4x4tographer 2,840 Posted March 31, 2022 A little seasonal weight reduction project. 😅 3 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
4x4tographer 2,840 Posted April 12, 2022 So Oki/Balrog (depending on who you talk to) got a bit more work done on the rear end (if you know what I mean ). A custom DIY fuel caddy that can work with both my Wavian gasoline cans and my FrontRunner Water Tank. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
4x4tographer 2,840 Posted April 19, 2022 47,500 miles. Performed some routine maintenance and changed my transfer case fluid. The JL service manual recommends changing the fluids on the 8-speed automatic at 60,000 miles (30,000 miles for the 6-speed manual transmission). At 47K, I'm a little early. However, I'm thinking of switching to a 30K cycle for all future changes, now that I've got first-hand experience with the change now. It's about a 2 hour job for me - so a nice Saturday afternoon project once ever year or so (I don't put many miles on the Jeep since I have been, and will continue to, work remotely on a permanent basis). I needed to drop one of my skid plates to gain access for draining the fluid, which was a bit of a chore as the t-case skid plate shares some fasteners with the fuel tank skid. All in all, it took about 30min to get it pulled apart. The only reason I need to drop the skid plate is to prevent ATF from draining all over the top of the skid. Replacing the fluid was a simple job, 20-25 min max including drain time. Replaced with STP ATF+4 fluid (MS-9602 compliant). Used some Permatex High Temp thread sealant to button her back up. Replacing the skid plate was another 20min job. I'm on the lookout for a Fumoto-style quick release valve to install on the drain for the T-Case. Would make this a 15min job, tops. There's a ton of room to get to the drain and fill plugs. Flip the Fumoto valve, drain through a clear plastic tube into a container. Refill with a quart pump. Boom - done! Dropping the skids allowed me to check out the belly more thoroughly - which was nice. No findings, so double nice! For having 47,000 miles on the fluid, it was remarkably clean. A quart pump always comes in handy! The thread sealant is visible around the drain plug in this shot. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
4x4tographer 2,840 Posted July 18, 2022 (edited) Big thanks to @SonoranWanderer for this photo of Oki/The Balrog (it's a constant identity crisis around here) on the rocks out on Terminator. Edited July 21, 2022 by 4x4tographer 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
4x4tographer 2,840 Posted July 28, 2022 Walking out to the Jeep this evening and just noticed that I suffered a bit of dino-damage! Need to beat it up a bit more to justify an upgraded high clearance exhaust! 🤓 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theksmith 4,019 Posted July 28, 2022 4 hours ago, 4x4tographer said: Walking out to the Jeep this evening and just noticed that I suffered a bit of dino-damage! Need to beat it up a bit more to justify an upgraded high clearance exhaust! 🤓 let me know if you need help with that - i've got an exhaust expander that can put it back to nearly perfectly round, or a reciprocating saw to just trim it a little shorter so it's not as likely to happen again! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
4x4tographer 2,840 Posted July 30, 2022 Updated shot of the Jeep from last night's run. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
4x4tographer 2,840 Posted August 3, 2022 Installed a little update that I've had sitting in my office the last week or so: My older Tuffy Tailgate Lockbox will be put out to pasture. We had many good times! But I was looking for a much larger tabletop surface and the Trailgater makes it happen in a nice, high quality package. Might be up for sale sometime soon 😉 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
4x4tographer 2,840 Posted August 21, 2022 (edited) Spent some time today giving the Jeep a bath to get the last 2 weekends and 3 trips worth of mud out of all the nooks and crannies Also opened up a new "awning" that I can carry with me on various trips and for camping. Made by King Camp (a cheap-o camping brand) - you can find more about it here (link) - I purchased the "grey-upgrade" version. Having a soft top, my awning options are pretty slim. To date, I typically carry a pop-up shelter with me, but it's heavy and takes up quite a bit of room. Here's the new awning, fully deployed and displayed by my in-house lifestyle model . The new awning simply "rests" on the roof of the Jeep. I can roll-up the rear window to access the trunk and all that. If it rains, I won't need to worry about it draining into the Jeep. The shelter has a roll-up screen window and has vents in apex of the roof. It comes with a total of 4 ground poles, but you can run it with just 2, but I'd use 4 in the wind for extra stability. It also ships with a bunch of stakes and guy-lines. It was pretty easy to set up - takes about 5 minutes solo. It rolls up nicely into a bag about 6in x 6in x 2ft: Big bungees and hooks for the end of the shelter that rests on the Jeep's roof. You can hook them on your wheels, a pinch-seam, fender - whatever you trust to secure it. Ignore the rock rash! Poles are nice quality - could be thicker - but we'll see how it holds up in the wind. View from the front View from the side. The shelter is about 10ft on the long and about 6ft wide. Plenty of room for the tailgate to open, even with my traction boards and spare fuel tank, and allows tones of headroom for working around the tailgate area. Edited August 21, 2022 by 4x4tographer 4 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dzJeepChic 2,516 Posted August 22, 2022 What a cool set up!! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
