KP's JKUR Build

[KPM171]

In the late (late!) fall of 2012, I decided that my beloved TJ just didn't have the space I needed. It was an amazing vehicle, and I spent god knows how many hours tinkering with it and adjusting bolts or wires to make everything just so. I loved so much about it but with the installed add-a-trunk, my wife's purse pretty much packed it full.


With a heavy heart, I started interviewing prospective owners to find someone that would be worthy of my TJ & give her a good home. As luck would have it, a retired marine who was looking for his 3rd Wrangler found me and fell in love with my TJ. We struck a deal and shortly thereafter, I found myself at my local dealership ordering a 2013 JKUR. Why order one instead of picking from stock you might ask? They actually had a fantastic selection, but one item I wasn't willing to budge on was side impact airbags (this will end up as a family vehicle too), and that's the only feature the dealership couldn't trade for. Weird. The sales staff was nice and they cut me a good deal on a special order and the waiting began.

Order Specs:

• 2013 Rubicon Unlimited
• Billet Silver Metallic
• Black Interior Color
• Black Leather-Trimmed Bucket Seats
• 6-Speed Manual Transmission
• 4.10 Rear Axle Ratio
• Uconnect® 430N SAT/CD/DVD/MP3/HDD/NAV
• Air Conditioning with Automatic Temperature Control
• Supplemental Front Seat-Mounted Side Airbags
• Black 3-Piece Hard Top
• Connectivity Group
• Max Tow Package

An agonizing two months later, I got the call that my Jeep had arrived and I could pick it up on Monday. Monday?!? What the hell am I supposed to do all weekend? Wait patiently like a normal person? Naturally, I went down to the dealership after they closed and took a peek at their deliveries in the back lot to find my VIN.

 

[KPM171]

Parts before the JK is even here?

After almost 2 months and no Jeep I began to grow a little restless. Rather than just twiddle my thumbs, I decided to put some of that creative energy towards planning out my build. I'll cross off some of the [really] easy dressing things off the list first - locking gas cap, wheel locks, etc. Next, that plastic bumper & front "skid plate" (chin spoiler? Wind diffuser? Whatever it is.) has got to go. Before I knew it, a pile of parts was sitting in my garage waiting for the Jeep to arrive!




Parts Waiting:

• ARB Deluxe Bull Bar
• Uniden Bearcat 880 CB w/ Firestik HD Coax Cable
• Fire Stick 2’ tuneable CB antenna, w/ HD Antenna Spring & Firestik coax
• IPF 968 flood lights w/ stone guards
• Mopar chrome exhaust tip
• Mopar door sill guards
• Mopar fuel filler door
• Mopar Hitch Reciever Plug
• Mopar Locking fuel cap
• Mopar Wheel Locks
• Pilot Strobe Kit Clear
• Quadratec Rubber Floor mats front/rear/trunk
• Rugged Ridge tail lamp guards
• Smittybilt D-rings
• Smittybilt XRC X20 10 Winch
• TeraFlex CB Antenna Mount

 

[Bacon]

That is a nice TJ. Having just recently gone from a TJ to a JKUR myself, you're going to love the extra space of the four door. I have always been part of the "the two door is the only real Jeep" crowd, but now after going from a 2007 JKU to a 99 TJ to a 2008 JKUR, I can honestly say that I am converted. I could never go back to a two door now.

Nice Rubi and nice pile of parts too. Looking forward to watching your rig grow!

 

[KPM171]

That is a nice TJ. Having just recently gone from a TJ to a JKUR myself, you're going to love the extra space of the four door. I have always been part of the "the two door is the only real Jeep" crowd, but now after going from a 2007 JKU to a 99 TJ to a 2008 JKUR, I can honestly say that I am converted. I could never go back to a two door now.

Nice Rubi and nice pile of parts too. Looking forward to watching your rig grow!

Thanks Bacon. I was bit of a Jeep purist before I got my JK. I was agoraphobic in the Unlimited in 2005 when I sat in one (why is there soooo much space back there?!?), then when the 4 doors came out in '07 I was furious as to why Jeep would do such a thing. How could they dilute the brand like this? 6 years later, there's one in my garage & I freaking love it!

 

[KPM171]

First things first, the easy stuff.

It's Monday night and the JK just got home, the garage is heated, clearly it's time to start tossing on some goodies from that pile. It's better to have a pile of goodies on the Jeep than it is to have them sitting in the garage taking up space, right? So on they go! First up, the rear hitch plug (I think I've lost about 4 of these off my TJ courtesy of some mud pits) that slips on easily, and a chrome exhaust tip that bolts on with a few turns of the socket. Even a Jeep can have a little teeny tiny bit of bling, right?

Since I was planning on popping off the rear tail lights to attach a set of Rugged Ridge tail lamp guards, this became the ideal time to also install the new Mopar fuel filler door (it helps to reach through where the tail lights attach to pop off the OEM filler bezel). Personally, I think the filler door is an incredibly cool looking piece of kit and is also great to keep mud off of your locking gas cap (key coded by some kind folks at the dealership parts department). The door sill guards go on with minimal effort (it's just 3M tape) as long as you clean and prep the area properly followed by Mopar's rotating wheel locks to keep my wheels/tires out of borrowing hands.

The bigger plan for tonight was to install all of my CB components. I removed the spare tire, pulled 2 bolts from the spare tire mount while loosening the rest to get a little play in the mount to slide that the Teraflex CB Antenna Mount into place. Finishing up is as easy as tightening up all 8 tire mount bolts. Next comes the Firestik on a HD spring (do yourself a favor and invest in a spring. I think I broke 3 sets of antenna mounts before I got myself one), and running the Firestik coax through the rear tailgate. There's plenty of space to conceal everything on the tailgate and under the plastic on the inside. I'd post a picture, but there's really nothing to see (that's the idea!).

With the excitement of an 8 year old fat kid w/ a 6 pack of cupcakes, I unboxed my Uniden Bearcat 880 CB. I've been researching this thing for the better part of 2 weeks. New age LED and display tech meets old world simple CB technology, what could be better?? Well, one thing that I might have overlooked was where exactly I was going to shove a full size CB.
D'oh!:doh: Back in the box it goes for something that'll fit a little better.

 

[White_JKU]

Judging by the looks of that TJ, the JKUR is going to be a great looking rig when your "done"

 

[TrailBear]

Good start I'm running a uniden cb that fits in the centre console.


If you don't push the limits how do you find them??

 

[KPM171]

259 miles on the odo

A front bumper can really set the tone and the look of the rest of the build, so this is a fairly important mod. In my TJ, I made the mistake of waking up one day and saying “I want a winch!” and then getting one that I could afford using a cheap winch plate with no earthly long term goal in sight. Not that there's anything wrong with that line of thought, but it's just going to cost you more in time and money if you build just to rebuild. On my JK, I thought and thought and thought and planned on what I wanted to do long term.

Features that are important to me in a front bumper:

• Multiple recovery points
• Recessed winch mount integration
• Additional light tabs
• OEM fog light integration
• A quality, durable solid piece that’s also good looking

After a bit of research, I ended up coming full circle right back to ARB. I really liked the bull bar I had on my TJ, so taking a look at the one they made for the JK seemed a logical step. And wouldn’t you know it, it meets all my criteria including being pretty damn good looking imho! As you saw in the pic in a previous post, I had already called up my good buddy at 4wd.com and ordered the bumper. When my wife pulled into the garage, I of course feigned ignorance when she asked what the 100lb box was in the corner. Unsurprisingly, that didn't work on her.

The following weekend at 259 miles on the odo, I finally had some time to myself in the garage to get to work. Step 1, pulling off the OEM bumper (8 bolts, 2 light connectors & a couple plastic clips) is surprisingly easy. If you aren't sure where to start just PM me and I'll be happy to walk you through it. Hell, if you live in the area, I might even get off my duff and help you do it! This step is simple, but the effects sure as hell do look eerie on a brand new rig!


Before you ask or heckle, yes that's an iPad on the hood. It's helpful to have a forum or two up as well as a PDF of the install instructions on hand. Here's a shot of the old vs. the new. Is there even a contest here?


Don't forget to prep bumper for install with the fog lights, plastic bumper caps, and the ARB turn signals.


Re-installation sounds simple enough, line it up with the OEM bolt holes, and screw all 8 back in. In theory, that's really all you have to do. In practice... pray, pray, pray that the guy who threaded the bolts didn't come in hangover to work that day. After my 3rd failed attempt to get the bolts threaded while also holding the bumper in place myself (yeah, I know get a buddy. Shush!), I took everything off and laid it out upside down to study the problem. Some threaded nice and easy. In fact, most threaded nice and easy. But one... one little bastard bolt took the combination of a can of WD-40, an assortment of hammers, and (this was probably the ticket) a drunken pirates vocabulary of profanity to get on. Everything threaded, I broke out my sharpie and numbered all the bolts. If I can see them working here, once I have the bumper in position I KNOW they'll thread easily when I can't see them. And wouldn't you know it... My plan worked! In retrospect, always test out your bolt fittings. 99% of the time, everything will be just fine. But that 1% of the time, you will save yourself a huge head ache.

 

[LetsGoMuddin]

Haha, I really like reading and looking at this build thread! :clap2: It looks like its coming along nicely, whats next on your list?

 

[KPM171]

Haha, I really like reading and looking at this build thread! :clap2: It looks like its coming along nicely, whats next on your list?

Thanks LetsGoMuddin! Let's see, up next we've got:
Winch
Flood Lights
Front Skid Plate(s)
CB

 

[KPM171]

What's in a bumper? That which we call a winch & flood lights!

Day 1 of my front end install has gone fairly well I think. That is, of course, if you ignore the fact that it took me 4 tries and X hours more than it ever should have to get the bumper attached properly. This day finds me looking at another fairly heavy box of parts in the form of a winch, some D-rings, and a set of lights. I hate to admit it this early in the build, but I may have been a bit hasty in picking up the exact same product I had on my TJ in the form of my IPF 968 lights. They look fantastic and I really enjoyed them on my TJ, but on my JK I think I should have shopped around a bit. More on that in a few posts when I get into lighting, but in the meantime each light screws on with one bolt to each of the front tabs and presto change-o!

For this build, I went with Smittybilt’s XRC X2O winch in 10,000 lb. test. Much like [most] everything else, I didn't just pick this winch willy nilly. I've owned a Smittybilt before as well as a Warn, and quite honestly was beyond thrilled with my Smittybilt which gave me absolutely no problems and a lot of easy use. As water crossings are one of my favorite obstacles, I decided to give Smittybilt’s more waterproof products a go. I was torn on the issue of synthetic vs. steel line. I like the weight savings of the synthetic line (18 or so lbs?) but I like the durability & cost of the steel line a little better. In the end, going with what I know and the cost savings won out my decision.



*Image shamelessly stolen from jeepforum.com since I didn’t take an unboxing picture of my winch.


Prepare the winch by mounting the winch controller onto the winch in the desired location and connect the three color coded cables from the control box (yellow to yellow, etc) to the winch drum. The little bitty cable is the ground for the control box. Make sure everything meets with the dogs approval before proceeding.



The rest of the install is really pretty damn straight forward. There are 4 bolts that go in 4 holes in the bottom and "ta-da!" you've got yourself a winch! If there's one small trick that I've learned in my years of winch installs, it's this: Take a small piece of tape (duct, masking, packing, anything) and cover the hole where the 4 square nuts slip into. So, carefully (I SAID CAREFULLY!) lower the winch into the mounting location and line up the holes, thread and tighten your bolts. If it's your first winch install, just trust me on the tape trick to make your life easy.



Wiring is really up to you. The thick red wire goes to the positive terminal, the thick black wire goes to the negative terminal. Me personally, I used to dabble in car stereo install when I was a younger lad and learned to <3 zip ties & run cables super-secret squirrel style when possible. "What am I looking at?" you might be asking me about the pic below. Exactly!



Next we'll be installing the d-rings. Wait, hold on to that tomato... don't throw it at me yet for wasting your time. The only reason I'm taking the time to describe installing d-rings is for 2 handy little pieces of rubber. Have you seen d-rings that just flop about all over the place on a thinner piece of steel like my bumper? You know you have. Well, it drove me NUTS for years. The solution was a piece called a Ballcock Shank Washer from the plumbing department and cost me a whopping $1 apiece. I picked up 4 (2 for each d-ring) of them as you can see in the pic below, and since then my d-rings haven't slid, rattled, unscrewed, nothin. They just hang there as they should.



My work this weekend is finished. All the bolts have been tightened, all the cables have been zip-tied in place or out of the way, the winch has been tested, the lights... I hate to admit it, but at this point in time they are just a hood ornament. I'll get to the wiring in just a bit. The turn signals in the bumper... I looked at ARB's provided wiring diagram and wiring harness under the supervision of the dog. Ironically, both the dog and I got the same level of information from it and the turn signals will go unwired for the time being. Now what the hell am I supposed to do with this box of extra random bolts that came with all my goodies?

 

[jhires]

The using the washers as isolators on your D-Rings is great! Will have to tuck that away for later (or sooner).

 

[KPM171]

How does I CB? (Cobra 75 wx st)

As you mighta read earlier, my first CB choice, a Uniden Bearcat 880, was a little too big to install and tuck out of the way in my new JK. One key difference I'm learning about the JK is that it's much more an SUV with plenty of creature comforts while my TJ was basically exposed metal with a few seats bolted to the tub. This isn’t a bad thing or a dig at either model by any means, just a difference. It does make adding interior goodies a little more challenging if you want to maintain that OEM fit & finish which I certainly do.

After stalking the "Where do you Mount Your CB" thread on another Jeep forum and staring at potential mounting locations in my JK for far too long, I decided that I didn't really like anything I'd seen before, but I did have an idea. I ordered a Cobra 75 WX ST from Amazon for it's reviews, simple functionality, & mostly compact all-in-one design and got to work running my coax in preparation for its arrival. I previously mounted the antenna using a Teraflex antenna mount using the OEM spare tire mounting locations, but now it's time to run the coax.

I think I mentioned that I used to dabble in mobile audio installation (did I mention that?) and one of the lessons I took home from my installer friends is that if you can see the wires with out hunting for them, then a. You ain't done yet or b. it's a sloppy, sloppy install. I'll let the pix tell the story, but basically, my coax wire is running from the cb mount, through the lift gate, attached to the OEM cabling at the hinge, behind the sub, around the roll bar, down the rear wheel well, next to the front/rear door sills, and pops out in the front passenger kick panel.




With the coax run, it's time to unbox the CB. The awesome thing about the Cobra 75 WX ST is that there's really not much to it. It consists of a very small control box about the size of a handful AA batteries where the antenna comes in, a power/ground wire running out, & a handset plug. To complete the install, all you really need to do is mount the small control box, connect the antenna coax & run the power wire to the battery.

*Image shamelessly stolen from amazon.com

Once you've decided on your control box mounting location, you need to run your power/ground to the battery. If you haven't run a power wire through your firewall yet, relax it's actually not that bad on the new JK’s. All you need is a flathead screwdriver to [gently] pop off the black plastic panel on the edge of your dashboard and a firewall tool (aka skinny metal coat hanger). The dash panel you need to remove is parallel to the door and can be a little tricky/stubborn. Once off, look just below where the a-pillar connects to the tub and you'll see a small round hole full of foam insulation. Take your firewall tool and gently stick it straight through the middle. Don’t try to bore out a hole or make any side to side motions, just slide it easily through. Also please do yourself a favor and don't try this from inside the engine bay because odds are you simply won't find the opening going the other direction. Once your firewall tool has gone about 1/4 of it's length through the opening you just created, tape your power wire onto the tool and feed it the rest of the way through as show in the pix below. These pix are taken at the same time once I pulled my firewall tool all the way through.



Connect your wires to the battery black to black, red to red, put all your panels back in place, and connect your CB to the control box. Fire it up to the soothing sounds of weather band radio to test your wiring.

Where you choose to mount your handset is totally up to you, and since I only use it when I'm off on wheelin’ trips, I found a $0.96 plastic clip that lets me hang it right on my visor when I need it yet tucks out of the way when I don't. When CB is hung up on the visor, it offers an easy view of the display, the mic is so good that I don't even pull it down, it's never in the way, and best of all it's a no drill solution!

 

[KPM171]

The using the washers as isolators on your D-Rings is great! Will have to tuck that away for later (or sooner).

Thanks @jhires! I have no idea where I found that solution, but it's been absolutely fantastic.

Update: Quadratec is now trying to sell the same pieces of rubber for twice as much. Looks like folks are catchin on to this fix!

 

[Tackerdown]

Looking good :thumbup:

EVO 4G WAYALIFE.

 

[KPM171]

Protect this eDisco I will

It really is important to plan out your build. I know I've said it before, but it really is true. In all my excitement to pick out my new bumper (before the Jeep was even home yet!) I completely over looked an important/expensive motorized goodie that would be left completely exposed to rocks and road debris. The Rubicon's electronic sway bar disconnect. On my TJ, disconnecting my sway bars meant getting out my mallet and pliers to beat on my "quick" disconnects from Teraflex so I had no idea there would be a motor under there that needed protecting. Since my bumper was already installed (this is where a plan helps!) I was severely limited by what would fit on my JK to protect the eDisco and play nice with my ARB front bumper. After a good bit of research, I narrowed the choices down to a Rugged Ridge Front Skid Plate or the OR-FAB Front Sway Bar Disconnect Skid Plate. Both were reasonably priced and would work with my bumper. Looking at the two, I ordered the larger of the two and a few days later my Rugged Ridge skid was at my house ready for install.

I read through the instructions ahead of time and it looked completely reasonable (only 4 OEM bolts holding on brackets and 4 bolts holding on the skid). So, I set off to work and was making smashing progress until I got to bloody step 6 (of 6). "Frame side supports may need to be cut flush" How did my eyes glaze over that little tid bit? Cut my frame?!?! The holy grail of warranty no-no's? The panic set in. Surely a simple bolt on product wouldn't want me to cut my frame. I don't even have 1000 miles on the odo, how could I cut my frame?! I know, I'll just try to muscle it on there, that'll work right? Unsurprisingly, the steel skid plate did not, in fact, budge. Le Sigh. Well, here's a pic of what the skid plate would have looked like had my JK been a little older or had I been willing to cut my frame.



I took a few breaths and glared at the evil part on my garage floor that was supposed to go on so easily. With (probably a bit too much) vigor, I boxed up the Rugged Ridge part and pulled out the internets and clicked to buy the OR-FAB piece. Congrat's OR-FAB, you've just been promoted from runner up! Once the new part arrived, I looked at it and was taken aback by the sheer simplicity. A heavy duty piece with 2 bends in it and a couple of screw holes. Surely this won't fit correctly? Well, I was wrong, wrong, wrong. Quite possibly one of the easiest installs in the history of Jeep stuff (with the exception of adding valve stem caps perhaps?) Thread two bolts through OEM holes, tighten, & the end.



So far, I've been happy with the OR-FAB piece. It's done what it was designed for without any mess or fuss. Now if I can just figure out a part that will connect the bottom of my bumper to the top of my skid plate to cover up that gaping hole that likes to act like a sail on the highway. The radiator gets enough air from the grills up top. I've been wondering if a small piece of curved aluminum in that spot might actually get me 0.5 mpg's back in simple c/d reduction? Sounds like I need to get my hands on some soft sheet metal to play with and fab something up.

 

[KPM171]

Hittin switches

The sPod Power source and AeroForce Tech gauge are probably the priciest small components I've ever put into a Jeep. Period! I first heard of sPod from a random guy in a '12 Rubicon that I parked next to near a U-Haul parking lot to talk Jeeps. At the time, mine was bone stock with new car smell wafting out the windows, but his had a few goodies on it. One piece that really caught my eye in particular was his collection of switches above the rear view mirror. So neat and tidy and oem looking! My Jeep obviously needs this. He told me about the sPod set up, what it was, and why he thought it was good. Coming from a man who is a professional electrician, I took his view on the subject with more than a grain of salt. I did a little research online and after dragging my feet for a few weeks at the cost, I pony'd up for an sPod w/ pod gauge cut out and an AeroForce Tech gauge.



Everything un-boxed and laid out for install. The concept isn't too hard to wire. The AeroForce Tech gauge is one cable that plugs directly into your OBD II port, while the sPod is one wiring harness that you'll run through the firewall. One thing to keep in mind if you get the AeroForce Tech gauge, (wish I knew this) make sure you ask for the LONGER cable. I ended up having to extend my wiring.



Please do yourself a favor and cover your a/c vents with a little painters tape. If you don't, be prepared to watch a washer or a screw take up permanent residence in your hvac system.



This is what the bare metal and that top panel looks like from behind. Take note of where the little metal clips live so you can slide them back when you are wrapping up the job.




To make the system fit nice and flush, you'll have to notch out that top panel just a smidge. A hand saw should do it, or if you have one, a Dremel will probably do the trick too. Once the piece is notched out, refit it LOOSELY back into position around the sPod mounting bracket.



The AeroForce Tech gauge is simply a pod gauge and is held in place with the bezel ring. Tighten everything in and prepare to pop it into the Jeep.



Lining everything up, tucking the wires in, and getting it all buttoned up can be a bit of a pain. May I suggest zip-ties?



2 screws later, the whole thing is in position. Now you just need to run your wiring through the firewall.



Under the hood, the sPod source is attached on the driver's side directly behind the CPU using OEM bolts and an included bracket. You'll want to run the wiring around the edge of the engine compartment, on the firewall and connect it to the battery. But that's pretty much it for wiring.



Don't worry about your hard top or soft top, there's plenty of space to close everything. Here's a shot with the top on, the jeep idling & all 6 switches flipped on. (No, nothing is connected to them... yet!) The AeroForce Tech gauge is displaying battery volts (14.2) up top and engine load (33%) on the bottom. If your ECU tracks it, then the AeroForce Tech gauge can probably display it. I usually run mine on instant MPG on the bottom and battery volts on top on the road and adjust to a different set up when I'm wheelin'.



The finished product looks like it came with the Jeep from the factory and is, overall, a great product. True, it's a little on the pricey side, but if you plan to run a bit of lighting, electric lockers and/or a compressor, it's very easy to fill up six switches. It's great to get all that wiring done at once AND basically have a standalone electrical system which makes connecting new goodies to the sPod actually very, very easy.

 

[cozdude]

The sPod Power source and AeroForce Tech gauge are probably the priciest small components I've ever put into a Jeep. Period! I first heard of sPod from a random guy in a '12 Rubicon that I parked next to near a U-Haul parking lot to talk Jeeps. At the time, mine was bone stock with new car smell wafting out the windows, but his had a few goodies on it. One piece that really caught my eye in particular was his collection of switches above the rear view mirror. So neat and tidy and oem looking! My Jeep obviously needs this. He told me about the sPod set up, what it was, and why he thought it was good. Coming from a man who is a professional electrician, I took his view on the subject with more than a grain of salt. I did a little research online and after dragging my feet for a few weeks at the cost, I pony'd up for an sPod w/ pod gauge cut out and an AeroForce Tech gauge to fit in the center.
View attachment 32683


Everything un-boxed and laid out for install. The concept isn't too hard to wire. The AeroForce Tech gauge is one cable that plugs directly into your OBD II port, while the sPod is one wiring harness that you'll run through the firewall. One thing to keep in mind if you get the AeroForce Tech gauge, (wish I knew this) make sure you ask for the LONGER cable. I ended up having to extend my wiring.
View attachment 32684


Please do yourself a favor and cover your a/c vents with a little painters tape. If you don't, be prepared to watch a washer or a screw take up permanent residence in your hvac system.
View attachment 32685


This is what the bare metal and that top panel looks like from behind. Take note of where the little metal clips live so you can slide them back when you are wrapping up the job.
View attachment 32688
View attachment 32686


To make the system fit nice and flush, you'll have to notch out that that top panel just a smidge. A hand saw should do it, or if you have a Dremel will probably do the trick too. Once the piece is notched out, refit it LOOSELY back into position around the sPod mounting bracket.
View attachment 32687


The AeroForce Tech gauge is simply a pod gauge and is held in place with the bezel ring. Tighten everything in and prepare to pop it into the Jeep.
View attachment 32689


Lining everything up, tucking the wires in, and getting it all buttoned up can be a bit of a pain. May I suggest zip-ties?
View attachment 32690


2 screws later, the whole thing is in position. Now you just need to run your wiring through the firewall.
View attachment 32691


Under the hood, the sPod source is attached on the driver's side directly behind the CPU using some OEM bolts and an included bracket. You'll want to run the wiring around the edge of the engine compartment, on the firewall and connect it to the battery and that's pretty much it for wiring.
View attachment 32693


Don't worry about your hard top or soft top, there's plenty of space to close everything. Here's a shot with the top on, the jeep idling & all 6 switches flipped on. (No, nothing is connected to them... yet!) The AeroForce Tech gauge is displaying battery volts (14.2) up top and engine load (33%) on the bottom. If your ECU tracks it, then the AeroForce Tech gauge can probably display it. I usually run mine on instant MPG on the bottom and battery volts on top on the road and adjust to a different set up for off road.
View attachment 32692


The finished product looks like it came with the Jeep and is, overall, a great product. True, it's a little on the pricey side, but if you plan to run a bit of lighting, electric lockers and/or a compressor, it's very easy to fill up six switches. It's great to get all that wiring done at once AND basically have a standalone electrical system which makes connecting new goodies to the sPod actually very, very easy.
View attachment 32694

WOW! so clean. i do like it there

 

[KPM171]

WOW! so clean. i do like it there

Thanks man! I like this switch solution much better than any of the a-pillar switch box options available. I didn't like the price, but that's my only complaint. Great quality product.:thumb:

 

[dstock]

Loving this build! I'm a bit biased though as I have a 2013 on order exactly the same as yours!!

I will be getting rid of my 2010 JKU Sport, but I am going to retain most of my aftermarket goodies which include, the ARB Deluxe Bumper, various lights, winch, lift, same CB as you, etc.

I have a couple questions for you when you have time.

How much difference in power and driving did you notice after the addition of the ARB and winch? I know the Pentastar is a huge improvement over the old 3.8l but just curious what your impressions were after the install? I know my ARB and Superwich have to add at least 150lbs.

Also, I am familiar with the SPod and considering it for the new JK, (made my own Aux fuse box on my current ride) is it only switched power with the Spod or can you have a mixture of switched and non-switched? I've searched for a bit and can't find an answer.

TIA and looking forward to see what else you have in mind.