Best Mods under $50...

[cyberfalco]

Jeep JK headlights can be had for cheap or even free. Using the halogen bulbs isn't all that great but they are great housings for Lifetime LED bulbs or an HID kit from Xenonpro.com. I got these JK headlights used with the Lifetime bulbs. My JK has the HIDs.

 

[90FJ]

I put this on the negative post, easy disconnect when welding on rig or doing electrical.

http://www.amazon.com/NOCO-ID220S-6V-24V-Battery-Disconnect/dp/B006EH9WUC

 

[freepowder]

I put this on the negative post, easy disconnect when welding on rig or doing electrical.

http://www.amazon.com/NOCO-ID220S-6V-24V-Battery-Disconnect/dp/B006EH9WUC

Cool. Just bought two.

 

[Pacer]

Jeep JK headlights can be had for cheap or even free. Using the halogen bulbs isn't all that great but they are great housings for Lifetime LED bulbs or an HID kit from Xenonpro.com. I got these JK headlights used with the Lifetime bulbs. My JK has the HIDs. View attachment 1071062View attachment 1071063

These just mount up like conventional sealed beams?

 

[jherre1]

I put this on the negative post, easy disconnect when welding on rig or doing electrical.

http://www.amazon.com/NOCO-ID220S-6V-24V-Battery-Disconnect/dp/B006EH9WUC

wow. what an easy mod. just bought one.

 

[onemanarmy]

Jeep JK headlights can be had for cheap or even free. Using the halogen bulbs isn't all that great but they are great housings for Lifetime LED bulbs or an HID kit from Xenonpro.com. I got these JK headlights used with the Lifetime bulbs. My JK has the HIDs. View attachment 1071062View attachment 1071063

I like this. Thanks for sharing.

Could you add a few more details? Upgrade the wiring? which bulbs are you using?

 

[tucson_sailors]

I gotta remember to keep a roll of duct tape in the car.

I'd recommend putting a roll of the Gorilla tape. It's gotta be one of the toughest things I've ever worked with in terms of tape.

There is also a roll of clear "awning tape" that they sell for RV awnings that will keep upholstery/side panels/roof liners, etc. together and its minimally noticeable. But it is pricy as RV product - I always look for dacron sail tape or something similar, same product as far as I can tell.

 

[Output Shaft]

That's a good recommendation.
Also, I remember long ago, I did some dumb-ass thing with a bungee cord and it slipped out of my hand and the metal clip impacted the rear side glass on the cruiser.... shattering it into a thousand cracks but leaving it intact in the frame because it had window film on it. I was on a month long trip, so that was a big problem.
I happened to have a roll of clear packing tape with me (thank goodness) and completely taped up the outside of the window & taped up cardboard on the inside to catch the crumbling pieces of glass. Worked great for that month...... Clear Packing Tape is good ...or clear Gorilla Tape would be even better.

 

[freepowder]

A week or so ago I dropped the window washer cap and couldn't find it. We were at O'Reilly's at the time so I bought a universal cap.
DO NOT USE THESE CAPS ON AN FJ60!
Busted the top of the tank.
So, I thought about it and did this:
Bought a wall mount for a gallon jug.
Pulled the old reservoir.
Built a bracket out of 1/8 x 3" aluminum flat stock.
Mounted the bracket, couldn't close the hood with the jug in it.
Re-mounted the bracket.
Pulled old pump out of reservoir.
Necked down 6" 5/8" hose to 3/16" via several brass fittings and put two feet of tubing on it.
Filled hose with water and clamped 3/16 end, stuck 5/8 end on pump. (To start siphon)
Drilled hole in a washer fluid (Rain-x) cap and stuck 3//16 hose in.
Hose-clamped the pump to the bracket.
Works like a champ and now all I do is swap out the jugs.

About $30 all told I think.

Bracket: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008EEJ7NA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[freepowder]

The hood lift springs kept working off the mounts so I fixed it.
Cost about $0.10.

 

[Spook50]

The hood lift springs kept working off the mounts so I fixed it.
Cost about $0.10.

I know a real good fix for that

 

[TRAIL TAILOR]

Thought I would share this DIY mod. Pending your skill level with welding and a cut off wheel......

The ARB wings are notorious for being weak (as well as a few others). My customer and I decided to box in the wings and make them storage bins for straps, chains, shackles... ETC... Makes the wings very rigid.

Yes, it adds weight to the front in both bumper weight and item weight. But, neat little add-on.

Couple of barrel hinges 6$, 1/8" sheet metal 10$, hardware .14, cut off wheel $1.58, primer and paint $7, start to finish including painting... 2 hours.

Jason

EVEN ADDED A HAMMOCK POLE HOLDER! Since we were welding on that area anyhow..

 

[cyberfalco]

These just mount up like conventional sealed beams?

Yes. They fit into the light buckets and use the same retaining ring as a sealed beam light.

 

[cyberfalco]

I like this. Thanks for sharing.

Could you add a few more details? Upgrade the wiring? which bulbs are you using?

I bought these H13 sockets from O'Reilly's.
http://m.oreillyauto.com/mt/www.ore....oap?ck=Search_N1590_-1_-1&pt=N1590&ppt=C0243

Here is a pic of what wires match up with the old sealed
beam socket.

Then I just cut off the old sockets. Stripped the wires. Used heat shrink butt connectors to connect the new sockets in place. Used wire ties to secure the cables.

The lights I used in the FJ60 are these from Lifetime LED. The reason I used them was because they came with the JK housings.
http://www.extremeterrain.com/lifetime-led-h13-headlight-bulbs-lllh13.html#customer-reviews-section

In my 2011 JK, I am using a HID kit from Xenonpro.com.

Either kit is about the same price new. The LEDs bulbs on high beam are weird as they turn on the second LED that just spreads some light on the ground. The HID kit on high beam moves the filament in the bulb. The HID are not any brighter but they refocus the beam into a long range spot instead of a regular spread pattern. I like the HID better between the two.

I see no need to upgrade the wiring because neither kit will pull much in the way of amps or voltage. The LEDs are not pulling much and the HID kit gets its power for the bulbs straight from the battery. The HID kit just hooks to the OEM wiring for switching.

 

[Output Shaft]

The hood lift springs kept working off the mounts

Yeah... after my trip to the metal plater ... I replated those hood springs along with a bunch of other things. Now they are all nice and shiny (and slippery) & I've got to keep a constant eye on them so they don't crawl out!... I'm kinda liking your idea... I was also thinking of staking the center holding area.. but have been too chicken to try.

 

[freepowder]

Yeah... after my trip to the metal plater ... I replated those hood springs along with a bunch of other things. Now they are all nice and shiny (and slippery) & I've got to keep a constant eye on them so they don't crawl out!... I'm kinda liking your idea... I was also thinking of staking the center holding area.. but have been too chicken to try.

I also thought about that, maybe drilling a hole through the center and sticking a nut, bolt and fender washer in there.

I'm thinking I might drill the holes out a little larger and use some sort of locking pin, something like this, just to make it look a little less redneck.

At any rate when you do whatever you do for these, a C-clamp works great to bring the thing back snug with the hinge arms.

 

[freepowder]

I know a real good fix for that

Gas struts or just pulling them off?
I thought about struts. Hood gets pretty heavy for us old guys.

 

[Spook50]

Gas struts or just pulling them off?
I thought about struts. Hood gets pretty heavy for us old guys.

Yep, a gas strut conversion. I did a writeup about it a few years back. My original struts are getting weak and need to be replaced, but at $40 for the pair and lasting several years, it's definitely worth it to me. I use 120lb struts and they work great.

 

[freepowder]

Yep, a gas strut conversion. I did a writeup about it a few years back. My original struts are getting weak and need to be replaced, but at $40 for the pair and lasting several years, it's definitely worth it to me. I use 120lb struts and they work great.

It's still on the table, but they were hanging up and I had the idea and I'm a redneck sorta and well . . .
It just happened.

 

[daytonadogie]

Scion radio. More specifically, the T1806 or T1808, with the iPod port. When I got my FJ six years ago, one of the first things I did was put in a T1806, and am still loving it today. It cost me around $90 then, but now you can find them on EBay for less than 50 bones all day long. There are lots of old threads on installation, but the short story is that the electrical is plug and play, but you need to trim the dash bezel to get it to fit. You can get the iPod cable on EBay for around $10. I liked it so much that I bought a T1808 for my '02 Tundra, and it was plug and play also! I like the T1806 better. It has a button to change the illumination color on the face. Beware, the T1807 looks exactly like the 06, but doesn't have the iPod port.

This is a photo I pulled out of cyberspace. This guy did a not so good job trimming the bezel. If you do it right, it will look fresh off the boat!

The headlight buzzer was the best cheap mod ever