FitchVA - The Good

[FitchVA]

there's not much "built" about this xj, but i've done a few things to it

stock specs:

1998
4.0L I-6
AW4
NP231 TC
D30/CHRY8.25 - stock 3.55 gears

pics from when i bought it:

[FitchVA]

first order of business was to get rid of the side steps:

before:





after:

[FitchVA]

next order of business was to make night driving more safe. for all xj's, that means HEADLIGHTS

i upgraded the stock wiring harness myself. full writeup -> http://fitchva.com/jeep/?p=57



results:



soon after i installed the harness, i installed a set of Auto-Pal e-code headlights and bulbs (no pictures...sorry)

[FitchVA]

both the tires and shocks were SHOT, so it was a great time to upgrade but i wanted to do it as cheaply as possible. so i did a home-brew 2" budget boost. i had also traded for some 2006 TJ Rubicon Moabs.

full writeup on the lift -> http://fitchva.com/jeep/?p=56

results:

[FitchVA]

next up, i put on some clear markers and front turn signals.

full writeup on how i dealt with the amber bulbs -> http://fitchva.com/jeep/?p=55

results:

[FitchVA]

that same weekend, i candied my taillights. i had gotten rid of the amber up front, so i figured i'd get rid of the amber in the rear taillights.

full writeup: -> http://fitchva.com/jeep/?p=54

results:

[FitchVA]

it FINALLY went up in the air to get the replacement shocks. OEM JK Rubi shocks on the cheap. i scored mine for around $25 with less than 5k miles on them.

full writeup: -> http://fitchva.com/jeep/?p=62

hover jeeP!!!

[FitchVA]

i worked on my laptop mount. i've always wanted a carputer, but just couldn't bring myself to do it. so i've been tinkering with trying to get a laptop setup that would give me the functionality of a carputer, but not being tied down to 1 vehicle.

my first "poor boy" attempt. it was simply 2 layers of thick cardboard with a cardboard leg. all covered in packaging tape.

it worked. but that's about it

[FitchVA]

well needless to say, i couldn't leave it at just that.

i had seen a post on one of the jeep boards where the poster used a mount for a Dish Network satellite dish (for the adjustments). so i gave that a go...





i could even swivel it for the passenger to use if needed



but that laptop was a little too large IMO. it completely blocked my view of the side mirror. and it was so top heavy that it vibrated way way too much for my liking. so i went back to the cardboard setup.

[FitchVA]

not too long ago, i acquired a new laptop. well, it's really a netbook. once i didn't have to deal with a 15" screen in my way (the dell mini has an 8.9" screen), i decided to give it another go at a better mount.

here's what i made out of some scrap angle, pipe, and some flat stock:



what you can't see is a long piece of 3/16" flat stock on the inside of the center console. to give the bracket some stability, the bracket extends almost all of the way to the back of the console.

from the driver's seat (the black stuff is that anti skid stuff people put on cabinet shelves. it was temporary for the test run):



and the back side: