Andrew's 2022 Sarge Green Mojave - Northern CA

[arskemp]

Upgraded from the Napier backroadz to the Napier Sportz + Sportz link combo. Love the addition of the awning, and the link setup is a great contained place to hang out with the little one.

Also purchased an airbedz to go with this setup. Very happy with the fit, pretty much able to use every inch of the truck bed for the air bed.

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[arskemp]

Got the supervisor inspecting my most recent purchase. Hoping to get some free time to install it this weekend.

 

[arskemp]

Got my winch installed! Went relatively smoothly other than being hot out.

Installed a Warn power interrupt and quadratec winch plate to go with the x20. Was a tight squeeze, just barely having enough clearance for wiring.

Used a steel angle from lowes for the power interrupt mount. Also used an empty/unused threaded location to bolt it down (M6 size). Set it up on the factory Aux 4 switch.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Simpson-Strong-Tie-A23Z-Angle-Z-Max/1115047

Also added a Grimm offroad fairlead and factor 55 flat splicer (wanted to keep everything black/low key where i could).

Pleased with how everything came out. This was the one item I wanted before I ventured to a few trails nearby I've been meaning to check out. Hopefully a trip for next weekend!

 

[arskemp]

Scored an awesome deal on a Tazer last week. I was thinking about getting it eventually in the future but I couldn't pass it up at $100 for the full (mini) version.

Installing was very easy. I know people seem to complain that the connectors are difficult to remove. There's not a lot of space, but the connectors came out easy enough for me. I was debating getting the extension cable but now I'm confident it's easy enough to take in and out in the (hopefully) rare times I may need to go to the dealership.

Interested in trying out some of Live features. So far the only thing I've been disappointed in is that the shortcut keys are "too" easy to hit mistakenly (would prefer a multiple button combo to enable them). Unfortunately it also seems like it's the only way to enable turn assist (which means I will likely tie it to a shortcut to use and then take it back off when I'm done).

Still have a lot more playing with it to do, but overall I'm satisfied thus far.

 

[arskemp]

Was browsing thingiverse and came across an interesting phone mount:

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5139584

I cleaned off the dust on my 3D printer and decided to give it a try. I modified the face slightly to accept a broken vent clip style magnet mount I already had (needed to add a countersunk screw hole).

The mount itself fits VERY securely and I think it will work well for on road traveling. Off road, the plastic is secure but I'm less confident with the phone being held by only a magnet. Moving forward I may make one for the passenger side as well and add a different method other than a magnet for attachment.

 

[SJD23]

Was browsing thingiverse and came across an interesting phone mount:

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5139584

I cleaned off the dust on my 3D printer and decided to give it a try. I modified the face slightly to accept a broken vent clip style magnet mount I already had (needed to add a countersunk screw hole).

The mount itself fits VERY securely and I think it will work well for on road traveling. Off road, the plastic is secure but I'm less confident with the phone being held by only a magnet. Moving forward I may make one for the passenger side as well and add a different method other than a magnet for attachment.

Any chance I could pay you to make me one and ship it over? I really like this

 

[arskemp]

Any chance I could pay you to make me one and ship it over? I really like this

There are some online 3D printing services if you want to go that direction (I believe shapeways is a popular option). If you have a local library near you, many of them provide extremely cheap printing options as well. Be careful of the material you choose though, PLA will likely melt on a sunny day (ABS or PETG are common materials used in 3D printed car interior accessories)

Additionally, If I was buying a style like this, Stiffy mounts has a great design that is a bit smaller and contours better to the dash. https://stiffymounts.com/product/jeep-gladiator-wrangler-jl-jt-magnetic-phone-mount/

 

[arskemp]

Well, the mount passed the driving around town test. Decided to make a second one for a his and hers setup.

 

[arskemp]

Drove from Northern CA to Olympia, WA to visit a friend over the weekend. Was a great few day trip, stayed in a VRBO cottage which turned out to be pretty nice.

This is the first trip after adding the additional weight from the steel bumper and winch. Interestingly, I got my BEST highway gas mileage on this trip (18.8 mpg) even though there were quite a few hills and a lot of driving around 75-80mph. I'm assuming most of that is it breaking in (I'm at about 5500 miles now), although it does have me wondering if the steel bumper has slightly improved aerodynamics compared to the plastic.

Also stopped by on the way back through the "Wildlife Safari" in Oregon. They had an area you could drive through and get up close to a bunch of animals (Zebras, Elk, Bison, etc). Was a perfect place to drive through in a jeep and pretend you were on an excursion lol.

They also had a spot to feed deer which my son got a kick out of.

 

[skindata]

Nice Mojave sir. I keep searching for possible Rubicon steel bumper take offs but no luck yet.

 

[arskemp]

Mini Mod Monday!

Actually was done about a week or so ago. After the road trip last month I decided I wanted a dead pedal for my left leg/foot. Installed a generic one I purchased off amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08T1N9VWZ?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details.

Took all of 10 minutes to install and adjust a couple times. At first it felt a little odd (made the footwell feel slightly more cramped) but after a few drives I've started to really like it. Definitely a great cost/benefit ratio.

Next up, bed lighting!

I've found the bed lights mediocre when at night with a tonneau cover on. Ended up purchasing these LED strips for $27 (its a 3 pack but I only used 2): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZLWJZLT?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details.

They were a bit long so I cut them down to size and sealed the edge with silicon. I then mounted them on the underside of the BAK revolver rail since that was smooth, flat, and the highest point along the edges of the bed. Was originally thinking of tying in a magnetic switch, some diodes, and a relay but decided to keep it simple instead (KISS principle). Ended up simply wiring it to the existing bed light wiring. With Tazer, 3 presses of the unlock key keeps them on for 30 minutes so I'm happy enough with that level of integration. I also have a switch double side taped in the corner of the bed if I want to disable the LEDs.

Overall, very happy with them. They are bright, but not blindingly so. Here are some comparison shots with the exposure locked on my phone.

Off

Bed lights only:

Bed Lights + LED strips:

 

[arskemp]

Another day, another project.

Ended up purchasing a coverking topliner and some sound deadening material. Started on just the freedom panels this weekend.

 

[arskemp]

Installed Lasfit's new version 2.0 of their hood lock system and posted a small review of it here:

https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/...nti-theft-hood-lock-system-version-2-0.64545/

I definitely enjoy the extra bit of security it provides with little to no extra work on my part when I need to open the hood.

 

[arskemp]

Visiting family out of town for Thanksgiving and scored a deal locally (to them) on an AEV lift kit. Will be a bit before I have a chance to install it but still pretty excited about it!

 

[arskemp]

Ended up pulling the trigger on a 4122 hitch slider. Feels like a very good, quality product. Hopefully I can put it through it's paces sometime soon.

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