Opus' Purple People Eater Build Thread

[Opus]

Hmm... the doors-off look must be doing something right. Leaving work yesterday I discovered duck #2 on the driver's seat...

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[Opus]

Tomorrow marks my second Jeepaversary. I picked up the Purple People Eater on November 11th of 2022. Since then I've put 13,837 miles on it. But with nearly 3K of that being one road trip, I'm averaging closer to 5-6K/year so far. It is still my daily driver so most of the miles have been commuting to work. I'm averaging 27mpg which I am very happy with.

I've had three oil changes via the dealer. No mechanical problems of any kind. The only complaint I have is some water leakage above the doors when I take it through a touch-less car wash. It doesn't leak when it rains, though, so I assume it's the higher pressure of the car wash, or the angle of the jets that's the culprit.

Accessories so far (I can't in good conscience call them "mods") include:

• Removal of the front bumper air dams/splash guards
• JeCar fuel door
• Stubby antenna
• Screen protector for the 8.4" head unit
• Visor reinforcement brackets
• Passenger handle tray
• Transmission tunnel tray
• Center console trays
• Redline hood struts
• Nilight ditch lights wired to AUX 4
• Rear left side tray
• Rubber license plate covers
• Tube doors for summer
• Tonneau cover for summer
• Seat jackers
• Seat belt pads didn't work, but found an alternative to prevent the seatbelt slapping...
• Black plastic covers for the strike plates
• Threedom key lock covers
• Weathertech mud flaps (front) and floor mats (front)
• Velcro storage bags above doors
• Extended the tether for the gas cap to let it clear the pump handle
• Dead pedal
• Quad Lock phone mount
• Hitch extender
• Beamtech LED headlight bulbs
• Rear door fold-down table with bags
• Fire extinguisher
• MOPAR (knockoff) grab handle (passenger side)
• Spare tire circular brake light yes, I heard the siren song of the Amazons... no, I'm not proud of it...

I'm getting to a point where the Amazon wish list for the Jeep is winding down. I'm thinking about adding a dash cam, but otherwise I've purchased most of the doo-dads I want or need for the moment. The next big purchase will be tires and possibly new wheels. But that will be a ways down the road.

Overall, I'm still very happy with the Jeep. I still find myself looking back at it at least once after I park it and walk away.

 

[Opus]

I haven't done much new to the Purple People Eater. But I had a birthday recently and received an Amazon gift card so I thought I would do a little browsing for accessories and I came across these bags for 2-doors.

They sit on either side behind the front seat on top of the wheel tubs. They attach with velcro straps and one tab on what would be a bolt holding on the hard top. In my case, I used some bolts I had that fit the empty threads. The bags come with dividers and have a large pouch on the front and a molle panel to attach other items. Between the two bags they hold a surprising amount of stuff. I was able to remove a plastic storage tub that had been in the cargo area and held:

a hammer
a hatchet
a 20' tow strap
a soft shackle
a bottle jack
a foldable e-tool
a funnel
a roll of duct tape
gloves
a combo battery jumper pack/air pump

In terms of security, they don't offer much if you have the top off. Anyone can reach in and unzip either bag and clean it out. But then, I have a soft top so I'm always a pocket knife away from having my Jeep cleaned out. I usually have the tonneau cover on, though, so the bags aren't visible.

I'll be curious to see how well they stay in place once I drive around a bit.

Link here if you're interested: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B5RB719M?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

 

[embedded rock]

That's a super cool color--Reign.

 

[Opus]

That's a super cool color--Reign.

Thanks. We got lucky that it was available when we went to order one.

 

[Flip]

After 2 years, I finally got to see your jeep. Very nice bro.

 

[Opus]

Not much new to report on the Purple People Eater. I just recently celebrated my third Jeepaversary and the odometer just ticked over 20,000 miles a few days ago.

Near future plans include a Weathertech cargo liner I've had my eye on.

Further afield I might bite the bullet and do a full LED headlight swap. So far the LED bulbs replacements are doing fine but I really like the aesthetics of some of the full replacement options. That remains my one regret when it comes to my original order. The $1000 LED lighting package seemed ridiculously expensive at the time... little did I know...

Even further down the line will be tires and maybe wheels??? Here, I'm torn. The Granite Crystal Metallics I ordered were the best option I had for a darker wheel. When it's time for new tires I had thought I might go with an all-black wheel. Then, I thought about possibly bronze. With all-black I think the Jeep overall might be too dark with the purple paint. With a bronze wheel, though, it seems like it might be too flashy with the bronze and the purple competing with each other. Don't get me wrong, I love Prince's music, but I don't think I should be driving around in his Jeep...

I'm also thinking about trying to DIY a cargo shelf. Options for shelves for a 2-door with the rear seat delete are pretty slim and what I have seen is pretty pricey. This would be a summer project.

Still no plans to do a lift or other bigger ticket items... at least not until the extended warranty expires in 2029.

 

[jeepingib]

I still feel bad for the puppies....

 

[Opus]

I still feel bad for the puppies....

Meh. The law of averages says at least one of them likely would have grown up to be Cujo...

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