Painting Diff Covers

Step By Step Guide

Once I realized my factory differential covers where not going to hold up to the riggers of off-roading I decided to upgrade. I purchased the Riddle Manufacturing diff covers. 

They are known to be one of the strongest diff covers around 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. 

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.

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

Simple & Easy Steps

How To Remove Your Grille 👉 Watch Here

STEP 1

Remove the six plastic fasteners & inserts at the top of the grille under the hood with a flat head screwdriver. They both can be removed. 

JEEP MOMMA JEEP TIP

A good idea is to put 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. 

STEP 3

Unplug the turn signal lights. 

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. 

How To Adjust Your Jeeps Headlights

Steps to Adjust Your Jeep's Headlights

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. 

 

Adjusting Screw Location

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. 

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

Upgrading My Jeep's Headlights

Auxbeam sent me a set of Jeep LED headlights to review. The install was quick and easy. 

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

 Jeep Momma Install Video 👉 Watch Video

Wow!!  What a difference they make!

After four months of driving with the new headlights at night. I must say the difference has been nothing but amazing. I can see the road so much better with these new lights. It has made a huge difference in my night time driving experience. I am not squinting to see the road in front of me anymore. 

Not once during this time have I had an oncoming driver flash their lights at me, which tells me they are not as blinding as everyone makes them out to be. I believe making the adjustment in the vertical positioning of the headlight has help with that issue. 

UPDATE: I started having flicker issues with the headlights. After a lot of trial and error from getting an anti-flicker device to switching the headlights around to replacing them (the new and different brand did the same thing), I hard wired my headlights to the Jeep. The Auxbeam headlights were definitely a lot better than the headlights I have now.  

Jeep Momma Headlight Install Video

My Stock Headlights vs My New LED's 

How To Align 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. 

Disclosure

Auxbeam LED Headlight Install

A common Jeep Wrangler complaint are the lackluster headlights. The OEM headlights are not that bright and driving at night can be difficult. 

Auxbeam LED Headlights

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. 

Headlight Install Steps

Jeep Grille Removal

First you need to remove your Jeep Grille. 👉 Read More

These headlights are plug-in. Super easy to install. Remove the bezzle, plug in, and line up the tabs on the headlights.  

Headlight Install Video 👉 Watch Here

The Auxbeam headlights fit just fine. It is a really easy install if you don't overthink it. After a while I began to have a flicker issue. After much investigation, I realized it is not the headlight and many LED aftermarket headlights have the same issue. The aftermarket plugs and the OEM plug just don't match up good enough. 

My Headlight Flicker Solution 👉 Read More

My Headlight Review 👉 Read More