Adventures at the mod shop

[Buckster]

Due circumstances out of my control, I parted ways with my employer in January and have been challenged in the job search. For shits and giggles and to pass the time, I have been working for a local shop that does truck and Jeep mods. We do a lot of truck bed covers, lifts, lights, and side steps, but just about anything else is also on the table.
Will post some of the more interesting jobs and thoughts on same. Not posting pics or location of shop for customer reasons..

I'm ashamed to admit that I have put inner wheel lights on a Gladiator with 26's. You know what I'm talking about.... The light show that you could program was impressive but I just had to shake my damn head - not my thing. Both rear axle seals were shot and the deep dish wheels were bent to hell and back. Installing the lights required bolting/riveting an LED ring to the brake dust shield and running wires to a BT controller, no big deal. BUT the light rings will have to be taken off to change out the brake pads....there is no removing the brake pad carrier with the lights installed. I'm guessing we'll see it again when it's time to do the brakes lol.

Have also done a few Bestop soft tops. Anybody shopping for a new top, please be aware that they sell tops that fold all the way down like the factory top, but they also sell a top that has fixed bows on the top that do NOT fold all the way down. These you can run in sunrider or safari style but not completely down.

Final thought for the opening post - have seen both Jeeps and trucks come in that have had work done elsewhere that is completely fubar. I already don't trust anybody else to work on my Jeep, but have been surprised to see the shitty work done by others because the customer doesn't know any better.

More to come....

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[WJ43]

Definitely watching this thread, should be interesting

 

[GATORB8]

Pics or it didn't happen.

 

[Miloe]

+1 for more funny from the mod shop

 

[NMPirate]

Can't wait to see what comes out of this thread. Gonna go get the popcorn and watch the show!

 

[lashlee]

My current day job is quite a bit different from yours, but in college and just after I was a sales/installer at a local specialty stereo shop. Like your Gladiator, I saw way too many botched installs, and many cars that should've been on fire before we fixed it. I have literally seen a shoe box for a 6x9, and a 5 gallon bucket for a 10" sub (which surprising sounded great a low volume). I've become good friends with a local 4x4 shop owner (who has called me a few times for advanced stereo installs for his shop) and it's amazing what I've seen at his shop, let alone some of the stories he has told me. Ignorance is bliss and most people don't care until there's an issue!

 

[Wabujitsu]

Due circumstances out of my control, I parted ways with my employer in January and have been challenged in the job search. For shits and giggles and to pass the time, I have been working for a local shop that does truck and Jeep mods. We do a lot of truck bed covers, lifts, lights, and side steps, but just about anything else is also on the table.
Will post some of the more interesting jobs and thoughts on same. Not posting pics or location of shop for customer reasons..

I'm ashamed to admit that I have put inner wheel lights on a Gladiator with 26's. You know what I'm talking about.... The light show that you could program was impressive but I just had to shake my damn head - not my thing. Both rear axle seals were shot and the deep dish wheels were bent to hell and back. Installing the lights required bolting/riveting an LED ring to the brake dust shield and running wires to a BT controller, no big deal. BUT the light rings will have to be taken off to change out the brake pads....there is no removing the brake pad carrier with the lights installed. I'm guessing we'll see it again when it's time to do the brakes lol.

Have also done a few Bestop soft tops. Anybody shopping for a new top, please be aware that they sell tops that fold all the way down like the factory top, but they also sell a top that has fixed bows on the top that do NOT fold all the way down. These you can run in sunrider or safari style but not completely down.

Final thought for the opening post - have seen both Jeeps and trucks come in that have had work done elsewhere that is completely fubar. I already don't trust anybody else to work on my Jeep, but have been surprised to see the shitty work done by others because the customer doesn't know any better.

More to come....

Hey brother, miss you man!

For the last few years I’ve been hanging out at the same type of shop, just stopping by, playfully Insulting the guys and drinking the owner’s beer. Great guys! But I too have seen some interesting mods. I puke in my mouth a little when I see Rough Country lifts going on very expensive trucks and Jeeps.

 

[Buckster]

Pics or it didn't happen.

 

[Buckster]

Hey brother, miss you man!

For the last few years I’ve been hanging out at the same type of shop, just stopping by, playfully Insulting the guys and drinking the owner’s beer. Great guys! But I too have seen some interesting mods. I puke in my mouth a little when I see Rough Country lifts going on very expensive trucks and Jeeps.

Hey brother, it's been a while. See the next post....

 

[Buckster]

Train horns and Rough Country and rock lights...oh my!!

So, I've always equated train horns with the trucks that also have "locally hated" across the windshield, but surprisingly we've done some on trucks you wouldn't expect. One in particular was a brand new Denali, triple horn set up, button discreetly mounted in the center console. Also had a Raptor in with horns under it, but the coupe de gras was a 2 door JK that came in with horns already on it. That might be funny...all you see is a Jeep before you get blasted off the road.

@Wabujitsu - unfortunately there is a lot of margin in RC products and customers buy into the cheesy advertisements. Mounted an RC front bumper and RC winch (didn't even know they made winches) on a JLUR recently. Maybe decent products individually, but with the way the winch was mounted to the bumper, I wouldn't trust it to pull a golf cart out of the ditch. Plust it was fugly.... Other RC stuff just doesn't line up or has to be modified work, and anything that comes in with RC that's been on for more than a year or 2, always has rust in the seams and welds. Don't even get me started on their lighting. I know it fills a market segment, but I've always been of the opinion "buy once, cry once"

Rock lights, where to begin? Had a truck in with existing rock lights that just weren't providing adequate street cred, so we pulled them off and installed 16 full spectrum, create your own disco in the movie theater parking lot, lights. Two for each wheel well, two under each running board. two under the front, and two under the back. All tied together with a BT controller. The light show was impressive....I guess. I will say this, I'm getting excellent at running and hiding wires on a variety of trucks and Jeeps.

Tune in next episode for a diesel JLUR tune and interior windshield lights.

 

[Wabujitsu]

Train horns and Rough Country and rock lights...oh my!!

So, I've always equated train horns with the trucks that also have "locally hated" across the windshield, but surprisingly we've done some on trucks you wouldn't expect. One in particular was a brand new Denali, triple horn set up, button discreetly mounted in the center console. Also had a Raptor in with horns under it, but the coupe de gras was a 2 door JK that came in with horns already on it. That might be funny...all you see is a Jeep before you get blasted off the road.

@Wabujitsu - unfortunately there is a lot of margin in RC products and customers buy into the cheesy advertisements. Mounted an RC front bumper and RC winch (didn't even know they made winches) on a JLUR recently. Maybe decent products individually, but with the way the winch was mounted to the bumper, I wouldn't trust it to pull a golf cart out of the ditch. Plust it was fugly.... Other RC stuff just doesn't line up or has to be modified work, and anything that comes in with RC that's been on for more than a year or 2, always has rust in the seams and welds. Don't even get me started on their lighting. I know it fills a market segment, but I've always been of the opinion "buy once, cry once"

Rock lights, where to begin? Had a truck in with existing rock lights that just weren't providing adequate street cred, so we pulled them off and installed 16 full spectrum, create your own disco in the movie theater parking lot, lights. Two for each wheel well, two under each running board. two under the front, and two under the back. All tied together with a BT controller. The light show was impressive....I guess. I will say this, I'm getting excellent at running and hiding wires on a variety of trucks and Jeeps.

Tune in next episode for a diesel JLUR tune and interior windshield lights.

Buck, with the train horn, don’t forget the ubiquitous bull nuts hanging off the back ?

 

[Opus]

I'll just leave this here for whomever needs it...

 

[Buckster]

Welllllllll,
I honestly didn't have time to keep up with the stuff that went on at the shop and TBH there were a lot of things that just didn't sit well.
So, I'm opening my own shop. Ziggy's Offroad will be open for business starting next week, August 21.
I'll mainly focus on Jeeps but will work on other vehicles as needed. Lifts, bumpers, lights, winches, wheels/tires - you name it and we'll do it. That being said, there will be a limitation on wheel size vs tire size, and angry grills are iffy - grumpers are a no-go.
Will do limited audio to start and not set up to do gears yet, but will be soon.
If you are in SW Florida and want work done right by someone that understands Jeeps, then give me a call 941-705-5755. I'm in Bradenton.

 

[Wabujitsu]

Welllllllll,
I honestly didn't have time to keep up with the stuff that went on at the shop and TBH there were a lot of things that just didn't sit well.
So, I'm opening my own shop. Ziggy's Offroad will be open for business starting next week, August 21.
I'll mainly focus on Jeeps but will work on other vehicles as needed. Lifts, bumpers, lights, winches, wheels/tires - you name it and we'll do it. That being said, there will be a limitation on wheel size vs tire size, and angry grills are iffy - grumpers are a no-go.
Will do limited audio to start and not set up to do gears yet, but will be soon.
If you are in SW Florida and want work done right by someone that understands Jeeps, then give me a call 941-705-5755. I'm in Bradenton.

HUGE CONGRATS, brother! I will probably be up there next week to say hi. Can you text me the address?

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