ngiovas

Now that I have had my 2012 Sahara JKU for a few days and have started to work on it, I thought I would start an online log to track the changes as I go and to hopefully help others as they work on their Jeeps.

This is my second Jeep. My first was a 1983 CJ7 that I sold in 1992. It was my favorite vehicle and I have always regretted selling it. Since then I have been waiting until the day I could get another. My CJ7 was very basic when I bought it - no carpet, black vinyl low back seats with stock tires and steel rims. It originally came with a vinyl soft top and some sort of aftermarket hard top that was multiple pieces.

Over the years I heavily modified it for off road use. I added a factory style hard top with tinted windows, aircraft lighting molded into the top and a pop up sunroof. On the interior I built a custom center console with a CB and radio. I put in some cheap carpeting and a headliner on the hard top. The biggest changes were to the drivetrain. I swapped the stock Buick 4 cylinder engine for a built out Chevy 350 with forged pistons, headers and a 4 barrel carb. I mated the engine to a Ford T18 transmission with a creeper gear for 1st. I added a 4" lift and 33" General Grabber tires on 15" aluminum American Racing wheels. To keep the Jeep on the road longer, I added a custom 26 gallon gas tank with fully sealed/welded skid plates all the way around it.

Enough about the past. It's time to focus on the present and my new Jeep . I picked up my 2012 Sahara Wrangler Unlimted on 12/5/11. I ordered it with the following options on 10/31/11:

• Flame Red Exterior
• Black Cloth Interior
• Sahara Package
• 5 Speed Auto Transmission
• Limited Slip
• Side Airbags
• Remote Start
• Connectivity Group
• 3 piece hard top
• heated Seats
• Auto Temp Control
• Trailer Tow Group

Here are some photos of my Jeep:

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Having the long wait for my JK to be built (it was actually only 5 weeks), I started ordering mods to pass the time. Nothing major yet, but several items to make the Jeep more like I wanted it to be. The very first thing I purchased was an RBZ touch screen radio. I really didn't want a Nav unit and Jeep does not offer a touch screen in a non nav radio. I found an amazing deal on an RBZ that was pulled from a Chrysler Town and Country, so I bought it and waited for my Jeep to arrive.

After only having the Jeep a few days, I couldn't wait any longer. I pulled the old radio and put in the new one. You can read all of the install details at this thread: RBZ Install

Here are a couple of before and after photos:





The install was really pretty easy and I have had no issues at all. My phone was still paired after the install and I can still make calls and send and receive SMS through the Uconnect Module. All of the steering wheel radio controls still work as well. This made a huge difference in my opinion. I am really happy with the ipod controls and the hard drive built into the radio to store music.

I also made a change on the exterior of the Jeep by removing the stock whip antenna and installing a rubber stubby antenna from Antenna X. The kit came with the appropriate adapter for the stock antenna mount. I like this look much better and it will help prevent damage from low tree branches pulling on the antenna.

Before:



After:

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The next thing I couldn't wait to do was to remove the "chrome"/silver covers on the front and rear bumpers. I prefer the look of an all black bumper, so I decided to remove them.









Removing the front cover was very straight forward. I simply had to remove a row of screws across the top and bottom of the bumper using a T25 torx bit. That was it. The cover popped right off.

I wasn't sure how difficult the rear cover was going to be since I couldn't easily access the screws that hold the cover to the top of the bumper. To do it without damaging the cover will require you to remove the rear bumper. With that said, it is VERY easy. There are only six bolts to remove (I can't remember, but I think they were 16mm) and the bumper is super light. You won't even need a second person to help you because the bumper will stay in place after you remove the bolts if you are careful. Even if it does fall, it isn't going to hurt you since it is so light.

Here is a picture showing the location of the 6 bolts (they are on the other side). Simply remove the bolts, pull off the bumper, remove the screws that hold the cover in place (T25 torx like the front), and replace the bumper. It only took me about 20 minutes to do - And I wasn't even sure which bolts needed to be removed until I got under there.



These are the bolts you are looking for on either end of the bumper:



This is a really bad picture, but this is what the other two bolts in the center of the bumper look like. I removed the upper ones that bolted the bumper to the bracket. I did not remove the lower bolts that hold the bracket in place.



And that's all there is to it. You can obviously do the exact opposite if you want to install these covers on your Jeep. Really easy mod that completely changes the look of the Jeep.

ngiovas

The next thing I did was remove the "giant" rubber windshield bumpers on the hood. I only folded down the windshield on my old Jeep once or twice just to see what it was like and have no intention of folding it down on this Jeep. To cover up the holes, I purchased a set of black UFOs from Vector Offroad. They come with stainless hardware to install them. I also purchased their rubber gaskets to put between the hood and the UFO. Installation was very straight forward.

Here is a picture of the hood with the original windshield bumpers in place:



Here is a photo of what came with the kit:



To remove the bumper, I simply pulled back heat shield to expose the back side of the bumper. I gently squeezed the tabs with some pliers and pushed them up through the hood.





To help protect the paint if any moisture gets under the UFO, I cleaned the area around the hole and used a synthetic paint sealer (you can just use wax). I then installed the UFOs using the supplied hardware and put the heat shield back in place.



Much better

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The final mod I made this weekend was to put some Jeep sill plate protectors on both the front and rear. I went with the black plastic version. Typically this area gets scratched up over time. I have had good luck with the plastic protectors in the past, so I decided to try them again.

Front:



Rear:




You can also see some black rubber floor mats inside my Jeep. I ultimately want to get a set of custom molded floor mats, but I don't know which ones yet and I don't want to plop down $180 or more and not like them. I ended up getting a cheap set to protect the carpets while I decide which to buy. If anyone is interested, I picked them up at Costco this weekend for $10 with a coupon. The set included four mats. Well worth the price in my opinion.

ngiovas

I almost forgot, I also installed a Jeep fuel door this weekend. I did it simply for looks. I plan to replace the chrome hardware with black anodized hardware.

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It has been a while since I have Made any mods to my Jeep. I picked up a soft top this week off of craig's list. It is in perfect condition. The previous owner bought a newer Jeep that came with a soft top, so he sold the top off of his 2009. Saved a ton of money over a new top.

Even though I really don't drive the Jeep much, I was really getting tired of the awful headlights, so I installed a pair of cibie housings along with a pair of Osram bulbs. I will find out tonight if it made much of a difference. While I had the grill off, I went ahead and did the side marker mod so that they flash with the turn signals. This is one of the best free mods you can do.

I also drilled a hole in my rear bumper for a backup camera. I haven't run the wiring to the head unit yet, so it isn't operational yet.

To celebrate 4 months with my new Jeep, I decided to treat it to its first oil change . I finally hit 1500 miles and decided it was time.

I will try to post some pictures when I have some time.