What's fun about owning a Jeep is making it your own. There are a ton of aftermarket parts. One of the most dramatic aftermarket transformations you can make is lifting the suspension. The suspension lift not only looks cool, it provides more ground clearance and lets you climb more stuff ;)
I did quite a bit of research on Jeep Wrangler JK lift kits and kept ending up with TeraFlex. They have a solid customer following, excellent customer support and manufacture solid products. I picked the 2.5" lift kit as the base for two reasons 1) keep the center of gravity low so I don't roll, 2) when you start getting to 3" or more of lift you have to replace the front drive-shaft and make other very expensive components.
The TeraFlex 2.5" lift kit comes complete with all parts needed; however, when you make any lift modification it alters the front and rear axle alignment. The TF kit comes with a rear trackbar realignment bracket, but nothing in the front. Instead of using the relocation bracket, I purchased a stronger adjustable trackbar. I also purchased a front adjustable trackbar as well. The only other component that could be needed is an adjustable lower control arm (LCA). LCA's enable you to adjust the front wheel caster. The stock controls arms are not adjustable. When going to bigger tires, the Jeep may wonder around a bit on the highway if it doesn't have enough caster.
Here are some pics of what it looked like before the lift
I am capable of doing this work on my own, but I don't have the right tools. A lift also makes the job a lot easier. I found Rock 4x Fabrication in Waukegan WI that let me use their facilities and work side by side with them. They are great guys that know their way around Jeeps. We were able to do the entire project in a few hours.
We started off by pulling the Jeep into the bay and putting it up on the lift.
We then started pulling the stock shocks, springs etc. off of the Jeep. You have to be very careful when doing this or the axle will fall to the ground. We used long floor jacks to support the axles as we worked from front to back.
The TereFlex springs come painted in flat black. I like having color on the various suspension components so it's easier to see if you have leaks or other issues. I painted the new springs Yellow using Krylon paint
Disconnecting the axles is pretty easy on the Jeep. All you need to do is use a floor jack to support one end of the axle and disconnect the trackbar, remove the shocks and disconnect the stabilizer link. Then decrease the tension slowly using the jack until the spring disengages. It is the exact same process on the other side.
Here's a pic of the rear original spring (black) sitting beside the new TeraFlex spring (yellow). The new spring is about 2 inches taller in the rear and 3" taller in the front.
Installing the springs is the reverse of removing them. The next step is to install the shocks. In my case, I installed Old Man Emu (OME) Nitrogen filled shocks instead of TereFlex. OME shocks are considered one of the best on the market. I chose these because they are designed to work well for a daily driver and off-road.
We repeated the exact same process in the front:
The last steps were to install the front and rear trackbars. Here's a pic of the front TereFlex bar. It is the one that has the curve in it.
Here's a pic of the guys installing the rear Trackbar. They were using a tie strap to move the axle to the left to align the mounting holes with the bar. The strap made the job 100% easier.
The last step was to install 1.5" wheel spacers. I have to use my original wheels until the new ones arrive. Without the spacers stock tires and wheels will rub.
The first major project I tackled after getting my Jeep Wrangler Unlimited was installing an Alpine Audio Video System.
Here's a YouTube video demoing the amp:
As you can see, the system rocks! My neighbors can hear me coming a mile away -- especially with the top off ;)
NOTE: I didn't take many pictures when I installed the system. I'll do my best to explain what I did and the parts I used. If you have any questions feel free to send me a message.
The first step in the process was to determine what system to install. I wanted an all in one Head Unit (HU) that had GPS, Video, XM Radio and various other goodies. I decided on Alpine because they are well known for sound quality and reliability.
CAN-BUS Radio Interface Box (provides ACC power & Vehicle Computer Integration)
Misc parts from Radio Shack, Parts Express, L-Com and others that include heat shrink tubing, ring clips, solder, SNA crimp connectors (GPS antenna), etc.
The Alpine install is more complex than a normal car radio. There are a ton of parts that have to go in perfectly. Crossing a wire somewhere could nuke some very expensive components. This job is best left to an experienced installer if you are not comfortable with soldering, cutting into vehicle wiring, running wires to the battery, etc.
The first part of an install like this is to plan it out carefully. I spent about 3 weeks researching where to put what. The Jeep Wrangler Unlimited is longer than the 2-door and has a trunk, but it still has limited space. It is a challenge to have a factory looking install with a system that has so many components.
The Alpine head unit was easy. The DD size is a perfect fit to the factory mount. It is also quite capable:
HD Radio
XM Radio
Global Positioning System (GPS)
DVD
Backup Camera
Tire Cam
The Wrangler dash doesn't have much room behind it, so I mounted the amp under the passenger seat. The cables are hidden under the carpet.
The XM radio Direct2 unit and the HD Radio Module wouldn't fit by the radio, so I made an Aluminum panel and mounted it to the chassis with rubber shock mounts.
The JL Audio Sub was designed for the JK Unlimited and mounts in the cargo bay. It is truly a stealth box. The Carpet matches perfectly and unlike most subs it takes minimal space.
The Jeep speaker mounts are designed for 3-holes. Alpine and most speakers mount with 4 holes. Fortunately, the Alpine speakers come with the adapter plates, so this job was easy.
The -R component tweeters are quite a bit larger than stock. It took a dremel tool and some time, but I was able to modify the stock tweeter pod to fit the Alpine speakers. They look like they've been there forever.
The final upgrade was to install an Optima deep cycle Yellow-top battery. The amp is so powerful it needs a deep cycle battery or the headlights will flicker when powering the sub.
NOTE: The wires are a bit of a mess right now. I will be upgrading the electrical system in a future project. I will be installing a second battery, power busbar and an isolator circuit that will cut off the add-on electrical draw if one of the batteries falls below a defined power threshold. This will keep me from being stranded because of a dead battery.
I love my CVO Road Glide, but wasn't happy with my headlights. I was thinking that the two huge headlights on the bike would blast the light in front of me when riding; however, what I quickly found was my bike is faster than the range of the headlights. It is dangerous to be riding at night and not being able to clearly see what is in front of me, so I installed HID lights on the bike.
The first step is to find a HID kit that will fit the bike. I've read many posts about XenonLink . Most say they have good prices, fast shipping and excellent customer service. They have been responsive to me and shipped the parts out quickly. I'm satisfied with my purchase from them.
The next step is to figure out what type of lights you need. The Road Glides have a standard H4/9003 hi/low headlight mount. XenonLink sells two kits that will fit our bikes. The 9003 Hi/Lo HID Kit and the H4 Bi-Xenon Kit. The difference between the two is that the Hi/Lo kit uses a standard halogen bulb for hi-beam and HID for low. The bi-xenon light moves a cover when going to hi-beam, which changes the focus point of the beam. It isn't brighter, just a higher beam. The downside of using the bi-xenon is that it requires tapping into 12vdc power on the bike and if the bulb is out you don't have hi or low beam. I chose the 9003 Hi/Low HID kit. In reality you never need the hi-beam when using xenon, but it's nice to have a backup bulb if the xenon lights fail.
The final step in the selection process is to figure out what color temp light to buy. The higher number does not mean brighter. 5000K is the brightest light. Below that the light gets yellow. Above that the light gets blue. In my opinion, the best colors to use are 5000 or 6000K. I picked 5K because it is the brightest pure white light.
Here's a pic of what you get in the kit. The silver boxes are the power converters that take the 12vdc input and blast up the voltage to get the HID light to fire. The nice thing about HID lights is that after they start burning they run cooler and take less power than standard halogen lights.
To install the lights you have to remove the front faring. It is fairly easy to do, but you have to be careful not to scratch the paint. The most important step is to cover the fender with a thick towel or fender cover. It is very, very easy to scratch the paint. Consider yourself warned. Do not skip this step!
After the fender is covered, you need to remove the turn signals. They have two acorn nuts and lock washers on the back. Remove the nuts and pull them straight out. They will hang on the power wire no problem. I loop mine over the back of the engine guard to keep them out of the way.
The next steps is to remove the front faring. This is easier than it looks, but you need to watch what you are doing. First off, find the 6 screws that hold it on. The screws look basically the same, but the two on the bottom are slightly larger than the 4 on top. You need to keep track of what screw goes where. The large screw can be forced into the top holes, but it will strip the threads. The smaller screws will not work in the bottom and are hard to back out if you accidentally insert one into the hole.
The trick here is to loosen the top screws. Then remove the middle and bottom. This will hold things together in case it tries to slip. then go around front and remove the top screws while holding the faring. To remove it push up and pull out. It will slide right off.
NOTE: You can do this without removing the windshield. You just need to be careful and not to scratch the paint along the top of the inner faring. If you are concerned about this, the windshield comes off easily by removing 5 screws that are in front.
Here's a pic of what the bike looks like after the front faring is removed. The black wire hanging down in the center is the headlight wire. You can see in the center of this wire there are two wires tied back (one has a red cap). This is for the European daytime running lights. If you need power for the bi-xenon lights this is where you can get it. The orange wire is 12vdc and the black is ground. The 12vdc wire is powered when in the ignition position.
Here's a pic of what the bike looks like after the front faring is removed. The black wire hanging down in the center is the headlight wire. You can see in the center of this wire there are two wires tied back (one has a red cap). This is for the European daytime running lights. If you need power for the bi-xenon lights this is where you can get it. The orange wire is 12vdc and the black is ground. The 12vdc wire is powered when in the ignition position.
You mount the faring back on the bike in the reverse of how it was removed. The trick here is to stand in front and push slightly up and back from the center. You will feel it catch and hook in. There are hooks just in front of the radio that connect to the headlight housing on the faring.
There are also tabs on the left and right side of the faring that need to clip under the inner faring. This is what holds the top edge of the outer faring to the inner so there isn't a gap. Then screw things together with the turn signals going on last.
Here's a pic of my OEM headlights before making the change...
Here's what they look like after. They put out so much more light my camera was able to make the instrument panel brighter. These were taken in the exact same location.
Here's a pic of what the lights look like when I'm behind you ;)
I finally got around to installing my Fullsac 3/4" baffles today. The first step is to remove the exhaust from the bike. First you loosen the main nut at the front of the muffler.
The next step is to remove the two screws at the back of the muffler under the saddlebags. The left and right mufflers are exactly the same.
If you haven't already removed your catalytic converter you can see it by looking in the right pipe main header toward the engine. If you want to remove yours you can get step by step directions via this link:
After the muffler is off of the bike you need to remove the chrome heat shields. These are held on by three large hose clamps. The trick here is to slightly loosen the two forward clamps (ones close to the small inlet hole) and loosen to the point of almost removing the last clamp. This will let the last clamp slip over the two rear mounting screw nuts and it will slide right off.
Here's a pic of the heat shield being slid off the muffler.
Next you need to remove the muffler end cap. This is held on with three screws.
After the screws are removed the cap slides off. It can be a bit tight. Be careful not to scratch anything when you pull it. Do not use tools to pry it off.
After the end cap is removed you can see the two welds that need to be removed. These two welds are all that holds the baffle in the exhaust pipe.
Next you use a die grinder or some sort-of rotary cutter to grind the welds. You need a good bit that is designed to grind metal. I used a Dremel with a carbide serrated bit.
Here's a pic of a weld nearly ground down. You must be careful here. It is very easy to damage the muffler.
After grinding through the welds you need to punch the OEM baffle out. I used a wooden dowel rod so I wouldn't damage the OEM baffle. I may use it again some day.
The center of the OEM baffle sticks out a bit, so you need a block of wood to get the muffler off of the ground and hit the dowel rod gently with a hammer. It will pop right out if you have broken the welds. It will not budge if you haven't.
A trick I used for this step was I first hammered the OEM baffle back into the pipe a bit after I though I had the welds ground down. This way I could break it free and grind anything I missed.
Here's a pic of the inside of the muffler after the OEM baffle was removed. There's sound deadening insulation lining the length of the pipe. I left mine in, but I have noticed that it does quiet the pipe quite a bit. If you want a bit more noise you can probably remove it. It is only tacked onto the pipe with glue. A long thin knife will cut it right out.
Now we need to drill the hole that will hold the Fullsac baffles in place. This is easy, but you need to take your time. The pipe is hard and round. A drill bit will walk down the pipe and scratch the H#|| out of it if you are not careful.
Step one here is to measure in from the bottom of the pipe 1 3/8" from the edge. The bottom of the pipe is directly opposite of the nuts that hold it on the bike. Don't drill on the wrong side! Measure twice cut once as they say.
Step two is to use a center punch and punch the mark where you want to drill. Do NOT skip this step. A drill bit will not bite into the pipe if it isn't punched! If you don't have a center punch use a metal screw with a hard point.
Step three is to start with a small drill bit and then work your way up to a 1/4" drill bit. Take it easy and do not jump sizes too quickly. The more bits you use the easier the hole will be to drill. If you have a drill press use it. If not, just be careful. I used a standard battery powered drill with no problem.
After you've drilled the pipe, the next step is to install the Fullsac baffle. Just slide it into the muffler and line up the set screw holes. You may need a block of wood and tap it with a hammer to get it in. Do not hit it hard! The metal will bend if hit directly with a hammer.
Then install the set screw with the nut and lock washer on the inside of the muffler.
Here's the best part.
"This Harley-Davidson Exhaust 64768-09 system meets EPA noise emission requirements of 80 db (a) for the following motorcycles. Installation of this exhaust system on motorcycle models-not specified may violate federal law. HARFLT1800."
Go figure. I so happen to have these installed on a HARFLT1800. How cool is that ;)
Here's what they look like installed...
Here's a YouTube video that documents the sound before/after the baffle change:
