A tale of 3 (now 2) JL Wranglers...

[OldBlue]

Good to know! Thanks.

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[OldBlue]

After removing the front bumper-to-fender-filler-thingys (yeah, I know they have a name, but that's what I call them!) on the Hella I wasn't crazy about how exposed the wiring was for the factory LED fogs. I decided to cut down the filler-thingys so I could reinstall them as covers for the wiring. Got out my Dremel and a pneumatic die grinder and cut the center section out of both sides and reinstalled just the center section. Had to do a bit of work cleaning up the cut edges, but they came out ok. At least the wiring is a bit more covered up now.

 

[Heimkehr]

After removing the front bumper-to-fender-filler-thingys (yeah, I know they have a name, but that's what I call them!) on the Hella I wasn't crazy about how exposed the wiring was for the factory LED fogs. I decided to cut down the filler-thingys so I could reinstall them as covers for the wiring.

There's money to be made for the vendor that offers fog light wiring caps (i.e., the left-side plastic piece in your photo) for Sport owners who want the aesthetic that you've created.

 

[OldBlue]

I've been off line for a bit, helping with the wife's recovery after hip replacement surgery. So...while not a mod, we did get all 3 JLs together for some pics.

 

[OldBlue]

I was able to get a top removal system set up while off work. I added some electrical mounting channels to the barn. Lag-bolted them to the joists and added some eye bolts. Used friction-style straps (not racthet style) and it works well, for both 2 door and 4 door JLs.

 

[OldBlue]

Yes, another exhaust post for the Hella. Man, I'm getting exhausted with this subject...

The muffler bypass pipe from post #14 was just to droney (is that a word ). It had too much drone at highway speeds, how's that. The Red Rock axle-back was better, but not by much. Sooo... I finally ponied up and bought the MagnaFlow. I wish I would have done this from the beginning. This is the perfect system - only slightly louder than stock at a cold start, a little rumble upon acceleration, a little more the farther up the rev range you go, and quiet at highway cruising speeds. Perfect. Do yourself a favor - if you're looking to replace the factory muffler, do it right from the beginning, and get the @Magnaflow model 19388.

The only problem - the muffler didn't level upon installing it. No matter how much I fiddled with it or which hangers I used (I bought THESE to help w/ the install), it's still not level. Close, but if you really look, it droops just a bit on the passengers side. Still figuring out the best way to solve it. I had seen in an exhaust post about having to use a different hanger on the passenger's side which is why I bought replacement hangers. I may have to find a different hanger and then maybe I can get it perfectly level.

 

[22hvjeepgirl]

Well, this first part isn't a mod, but i was able to get the first hand wash in for the Mojito! and Hellayella over the weekend. We had a 70f degree day today, and even though lots of rain was in the forecast for the next day, I still wanted to wash them both. Came out great.

One minor mod I did to the Hella was to remove the front bumper-to-fender-filler-thingys. I think it looks much better without them.

We certainly have a colorful pole barn! Out of site to the right of the Mojito! is a silver NA Miata and a red Torino Sport.

Was that bumper-to-fender-filler thingy difficult to remove? Some say it affects gas mileage, but.......does it that much?

 

[22hvjeepgirl]

thank you so much, Doug!!! These builds have given me some great ideas! I love your Jeep family!

 

[OldBlue]

Thanks!!

Easy to remove the bumper-to-fender-filler thingy . Just some bolts (7 I think?) on each side. To do it right you have to drop the plastic skid plate and the filler between the bumper and the grill. Turn the wheel to one side to give yourself a bit more room. Not hard, just take your time and it's pretty easy to do. I have noticed next to no difference in MPGs.

 

[blnewt]

Thanks!!

Easy to remove the bumper-to-fender-filler thingy . Just some bolts (7 I think?) on each side. To do it right you have to drop the plastic skid plate and the filler between the bumper and the grill. Turn the wheel to one side to give yourself a bit more room. Not hard, just take your time and it's pretty easy to do. I have noticed next to no difference in MPGs.

Darn Doug, I could've saved you time regarding the Magnaflow, it really is a great exhaust, sure it costs more but definitely worth it, very high quality, nice look, and sound. Maybe I just got lucky but mine sits perfectly level (on my 2dr though so maybe there's some slight difference??).

Glad your wife got rebuilt along the way, hopefully her hip is working better than new

IMO, removing those euro fender pieces, I thought they were truly a PITA, so many little screws, seemed like I'd never get all of them out

Pretty cool you've got so many Jeeps you can do your mods in bulk, nice job on the top removal setup!

 

[OldBlue]

Thanks Brad!

Now the wife's got 2 artificial hips, the first one replaced 4 years ago due to wear-and-tear and old sports injuries, the other due to arthritis. I call her my bionic woman now! She's is getting along better with this one, so that's good.

I was trying to go the less expensive route on the exhaust, and while it's didn't really cost me much in the grand scheme of things, I'm glad I finally spent the coin for the MF. I bought the original delete pipe for $115, sold it for $75, bought the Red Rock used for $100 and sold it for $125. Almost a wash with the first two. If nothing else I've become an expert at changing out the muffler!

 

[OldBlue]

It was time for some maintenance on my daughters JL, so she brought it over to the barn. Time for oil and filter (she just turned 5.5k miles), tire rotation, etc. She also purchased some 2" hub-centric spacers and THESE front LED bulbs. I firmly believe these are the exact same bulbs that Oracle sells for $20 more that I used on mine. She got a better deal - good for her.

The fun part is she wanted to do much of the work herself, so I just guided her on the correct way to do things, torque specs, tips, etc. Following in her old-man's footsteps. Who says the fairer sex can't wrench!

And here's the difference with the spacers.

 

[Roky]

It was time for some maintenance on my daughters JL, so she brought it over to the barn. Time for oil and filter (she just turned 5.5k miles), tire rotation, etc. She also purchased some 2" hub-centric spacers and THESE front LED bulbs. I firmly believe these are the exact same bulbs that Oracle sells for about $20 more for that I used on mine. She got a better deal - good for her.

The fun part is she wanted to do much of the work herself, so I just guided her on the correct way to do things, torque specs, tips, etc. Following in her old-man's footsteps. Who says the fairer sex can't wrench!

And here's the difference with the spacers.

I love how the fingernails match the cordless ratchet……. ……. Good on ya Dad , nice work there, helping the youngins …..

 

[OldBlue]

Not many mods on the Mojito!, and that's just because my wife likes hers just the way it is, for the most part. Me, I can't stop tinkering!

Next mod for the Hella was a set of ditch lights, so I picked up THESE. Fairly inexpensive, but seems decent for the price. Came with waterproof connectors and a full wiring harness that was nicely made, even though I didn't need the whole harness.

Since my JLU came w/ the trailer towing package, I have the dash switches and wiring, which made this very easy. Passengers side, all I had to do was to remove the side cowl panel, install the mount, attach the light and run the wiring under the cowl cover, and re-install it. Ran the wiring under the foam and up to the battery. Drivers side was a bit trickier, though not by much. I unsnapped the tabs in the wiring loom cover that runs along the firewall and installed the wiring inside the loom. To make it easier, I unbolted the radiator filler bottle and temporarily moved it to get the wiring all the way through the loom.

Once I had the wiring ran, I snapped the loom back together and bolted the radiator filler bottle back on. Next I used one of the grounding posts by the battery for both grounds. I used marine grade waterproof connectors on the wiring ends to connect the grounds, and then attached both hot leads to the factory wiring for the 15amp Aux 3 switch. Went into the Settings menu, made sure the proper settings were in place, and viola! Ditch lights.

 

[Heimkehr]

I was trying to go the less expensive route on the exhaust, and while it's didn't really cost me much in the grand scheme of things, I'm glad I finally spent the coin for the MF.

Thanks for the intel on the MF exhaust. If I ever manage to get the MF exhaust for my Jeep, I'll post the photos after I install the MF.

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