Enthusiast III
I bought the Jeep and the donor for $1300. Well worth the effort to get the perfect Jeep! It was about 6 months of work before it was finally running and another 3 before it was driveable. Haha
A new hope.
- Thread starter Matthew Reed
- Start date
Member III
- 2,827
- First Name
- Jim
- Last Name
- covey sr
- Member #
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16986
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- none - BREAKER BREAKER HAND HELD CB AND WALKIE TALKIE
Aaaaaaaaa, did you sell it to a buddy or your worst enemy ??
It's a nice looking rig, so I hope you didn't make a mistake. You probably fixed the last thing it will need for no telling how long. Did you recover your money, I know you cant recover your time invested.
Enthusiast III
I came out ahead. Sure if you include my labor time I’d be thousands in debt but it was a good project and kept me occupied for a long while. Parts on these are pretty cheap so I really wasn’t into it for a whole lot.Aaaaaaaaa, did you sell it to a buddy or your worst enemy ??
It's a nice looking rig, so I hope you didn't make a mistake. You probably fixed the last thing it will need for no telling how long. Did you recover your money, I know you cant recover your time invested.
Member III
- 2,827
- First Name
- Jim
- Last Name
- covey sr
- Member #
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16986
- Ham/GMRS Callsign
- none - BREAKER BREAKER HAND HELD CB AND WALKIE TALKIE
That's good. My dad was the best horse trader I ever saw. He told me once I was the worst he ever saw.
Enthusiast III
Just completed a 3000 mile road trip up and back down the east coast and the truck did awesome! Didn’t do any crazy off-roading on the trip unfortunately but did have a lot of fun with family and friends I haven’t seen for awhile. Made a detour on the way home and finally picked up a camper shell for the Frontier!
I had found one near my destination that got sold before I could look at it. A day before departing to head back to Georgia I found another one that was just barely out of the way. It added another hour to the trip home but was worth it!
The shell I got is a Leer with sliding side windows and a sliding front window. It has the built in screens for the side windows. It also came with thule rails and crossbars installed from the factory. Not sure what weight they are rated for. Definitely can’t put an RTT up there but should be fine to run my ARB awning and maybe throw a gear box or something up there for Long trips.
Only downside is that the shell is painted bright silver and obviously doesn’t match my truck. Eventually I may paint it, but for now at least the color contrast won’t look horrible.
I had found one near my destination that got sold before I could look at it. A day before departing to head back to Georgia I found another one that was just barely out of the way. It added another hour to the trip home but was worth it!
The shell I got is a Leer with sliding side windows and a sliding front window. It has the built in screens for the side windows. It also came with thule rails and crossbars installed from the factory. Not sure what weight they are rated for. Definitely can’t put an RTT up there but should be fine to run my ARB awning and maybe throw a gear box or something up there for Long trips.
Only downside is that the shell is painted bright silver and obviously doesn’t match my truck. Eventually I may paint it, but for now at least the color contrast won’t look horrible.
Enthusiast III
In a few years when it breaks. Haha. I had the opportunity to buy all the parts a month ago and ended up turning the guy down. Would’ve been a decent price but I just don’t need it yet. HahA
Enthusiast III
Pictures of the new cap and another small goodie I picked up! I also forgot that the guy who sold me the cap gifted me a bed divider. Folded back it is perfect for holding my tool boxes in place.
A local frontier guy was selling these vents. They slide in the window track and let you leave the rear windows cracked for airflow without any bugs getting in (or pets getting out).
A local frontier guy was selling these vents. They slide in the window track and let you leave the rear windows cracked for airflow without any bugs getting in (or pets getting out).
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Enthusiast III
Enthusiast III
And here’s the campsite all set up (in my driveway). Wanted to do a dry run before we take it for a real trip. I really like my kitchen setup. Any suggestions to make it better?
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Enthusiast III
And for this past weekends project I installed a couple of LED pods I had leftover from my Cherokee build. These are cheap eBay ones but they’ve been sitting around for months so I figured I’d use them. If I decide they are useful I may choose to upgrade to some higher end ones down the road. Between these and the awning there is definitely a bit of wind noise now but it’s not too bad. I still need to wire them up. I didn’t have any spare relays kicking around and didn’t feel like running to the parts store so the wiring will probably wait until this weekend 
Enthusiast III
Installed some toggles switches in my overhead console. Currently only the one on the far left controls anything (my recently installed ditch lights). The other two are for future expansion. I decided I didn’t wanna have to do all that wiring multiple times so I just pre wired everything knowing I will add more accessories in the future (winch, light bar, rock lights, etc.)
The switches are wired into a 12v switched circuit and use their own fuse so they can only be used when the key is on. They each feed into a relay mounted in the engine bay. It didn’t come out perfect. You can see that the switches are slightly off which drives me insane. Eventually I may work on getting them in there a bit more straight or swap them out for different switches.
The switches are wired into a 12v switched circuit and use their own fuse so they can only be used when the key is on. They each feed into a relay mounted in the engine bay. It didn’t come out perfect. You can see that the switches are slightly off which drives me insane. Eventually I may work on getting them in there a bit more straight or swap them out for different switches.
Member III
- 2,771
- First Name
- Rolando
- Last Name
- Nispiros
- Member #
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17011
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- KN6JJS
I know it would drive me crazy. Hope you find to fix it soon. Nothing worse than anything crooked :)
Enthusiast III
Did a little exploring after work! Found a series of dirt roads about 15 minutes from home. No real trails or anything difficult but it was a nice drive through the woods at least.
Enthusiast III
Over the last couple days I’ve been working on a drawer system for the bed. Wanted a better way to store all of my random gear. This fall when I start going on some more trips I’ll probably make some refinements. The drawers are 4’ deep and about 20” wide. Plenty of room for extra gear and food. I didn’t want to use the entire length of the bed for drawers so I left about 9” at the end to fit my two 20” tool boxes from harbor freight in between the wheel wells. Eventually I want to replace these with a water tank with a pump so I can have running water. For now it’ll work great. I left the spots open on the sides for storing random stuff. I was thinking about using one of the drawers for a kitchen setup but I already have a chuck box that I built and really enjoy using. Previously I would set it up on the tailgate which now would make it impossible to access the drawers. Now I’m looking into getting a folding table to set up my kitchen on. 
Enthusiast III
Enthusiast III
It’s been a long time since my last update. Not a whole lot has changed but I did go on a few trips this fall that gave me some perspective on what I really want/need going forward. I am absolutely loving this truck and have no regrets selling my Cherokee! I added a roof basket to the rack and made some mounts for my high lift jack and recovery boards. Also made some dividers to organize the drawer system although that is going to see some big upgrades soon.
I’m currently deployed overseas but hopefully I’ll be back once this whole Coronavirus thing calms down. I have a pile of parts waiting to be installed once I get back. Currently waiting to be installed: 2” suspension lift, 2” body lift (needed for 33” tire clearance), GMRS radio, hood struts, and a few other small odds and ends.
Future plans: First off I am completely changing up the drawer system. The original I made was a good way to find out what I liked and didn’t like. Now I have a really good idea of what it should be. Also going to grab some 33” tires. Mine are just about done and I will need new ones soon anyways. With the new lift I am installing I’ll be able to clear 33s so it seems like a logical upgrade. I’m also considering purchasing a winch bumper/winch mount. Having trouble justifying the cost of the bumper to myself and the wife though! It’ll get even worse when I buy the bumper and then tell her I need to spend a crapload more on the winch... Holding off on that one for now.
I’m currently deployed overseas but hopefully I’ll be back once this whole Coronavirus thing calms down. I have a pile of parts waiting to be installed once I get back. Currently waiting to be installed: 2” suspension lift, 2” body lift (needed for 33” tire clearance), GMRS radio, hood struts, and a few other small odds and ends.
Future plans: First off I am completely changing up the drawer system. The original I made was a good way to find out what I liked and didn’t like. Now I have a really good idea of what it should be. Also going to grab some 33” tires. Mine are just about done and I will need new ones soon anyways. With the new lift I am installing I’ll be able to clear 33s so it seems like a logical upgrade. I’m also considering purchasing a winch bumper/winch mount. Having trouble justifying the cost of the bumper to myself and the wife though! It’ll get even worse when I buy the bumper and then tell her I need to spend a crapload more on the winch... Holding off on that one for now.
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Enthusiast III
Member III
- 2,827
- First Name
- Jim
- Last Name
- covey sr
- Member #
-
16986
- Ham/GMRS Callsign
- none - BREAKER BREAKER HAND HELD CB AND WALKIE TALKIE
