50 Before 50: #46

The kids are back in school, and it's  time to get back into a routine. Summertime can get a little chaotic with vacations, summer camps and the kids home from school, and I have neglected my exercise routine. 

Today is Day One towards #46 on my 50 Before 50 List -- Losing 10 pounds. Of course I would like to lose a little more than that but I figure 10 is a good start. So it was back to the gym for weigh lifting. Then back home for some core exercises, and my run.
   
 - Simple Living! - Enjoying Life! - 

              - The Jeep Life! -

50 Before 50 -- #10 Check

Like most all kids I hated my veggies growing up. Now that I'm an adult I have a greater appreciation for them. As part of my 50 Before 50 list I decided I would try a new vegetable I have never tried. 

So I picked Eggplant. I made eggplant Parmesan. 

First I sliced the eggplant to let it sweat. Apparently salting the slices and letting them sit for 30 minutes they begin to sweat. This helps remove some of the bitterness of the veggie. 

Then I coated them with garbanzo bean flour, egg, and bread crumbs mixed with Parmesan cheese.



Then I browned them in a frying pan with some olive oil.

Next using my homemade marinara with veggies I set them in a baking dish and topped them with mozzarella cheese. 

Then I baked them. They turned out really yummy. I can't wait to make them again. However this time -- I will slice them thinner and take off the skin. 


My goal now is to broaden my horizons and try veggies I've never had before like turnips and leeks.

50 Before 50: 4 down 46 left to go...

   - Simple Living! - Enjoying Life! - The Jeep Life! -

MD Light 3rd Brake Light Law

As I was in the process of installing my new Barricade Trailforce HD Rear Bumper with Tire Carrier...

Rear Bumper Install Blog Post - 8-14-15 

...I realized I needed to do some research on the 3rd brake light. My new bumper did not come with this light. So did that mean I needed to replace the factory 3rd brake light? 

Maryland law states -- 
"Section 22-206(a)(1): Every motor vehicle registered in this State and sold as a new vehicle after June 1, 1967, shall be equipped with at least two stop lamps."   

In the section on brake lights, there is no mention of a requirement for a third operable brake light.

But then... there is the Code of Maryland Regulations...These deal with the inspection of vehicles in Maryland. These regulations state that in order for a vehicle manufactured after 1985 to pass inspection, there must be a center operable brake light in addition to the side brake lights.   

According to Maryland law, if the statute (Transportation Article) is in conflict with the regulations (COMAR), then the statute is controlling. So an argument can be made that if you are stopped for no 3rd brake light, the stop is unconstitutional under the Fourth Amendment, since the statute does not specifically allow an officer to stop for this. That means the statute should trump the regulation.

However, some judges will agree with the prosecutor that the officer can issue a repair order for a center brake light out and thus make a valid traffic stop for the purpose of writing the repair order. 

So since the law is not clear cut I just went ahead and played it safe. I ordered the Barricade Adjustable Brake Light Bracket w/LED light. Plus it was a fun, easy install. 

  - Simple Living! - Enjoying Life! - The Jeep Life! -

3rd Brake Light Install

Last week I told you about my new rear bumper install.

Jeep Momma Rear Bumper Install Blog Post - 10-14-15 





As I was taking off the factory bumper, spare tire mount and third brake light, I realized I wouldn't be able to put that factory 3rd brake light back on my Jeep Wrangler. 

So I went in search of an after market 3rd brake light. I found one at ExtremeTerrain.com -- The Barricade Adjustable Brake Light Bracket w/LED light. I ordered the part, and it arrived the next day. 







This install was a pretty simple install once I figured out the wiring. First, I needed the factory wiring harness, which I had all ready removed from the old brake light.

With an Allen Wrench I removed the LED light adjustable bracket from the mount. 









Then bolted it to the pre-drilled holes for the factory spare tire mount. 

Now it was time to wire up the LED light to the factory wiring harness.  I needed to cut the factory brake light wires at the plug and connect those wires to the LED wires. However I was a little puzzled. The LED has three wires and the harness had too. 

The directions stated -- Connect the black factory wire to the white LED light wire and the white/orange factory wire to the red LED light wire. There was still the third black wire. I didn't know what to do with this wire. I was told to just secure it with heat shrink and leave it so that is what I did.

I'm told by a fellow Jeeper this is a standard STT trailer light used with this application. That is because they are inexpensive, readily available and mount easily with the grommet. These lights have a circuit for running lights and turn signal/stop. Hence the name STT - Stop Turn Tail.

Now you could attach these wires with butt connectors.  But I decided to solder, heat shrink and liquid tape them together. Just like I learned when I wired up my Raxion LED lights. 


Jeep Momma Raxiom LED Light Install Blog Post -- 3-19-15

Once all the wires were connected, I inserted Insert the LED 3rd brake light into the adjustable bracket with a firm push.

Then attached the brake light bracket to the mount attached to the tailgate.

I had to get creative with the wires by running the wiring harness down the bracket to the hole in the tailgate. Then plugged the wires back into the brake lights. 





Now it was time to test it out. Of course all was good thanks again with the help of fellow Jeepers. 

You will notice that the 4 LED's in the middle don't light up. That is because the black wire is not hooked up. It doesn't need to be because the light is bright enough with the outside LED's. I'm told it will not make a difference in the brightness either way. 

   - Simple Living! - Enjoying Life! - The Jeep Life! -

50 Before 50 - #21 Check

Yep... It only took me 49 years to buy my first ever power tool -- But I returned it the very next day. I think I took on more than I could handle.  

The weekend before my 49th birthday, I installed my new rear bumper on my Jeep Wrangler. A friend suggested I get an impact wrench to make it easier to take off and put on the bolts. So I headed out to Home Depot, and bought a $180 Impact Wrench kit. When I got home I unpacked the impact wrench and plugged it in.

I hit the trigger and was overwhelmed by the power. I immediately set the tool down and went back to my old fashioned ratchet. Fortunately for me, I was able to loosen the bolts the old fashioned way -- my muscles. 



I took the impact wrench back to the store the next day.  I didn't think it was a good idea for someone with my lack of expertise to use something so powerful.  So I played it safe and got myself a Black and Decker cordless drill.  I think it best I start out small and work my way up. 

50 Before 50 -- 3 down only 47 left to go...

  - Simple Living! - Enjoying Life! - The Jeep Life! -

Rear Bumper Install Part 2

Yesterday, I told you about the removal of my factory rear bumper and spare tire mount. It was a very simple and easy removal of the factory parts. 

Jeep Momma Blog Post - August 12, 2015 

I was preparing my 2015 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon for the installation of my new Barricade Trailforce HD Bumper with Tire Carrier. 
This rear bumper will allow me to upgrade my tires to a bigger size, eventually. The tire carrier will take the weight off the tailgate. 

There are many different types of bumpers to choose from with ExtremeTerrain Rear Bumpers --  but I figured it would look best to have the rear bumper match my front bumper, which I installed last year. 

Jeep Momma Front Bumper Install - August 11, 2014 

Once the factory bumper was removed, it was a pretty simple process to install the my new rear bumper. 

First, I attached the mounting bracket to the inner side of the rear bumper support beam. These bolts are about 5 inches long. It was a tight space in between the muffler and the support beam. By pushing slightly up on the cover over the muffler, the bolts will slide in.   

Then I slid the L-Shaped mounting brackets into the frame rails with the nut backing up to the pre-drilled holes in the frame. All the parts fit to the existing holes all ready on the frame. There was no drilling necessary. 

Now it was time to slide my new rear bumper over the brackets and bolts I set into place. However, it was all hands on deck for this one. This is something that needed two people. The rear bumper weighs 110 pounds. I called in my husband to lift the rear bumper, as I guided it into the bolts that were attached to the support beam. It took some adjustments, but we eventually got it into place. Unfortunately -- there are no pictures of this step as my photographer had gone off to play with his friends -- my nine year old son. And my back up photographer -- my husband -- was my helper. The picture you see is from the instructions on the ExtremeTerrain.com website. 



Once the bumper was on it was time to thread the supplied bolts to the side bumper support and tighten. 






Then I crawled under the Jeep and threaded the nuts onto the bolts and began to tighten all four bolts. 

Now that the rear bumper was installed and secure, it was time to get the tire carrier gate installed. First make sure you pull the plastic off the post. It is also good idea to add some grease to the post for a smoother operation. To secure the gate on the post I added the cap and secured it with the allen-head bolt. 

Next up was the tire carrier gate latch. I slide the latch into the end of the swing arm and secured it with the two supplied bolts and nuts. 

Finally, the last step -- install the rear tire carrier by securing it to the rear swing arm. Then adjust it to the desired height. 

I had to move the this piece to the top holes because my tire wouldn't fit right otherwise. This meant my view out of the back window was obstructed. Which would be okay if I had bigger tires. 


I couldn't figure out why my tire wouldn't fit at a lower height. Then it hit me the next morning -- DUH!!! The piece is adjustable.

All I had to do was loosen the bolts and slide the piece out and the tire now sits at the right height. I'm thinking I might need to get those shackles painted purple now.



   - Simple Living! - Enjoying Life! - The Jeep Life! -


 ExtremeTerrain provided the rear bumper with tire carrier for review. No additional compensation received. 
All opinions are my own. 

Rear Bumper Install Part 1

One year ago this month I installed my Barricade Trailforce HD Front Bumper from ExtremeTerrain.com on my Jeep. ExtremeTerrain has a wide selection of bumpers to choose from for your Jeep Wrangler, but I liked the look of this bumper for my Jeep. You know -- we all have different likes, wants, and personalities. That is why I love the Jeep Wrangler so much. You can transform your Jeep anyway you want.   

My Front Bumper Install Post - Click here

Now one year later, I am able to have the matching rear bumper on my Jeep Wrangler -- The Barricade Trailforce HD Bumper with Tire Carrier. The rear bumper arrived quickly from my favorite delivery guy in the Big Brown Truck.  

The Barricade rear bumper came in a big, sturdy box, and was well wrapped with all the parts. The tire carrier arrived in another box, and again it was well wrapped. 

This bumper weighs 110 lbs, and the tire carrier weighs 49 pounds. 

I was concerned about the rear end of the Jeep sagging and losing clearance, so I decided to measure from my muffler and the rear axle. The good news is, once I installed all the parts, and put the spare tire back on, it did not drop anything from my measurements.

Now, it was time to get my Barricade rear bumper installed. The first thing I did was remove the spare tire and set it aside. 

Then I disassembled the factory spare tire mount from the tailgate. It was very simple. All I needed was a 13 mm socket, and it came right off. The bolts were not on too tight where I couldn't get them off. 

On the inside of the tailgate is a black plastic panel where the wiring harness is housed for the brake lights. I unplugged the 3rd brake light wires from the brake lights. 

Next was the removal of the factory rear bumper. It was pretty easy. First, I removed the four 15 mm bolts, two on each side. There are also two more bolts on the frame near the muffler as well.   

Now it was time to pull off the factory rear bumper. This was a little tricky. You needed to maneuver the bumper so you could slide it out from the fenders. But it wasn't too difficult. 

The last step I needed to complete before I was able to install my new Barricade Trailforce HD Bumper with Tire Carrier was to remove the factory tow hitch. I thought this would be pretty simple. But it wasn't. The rear bumper bolts weren't that tight, so I figured these would be pretty easy. But these bolts are very difficult to get off. So I had to call in the big guns. 

It would have been nice to have one of those big fancy, dancy impact wrenches or one with the air compressor, but I didn't.  Although I did buy an impact wrench kit, I ended up returning it since I was able to get the other bolts off by just a simple ratchet. However the tow hook took a lot of effort. Thank goodness for those big guns. They also come in handy when I can't get the lid off the pickle jar.  

Now my Jeep Wrangler was ready for the new Barricade Trailforce HD Rear Bumper with Tire Carrier. Tomorrow I will share with you the easy installation. 

   - Simple Living! - Enjoying Life! - The Jeep Life! -

 ExtremeTerrain provided the rear bumper with tire carrier for review. No additional compensation received. 
All opinions are my own.