Episode 1049 – Dave Wet Fly Swing

May 31, 2024admin123

Dave Stewart is the host of the Wet Fly Swing Podcast, one of the largest fly fishing focused podcasts in the US. Each episode Dave interviews a new expert guest to tease out all of the best tips to help you live out your best trip in the outdoors this year. Although most of the Wet Fly Swing listeners come to learn about fly fishing, they have a diverse background in all outdoor activities including hiking, backpacking, kayaking, hunting, overlanding and much more. Dave also has a history with Jeep going all the way back to his childhood and has some amazing outdoor stories around Jeep.

Episode 1048 – Avengers Are Back!

May 30, 2024Chris

Unlike the prior Avengers, this Advenger 4xe is not sold in America. Maybe we have a bad attitude about what Jeeps are

The Advenger is a British tv series from 1961 to 1969 introduced us to Patrick Macnee and Diana Rigg. A spy versus spy, I’d call it a SciFi show! Much later the Avengers returned, but this time part of the MCU. A group of Super Heros that as far as I know weren’t spies or British.

This Jeep gets four-wheel drive and a lifted suspension.

The Avenger 4xe is a tiny 1.2-liter gasoline engine fitted with mild-hybrid technology. It’s a three-cylinder turbo mill that develops 136 horsepower and routes output to the wheels via a six-speed, dual-clutch automatic transmission. Joining the ICE are two electric motors, one at the front and the other at the rear, with each developing 28 hp.

Top speed of 121 mph. At speeds of up to 19 mph, the Avenger 4xe always works in 4×4 mode with a 50:50 split between the two axles. From 19 to 56 mph, it defaults to front-wheel drive, but the rear motor is always ready to intervene should the need arise. Go faster than 56 mph and the rear motor is disengaged to reduce fuel consumption.

If it’s not sold in America, the majority of our audience, why talk about it on the show? Well, sometimes you can see what’s coming to us from overseas.

Replacing Fender Flares

We all love making our Jeeps custom, most of us just buy someone else “custom” work and bolt it to the Jeep. The fender flares that came on my JT are fine, but never very custom. For those people who are trying to make customizations for functionality, why do they change fender flares?

Metal or plastic

Wide vs narrow

Legal ramifications of narrow flares

Rain or mud (with rocks)

Are you customizing your Jeep into an off-road only, or mostly, vehicle?

Must-Have for Your Jeep!

PRP Seats B040-05 Front Seat Covers for Jeep Wrangler JLU, 4 door $433.46

I think we all, or most, have heard of PRP seats, but did you know they make seat covers? We love customizing our Jeeps, but inside the Jeep is overlooked. Looking from the outside the seats are easily seen. If they are nasty-looking seats that’s bad, but you can just change it from factory to custom, and that screams you love your Jeep.

https://amzn.to/44Zqg3I

Episode 1046 – Gladiator 4×8 Sheets

May 28, 2024Chris

Jeep slams into home

A Jeep, a JK, ran into a home in Huntsville, Alabama.

Houses are near streets, so it’s not that unusual. What makes this story interesting is the Jeep is suspended seven feet in the air between a brick wall and the house!

The jeep slammed into the side of the house just after 9 am. Early morning drinking is a thing! The resident of the house had just walked into the laundry room, a good place if you think about it, the bathroom would have been better…

It seems the Jeep was not occupied, but had rolled down a hill. The Jeep Wrangler had enough forward momentum and the distance between the wall and the house was just wide enough for the 2 door Wrangler to be suspended almost perfectly horizontally!

There were no injuries, and other than a damaged hood it looks like the Wrangler JK fared well.

Jeep Wagoneer S EV

A First teaser video has been released for the Jeep Wagoneer S.

The video is obviously comparing itself to the leader in EVs the Tesla. The teaser seems like the Model Y and the Wagoneer S are going to race, but perhaps that will be in a future video.

I am excited about the first battery-only Jeep! No, I’m not on board, literally and figuratively with an EV for myself, but I am anxious to see what Jeep has accomplished here. I initially read that the estimated miles per charge was 400 miles. This was big news to me as this, as are many other people, watching the range of EVs, and especially for something as brickish as a Jeep.

A more realistic range is given of 300 miles, estimated, on a charge. This means the Wagoneer S can go 21 miles further than the model Y. The Tesla you can get for $52k and the Jeep starts around $80k. The Rivian boasts a range of 321 miles for $92k!

The alleged 0 to 60 for the Wagoneer S was 3.4 seconds, beating the Tesla by .1 seconds.

Just like cell phones went from a communications device to a smartphone that we all have to have, I believe EVs will do the same thing. In the future, it was just make sense to have an EV over an ICE vehicle, but that time isn’t now for most people.

Fabrication Freezy, with Bill & Larry – JeepingMo

Tailgate Rotopax bracket

Must-Have Stuff for Your Jeep!

You’ll have to go to your garage or the lumber yard for this

If you have a Gladiator and you want to haul 4×8 sheets of plywood, or drywall, you’ll need this.

Jeep made “notches” and recesses to make it easy to do this, but you need to supply the items to go into the notches and recesses.

2×4, 49 inches long, 2 2×4 58 inches long

You’ll need 3 2x4x8 (2x4s). Hauling them in the back of your Gladiator should be simple. Just tie them down and hang a flag on the end to be safe. Locally the 2×4 prices are between $3 and $6, so this isn’t an expensive project.

You’ll need a saw, a hand saw is fine. You’ll be cutting these so you can put them into the recesses in the bed of the gladiator and two of them in the notches. Once cut and installed you lower the tailgate of the gladiator to the first stop, by putting the bed cables behind the stops made for this.

Keep in mind you can use this for more than hauling plywood, you could put a sheet of plywood in the bed and carry something that is too long for the gladiator 5-foot bed. Oh no, your friends are going to ask you to help them move now. If they have a Wrangler, make them admit the Gladiator is a real truck, and a real Jeep before agreeing to help.

Episode 1046 – Gladiator 4×8 Sheets

May 28, 2024Chris

Jeep slams into home

A Jeep, a JK, ran into a home in Huntsville, Alabama.

Houses are near streets, so it’s not that unusual. What makes this story interesting is the Jeep is suspended seven feet in the air between a brick wall and the house!

There were no injuries, and other than a damaged hood it looks like the Wrangler JK fared well.

Jeep Wagoneer S EV

A First teaser video has been released for the Jeep Wagoneer S.

The video is obviously comparing itself to the leader in EVs the Tesla. The teaser seems like the Model Y and the Wagoneer S are going to race, but perhaps that will be in a future video.

The alleged 0 to 60 for the Wagoneer S was 3.4 seconds, beating the Tesla by .1 seconds.

Fabrication Freezy, with Bill & Larry – JeepingMo

Tailgate Rotopax bracket

Must-Have Stuff for Your Jeep!

You’ll have to go to your garage or the lumber yard for this

If you have a Gladiator and you want to haul 4×8 sheets of plywood, or drywall, you’ll need this.

Jeep made “notches” and recesses to make it easy to do this, but you need to supply the items to go into the notches and recesses.

2×4, 49 inches long, 2 2×4 58 inches long

Episode 768 – What’s 83 and hates ICE?

February 23, 2023Chris McMahon

This Week In Jeep

You See This Happen To This Jeep – What Do You Do?

Winter is different all over the US. The only ice we drive on in Oregon is the ice rain.

February 4th, 83-year-old Thomas Lee was driving across iced-over East Okoboji Lake in Okoboji, Iowa in his Jeep when the ice cracked and the vehicle began to sink.

Lee was on his way to his son-in-law’s fishing shack when the incident occurred.

Has anyone ever gone ice fishing?

The lake is often frozen solid enough for people and even some vehicles to traverse it safely but the weight of Lee’s Jeep was just a wee bit too much.

The ice cracked and the Jeep Wrangler began to sink

Thankfully multiple individuals were close by, noticed, and acted.

Before reaching the Jeep, witnesses had already called the police, but one young man and four other bystanders decided to act rather than wait on authorities.

One particular 17-year-old kid got to the Jeep first, was able to get on top of the rear bumper, and tried opening the back hatch, but it was locked.

Someone else gave him a knife, and he hit the back glass a couple of times before it finally broke open.

The small band of good samaritans who had rushed to this old Jeepers aid and managed to rescue both him and his six-year-old dog Cooper.

Thankfully, all involved escaped serious injury during the rescue effort.

A local store took the dog in and helped dry everyone out, including the dog.

The Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office called out the quintet for its heroic actions on its Facebook page.

Evidently, it’s not the first time that a vehicle had fallen through the ice in this very spot.

On January 27th, just a week prior, the Sheriff’s Office posted an update involving a UTV that went down in the same location.

Thankfully, that spot, in particular, is only a few feet deep so neither the UTV nor Lee’s Jeep ended up completely submerged.

The Sheriff’s Office also updated everyone on the good news that both Lee and his dog Cooper are back home, dried out and doing well despite the dangerous accident.

Recovery efforts got the Jeep back on dry land, and all we know is the insurance company is involved.

Motorweek Gives Jeep Brand TWO Prestigious Awards

The Jeep brand is the winner of two 2023 MotorWeek Drivers’ Choice Awards.

For over 42 years MotorWeek has held the annual Drivers’ Choice Competition

To evaluate vehicles based on driving performance, technology, practicality, fuel efficiency, and value.

The new Jeep Grand Cherokee took top honors as the Best Midsize Utility vehicle.

The new Grand Wagoneer won the Best Luxury Utility honors.

Through a spokesperson, the brand said it is proud to design and deliver the best, most capable SUVs in the industry to its customers.

John Davis, Host and Creator of MotorWeek say “if you can find a more luxurious or capable SUV – BUY IT!”

By The Time you Hear This, It Might Be Too Late

The event sounds like an absolute blast – and it’s for a good cause too!

Blue Water Jeep Owners Club of Marysville Michigan is having its Fourth annual Polar Bear Jeep Run to benefit children’s charities

(Event is set for Feb. 25 – The weekend after this episode comes out)

The event consists of a large community of Jeep owners who raise money and get family and friends to donate in favor of their driving with their tops off in the middle of winter…in Michigan.

On the day of the event, Jeep owners will go through a drive-thru registration process somewhere in Port Huron, where they will turn in their money and have the tops taken off their Jeeps.

From there they will head over to The Fieldhouse Sports Bar and Kitchen in Marysville to line up into groups.

There will be five or six groups of Jeeps — each group will be sent out at staggered timing, three times during the afternoon for a 30-minute scavenger hunt.

The group will be given addresses they can choose from, to go and pick up an item to come back with and decorate a Polarman.

(A Polarman is a large plywood silhouette shaped like a polar bear)

Each group will be assigned its own Polarman.

Each location a team visits will have a bin of items. They will pick one, take a group picture and then go off to another location.

When the team returns, they use the items to start decorating their Polarman.

If the team arrives back later than 30 minutes, they start to lose items.

Spectators attending can buy tickets to vote on their favorite decorated Polarman during the event. – The one with the most tickets at the end of the day wins.

Spectators and teams can purchase — rent — items from a table in the main event tent to make a team have to use those items on their Polarman

You might have a team doing a great job making a Hawaiian-themed Polarman that all of a sudden has to use a pair of snow skis in their design.

Music, games, Live ice carving, raffles, auctions, and more activities will also be a part of the event. https://bluewaterjeepowners.org/

All proceeds will go toward local children’s charities, including child abuse prevention, adopting kids at Christmas, backpacks for kids, and others.

Thought they would raise about $500 the first year, but ended up raising over $9,000. Funds raised have steadily increased each year, with last year raising almost $19,000.

“Freezin’ for a Reason”

Thomas Lee 83

Tech Talk with Jeep Talk

TOPIC/QUESTION: Heater Hose Hack

Replacing heater hoses on a Jeep is a relatively simple process. Working on Jeeps has always been relatively simple, but there is always room for a hack or something that simplifies a process to make a job go easier or more smoothly. Heater hoses are the two smaller diameter rubber hoses that circulate engine coolant to and from the heater core, which is the small radiator inside the dashboard that provides heat for the cabin. They typically extend from the engine to the firewall, because of where the heater core is located. There may be a combination of rubber and hard lines depending on which year and model of Jeep you have and what engine it has. Despite this, the rubber hoses are a part that can and eventually will go out on you. The job of replacing them, as I mentioned, is relatively simple: take the old ones off, put the new ones on, and maybe top off a little coolant. Done. The issue is sometimes the old rubber hose makes a chemical bond with the metal hoses protruding through the firewall. Sometimes these are even plastic or have specialty locking connectors which makes things even that much more fun and interesting, as trying to get an old hose seized into a plastic connector is almost impossible without breaking the plastic connector, or sometimes bending or creasing the metal interconnect hose. It CAN be a pain in the ass. There are two things that will make this process go a lot easier though. One is a technique and the other is a tool. First the technique. Since these hoses are being replaced anyways, how you take them off isn’t really critical, it’s more important THAT they come off rather than HOW they come off. So instead of trying to twist and pull them off, simply cut them off.

Using a good box knife, make several passes longways from the end of the hose at the firewall, down the length past the connection point. This will probably be less than six inches. This will enable you to peel the hose off the connector, saving the hassle of turning a simple hose swap into a dashboard removal. The other method is by using the right tool for the job. You might be so inclined to grab the biggest set of channel locks you’ve got and just start twisting away. Chances are, you’ll do more harm than good, as the grip of the jaws isn’t putting the pressure in the right places, and could do damage. Instead, look for a set of hose grip pliers. These are a very specific set of pliers that are purpose-built to do one job; grab hoses. They look like a set of needle nose pliers that have had a bad nose job. The tips are stretched and bent to form a semi-circle, giving you the ability to grab a hose around its entire circumference. This spreads the force around the hose and thus doesn’t apply too much pressure at one point. This reduces the risk of pinching, crimping, breaking, or otherwise screwing up a simple job. They come in various sizes, so make sure you get one that closely matches the diameter of the hose you’re working with.

If in doubt, take a slice of the hose with you for reference, or take a measurement beforehand. The tool is relatively cheap compared to the cost of what NOT having them could turn into. This may be a tool you don’t use very often, but the alternative is a lot more expensive and time-consuming. And at least this way, if a fellow Jeeper needs a helping hand, you have the right tool for the job.

Links Mentioned in this Episode

NEXEN Tires USA https://www.nexentireusa.com/

Trails 411- POWERING Your Adventure https://www.youtube.com/user/backcountrydriver

The 4×4 Radio Network http://4x4radionetwork.com/

Interact With The Show! https://jeeptalkshow.com/contact

Jeep Talk Show on Facebook https://facebook.com/jeeptalkshow

Rat Bastards Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/ratbastard

Rat Bastards Webpage https://ratbastard.lol

Looking for Amazon products we’ve talked about on the show? https://jeeptalkshow.com/amazon

You are invited to our Discord Server! https://discord.gg/txeYMs45sm

Show notes powered by sevenslats.com

#Jeep #Wrangler #Cherokee #OffRoad #4×4 #Wheeling #Podcast #JeepPodcast #JKU #JK #XJ #JeepGirl #JeepMom #RedJeepsAreSexy #BlackJeepsRock #jeepLife #JeepTalkShow #steering, #Mechanic, #tools, #Garage, #Fabrication

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Episode 766 – Grand Wagoneer 48k sold!

February 21, 2023Chris McMahon

This Week In Jeep

Jeep Has No Problem Selling Six-Figure Price-Tag Vehicles

According to reports from the Chicago Auto Show (happening as we record this)

Jim Morrison – Head of the Jeep Brand for North America – Claims demand is high

$110,000 Series III and Series III Obsidian trims are the most sought after

Combined Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer 2022 sales = 47,995 units

Expectations are high for 2023

Long wheelbase model “L” coming for 2023

Inline-six Engine (Hurricane) should be available this year as well

The 2023 Grand Wagoneer cannot be had for less than $88,640

Less luxurious Wagoneer carries a starting price of $58,995

Not Really Jeep Related BUT…..

Did you hear that Jeep’s parent company Stellantis is recalling 340k Ram trucks?

The Automaker recommends parking trucks outside until the issue is resolved.

2021-2023 Ram 2500 and 3500 pickups w/ 6.7L Cummins

Over 300k here in the U.S. alone

An electrical connector can overheat and cause a potential fire risk.

So far there have been 6 fires reported / with no accidents or injuries YET

The Jeep CJ-3B Celebrates 70 Years This Week

Launched in the US in ‘53

The model was the first Jeep to be manufactured by Willys-Overland in Brazil in 1954.

Why am I talking about Jeeps in Brazil? – “Operation Pineapple”. In 1955, 3 Scouts left São Paulo for Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada to participate in the 8th World Scout Jamboree.

The incredible trip ended up being an extended trip to Alaska aboard a CJ-3B.

Three scouts traveled about 45,360 miles in just over a year.

Passing through 19 countries and living incredible stories.

Those scouts were named Hugo Vidal, Charles Downey, and Jan Stekly.

instantly became legends in the Jeep community.

(Chuck’s parents probably cracked beers with all these guys.)

All are portrayed in the book “Flashes of an Adventure – Operation Pineapple”.

The CJ-3B used in the expedition contained a number of parts and accessories, However, it had no mechanical issues on the journey whatsoever.

A special video citing the trip was posted to the Jeep Brazil YouTube channel in 2018.

In the video, Hugo Vidal, one of the scouts that made the trip gave his take on the life-changing event some 65 years later.

Newbie Nuggets with Wendy

Why do you air down your tires? And what do you air down to?

Airing down the tires for rock crawling, desert riding, snow, and mud offers several advantages for wheeling. We have discussed in episode 431 the types of tools for airing down and up, and how much to air down which all depends on your tire compound and what you are driving, and the type of obstacles you are traversing.

Showing a tire not aired down vs aired down

Actual psi depends on the stiffness and height of the tire sidewall, weight of the vehicle, type of wheels being used, and the road surface and condition

Four reasons airing down is beneficial to off-roading:

Improved traction by allowing the tire contact patch to spread over a greater area
Improve ride since the tires are softer
Reduce the risk of a puncture since the tire tread and sidewall have more compliance – like an inflated vs deflated balloon
Reduced damage to the road surface since the weight on each tire spread out over a greater area of the tire contact patch. Preserving trails

We always recommend airing down when on a trail, even an easy road. It’s amazing when a driver does and then says later, “wow that made a huge difference”. So let’s all try to reduce our footprint on the trails by airing down and helping the planet.

NOTE: Make sure you air up to the proper psi for your vehicle and tires. Under-pressured tires on the highway could cause a tire to fail/blowout

Jeep Talk Show Gladiator Update

Adding auxiliary lights, onboard air, etc… is exciting and enhances your Jeep, for fun and better off-road performance.

Thanks to TYRI lights I have been doing some wiring on the 2021 Jeep Talk Show Gladiator recently.

Installing the 2 7” Tyri D18 lights is easy, but running the wiring isn’t as easy. The harnesses included certainly helped but you still have to run the harness, and zip tie it up out of the way.

Fortunately, when I built out my custom Gladiator I ordered the Authentic Mopar Auxiliary Switch Bank

This gave me four wires, under the hood that all I had to do was hook up what I wanted to be able to turn on or off.

Two 40 amp and two 15 amp. With the right wiring and relay you can increase that to match your requirements.

I didn’t wire the TYRI D18 or 1010 lights directly to the AUX lines, I added a FUSE. You want to make sure the wire gauge and length match the current requirements of what you are powering. This should be 20% greater than the requirement.

Fuse or breaker? Keep this in mind depending on how critical the thing is you are powering. I have decided on a 40 amp breaker for the Viair 450c air compressor. I don’t want to be needing to use the air compressor and have used my last 40 amp fuse.

If your JT Gladiator didn’t come with a Mopar AUX switch bank, you can order one online from MOPAR, AMAZON, or QUADRATEC. They are between $300 and $400. It looks factory because it is factory.

We’ll have the Mopar part numbers in our show notes for this episode, 766 82215190AE black / 82215798AE silver

Must-Have Stuff Pick-of-the-Week for your Jeep!

Gorilla Automotive 1721 Telescoping Power Wrench $27.22

https://amzn.to/2JPAn5O

The Gorilla Power Wrench’s 21″ telescoping handle provides the leverage needed to remove even the tightest lug nuts with ease. Includes dual sockets that fit virtually all standard Original Equipment lug nuts. 17mm, 19mm(3/4″), 21mm(13/16″), 23mm(7/8″) socket sizes included.

The telescoping handle extends to 21 inches for maximum leverage
Compacts to 14 inches for easy storage
Hardened steel and precision construction
A perfect replacement for your standard lug wrench
Polybag included for convenient storage – (holds up well)

This is the original, there are others that sell for less (half the price) but they aren’t made like this. Many imitators – No duplicators

Links Mentioned in this Episode

NEXEN Tires USA https://www.nexentireusa.com/

Trails 411- POWERING Your Adventure https://www.youtube.com/user/backcountrydriver

The 4×4 Radio Network http://4x4radionetwork.com/

Interact With The Show! https://jeeptalkshow.com/contact

Jeep Talk Show on Facebook https://facebook.com/jeeptalkshow

Rat Bastards Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/ratbastard

Rat Bastards Webpage https://ratbastard.lol

Looking for Amazon products we’ve talked about on the show? https://jeeptalkshow.com/amazon

You are invited to our Discord Server! https://discord.gg/txeYMs45sm

Show notes powered by sevenslats.com

#jeeptalkshow #jeepporn #wrangler #jeepbeef #offroading #jeepsofinstagram #jeepin #jeepwave #jeepjk #jeepjeep #rubicon #jeepgirl #jeeprubicon #jeeper #jeeping #jeeplifestyle #jeepcj #jeepers #jku #jeepcherokee

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Episode 764 – Woman Rewarded With Jeep

February 16, 2023Chris McMahon

This Week In Jeep

Woman Rewarded With Jeep For Returning Cash

White Lake Township, Michigan

A little old woman without her own vehicle for over a year

Walked to and from work (2.7 miles away) every day

On her way, home / in January / Stopped BP gas station on Highland Road

Found a bag of money / Just laying on the ground

Immediately called the police

A sergeant of White Lake Police shared a story / Wife got with the Chief of police

Started a go-fund-me page

Word Spread / Matter of days had raised $67K

The woman had no idea, got a call from Fox 2 / Then Officer showed up

The woman was of course in shock

With the help of Szott M-59 Chrysler Jeep in White Lake, she got her new Jeep

It’s a fully loaded Jeep compass in military green (but she absolutely loves it)

Police were able to track down the newlyweds who dropped the cash

They’re from the other side of the state / got the money returned

All happened in less than a week

Her favorite part is she now gets to go to her granddaughter’s gymnastics meet

She can’t wait to drive her new Jeep there

Jeep 2023 Chicago Auto Show Reveal

Did you see the teaser video posted to Jeep’s Twitter account?

Asking people to “tune in” for the “powerful premiere” / Today (Thursday) mid-morning

Teaser = short video that showed an old television coming closer and closer

On the TV / Drawing of a Jeep Wrangler (front grill, windshield, bumper, axle, tires)

And the text “Proud Member Lunatic Fringe”

(almost looks like the JTS logo)

Lunatic Fringe is the group of Jeep employees who put up their own money to make the Wrangler Rubicon a reality.

The premier video was shown at the Chicago Auto show, (Feb 11-20)

The scene opens with red rock trails, and a dark-colored Jeep SUV splashing through a small stream in these red rock trails. …… VO starts in:

“It’s impossible to think about where we’re going,

(snowy, tree-covered mountain scapes shown)

without appreciating everywhere we’ve been.” (back to red rock trails, lots of rocks)

“so as we look to our future” (images of buildings of glass, cityscapes)

“Making sure our soul remains intact.” (American flag – new wagoneer logo with flag)

“We summon the best of our past” (old waggoneer shown in the snow in front of house)

“To shape a brilliant future.” (different scenes of drafting/design taking place)

“It’s American adventure” (snowy landscape, jeep comes in drifting sideways)

…”Electrified” (Jeep charging station shown in the middle of nowhere)

“The corner station” (Multiple Jeeps shown pulling up to Jeep charging station)

“Now filling our tanks with sunlight” (plugging in at Jeep charging station)

“It’s an iconic SUV”…made even better by you”

(Wagoneer and Wrangler’s models shown in action offroad)

“And new trails beckoning, more vivid than ever before”

(Wagoneer dash with four giant screens built-in)

“It’s freedom at your command”

(overhead view of Jeep shown with ‘radar’ coming out of it on all four sides)

…” with a built-in co-pilot.” (assuming auto pilot HUD is being shown)

“And stories by the fire” (multiple Wrangler 4xe’s shown pulling up around a fire)

. ..”That brings us warmth in new ways.” (large screen on the Wrangler dash shows fire)… “And while we fix our eyes on the road ahead”

(Jeep cresting rock as spotter gives commands. …” some things, must always remain”

(showing a closeup of control on the dash of Jeep, appears to raise /lower suspension)

“four knobby tires,…”

(Jeep shown rock crawling – then close-up of suspension in action over rocks)

“seven slots in the grill,” (scene shows Grand Cherokee (?) with seven slot grille)

“and the freedom of wide open space, disappearing into the sky”

(Jeep wrangler shown reaching the summit, the scene pans back and away to show the mountain top above clouds…keeps going)

Jeep – There’s only one

That’s when Jim Morrison came out just all smiles

Tech Talk with Jeep Talk

Jeeps are awesome. We all know this. That’s one of the primary reasons we all own at least one. But Jeeps over the years have lacked some of the simple necessities of regular cars and trucks. For instance, things like cup holders were a creature comfort thought to be not needed in Jeeps for decades! No, it’s true, look it up. Thankfully the aftermarket, (and then later the OEM) finally came out with solutions. The same goes for interior lighting. Jeeps historically have not had the best interior lighting either.

And I’m not talking about just the Wrangler and CJ crowd. Even my XJ has crap for lighting. Jeep did try at least, and a lot of the Jeeps of the 90s and on had at least some degree of under-dash lights to help illuminate the footwell of the vehicle you were about to climb into. Unfortunately, the crappy plastic lens covers on those quickly saw thermal fatigue and clouded up worse than a pacific northwest afternoon. And if they burnt out before you got the vehicle, there’s a good chance you didn’t even know they were there, to begin with. Thankfully, the aftermarket has some excellent solutions that are not only cheap but highly effective too. For less than $40 at the auto parts store, or for about $20 online, you can pick up 6 LED strips that are bright and easy to install. With a little cash, and a little time and know-how, you can have exceptional footwell lighting for your Jeep front and rear. All you need to do is stick the self-adhesive lights to the bare metal under the dash and under the front seats in the back …then ground the negative lead and tie the positive leads of the LED light strips into your dome light circuit.

Be sure to run all the wiring under your carpet, molding, and roll bar pads so it looks OEM…. and that’s it… you’re done! Since the draw from the LEDs is going to be negligible, you shouldn’t have to worry about incorporating a relay into this, nor will you need a switch. Providing you tap into the right wire, the lights will automatically come on when you turn the dome light on or open any of the doors. They will also automatically shut off when the doors are closed. So no worries about a parasitic drain or coming out to a dead battery. To find the wire you need to tap into check out https://www.the12volt.com/ It’s a great resource for vehicle electrical information and a solid, reliable source that you can trust. I’ve used this site as a reference for years without a single issue or case of bad info. Everything from vehicle wiring colors and their locations, to relay wiring diagrams, load calculators, and even a box-building configurator for those wanting to tackle their own subwoofer enclosure design. Of course, a regular google search should also provide that wiring location info if you don’t want to waste time on a super cool website. Once done with this project you will have the floorboards of your Jeep illuminated so well… you might just find that long-lost 10mm socket, that lost earring, or your favorite pen that’s been missing since before covid. Now I’m going to leave the selection of the LED light strips up to you. Maybe you want something that you can change the color on, or that can strobe. Hell, I don’t know what you’re into. I will say this though, (like I always do bout this time), surface prep is everything. Even with that said, don’t think for a second that even with a good clean surface the glue on the back of that cheap led-tape-reel you got off amazon is going to last one summer or a single frosty morning. So take a tip from me, and use zip ties to mount the lights, and you won’t find them laying on top of your shoes one day in traffic. Zip ties are like the micro version of a ratchet strap, good for so many things!

Now, you may be the kind of person that just doesn’t want to mess with tapping into electrical circuits and things like that. You may not even own a test light or multimeter. Maybe just upgrading the light bulbs in the interior is more your speed. No problem. There are several companies out there that offer full LED light packages that come with all the lights you need to replace the dome light, footwell, and maybe even map lights and more, with much brighter and/or whiter LED lights. Go to someplace like amazon or eBay and type in something like “LED Interior Lights Kit Package for Jeep Wrangler”

The first result on amazon for me is a Diode Dynamics Cool White Interior LED Kit compatible with Jeep Wrangler JK 2007-2018, Stage 1 for $28 even. How about this deluxe kit for the JK’s, $16, it even includes the vanity mirror lights!

Options are out there for whatever level and budget you’re at, so don’t sit in the dark anymore, get out there, and upgrade your Jeep’s interior lighting today!