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Anon155's Build Thread

54K views 162 replies 48 participants last post by  hrom12 
#1 ·
Here's a brief history lesson: Four score and 7 years ago my first car was a 99 Grand with a straight 6. I loved that jeep, but it gave me a **** ton of problems. I ended up selling it to a cousin and buying an 05 Dodge Ram 1500 HEMI. I customized it the way I wanted, and was a part of the dodge forums for a few years. I've owned Mopar's my whole life :2thumbsup:

Tire Wheel Car Vehicle Automotive parking light


I decided to sell the Ram last April and use some of the money for college. There was always 1 major flaw with the truck, I could not fit more than 2-3 girls in the cab at 1 time :thumbdown:

I needed a backseat! Which brings me to my 05 Jeep WK 5.7L Hemi (AKA: Green Lattern or Gerald) I ended up finding it on craigslist. An older lady had it, and it was practically brand new inside and out. It had just under 59,000 miles on it. I got it for a steal as there weren't many other WK's for sale at the time.

Here's a pic from the day I brought it home:

Automotive parking light Automotive side marker light Tire Wheel Land vehicle


Here's a few more recent pics:

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Automotive side marker light Automotive parking light Automotive tail & brake light Car Vehicle registration plate


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Here's a list of the mod's I've done so far (This list will be growing) I promised I would stop spending 6 months ago.
That still has yet to happen....So why stop now right? This jeep thing has been hard on my wallet :rofl:

-14% Tint and 5% Browl
-Infinity Dash Speakers
-Polk 6.5" DB Series Door Speakers
-10" Polk Sub in Custom Box
-Alpine 500 Watt Mono Amp
-Weather Tech Floor Mats
-New Rotors and Ceramic Pads
-Painted Brake Calipers
-Custom Retrofitted Projector Headlights (5000K HID)
-HIR 9011 Fog Light Bulbs
-LED Interior Lighting
-LED Cargo Lighting
-LED Strip Floor lighting
-7W Cree Reverse Lights
-Rola Roof Rack
-32" Tough Light Black Series LED Bar
-Rigid Industries Dually D2 diffused Back-Up Lights
-Custom Cubby Hole Switch Panel
-Otrattw Switches
-SRT-8 Pedals
-VW Style Flip Key
-Shorty Antenna
-Cabin Air Filter
-Debadged Jeep Emblems
-Plasti-Dipped Rear Emblems
-Plasti Dipped "Grand Cherokee" Side Logo
-Custom ORT Badges
-ORT Stripes
-Red Logo HEMI Side Badges
-Commander Shift Knob
-Custom Shift Knob Badge
-Jeep Emblem on Dash Cover
-Paracord Steering Wheel
-Paracord Side Grab Handles
-Paracord "Oh-****!" Rear Grab Handles
-Painted Mirror Covers
-OME HD Lift
-Bed-lined Rubicon Wheels
-255/75r17 BFG Mud Terrain KM1 Tires
-Full Size Spare
-Rear Hitch Mod
-Pinch Weld Mod
-Rear Fender Mod
-Superchips Flashpaq
-AFE Stage 2 Intake
-Modern Muscle 85mm Throttle Body
-Flowmaster Super 44 Muffler and 3" Exhaust
-Billet Technology Catch Can
-4xGuard Front Skid
-4xGuard Belly Skid #5
-4xGuard Rear Skid
-Stock Steel Front Skid
-Stock Transfer Case Skid
-Aspen Creek Transfer Case Adapter
-Stock Tow Hooks
-Rear Hitch D-Ring
-Custom Hemi Engine Cover
-Chrome Turn Signal Bulbs
-Custom Jeep WK Ottratw Switches
-Hitch D-ring
-ARB Snatch Strap
-Rugged Ridge Floor Liners
-Painted Wheels (Round 2)
-20" Osram LED Light Bar
-Cobra 75 WX ST CB Radio
-3' Firestick Antenna
-Steel Armadillo Antenna Mount
-Front Bumper Trim

Future Mods:
-6" Modified Superlift
-Bilstein 5100 Struts/Shocks
-JBA Upper Control Arms
-Rusty's Adjustable Track Bar
-Rusty's Adjustable Rear Lower and Upper Control Arms
-JBA 6" Rear Coils
-JKS Disconnects (Rear)
-37x12.50 Nitto Trail Grapplers
-Hidden Winch
 
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#44 ·
you wouldnt happen to be selling your head lights would you?
or wouldnt happend to wanna make another pair if you had the parts?
I actually have my stock headlights for sale locally. I'm asking $100+shipping if you're interested.

I've been asked several times to make another set. But with work and school right now, it's just not in the cards I'm afraid. Plus, the labor charges would be higher than most would want to pay. The project wasn't very hard to do to be honest. It's just time consuming. But if you take your time, I'm sure anyone could do it. There was a very good how-to thread on another forum about how to do the same retrofit I did (minus the painting). I'll post a link for it :thumbsup: http://www.**********.org/f187/guide-wk-h1-mini-morimoto-retrofitting-low-beam-24703.html
 
#45 ·
Hey man, great looking rig!

Two questions,

1. How easy was it to take apart the aftermarket headlights? I attempted my 08 stock ones and almost ruined them.

2. Roughly how much did it cost you total to do the lights? If you don't mind me asking.
 
#46 ·
Hey man, great looking rig!

Two questions,

1. How easy was it to take apart the aftermarket headlights? I attempted my 08 stock ones and almost ruined them.

2. Roughly how much did it cost you total to do the lights? If you don't mind me asking.
Thanks man!

1. The aftermarkets have a lot cheaper butyl glue in them. So they will heat up and come apart easier. But it still took me a couple tries to finally break them open. Definitely wear gloves when you do it. The best tool to get them open is a wide blade putty knife. I used the 2-3 inch ones. You can find them at any hardware store, you will need 2 of them prob. 1 to pry it open and the other to break it open the rest of the way. Start on the flat sides.

2. I kinda lost track of the cost with this project lol. But I'll try to give you a rough idea. Headlights- $100, HID Kit with projectors- $280, Paint- $50, Tape and other supplies- $30-50. Total: $400-450.
 
#47 ·
Haven't updated this thread in awhile....

Been busy with work and a few other side projects that have had my extra money tied up.
It's not a jeep, but it sure was fun to build up! Specs: 48V, 6" A-Arm lift w/ HD leaf springs in the rear, 14" wheels and 23" tires, plus a lot more...
It'll go 24-25 with the speed tuner I installed! :2thumbsup:

Wheel Tire Vehicle Motor vehicle Automotive tire


Here's a couple updates for the jeep:
Installed a Fumoto oil drain plug:

Automotive tire Automotive lighting Vehicle Motor vehicle Gas


Bought a Harbor Freight 150 PSI compressor:
My other one finally crapped out after 4 years.
It'll work good until I can find a more permanent mount compressor.

Tire Wheel Car Vehicle Automotive tire


I got into the Christmas spirit this year!
Added some lighted garland on the Rola powered by a 12V inverter.
My LED light bar star might be a little too bright though.....

Tire Automotive parking light Wheel Land vehicle Car


Atmosphere Automotive lighting Sky Hood Car
 
#48 ·
I have been meaning to show how I did my roof lights for awhile now. I guess this is a good time as ever!!

I first needed a switch panel! I wanted something semi custom. I knew Saquaro (Aspen Creek) had been making a 5 panel for the cubby hole, but I figured I could make one cheaper. I grabbed some scrap plexi I had laying around and got to work!

First I removed the cubby panel, and traced a template for the hole. I then used this to cut out a piece of plexi to fit:



I then had to figure out how I was gonna mount it. I decided to use a couple of scrap pieces as back plates. (I don't have any pictures of them) But I used 2 bolts on each side to essentially wedge the front plate and back plates together. This is very similar to what saguaro does with their design.

Once I had a way to mount it, I figured out the placement/spacing of the switches so they would interfere with the back plates. I decided to only go with 4 switches at the time. I really didn't see the need for 5. I cut the switch holes out with a router drywall/plastic cutting bit.



In this pic you can see one of the back pieces if you look at the 4th switch hole:



Next, I mounted the switches on the switch panel, and wired them according to Nate (Omelet's) guide in his build thread.



Then tested to see if the lights on the switches were working properly

 
#49 ·
Now onto the LYTESSS!!!!

I bought a 32" tough light for my Rola Rack during a group buy. For the money, I couldn't pass it up, and they made it custom to my needs. I did a combo light bar with floods on the outside and spots in the middle. 12,500 lumens of AWESOME! The quality has been great, and it has stood up to everything I've put it through. You can go to their website Tough-Light.com and you will see my rig in their product photos!



I mounted it using 1.5" PIAA light mounts I bought off clearance from 4wheelparts.com for $20 bucks per pair. They were originally silver in color and I bed lined them black to match the Rola. You can get the same mounts but in black off eBay for $20 + shipping.

I measured out where I wanted my light bar on the front and installed the mounts. I used red locktite on the bolts to make them harder to steal.





Next came the back up lights! I bought some display model rigid dually's with diffused licenses from a friend's 4x4 shop.
He gave me a deal I just couldn't pass up!!



I decided to test them out in the garage before installing :D



Once I knew they were working, I mounted them up on the Rola with the same PIAA mounts I used for the light bar.



Finding where I wanted to run the wiring was a bit tricky. I knew I wanted to keep it as hidden as possible, but didn't know how. I looked through some other people's build threads. But didn't come up with any good results at the time. So I started looking around and found that you can run the wiring down the top weather strip for the doors. It runs all the way from the tops of the doors down to the front of the doors near the engine compartment. You simply pull it off and hide the wires behind it in the channels available. I ran 2 sets of wires down the driver's side this way.

I started at the back and worked towards the front. I neatly ran the wiring harness for the rigid's and zip tied it to the Rola.



After that was done, I ran it down the side of the Rola and the roof rail to the weather stripping above the doors. I sealed all my wiring and connections with tape and split loom tubing to keep it sealed and hidden.



On the front light bar, I zip tied my wiring to the Rola and ran it over to the driver's side through the front hole in the roof rail above the drivers door. This spot kept it hidden, and I was able to zip tie it out of the way far enough not to be seen. You literally have to be looking for my wiring, or you will not see it!!



 
#50 ·
Once I had the wiring ran up top, I ran it down towards the engine compartment. I covered it with some heat shrink tubing, and snaked it around the door and hood hinges to the engine bay. (Its easiest to push it under the windshield wiper cowl, that way it doesn't affect the hood hinge). I have high-lighted the wiring with a yellow circle. It was kind of hard to see in the pic without it.



Here's where the wiring came out in the corner of the engine bay:



I ran the wiring down towards the front by the battery tray where I have all my relays, and other wiring harnesses for my HID's, and stereo. This seemed like the perfect spot for grounding and sorting out which wires needed to go to the battery and which needed to go inside the jeep. It also made for a cleaner look overall since I did not have enough room for a all in one fuse box like some have done. I may decide to add one later on when I add MOAR LYTESS!!!



I ran the wiring in through the firewall using a grommet that wasn't being used.
This seems to be the popular spot and allows for easy wiring up under the dash area.



Once I had the wires ran into the dash area, I connected them up to my individual switches. And that was pretty much it!
I will get some light output shots up eventually. But as you probably already know, they're REALLY bright.
 
#52 ·
Correct, they were the only ones I easily could fit without a ton of modification. The gatling gun and gatling 2.0 would have needed a lot of trimming to work with our smaller housings. The mini's also used screws to mount to the projector, where the other's use a snap ring that didn't fit right for me.
 
#54 ·
Only one guy I know running both, Rob "robpp". He's done retrofit work for other people as well. He would probably be your best insight on options and idea's. If it were me though, I'd probably run the morimoto mini H1 projectors with mini gatling gun shrouds for lows and for ease of the install, then use a bigger frame projector for the highs with the gatling gun 2.0 shrouds to match. The H1's do have a high beam feature, so you could easily tie them into your high beam wiring to give double the light output when you flip the switch.
 
#59 ·
Nahhh. The plug sits at least 1-2 inches above the skid on my 5.7L. Doesn't come close to the hole at all. Even with no openings on your skid, there should be a big enough gap on the back side of the skid to slide your hand up there to run a hose down to a drain pan. Worst case scenario is that you would have to loosen/remove the back bolts on the skid to get the hose up there.
 
#62 ·
Hey Anon155, I have a few more questions about your HIDs...

Did you choose to use aftermarket headlights just so you could get them apart more easily? How are you liking them now? I'm getting close to pulling the trigger on that kit. Also, what did you use to reseal the lenses to the headlights? Thanks bud, keep up the great work!
 
#63 ·
Well, what are you waiting for then? Pull the trigger!! :rofl:

Yeah, I chose the aftermarket headlights because they use a cheaper butyl glue. The stock headlights have to be heated for a longer time at a higher temp, and that makes them difficult to work with once they're out of the oven. I sold my stockers for what I paid for the aftermarket ones, so you can re-coop your money back rather easily. I resealed the headlights with butyl glue I bought from advance auto parts. You can find it at any auto parts store though. It comes in a roll, and is very sticky stuff. Once you heat it up to put the headlights back together, put the lens on and press it down into place. You will need to push down far enough to connect several clips around the headlight housing. Wrap some ratchet straps around the headlights and let them cool overnight. The next morning I put some clear silicone all around the outside to make sure they were completely sealed. I have gone through 2 winters now, hundreds of car washes, several deep water area's, and they have yet to show any signs of moisture or leakage. My stocks would fog up every now and again, so I must have done something right lol.

I am loving the projector kit overall! They produce a lot more light output than the stock halogens ever could. But there are some technicalities that come with it. The mini projectors don't produce the output of some of the larger projectors. The cutoff is a lot tighter. I can light up 3 lanes of traffic side to side and see plenty far down the road. But there is a black spot right in front of my jeep that can be annoying to look at times (Me and my darn OCD). Do yourself a favor like I did and buy a cheap HID kit from ddm tuning or a similar company, and replace your fogs as well. You won't need a relay harness, you can tie the kit right in to your stock wiring. And it'll fill that black space while giving you a bit more visibility right in front of the jeep.

Here's a pic off their website, you can see the black space in front of the car like I described:
 
#64 ·
When are you going to start making some pennies off this and doing it for others Anon since you do it so well? :D
 
#66 ·
Haha, I wish! Just don't have the time or space right now. I'm a college student after all….I know a local MO guy that does retrofits for the dodge ram guys. PM me if interested.

Thanks a lot for the help Anon! I can still use my stock headlights if I want, it'll just be a bigger PITA getting them apart, right?

I was looking more at their website and saw the FX-R stage III but I'm assuming you didn't go with those because they wouldn't fit? What about the Mini Morimoto D2S instead of the H1's? Would those not fit either?

I'm sorry to bombard you with questions, I just want to get it right the first time! Feel free to PM me so we don't clutter your build thread.
No worries! PM sent! :highfive:
 
#65 ·
Thanks a lot for the help Anon! I can still use my stock headlights if I want, it'll just be a bigger PITA getting them apart, right?

I was looking more at their website and saw the FX-R stage III but I'm assuming you didn't go with those because they wouldn't fit? What about the Mini Morimoto D2S instead of the H1's? Would those not fit either?

I'm sorry to bombard you with questions, I just want to get it right the first time! Feel free to PM me so we don't clutter your build thread.
 
#67 ·
Few Updates:
No major mods, but I was able to get some other small mods done in this freezing weather we've had lately.

First, I was able to get my interior "mood" lighting all buttoned up. I wanted something to offset the green interior lights. I decided to go with 4 red LED strips in 12" lengths that I got off eBay (they came pre-wired). The front's I put under the dash with 3M 2 sided tape. For the rear strips, I was able to 3M tape them and zip tie the ends to the driver/passenger seat frame aimed towards the back seat. As for as running the wires, I ran a main set tucked up under the center console and tapped all the LED strips into the main wires before install. I left enough wire next to the seats to allow them to move back and forth without issue. I then ran the main wires to a relay under the drivers side of the dash and one of the switches on my switch panel. I think it turned out great! :2thumbsup:

Here some pics:
Daytime




Night


 
#68 ·
I installed a WAYALIFE windshield decal. I've been wanting one for a long time and really liked the meaning behind it. It was a bit of a difficult install, since our windshield is curved and a JK's isn't. I had to cut a slit between each letter, so I could curve it to match the top of the windshield. Then had to tape off where I wanted each letter, so it looked centered and level.

Here's pics:




With the decal on, I started to hate the fact I had a curve in the tint brow across the front. So I got out some of my trusty trim tape and tapped off where I wanted the tint to be. I then cut it with a razor blade. Looks much better, and makes my OCD happy :teehee:

Before:


After:


 
#72 ·
Haha. Wayalife was a website started by some of the JK Experience guys (I'm sure you have seen their video's on youtube). It's open to all Jeeps just like this forum. The meaning behind the sticker and their philosophy is "More than just a jeep- It's a way of life!". Which I thought was a fitting tribute. I've noticed it gets me more waves from the wrangler guys as well, which is always a plus lol.
 
#71 ·
My 4xGuard rear skid has really taken a beating this winter with all the salt, and me scrapping it up all summer long. The powder coat started peeling off all the edges and around the mounting holes. I'm currently working on getting all the rust off and prepping it for paint. It took me a few hours today with an air sander and sanding block to completely remove the rust and powder coat. I'm gonna be spraying some Eastwood Rust Encapsulator all over the skid, then priming and painting it with silver hammered Krylon Rust Protector paint. Hopefully that will keep the rust at bay until I move to florida. I'm planning to do the same thing to parts of my front skid as well.

Here's a few pics of the damage I did today:




Hopefully the weather will warm up soon so I can get to painting. It's supposed to get even colder this week, so I won't be able to start actually painting for a couple more weeks. Can't wait to get down to that florida weather!
 
#80 ·
The wiring isn't so bad, there's a lot of great write up's on this site to help a long the way. A lot of good info on google as well. All you really need is a basic knowledge of wiring/electronics to do what I did. Here's a project I just finished today! No wiring involved :thumbsup:

Custom HEMI Engine Cover
-Expanded Sheet Metal Insert
(painted with Duplicolor Etching Primer & Duplicolor Stainless Steel Paint)
-Red 1/4" Pinstripes
-Red Painted "5.7L V8" Logo





 
#84 ·
Thanks for the compliments guys!

@ CactusPillow: My engine compartment was the same way before the pics were taken lol. I did some spring cleaning yesterday on the engine, spent an hour at the car wash spraying it down and wiping everything off. I'm glad I inspired ya though! :cheers:
 
#89 ·
Sorry for the late reply!! Been SUPER busy with the move to FL, and classes starting up. Thanks so much for compliments, and I'm glad my build inspired you to post! Hopefully we will be seeing pics of your WK and build someday soon! :highfive:
 
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