Snowbird with a '16 JKU Sport

Snowbird Tom said:
Yeah. :mad: New axle gearing just went to the top of the list. Pulling a 5x8 trailer with less than 500# of stuff inside and its like pushing a dead dog uphill.
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I've upset people on here in the past by suggesting that these Jeeps, while awesome in many ways, are a bit anemic...
You've got a 285 crank HP engine in a 4,000lb vehicle with the aerodynamic qualities of a barn. Towing, especially up hill, and more especially over mountain passes requires a fair bit of patience and optimism.
 
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Snowbird Tom said:
Yeah. :mad: New axle gearing just went to the top of the list. Pulling a 5x8 trailer with less than 500# of stuff inside and its like pushing a dead dog uphill.
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What year is your Jeep ?
2007-2011 210 HP
2012-2018 285 HP

Gearing does make a diff with Jeep’s . Part of the reason ,dry we’re at 4000lbs ish . So pretty heavy to start out

Sorry Dog didn’t mean to repost what you just said
Missed it at first
 
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This week’s fuel bill. We’re home in Michigan.

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/whistles innocently

Went rummaging in the gear cupboards now that I’m home.. :p

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Various lights and harnesses to pick from for rear backup viewing.

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These have been in my hands for a bit but lacking tools, they collected dust.

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A new in box Cobra CB with a 5’ Firestik awaiting a mount.


The flat fenders are in their box in the garage.
 
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Well, I tried. The driver’s rear flare came right off after pulling the pushpins in the wheel well. Didn’t break one mount pin!

Cleaned up the filthiness and the new flat fender lined right up with all the old mount holes. Till I realized over half were blind holes. Soo, where do we go from here?

Buy more tools!! 😂 Ordered 100 rivnuts and a tool to install them. It’ll be here tomorrow and forward progress will re-commence.

Put the oem flare back on for now.
 
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Today’s been two steps forward and three back.

Got a set of LED driving lights to go in. Old lights are in with screws and nuts. NBD! Got them all loose, took the right light out and can’t get it out past the sway bar. :rolleyes:

I’ll have to try again later when the front grill is off and remove the access panel on top of the bumper. Things were going too well.

One of those days.
 
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Ok!

Got the proper rivnuts and tool ordered for delivery today. The OEM flares are coming off before lunch, then cleanup the fun dust from the exposed areas, paste wax application and prep the wiring for the LED marker lights. Flat flares installed tomorrow morning. The OEM inner liners will be trimmed up and reinstalled until the fun money account lets me get the nice inner liners. Weather's going in the dumpster starting Sunday afternoon, so hard deadline is set. Wet/snow/cold and working outdoors ain't no fun no more.
 
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Figured out who’s roof rack tracks are on the top. Yakima! Ordered some Tracktowers and 50” Core Bars that are out for delivery today too.

Pulled my basket off the Liberty and cleaned it up for reuse on the JK. It’s got spaces for recovery boards and the Smittybilt shovel/axe holder.
 
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Good start this morning! Coffee’s working. Flares are on, wiring nearly all routed for marker lights and this Jeep’s now got a name. Still waiting on some other hood art graphics.

Just left some front flare bolts out in anticipation of inner wheel well install.

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Looking good! Saving my money for a set of bushwhacker fenders. What brand inner liner did you go with? Lots of options out there. Haven't decided which way to go yet.
 
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Dlcain said:
Looking good! Saving my money for a set of bushwhacker fenders. What brand inner liner did you go with? Lots of options out there. Haven't decided which way to go yet.
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Off brand from Amazon. $170 all in. Metal’s metal. Rear are in, front flares have to come back off to put the liners in. Too bloody cold and white to work outside today.
 
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For those of you following along, I have a sport trim level and Google reveals there used to be a grocery bag hook on the lower dash. It’s gone to the great beyond and hopefully won’t be back. I’d love to put a dual usb power outlet there, but the hole’s too big. Any suggestions for a filler panel to make it fit?

I found the video to pull all the trim to get that panel out. When it warms up a touch, this is on the big LOTTD.
 
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And since the dash is coming apart for that, I have a nice high end Kenwood double din with SiriusXM and GPS going in. I never use the steering wheel controls, so one less headache installing.

Stock stereo going back into the Liberty. lol
 
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All inner wells are in. It went from freezing to smoking hot in just four hours here. Got my running errands done first, then tore into the installs. Some minor trimming of non-visible flare plastics, a few new holes drilled and all good.

Time for some Vitamin I. Headache from sun in the eyes.
 
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PO had some of the eBay led pod lights hanging off under the hitch. I knew first good incline, they were scrap metal. Dismantled it all and put some brand new ons. Started wiring and WTF? My belly’s wet. Rain. Two connections left.

The hitch 4 way plug was just dangling too. Grabbed a push pin zip tie and put it back where it belonged. No more dangle.
 
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Snowbird Tom said:
PO had some of the eBay led pod lights hanging off under the hitch. I knew first good incline, they were scrap metal. Dismantled it all and put some brand new ons. Started wiring and WTF? My belly’s wet. Rain. Two connections left.

The hitch 4 way plug was just dangling too. Grabbed a push pin zip tie and put it back where it belonged. No more dangle.
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If you're going to be adding much in the way of electrical items, I'd seriously consider something like an SPod or Voswitch system. They really simplify things.
 
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