WxNerd2015's Never Ending Build

OTRATTWs Switches!

Just a quick and simple addition, but wanted to share nonetheless! Order a few Contura IX Rockers from OTRATTW for the sPod for everything that I have wired up there. I redid a lot of my wiring last weekend and cleaned it up, still need to get some weatherproofing on it and labels (as I want it to look as professional as possible, as well as be able to find what I need and keep everything where it needs to be), but I added the A-Pillars lights into the sPod too on two switches. The included rockers are fine, but I wanted to have the labels on there, and OTRATTW makes really nice laser etched rockers! I ended up with one for the CB, One for the Compressor, and 2 windshield lights customized by beam pattern (Spot and Flood). I love the fact that the rockers match how my jeep looks, and the text and pictures looks better than just the blank switches...but now I want to fill em all! Haha! ;) Anyways, here's a few pics of em installed, with back light on and off too!

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I also decided that I wanted to grab the rocker removal tool instead of just trying to pry the switch covers off, and I am very glad I did! It was cheap, and worked fast and well! I highly recommend using this if you will be swapping switch covers, very safe and easy! This is the one I got off Amazon:

Blue Sea Systems Contura Removal Tool

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WJCO said:
Just ordered one. Thanks. Not a bad tool to have for sure.
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wayoflife said:
Hey, that's a nifty tool! I think I just may have to get me one too :crazyeyes:
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Oh yeah! It is really nice, and made quick and easy work of the switches, and never even felt a little bit like I would break a switch cover or the clip they snap into! Just slide the edges down the side fro the top, and it pops right out of the clip with no drama! Gotta love that! And hey, it's only a couple bucks, with all the money we all spend...that's nothin'!
 
Summer Time!

Took some time this weekend, and look! TWSTR's got her summer clothes back on! Bye to the hard top and hello to the Trektop NX again!

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Now, all the windows are the same, but I was having an issue with this top flapping on the sound bar badly last year, and contacted Bestop about it. They said it should not be doing that and sent me a new "Safari" piece (the roof). So i now have the brand new roof piece on wit the old windows and such and if for some reason i ever need it, I have an extra top piece! Bestow was very nice and easy to work with to correct it! So i am very happy with them!
 
Haven't updated in a while, but been busy with house work and wedding planning and just been enjoying the Jeep, but this past weekend i did get a bit of work done! I noticed some rust on my step boards (just surface rust, but was bubbling the paint up and starting to chip off) and I can't stand looking at rust. So i made a trip to Autozone and got some undercoat and sandpaper and got to work.

Here's a shot of one of the rust spots on the step board, and you can see all the scratches and stuff too:

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I started by removing the bolts holding the bar to the brackets, 2 in the front and two in the rear of each bar. I then got to work with a wire brush and a drill and hit all the rust spots down to the metal to have no rust left...and I found a lot more rust that i couldn't see when on the Jeep, so good thing I got to it when I did! And after the wire brush, I grabbed some automotive sandpaper and sanded the entire painted surface on the step boards down to scuff it up to get a good adhesive surface, then sprayed the boards down with the house, let em air dry, then wiped em down with some shop towels to make sure the surface was clean, and then grabbed the Rustoleum Undercoating Spray!

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And man, 3 coats each board, a couple hours to dry, and I absolutely love how it came out! The finish matches the factory fenders and bumpers so much better now, and that undercoating is going to be so much tougher! Check out the finished product:

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This should have only taken an hour or so, but ended up taking 6 because I originally started trying to remove the brackets from the Jeep, and one of the 4 bolts that go through the rocker panel/pinch seam got stuck and i tried every possible method to get it off or back tight because it was stuck loose. Then finally I asked a neighbor for their Dremel Saw and just cut the bolt and went and got a new bolt and nut. That was the most frustrating part of that whole day, but the work was worth it in the end and I am so much happier with how it looks now! And teh step boards look so much better!
 
My First Time Changing the Oil...Success!

I am ashamed to admit it, with all the other work i have done, but this past weekend was the first time I had ever changed my own oil! :idontknow: I just have always taken it to the Valvoline location by me and not thought twice about it. But I finally decided it was time to give it a try and do it myself! I ran to Autozone and got 6 quarts of 5W-20 and my filter and I was ready to go!

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I quickly found out the disadvantage of doing my own oil change after one of the quick lube places though...I tried to remove the drain plug and it did not budge. I went and got a bigger wrench, still no luck, and then I gave the breaker bar one shot, and sure enough, in one turn, it rounded the enter drain plug off. I could no longer get any grip on it, and it had not bodges...WAAAAAY over torqued! So anyways, I went ahead and headed back over to Autozone and ended up with a set of grip sockets to give it a shot to remove, and over coarse, a new drain plug!

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I was doubtful that these sockets would work that well, i wasn't fully understanding how they gripped but figured I had to give it a shot because I really did not have any other options. But man! Those things work great! I used the 13 mm grip socket, and slide right on the bolt snugly, like a normal socket would, but when I gave it a pull with the breaker bar, it dug into that drain plug head really good! I had to give a good bit of force, even with the breaker bar, that's how tight it was on there, but it gave a quarter turn finally and after that i could once again remove it by hand! And i am extremely impressed with the sockets! Here's what the Plug looked light after I got it out:

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You can see where the teeth in the socket dug in, but that head was near completely rounded! Anyways though, have the first quarter turn and I realized this would work, I grabbed the rest of my stuff, creeper, drain pan, filter wrench, etc. and go to work with the rest of the change!

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It was uneventful and went exactly how it should. Insert the new drain plug and made sure it was torqued with a torque wrench only to 20 ft/lbs as specified by Jeep (Engine Torque specs) swapped out the oil filters, and filled up 6 Quarts of 5W-20 and TWSTR's all good to go again!

Additionally though, I found out about a company who does oil analysis (additionally not just engine, but Transmission, Diffs, and T-Case too) called Blackstone Labs. I ordered a couple of analysis containers from them, and took samples of both the old oil and the current Trasmission fluid. Very simply, they can tell a lot about the health of your vehicle from analyzing the different oils and such and what is seen in them, as well as provide advice on when to change fluids, and potential early warning signs for bigger issues that can be prevented much cheaper early on. I am waiting on my analyses from them, but interested to see what comes out of it and what i can learn about the engine and transmission. Each analysis costs $28, and to me, that cost is worth knowing what is going on in my engine and potentially being able to fix something before it becomes a big or expensive issue! I learned about it watching the "ChrisFix" channel on YouTube, love that channel, and here's teh video that covers what this analysis is and gives you more of a visual and example of what you can get from the analysis! Pretty neat!


I will post what I found out when i get my analysis!
 
Congrats on doing it yourself and getting the drain plug out. Blackstone is a good company, I've dealt with them for years.
 
New Goodies! And at 75% off!

I also managed to come across a newer company called Grit Performance though watching some YouTube channels and just clicking around on the web. I got a great deal, and signed up to be a VIP member, which got me a 15% off coupon, and you get early access to new deals and chances at some 75% off coupons! Products come with a lifetime warranty they say, but at 75% off, I got $100 worth of stuff for only $25! I am in no way affiliated with anyone at the company and I do not get any benefit from sales or anything and i bought everything with my own money (just a disclosure), just wanted to share the great deal I found! Go a nice, heavy duty cargo net, Tire Repair Kit, and Two different kinds of deflators (Type 1, Type 2)! The kits seems nice, products seem quality, and the extras that come with them, like valve stems caps, valve stems, gloves, etc. are a really nice touch! And I just can't pass up on a good deal! Here's some pick of the new goodies I got!
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WJCO said:
Congrats on doing it yourself and getting the drain plug out. Blackstone is a good company, I've dealt with them for years.
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Thanks! I know it's no big deal, but I was pretty proud of myself for getting it done and it felt good doing my own oil change! There's definitely a satisfaction there! And good to know about Blackstone! I can't wait to get my analyses back!
 
Check this out! I think it came out awesome! My fiance just finished up this blanket that she has been working on for a while! She did a great job! I love it! Just thought I would share, because it came out perfect!

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WxNerd2015 said:
Check this out! I think it came out awesome! My fiance just finished up this blanket that she has been working on for a while! She did a great job! I love it! Just thought I would share, because it came out perfect!
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NO WAY.... that is awesome!! :thumb:
 
wayoflife said:
NO WAY.... that is awesome!! :thumb:
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VeruGE*144 said:
That came out awesome, I want one!!
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I absolutely agree with you guys! She did an awesome job with it! She's flattered that everyone is so impressed with it!

As for making them for anyone, her mother runs an apparel business with vinyl prints, embroidery, decals, etc. and she is pretty up on copyright issues an all that, so she doesn't think should make these without infringing on Jeep copyright...as it does match so dang close! :grayno: Unfortunate, but she does thank everyone for all the compliments! We will have it at Jeep Fest here in the Mitten in Frakenmuth (S&B Jeep Fest) in July if you did want to check it out, along with lots of Jeeps and Parts and all of our other favorite stuff!
 
My Blackstone Reports

I go my oil analysis back from Blackstone and everything came out pretty dang good for me! 54k on the engine and trans and going strong! The summary of my reports basically should that it's time to swap trans fluid, but wear is all normal (had not changed that in the Jeep yet), so looking into if I want to do that myself or not, and also looking in to the potential of swapping out the transmission pan for a new pan with a drain plug. The engine oil analysis should a bit above average iron content in the engine with a slightly below average oil change interval. Additionally to note, when i changed the oil, I had only 2 qts of oil come out, where it holds 6 qts, and changed the oil just over 4k in this oil change interval. So definitely something I will be keeping a close eye on, as that seemed like a lot of oil to go through in only 4k in mileage and no drips or smoke out the exhaust to indicate burning oil off. I put 6 back in and it filled to the correct mark, so I did not miss any oil in the system either. But viscosity and all other wear characteristics of the oil were good, and I changed exactly when I needed to there! Blackstone is a great company and can provide some great insight into your vehicle that can definitely help prevent potential issues down the road and maybe save some money too! Plus, I just think finding this info out is cool! The trans and oil reports are attached below!

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BananaJeep said:
You lost 4qt of oil in a matter of 3000-5000 miles? That's not good...
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Yeah, definitely a bit of a concern and something to keep a close eye on. No clue why as I have never had a dip of oil anywhere, and I haven't seen any oil burning off through the exhaust or anything either. So not quite sure why but the rest of the analysis came back good, so not any damage done, but I definitely need to keep a close eye on this!
 
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