Andrew's 2022 Sarge Green Mojave - Northern CA

[arskemp]

So, got my tint appointment scheduled for next week. Still haven't decided on what tint percentage yet. Previously, I've always gone 35% in the front doors and the equivalent of 5% in the rear.

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[arskemp]

Rained earlier this week and, as suspected, the Hard Rock sliders were much slicker when wet. Threw on some grip tape today to take care of that.

 

[arskemp]

Got tint put on today. Decided on 30 front, 15 rear/back.

 

[arskemp]

Took it on a small trip for the first time this weekend. Gave me a chance to see what purely highway mpg was (got 17.2 down, 18.1 back up). That is significantly better than what I am currently getting in city only driving, which was previously bouncing between 10.9-11 mpg.

Nothing jeep specific on this trip, just visiting family in the Monterey area and enjoying the coast.

 

[arskemp]

Put in a dashcam this weekend. Viofo A139. It's a 3 channel system with parking mode. Haven't played around with it much yet. Mostly happy with the locations I decided on for the cameras. Only one I don't like aesthetically is the interior camera; I haven't decided if I will move that in the future.

Ended up mounting the rear directly on the glass. The connectors are slim and easy to pull apart by hand. The way I routed it I can easily disconnect the rear when taking the top off. When the tops off, the interior cam is now pointed in a way that it captures the rear of the vehicle anyways which is the biggest reason I chose its current location.

 

[arskemp]

Took my front doors off for the first time today.

Also put on some generic mirrors I bought on Amazon.

Overall, the mirrors are "okay". I bought some neoprene washers to prevent scratching the paint on the hinges but the washers on the side near the lock washer got torn up by said lock washer. Next time I'll need to add another set of flat washers to prevent this.

At greater than ~ 30 mph they whistle a bit from wind. I took them briefly on the highway and they didn't rotate at all but they do vibrate quite a bit. Not enough to not be usable (you can still tell where cars are) but its still noticeable. Overall, I'm fine with them for the price since I am only running doorless occasionally. If I was using them every day I would probably invest in something better.

 

[The Welsh Griffin]

arskemp , I havent done alot of wiring but like this model of dash cam you have here. Are you happy with wiring provided ? Were the cables long enough to the back and contained the appropriate pieces to hardwire etc ... how about the access through wifi , any quirks you might have ? It seems like a great product.

 

[arskemp]

arskemp , I havent done alot of wiring but like this model of dash cam you have here. Are you happy with wiring provided ? Were the cables long enough to the back and contained the appropriate pieces to hardwire etc ... how about the access through wifi , any quirks you might have ? It seems like a great product.

One thing I like about this dashcam vs ones I've seen a few years ago is how small the cable itself is. This made it pretty easy to route behind trim for getting it in the rear. I went underneath the trim along the passenger side roll bar and had a ton of extra length left over. Regarding the interior camera though, I had hoped it's wiring was longer. Its long enough to fit anywhere in the front facing back but I was hoping to play around with different locations to see if I could find a spot more "hidden" (for example, somewhere on the rear facing forward). I also need to play a bit more with getting the interior one to stay up with the included double sided tape. It came off after a couple days and it is just resting on top of the rearview mirror (surprised it hasn't moved much from there while driving). I'm not sure if its the tape, the texture of the plastic, or the shiny amorall-like stuff that the dealer put on when I picked up the vehicle but I need to revisit this.

Something that was nice with the dashcam was that it came with its own plastic panel removal tool. While I have my own already, this was a nice thing to include for those who have never removed trim pieces before.

The dashcam normally plugs right into the cigarette lighter, but I bought the "hardwire" kit that gives you two things:
- obviously, "hardwiring" it in so the wires are concealed
- enables Parking mode (watches the vehicles battery voltage, and as long as it is not too low will turn on and record movements around the vehicle while it is parked/off)

Something that the hardware kit DID NOT include which I would recommend getting is a couple inline fuses (one for the accessory key on, one for straight to battery). I'm using 5amp fuses since those are a pretty easy and common standard size and a decent match for the current being pulled from the camera.

If you have the Aux buttons, the hardwire kit can connect directly to a couple wires underneath the dash on the passenger side. If not, it isn't much further to route those wires to the battery/fuse box in the engine bay (if doing it that way, I'd recommend using a 5amp tap-a-fuse for the accessory wire rather than an inline one and go to one of the accessory fuses in the fuse box).

The wifi itself is a little lackluster. To be fair, it does have a lot of features and settings you can adjust but the manual doesn't do a very good job of explaining them. If I just want to adjust settings or quickly see a recording and know what I'm looking for I'll use the wifi, but I find it much easier to grab the microsd and stick it in my phone or computer to watch them instead. Especially if I am downloading the videos to my phone, since downloading them over wifi is extremely slow. Overall, it does what it needs to do but I'd get frustrated if I was regularly viewing or grabbing videos this way.

Eventually if I start my youtube channel I'll post up a video explaining the install process. I've been taking videos of most of my mods thus far with the plan to eventually start a channel but I've definitely been procrastinating.

 

[The Welsh Griffin]

arskemp, thankyou so much for your response and the time you took to do that. Sounds like you have done this before. The routing sounds easy enough and I too think that a longer cable sounds like a good plan, I might contact them and ask about that as a possible option. I myself dont have the auxillary switches however I have been researching different power blocks to use with a switch set up to include the VHF and lighting I have planned. Sounds like a larger card to store data will be needed so I dont have to delete unwanted video as often. You have a new subscriber to your future channel !!
Keep us informed when you Go For It !!

The only other question I have would be to ask if you think the dashcam would keep recording over the existing data until you decided to pull the videos you wanted or fill up and stop recording ?
I appreciate your time, thanks again

 

[arskemp]

arskemp, thankyou so much for your response and the time you took to do that. Sounds like you have done this before. The routing sounds easy enough and I too think that a longer cable sounds like a good plan, I might contact them and ask about that as a possible option. I myself dont have the auxillary switches however I have been researching different power blocks to use with a switch set up to include the VHF and lighting I have planned. Sounds like a larger card to store data will be needed so I dont have to delete unwanted video as often. You have a new subscriber to your future channel !!
Keep us informed when you Go For It !!

The only other question I have would be to ask if you think the dashcam would keep recording over the existing data until you decided to pull the videos you wanted or fill up and stop recording ?
I appreciate your time, thanks again

Yep, most dashcams on the market currently are set up to automatically rewrite over themselves once they are full. A common feature (included on this dashcam as well) is a button that allows you to "lock" a file so that it isn't rewritten over once the card becomes full. This dashcam also a feature where it can detect a collision and will lock a file as well. The sensitivity is set to high automatically but I had to lower it to medium since it kept going off on the crappy roads around here (I might even set it to low since it still sometimes goes off).

Regarding the microsd card - it doesn't come with one by default. I purchased a 256gb one from sandisk. I have no issues with the one I currently purchased, but if you want to look for a different option or size I would recommend a couple things:
- Choose a name brand since I've heard (especially with larger sizes) that some people have had problems with the dashcam reading the card
- Choose one that is advertized as endurance or high endurance. These cards are meant to be used in scenarios where there are continual read/writes like with a dashcam.
The one I purchased - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07P4HBRMV/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1.

 

[arskemp]

Took the full hardtop off for the first time this weekend. Probably won't do it too often being that I live in an apartment complex and don't have a garage so storage is a pain.

Also, I installed a set of sunshades while the top was off. My prerequisites were:
- 2 piece
- Straps instead of bungee

Ended up settling on ones by dirtydog 4x4. Overall I'm happy with them, although the strap lengths were unnecessarily long (much longer than in the install videos online). Fit otherwise is good and they definitely reduce fatigue from the sun while still giving some of that open air feel.

They also have a UV blocking rating on their website, which was important for me being that I'll likely have my son with me the majority of the time I take the top off.

 

[arskemp]

Test fit the b stock napier tent that I got for ~ $50 bucks after tax/shipping:
https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/hell-of-a-deal-on-a-truck-tent-25.43283/

Happy with how it looks, hoping to actually put it to use this summer.

Also, parts for my DIY bed rack came in (designed one out of aluminum extrusion to use the x4s tslots). Should have some photos up in the next day or so.

 

[arskemp]

DIY Rack is built! Extremely happy with how it turned out.

I was having trouble finding a rack that fit my needs. Requirements were:

- Low as possible while still allowing room for the Revolver x4s to open.
- Utilize the t slots (be able to adjust and slide forward/back)
- Easy to take on/off
- Carry lightweight items (my main purpose is to hold 2 bikes)
- Budget of around $500 or less
- (bonus) height adjustable

I decided to go the DIY route since I couldn't find anything to fit my needs. This led me down the path of aluminum extrusion.

Cost was way under budget, being a bit under $250 after tax and shipping (I had all the material arrive cut). I also have some smaller 1.5" legs if I want the rack lowered to just above the tonneau cover (obviously it doesn't open at that height though). Rack feels very stout and actually feels like it reinforces the tonneau cover rails so they flex a bit less.

Should be testing with my bicycles in the coming weeks (rain is in the forecast this weekend). I have two older yakima racks that I plan to use with this.

 

[The Gas Man]

DIY Rack is built! Extremely happy with how it turned out.

I was having trouble finding a rack that fit my needs. Requirements were:

- Low as possible while still allowing room for the Revolver x4s to open.
- Utilize the t slots (be able to adjust and slide forward/back)
- Easy to take on/off
- Carry lightweight items (my main purpose is to hold 2 bikes)
- Budget of around $500 or less
- (bonus) height adjustable

I decided to go the DIY route since I couldn't find anything to fit my needs. This led me down the path of aluminum extrusion.

Cost was way under budget, being a bit under $250 after tax and shipping (I had all the material arrive cut). I also have some smaller 1.5" legs if I want the rack lowered to just above the tonneau cover (obviously it doesn't open at that height though). Rack feels very stout and actually feels like it reinforces the tonneau cover rails so they flex a bit less.

Should be testing with my bicycles in the coming weeks (rain is in the forecast this weekend). I have two older yakima racks that I plan to use with this.

Looks great! I’m having a similar issue with not finding a solution that fits my needs and am leaning towards building a rack myself. Where did you buy the aluminum extrusion and fittings from (website)? Thanks!

 

[Orange01z28]

Took my front doors off for the first time today.

Also put on some generic mirrors I bought on Amazon.

Overall, the mirrors are "okay". I bought some neoprene washers to prevent scratching the paint on the hinges but the washers on the side near the lock washer got torn up by said lock washer. Next time I'll need to add another set of flat washers to prevent this.

At greater than ~ 30 mph they whistle a bit from wind. I took them briefly on the highway and they didn't rotate at all but they do vibrate quite a bit. Not enough to not be usable (you can still tell where cars are) but its still noticeable. Overall, I'm fine with them for the price since I am only running doorless occasionally. If I was using them every day I would probably invest in something better.

I have these same mirrors

They're not great but they're useful for what they are and great for the price. I just need to find something to replace those neoprene washers too

also I saw you said Chico; my dad is from Oroville and I went to Chico State

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