🛠️ What did you do to your Jeep 392 today?

[Rubikane]

I just did a 600 mile trip from So Utah to Yellowstone - half doors and uppers .
Not bad at all - Turn up the tunes

Edit - soft top with half doors

 

[Turboencabulator]

I added a OEM looking knee pad to the lower console on the driver's side. My right foot seems to always prefer the right peddle to the left peddle so my right knee always rests against that center console trim which is not very comfortable. So I found a BMW leather wrapped panel for $35 on eBay that I ordered with metal push clips to securely install it into the plastic panel. (The part is called "BMW F22 F23 F87 Center console left driver side knee pad panel" if you're interested, make sure it has the clips included). I used a piece of cardboard wrapped in tinfoil to create witness marks that I then cut-out to make a template. I then used CAD (cardboard assisted design) to mock up the position and cut out the slots with a hot knife.

After that I installed the metal clips and mounted the pad. I actually did it all from the outside so I didn't even need to take any of the panels off, but I took off a few things to make sure there was no wires behind that area. Here is the final product:

It's soooooo... much nicer than the plastic footwell. Looks OEM and it's nice and secure with the 5 clips, the panel bends slightly so its not totally flush at the narrow end but it's very close. Also, I did a full cleaning of the interior so here is a picture of my lil' "tool box" with Thor's hammer (the Milwaukee 2967), some Wera Joker ratchet wrenches, a rail of Snap-on, lots of picks and trim tools, and my air compressor stuff. (I keep the Jeep tool-kit in the armrest... love that thing!)

 

[Excaliburitto]

cardboard assisted design

Great execution as always @Turboencabulator !!!

 

[Ten4Jeep]

I added a OEM looking knee pad to the lower console on the driver's side. My right foot seems to always prefer the right peddle to the left peddle so my right knee always rests against that center console trim which is not very comfortable. So I found a BMW leather wrapped panel for $35 on eBay that I ordered with metal push clips to securely install it into the plastic panel. (The part is called "BMW F22 F23 F87 Center console left driver side knee pad panel" if you're interested, make sure it has the clips included). I used a piece of cardboard wrapped in tinfoil to create witness marks that I then cut-out to make a template. I then used CAD (cardboard assisted design) to mock up the position and cut out the slots with a hot knife.
View attachment 49038
View attachment 49039
After that I installed the metal clips and mounted the pad. I actually did it all from the outside so I didn't even need to take any of the panels off, but I took off a few things to make sure there was no wires behind that area. Here is the final product:
View attachment 49040
View attachment 49041
It's soooooo... much nicer than the plastic footwell. Looks OEM and it's nice and secure with the 5 clips, the panel bends slightly so its not totally flush at the narrow end but it's very close. Also, I did a full cleaning of the interior so here is a picture of my lil' "tool box" with Thor's hammer (the Milwaukee 2967), some Wera Joker ratchet wrenches, a rail of Snap-on, lots of picks and trim tools, and my air compressor stuff. (I keep the Jeep tool-kit in the armrest... love that thing!)
View attachment 49042

Nicely done!!!

 

[RP1]

Thanks! Much appreciated. I'm wondering if getting a black soft top to play with too would be fun. I need to do some more research on the soft tops. So much fun!

So I have the dual top option - hard top with soft top - and have a ton of thoughts on this topic. Full disclosure I had a 2000 TJ with the dual top option years ago and enjoyed being able to put the hard top on for winter (mainly to reduce noise in the Jeep so I could take calls from the road) and put the soft top on for the summer to be able to drop the top for driving in good weather. When I was shopping for a new Jeep I really wanted the Bikini color so that was a priority and when I was looking, that color had already been discontinued by Jeep so I had to find one already on a dealer lot (or used). Since the TJ dual roof worked well for me, I looked for a JL with dual roof.

The thing I did not realize, was that the soft top and how it works had changed quite a bit since the TJ days. The TJ soft top would almost disappear when down - the JLU soft top, while not bad, does NOT disappear when down. The TJ rear window was pretty easy to roll up and store when the soft top was down - this is not so much the case with the JL rear window. The TJ side windows were much smaller and pretty easy to store in the back - the JL windows are bigger and have the hard corners and are not as easy to carry. What I have observed is that when I take the top down on the JL I end up leaving the windows in the garage, which means I don't have a complete top for rain if I go out.

My goal was to have a hardtop Jeep to drive in the crappy, snowy winter weather and have a no-top, no-doors Jeep for summer parked in the garage when it rains and at night. The soft top is in a gray zone between these two uses. I find that this summer I have had the soft top up and windows and doors on far more often than I would have liked just because I cannot rely on the weather. To me, the 392 is way too expensive to let it sit out in the rain with the top down.

Long winded reply, but think hard about your local weather and your ability to remove/reinstall the hard top. To me the best open air feel is with no top at all. And I think with a good lift the hard top is far easier to take on and off than the soft top. Next summer I may just leave the soft top in storage and take the hard top on/off for weather.

I would skip the soft top since you have the sunrider. That solves the problem of storing the removable panels in the back if you go out and gives you a good deal of open air.

 

[RP1]

I added a OEM looking knee pad to the lower console on the driver's side. My right foot seems to always prefer the right peddle to the left peddle so my right knee always rests against that center console trim which is not very comfortable. So I found a BMW leather wrapped panel for $35 on eBay that I ordered with metal push clips to securely install it into the plastic panel. (The part is called "BMW F22 F23 F87 Center console left driver side knee pad panel" if you're interested, make sure it has the clips included). I used a piece of cardboard wrapped in tinfoil to create witness marks that I then cut-out to make a template. I then used CAD (cardboard assisted design) to mock up the position and cut out the slots with a hot knife.
View attachment 49038
View attachment 49039
After that I installed the metal clips and mounted the pad. I actually did it all from the outside so I didn't even need to take any of the panels off, but I took off a few things to make sure there was no wires behind that area. Here is the final product:
View attachment 49040
View attachment 49041
It's soooooo... much nicer than the plastic footwell. Looks OEM and it's nice and secure with the 5 clips, the panel bends slightly so its not totally flush at the narrow end but it's very close. Also, I did a full cleaning of the interior so here is a picture of my lil' "tool box" with Thor's hammer (the Milwaukee 2967), some Wera Joker ratchet wrenches, a rail of Snap-on, lots of picks and trim tools, and my air compressor stuff. (I keep the Jeep tool-kit in the armrest... love that thing!)
View attachment 49042

That is very OE looking and professionally done - good job!!!

 

[B.Davis]

So I have the dual top option - hard top with soft top - and have a ton of thoughts on this topic. Full disclosure I had a 2000 TJ with the dual top option years ago and enjoyed being able to put the hard top on for winter (mainly to reduce noise in the Jeep so I could take calls from the road) and put the soft top on for the summer to be able to drop the top for driving in good weather. When I was shopping for a new Jeep I really wanted the Bikini color so that was a priority and when I was looking, that color had already been discontinued by Jeep so I had to find one already on a dealer lot (or used). Since the TJ dual roof worked well for me, I looked for a JL with dual roof.

The thing I did not realize, was that the soft top and how it works had changed quite a bit since the TJ days. The TJ soft top would almost disappear when down - the JLU soft top, while not bad, does NOT disappear when down. The TJ rear window was pretty easy to roll up and store when the soft top was down - this is not so much the case with the JL rear window. The TJ side windows were much smaller and pretty easy to store in the back - the JL windows are bigger and have the hard corners and are not as easy to carry. What I have observed is that when I take the top down on the JL I end up leaving the windows in the garage, which means I don't have a complete top for rain if I go out.

My goal was to have a hardtop Jeep to drive in the crappy, snowy winter weather and have a no-top, no-doors Jeep for summer parked in the garage when it rains and at night. The soft top is in a gray zone between these two uses. I find that this summer I have had the soft top up and windows and doors on far more often than I would have liked just because I cannot rely on the weather. To me, the 392 is way too expensive to let it sit out in the rain with the top down.

Long winded reply, but think hard about your local weather and your ability to remove/reinstall the hard top. To me the best open air feel is with no top at all. And I think with a good lift the hard top is far easier to take on and off than the soft top. Next summer I may just leave the soft top in storage and take the hard top on/off for weather.

I would skip the soft top since you have the sunrider. That solves the problem of storing the removable panels in the back if you go out and gives you a good deal of open air.

Thank You for your insight, very helpful to me and probably others.

As I've been looking more, I even see a difference from the OEM version vs. the Bestop version. Plus, it looks like the new Bestop Trektop Ultra can slide most of the way back on rest on the rear tailgate. BUT if I wanted a full topless Jeep, there's a lot of hardware and braces to remove. Also, true if I just wanted/needed to put the hardtop back on, not quick and easy to switch between full soft and the hard tops.

Yeah, I'm rethinking my desire for a full soft top. I can remove the full hardtop, including the Sunrider pretty easily. We love going topless. And now with the half-doors, it's a whole new fun, right-up there with no-doors.

The beauty of the half-doors with uppers. I can drive it to work or wherever all closed up or pull out the uppers at any time. If a storm did roll in suddenly, just toss the uppers back in. Heck, I drove to work today with just the upper removed from my driver's door and Sunrider open.

Much appreciated!

 

[srj67]

I didn’t like the gaping hole left from swapping out my stock bumper, but I’m not ready to pull the trigger on rear fender liners just yet. So I made these:

 

[Phil921]

Installed the FABTECH Interior Cargo Rack today. Packaged well with no missing parts and very well built.... easy install. For my fellow rock pounders who just need a bit more organized space in the ass end for long trips, this seems like it will fit the bill.

 

[redbeard719]

I messed up yesterday....but I'll be damned if the wife and I didn't have fun!!

A few hours and 40+ miles of dry dusty Colorado backroads. With the doors off. Exploring with no real destination in mind.

Doing a massively deep interior detail today...Like, disassembling things to get all that fine dust out. The vacuum was of very little help.

 

[Ray R]

I messed up yesterday....but I'll be damned if the wife and I didn't have fun!!

A few hours and 40+ miles of dry dusty Colorado backroads. With the doors off. Exploring with no real destination in mind.

Doing a massively deep interior detail today...Like, disassembling things to get all that fine dust out. The vacuum was of very little help.

View attachment 49086

View attachment 49087

You need a brush on the end of that vacuum hose!

 

[redbeard719]

You need a brush on the end of that vacuum hose!

I actually tried that too, and it just didn't do very much. That was directly into the central vac in the garage too.

It's about 98% complete. I have a few small pieces to left to clean and reassemble, but it's looking good as new now.

I'm going to be replacing the cabin filter - is anyone running the K&N one? It's not cheap for what it is, but it's US made, and cleanable/reusable.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07L44Q8HQ/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

 

[Medsker]

is anyone running the K&N one?

I ran one in my old Jeep and it worked great. I'll probably replace the new Jeep with one also, once I need one.

 

[guruman]

I actually tried that too, and it just didn't do very much. That was directly into the central vac in the garage too.

It's about 98% complete. I have a few small pieces to left to clean and reassemble, but it's looking good as new now.

I'm going to be replacing the cabin filter - is anyone running the K&N one? It's not cheap for what it is, but it's US made, and cleanable/reusable.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07L44Q8HQ/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

I'm running the cabin filter by K&N, and it's fine. I like being able to pull it out and wash it, as sometimes we are out in the dust several weekends in a row, and buying a new one all the time seemed dumb.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

I added a OEM looking knee pad to the lower console on the driver's side. My right foot seems to always prefer the right peddle to the left peddle so my right knee always rests against that center console trim which is not very comfortable. So I found a BMW leather wrapped panel for $35 on eBay that I ordered with metal push clips to securely install it into the plastic panel. (The part is called "BMW F22 F23 F87 Center console left driver side knee pad panel" if you're interested, make sure it has the clips included). I used a piece of cardboard wrapped in tinfoil to create witness marks that I then cut-out to make a template. I then used CAD (cardboard assisted design) to mock up the position and cut out the slots with a hot knife.
View attachment 49038
View attachment 49039
After that I installed the metal clips and mounted the pad. I actually did it all from the outside so I didn't even need to take any of the panels off, but I took off a few things to make sure there was no wires behind that area. Here is the final product:
View attachment 49040
View attachment 49041
It's soooooo... much nicer than the plastic footwell. Looks OEM and it's nice and secure with the 5 clips, the panel bends slightly so its not totally flush at the narrow end but it's very close. Also, I did a full cleaning of the interior so here is a picture of my lil' "tool box" with Thor's hammer (the Milwaukee 2967), some Wera Joker ratchet wrenches, a rail of Snap-on, lots of picks and trim tools, and my air compressor stuff. (I keep the Jeep tool-kit in the armrest... love that thing!)
View attachment 49042

That's where your Glock is supposed to go.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

I messed up yesterday....but I'll be damned if the wife and I didn't have fun!!

A few hours and 40+ miles of dry dusty Colorado backroads. With the doors off. Exploring with no real destination in mind.

Doing a massively deep interior detail today...Like, disassembling things to get all that fine dust out. The vacuum was of very little help.

View attachment 49086

View attachment 49087

You must not be used to the dusty trails of Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. That would be about an hour of driving.

I open all doors and hatch, and hit it with my Milwaukee M18 blower. After that, just a damp towel followed by Chemical Guys interior cleaner, on a microfiber towel.

 

[cjljl392XR]

Rusty's tire carrier installed today - solid, no more wobble over bumps, and the tailgate closes with ease.

 

[Turboencabulator]

That's where your Glock is supposed to go.

I think you could do both... now you have tactical luxury. Only I'd prefer my old HK45 USP LEM service weapon (the ammo was significantly cheaper) free

edit... So I just had to share my favorite "Home Defense weapon" the Bug-A-Salt. I love this thing! I actually look forward to a housefly entering prohibited airspace. Of course I had to make a few modifications (thank you Deadpool!)... smile wait for flash.

 

[392runner]

This one did follow me home last week and it was time for new shoes.

As it is pretty much out of the door there is a big list I want to do.
The bronze doesn't make it easier...

 

[392runner]

View attachment 47922



Had the KC Titan Gravity lightbar installed on the Motobilt mount painted to match the Jeep. Thanks to @jeepguru for sorting out a good deal for me and @Ransom for talking me into it

Looks really nice and lights are very bright with long throw. Haven't taken it out to the desert yet for a proper night drive and might get rid of some of the BD lights depending on how it works out.

Hi,

for the KC Gravity Lightebar, is this a different mount than that one from KC?
Would it allow the ACC sensor for Adaptive Cruise Control to work?

Thanks