Made the Leap - 2012 AEV Built JK Unlimited Rubicon

[hollaback55]

thanks for the kind words. its been a blast to own the past 2 months

for the rack I know the AEV is made for lashing kayaks and stuff but I like the frontrunner modular accessories. Its a toss up but I think I'm going to go the frontrunner route. Going to wait until the summer before I decide.

on a side note the TNT sliders should be here in the next week or so. Cant wait to install them and post up some photos

 

[hollaback55]

got the front panel section and the mid section of the hotheads headliner installed today. finally had some good weather.

quick notes

1. they are very very well made. they follow the contours of the hardtop perfectly

2. the finish with the felt fabric is awesome. soft to touch, looks great, and should be quite durable

3. super easy to install. hardest part was cleaning the hardtop with acetone. rest was just cut tape, lay down, rub in with roller, unmask, and stick the panel on

4. make the interior of the jeep much nicer IMO. breaks up the white aspect of the interior with the hardtop

 

[hollaback55]

finally finished up the mid panels and rear panels with side window surrounds for the Hotheads Headliner kit. Really like the way it breaks up the whiteness of the interior in regards to the underside of the hardtop.

Anyone have suggestions on replacement fog lights? I'm running into a road block with regards to which ones to buy. The JW speakers are super nice but I cannot bring myself to spend more on fog lights than I did on my Headlights.

So far I'm looking at the following:

Trucklite 4.5" fogs with nemesis brackets
Piaa 530 fogs

 

[expedition4x4]

thanks for the kind words. its been a blast to own the past 2 months

for the rack I know the AEV is made for lashing kayaks and stuff but I like the frontrunner modular accessories. Its a toss up but I think I'm going to go the frontrunner route. Going to wait until the summer before I decide.

on a side note the TNT sliders should be here in the next week or so. Cant wait to install them and post up some photos

I love my treks sliders on my JKU its nice that they attach to frame and no holes are needed to be drilled in tub.

 

[DallasJKU]

got the front panel section and the mid section of the hotheads headliner installed today. finally had some good weather.

quick notes

1. they are very very well made. they follow the contours of the hardtop perfectly

2. the finish with the felt fabric is awesome. soft to touch, looks great, and should be quite durable

3. super easy to install. hardest part was cleaning the hardtop with acetone. rest was just cut tape, lay down, rub in with roller, unmask, and stick the panel on

4. make the interior of the jeep much nicer IMO. breaks up the white aspect of the interior with the hardtop

Any change in the noise level?? Help with stereo sound??

 

[hollaback55]

yeah the wait for the sliders has been rough especially with everyone complaining about getting in and out of the jeep. the integrated step should be perfect for that and they are built nice and strong to withstand the wheeling that I typically do.

as for the hotheads headliners. they definitely cut down on interior noise and quieted the cabin a bit. they have also helped with the stereo and speakers sound wise. its not much but every little bit helps. the problem with the roll bar speakers is that chrysler turned down the power level to the roll bar speakers b/c they couldn't get the sound bar not to rattle. really no way to fix this unless you change the amp setup and that gets quite expensive. I've been researching sound upgrades lately and have found some interesting info.

1. the real issue with the sound system is the head unit power output and factory amp for the infinity system. they are de-rated to the roll bar speakers b/c of vibration with the sound bar pod

2. need to dynamat and polyfill the enclosures. this will help stop the vibration once real power is put to the speakers

3. need to upgrade or change amp setup. the easiest way to do this I believe is to run a new amp in the factory location that can send real power to the roll bars and rear sub. this causes other issues though with integration into the stock head unit and steering wheel controls. I believe JL Audio makes a cleansweep product that has some great benefits with regards to integration.

4. need to replace stock subwoofer and enclosure. I'm hesitant to do this as I might just remove it altogether. I could use the extra storage space and dont really care for spending $$$ on a new custom enclosure. Alternatively you can keep the stock enclosure and just dynamat and polyfill it along with adding a new sub.

5. doing all this starts costing mucho $$$ (north of 600) which i really dont want to spend to have a marginally better sound system. the realities of the jeep sound system is such that you would essentially need to start from a clean slate to get anywhere near the benefits that audiophiles are looking for. that costs a ton of money and is not something I'm into. If chrysler could build a better sound bar enclosure and better rear sub enclosure then we wouldn't be having this conversation. b/c they are both made of cheapo plastic polymers we are stuck with below grade factory sound that costs custom dollars for a decent system.

 

[DallasJKU]

The sound system is pretty bad, but adequate enough for me and what I listen to. With hardtop on its fine and with top off who cares. I'm just looking for something to cut down on road noise a little and cut down on the heat that will be on my head during summer in Texas.

 

[hollaback55]

hotheads headliner is perfect for that. definitely install it. you can feel the difference immediately on a hot day, just put your hand on your hardtop and then sit inside.

 

[hollaback55]

finally after a 3+ week wait the TNT sliders have arrived. I still have to install the cutter bolts as well as do a full review.

Some teaser pics, will get better ones this weekend when I have some time

Quick Notes:

1. They are ************ awesome. Look great and the welds are beautiful

2. They will no longer offer them in powdercoat, only bare finish

3. Super easy to install.

 

[hollaback55]

Trail Gator installed

finally got around to drilling the frame holes and installing the cutter bolts for the sliders. it requires you making pilot holes and then removing the slider again to be able to drill the 5/16ths holes for the bolts which is slightly annoying.

another brown box showed up yesterday :ylsmoke:

absolutely love the trail gator. exceptionally well made and was super easy to install. it has some heft to it but surprisingly the 6 plastic clips and 6 screws hold it firm and steady

 

[hollaback55]

More Slider Pics

few more slider pics from the passenger side.

really love how these turned out. the fit and finish is excellent and they look great IMO. I love the dimple die step and the fiance is finally happy getting in and out of the jeep is no longer a climbing affair.

 

[KlausVanWinkle]

Have you looked at LabRak Racks yet? I have one on my 100 series land cruiser and love it. It's by far the most modular, adaptable and robust rack on the market. Shane over at Labrak outfitted a Rubicon Unlimited with one for SEMA this year. It's not full length though. You can mount Yakima or Thule bars and accessories to them as well as their own intense mounts. Talk to Shane (Labrak on here), he's always working out new stuff and might have some prototype JK stuff for you to try.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.359128394175018.89919.140447782709748&type=3

 

[hollaback55]

that looks solid and very well made. I don't know how well the mounting structure on the gutters would be though. Anyone have any experience with mounting a rack to the gutters on the JK Hardtop?

 

[hollaback55]

cool spot for a flashlight mount using some quick fists grips

holes are already pre drilled by chrysler into the slider base so all you need to do is mount them on using some counter sink bolts and a nylock nut. great rattle free mount to keep a flashlight close by.

 

[redthies]

Anyone have any experience with mounting a rack to the gutters on the JK Hardtop?

I've done thousands of miles with Thule bars and a crap load of surfboards on the hardtop gutters. Mostly longboards so some weight, but not super heavy. Lots of wind lift/drag. No issues at all.