Painting My Diff Covers

Now that my Jeep is lifted I will be tackling tougher trails. With the tougher trails comes the potential for damage to my Jeep, which is why I decided to go with tougher differential covers. I bought the Riddler Manufacturing Dana 44 Differential Cover.




They are known to be one of the strongest diff covers around. They are fabricated from high grade iron. Plus, they are designed to have a lip free smooth transition. Which is beneficial when rock crawling. 

The covers came with a bare finish that allows me to grind, prime, and paint. 


STEP 1
Grind the surface smooth. I work in a fabrication shop so there are plenty of tools and experience to help me with my Jeep needs. We work with steel, aluminum and bronze all the time so the guys helped me get started and gave me some really good tips for grinding. 





STEP 2
Clean the surface. I used Acetone which you can get at your local hardware store. 

STEP 3 
Prime the covers. The best primer for the bare finish on the steel is an automotive self etching primer. I read, once the primer is sprayed on, a tack cloth should be used. I was a little hesitant doing this, but it worked awesome. 

Once I put on two coats of primer it was time for the purple paint. However, I was down to a half a can of Valspar Sumptuous Purple Satin Finish. This paint has been discontinued. I could not find it locally.

Luck may have it, I am part of the Jeep Community and everyone chipped in to help me find the purple spray paint. I now own seven cans. I will never run out! Thanks Jeepers!!! 





STEP 4
Spray on the final color at least two to three coats. Mine happens to be Sumptuous Purple. 

Step 5
Paint the accents with black model paint. Then 3 to 4 coats of clear coat. 






Some folks suggested I powder coat my diff covers. I decided for the regular old rattle can. This will make repairing the scratches and dings much easier. There could be several of these repairs since I like to crawl on rocks.


So now it is time to install the diff covers. My friend CPO, the owner of Overclock3d, is going to help me with this install. I just hope the temperatures start dropping because it is just too darn hot this summer to be out wrenching in the garage.




Disclaimer: Any advise and information provided on this blog should be verified by professional sources prior to making any changes or modifications to your vehicle. 

Jeep Wrangler Grille Removal

Just recently I added new LED headlights to my Jeep Wrangler. To install the headlights I had to remove the grille on my Rubicon, which I found to be a very easy process. At the beginning of my headlight install video I explain this simple process. 

I thought I would also share it hear on my blog because, since the install video, I have learned it can get much simpler. 

STEP 1 - Remove the six plastic fasteners & inserts at the top of the grille under the hood. 

In my headlight install video I explain this process by first removing the six plastic fasteners. Then removing the inserts. Well...a fellow Jeeper commented that they both can be removed at once. 

So when I had to re-adjust the headlights, I thought I would give that tip a try. It worked. You can remove both at once. 

JEEP MOMMA JEEP TIP

However, one piece of advice, make sure you have your hand over the insert when popping it off with the flat head screwdriver. I didn't do this on one, and it went flying into the engine. Luckily for me, it fell thru all the way to the ground. 

STEP 2
Once the plastic fasteners are removed it's time to pull back on the grille. At the bottom of the grill are inserts that you can pop out of their slots by pulling on the grille. 





When I installed my head lights I just worked around the slightly pulled back grille. 



If you need to remove your grille all together there is just one more step. Unplug the blinker lights from the Jeep. 


Simple and Easy  just the way I like to do my installs! 

Disclaimer: Any advise and information provided on this blog should be verified by professional sources prior to making any changes or modifications to your vehicle. 

LED Headlight Adjustment

Now that my new LED headlights are installed, it is time to make sure they are aligned and aimed properly. A lot of folks say it's best to go to a professional to do this. But I wanted to try it myself because it does not seem that hard. So here is what I did.

STEP 1 
Find a flat location, at least 35 feet. I had to use the inside garage wall since my driveway is not flat and skews the test. 

STEP 2 
Pull Jeep as close to the wall as possible. I decided to use my green screen in the garage. 

STEP 3 
With tape, put two crosses on the wall that correspond with the vertical and horizontal center lines of both headlights. Mine measured 42 inches tall. 

STEP 4

Move the Jeep back 25 feet from the wall, keeping the Jeep straight with the crosses on the wall

STEP 5
Examine the pattern. The concentrated light beam should be in the lower right section of the crosses.

STEP 6
Using the torx 15 screw adjust the vertical screw. I made several turns on mine before the lights moved to the correct spot. 

The last step will be to hit the road in the neighborhood to test out to make sure I won't be blinding anyone. 

Disclaimer: Any advise and information provided on this blog should be verified by professional sources prior to making any changes or modifications to your vehicle. 

Headlight Adjusting Screws

When I finally installed my new LED headlights, I knew I would have to make some adjustments to them for proper aim. Initially, I was tightening the screws on the chrome bezzle to aim them lower. 



While searching the internet for proper headlight adjustments I found out there is another way to adjust the headlights on the Jeep Wrangler. Peden 4 Wheel Drive shared a video on You Tube about the adjustment screws. 

There is a torx screw in the plastic headlight housing unit that you turn for vertical adjustment. 




Also in this housing unit in the inner ring is a hex bolt that you turn for horizontal adjustment. 

The hex bolt is on the side of the housing unit closest to the Wrangler's grille. The torx screw on the opposite side. 

Check out my blog post from August 16th on how to properly aim your headlights. 

Disclaimer: Any advise and information provided on this blog should be verified by professional sources prior to making any changes or modifications to your vehicle. 

Auxbeam LED Headlight Review

A couple of weekends ago, I was finally able to install my new Auxbeam LED headlights. It was a pretty quick and easy install.

Auxbeam 7" 60W Round Hi-Lo Beam Headlights with Atmosphere Function 

 Jeep Momma Install Video Click Here

Wow!!  What a difference they make!

Now, I just need to make sure they are adjusted properly. Improperly adjusted headlights can make driving difficult and potentially dangerous. Not to mention aggravating to other drivers. 

Correct headlight aiming can make an unbelievable difference in your driving experience. I found this link from Quadratec on how to properly aim your 
headlights.

Link ~~ Click Here 

Note: My driveway sits at a slant which makes it difficult to tell if they are properly aligned. So I need to find a flat place to properly adjust my headlights. 

Disclaimer: Any advise and information provided on this blog should be verified by professional sources prior to making any changes or modifications to your vehicle. 

Auxbeam LED Headlight Install

One of the complaints, I have heard about the Jeep Wranglers, are the headlights. The fact that the stock headlights are not that bright and driving at night can be difficult. 




Well... Auxbeam sent me a set of LED headlights to test out. Auxbeam LED headlights 7" 60 Watt Round Hi-Lo Beam LED Headlights with Atmosphere Function for the Jeep Wrangler. 

It took me a couple of weeks to finally find the time in my busy mom schedule to install the new LED headlights. 

First I hit the internet to find out how to remove my front grille. Pretty simple. 

Then it came time to hook up the new headlights. I actually was making the install more difficult than it was. I sent the company an email and said they don't fit. So they kindly sent me a new steel housing unit. 

So... back into the garage for round two of the install. Looking at the new housing unit I realized it was going to be a lot of work. So I took a second look at the headlights. 

Basically I was making it more difficult than it needed to be. Check out my install video

 ~~Click Here~~

The Auxbeam headlights fit just fine. It is a real easy install if you don't over think it. 

Stay tuned tomorrow to see how the LED Headlights compare to my stock JKU headlights. Oh wait... tomorrow is my birthday! The Big Five-Oh! So I am taking the day off.  Check out the JeepMomma.com on Thursday! 

My Words To Live By

Mentally I was in a rough place this time last year. It was my 49th birthday. I was only one year away from turning the Big Five-Oh. The thought of turning 50 was very daunting for me, so I decided to create a 50 Before 50 list to distract myself.

Jeep Momma Blog Post August 4, 2015 

During this last year in my 40's, I checked items off my list, changing it up a little as the days went by. I had a really great time with my list. Now, I am down to two items left. One is pay for a stranger's lunch, which shouldn't be to hard. The other is create a "My Words To Live By" motto for myself. 

My motto will help me focus on living my life to the fullest. I plan to Dream Big, Set Goals and Take Action. Life doesn't end at 50, it is just the beginning of another great phase in my life. 

Now that I have found my passion, a new career, and created my Words to Live By Motto I can look forward to my next 50 years enjoying life! 

My Words To Live By

 
Enjoy Life - I will enjoy life by being carefree, spontaneous & adventurous. I will explore and travel. I will try new things. I will devote time to myself, my hobbies and my passions.

Live Healthy - I will continue to grow my efforts to being physically active and physically fit by maintaining a healthy weight & eating nutritious foods. Not only taking care of my body, but my mind and spirit. 

Be Inspiring - I will strive to be inspiring others, and teach others by sharing my passions.

Hug My Inner Kid - I will continue to smile, play, laugh and enjoy every moment with my family and friends. 

Embrace your age - I won't fight aging. This is a very powerful concept — letting go of your younger self, and embracing and loving your aging self. Treat myself with kindness and respect, and take care of me — body, mind and soul. 

 "At 50, you learn the value of being passionate about something -- a lover, a career, your life. Passion is what makes you jump out of bed every morning, makes you love every moment in the day." -- S. Mitchell

And when I start to get that daunting feeling, I will remind myself of my motto, and remember the 50 great things about women over 50! 

50 Great Things about Women over 50