Opus' Purple People Eater Build Thread

[Opus]

Got off work a little early today, so I was able to have the garage to myself. Weather is back above freezing so I decided to give the dead pedal install a try:

Success! And all things considered, the install process really wasn't that bad. Remove one 13mm nut, assemble the pedal, put it on the bolt, reinstall the nut and you're done.

An interior shot with some of the plastic storage bits in place as well as the Quad-Lock holder for my phone.

The location of the Quad-Lock works great since it puts the phone close to the USB port on the dash.

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[Opus]

Coming up on 500 miles. So what's new??? Well, I managed to overfill the gas tank the other day. I was down to 18 miles on the RTE. Stopped at the gas station on the way home but for some reason the nozzle shut off after about 7 gallons. Reset the handle again and after a few more gallons it shuts off again. From here on out it shuts off every few seconds. Now a smart man would have just said the hell with it... it's all good... I've got 10 gallons in it. But, as you well know if you've read up to this point... I am not a smart man. So, I keep watching the gauge on the gas pump... squeezing the handle again... and again... and again... Then, I hear dripping... looked at the Jeep and saw gas running down the side. The gauge was at 16 gallons. Of course it was overfull. The tank only holds 17.2 gallons. There was 18 miles worth still in the tank plus whatever reserve is there. FML. Fortunately, I was already planning to get it washed immediately afterward so that took care of the mess. This is only the second time I've filled it but the first time went just fine. Maybe something odd about that gas pump??? I don't know. I guess I'll see when it's time for the next fill-up. But if it keeps shutting off prematurely then, I'm going to stop trying to fill it and it's going in to get checked out. Meanwhile, I had a little moment of panic when I decided to Google how bad it is to overfill your gas tank... Turns out it's really bad... So far, though, no issues.

I'm still loving the pick-up of this 2.0L. I like the pull when you initially put a foot into it and then the second pull when the turbo kicks in. Still nice and quiet as well.

I've been watching other new owners lifting their rigs and adding the larger tires. I have to say the lift bug hasn't bitten me yet. I like the ride height as it is. I can get in and out of the vehicle easily, and so can my wife who has tendonitis in her hip. My mother, who is 76, hasn't tried yet but I think with the handles she'll be able to. So, as it stands now I don't see a lift in my future. However, I wouldn't be opposed to some bronze rims and maybe some M/T tires in a few years once it's time to replace the shoes I currently have. Oh, and tubular doors will definitely be a thing at some point. Now, If I win the lottery there'll be some tan leather Katzkin seat covers and a custom tan canvas soft top... It's seems my mods run more toward the aesthetic than the functional...

I cannot tell you how many times I have gone out to the garage and looked at those closeouts attached to the bumper (a.k.a. the European air-dam things). I've looked at multiple YouTube videos on how to remove them. I've heard others say they just cut them off in place using a utility knife. But so far I just can't bring myself to do it. I think it's eventually going to require enough beer for a "hold my beer" moment where I just do it without overthinking what happens if I screw it up. Until then, I'll live with it and keep telling myself it help with the mileage.

 

[Opus]

Noticed the last few mornings there is a bit of a belt chirp when I first start it up in the morning. I don't notice it at other times of the day. I posted a thread about it in the 2.0L Turbo forum to see if anyone knows if this is just a normal part of the break-in process, or something different.

The good news, though, is the wife thought we should spring for personalized plates for the New Jeep. I wanted OIIIIIO, for obvious reasons, but of course it wasn't available. I tried a few different permutations and was surprised to find that UIIIIIU was, indeed available, so I snagged it. It should be in next week and I'll post a pic once it's on.

Oddly, with the little bits of snow we've had I find myself annoyed that I can't keep the Jeep clean for more than a few days. We're in this pattern where it snows an inch or so every few days. Not enough to have any fun in the snow, but just enough for them to put down salt brine which helps to keep things from freezing, but makes an absolute mess of everything. I know it's silly. Jeeps are supposed to be dirty. But this isn't dirty from a fun weekend of mudding. This is dirty just from doing its daily-driving day job.

 

[Opus]

I got the personalized plates today:

Yeah, you don't need to know what state and county I'm in...

Yesterday, my second car wash revealed that the soft top does, in fact, leak a little under high pressure. It was 25 degrees when I went through so maybe the fabric has contracted or stiffened to allow the water in. I'm not sure.

Thanks to this forum I solved my intermittent tailgate latching issue. Found a thread that talked about the same problem and offered a few solutions. It turns out the striker plate needed to move just a little bit forward to allow the latch to catch it without so much force. So, I loosened the bolts slid it forward, tested it a few times, then cinched it down. Works great now. Felt good to tackle a small job like this and save myself the hassle of scheduling a visit to the dealer and wasting the gas driving across town.

 

[Opus]

Installed the Threedom door lock covers that arrived today. It was about 15 degrees outside when I got them from the mailbox and when I went to put them on the Jeep at first they wouldn't fit. So, I put them in front of the space heater in the garage for a bit to warm them up and they slipped on, no problem.

 

[Opus]

Another inch or so of snow last night. It's come in fits and starts, just enough to keep things sloppy but not enough to have any real fun. Thankfully the temperature is going to warm up a bit from the brutally cold snap we've had.

Thanks to Santa bringing me an oversized Christmas tree bag, tomorrow I'll be pulling the rear seat from the Jeep. Then I'll see how the RC roll bar bag fits and how much extra space I can pick up back there.

Meanwhile, on order are some license plate holders and a set of Redline hood struts.

 

[Opus]

So, hey, funny story... and by "funny" I really mean "stupid". I deleted the rear seat today and was excited to install the roll bar bag... right up until I realized where it was actually going to sit. Honest to god, I thought there was a cross bar further back in the Jeep. But, as I assume you all well know, there isn't on the 2-door. There are cross braces for the soft-top further back, but I don't want to hang anything from those and risk bending them. But, to hang the bag from the roll bar would have meant climbing into the back of the Jeep every time I needed to access it. Plus, it would have hung down low enough to essentially render the rear-view mirror useless.

For the record, none of this is the manufacturer's fault. The bag does exactly what it's designed to do. The fault is mine for not seeing how it actually functions in the Jeep. Glad I got it on sale. So, now it's holding emergency supplies and lives on the floorboard just behind the seats. I'll still have to climb in the back to access it if necessary, but at least I will be able to see out of the back window.

 

[Opus]

I ordered a gas cap cover yesterday, so I'll be installing that next week. So, if you're keeping score at home, here are the mods that I've done since getting the Purple People Eater in November.

Stubby antenna
Dead pedal
Quad-lock phone mount (6" USB-C to Lightning cable)
Threedom door lock covers
Rear seat delete
Black plastic strike plate covers
Passenger grab handle tray
Transmission tunnel trays
Center console trays
Redline hood struts
Aluminum visor reinforcement brackets
Roll bar bags (4)
Tool bag and rear storage tubs
Fuel door cover

I've also picked up an aftermarket window storage bag and some hinge pin guides that I'll hopefully be able to use this summer once the doors and windows come off.

Now, I'm going to put some miles on it and enjoy it for a bit. The next planned purchase is a bigger one... tubular doors.

 

[Chrismeece74]

Get out and enjoy it, you waited long enough.....

 

[Opus]

ExtremeTerrain ran a sale on tubular doors. $285 for two doors (tax and shipping included)...
https://www.extremeterrain.com/body...-front-tube-doors-textured-black-jl-6154.html
I may be cold, but I'm not made of stone.... Summer can't get here soon enough.

 

[Opus]

Ordered some Weathertech floor mats on Sunday night. They arrived today. Can't complain about that. Install took 5 minutes and they fit great.

The tubular doors are supposed to be delivered tomorrow, along with several inches of snow. Ah... the midwest...

 

[Beasty]

I got the personalized plates today:

Yeah, you don't need to know what state and county I'm in...

Yesterday, my second car wash revealed that the soft top does, in fact, leak a little under high pressure. It was 25 degrees when I went through so maybe the fabric has contracted or stiffened to allow the water in. I'm not sure.

Thanks to this forum I solved my intermittent tailgate latching issue. Found a thread that talked about the same problem and offered a few solutions. It turns out the striker plate needed to move just a little bit forward to allow the latch to catch it without so much force. So, I loosened the bolts slid it forward, tested it a few times, then cinched it down. Works great now. Felt good to tackle a small job like this and save myself the hassle of scheduling a visit to the dealer and wasting the gas driving across town.

The black and white plate gives away the state but I wont say haha

 

[Opus]

Tube doors arrived.

Now I just need to wait for the weather to warm up enough to put them on. In the meantime, I also ordered a tonneau cover for the back of the Jeep.

https://www.extremeterrain.com/jeep-wrangler-tonneau-cover-black-diamond-741135.html

I'm hoping this will work with removing the side and rear windows and just keeping the top on safari-style.

 

[Opus]

Tonneau cover arrived and I've got it spread out to relax some of the creases. Then I'll probably roll it and store it in the bag with the rear seat until the weather warms. The instructions recommend installing when the temperature is 75 or above... Won't be seeing that around here for a few months at least.

 

[Opus]

Just passed 1000 miles on the Jeep and I have to say I am thoroughly enjoying it. Mileage is currently 22.1 which isn't bad. At the moment I'm doing a lot of work at home so the Jeep has been relegated to errands and grocery-getting but I find myself looking for excuses to take it out.

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