What did you do to your YJ today/lately?

Switches arrive tomorrow, so I spent tonight getting a large step bit from Home Depot and drilling out the rest of my switch holes and my stereo’s USB plug. Overall really like the way this looks! Unfortunately my heat shrink is in USPS limbo land so I probably won’t be able to make any real progress still.

In the meantime I can paint the panel holes so they don’t rust. I waited 10 damn months for this thing, no way in hell am I gonna lose it to rust!

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Nice!
I hear you on the rust, bro.

I can see those switches in their proper places, and nicely lit :)
Should work very well!
Yeah I really don’t want my nice pretty finished dash piece colored with rust tinge lol, I had some leftover black touch up paint so it went quick. Just need the switches to fill in the gaps.

I also ordered some new resistors. The ones from Amazon were too flimsy, 0.4mm leg thickness. I got some with 0.7mm legs from digikey. I wanted to buy from Newark but they were either out of stock or wanted me to buy a crazy quantity. I looked at 5-6 stores and they were one situation or the other. Ended up buying from digikey and receive them Monday, so that’s cool.

Can’t wait to have it done! Now I need to figure out a small relay box I can mount in the cab. I’m going to be tying a relay to each of these so I need a good way to hide them.
 
Thinking I’m just going to interlock 4 relay sockets together and screw the outer 2 to the firewall or something and then run all the wiring taped together to my panel and out to the various accessories.
 
There is a tap on the fuse panel under the dash for an ignition hot if you need one for the relays.
At least there is on mine, though it is not hot while it's cranking, only when running.
I'll try to get a pic next time I see the Joop. Just FYI.
 
I’ve got ignition just fine, took it from the old factory radio panel illumination relay. Unfortunately I’m just trying to find a place to hide the 4 relays that will operate all of the switches and it’s getting to be tough finding a spot that will hide all of it nicely.
 
Well you've seen how I did my acc wiring panel under the hood, but that did also involve building a harness and tossing the old jack.
The beauty of it was I only had to cut one wire in the factory harness, but that was just to install a resistor for low beams.
The LED headlights are ridiculously bright, but I also have a switch to short that resistor so now my HLs' have a Low, Med & High.
 
So I built a 5 relay box by Eaton/ Bussman into my left fender and basically all the factory headlight harness runs through there. I could ditch the jack and put a box on the right fender for this purpose but I just really don’t want to ditch the jack. I have thought about maybe putting the relays under the seat and using waterproof ones. I’m not really sure. There seriously is no room for anything hidden in these Jeeps.
 
So I built a 5 relay box by Eaton/ Bussman into my left fender and basically all the factory headlight harness runs through there. I could ditch the jack and put a box on the right fender for this purpose but I just really don’t want to ditch the jack. I have thought about maybe putting the relays under the seat and using waterproof ones. I’m not really sure. There seriously is no room for anything hidden in these Jeeps.
I'm hip brother, that's why the console worked out so well for my purposes.
I understand keeping the jack, but I knew I'd be running a Hi-Lift regardless.
I've worn out Hi-Lift jacks and the factory jack just had no place on mine.
You are right, there is just no place to put anything in these mochines.
Still trying to get my head around the wait you endured for that simple panel from Tuffy.
I know you'll figure it out!
 
I'm hip brother, that's why the console worked out so well for my purposes.
I understand keeping the jack, but I knew I'd be running a Hi-Lift regardless.
I've worn out Hi-Lift jacks and the factory jack just had no place on mine.
You are right, there is just no place to put anything in these mochines.
Still trying to get my head around the wait you endured for that simple panel from Tuffy.
I know you'll figure it out!
I’m thinking about locking the relay sockets together and just screwing the two outer relays down to the floor under the passenger seat. Hide under carpet so never visible. Easy enough to run the wiring up to the dash through the door frame. Keeps them out of sight, let’s me keep my jack, overall would solve the problem. Not exactly ideal but not bad either.

The wait for that panel sucked but I didn’t really see any other option. Good thing is it didn’t really kill me to wait for it although it did hold up progress, but it is what it is. Once I can finally figure out how I’m doing the wiring and relay running, my problems will start to finally disappear and be done with.
 
Received my switches today, so my panel is now complete and installed into the trim for good!

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Now for the wiring. That’s going to be a bitch so I’ve decided to pull the dash. It just so happens that I have a leather wrapped factory steering wheel to install, so this is the perfect time to pull the old wheel, pull the dash, do all the wiring for my switches (have to tap into various existing Wires for my desired functions), and then run those wires and put everything back together, of course finishing it up with the new steering wheel. Went ahead and dropped the new wheel in place today just to see what I have to look forward to. I think it looks damn sharp!

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So now I’m pulling that wheel off, flipping the windshield and digging into the dash, will do my wiring splices and put it all back together. My company is having a fish fry on an afternoon in November (11th), I’d like to drive the YJ to that if possible. Maybe setting myself a deadline will have me finally being dedicated enough to get back on the road soon. We’ll see!
 
Received my switches today, so my panel is now complete and installed into the trim for good!

View attachment 118675

Now for the wiring. That’s going to be a bitch so I’ve decided to pull the dash. It just so happens that I have a leather wrapped factory steering wheel to install, so this is the perfect time to pull the old wheel, pull the dash, do all the wiring for my switches (have to tap into various existing Wires for my desired functions), and then run those wires and put everything back together, of course finishing it up with the new steering wheel. Went ahead and dropped the new wheel in place today just to see what I have to look forward to. I think it looks damn sharp!

View attachment 118676

So now I’m pulling that wheel off, flipping the windshield and digging into the dash, will do my wiring splices and put it all back together. My company is having a fish fry on an afternoon in November (11th), I’d like to drive the YJ to that if possible. Maybe setting myself a deadline will have me finally being dedicated enough to get back on the road soon. We’ll see!
Get it done!
 
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Received my switches today, so my panel is now complete and installed into the trim for good!

View attachment 118675

Now for the wiring. That’s going to be a bitch so I’ve decided to pull the dash. It just so happens that I have a leather wrapped factory steering wheel to install, so this is the perfect time to pull the old wheel, pull the dash, do all the wiring for my switches (have to tap into various existing Wires for my desired functions), and then run those wires and put everything back together, of course finishing it up with the new steering wheel. Went ahead and dropped the new wheel in place today just to see what I have to look forward to. I think it looks damn sharp!

View attachment 118676

So now I’m pulling that wheel off, flipping the windshield and digging into the dash, will do my wiring splices and put it all back together. My company is having a fish fry on an afternoon in November (11th), I’d like to drive the YJ to that if possible. Maybe setting myself a deadline will have me finally being dedicated enough to get back on the road soon. We’ll see!
That looks really Nice!
Mikey Likey!
That's kind of what I had in mind, pre-console.
 
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Installed some side steps. Was fun lining up and drilling holes and installing thread cutting screws. Works for me.
Edit, I think I replied to this thread rather than post a new one…oops
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