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!
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/
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Looking for Amazon products we’ve talked about on the show? https://jeeptalkshow.com/amazon
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Newbie Nuggets with Wendy
Jeep Talk Show Gladiator Update
Over the last week or so we’ve heard some updates from Chuck regarding his new leaf springs, and the super articulating orbit eye that they have. This gave me some inspiration to cover a topic related to springs. So I figured I’d give some love to the TJ crowd this week. TJ owners deserve a cheap solution to spring problems just as much as anyone else. Especially with the way inflation has hit the aftermarket Jeep world. 
Now to bring the rear up to height, we’re going to be looking for a Crown Victoria. That’s right, just like the old cop cars. The Crown Vic springs are also taller springs, made to handle the weight of such a large car. Here too you’ll want to grab the isolators, and I hear some guys are running both sets of isolators to gain just that extra little bit of height. There are other considerations you will have to take care of after putting these springs into a TJ as well. First and foremost is of course going to be the shocks. The stock shocks won’t have the travel necessary for the new ride height and suspension travel, so new shocks will be needed. Now you could opt to go new here and to be honest, you’d still be well ahead of the game. Or you could continue to save, and turn to places like eBay, Craigslist, or FB Marketplace to track down something used. 
Look for take-off shocks from a stock Rubicon JKU. When someone upgrades their Jeep with aftermarket parts, they “take off” the stock stuff and sell it for super cheap. The stock Rubicon JKU shocks (these are the red ones BTW) will be the perfect upgrade, they are just barely within the specs needed to accommodate the new suspension of the TJ, and will be a suitable, easy-to-find, and inexpensive option. You may need or want to look into track bar relocation brackets as well. These will be needed to recenter the axles under the Jeep after the junkyard lift. You probably won’t find these in the junkyard, and they’re rare on the used market, but it never hurts to look. Either way, they’re relatively inexpensive, so just add them to the list and 
get a set regardless. You will also want to look into getting an alignment done as soon as possible since you just changed a lot of geometry under the Jeep in some rather critical areas. There are also a lot of “while you’re in there’s” that can go along with this too. Things like brake line length, we just talked about that recently too. You will of course need larger tires now, duh! Visual inspections of steering and brake components should be done ANY and EVERY time you crawl under the Jeep for any reason. Maybe it’s time for some new wheel bearings or a brake job, or maybe you’ll discover a worn tie rod end or ball joint, who knows, just be prepared for the unexpected and a last-minute run to the parts store or rockauto.com. In the end, you’ll have enough lift for some larger tires, you will have increased your suspension travel, and seriously change the looks of your Jeep for the better, so there’s the cool factor to all of this too. I will warn you though, that you will get what you pay for. Things may not fit perfectly, things may squeak, and you will definitely notice a change in the ride quality from what the Jeep was when it was stock. The overall ride quality of a junkyard lift is not going to be as soft of a ride as you had before and for a daily driver, I would almost advise against this procedure just because of that if this is something that matters to you. But don’t let that or me stop you, once lifted, it’s a lot easier to change things later down the road. And speaking of that road, when it comes time to leave said road and hit the trails, no matter what… you’ll still be doing a lot better than you were when the Jeep was stock. Now don’t think this ends with the TJ, there are tons of modifications that can be done to all kinds of Jeeps with junkyard parts. So do some research, and I bet you’ll be surprised what parts from other vehicles will fit on your Jeep and do just fine. 
Mark Cantrell
Jeep Talk Show Gladiator Update
