Close. The pic was from Onion Creek; the trail in the valley that you look out on from Top of the World.
Woodrow's 97 Green TJ Moderate Build
- Thread starter Woodrow
- Start date
Close. The pic was from Onion Creek; the trail in the valley that you look out on from Top of the World.
The 16 year old tow rig (08 Dodge 3500 4x4 Cummins 6.7 Quad Cab) has been needing some electrical attention and Moab is coming up so its past time to bust it out.
1) Cleanup some sloppy wiring done by “pros”. There were several small gauge wires routed directly to the driver side battery so I added a positive stud on the cowl and ran a battery ground to the fender. Believe it or not, this looks a lot better.
2) Added a Painless Performance 70207 Weatherproof Cirkit Boss Auxiliary Fuse Block, 7-Circuits (3 Constant/4 Ignition) to help with accessory wiring. It was surprisingly hard to find a good spot in this rather large vehicle but, with a little fab, it ultimately went the into the dash behind a panel on the driver’s side.
3) Mounted the air pump and ran air line and wiring to hook up the rear ARB air locker I put in a few months ago when I re-did the rear end.
I made a panel to hold the locker and air pump switches that went into an unused spot in the dash.
4) While I had the drivers seat out to run the wiring from the ARB pump beneath the rear seat to the dash, I took care of an annoying problem I’ve had for several months and replaced one of the power seat motors that failed.
5) Finally I added some gauges: an Autometer pyrometer (no. 8544) and trans temp gauge (no.8557) with their A-pillar 3 pod mount (no. 17213). All are supposed to match the stock gauges and interior. They aren’t perfect, but close enough and provide important powertrain data for a tow rig. I already had a Banks iDash in a single pod which plugs into the OBD II port and can be custom configured to display numerous parameters from the PCM. But after the Allison swap (2006 T 1000 6 speed) I lost the trans temp info. I got an adapter from Glowshift to put the Autometer trans temp sensor in the pressure test port next to the external filter. (green arrow). I think a bung welded into the pan might be better location, but this will do.
In addition, although the stock exhaust had multiple sensors, the truck never had a proper pre-turbo EGT sensor in the exhaust manifold. The stock style exhaust manifold has a port with an odd thread right outside the number 3 cylinder exhaust (M12 with 1mm thread pitch). I ordered a stainless M12-1.00 bolt and got some really good local fab help to make a custom fitting for the EGT sensor. 3/16” hole precisely drilled in the bolt center:
Stainless 1/8” NPT bung was too large:
So turned down on a lathe and TIG welded to the drilled bolt:
And here is the installed sensor in the exhaust manifold:
Also, for gauge lighting, If you have a 3rd gen Dodge, a dash light wire tap that dims is shown here in the harness for the headlight switch (one of 2 orange w/ brown stripes).
And here are the functional gauges with the truck idling after a test drive and lights on. I have the Banks iDash set to show Boost, Fuel Rail Pressure, turbo vane position, Manifold Air Temp and density altitude.
As an aside, I’m pretty sure that someone with enough computer and wiring savvy could make the pyrometer and trans temp display in the iDash, but I’m not there yet.
Lots of smaller things made a big project but it all seems to work and looks OK.
Though not as cool as the Aurora Borealis tonight
1) Cleanup some sloppy wiring done by “pros”. There were several small gauge wires routed directly to the driver side battery so I added a positive stud on the cowl and ran a battery ground to the fender. Believe it or not, this looks a lot better.
2) Added a Painless Performance 70207 Weatherproof Cirkit Boss Auxiliary Fuse Block, 7-Circuits (3 Constant/4 Ignition) to help with accessory wiring. It was surprisingly hard to find a good spot in this rather large vehicle but, with a little fab, it ultimately went the into the dash behind a panel on the driver’s side.
3) Mounted the air pump and ran air line and wiring to hook up the rear ARB air locker I put in a few months ago when I re-did the rear end.
I made a panel to hold the locker and air pump switches that went into an unused spot in the dash.
4) While I had the drivers seat out to run the wiring from the ARB pump beneath the rear seat to the dash, I took care of an annoying problem I’ve had for several months and replaced one of the power seat motors that failed.
5) Finally I added some gauges: an Autometer pyrometer (no. 8544) and trans temp gauge (no.8557) with their A-pillar 3 pod mount (no. 17213). All are supposed to match the stock gauges and interior. They aren’t perfect, but close enough and provide important powertrain data for a tow rig. I already had a Banks iDash in a single pod which plugs into the OBD II port and can be custom configured to display numerous parameters from the PCM. But after the Allison swap (2006 T 1000 6 speed) I lost the trans temp info. I got an adapter from Glowshift to put the Autometer trans temp sensor in the pressure test port next to the external filter. (green arrow). I think a bung welded into the pan might be better location, but this will do.
In addition, although the stock exhaust had multiple sensors, the truck never had a proper pre-turbo EGT sensor in the exhaust manifold. The stock style exhaust manifold has a port with an odd thread right outside the number 3 cylinder exhaust (M12 with 1mm thread pitch). I ordered a stainless M12-1.00 bolt and got some really good local fab help to make a custom fitting for the EGT sensor. 3/16” hole precisely drilled in the bolt center:
Stainless 1/8” NPT bung was too large:
So turned down on a lathe and TIG welded to the drilled bolt:
And here is the installed sensor in the exhaust manifold:
Also, for gauge lighting, If you have a 3rd gen Dodge, a dash light wire tap that dims is shown here in the harness for the headlight switch (one of 2 orange w/ brown stripes).
And here are the functional gauges with the truck idling after a test drive and lights on. I have the Banks iDash set to show Boost, Fuel Rail Pressure, turbo vane position, Manifold Air Temp and density altitude.
As an aside, I’m pretty sure that someone with enough computer and wiring savvy could make the pyrometer and trans temp display in the iDash, but I’m not there yet.
Lots of smaller things made a big project but it all seems to work and looks OK.
Though not as cool as the Aurora Borealis tonight
Last edited:
Clean install as always.
The Painless Performance CirKit is one of the best mods I've done. Sweet mounting bracket you made there.
The Painless Performance CirKit is one of the best mods I've done. Sweet mounting bracket you made there.
I agree that once you have more than a couple of accessories an aux fuse block is essential. Its a bit of a fuss but worth it when you are done. I just have a few extras in this truck (heated seats, rear ARB locker, gauges and light inside the canopy) but it would be a mess without the extra circuits. If I were ever to order a new truck (doubtful) I would definitely spec the up-fitter switches that are now available on some.
Last edited:
Really nice work, Wood. I especially like the panel you fab’d, and great use of nutserts.
Appreciate that. It would have been near impossible to hold a loose nut on the back of the panel mounting plate. With the nutserts, it can easily be placed or removed with three M5 screws. You can’t see it in the pic, but I did need to use a stand off sleeve for the right hand screw.
Corner armor. When the build started, I certainly had no idea I would get to this. Armored rigs can start to look more trail than street and beyond appearances, the weight of a bunch of armor seemed like an unacceptable performance compromise. But a season’s worth of rocky trails and a little body damage later and here we are. I got the Genright 3/16” aluminum corners pre cut and drilled for stock wheelbase TJs. They were a bit of a fuss but not terrible to install. My passenger corner has seen better days (though it really doesn’t look this bad in real life):
Test fitting:
The driver’s side is a little better. Here it is after drilling a bunch of holes:
I had to ovalize some of the Genright drill holes (like for the filler bezel) and make some of my own (fender flares and license plate).
The corners needed some additional work too. The edges and backs of the drill holes were sharp and needed smoothing with a stripping wheel on a grinder. More extensive grinder work was necessary for a good fit at the bottom of the doors where they meet the rock sliders. And the finish arrived with some scuffs.
I haven’t made any final decisions on finish so I just ran a scotch brite pad over them for now and they look OK to me though they definitely give more of a trail look to my daily.
Also, the spare is officially deleted. I have the Savvy tailgate and valance skins but I haven’t decided if I’ll run them or not. They are only for looks, not functional. I do need to decide how to add back a center stop light.
Test fitting:
The driver’s side is a little better. Here it is after drilling a bunch of holes:
I had to ovalize some of the Genright drill holes (like for the filler bezel) and make some of my own (fender flares and license plate).
The corners needed some additional work too. The edges and backs of the drill holes were sharp and needed smoothing with a stripping wheel on a grinder. More extensive grinder work was necessary for a good fit at the bottom of the doors where they meet the rock sliders. And the finish arrived with some scuffs.
Also, the spare is officially deleted. I have the Savvy tailgate and valance skins but I haven’t decided if I’ll run them or not. They are only for looks, not functional. I do need to decide how to add back a center stop light.
Last edited:
Here's what I have for a back center stop light
https://offroadonly.com/shop/led-li...late-led-light-with-6-disconnectable-harness/
You wouldn't have to use the plate light if you don't have the plate there.
The Moab trip is just a couple of weeks away and both the TJ and tow rig have had a bunch things done over the winter so a more local test run was in order.
I met some friends and their crew about 2 hours away at the beach for some sand wheeling. The truck did fine which was not a given with its new Allison transmission swap, rear end, turbo, injectors, fuel and exhaust mods and tune. Power is noticeably improved. Pulling up some decent grades in the Oregon coastal mountains the EGT (manifold) was comfortably cool (largely 900 cruising at 60-70, 1000-1100 on most grades with 1200 seen a time or 2 briefly). Trans temp stayed very cool as well.
The beach was fun and a nice change of pace. These 2 Scouts were cool.
Sand wheeling is different for sure. All about wheel spin. Didn’t use low range at all and played the 2 wheel drive game (with the rear locker) a lot.
In addition to my TJ and the Scouts, we had a JK, a couple of dirt bikes, a quad and an old side by side with us.
We came across this Durango that needed some help:
Not my favorite kind of wheeling (if it was, I’d definitely need a V8) but fun people, no TJ issues arose and a great day.
I met some friends and their crew about 2 hours away at the beach for some sand wheeling. The truck did fine which was not a given with its new Allison transmission swap, rear end, turbo, injectors, fuel and exhaust mods and tune. Power is noticeably improved. Pulling up some decent grades in the Oregon coastal mountains the EGT (manifold) was comfortably cool (largely 900 cruising at 60-70, 1000-1100 on most grades with 1200 seen a time or 2 briefly). Trans temp stayed very cool as well.
The beach was fun and a nice change of pace. These 2 Scouts were cool.
Sand wheeling is different for sure. All about wheel spin. Didn’t use low range at all and played the 2 wheel drive game (with the rear locker) a lot.
In addition to my TJ and the Scouts, we had a JK, a couple of dirt bikes, a quad and an old side by side with us.
We came across this Durango that needed some help:
Not my favorite kind of wheeling (if it was, I’d definitely need a V8) but fun people, no TJ issues arose and a great day.
Went to school in a tiny logging town called powers in that area for a couple years. Also felled trees in that area right out of high school.
Been to the dunes a couple times. Factory atv racing teams and lots of cool rigs flying around
How are the 35's/4.10 in sand? Sand sure robs a lot of power. My 33 swampers are larger diameter than my street 33s and have me wanting a regear every time in sand
That is a small place. I think we drove through there years back but not certain.
Lets say there is more urgency now to get the 5.13s off my workbench and in the Jeep.
Do you remember the chip hauling ship that got beached there about 25 years ago?
They broke it in half trying to get it off the beach with a huge tug. Then called in the navy to napalm it.
I was on the way to a unit with my boss when he called a customer with ships lining up another unit. Yelling and commotion on the other end. Guy told us about the ship. We aired down and drove right out to it on the beach before anyone else got there. Man those things are huge. Ocean was slamming on the side and coming over the top. Even on the beach.
They broke it in half trying to get it off the beach with a huge tug. Then called in the navy to napalm it.
I was on the way to a unit with my boss when he called a customer with ships lining up another unit. Yelling and commotion on the other end. Guy told us about the ship. We aired down and drove right out to it on the beach before anyone else got there. Man those things are huge. Ocean was slamming on the side and coming over the top. Even on the beach.
We must have watched that newscast 50 times with the family over the years.
Looking good Wood! I want to run the dunes in Moses Lake area for a change of pace.
Moab is coming up. I won’t have all done that I’d like but I did go through the TJ over the last couple of days in preparation:
Torqued all the suspension and body mount bolts.
Re-set the steering stops. I had them so no tire contact could occur in any suspension position but that was too restrictive. So I reset so no contact occurs at ride height. Much more maneuverable and still no steering contact or U-joint bind.
Adjusted the e-brake.
In addition to checking all the other fluids, I changed the break in oil in the Atlas. I used 2 quarts of Amsoil synthetic 75W-90 API GL-4 but next time I’ll probably use Redline MT-90 because that works the best in my AX-15 and its also GL-4.
There was some very fine metal on the magnetic drain plug as I would expect for break in. To fill it, you have to use the top port of the sight tube which is too small for my pump. So I used a 60cc syringe which was fairly neat and tidy but a little more time consuming.
It was nice to be able to pull the T-case skid without having to support the transmission
Then I started working on restoring a center stop light. With the spare off the rig, the ring of fire light is gone too. I thought this would be quick. My plan was to mount a $19 Amazon light to the MORryde tailgate stiffener as a temporary measure and do something better later.
But, my plan to tap it for 6-32 screws which fit the holes in the light fell through when I broke the little tap trying to get through 1/4” steel
So, I decided to go ahead and remove the MORryde piece and use the Savvy tailgate skin and mount the light to that which saved about 15# and allowed me to conceal the wiring. After fitting the skin (which wasn’t perfect with respect to the pre-cut holes for the latch and key hole), I prepped the gate and skin by drilling holes and placing the nutserts. I covered the holes for the spare mount and snubbers with gorilla tape but was able to use one of them (same diameter and thread too).
With the light mounted to the skin, wiring was next.
Because the light was going over the upper channel, I had to drill a new hole on the passenger side and run the wires through a grommet.
Normally, there are just 2 wires (hot for brake and ground) but because I was planning a marker/running light function in addition to the brake light, there are 3. Here’s the box on the inside with contactors that touch the ones on the tub when the tailgate is closed. There are onlt 2 contacts, so the ground is to the tailgate itself and the second connector is used for the running light hot.
Here is the backside of the contacts in the passenger rear corner of the tub.
From the bottom of the rear corner, you can see those 2 wires: Black and White/orange stripe
Then the previous ground (Black) is spliced into the running lamp hot (Black/yellow stripe).
The installed skin and light:
I have the Savvy valance but won’t use it as I don’t like the fit or pre-drilled screw holes. I’ll get a blank piece of aluminum and make one to my liking later.
Brakes:
Running lights:
My stock taillights with incandescent bulbs aren’t super bright so the additional markers are welcome and look OK.
I think I’m just about ready for the trip. I would’ve have loved to be able to re-gear to 5.13 and get the HP 30 in but at least I can pull the steering, shafts and unit bearings off of it for spares before leaving for Utah
Torqued all the suspension and body mount bolts.
Re-set the steering stops. I had them so no tire contact could occur in any suspension position but that was too restrictive. So I reset so no contact occurs at ride height. Much more maneuverable and still no steering contact or U-joint bind.
Adjusted the e-brake.
In addition to checking all the other fluids, I changed the break in oil in the Atlas. I used 2 quarts of Amsoil synthetic 75W-90 API GL-4 but next time I’ll probably use Redline MT-90 because that works the best in my AX-15 and its also GL-4.
There was some very fine metal on the magnetic drain plug as I would expect for break in. To fill it, you have to use the top port of the sight tube which is too small for my pump. So I used a 60cc syringe which was fairly neat and tidy but a little more time consuming.
It was nice to be able to pull the T-case skid without having to support the transmission
Then I started working on restoring a center stop light. With the spare off the rig, the ring of fire light is gone too. I thought this would be quick. My plan was to mount a $19 Amazon light to the MORryde tailgate stiffener as a temporary measure and do something better later.
But, my plan to tap it for 6-32 screws which fit the holes in the light fell through when I broke the little tap trying to get through 1/4” steel
So, I decided to go ahead and remove the MORryde piece and use the Savvy tailgate skin and mount the light to that which saved about 15# and allowed me to conceal the wiring. After fitting the skin (which wasn’t perfect with respect to the pre-cut holes for the latch and key hole), I prepped the gate and skin by drilling holes and placing the nutserts. I covered the holes for the spare mount and snubbers with gorilla tape but was able to use one of them (same diameter and thread too).With the light mounted to the skin, wiring was next.
Because the light was going over the upper channel, I had to drill a new hole on the passenger side and run the wires through a grommet.
Normally, there are just 2 wires (hot for brake and ground) but because I was planning a marker/running light function in addition to the brake light, there are 3. Here’s the box on the inside with contactors that touch the ones on the tub when the tailgate is closed. There are onlt 2 contacts, so the ground is to the tailgate itself and the second connector is used for the running light hot.
Here is the backside of the contacts in the passenger rear corner of the tub.
From the bottom of the rear corner, you can see those 2 wires: Black and White/orange stripe
Then the previous ground (Black) is spliced into the running lamp hot (Black/yellow stripe).
The installed skin and light:
I have the Savvy valance but won’t use it as I don’t like the fit or pre-drilled screw holes. I’ll get a blank piece of aluminum and make one to my liking later.
Brakes:
Running lights:
My stock taillights with incandescent bulbs aren’t super bright so the additional markers are welcome and look OK.
I think I’m just about ready for the trip. I would’ve have loved to be able to re-gear to 5.13 and get the HP 30 in but at least I can pull the steering, shafts and unit bearings off of it for spares before leaving for Utah