Opus' Purple People Eater Build Thread

[Opus]

I find myself in a quandary. I have a very clear image in my mind of the way I want the Jeep to look once the weather warms up.

Tube doors
Side and rear windows removed
Safari top
Tonneau cover over the rear cargo area

Everything I need is now in place and just waiting on Mother Nature (or global warming, depending on which you believe in) to do its thing. However, my quandary comes from the fact that Mrs. Opus and I are planning a 3000 mile road trip in early June. So... if the weather warms up before then, do I strip the Jeep down to the look I want, then put things back for the road trip, and then strip it down again for the rest of the summer??? Or, do I keep the Jeep buttoned up until after the road trip and then strip it down??? These are the kinds of first-world problems that require deep thought but absolutely no introspection...

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[Opus]

Unintended consequences...

A while back, I installed an aftermarket fuel door. Yesterday, it was time for a fill-up. That's when I discovered that the tether that connects the gas cap to the fuel door is a little too short (a common problem among men, I know). Anywho the short tether didn't allow the gas cap to get clear of the gas pump nozzle. So, I poked around the forums here and saw other people in the same boat. Some ordered a new gas cap with a longer tether and just cannibalized the tether for their Jeep. Others drilled a new hole, lower down in the fuel door, so that the short tether would still work. I decided to try a different approach.

First, I removed the tether from the door and the cap. Then, I cut it in half. After that I removed the outer sheathing from a piece of bicycle brake cable I had on hand. To do this, I peeled back a bit of the sheathing to expose the inner metal core. I clamped that into the bench vise. Then, instead of trying to pull the sheathing up and off (which doesn't work) I realized that since the metal core is wound like a spring, I could actually twist the sheathing off of it, essentially unscrewing it. Once that was done I applied some Gorilla Glue to the inside of both ends of the sheathing, then I slipped each of the parts of the old tether into those ends and let the glue dry. Then, it was just a matter of reinstalling the new, longer tether.

The weak link in all this will be the glue. I'm not sure how it will hold up to summer heat and winter cold. If it doesn't I'll go back to the drawing board and try something else.

UPDATE: Yesterday 5/23/23 I went to fill the Jeep and part of the glued end broke off. So, obviously Superglue isn't the answer long term. So... I cut a length of small bungee cord and broke out the shrink wrap and the heat gun. I used the shrink wrap to connect the two plastic ends to the length of bungee. We'll see how long this lasts...

 

[Opus]

A minor setback today. I ordered a set of Weathertech mud flaps for the front of the Jeep. I really thought between the fenders and the MOPAR side steps the Jeep wouldn't throw so much road grime up the sides, but it does. So, I ordered the flaps from Extreme Terrain. So far their prices have been reasonable and they deliver fast.

When I ordered from the ET site I input my Jeep's info and got the "this fits your Wrangler" thumbs-up. Today, though, when I received the flaps I checked the box and it listed that it fit a '23, 2-door Rubicon and a '23, 2-door "Wrangler JL"... no reference to a Sport S or even a Sport. The model number for the flaps I received was #110100. So, I went back to the ET site and confirmed that it says that it fits my Wrangler. At this point, I'm second-guessing myself. I want to be sure before I start tearing plastic clips off the Jeep so I figure I should go to the source. On the Weathertech site I was able to specify a Sport S and the model number that popped up was #110097. Hmmm. Then I decided to check a few other sites that carry Weathertech. Morris 4X4 said the #110100 model would fit my Jeep. Amazon, on the other hand, said it wouldn't.

I tried to email Extreme Terrain to see if they could confirm I could go ahead with the install, but there wasn't an address to do that. I hate phone calls... always have... it's a weird pathology, I know, but it's mine. So I decided to try Weathertech. They had an email address, so I asked them to confirm whether 110100 or 110097 was the way to go. Within minutes I received a reply from Debbie at Weathertech. She confirmed that for the Sport S, 110097 was the way to go and, of course, since they actually make the things...

The good news is that I found this out before I popped clips off the fender liners. The bad news is now I have to ship the ET flaps back to them. First world problems, I know... Anywho, the moral of the story is that just because a site says a part is compatible with your Jeep doesn't necessarily mean that it is. Caveat Emptor... twas ever thus.

 

[Opus]

Installed a set of Weathertech mud flaps on the front.

It wasn't quite as easy as the installation videos show but, then again, what is??? But they're on and between the bolt, screws and rivet feel very solid. Odd that such a small gap between the fender and the step rail could allow so much crap to get thrown up along the side of the Jeep. Hopefully these flaps will put an end to that.

 

[Opus]

Received my first duck today.

 

[Opus]

I just ordered some Desertdoesit shorty seat jackers for the Jeep. I've been noticing that the driver's seat feels like it sits flat or even slightly declined sometimes and I keep having to push myself back into the seat. It definitely feels more like I'm sitting on the seat, rather than in it. It's a mildly annoying thing now, but thinking about our upcoming road trip to Monument Valley and the Grand Canyon, I can see where this could be more of an issue with a 12 hour day behind the wheel.

After reading all the good reviews around here about the seat jackers, I decided to give them a try. $99 for a few pieces of aluminum and some bolts seems a bit high but hopefully worth it if it does what I think it will. I don't miss much about the old Renegade, but those 8-way adjustable power seats would have fixed this issue.

I'll update once I get the seat jackers in and can test them out.

 

[Opus]

Seat jackers arrived yesterday. Got them installed this morning. Regarding the installation, a few tips...

1.) After removing the front seat bolts, the instructions say to loosen the rear seat bolts, but they don't say by how much. After a few tries I finally ended up loosening them to essentially finger-tight before I finally had enough room in the front to get my fingers and the ratchet in there.

2.) After the jackers have been bolted in to place, I found that the best way to line up the bolt for the inner (by the transmission tunnel) seat rail and bolt is to start with the bolt in your right hand. With your left hand, lift the seat rail up just a bit above the jacker. While it's elevated, use your right hand to slide the bolt through the seat rail, find the hole in the jacker, and start the thread. That little bit of space between the rail and jacker made it much easier for the bolt to find its home. Once the thread has started, then you can put the rail down on top of the jacker and finish bolting it down. The outer bolt by the door is easy to spot and goes in with no problem.

Took a little drive after I got everything buttoned up. It definitely puts you more into the seat which is good. It will take a few trips for me to readjust everything else to find the right position.

 

[Opus]

Time for a little review/update on the small mods I've made...

1.) The seat jackers have proven to definitely be worth the money. It took a while to adjust to the new geometry and it took a little finagling to get the other seat adjustments right, but it is now a much more comfortable sitting position than it was before. Combined with the dead pedal, I think I am ready for a long road trip.

2.) The tonneau cover from Extreme Terrain has been working very well. On their site it doesn't list a brand name, but I paid $85 for it and there is a tag on it that reads "Rampage". It is tough to get on initially, but you want that from a tonneau. At highway speed in safari mode it is solid as a rock.

3.) I got a screen protector as a birthday gift: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09JL37N9M?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
I recommend it only because it has detachable handles built into the screen that allow you to position it precisely before it's locked in place. Prior to this one, I had screwed up two others because the tape that I was using to hold them in place shifted.

4.) All of my various interior storage bits have been working as advertised.

5.) The Weathertech floor liners and mud guards... C'mon... it's Weathertech... what's not to like?

6.) The only real misstep I've made so far in my purchases has been the black plastic lug nut covers. Putting a few of them on, I actually like the look... but the pain in the ass they presented to get them off should I need to change a tire rendered them more trouble than they were worth. I'll live with the OEM chrome lug nuts until I decide to replace them with black anodized lugs.

Next up for me will be installing the Nilight LED lights and the mounting brackets I got as a birthday gift. This will be my first foray into tapping into the AUX switches. I'm hoping it's as straight-forward as the YouTube videos make it out to be... stay tuned.

And once we get back from our roadtrip southwest... I'll be installing the Body Armor tube doors I bought back in January.

 

[jcruse64]

I agree on SeatJackers. Ours is my first Jeep, and I was not thrilled with the seat comfort on it, or anything we test drove. Took a 3 hour drive soon after we bought it, and was pretty stiff when we hit our destination, and was a little worried about this. When I saw people on here talking this up, I ordered a set quickly, and have been really pleased. We just did 10.5 hour 1-way trip to Jekyll Island in it, and was pleased with the ride. It's not as comfortable as my wife's Durango seats, but I'll have no issues driving out west in this thing. I DID move my seat up a notch after the install.

 

[Opus]

I agree on SeatJackers. Ours is my first Jeep, and I was not thrilled with the seat comfort on it, or anything we test drove. Took a 3 hour drive soon after we bought it, and was pretty stiff when we hit our destination, and was a little worried about this. When I saw people on here talking this up, I ordered a set quickly, and have been really pleased. We just did 10.5 hour 1-way trip to Jekyll Island in it, and was pleased with the ride. It's not as comfortable as my wife's Durango seats, but I'll have no issues driving out west in this thing. I DID move my seat up a notch after the install.

Yep. I too had to do a little repositioning after they were installed but I think I've found the right spot now.

 

[Chrismeece74]

You will be fine with your lights to the aux switches, it really is as easy as all the bidets show.

 

[Opus]

Even before I placed the order for the Jeep back in July of '22 I had an image in my head of what I wanted the Jeep to look like. Today, I was finally able to make that a reality:

Driving with everything this open is a blast. I feel as though I now own the world's most capable golf cart...

 

[Opus]

Today I finally worked up the courage to take a utility knife to the Jeep. I've never liked the splash guards on the front bumper. They look cheap and tacked on. But every time I considered cutting them off, the thought of potentially making a mess of it made me too afraid to do anything about it. I told myself I would leave them on at least until we finished our road trip this summer since they're supposed to help with fuel economy. Oddly enough, I think our recent road trip to the Grand Canyon helped me get past my fear. Taking the Jeep off road, even in the limited way we did, made me see it more as a vehicle and less as some precious thing.

I took my time and followed the contours of the plastic. A little sandpaper to smooth out some rough edges and it worked out okay. I decided to go the utility blade route rather than removing the shroud entirely to allow the back of the bumper to remain covered.

 

[TheNewGuy]

Even before I placed the order for the Jeep back in July of '22 I had an image in my head of what I wanted the Jeep to look like. Today, I was finally able to make that a reality:

Driving with everything this open is a blast. I feel as though I now own the world's most capable golf cart...

I'm assuming the tonneau has to come off to get the windows back in?

 

[Opus]

I'm assuming the tonneau has to come off to get the windows back in?

Yep. It hooks in using the same channels as the windows do. The cross bar for the rear window gets reused for the tonneau to let it seal well when the tailgate is closed.

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