How would you outfit this custom LJ?

[jscherb]

Nice list of options indeed, you really can make that front receiver versatile.

My current challenge centers around a traditional winch mounted on top of the bumper and devising a way to modify my hitch hauler in order to clamp it onto my front bumper fashioning some kind of brackets/clamps....

Sounds like you need either an aftermarket winch bumper with a receiver in it, or if you want to keep the factory bumper, a receiver mounted under the bumper. I don't think there are any receivers on the market for the TJ that mount under the bumper though, every one I've seen mounts on top using the bumper bolts. An under-the-bumper receiver design for the TJ is possible, the mounts for my plow bolt on under the bumper and it wouldn't be too hard to design a receiver that mounts in a similar way.

 

[jscherb]

I disassembled the bike rack and reassembled it so that it's shorter. To use it at this height would require drilling only one hole in the bike rack. I haven't done that so there's a clamp holding the rack together for the photo.

Visibility from inside is much better:

From the front, the headlights and turn signals have a pretty clear view forward, but the license plate is obscured. I did some research today and most state laws seem to disallow anything that obscures the headlights, turn signals or license plate, so I think with remounting the license plate when using this rack on the front there shouldn't be any problem from the law.

 

[jscherb]

Today I installed the production Trail Kitchen plus enclosure and drawer unit in the LJ to verify the fit. No drilling was required in the Jeep, factory threaded holes in the floor are used.

The kitchen battery is mounted on a tray above the inner fender and the power panel is just visible at the bottom of this next photo. The battery is wired to the main battery when the engine is running for charging and automatically disconnected when the engine is stopped so the main battery won't be drained while camping.

The power panel in this photo is an early prototype, the production power panel will have two power outlets and two USB outlets.

 

[jscherb]

I installed the winch on the cradle this morning and made all the necessary wiring connections. In this first photo you can see the short winch lead, it replaces the 6'-long cables that came with the winch. Being short, it will be easy to tuck into the cover I'll sew for the winch.

In the stowed position:

Next I just have to install the battery lead and I can test winch operation.

 

[jscherb]

Installed the battery lead in the engine compartment and tested everything to make sure it works. Battery lead stays coiled up in the engine compartment until it's needed, when needed open the hood, pull the lead out and plug it in to the winch.

Same battery lead also serves as a jumper cable connection, using the extension lead (which also is used to connect the winch when it's in the rear receiver) and a clip end (left photo). I have a second clip end so it can also serve as a stand-alone jumper cable (right photo).

The only thing left to do on this project is to sew a weather cover for the winch.

 

[jscherb]

Progress sewing a prototype weather cover for the winch... this one is made from scrap fabric, once I get the fit the way I want I'll cut it apart and use the parts as patterns for the final one I'll sew in heavy vinyl. The closure at the bottom is 4 straps with adjustable parachute buckles.

I've got a few more tucks and tweaks to make before I'm satisfied with the fit, but it's getting pretty close.

 

[Lucky j]

I use to have a cover for my winch, but soon realized that humidity would get under it and stay there. So for me, it was a catch 22. So decided not to mess with it anymore.

But still, nice fit!

 

[jscherb]

I use to have a cover for my winch, but soon realized that humidity would get under it and stay there. So for me, it was a catch 22. So decided not to mess with it anymore.

But still, nice fit!

Thanks. The cover will seal pretty well once I've finished it and because the winch won't be on the Jeep for any longer than whatever trip I'm making, a few weeks at most, humidity won't be a long-term issue. I'd much rather keep the winch out of the rain and other weather for those few weeks than have it open and unprotected.

 

[Vinman]

I’ve had a cover on every winch I owned since I bought the first one in 2000, never had a single spec of corrosion on any one of them. The most recent Jeep I picked up had a winch on it that had been covered for 10 years and it has zero corrosion on it.
On the other hand, I have seen many, many, uncovered winchs that look like crap after 2-3 years on the front of a rig.

 

[jscherb]

Today is the first time I've ever had to plow more than a foot of snow before Thanksgiving .

 

[cruiserbear04]

I was wondering whether the Superstrut attached to the aluminum sand ladders was also aluminum, or were they steel?? Certainly a nice polished finish either way...

 

[jscherb]

I was wondering whether the Superstrut attached to the aluminum sand ladders was also aluminum, or were they steel?? Certainly a nice polished finish either way...

It's steel. Picked it up at Lowes.

Here's the original post for people wondering what this question is referring to: https://expeditionportal.com/forum/...fit-this-custom-lj.46300/page-42#post-2008600

 

[jscherb]

MORryde asked if they could use my Jeep in their booth at Easter Jeep Safari to display the Trail Kitchen, which is ok with me but the Jeep I'll be driving to that event is my LJ, so I told them that's the Jeep they could use. Up until now I haven't installed the full kitchen with all options in that Jeep, so today I did that in preparation for making the trip to Moab.

The kitchen installs in the LJ with no drilling in the Jeep, it's an easy bolt-in. There's 15" between the front of the kitchen and the back of the front seats, so since the difference between the LJ and TJ bodies is 15", the Trail Kitchen will fit in the TJ as well.

I've installed the water supply for the sink on the front of the drawer unit.

I could also use the Overhead/Swing-Down Molle panel for the water source (shown here in the down position). The Molle panel will support two 2-gallon Rotopax containers or one 4-gallon but I'm using it for a spare water container plus some other gear.

Or, water could be drawn from a Rotopax mounted on the tailgate hinges. No problem for the sink pump to draw water from there.

The kitchen battery is carried in an inner fender ammo can tray. The sink pump is installed on the side of the kitchen enclosure, next to the battery. Everything fits well in the LJ.

Packed up and ready for the road...

If anyone's going to Easter Jeep Safari, stop by the MORryde booth and say hi.

 

[NEwhere]

Any update on the Overhead/Swing-Down Molle panel for the TJ/LJ? Or is the same one that fits the newer Jeeps too?

Will that battery stay put in the event that you rear ended someone hard? I cant really tell from the pics

 

[jscherb]

Any update on the Overhead/Swing-Down Molle panel for the TJ/LJ? Or is the same one that fits the newer Jeeps too?

The panel is the same for both the JKU/JK and the LJ/TJ but the mounting hardware is different because of the differences between the roll bars of the two models. As soon as I get back from Easter Jeep Safari I'll be doing a JK 2dr version of the mounting hardware, which requires some different hardware than the JKU but will also use the same panel. The JK2 and the TJ/LJ roll bars have more in common than the JKU and the TJ/LJ, so I may do a TJ/LJ version of the hardware at the same time. The one I've got mounted in the LJ uses a derivation of the JKU hardware for mounting, but the JK2 hardware I've designed is simpler than what I've got in the LJ right now.

Will that battery stay put in the event that you rear ended someone hard? I cant really tell from the pics

The battery tray is bolted to the body using the hardtop bolts and the battery is strapped to the tray. Should be secure for anything I'm likely to subject it to.