA, SCREW, Hex Head, M8x1.25x30.00, used to attach the rails to the underside of the body tub
*6 each, 06101833, U-NUT, M8x1.25, used to attach the rails to the underside of the body tub <--not needed on 2012+ models.
Rubi Rail Fastener List
Also knowing that I will be going to a bigger tire in the future, I took my newly arrived rails and threw the chop saw at them, taking about 1.5" off the back end of them. There is a good photo tutorial in this link: Cutting Pinch Seam & Rubicon Rails
Since it was sweltering yesterday, that is about as far as I got. I just wasn't THAT motivated.
It isn't going to be any cooler today but cutting them down was the hard part. I will fire up the compressor and use the air ratchet to install them this evening, that shouldn't take more than 30 minutes. I'll hopefully post up a picture or two tomorrow! Speaking of weather...after the spending monsoon season in Kentucky over the 4th, I had ordered vent visors for the windows as a bit of fresh air is always a good thing. I was able to toss those on last night too. I got the "in-channel" version. It is a cleaner appearing install than the type you stick solely to the outside of the door. The downside is you get a bit of a clicking noise as the window first contacts the vent when you put the window up. I tried to move the vent around as best as possible to reduce it before pulling the 3M tape liner but I still hear it a bit. Having been trained to pin point BSR issues (buzz, squeak & rattle), working in automotive has somewhat ruined the enjoyment of cars for me.
Costs:
* Rubi Rails - $170
* Rubi Fasteners - $10
* Vent Visors - $46
* Takeoff Wheels - $150 on Craigslist
Last edited by KevinMac; Jul 23, 2013 at 05:28 AM.
