JLAFAKASI
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- Lito
- Joined
- Nov 30, 2020
- Threads
- 8
- Messages
- 794
- Reaction score
- 142
- Location
- Richmond, VA
- Vehicle(s)
- JlU Sport S 2019
- Vehicle Showcase
- 1
Is the gladiator and jl arm rest the same size?Well...a lot of life got in the way since I posted this thread initially, but I finally had some time to tackle this project! I wanted to come back and follow up on this old thread with answers to the questions I posed, in case anyone else stumbles across this thread searching for info on removing or replacing the door armrest on the JL. Looking at the diagram that was posted in one of the replies, I was hopeful that it would be a matter of removing a screw from underneath that little removable tray in the door pull area and yanking on some body clips.
Unfortunately, once I received the new armrest, I realized that wasn't going to be the case. Also, if you pop that little tray out, you realize there are no screws under it...just a couple holes (drain holes, perhaps?). So, IOW, yes, the whole door panel has to be removed, after which you can access the eleven (11) Torx T20 screws that hold the driver's side armrest onto the door panel.
Luckily, in another thread, I found removal instructions and a YouTube video showing the procedure to remove the inner door panel:
Armed with those instructions the panel removal was pretty simple. The linkage and wiring was just long enough that I was able to hole the panel with one hand and finagle the screwdriver in place to remove the necessary screws with the other. I was working by myself, so I wasn't able to get a shot of the inside of the door panel, but I grabbed a shot of the outside of the panel with the armrest removed for reference. I circled the actual screw locations. The two circled in bright yellow were the hardest to find on the back side initially, as they are well recessed and somewhat hidden from the angle I was looking at it (from the top looking down). Not terribly hard to get to with a screwdriver once you find them, just difficult to see.
...and here is a shot of the back side of the armrest, with the screw locations circled. Eleven of the fourteen posts you see are the mounting points:
All in all, it wasn't near as bad of a task as I was afraid it would be, and now my OCD is much happier with a scratch-free armrest again.
(also...for anyone needing a driver's side armrest, black w/ red-stitching, that wouldn't be bothered by a scratch across it, the old one will be up for sale in the marketplace section shortly. )
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