neoprufrok
Well-known member
- Thread starter
- #61
Thanks! American Adventure Labs installed the shelf, drawers, fridge slide, overhead molle panels and the ARB dual compressor in the tailgate. I wired everything myself.
2024 Wrangler FE AEV JL370 Build
- Thread starter neoprufrok
- Start date
neoprufrok
Well-known member
- Thread starter
- #62
So Next step was to remove the Rhino Rack Pioneer Platform 6. Which I did. Myself. It was rather painful - but my warehouse I share with a friend, we have parking lifts.... and I creatively used that. I ended up getting a better solution later.
I took them off so I could send the Jeep to PFS Norcal in Redwood City and Black Prestige Detailing to fully paint prep the jeep and put a custom PPF. Interestingly, this cost more than PPF for my 911 as there is so many complex shapes. I PPF all my vehicles - and for this one it made the most sense for trail driving. Here it is at the shop getting ready for work. Funny to see it without all the stickers.
Now you can see the before and after of the paint prep. Makes a huge difference. I'm OCD so I always want the best for all my vehicles even if I end up abusing them. I'm a cardiac surgeon. I tell people all the time, it's not the incision that I obsess over, it's everything underneath. I'm the same way with cars... except the PPF helps off-road and on track, which I do often.
Here's post paint prep and PPF. It looked so good, I didn't want to put the roof rack back on... but given I am going to take this far places for dispersed camping, will need the rack to carry stuff.
I took them off so I could send the Jeep to PFS Norcal in Redwood City and Black Prestige Detailing to fully paint prep the jeep and put a custom PPF. Interestingly, this cost more than PPF for my 911 as there is so many complex shapes. I PPF all my vehicles - and for this one it made the most sense for trail driving. Here it is at the shop getting ready for work. Funny to see it without all the stickers.
Now you can see the before and after of the paint prep. Makes a huge difference. I'm OCD so I always want the best for all my vehicles even if I end up abusing them. I'm a cardiac surgeon. I tell people all the time, it's not the incision that I obsess over, it's everything underneath. I'm the same way with cars... except the PPF helps off-road and on track, which I do often.
Here's post paint prep and PPF. It looked so good, I didn't want to put the roof rack back on... but given I am going to take this far places for dispersed camping, will need the rack to carry stuff.
neoprufrok
Well-known member
- Thread starter
- #63
While it was getting paint prepped and PPF'd I took advantage to get some of my camping gear.
My advice - choose where to tent first before buying anything else. My wife and I negotiated. We had Teams meetings. We had action items. Deliverables. SBARs etc. She wanted an RTT to stay away from critters. I wanted a ground tent to keep weight off roof and have more room. Then she saw how high up an RTT was going to be and agreed a small ground tent was fine as long as it was quick to deploy.
So I chose the Overland(ish) Solo - which is an amazing tent. Luckily they just released their Desert Tan color which... matches with my Jeep. It's 42ish pounds and fits low behind the front seats in the leg area. So perfect to not have to carry it above. It deploys super fast (I've got it down to 1 minute) and if needed guy lines can be pegged down to keep it more stable on windy days. you can stand up, it fits my cot (Tigris One) and Hest Sleep System. And a table. It's ventilated well with double doors etc.
Also I comes with a weather pack - includes a large floor tarp that is actually bigger footprint - which allows for a "boots" area. And the rainfly - which when properly installed makes it look like an Imperial ship from Start wars, which my cat finds amusing.
Finally, I got some portable solar panels from Pecron just in case I was stationary for more than a day and needed some juice. They are super lightweight and provided 200-300W which is just right. Also organized my Home garage with the camping gear and tools.
Sorry catching up as I've been mainly working on the jeep nonstop.
My advice - choose where to tent first before buying anything else. My wife and I negotiated. We had Teams meetings. We had action items. Deliverables. SBARs etc. She wanted an RTT to stay away from critters. I wanted a ground tent to keep weight off roof and have more room. Then she saw how high up an RTT was going to be and agreed a small ground tent was fine as long as it was quick to deploy.
So I chose the Overland(ish) Solo - which is an amazing tent. Luckily they just released their Desert Tan color which... matches with my Jeep. It's 42ish pounds and fits low behind the front seats in the leg area. So perfect to not have to carry it above. It deploys super fast (I've got it down to 1 minute) and if needed guy lines can be pegged down to keep it more stable on windy days. you can stand up, it fits my cot (Tigris One) and Hest Sleep System. And a table. It's ventilated well with double doors etc.
Also I comes with a weather pack - includes a large floor tarp that is actually bigger footprint - which allows for a "boots" area. And the rainfly - which when properly installed makes it look like an Imperial ship from Start wars, which my cat finds amusing.
Finally, I got some portable solar panels from Pecron just in case I was stationary for more than a day and needed some juice. They are super lightweight and provided 200-300W which is just right. Also organized my Home garage with the camping gear and tools.
Sorry catching up as I've been mainly working on the jeep nonstop.
neoprufrok
Well-known member
- Thread starter
- #64
Man I need to update this thread. Here's a few pics from recent trip to Trona Pinnacles (attempted - we got bogged down by mud right after the rains in November).
neoprufrok
Well-known member
- Thread starter
- #65
Took the Jeep to the Upper Terminator at Table Mesa in AZ. It was actually prep by Nena Barlow's team for my Rubicon Trip in July. She is an incredbile instructor. My Jeep never got stuck - minimal scrapes to rock sliders and skids. I did bypass one obstacle because all the other Jeeps were on bigger M/T tires and I was on BFG KO2 37's which... are basically 35.5's. Also, I drove from NorCal and camped along the way, so was much heavier than the others (tent, fridge, water, etc). That said - I'm just floored at what this Jeep can do. By the end of the day, after Tie Rod canyon - we didn't need spotters to finish the trail.
I'm getting beadlocks with true 37" M/Ts soon so that will help for my trip to Moab in March and Rubicon in July. And pismo in June.
Did I mention, i love this Jeep almost more than my other cars (it's not the best car per se, that would by my 911 - but I love it more).
I'm getting beadlocks with true 37" M/Ts soon so that will help for my trip to Moab in March and Rubicon in July. And pismo in June.
Did I mention, i love this Jeep almost more than my other cars (it's not the best car per se, that would by my 911 - but I love it more).
Cool. Maybe see ya at EJS. Was at Pismo in Nov. Excellent weather and pretty much had the dunes to ourselves the whole weekish. Beadlocks are nice, I've used them for over a year and wheeling many places, mostly the dunes in the western states.
neoprufrok
Well-known member
- Thread starter
- #67
Some more updated build pictures.
I went with American Adventure Labs foir rear organization and the dual ARB compressor tailgate mount - which I love. Now, I've removed the drawers - they are heavier and since I use the Jeep everyday - takes up space when I'm not out on the trail. Also adds weight - and I replaced it with something I'll mention down the line which is lighter and more modular. That said - easy to remove and install and completely quiet and incredible build quality by AAL.
The TACS tailgate by AAL is great. ARB dual compressor is inside that big box - which is a small table. The Apex real is perfect - can use it as a single hose - or, in my situation connects to a quad air hose to air up/down all at once. I use a Builtright Bag to attach to the red Molle - and it carries my tire stuff (GlueTread, AEV backup deflator, digital tire guage, and other misc tools). I
I also have the ARB Pressure Control module installed - this lets me control the ARB with my phone and App. It works flawlessly. I basically connect all 4 tires, and select the PSI I want and let it air up and air down accordingly. Airing down takes way too long, so I plan and just using the AEV deflator for each wheel. But airing up is fairly quick.
AAL installed the ARB Dual Compressor, Pressure Control and the Tailgate mount. However, due to time, I had to leave St. George, and I ended up doing the wiring myslef. It involves running a 4AWG Positive and Negative cable front to back. Required some new tools - which I am always happy to buy. I bought this Milwaukee Heat gun - it works great. Very fast. Very contorllable. Only issue is the attachments keep falling off. I have a ton of Milwaukee M18 stuff - so this worked well.
Next up is a Hydraulic Crimper and Ancor large guage stripper. I bought a TemCo Hydraulic Crimper - absolutely essential for these giant cables. Worked well. The Ancor wire stripper also essential - does a great job of strippign without damaging the giant cable. I used Ancor Crimp connections for all the major connections and heat shrinked each.
To run the cable, I removed all my AAL stuff. The ARB Dual compressor requires an ignition Tap as well, which i just took from the rear 12V Dc adaptor - which you can switch from always on to ignition only ion the fuse box.
Result of Crimping:
To run it back, I went down the engine bay (there's a 60A megafuse right at the main battery), on top of the passenger frame rail and found this hole beneath the rear passenger seat - which I drilled out and used a waterproof gland to go into the cabin into the rear trunk area:
In the trunk, I routed the cables to the shallow bin underneath the AAL MASS Plus Base and placed the 2 40A fuses there. It all worked well and so far has worked well in my travels.
I will say, I used to work on other cars and working on my jeep is one of my favorite things to do. Have more pictures, hopefully I'll get to them soon.
I went with American Adventure Labs foir rear organization and the dual ARB compressor tailgate mount - which I love. Now, I've removed the drawers - they are heavier and since I use the Jeep everyday - takes up space when I'm not out on the trail. Also adds weight - and I replaced it with something I'll mention down the line which is lighter and more modular. That said - easy to remove and install and completely quiet and incredible build quality by AAL.
The TACS tailgate by AAL is great. ARB dual compressor is inside that big box - which is a small table. The Apex real is perfect - can use it as a single hose - or, in my situation connects to a quad air hose to air up/down all at once. I use a Builtright Bag to attach to the red Molle - and it carries my tire stuff (GlueTread, AEV backup deflator, digital tire guage, and other misc tools). I
I also have the ARB Pressure Control module installed - this lets me control the ARB with my phone and App. It works flawlessly. I basically connect all 4 tires, and select the PSI I want and let it air up and air down accordingly. Airing down takes way too long, so I plan and just using the AEV deflator for each wheel. But airing up is fairly quick.
AAL installed the ARB Dual Compressor, Pressure Control and the Tailgate mount. However, due to time, I had to leave St. George, and I ended up doing the wiring myslef. It involves running a 4AWG Positive and Negative cable front to back. Required some new tools - which I am always happy to buy. I bought this Milwaukee Heat gun - it works great. Very fast. Very contorllable. Only issue is the attachments keep falling off. I have a ton of Milwaukee M18 stuff - so this worked well.
Next up is a Hydraulic Crimper and Ancor large guage stripper. I bought a TemCo Hydraulic Crimper - absolutely essential for these giant cables. Worked well. The Ancor wire stripper also essential - does a great job of strippign without damaging the giant cable. I used Ancor Crimp connections for all the major connections and heat shrinked each.
To run the cable, I removed all my AAL stuff. The ARB Dual compressor requires an ignition Tap as well, which i just took from the rear 12V Dc adaptor - which you can switch from always on to ignition only ion the fuse box.
Result of Crimping:
To run it back, I went down the engine bay (there's a 60A megafuse right at the main battery), on top of the passenger frame rail and found this hole beneath the rear passenger seat - which I drilled out and used a waterproof gland to go into the cabin into the rear trunk area:
In the trunk, I routed the cables to the shallow bin underneath the AAL MASS Plus Base and placed the 2 40A fuses there. It all worked well and so far has worked well in my travels.
I will say, I used to work on other cars and working on my jeep is one of my favorite things to do. Have more pictures, hopefully I'll get to them soon.
CAMEL2R
Army Veteran
Two of my favorite rides!
neoprufrok
Well-known member
- Thread starter
- #69
]
So wanted to add some pics of the Starlink Mini install as well as my Midland Radio 575
I got the following from American Adventure Labs:
americanadventurelab.com
As mentioned, I had stopped by their shop and they installed it. I then also got this:
americanadventurelab.com
It fit very well. And it shines right through the fiberglass and sound deadening. If you're wondering, the hardtop is repainted by AEV as part of the Venture Package to black. It makes a massive difference in looks IMO.
The mini fit well. obviously there is no adjustment of angle or rotation, so you get what you get. Largely on the move I'm getting 30-50mbps which I think is very reasonable. I have a ipad Mini that uses the starlink to get perfect navigation at all times. When camped if in the right orientation, I still get same or higher. I have it always on via my Pecron Power station.
To wire the Midland GMRS radio - I aready had used the one firewall location for the giant Bluetti Charger 1 cables, and didn't want to get that out again. So instead, I took the power from the battery and ran it up inside the windshield. Of course, that meant dropping the winshield down. But you can't drop it all the way down due to the ditch lights. Of course I also needed to access the hood - so there was a bunch of towels etc protecting paint and glass.
I initially wanted to mount the Midland next to the Mini. Looked great.
Problem was - when the freedom panels went back on, it didn't fit.
So wanted to add some pics of the Starlink Mini install as well as my Midland Radio 575
I got the following from American Adventure Labs:
Jeep JL - JT Overhead MOLLE Shelf - American Adventure Lab
Powder coating is a manual process done by humans and may take some time. When you purchase powder coated products from AAL, we coat them for your order.
americanadventurelab.com
As mentioned, I had stopped by their shop and they installed it. I then also got this:
Starlink Mini Overhead MOLLE Mount - American Adventure Lab
Starink Mini opens up some very interesting opportunities to stay connected and safe while out on the trail. With its ability to maintain high speeds through
americanadventurelab.com
It fit very well. And it shines right through the fiberglass and sound deadening. If you're wondering, the hardtop is repainted by AEV as part of the Venture Package to black. It makes a massive difference in looks IMO.
The mini fit well. obviously there is no adjustment of angle or rotation, so you get what you get. Largely on the move I'm getting 30-50mbps which I think is very reasonable. I have a ipad Mini that uses the starlink to get perfect navigation at all times. When camped if in the right orientation, I still get same or higher. I have it always on via my Pecron Power station.
To wire the Midland GMRS radio - I aready had used the one firewall location for the giant Bluetti Charger 1 cables, and didn't want to get that out again. So instead, I took the power from the battery and ran it up inside the windshield. Of course, that meant dropping the winshield down. But you can't drop it all the way down due to the ditch lights. Of course I also needed to access the hood - so there was a bunch of towels etc protecting paint and glass.
I initially wanted to mount the Midland next to the Mini. Looked great.
Problem was - when the freedom panels went back on, it didn't fit.
Attachments
neoprufrok
Well-known member
- Thread starter
- #70
So I had to move the Midland more to the driver's side.
I then routed the Midland antenna wire down the A pillar to the American Adventure Labs ditch light mount which looks perfect. It's not too stylized. Just functional and built solid.
americanadventurelab.com
Here's the completed pics with other accessories added. From the driver/passenger seat, the mini and midland are hardly noticeable. Speaker to the midland is right above my head so it's loud and clear. i mounted a magnetic mount for the mic so it's right above me. On the driver's side, you can see my Element fire extinguisher (I have one also in the back mounted to the roll bar). I'm going to change that out to a Halo extinguisher as I've seen enough issues with the Element to make sure it's not the only front seat option I have.
I also have a Fenix flashlight, my Montana Knife Company Speedgoat (AEV branded as a gift from AEV) and a pouch that has some USB cables and such for quick access:
View from Passenger's side. I'm a heart surgeon who also trained in Trauma Surgery at Highland Hospital in Oakland, CA. So I carry quite a bit oif medical stuff. I've seen enough in my life to know what I can fix and keep someoone alive for 30-45 minutes. I carry that stuff in my Jeep. Some of this will be moved to the back overhead molle (will post later) as I consolidate kits. The yellow thing is a way to help remove any food someone is choking on if all else fails.
Anyways, hope this helps!
I then routed the Midland antenna wire down the A pillar to the American Adventure Labs ditch light mount which looks perfect. It's not too stylized. Just functional and built solid.
Jeep Wrangler JL/JT Gladiator A-Pillar Light and Antenna Brackets
A-pillar antenna and ditch light brackets for Jeep Wrangler JL and Gladiator JT. 5052 aluminum, ~12 oz/side, sold as a pair. Made in the USA.
americanadventurelab.com
Here's the completed pics with other accessories added. From the driver/passenger seat, the mini and midland are hardly noticeable. Speaker to the midland is right above my head so it's loud and clear. i mounted a magnetic mount for the mic so it's right above me. On the driver's side, you can see my Element fire extinguisher (I have one also in the back mounted to the roll bar). I'm going to change that out to a Halo extinguisher as I've seen enough issues with the Element to make sure it's not the only front seat option I have.
I also have a Fenix flashlight, my Montana Knife Company Speedgoat (AEV branded as a gift from AEV) and a pouch that has some USB cables and such for quick access:
View from Passenger's side. I'm a heart surgeon who also trained in Trauma Surgery at Highland Hospital in Oakland, CA. So I carry quite a bit oif medical stuff. I've seen enough in my life to know what I can fix and keep someoone alive for 30-45 minutes. I carry that stuff in my Jeep. Some of this will be moved to the back overhead molle (will post later) as I consolidate kits. The yellow thing is a way to help remove any food someone is choking on if all else fails.
Anyways, hope this helps!
Attachments
Last edited:
neoprufrok
Well-known member
- Thread starter
- #71
Also as you can see, I use rollercam cam straps to attach some of these things to the overhead Molle. Works great as they come in 1ft, 2ft, 3ft lengths in small molle width.
rollercam.com
The MOLLE Kit
The MOLLE Kit is the ultimate MOLLE system upgrade. It includes all of our best selling, low-profile sleek tie downs so you have all the flexibility without sacrificing security. Please Note: The MOLLE Board pictured is NOT included. Includes: (2) 2' 2-Pack Rollercam® in 0.75" (2) 3' 2-Pack...
rollercam.com
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