One of the cheapest and easiest things you can do to improve the quality of your Jeep JL Wrangler or JT Gladiator's ride and overall performance off-road, is to air down your tires before hitting the trail. Reducing the PSI or lowering pressure in your tires will do wonders to soften things up on easy dirt roads and give you a greater degree of traction, out on the rocks. Obviously, letting air out of your tires is the easy part but how to get it back in at the end of the day... now that's the real question. Of course, the easiest solution to this problem would be to carry a portable air compressor or even something like a CO2 tank but if you're anything like me and carry a ton of gear, real estate can be in short supply. Needless to say, that's why I decided to make, the WAYALIFE ACM.
The WAYALIFE ACM is designed to work with an ARB CKMA12 Air Compressor (a 12V high output on board air compressor that I've used for years, on multiple Jeeps and have always found to work well) and allow you to mount it outside the cabin of your JL Wrangler or JT Gladiator and safely under the hood. Installed up against the firewall and under the brake booster, you can access the air chuck from behind the fender liner near the shock tower or you can run a hose extension to a chuck located remotely on your Jeep. Also, if you're wanting to run ARB air lockers on your factory axles or on something like a Dynatrac ProRock 44, the ACM will help make plumbing air lines to the compressor super easy as well. Removal of the driver side fender to install everything will be necessary but otherwise, absolutely no drilling or cutting is required.
CLICK on the Links Below to BUY
WAYALIFE ACM JL Wrangler / JT Gladiator Air Compressor Mount
ARB CKMA12 High Output On-Board 12V Air Compressor : https://amzn.to/2OtgwaF
ARB Air Hose Accessory Kit : https://amzn.to/2OrLRut
ARB JIC-04 Extension Hose 1M : https://amzn.to/2OBT1fP
ARB 171314 Remote Hose Coupling Kit : https://amzn.to/2OwcX3t
Package Contents
(1) WAYALIFE ACM
(2) 4mm Spacers
(1) 6mm Spacer
(4) M6x1.0 Serrated Flange Nuts
(1) M6 Washer
(4) 1/4"-20x1/2" Bolts
(4) 1/4"-20 Serrated Flange Nuts
What You Will Need
• 10mm Wrench & Socket
• 19mm Wrench
• 3, 4mm Allen Wrench
• 7/16" Wrench & Socket*
• Crescent Wrench
• Trim Tab Pry Tool
• Teflon Tape
• Spare Fender Clips
*NEW : As of 01/18/2020, the ACM now comes with all metric hardware! All you need is a 10mm wrench to install the mount.
Instructions
1. Park your JL Wrangler or JT Gladiator on a level surface and prop open the hood. While it isn't necessary to do, placing your front axle on jack stands and removing the driver side tire will give you a lot more room to work with.
2. Using a trim pry tool, remove the plastic push tab securing the fender liner to the body just behind the grill.
3. Using a 10mm socket, remove the 4 bolts securing the fender liner to the body as shown.
4. Firmly grab your fender from about the middle to the back and pull it forcefully and abruptly out about an inch. You just want to pull hard enough and far enough to free up the trim tabs. Repeat this on the front half of the fender.
5. Pull the loose fender away from the body just enough to reveal the wiring harness. Pull the red tab out to unlock it and then disconnect it by squeezing the plug firmly as shown.
6. Along the firewall, you will see wiring that's secured to a stud with a gray plastic clip. Pull on the clip to free it from the stud.
7. Using a 10mm socket, remove the nut closest to the engine that's securing the metal bracket with a plug on it to the firewall.
8. Using a 10mm socket, loosen but do not remove the other nut securing the metal bracket to the firewall.
9. Pull the free end of the metal bracket off the mounting stud, rotate it downward and then tighten up the remaining nut using a 10mm socket.
10. Place the 6mm spacer onto the middle of the 3 studs located on the firewall and to the left of the metal bracket.
11. Place the 2 remaining 4mm spacers on the other 2 firewall studs.
12. Place your WAYALIFE ACM on a work bench with the front side facing up.
13. Lay your ARB Air Compressor on its side and then, use a 4mm allen bit or wrench to remove the 2 pins securing it to the base.
14. With the 2 pins removed from just the one side, rotate the ARB Air Compressor open to expose the mounting base.
15. Take one of the 1/4"-20x1/2" bolts, slip it through the back side of the ACM and hold it in place with your finger.
16. With the filter end of the ARB Air Compressor pointing up, place the mounting base on top of the ACM and with the 1/4"-20x1/2" bolt passing through the upper hole closest to the hinge. Then, secure it in place with a 1/4"-20 serrated flange nut. Just tighten it finger tight for now.
17. Proceed to secure the ARB Air Compressor mounting base to the ACM by installing the 3 remaining 1/4"-20x1/2" bolts and serrated flange nuts.
18. Using a 7/16" socket, tighten up all 4 bolts. The serrated flange nuts should make it unnecessary to use a wrench on the opposite side.
19. Rotate the ARB Air Compressor back to the closed position. Then, use a 4mm allen bit or wrench to loosen the 2 clamp bolts just below the label and just a bit so that the barrel of the compressor can be shifted to either side with some effort.
20. Place the ACM onto the 3 firewall studs that you placed spacers on and make sure that the lower slot slips over the stud on the angled bottom side of the wall. NOTE: The upper middle stud may make contact with the barrel of your ARB Air Compressor and it may need to be shifted down in the clamp a bit in order to make it clear. If you would like it to sit higher, you will need to cut the un-threaded tip of the middle stud using a Dremel or the like with a cutoff wheel.
21. Rotate the ARB Air Compressor open to give you more access to the firewall studs.
22. Using a 10mm wrench, secure the ACM to the studs on the firewall of your JL Wrangler or JT Gladiator using the M6x1.0 serrated flange nuts provided.
NOTE: You will need to place the M6 washer on the bottom stud before installing the M6x1.0 serrated flange nut.
23. Rotate the ARB Air Compressor closed and then, use a 10mm socket on a ratchet to tighten the nut attached to the stud closest to the engine.
24. Reinstall the ARB Air Compressor mounting base pins and secure them in place using a 4mm allen bit or wrench.
25. Verify the position you want your ARB Air Compressor to sit and then tighten the 2 clamp bolts using a 4mm allen bit or wrench.
Finally, here's what your ARB Air Compressor bolted up to a WAYALIFE ACM and mounted to the firewall of your JL Wrangler or JT Gladiator should look like. From here, all you need to do is get it wired up and plumbed for air.
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