Goin2drt's Sting Gray JLUR build

[Goin2drt]

@mantacon. Maybe I guess. It is kind of covered by the bracket. I was thinking about getting a rubber cap to go over it while not in use. It is nice to not have to lift the hood and then have the hose rubbing against the paint. I deflated and inflated today to make sure my 4 wheel contraption worked and it was nice.

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[Kansascoast]

@mantacon. Maybe I guess. It is kind of covered by the bracket. I was thinking about getting a rubber cap to go over it while not in use. It is nice to not have to lift the hood and then have the hose rubbing against the paint. I deflated and inflated today to make sure my 4 wheel contraption worked and it was nice.

I took a piece of hose...plugged the end...and put it on mine to keep it clean.

 

[Goin2drt]

I ordered these. I did the female quick connect. These should fit over it perfectly. If it works I will give the other 9 away ;-)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076NBKHXS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Mantacon]

@mantacon. Maybe I guess. It is kind of covered by the bracket. I was thinking about getting a rubber cap to go over it while not in use. It is nice to not have to lift the hood and then have the hose rubbing against the paint. I deflated and inflated today to make sure my 4 wheel contraption worked and it was nice.

I agree. I used to have them in my driver and passenger fenderwells. But now the JL is so nice, there is nowhere to put them.

 

[Goin2drt]

Teaser

 

[Goin2drt]

Dash color change.

Well I gave it a go. I tried the other day with some vinyl I had and failed. If you are going vinyl then probably need a pro to do it. So then I decided to give a removable spray a go. I settled for a color I found at the local auto parts place. Not totally happy with the color as it is a metallic color and kind of sparkles in the sun but really wanted to take on the task.

First of all this is a totally doable job. I am far from a mechanic.

Steps to get the pieces off.

1. Disconnect the negative from battery AND the negative from those grounds right by the battery to completely shut down the power.
2. Remove Hvac controls. Pull straight towards you. Then disconnect the wire harnesses.
3. Remove the 2 screws on the bottom of uconnect bezel and then pull that off again towards you.
4. Remove the one screw up top attaching the leather top dash piece.
5. Start on one side of the dash and pull towards you NOT UP and the dash will come off.
6. Left instrument piece then remove the top screws and pull off.
7. Right side is a few more steps.
   1. Remove top screws.
   2. Remove glove box and remove the 2 screws holding on to the air bag.
   3. Remove the airbag trim panel that is right behind the grab handle.
   4. I then removed the grab handle to be able to unscrew the bottom screws of the red dash.
   5. Pull the red dash piece off and the entire thing will come off. I did not have the zip tie thing in other pictures here.
8. The air vents then can be remove with a torx
9. The center instrument plastic piece cannot be removed so you will need to tape around that.
10. When you put it all back together and reconnect your battery start your car and leave it running for a while outside. Everything will go back to normal except your radio favorites. It took awhile. My AC was all weird (would only do low and hi and not the actual degrees), time was a mess etc. I thought I screwed something up. I started to take it for a spin around the block and everything went back to normal.

I then painted a bunch of light coats of the stuff pictured and put it all back together. I really like not having the red but I think I will now order that perfect color online and do it again in the future or now that I know what I am doing see what it would cost to vinyl wrap it. We will see how the paint holds up.

 

[Goin2drt]

Worked perfect. 7/8” rubber cap. $5 and had to buy 10 so if anyone is doing this same set up, text me and I will send you one.

 

[LSJKU]

Go

Well I started to accumulate some parts and things while waiting for the Jeep. I ordered the CB and the Antenna and mount. Then today I made my 4 tire inflation/deflation contraption that I saw from this video. Trail Recon has some great youtube videos.

He does have a list of all the items needed and links to Amazon in his video. In the video they say the cost is around $100. I built mine for more like $150 and mostly because of the high end wheel chucks ($48 alone on Amazon). All the other parts I found at a local hardware place for a few bucks cheaper than Amazon.

Parts needed.
1 - 1/8 by 1/4 coupler (needed for pressure gauge
1 - 1/4 brass T
1 - 1/4 ball valve
1 - 1and a half inch 60 PSI pressure gauge
1 - 50' x 3/8" in air hose
14 - hose clamps (8mm to 16mm)
5 - 3/8 barb X 1/4 MPT brass
3 - 1/4" barb T's
1 - 1/4" brass nipple (i needed these as the ball valve only came in female on both ends so this connected the gauge to the valve.
1 - 1/4" air hose coupler (end that connects to the actual compressor) "quick release end.
4 - air chucks. These you can do much cheaper if you wanted to but I like this idea.
Amazon -https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01938M8MW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

in2drt, I love this DIY air up/down contraption. I'm gonna build one soon after I finish with all the stuff laying in the garage; Mopar lift (waiting on Icon coil-over system), MagnaFlow Rock Crawler exhaust, aFe CAI, and rear tire carrier stiffener. I already added teh Nitto Trail Grappler 35's. Also going to keep my JL sane this time. Put an LS6 V8 and Metalcloak suspension in my 2012 JK.

I'll be watching and rooting your build. Looking for ideas (like the DIY air system) for myself too.

Happy trailing...
LSJKU.

 

[LSJKU]

Dash color change.

Well I gave it a go. I tried the other day with some vinyl I had and failed. If you are going vinyl then probably need a pro to do it. So then I decided to give a removable spray a go. I settled for a color I found at the local auto parts place. Not totally happy with the color as it is a metallic color and kind of sparkles in the sun but really wanted to take on the task.

First of all this is a totally doable job. I am far from a mechanic.

Steps to get the pieces off.

1. Disconnect the negative from battery AND the negative from those grounds right by the battery to completely shut down the power.
2. Remove Hvac controls. Pull straight towards you. Then disconnect the wire harnesses.
3. Remove the 2 screws on the bottom of uconnect bezel and then pull that off again towards you.
4. Remove the one screw up top attaching the leather top dash piece.
5. Start on one side of the dash and pull towards you NOT UP and the dash will come off.
6. Left instrument piece then remove the top screws and pull off.
7. Right side is a few more steps.
   1. Remove top screws.
   2. Remove glove box and remove the 2 screws holding on to the air bag.
   3. Remove the airbag trim panel that is right behind the grab handle.
   4. I then removed the grab handle to be able to unscrew the bottom screws of the red dash.
   5. Pull the red dash piece off and the entire thing will come off. I did not have the zip tie thing in other pictures here.
8. The air vents then can be remove with a torx
9. The center instrument plastic piece cannot be removed so you will need to tape around that.
10. When you put it all back together and reconnect your battery start your car and leave it running for a while outside. Everything will go back to normal except your radio favorites. It took awhile. My AC was all weird (would only do low and hi and not the actual degrees), time was a mess etc. I thought I screwed something up. I started to take it for a spin around the block and everything went back to normal.

I then painted a bunch of light coats of the stuff pictured and put it all back together. I really like not having the red but I think I will now order that perfect color online and do it again in the future or now that I know what I am doing see what it would cost to vinyl wrap it. We will see how the paint holds up.

Wow! I was lucky. My Punk'n JL was delivered August 4th with the passenger dash already Grey'd out. Guess Jeep finally got the word that the red dash was not very popular. I thought mine would come red and I would have to do something like you did with it.

 

[LSJKU]

I too got the bracket from Kansas and will be installing this weekend. I like your location for the air lines, but aren't you worried they are gonna get dirt/water in the line?

Awesome! Do you guys have contact info for @Kansascoast? I know this is some kind of twitter address but I don't tweet. An email or phone number would be great.

I will order the bracket. I really like the way the ARB is mounted under the hood and the air hose connections are mounted outside the frame rails. There was no room under my JK hood for the ARB. The V8 and two ECU's took up most the available space.

 

[Mantacon]

Awesome! Do you guys have contact info for @Kansascoast? I know this is some kind of twitter address but I don't tweet. An email or phone number would be great.

I will order the bracket. I really like the way the ARB is mounted under the hood and the air hose connections are mounted outside the frame rails. There was no room under my JK hood for the ARB. The V8 and two ECU's took up most the available space.

Just send him a private message by clicking on his name

 

[Goin2drt]

So we took the Rubi out for the first time and initiated her. I would characterize myself as a rookie off roader. We have done a lot in quads, dirt bikes, RZR, GC on fire roads but no real Jeep wheeling. I found a group heading out on another forum so we weren't alone. Here are my thoughts and comments about the trip. We did Broom flat to Heartbreak Ridge.

1. NEVER go out alone unless you really know what you are doing and then I probably wouldn't go out alone.
2. The Rubi was very capable. We were out with all upgraded rigs and experienced folks. I did get some love taps but no harm done. Pics attached of the scrapes.
3. All the "nannies" in the Rubi really do make it easier. Downhill assist is ridiculous and awesome for those tricky downhill's. 4L really does just crawl and almost drives itself.
4. Early on I wasn't doing as good of a job going up and over rocks and that is when we hit a few, trying to straddle them. Also found that that ever spotter is great. Some are better than others, goes without saying I guess.
5. For the most fun to be had and what would have made yesterday the best is the lift, bigger tires and skid plates. I would have been clean all day with those.
6. Holy cow I also want a winch. Our leader a VERY experienced wheeler needed a couple. We were on a single track road coming down the mountain and the road was washed out just touch and his rear wheel slid to the right. He stopped and between his winch and the winch on the jeep right behind him they saved it.
7. Trailsoffroad.com and the gaia app were great to use for the day. I personally didn't need them as our guide had been on the roads but I still like to know where I am at and know if I just separated I could find my way home.
8. I also learned my ARB air up system failed and luckily again with a group so no issue. The hose line from the ARB to air chock got WAY to hot and couldn't handle the pressure.

All in all the billy goat is broken it. Can't wait for the upgrades and need way more wheel time before Moab next Easter.

 

[Goin2drt]

@supremepower build is coming along nicely. We got our @rockslideengineering step sliders. Sorry no install pics as I was busy helping. Wanted to be involved so I could talk intelligently about the install process.

The install took about 4 hours but could be about an hour or so quicker. I got super anal about the wiring and also had to move my ARB air chock mount. Also that included removing the stock sliders.

We followed the directions on line to the letter and that was HUGE. The instructions they provide really make this process an easy one. No special tools needed and really could be a one man job with very limited skills needed.

The actual install of the sliders went well. The body bolts were the toughest and really just the forward ones. I needed a breaker bar to loosen those but the rest were good. I did actually torque all the nuts as well so you will need a TQ wrench (that would be the only special tool). As for the wiring it was self explanatory. Just takes patience and time. Easy to route and the interior panels pop off and back on easily. Also the door sensors took me a little time because I wanted those perfect and in the best location that did not have a bunch of the wire exposed.

Once completed it worked perfectly as it should. They are durable and stick out perfectly to line up with the stock fenders. These will really be a great addition and Mama will be really happy so she can get in easily. End of the day for someone who wants steps that do not protrude and potentially hung up on rocks as well as a very solid slider, these are really the best and only solution. I really like the super clean look. Call up Eric @supremepower and he can set you up with a set.

 

[Mantacon]

@supremepower build is coming along nicely. We got our @rockslideengineering step sliders. Sorry no install pics as I was busy helping. Wanted to be involved so I could talk intelligently about the install process.

The install took about 4 hours but could be about an hour or so quicker. I got super anal about the wiring and also had to move my ARB air chock mount. Also that included removing the stock sliders.

We followed the directions on line to the letter and that was HUGE. The instructions they provide really make this process an easy one. No special tools needed and really could be a one man job with very limited skills needed.

The actual install of the sliders went well. The body bolts were the toughest and really just the forward ones. I needed a breaker bar to loosen those but the rest were good. I did actually torque all the nuts as well so you will need a TQ wrench (that would be the only special tool). As for the wiring it was self explanatory. Just takes patience and time. Easy to route and the interior panels pop off and back on easily. Also the door sensors took me a little time because I wanted those perfect and in the best location that did not have a bunch of the wire exposed.

Once completed it worked perfectly as it should. They are durable and stick out perfectly to line up with the stock fenders. These will really be a great addition and Mama will be really happy so she can get in easily. End of the day for someone who wants steps that do not protrude and potentially hung up on rocks as well as a very solid slider, these are really the best and only solution. I really like the super clean look. Call up Eric @supremepower and he can set you up with a set.

How much did they run you?

 

[Goin2drt]

They are $1,800

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