WxNerd2015's Never Ending Build

WxNerd2015

New member
Hello all! I have created this thread to post up about my 2011 JK and all the building and modification that I do to it starting from day 1 when I drove her off the lot! This is a bit late, but as I am sure that you can see, I only joined Wayalife a month or so ago, so I have to get caught up some! I had been reading/seeing/following some other members build pages, and I really like the idea of it as sometimes you know you want to do something, but just don't have an idea of what you want to do to your Jeep (cuz let's face it, I get antsy and twitchy if it has been too long without working on my Jeep, and we all know, it's always a work in progress, never finished!) and these build forums I just loved reading through and seeing interesting things that I had never thought of or ideas that I didn't even know were possible, and making it happen and seeing that it works! These build forums are also neat I think too cuz the write ups are well thought out and thorough and really have provided me with so many answers that I have been looking for! I love bring these ideas that I have come up with and found from other fellow Jeepers into one location for me (on my Jeep, and in this forum), and as I am a newer Jeeper (1+ Years owning a my JK, but I have been a Jeep fanatic much longer than that), there are a lot of ideas and builds to come, as well as I would love all of your feedback too on my projects as well! Thanks for reading and please subscribe as hopefully this will be an informative and interesting thread for you all! :wings:

Thanks!,

WxNerd2015
 

WxNerd2015

New member
Before my Jeep, I had my first truck for 7 Years. I saved up and bought it when I was about 15 so I could work on it and get it fixed up right once I got my license. It was a 2001 Dodge Dakota 2WD no ABS 3.9L V6...it was a fun truck! I also just graduated from the University of Oklahoma this past May with a degree in meteorology (and I also did my fair amount of storm chasing while I was down there too, my buddies and I called ourselves the Wedge Seekers and we have fb and twitter and youtube and a webpage if anyone wants to go and check that out!) But that Dakota lasted my on many trips back and forth between Oklahoma and Michigan (where I am from) as well as was great for many storm chases well! However, as I am sure you all know, sometimes there comes a time with some vehicles that it is costing more to keep it up than just to get a new one, and while I wished I could have gotten a new vehicle, AND kept the truck, i could not afford that at the time! Well, I had been wanting a Jeep for a long time, that was my dream vehicle that I could work on and make all my own and really have some real good fun in, and I didn't think that my dream of that would come true for a while, but thankfully...it did! My nana had purchases a 2011 JKU Sport S back in 2011 and she let me drive it sometimes, and boy was that dangerous...the second I got behind that wheel, that was the vehicle that I had wanted. Well, she obviously decided that she did not want to part with her Jeep, so I went out searching and in May of 2014 found this beauty below! A 2011 JK Sport S, Sand in color, and only 10k miles! So basically, a brand new Jeep still! The dealer also decided to add some of the black accents on there cuz they said that they thought it looked cooler...and I absolutely agree! I love the whole simple black and tan look on it and that is how I am keeping it! Below are a few photos of the aforementioned vehicles (Dakota, JKU, and my JK):
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WxNerd2015

New member
Here's just a few more off of the lot and first time home pictures! I just could not pass up on this beauty sitting there, as the deal was great and I just absolutely loved it from the second that I saw it!
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WxNerd2015

New member
The first modification that I did on this JK was to get my CB radio that was in my Dakota, installed into the jeep! To do this, I used the:
Rugged Ridge 11503.96 CB Radio Antenna Mount Kit

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As well as a few left over parts from the CB antenna mounts from the Dakota and an extra connector from radioshack for the antenna to the radio!
 

WxNerd2015

New member
The Rugged Ridge CB mount was used to mount a 4' Firestick CB antenna behind the spare tire, as well as a Cobra 29 LX 40 Channel 4 Color LCD Display CB Radio w/ Weather Channels (As a meteorologist and storm chaser, the weather radio was my main want from this, and the weather alert works absolutely awesome!).

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I already had plenty of length on the coax cables from the installation on my truck which this was removed from so All I needed to do was run the coax cable. I took the plastic conver on the inside of the tailgate off and I ran the coac through the vent and into the tailgate through that cover. I then reinstalled the cover to hold the cable in place and zip tied it to the tailgate strap to run it into the jeep.
Then the cable was run through the passenger read plastic cover and up into the roll bar cover. I unzipped the roll bar covers all the way up to the windshield and ran the coax up through the windshield until there.
Next I took off the sunvisor on the passenger side and the plastic in the upper corner of the windshield and also pooper the passenger side of the upper part of the plastic by the windshield out. I ran the coax up behind the plastic trim located there and down up against the windshield at about the position of the rearview mirror. (I will do a full write up with pictures of where thing sgo completely soon, however this is just a fast write up for the moment) I then attached the U-bracket for the CB radio to the mount and ended up having to drill new holes in the mount so that the radio would fit horizontally with the mic attached in between the sun visors.
With the mount attached properly, I attached the coax to the radio and hung the radio up in the windshield.
From there I then ran the power cord back through the plastic trim the same way the coax came in to the edge of the windshield. I then ran the coax down inside the passenger side of the dash, then around underneath the glove box and out at the bottom of the center dashboard trim piece right next to the 12V plug.
From my truck I had already had a 12V plug soldered onto the end of the power cable which also had a power switch on it, so I can switch the radio power on and off as well, and plugged that in to the 12V plug.
Wala! The radio is in and installed and working! Definitely came in handy for me out inthe Plains chasing storms! The entire process took maybe 2-3 hours total, however there was some stoppage time for needing to grab a few extra parts as well as lunch!

Contact me with any questions or comments, and a full write up with pictures will be coming soon! :thumb:
 

WxNerd2015

New member
My next modification was an upgrade to the radio in the Jeep. The radio that originally came in the jeep was the 130S/RES, which was 1 step above the base model as it had the satellite radio has well as the functions for the UConnect but did not have the UConnect module.

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I did some research to find what the UConnect module would cost to add in and what the parts I would need would be. This modification was definitely possible, but you needed the Uconnect module (which was $200+) as well as another harness to connect to the radio, and a microphone. Then you also have to mount the uconnect module inside the dash panel as well. Now this was not too expensive for keeping the OEM look and function, but adding in the additional function of having the bluetooth features, however, this radio didn't even have navigation and I could purchase a new aftermarket radio that had navigation as well as satellite and bluetooth all included for the same price and the same amount of work, and have better audio.

So I did some more research and decided that I did want to keep the OEM look and function, but I wanted to upgrade the radio. I looked into the 430 model radios, but those still required the addition of the same UConnect module so that just added to the price that I already knew. I ended up research the 730N/RHR model radio and searched eBay for a great deal. These radios brand new retail for anywhere between $1500-$3000, and eBay prices were not much better for used and refurbished radios that were in good shape. However, I got extremely lucky and was able to find one that was being sold on eBay as a pull off from a junkyard for only $500!!! Score!!! :rock: The only imperfection on the radio was a slight knick on the screen in the corner which you barely notice when the radio is off and can't see when it is on, so this was perfect!

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This radio was pulled out of a 2011 Dodge Ram 3500 and was barely used. The 730N/RHR radios have 2 connects on the back for the antennas, the white is the AM/FM antenna and the yellow is the Satellite/Navigation antenna. The 730N/RHR is also a major improvement on internal equipment as well, as the UConnect functions are built in to the radio which means this radio is much closer to plug and play with no extra module required for UConnect function. The only thing that is required to activate the UConnect in the radio itself is the addition of the microphone which is inserted in the small middle slot in the plugs on the back. The microphone looks like this:

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And only costs about $35-$40 to get and is a simple install!

More write up to come on the radio installation, radio function, radio updates, and Chrysler radio compatibility discussion!
 

WxNerd2015

New member
Chrysler Radio Compatibility Discussion

Now, my main issue and the big part of the research that I had to do was understanding the compatibility of the radio with my Jeep! When I started looking and had the idea, I had no clue on how many different radios that were actually made by Chrysler and that it was very specific as to which radio would work in my Jeep!

This first keep decision that I was making was which models of radios I wanted to look at (operating systems, features, fitment, etc.) and what were the key features to me. I decided that I wanted to go for the upgrade to an in-dash navigation radio as having the GPS up in the window was becoming an annoyance as windshield space on the Wranglers is very limited, and if I was going to spend the money to upgrade, I wanted to do it right!

I originally had access to a brand new REN model radio, pulled brand new from a 2009 Town and Country. This is the non-navigation model of the touchscreen Chrysler radios. This was not as ideal as I wanted to navigation radio, however this was almost all the way there, and it was free, which you can't beat!

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I soon found out in researching the compatibility that there are 2 different kinds of CAN-BUS systems in all Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep/Ram vehciles, a high-speed CAN-BUS which covers all the JK models (07-current), and the low-speed CAN-BUS which applies to some other vehicles. Radios meant for low speed CAN-BUS are not compatible which those using a high speed CAN-BUS. So the free option was out the window!

I then started the comparison between the 430N model navigation radios and the 730N/RER and the 730N/RHR radios. Now i liked the 430N models as they were a bit cheaper, the interface was nice, and Garmin navigation is the system that I had in my window for years, so I knew the system would be solid, However, a few of the key features that swayed me away from the 430N were the lack of a built in UConnect module (as stated earlier, you still had to purchase that separately), as well as the lack of being able to have the radio and navigation split screen as I feel that that is a really nice and useful feature. And as mentioned before, for some of the 430N's and the 730N/RER's, the high and low speed CAN-BUS compatibility needed to be checked as these were used in both systems, which was a pain in the butt to constantly have to check. I did however find a great site to help show what model numbers of what radios are compatible with all chrysler vehicles:

Jeep Grand Cherokee WK2 - 2011 Grand Cherokee Navigation radios

Which this page is meant for the Grand Cherokees, however parts numbers which are compatibly for 2011 Wrangler with the High Speed Can-Bus system are listed in there and that was a great help in the search, as well as making sure that I had everything that I needed to install and get 100% operation out of!

So, I decided, for what I was look for, the 730N would fit me best, so I researched both the RER and the RHR which both had high and low speed systems, both had built in hard drives, both had navigation by Navteq, both have built in HDD for music, pictures, etc. (however the hard drives vary in size depending on which radio you purchase and when it was made), etc. Basically they are the same unit, just the RHR is slightly updated in operating system, as well as a few additional features. The major difference between these two units came when I was looking at the plugs on the back of the unit. They both contained the main operation radio plug, a spot for a facttory backup camera, the UConnect mic plug, 2 USB connection plugs, and the AM/FM antenna plug. The difference however came when looking at the satellite and navigation antenna connections. On the RER, there were two separate antennas with two separate plugs for the satellite radio (yellow) and the navigation (blue):

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As these were two separate antennas on the vehicle when these radios were being installed new from the factory, so, 2007-2010. On the RHR model, the separate satellite and gps anetnnas were combind into one plug on the back for the radio (yellow), so one less wire needed:

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So, no having navigation from the factory, I assumed that I was going to need to install a gps antenna somewhere on the vehicle (which, it's a Jeep, not a lot of upward facing surfaces that are going to stay on the Jeep all the time, so I was trying to determine the location of the satellite antenna. Turns out, that location is on top of the sound bar on the passenger side, roughly above the speaker, as the interference from both the hard and soft tops are minimal, so this way the antenna is always on the vehicle. So having satellite and needing GPS, I assumed the RER was going to be easier so I didn't have to get an additional connector. I did just a bit more digging and talking with the parts department (who then had to call the Chrysler engineers) and found out that starting in 2011, any Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep vehicle that had satellite radio was already wired for navigation as the antennas had been combined into a single dual antenna, which meant no need to add a gps antenna and run a wire and all that! Woohoo!

This meant that the connector that I had for both of those matched to that which plugged in to the RHR model, not the RER model, so I then decided and searched for the 730N/RHR model radios.

Now, I know this has been long winded, but I searched a lot, and spent a long time putting all this information together in my head, so I just wanted to share it here to get a lot of this information together in one location to help anyone else out who is in the same situation that I am in, and deciding on the same modifications! So with that said, there was one last thing that needed to be considered...and thanks Chrysler for making it this complicated to change to another OEM radio which are compatible with some many different vehicles, but this much work is needed for all the different parts number that one have! Oh well, there is also a great satisfaction after a long and hard chase is complete and all is installed and functioning properly too, so I guess I can't complain too much! So the last consideration for me, was the fact that in some of the RHR model radios, Chrysler built in an anti-theft device, where-as you need to have a certain code to unlock the radio if it gets installed in a new vehicle, which many times, junkyard radios and eBay radios don't have with them, meaning that your new radio is bricked until you can get the code from the seller, figure out how to program around it, or pay for someone to generate a working code and send it back and enter, which all would be a big hassle. These anti-theft codes were introduced starting in the radios manufactured in 2012 to present, so if the radio you purchased was built in that time frame, make sure to check for the security/anti-theft code. I however got lucky and found one that was from 2011, so there was no security code to have to deal with and my radio was plug and play!

I hope this discussion can help those of you, who are in the same situation as I was searching to make sure that you get the best part possible and that all will work. I know, in the end, the aftermarket option may have been simpler, but I just really wanted the OEM fit, look, and function! Feel free to share and use when you would like!
 
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WxNerd2015

New member
730N/RHR Radio Install

Now, as promised, a write-up on the installation of the 730N/RHR In-Dash Navigation Radio!

The installation overall, since it is an OEM part, was pretty straight forward with no surprises! I also apologize as I don't really have any picture of the process of disassembling the dash, but there are plently of videos and forum post with pictures and video if you are more of a visual learner! I am one of those visual learners, so here is the video that I used which was a big help for me:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDDAIWfeXgU&index=1&list=PLc92kHHlACzy2DuMGMsLGEo9TxHJnITZa

1. Pull the panel below the steering column down starting at the top, just below the steering wheel. Start pulling at the top and pull carefully as it is held on just by clips that snap in and out.

2. Once that panel is removed, there are two bolts located at the top right and top left areas, to the right and left of the steering column which the panel had covered up, which need to be removed.

3. Lift out the tray insert in the tray on top of the dash in the middle. Underneath that, there is one bolt that needs to be removed.

4. If you have power windows, this next step is a bit more tricky, and for me, it was a PITA! Remove the power window switch (Or without the power convenience package just remove the cup where those switches whould be) by grabbing the middle of the switch and pulling, and using something flat to slid in to pop the plastic off doesn't hurt either. Once the switch is loose, you will not have mouch play in the connector to that, but release the connector and remove the switch if you can do this as this gives you much more room to work with.

5. Once you have access to the power window switch location, the last bolt needed to remove in located just below where that switch was. If you look in at a downward angle, you will see the bolt, remove that, and make sure that all your hardware is in a good secured location so that you do not lose any them! I had one fall down under the carpet under the drivers seat, luckily, I had a long magnetized screw driver that I was able to find it and get it out after 20 minutes wasted cuz I wasn't paying attention.

6. The rest of the dash is not just held on by the same type of clips that were holding that lower panel on, just just give some good, strong, but careful pulls and the dash panel should release! The dash panel in the 2011+ goes all the way over to the driver side door and encompasses the instrument cluster as well as the center of the dash!

7. Now that the dash panel is removed and no longer interfering, you have access to remove your radio. There are 4 bolts (1 at each corner) holding the radio in place. Remove these 4 bolts and once again, put them in a safe place!

8. Pull the radio straight out towards the rear of the vehicle until you have access to the plugs in the back of the radio.

9. Disconnect all connections to the radio, and note the locations of which plugs go where, as this makes the install of the new radio much easier!

***As a side note, make sure that all CDs are ejected from the old radio before plugging in and installing the new radio as it is nearly impossible to get it back out unless plugged in to a factory harness!***

10. With the old radio removed and set aside, take this time to clean out inside the dash panel any dust and dirt yo may have in there! I know it is a Jeep and all, but it's good to clean up where all that electrical is running as well as the vents since they do get used sometimes, ya know, on rainy days when you have to have the top up! Just a suggestion from me!

11. With the dash empty and cleaned out, take the time and space to run the UConnect microphone and connector if you purchased one to activate the UConnect features on the radio! I routed mine right to the middle of the dashboard where the Sun Light sensor would be if I had automatic headlights! So it is in between the defrost vents directly below the review mirror!

***I tested a few locations, but for mounting convenience, this was the best location, and the sound quality for those on the other end is absolutely awesome! Even with the top off and windows down! And the UConnect works perfect!***

12. Once you have the mic installed in it's location and the wire run and tied up nicely where you would like it, time to get the new radio in the dash! Get the radio close to the dashboard, as you don't want to stretch the wire harness too much and cause an issue somewhere else, and plug the appropriate connectors into their locations, with the new mic plug going into the smaller location next to the harness that is running in to the CAN-BUS system.

13. Once all connections are made, line the radio up and slide it back into the dash location making sure no wire get pinched! It is a tight fit, so a little bit of force may be needed to get it all the way in.

14. Before anything is secured back down, take a moment to start the vehicle and allow the radio to turn on and "learn" your vehicle and make sure that all is functioning properly, as you would hate to discover this once everything is buttoned back up!

***My radio turned on instantly when powered on and came up with the RAM splash screen (As this radio was last in a 2011 Ram 3500) which showed for 3 second, and then the radio automatically switched over to show the Jeep splash screen as it "learn" what it was connected to. If you have a radio that needs a security code, this is around the time that the new security code would need to be entered to allow the radio to function in it's new vehicle. The radio then came up to the black screen which displayed the clock. I then pressed the volume knob to turn the radio on and the radio turned on with 100% function. I then checked the navigation and it searched for signal and my current location for less than 1 minute and then displayed my location. and function was 100%! Last to check was the UConnect mic, so I pressed the UConnect button and UConnect activated and gave me possible prompts and it tookthe voice commands and executed properly. I also checked and the radio had synced in it's information to show my vehicles VIN number as to what vehicle it belonged to.***

***Extra side note, if you have a Sirius subscription, you will have to call SiriusXM and switch your subscription to your new radio, as the radios have different SiriusIDs. It is not linked to your Jeep, but the radio itself.***

15. Once all is checked and you are satisfied that the radio is functioning properly, go head and reinstall the bolts to fasten the radio back to the dash.

16. Grab the dash panel to reinstall. Line up all of the clips and snap them back into place.

17. Reinstall the bolt that is through the power window switch hole.

18. plug the power window switch back in.

19. Once again, test to make sure that the power windows are functioning properly before going beyond this step.

20. Snap the power window switch back into place in the dash by pushing it back in from the front.

21. Reinstall the bolt in the upper dash panel tray. Careful not to over tighten as you could crack the plastic in the tray.

22. Reinstall the bolts on either side of the steering column.

23. Snap the panel below the steering column back in place starting with lining the bottom up and work your way to the top.

And there you have it! A brand new 730N/RHR Navigation radio to play around with! This for was 100% a plug and play modification, but depending on the features in your jeep, you may need an extra couple of parts. The radio the I took out was a 130S/RES which is one step about the base as it has satellite radio and is UConnect ready if you had the module. Therefore I already had a Satellite antenna which in 2011+ is also a GPS antenna, so I had no need to run any additional wires. If you do not have satellite radio already, or have a pre 2011 Jeep, then you will need to get additional antennas and run extra wires.

Here are a few pictures of the final product all installed and functioning:

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Please reply or message with any questions as I have an answer for most stuff dealing with these radio installs. I spent hours doing my research and know almost all there is to know about it! Also, let me know if you have any questions on compatibility as I can help, and you can read my previous post that goes in depth on this matter!
 

WxNerd2015

New member
Picked this up last August as I had to make the trek down to Oklahoma from Michigan for my last year of college! Since I didn't have my truck anymore, I needed some way to get my bike back down there, so I picked up a spare tire mounted bike rack! The purchased the Thule 963 Spare Me Spare Tire Mounted Bike Rack:

http://www.quadratec.com/products/92025_0001_07.htm?sgsc=C6Z06ZR1C6Z06ZR1&utm_medium=compshop&utm_source=googlemerchant&gclid=CjwKEAjw4s2wBRDSnr2jwZenlkgSJABvFcwQ9f87K6K4KcnzlQndwoTB4d-rnirJgtHzmP4u_Nq_pxoCYDrw_wcB

It cost about $200, but is extremely solid and very secure. Here is a picture of it mounted with my Jeep Overland bike up there:

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I love the fact that your bike is up higher so you don't have to worry about if you go up a big incline you don't have to worry about the bike hitting the ground or a trailer hitch mount hanging way back for the hitch! I also love the fact that it has 2 built in locks, one that locks the mount to the Jeep and another which you can pull out to go around the bike to lock the bike up if you leave it on the back! The only thing that I additionally added was to throw a few bungees on there to keep the wheels from spinning the entire time as well as to hold the front tire straight so the wheel and handlebars weren't swinging back and forth and hitting the spare tire and Jeep!

Overall, extremely solid quality, secured fit, and the bike and the mount didn't budge even once over 1100 miles in 2 days! I am extremely impressed with this mount and am excited to add a winter extension on to this too! As I do love skiing, Thule makes an add on mount to turn this into a spare tire ski and snowboard mount too, the Thule Tram 9033 Ski/Snowboard Carrier!

http://www.jeepworld.com/accessories/thule/hitchski.htm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwVyJFySvDg

Highly recommend and absolutely worth the price!
 

WxNerd2015

New member
Oh yeah! Almost forgot! Had to get some good decals on there to represent me and my Jeep! I got the OU for University of Oklahoma, got my nascar decal, of coarse I represent Michigan and "Up North" (those who are from or have been to "up north" in Michigan will understand), and then my custom made vinyl decals for my storm chasing and representing my chase teams (Wedge Seekers)!

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WxNerd2015

New member
Thule 963 Spare Me Spare Tire Carrier Install

This is a quick thread just to explain the install process of how to install the Thule 963 Spare Me Spare Tire Carrier on your JK! The directions are pretty well done and self explainitory and make installation a breeze! I will add pictures to this post later!

1. Remove your spare tire

2. There is a plate that goes behind the spare tire up against the carrier. Slide the plate over the studs. It is a cast iron plate, so it is no joke, very strong!

3. Pop the center cap out of the wheel, as the plat has a post that comes through the center cap which is where the rack itself mounts to.

4. Put the spare tire back on to the spare tire carrier on the tailgate.

5. Reinstall and tighten down the lug nuts to hold the spare tire solidly.

6. Determine which extension or combinations of extensions you need on the post through the center cap to fit whatever tire size that you have, whether it be a stock tire, or a wider (and much improved over stock) tire.

7. Once you have determined your correct extention that will make the rack stand off perfectly so that it touches the tire in 4 locations, adjust the pads/braces so that those are what is touching the tire and not the rack itself! These protect your spare tire as well as allow you to have the rack tightens down and braced very solidly to your spare tire so there is no movement at all.

8. Once those are adjusted, slide the center post on the race onto the post that is coming through the center cap of the wheel.

9. Tighten down the screw in the middle of the rack so that the mount is held on tight. This is done by inserting the key into the black knob in the middle of the from side of the rack, and with the key turned the correct direction, continue to turn the knob until it becomes tight. (Comment, the key does not stay in the unlocked/tight positive very wheel so you will most likely need two hands to get this right, as when the key is in the locked position, the knob just spins freely without doing anything, so it can be hard to tell if you actually are tightening sometimes)

10. Now that you have tightened the rack on, he only way to get it off is inserting the key and turning the knob while the key is in the correct position, which I really do like and keep much more secure with the rack on the back.

There ya go! Rack is installed!

11. Now to install the bike, you have to give the U shaped piece a good, hard pull to get the part that holds the bike into the right position. When it locks in place, it is extremely hard to budge! Solid when you have a bike on there, but tough when you need to get it out if you have the rack folded down. Once you have the rack out, you can go ahead and get your bike on there and go!

***Side note, the rack is equipped with rubberized holders which are staggered to prevent the bike from swinging and rotating, as well as heavy duty, beaded/wavy style rubberized straps to hold the bike down and prevent it from swing as well.***

Also, if you are going somewhere and would like to leave your bike on the back and not have to worry as much about someone taking it off while your are gone, or just an extra strap to hold the bike on, in the horizontal and vertical post ends on the passenger side, there is a built in, keyed bike lock. The lock works by pulling both ends of the lock out of the end of the post, insert the same key used to lock the rack to the Jeep and unlock the lock. Insert the male end of the lock in and turn the key back to locked, and now you have an extra bit of security on your bike rack! I personally have found this very useful as it gives me a bit more piece of mind that no one will steal my bike or anything like that! Great rack, easy add if you take your bike lots of places, and especially if you have a 2dr as fitting a full sized bike in there really does not work all that well!
 

WxNerd2015

New member
Rugged Ridge CB Radio and Antenna Mounting Kit Write-Up

As promised, here is a more detailed write up on the installation of the Rugged Ridge CB Radio and Antenna Mounting Kit, as well as the radio and antenna themselves, with pictures.

So this was, in fact, the first modification to my Jeep. I had a CB from my truck as well as 2 antennas lying around, and I loved having the radio in my truck, plus, I just think it is cool! So this was a must for me to get into my Jeep, and besides, I had almost everything that I needed just laying around anyways! So I went on eBay and from this CB installation kit, with antenna mount and radio mount all in one, for around $40, which isn't too bad and I was happy to spend!

Jeep Wrangler JK 07 14 New CB Radio Antenna Mount Kit 11503 96 | eBay

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This kit that I purchased was something like that above! So the kit came within a few days, and the installation was done on the following weekend! Total install time was probably around 3-4 hours of actually working and figuring out how and wear to run the actual wires for the entire system, not counting any parts runs to the store, but it was installed within an afternoon!

Installation:

1. Since the kit only comes, as you can see, with the brackets, you will need to still get all the wires and connections needed for the antenna and a power source for the radio. Now I had already had my radio installed, so I had had most of these to begin with. So I disassembled my previous antenna mount to harvest the antenna connection to install on the tailgate mount. This is what the mount for my truck looked like:

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This was fairly simple as it was just unscrewing the connector on the top (which is the left side in the picture, and the wire attached on the bottom (the black wire attached) and all the hardware you need just slides out of the whole and you are goo to go to install it into your new Tailgate mount.

2. Just repeat the steps from my removal in reverse order to reinstall. Therefore, Line the bottom connection (the black wire) up directly beneath the opening in which you want the antenna to be.

***Make sure it is centered as the whole is not a tight fit so a perfectly centered install will make it much more secured and stable, and in my opinoin, I just like to do it right!***

3. Once lined up, insert the washer and the connector on the top of the mounting bracket and thread into the black antenna wire's connector that you have lined up beneath the hole on the mount.

4. Go ahead and tighten your connector down until your are confident it is tight and feel secure with the connection.

5. Go ahead and remove you spare tire from the tailgate.

6. Once the spare is removed, go ahead and remove the the upper passenger side bolts (there should be 2) which hold the spare tire carrier to the tailgate. Here is the location which can be seen by where the mount is located:

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7. Once those bolts are removed, discard the bolts as the kit provides new longer bolts to account for the mount being on the tailgate.

***Side note, when I installed my tailgate mount, I had to redo steps 2-4 as I originally placed the antenna in the outer whole, but when I reinstalled the spare tire, I found that the mount was actually slightly inside the rim. And having the stiffer fiberglass Firestick antenna, i could not really bend the antenna to get it in the mount and tighten it correctly. So I ended up having to move the antenna mount to the inside mounting location which then allowed for just enough clearance for the antenna to thread properly into the hole and not be bent***

8. Hold the bracket in place and insert your new longer bolts with washers back into the same holes that your pulled the old bolts out of and tighten down your bolts. Make sure both are threaded correctly (not cross threaded or not all the way in the whole, etc.) and are properly tighten as the spare tire mount is pretty important and is also supporting a good amount of weight, so you want to make sure that all is properly secured. Mine looked like this once on:

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9. Next step is to decide where you want to run your wire for the antenna into the Jeep. There are many different ways, as the tailgate has built in rubber grommets that you could go through, or follow the wires for the middle brake light, or make your own location, or just run them over the top edge of the tailgate and let the edge of the rear window or tailgate bar seal it off. The method that I chose that suited my needs and made the easiest installation was to run through one of the slots in the tailgate vent directly inside/behind the center of the tire carrier. I just lifted up one of the flaps and feed the coax cable through into the inside of the tailgate.

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***Side note, I chose this location because when running through the tailgate, there are multiple layers of sheet metal, it is not just going through the front and coming through the back to the inside. The location that I selected was the most bottom, driver hand side vent opening as this was the closest to where the opening on the backside of the tailgate was for the wires running to the 3rd brake light. This allowed me to reach in from the opening in the inside of the tailgate much easier and find the wire to pull through, without too much of a hassle or struggle. Now I am not saying that this is the best location to run the coax for the antenna, but IMO, it was the simplest and easiest to do and it has been installed for almost a year and a half that way and been off roading and storm chasing and all that and have no issues whatsoever.***

10. Once you have Coax antenna cable fed into the inside of the tailgate, remove the black plastic cover on the inside of the tailgate that runs the width of the tailgate. This is just snapped into the tailgate, no hardware involved. Just carefully pry it off and it will pop off. This will give you access to the innards of the tailgate where the Coax is currently sitting through the same hole that the 3rd brake light wiring is going.

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11. With the cover removed, reach into the hold which will be to the further right side in the picture above under the cover and find where your coax cable is sitting in there and pull the coax all the way through the tailgate until there is just a very slight pit of slack left outside. (Just enough so that the wire outside is not hanging there, but nothing is pinched or bent or pulling)

12. Go ahead and install your antenna into the antenna mount. Make sure that it threads in straight, and depending on your preference, tighten. Personally for me, I park my Jeep in a garage so I take the antenna off to go in the garage so I typically on hand tighten, which is plenty tight to hold the antenna securely. But if you would prefer, or the antenna is staying on there permanently, go ahead and once hand tightened, go ahead and give a few twists with a wrench. Then that antenna is not going anywhere!

13. Lastly, to finish off the outside work on the vehicle, go ahead and reinstall your spare tire onto the mount and tighten it down securely.

14. Once the outside is all buttoned up, you will need to run the coax cable inside the vehicle. Line up the coax with the 3rd brake light wiring and zip tie the cable to the wiring across the entire tailgate.

15. Reinstall the black plastic cover over both wires making sure that none are caught or pinched as you snap the cover back into place.

16. Once the tailgate is all buttoned up, you need to decide how the wire will go into the vehicle. Since I had already run the coax cable along the pre-existing wiring, I chose to just continue following that path into the vehicle. I removed the plastic trim in the truck area in the passenger side which gave me access to slight the cable in the existing tailgate catch location where the strap to stop the tailgate and the wiring for the 3rd brake light is run.
 

WxNerd2015

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Rugged Ridge CB Radio and Antenna Mounting Kit Write-Up (Continued)

17. Follow the existing wire exactly, and zip tie the coax to the wiring. What I mean by follow exactly is, the tailgate is a hinged and moving part on the Jeep, therefore you must leave some slack in the wiring so that it can flex when the tailgate is opened. Therefore, if you follow the existing wiring and leave the same amount of slack, zip tied to the wire, then you will have no issue with the flex when the tailgate is opened.

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18. Once you have the coax zip tied up, you have to decide where to run the coax up to the front of the Jeep where the radio will be. Since I already ran the coax into the passenger side of the Jeep, I really just had two options. One, run the coax along the existing wiring along the floor (which requires a bit more working with pulling back of carpet and fishing wire), or two running up behind the trunk panel which I already had removed, up to the roll bar (as the radio will be at that height anyways). So I opted for the second option and ran the coax up inside the panel and up to the roll bar, and then reinstalled the trunk trim panel. Here is what that looked like buttoned back up with the coax sticking out the top:

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19. Then, probably the easiest part, I unzipped all the roll bar padding on the passenger side and ran the wire along the roll bar, and then zipped all the padding back up.

20. Now you have the coax to the top edge of the windshield on the passenger side, so the next step is to remove some of the trim pieces along the windshield.

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21. First, remove the two bolts holding in the passenger side sun visor on.

22. Next remove the bolt holding the upper passenger side trim corner on.

23. Remove the upper trim panel on the passenger side and then loosen the plastic trim that runs across the width of the upper part of the windshield. This panel is just held by clips, no other hardware. Loosen this panel by pulling gently at each of the clips to release them. Be extremely careful not to break a clip or crack or bend the plastic trim (it’s plastic, it’s not hard to break).

24. Once you have this trim piece loosened, find the center footmans loop and remove the two screws holding the footmans loop there, but hold the footmans loop in place where it is.

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25. Grab the CB radio mount and line the end up with the holds that match the holds of the footmans loop.

26. Replace the screws through the bracket and the footmans loop and tighten back down. The mount should now look something like this, with the part sticking out from the windshield being the mount and the horizontal piece is the bracket that comes with the radio:

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WxNerd2015

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Rugged Ridge CB Radio and Antenna Mounting Kit Write-Up (Continued)

27. Now, its time to test fit your CB radio on the mount. Attach the U bracket that came with the radio to the radio.

28. Go ahead and place the U bracket over the bracket and figure out where the radio will mount best on the mount.

***When test fitting the radio, make sure that you have clearance for the radio in respect to being able to see out the rearview mirror still, as well as clearance between the sun visors (depending on the width or your radio), and being able to get the coax cable plugged into the rear of the radio too. Don’t forget to leave space for the mic if you want to hang it off the side of the radio too!***

***For me, the radio had to be installed offset to the right, meaning the bracket was only holding the left side of the U bracket. This Cobra radio just barely fits wit the mic attached between the visors, but it does actually fit.***

29. The CB mount bracket has a bunch of pre-drilled holes for mounting for many different kinds of radios, so line up the holes on the U bracket to the pre-drilled holes and attach screw(s) and washer(s) to both brackets and tighten.

***For my install, I did not feel secure with only 1 single screw holding the radio, as well as one caused the radio to pivot when I did not want it to. So I ended up drilling my own mounting holes in the U bracket that lined up with the mounting bracket and fastened down***

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30. Go ahead and grab the coax cable again and run it inside the plastic trim at the top of the windshield and run it until the middle footmans loop and then bring it out through there.

***I chose to bring it through the footmans loop location because I did not want to cut any trim pieces and that was the only place it fit to come through.***

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31. Go ahead and connect the coax to your radio now.

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32. Then grab the power cord and run it back through the upper trim piece the same way that you just ran the coax cable, just the opposite direction.

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33. When you get to the passenger corner of the windshield, instead of going over to the roll bar, run the power cord down through the A pillar and into the side of the passenger side of the dashboard.

34. At this point, go ahead and reassemble the upper trim pieces above the windshield, the corner containment piece, and the passenger side sun visor.
 
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WxNerd2015

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Rugged Ridge CB Radio and Antenna Mounting Kit Write-Up (Continued)

35. Now is the time to decide how to connect the radio to power. You could wire the radio directly to the battery, you could wire the power to a 12V outlet or other power source, etc. Many different ways to attach. My choice was to attach a 12V outlet plug to the power cord.

***My 12V plug also has a power switch on the end of it as well***

36. With a way to power the radio now settled, I then ran the power cord under the passenger side of the dash, and to the center. Then brought the cord back out of the dash right below the bungee pouch on the lower center piece of the dash.

20151007_155448_converted.jpg This is the wire tucked up under the dash and over to the center dash trim piece.
20151007_155503_converted.jpg This is a shot up under the passenger side glove box. The thinner black wire on the left which is getting tucked up into the trim is the power cord.
20151006_211735_converted.jpg The Cord coming through the center dashboard.

37. Then, plug in the power cord into the 12V outlet plug.

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38. With the 12V plug that I used, you have to make sure the ignition power is on, then flip the power switch on, and then go ahead a turn the radio on!

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There ya have it! CB radio and antenna installed and ready to use! Let me know any question you may have and I will answer to the best of my ability, otherwise, I hope I answered some questions and provided some help!
 

WxNerd2015

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Mopar Jeep Roll Bar Grab Handles

Picked up a pair of these Mopar, Jeep branded roll bar grab handles for the front seats on my Jeep. I feel they have good construction to them, as well as help people to be able to get in and out of my Jeep! They were easy to install (about 10 minutes). I spent about $30 on them, so nothing that'll break the bank of anything, but they are solid and do the job!

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WxNerd2015

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JammockBlack Review

For my birthday this year, I was given a JammockBlack, and I absolutely love it! For anyone who may not know, the Jammock is similar to a bikini top or a brief top, which just covers the front part of the cabin usually mash of some sort of mesh or something like that. However, the Jammock is not only a summer top like that, which is coated to make it "water resistant but still allow air flow" (right from Jammock's website and product description, and i can speak to it being water resistant, as I have had it on in light rain and the front cabin has stayed perfectly dry!), but it is also a rooftop hammock for you Jeep! It fits between the roll bars and is attached by 2 long straps that run width wise across the Jeep that get wrapped around the roll bars and fastened together under the Jammock! It's quite easy and simply to install, and easy to use and I just all around love it!

Product specs from the website:
Weight 2.0 lbs
Dimensions 47 x 24 x 1 in
Working Load Limit 350 lbs.
Usable Size 47″ x 24″
Fabric 1000D Cordura Nylon, 9.8 oz per sq. yd.
Straps Tubular Nylon, 1″ wide
Buckles Aluminum NRS, 1″ wide, tension-lock type
Color Black
Strap Length 10′ 4"

Now it says that the working load is 350 lbs, which shouldn't be too hard to stay within, however most of the components have individual weight ratings of much more! You can just lounge in the sun in this, you can sit with someone else in the Jammock, you can even use it as a normal hammock with straps around a tree! Go check this out, as there are so many possibilities with what yo can do with the Jammock, and it is just such as a quality product. Made of high end, and quality materials, and built to last! It cost about $140, which isn't much more than what you would pay for a top like this that you can't use as a hammock! Also, the thing that I find very cool is, I can still close the top, hard top or soft top, with the Jammock on, no problem! So I have no need to even take it down! It's ready to go whenever I would like it! As a Jeep own, this is something you need to have, as it is just so versatile, and so much fun to be able to take advantage of you Jeep even more!

Here is the link to their site! Go check it out and read about it!

JammockBlack <--- Click here!



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WxNerd2015

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Tips/Tricks for your Jeep!

Just wanted to share this tidbit that I had discovered on the build pages here! I learned this when I had my '01 Dakota, and tested it when I got my Jeep and it still works! So I believe that this should work with any Jeep, Dodge, Chrysler, Ram vehicle which has a digital odometer (though I don't know if it works with the LCD screens). If you have any trouble codes or warning lights on your Jeep, you are able to check them without having to buy an expensive unit to plug in to the computer or making another trip to Autozone to have them tell you what the code says! When you get in your Jeep, insert the key in the ignition, push the key in, and turn it back and forth from off to on (do not hit the start position on the jeep though), finishing in the on position. The odometer will then change over to display any codes the Jeep may be experiencing, which you can take and just search in google then, or if it's a bigger issue at least be better informed on the problem, and you don't even have to go anywhere! Once all the codes are finished being reported, a dashed line will appear across the odometer, and then the word "done" to signify that the report is complete. Then the odometer will switch back to normal operation! Hopefully this will help some of you save some time and money out there! And here's a short video of me performing this trick so you can see the actual function:


Also, here is the link to a Quadratec site that shows every possible trouble code that could come through the console and what it means: http://www.quadratec.com/jeep_knowledgebase/article-139.htm
This is also highlighted in post #116, which is the time this was found, but figured this was important to add to the actual post itself with how to use and obtain these codes.
 
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WxNerd2015

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Tips/Tricks for your Jeep!

Here's another small, simple, but extremely helpful tidbit about the Jeeps! The JK's have an oil change indication message that displays roughly every 2500 miles, but it does vary on driving style and how it was programmed from the factory. This is the information that I have been able to gather from my research. Now, I believe that mine seems to go a bit further than that 2500 on my occasions so far (as I am at 30K miles, so I have changed the oil enough times to be able to say this with confidence), however I never rely on the oil change indicator, but just keep track of the miles since last oil change myself! The oil change indicator is not an actual sensor, but more of an algorithm based on mileage, and driving style, and a few other factors, but it is not measuring the oil directly. So whether you change your own oil, or an oil change place does it and does not reset you oil light, or it just comes on and you know it is not time yet and want the light to go off, this is the process to reset your oil change message/light yourself:

1. Insert key into ignition.
2. Turn key to the on position, but do not start the Jeep.
3. Within 10 seconds, press the accelerator all the way to the floor and release it 3 times, not going too fast or too slow.
4. Turn the key to the off position.
5. Let all the power shut off in the vehicle (I cheat and just open the door so it kills all the power).
6. Turn the Jeep back on, (engine running) and there should be no more oil change message.

There ya go! Oil message reset!
 
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