BigTuna117

Yeah. The alternator kind of caught me by surprise. I knew My battery was low, but the reason became apparent when I popped the hood to find thick smoke pouring out of the damn thing. While the Jeep sat waiting for the new alternator, the thermostat started leaking. But, I knew this day would come. Another problem I'm facing is the A/C is starting to leak at an alarming rate, and I am still trying to hunt down the leak. The good news is, other than that, the engine/ trans/ transfer case are all healthy, so I can't complain too much.

Well, the fan clutch and the alternator have been replaced. Sometimes it's the little things that make a difference. Up next will be diff fluid, and a new thermostat.

So, I got to head up to Flagstaff this weekend to be a voulenteer at Overland Expo 2014. It was riddled with mechanical issues, but I still had fun being up there and chilling at the expo. I drove home without a clutch fan, limping the old girl back home in 100 degree weather with the heater on full and the windows down. Thanks to our good friend Jeff, I now also have a roof rack, which de-cluttered the Jeep for the trip back!

I had the opportunity to volunteer this year, so I was there for most of Friday and Saturday. My pictures aren't as good as yours ( was using my phone), but here they are anyways. Got to talk with some of the xoverland guys. Seemed like pretty cool guys. Lovely blue skies while I was working parking duty on Friday dat unimog Jeep had the Mighty FC on display, and at one point late on Saturday they took it on the course!

I'll be there Friday, Saturday, and Sunday hopefully. If I see any of ya, I'll make sure to introduce myself!

The Fosgate 3.5s sound fantastic, but you do have to use the rotary tool a little bit. These have an INCREDIBLE high range, and an extremely good midrange. Even with very little securing these in, they vibrate the dash quite a bit. I had a pair of boss tweeters up there before, but these sound MUCH better.

Last week I bought an eraser wheel tool and removed the paint pinstripe from the body of the dub. It rubs it right off like it was nothing at all, and doesn't damage the clear coat. Its all a part of the "degrampafication," a small series of visual changes I'm making while I save up for a lift and tires. I also made some adjustments to the grille again, as the duplicolor clear coat is a waste of money. I ended up buying a can of rust-oleum clear enamel, and it fixed that problem real quick. I also ended up spraying the black sub-grille with bed liner, and that looks MUCH better. In just the few weeks since I had painted it, the paint had faded.

Ok, so a couple of days ago, I had some serious rattling coming from the dashboard, so I pulled the cover off to find out that the 3.5s were hitting the cover. The reason for this is the way the little grille is attached to the cover, and so I trimmed the back off of the grille, and tilted the speakers to fit with more room. Here is a picture of the cover back on with the re-positioned speakers: From here, I shaved the grille "mounting bracket" off of the back of the cover with the rotary tool. I then trimmed the flat back of the grille (the part of it that makes contact with the cover) down so that it only has 3 small points where it is glued to the cover. This allows for maximum room for the surround of the 3.5's to flex and move without hitting it. So far it sounds great again, and doesn't look much different from stock, except that the dash speaker grilles are a little bit higher up than before.

As far as the other speakers go, I have a pair of Polk DB651 series 6.5" coaxial speakers in my rear doors. Love em. All of Polk's DB series is built to marine spec, so a little moisture doesn't intimidate them. They also do very well in the heat. As far as sound quality on em goes, I have yet to find a 6.5" coax that can beat them. Very clear crisp highs, and a good present mid range, and the lows on these are incredible for 6.5's These sound twice their size easily. On the front channels I have now the Fosgate 3.5's and a pair of Pioneer 6x9 4 or 5 way speakers in the doors. I cant really vouch for the 6x9's sound because they are under powered by the infinity amp, plus the crossover effect that the infinity amp has. Eventually, I'll rip the infinity amp out and replace it with a Rockford Fosgate low profile, 4 channel, 300 watt amp. That will power the doors, and the front lines from the headunit will power the dash.

Today I did a quick little mod to the dash that makes a BIG difference in sound. I expanded the dash speaker holes to make way for a Rockford Fosgate 3.5" full range coaxial Speaker. Since the Infinity amp cuts off somewhere in the mid-range (The stock setup is 2.75" full range) I figures I'd replace my second pair of blown tweeters with something a little beefier. Overall, it was a pretty easy switchout. A little trimming with the dremel and cutting out some of the foam padding that sits between the firewall and the dash made it sit perfectly in the dash. The nice thing is, after trimming the original mounts, the top panel fits back on, no problem. I did expect better mid range presence, but wow. I didn't realize what I was missing out on.

Of course! The next major step I think, ought to be differential skids. Definitely a good idea.

Thanks! I'm hoping to start making some serious progress in the weeks and months to come.

The next order of business was getting a CB radio put together. Although tuning it was a headache, the setup is pretty straightforward. A Uniden PRO505XL, a Firestik MK-184R mini-kit for the Dodge Ram/Durango, A Firestik heavy duty spring, and a Firestik Firefly II 3 foot, super flexible tunable tip antenna. As many do, I installed it above my passenger tail light, using the included Firestik mounting plate. I trimmed my tail light, so that it isn't as crooked, however had to add washers and a lock nut to the mount for correct ground, so it needs to be trimmed again.

Now we're getting to current. I recently bought a Nexus 7, and added a dock for it on the dash. (Action shot!) It is connected to the Head Unit via Bluetooth, and connected to power through a 12 volt plug I installed in the dash. A couple of weeks ago I got bored, and decided to end the chrome grille once and for all. I decided on Chrysler Charcoal Grey, the same color as the grille on the WK2 Trailhawk. The sub grille got a fresh coat of satin black, and the Grille got a couple layers of Charcoal Grey and Spray on clear-coat. In the end, I'd say it was a success. Now I just need to find a suitable color for the bumpers and rocker panels!

I picked up my 99 WJ almost 2 years ago (gosh, time flies!), after my 94 ZJ was rear-ended, and pretty much turned into an accordion. It had had only one previous owner, who had taken fantastic care of it, though it hadn't been driven in nearly 7 years! That being said, at 45k miles, it had never seen dirt. When I bought it, it got a full front-to-back fluids change, of course. (day one) The previous owner had already equipped it with a 2"BB and the Westin safari/light bar. From day one, I was unsure of what I would change on it. Of course, it is stuck as my daily driver, and it stayed that way for a while, until the off-road adventure bug really bit me. On an overcast day in January of 2013, I rolled her off the pavement for the first time and set off on a trail I had been on when I was younger. ...and that is where this build began. Once summer came, the radiator went, and would shoot hot antifreeze 5ish feet straight forward out of the front of the grill when you shut the vehicle off. That's where it started. After I replaced the radiator, I began to develop a list of things I wanted to do with the Jeep. I started pricing parts, and figuring out how I wanted to proceed. basic things got done pretty quick. Speakers got replaced, and then the stock Casette/CD player (which would etch a lovely pattern into my CDs and then eject them with an "ERR" code) was replaced with a Clarion CZ302, and in November I did a driveshaft conversion. If you have a Rezeppa-Rezeppa driveshaft, it is worth EVERY penny to convert to a U-joint/CV Driveshaft. The vehicle drives MUCH quieter, and there is much less vibration. Shortly after this, I got the opportunity to run the Backway to Crown King. This was my first opportunity to really test my rig. The experience was INCREDIBLE! I made some new friends, I learned a whole lot about off highway driving, and about what I needed to improve and change on the rig. I then solidified a starting game plan of what I wanted to do with the Dub. -Phase 1- (complete!) Various tweaks and changes prepping the jeep for Phase 2 -Phase 2- CB Install (complete!) Lift (IRO 3" lift- Complete!) New tires (Complete) Roof rack (Complete!) Rock rails Underbody armor various aesthetic and mechanical tweaks -Phase "2.5" (or the parts Phase 2 forgot)- Dual battery setup (Done!) Infinity amp replacement (Done at last) Rear tire solution LED/HID conversion Additional lighting -Phase 3- Transfer Case Swap:good: Long arm conversion:good: Who knows?

Thanks guys! I'll have to get a build thread started soon and outline what I've done, and what I want to do.

Just thought I'd drop in and say hello! I am Mike, I drive a 99 WJ 4.7 that just broke 72k miles. Currently I am installing a CB on it, I have the coax run and the antenna mount up, I am just waiting on the other parts to come in. My next major project will be lifting it and getting off the 27" tires. I am hoping to build it to be an overlanding rig, though the process is rather slow while I am in school. Recently, I also did the front driveshaft conversion (removing the Rezeppa/Rezeppa driveshaft) and I can say that it is WORTH EVERY PENNY. I look forward to running trails with y'all in the future. Cheers!