What's the hardest Jeep mod/install you've ever done?

[Lynn_F]

I installed the RR Arcus bumper on my gasser and the Smittybilt Stryker bumper on my diesel and they were both nightmares to do solo. The sub-frame, tow hooks & shell on both bumpers have to be assembled and bolted to the truck while holding the bumper in place. The Arcus is a better design and had more space for installing the winch and didn't rub the grille. The Stryker has about a frogs hair between the bumper and grille and is an absolute bitch to install. I had plans to install a black grille but have shelved it due to the difficulty and risk of scratching it. A close second was rough country DS2 sliders/steps. Bad instructions and brackets weren't labeled properly which caused the use of trial and error and took about 6 hours.

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[cafecito]

Most time-consuming: Mopar AUX switch install

Most physically demanding: Mopar steel front bumper (the frame holes weren't aligned, so I had to file them out by hand to get the tow hooks to go in)

 

[22_Sarge_Sport]

These threads are fascinating to me (a modding lightweight). Some people's threshold of "hard" is beyond mine, and some people's are WAY WAY WAY beyond mine!

 

[WetWilly]

Everything I have done has been a fight for whatever reason! 30 min job, done 2 hours later. I have all the tools and am pretty mechanically sound, but this Mojave doesn't want to upgraded and just wants to fight.

Check and see if it is a female Gladiator !?

 

[vmiaptetr]

I really struggled with the Mopar 2'' Lift. Getting the front control arms in place was tough, and I'm a small guy, so the 190 lbs. torque requirement was a struggle to remove and replace.

Installing supercharger was easier. Unfortunately, I have the newer ECM, so I had to take it off. If I ever get to put it back on, I'll have it done in record time.

 

[DirkG]

I haven't installed anything major on my JT yet, maybe the hitch was a small challenge with the alignment, but very minor in retrospect.

I will say that I've done a lot of work on my other vehicles (mostly pre-kids) and just enjoy the Gladiator space in the engine bay and in and around the vehicle.

I had a Ford Probe GT where Ford/Mazda thought it was a good idea to shoehorn a V6 in a small-ass engine bay. I then thought it was a good idea to install Hotshot Headers myself. Keep in mind the Probe was a FWD vehicle, so the headers are to be installed in the front and rear of the engine. I'm not a little dude and absolutely could not get up in the rear of the engine. I finally called my Asian buddy who's smaller and he was able to fit his hands in the rear to lift and tighten the headers. Took him forever. OMG that was a PITA.

 

[HooliganActual]

These threads are fascinating to me (a modding lightweight). Some people's threshold of "hard" is beyond mine, and some people's are WAY WAY WAY beyond mine!

As I'm sure you're aware, it really all comes down to what each person's life experience is I suppose.

For me, I started out as a mechanic in the service and would literally go home on the weekends and tear something on my car down to parade rest and back just to "gain some experience" (that car was an '81 CJ7 BTW). Fast forward 40 years and I retired as a Director of Maintenance & Reliability for a multi-national corporation overseeing 70+ manufacturing sites in North America.

One of the best things going right now IMHO is all of the YouTube videos out there where someone is showing how to work on whatever it is you need to work on. Sometimes it's better than a Chilton or Clymer manual (that's how old I am, lol). The best thing you can do is just get in there and start bendin' wrenches. I generally don't even worry about whether the task is "within my scope" because it will either work out or it won't. And...whether it works out or not, I'm sure I've learned a better way to do it for the next time.

In fact, my wife actually benefits from that very thing: My wife is a "wheeler", so we own 2 Wranglers. Whenever I do a mod/upgrade/repair to my 2016 JKUR, she decides whether she likes it/wants it on her 2018 JKUR and then I get to spend double the money and twice the effort; HOWEVER, her benefit is that the install on her Wrangler is always cleaner, better, etc. because of everything I screwed up in the install on the first Wrangler.

So don't be intimidated by any of the work on your vehicle; just educate yourself as best you can with the resources available, and get after it. If you don't like how it turned out, you can always try a second time with a little more experience under your belt.

 

[tbaker]

Putting this high price gas in the gladiator is the hardest thing I have done

 

[Blizzard]

most painful... the auto start stop fix.... big hands and tiny space under the dash with lil connector snaps... lost parts of my thumb and donated some blood on that mod install

 

[Snake Eyes]

That stupid little screen protector thing for the touchscreen……seems like no matter what you do, the damn thing always ends up crooked!

 

[Readyt]

1st-My Rock Slide Engineering Power Steps and Armor.
I purchased them from a warehouse and one of the steps was missing a motor. ( Probably parts were robbed for a customer service issue and was not recorded. Once RSE got me the motor, the install was was straight forward but physically demanding because the steps are not light and I was working with no one. Lifting them into place and screwing in Bolts blind. Running the wiring was not difficult but was time consuming because I wanted it clean. Overall they work flawlessly, but what a pain.
2nd- CoverKing Topliner was also straight forward but was time consuming and messy. (All the double stick tape) Both were worth the effort.

 

[XraytecH]

Installing Rockslide Engineering step sliders. Took 3 days to finish since I had to do the install after work.

They bolted on using 6 of the OEM body bolts. Those bolts had red loctite from the factory and if you weren't careful you could shear a bolt. Also those sliders were heavy MFers.

 

[WILDHOBO]

Automotive? It’s a toss up between the belly skid system on the Gladiator and a driveway 4” lift install and t-case lower on an ‘80 CJ7.

Automotive adjacent? Full rebuild of a ‘96 Merc 3.0 Liter 2 stroke 225hp outboard inside my old condo living room. Crank, all pistons, all bearings, three 2 barrel carb rebuilds, oil circulation system, fuel pump, stator, oil pump, etc, etc. I removed the engine with the boat still floating in my slip. Engine hoist was attached to the building with a 30ft tow strap to make sure it couldn’t go over the sea wall. My neighbors hated me. It ran perfectly until I sold the boat though, 500+ more hours later. That was definitely the hardest job yet.

 

[Glad_he_ate]

Jt has hardly been modded yet. I did put a .50cal antenna on?? Oh and the insane diesel filter kit with cooler. The next big one is the stage 2 tune from eco diesel owners Canada
The most demanding automotive mod was the full delete and tune/trans tune on my 18 zr2. That one was tough to do alone on jacks in the driveway

 

[Barnaby’sdad]

Wasn’t really “hard,” but probably a bit odd/different. Years ago, I had a ‘97 Cherokee/XJ Sport strippy. Manual transmission, manual windows, no cruise control, etc.

I started doing a fair amount of highway driving and decided that I needed cruise control and sourced all of the OEM parts (new) to do a complete cruise control setup, to include a new steering wheel (the original one was in rough shape).

Everything went together well, the cruise control worked perfectly, and the new steering wheel, airbag cover, and cruise control buttons really was a heck of an improvement visually. Neat/rewarding job, looking back on it.

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