Grand Cherokee

I love the ZJ. I have a 96 ZJ, 4.0 and I am in the process of my build. Long story short I have been wheeling with Alpha Omega one time with my daughter in Sept 2009 in my 99 Dakota (she is now 7 and totally hooked), I crushed my door, saw what Jeeps could do but needed the family friendly version and went from there. I also would like to get people involved from my church. I am doing my build by reading, researching, using an actual how to build your Jeep guide book, forum boards , and the knowlegde / guidance of a friend. So far 6 inches of lift 33x12.5x15 Dick Cepak mud tires, all new front end (Kevins track bar, brake lines, Ball Joints, Tie Rods (JKS HD), Quicker Discos (JKS), rear JKS Trackbar etc...I removed the cladding (holds H2O there 4 rust) and have ground the rivets away with a plan for a Herculiner product from the rivets down and a Copper color for the rest of the GC. I also plan a large rack like yours, and bumpers front and rear. I have a dream goal of expedition trips as well, maybe Moab in Easter 2011. Would you be able to provide your fabricators contact info. I am in Delaware but I really like his stuff and would like to discuss it with him. I can be best reached via email JGillRN96@yahoo.com. I look forward to getting my ZJ trail reading very soon (my wife wants the garage back) and rejoining the Alpha Omega family, my daughter asks at least once a week to go wheeling.

John Gill
formerly know to Patty as Dakota John

Doc's information

Stone SoupMetal Works, L.L.C.
623.939.WELD
5037 N. 54th Ave - Suite #5 85301
Residential - Commercial - Automotive

His Facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/stonesoupmetalworks


Tell him AZlugz sent ya. He is a metal artist and all his work is lifetime gauranteed, I assume that means his lifetime but , well anyway!!!

i was "lurking" for a little bit.....lol. love the build and all the attention to detail.

Cheap Awning....

I was asked on another forum for some detailed info on the awning for the jeep that I made early in the summer and was shown on a run to the coves at Saguaro Lake in July.





Well, I finally got around to taking some (slightly) better pics and showing how I made it and the basic cost.

The sun here is a killer in the summer so having the awning to sit under is a major benefit!! Trouble is, awnings are expensive and most are too long for my Jeep. I needed something that could fold and store but not cost $300-$500. Little bit of time and effort and I turned a plastic tarp into an awning that, albiet doesn't look the prettiest, but works great and does not take too long to set up.

Rolled up, the basic tarp and frame is just over 4' long and fits crosswise in the back of the jeep:


I started with an 8'x10' tarp that is sun reflective on one side, and 8' piece of 1" "C" channel aluminum and a bunch of #8 screws and deco washers.
I cut the channel in half so I had 2 4' pieces and screwed them to an 8' edge of the tarp. I put the screws into the back of the "C" channel about every 1", prolly overkill but it worked out ok and it keeps the screw points up in the channel.

Unrolled:


Screws:



In the center I used 2 18" sections of 3/4" angle aluminum screwed to each side of ONE of the pieces of "C" channel and left it to overhang the other side by about 8". This left an overlap that the other side could fit into but still allowed me to fold the whole setup in half. In the open end of the angles and the other end of "C" channel, I drilled two pin holes so when it was laid out straight, the other end could be pinned in place.

Angles:


Putting it together:


One pin in:


From there, I lift the aluminum frame up and set it on the top edge of the roof rack and use 2 (or more) hand clamps to hold it to the rack.





The next part, extendable tent fly poles, I bought at Wal-Mart in the camping section for $8.00. Then some tent stakes and a spool of nylon rope and 2 small "L" brackets. The brackets allow you to adjust the tension on the rope to hold the poles.
Pin on top of the pole goes thru the hole in the corner of the tarp, the loop of the rope when you slide the bracket out goes over the pin to hold the top of the pole and the stke gets pounded iin the ground. Just like setting an old school tent up. Sliding the bracket up or down the rope adjusts the tension to hold the pole upright.





Loop made with bracket:





Do the same in the other corner and you now have an 8'x10' awning for around $50.





Another couple shots of the clamps:




As you can see in these shots, if you use 2 clamps in the middle, the aluminum tends to "pull" a bit at the ends, normally when I am setting up, I use 3 or 4 clamps and the outside 2 I put as close to the end of the rack as possible to keep the "bow" out.

OMG amazing!!!!!!!! Looks great! I'm so jealous of it!
I'm going to bring my Jeep out to you guys to have it "outfitted"!!!

We also got to take this out over the Thanksgiving weekend and do a complete shakedown. I have a few things I need to work on but overall I am really happy with how it is coming together.

Friday my son and I loaded up and headed out in the morning for Hackberry Creek to do some camping and wheeling with friends. This was the first time I had pulled the off-raod camper with this jeep.



We treked back in a ways to get away from the crowds. The trailer did great but I would like to lift it a little and get a bit bigger tire under it. Davids worked great on the 33's we put on his. The Jeep pulled it with no probles as I expected.



Finally found a great spot and setup camp:




6am the next moning, we broke camp and headed for the meeting area. Left the trailers with the other guys tow rig and headed out to play.





This does not look that bad from here, but man was it STEEP!!!!




Steep enough that that back wheel lifted a bit and settled.


Still a long way out, but man it was a beautiful place

XJXtian wrote:

OMG amazing!!!!!!!! Looks great! I'm so jealous of it!
I'm going to bring my Jeep out to you guys to have it "outfitted"!!!

Thanks sweetie. Its just a long slow process. I have the lights on the roof rack now as well as the air tanks, when I get everything wired and plumbed, I will post the build up on that too but for now there are some pricey parts for that section of the build that I can't afford yet.

That's it. We are moving out there. Got any extra rooms at your house Bill?

JeeperX wrote:

That's it. We are moving out there. Got any extra rooms at your house Bill?

Always have room for friends!!! Oh yea, and you too!!! j/k

Since I started talking about it, might as well start some info on what next.

The next phase will be to build in the back and mount the compressor and 2nd battery. Doesn't sound like much but thats where it gets expensive.

I already have a Blue top that I paid $80 for BRAND NEW!!!!! They were not going to carry the line anymore and the leftovers had to go. To install it tho, I need wire, isolator, connectors and.......

I plan on using a dual sense voltage sensitive relay (VSR) isolator that is rated for 125A and 150A intermittent. The VSR allows it to charge the main battery first with the 2nd battery isolated untill the main reaches 13.7 volts, then the second battery is kicked in and allowed to charge also. If the main drops below 12.8 volts, the VSR disconnects the 2nd and works on charging the main only. This system also keeps them seperated when the vehicle is off. These two modes of operation ensure the main batter won't be drained by the aux equipment running off the 2nd battery. The Dual Sense part of the VSR will allow me to put a solar panel on the roof of the car to maintain the power in the 2nd battery and if the charge reaches 13.7 volts, it will again open but this time allow the solar for the 2nd battery to chage the main. Price wise, about $88, it is also compareable to a good quality standard isolator.
See it at West Marine Supply http://www.westmarine.com/1/1/62761--dual-sense-125a-voltage-sensitive-relay-vsr-150a-intermittent-continuous-2-75-h-x-2-75-w-2-d.html





Wire from front to rear is the second part. I have decided to go with 4 gauge multi-strand but have yet to find a good source that is reasonable price wise. I have an old set of jumper cables that are fine except the clamps are getting buggered up and are a pain to use. I am considering using the wire from these. One, it is the right size, two, it is color coded and mated together (um attached in the middle) so it will be easier to run, three, I would like a new set of jumpers that have the mating plug mounted in the bumper to just plug them in so this would be an excuse to get some!!!.

Feedthru terminals for the battery cables. I do not want to drill a hole and put the wire thru a rubber grommet to get it inside the back of the vehicle. I want and insulated terminal that screws thru the body. These however are a bit pricey at $20 each, tho I prolly don't need the negative side as I can just bolt thru the body, its all grounded anyway. Here are the terminals... http://www.westmarine.com/1/1/27481--feed-through-terminals-3-8-250a-rating-2-x-1-base-black.html





Then comes the various connectors to tie it all together. 4 gauge terminal lugs seem to run about $2 a pair. There are also various smaller terminals and hookup wires.

Along with the battery, there will be two inverters hardmounted. A 1000w for running recovery tools like a sawzall, grinder, cutting wheel, impact and such and then a small 200w or so unit to charge phones, camera batteries or power the laptop. The small unit is all that is usually needed and will not waste as much as using the 1000w all the time. I have to big unit but will have to purchase the small one and will have to purchase the the items needed to hook them up. The big one can likely use some of the 4 gauge wire that I have left over from the battery hookup.

Next is my Puma compressor. This will cost a bit because the pressure switch went out on mine so I will need a new one. I will also need the plumbing to hook it up to the tanks on the roof. I have made contact with an individual that is a dealer and will help me with the stainless tube and connectors but I need to sit down with him and get an estimate on the price. The compressor will be inside and will have to go thru the roof with a QD connection to the roof rack so the roof rack can be removed.

There are work lights on all sides of the roof rack, these will be powered from the 2nd battery. This will protect the main if I leave them on too long. I need relays for each light pair and switches. I already have the necessary wire, shrink tube, loom and connectors for this part. I also need some sort of plug to go thru the roof and be able to plug in the roof rack, again, to keep it removeable.

All the electrical items need circuit breakers. The lights and small inverter will need low current breakers that run around $4 each but the big inverter and compressor will need hi-amp breakers and these run about $35-40 each.
Small CB's http://www.electricalhub.com/circuit-breakers/push-button/quick-connect-terminal
Hi-Amp CB's http://www.electricalhub.com/circuit-breakers/thermal-circuit-breakers/series-185-circuit-breaker




Thats it for ideas tonight. Besides, its late!!!

Electrical for the rear build of the ZJ and to power the radio gear and the roof lighting. Yes, it will all power off the spare battery.

Played around with the wiring diagram a bit to get eveything planned out, get an idea of parts and for wire sizing. Hope this is readable on here, it is drawn to fit on a single sheet of paper for each drawing.

Opinions are welcome.

One thing that may look strange is I am running a constant hot to the relays for the roof lights and am switching the ground side. It effectively works out the same but it saves having as many powered wires running thru the ceiling. There will only be one main hot wire going up there now that will power the switch LEDS and both radios.