I've caught the Jeep thing, now what?

[shays4me]

I wouldn't regear to 4.10. I would look around and get a set of Rubicon take offs. You'll be in the same ball park money wise, but you'll get a tougher set of axles and have your old axles left over to sell or go back to if you don't like the regear. Rubicon axles are 32 spline in the rear vs 30 spline on a sport axle, and the front is altogether stronger except the housing which shouldn't be a problem for you and I with our realistic aspirations for tires on a daily driver. If 4.10's aren't low enough you can always resell the Rubicon axles to make another step down and get all of your money back. It's tough to do that if you just regear the axles you have. Not to mention the Rubicon axle swap would be less down time for your Jeep. I have the 4.10 gears and I love them with stock Rubicon tires, however I'm running an auto so I can't make any suggestions for a stick.

 

[Bluedog225]

Another vote for the Duratrac 33s. My stock tires got torn up in the mesquite like they were made of tissue. Lost 3 on one trip. These are much tougher.

Another great upgrade is the LED reverse lights. Cheap off Ebay. Sorry I dont have the exact info handy. They are brighter than the headlights. Great for lighting up an area. There are a couple of great Jeep forums. One thread in particular. Something like Good, Cheap Mods.

Underseat storage vault is nice also. And good mud/slush mats. The kids would love a roof top tent....

 

[Nuclear Redneck]

The kids would love a roof top tent....

They do love them:





Build thread here:
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/128420-Two-RTT-Trailer

 

[Nuclear Redneck]

Updated Electrical

I put in the sPod and Genesis dual battery kit this week. I also put in a Blue Sea fuse block under the rear passenger seat. The plan is to run things like my ham radio, cb, Engel fridge, dual usb port, inverter, and dual 12 volt outlets from the Blue Sea fuse block. I'm reserving the sPod for things which must be switched off and on frequently; lights, ARB compressor, and lockers.

The fuse block is fed from the Genesis dual battery accessory battery. I used 4 AWG wire from each terminal to a Maxi Fuse block. Both positive and negative leads are fused with a 60 amp fuse. Then I wrapped split loom around the two leads, zipped tied it to the factory harness along the firewall and then down by the driver's side. I ran the leads along the driver's side frame rail and then through the drain plug under the rear seat.

All crimps were done with a hydraulic crimper:


Then heat shrink with glue was used:





I mounted the Maxi Fuse blocks to the TIPM cover with M4 bolts. I'll put a dab of JB weld on them to make sure that the nuts don't vibrate off into the TIPM.



There is no contact between the bolts and any of the relays or fuses in the TIPM.









I used 4 AWG to minimize the voltage drop. It could handle up to 120 or so amps. I can fuse the Maxi Block from 30-80 amps. I picked 60 as a middle ground. All the components hooked to the Blue Sea fuse block will be fused there with the appropriate fuse for the expected max draw plus 25%. I've gotten my Yaesu FT-7800 installed, still debating on the right place for the detachable facemount. The external speaker is in the sport cage padding above the driver's left ear. Antenna is a Diamond NMO mount on a Diamond lip mount on the driver's side of the hood. I'll take some pictures of that tomorrow.

Also, you can see my MPAC dropdown tailgate in use as a work bench. Very handy and rattle free. Happy I installed it.

 

[shays4me]

Am I missing something here? It's awfully clean work but why do you need to fuse the positive and negative side of the main circuit?

 

[Nuclear Redneck]

Am I missing something here? It's awfully clean work but why do you need to fuse the positive and negative side of the main circuit?

It was a recommendation from a ham site. It is a very rare occurrence, but you can get a ground loop where two ground are not at the same potential. The fuse is to prevent any catastrophic damage.

 

[shays4me]

It was a recommendation from a ham site. It is a very rare occurrence, but you can get a ground loop where two ground are not at the same potential. The fuse is to prevent any catastrophic damage.

That makes sense. I hadn't seen it anywhere before, and I'm a pro wire jockey but I've never messed with Ham. Nice work btw, you could teach my peers a thing or two about clean installation.