Between 705 & 1200 SQ/FT Roboto's Garage

[BigNuge]

Re: Mr. Roboto's Garage Makeover

And now your garage must smell like moth balls[emoji1787][emoji1787][emoji1785]

Another trouble spot for wiring I found was the harness that goes to the rear gate. The wire insulation cracks at the rubber boot at the top/hinge of the gate. My 3rd brake light and wiper didn’t work. Pull the wiring apart and found all sorts of carnage. Reconnected everything and all was good.






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[Arclitgold]

Re: Mr. Roboto's Garage Makeover

Wow lots of progress already! Nice work!


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[zmotorsports]

Nice job on the XJ. Wiring damage from rodents ****, let alone the smell. I hope you're able to address both as that would make a nice clean ride.

 

[Mr. Roboto]

And now your garage must smell like moth balls[emoji1787][emoji1787][emoji1785]

Another trouble spot for wiring I found was the harness that goes to the rear gate. The wire insulation cracks at the rubber boot at the top/hinge of the gate. My 3rd brake light and wiper didn’t work. Pull the wiring apart and found all sorts of carnage. Reconnected everything and all was good.

Dude, it’s horrible. The garage, mud room, and then it stated wafting into the house. It’s all gone now thankfully.

Thanks for the tip on the wiring. I checked it out and my hatch wiring was fine but I did some more probing while the headliner is out. Found this in the harness for the rear dome/speakers. Somehow all were still functioning, but this definitely shorted/melted at some point.

All patched up

Wow lots of progress already! Nice work!


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Thanks, been lots of little things so far. Definitely more electrical work than I was anticipating, but it’s all been cheap to fix. Just time consuming.

Nice job on the XJ. Wiring damage from rodents ****, let alone the smell. I hope you're able to address both as that would make a nice clean ride.

I think with that last wire repair, I’m through both issues! I’m ready to get on to mechanical repairs now.

 

[Mr. Roboto]

Made some more Jeep progress yesterday.

Started to tackle the headliner. As you can see, the rear was stained up pretty bad from where that mouse made his home. It took a while, but I peeled the old fabric off and scraped off all the old foam/adhesive remnants left behind. I treated the stained areas on the backer board with bleach and painted over them with some killz primer. It will never be seen again, since it will be under the new headliner fabric I’ll install, but I did not want any lingering odor. More work to come on this later. Time to move on to more exciting things.

Finally got the Jeep up on the lift for the first time. Aside from the one rusted area on the front passenger floor, all looks well. More to come on this later, but after some research it seems this is due to a leaking cowl air intake. Common issue on these.

Next up, brakes wheels and tires. I ordered a set of powerstop brakes from Quadratec. I used them on my Tundra and have been really happy. Even though they were listed as they correct brakes for a 99 XJ.... they did not fit. Upon installation, they were interfering/bottoming out on the steering knuckle. After some research, the 1999 Cherokee had a mid year change with the front unit bearings used. As a result, you need to measure for rotor backspacing to account for this, as there are 2 sizes available. The hats were too deep on the ones I received, so I just ended up going to Napa to grab the right stuff. Got the font brakes and wheel adapters/spacers mounted up so that I could run the later model wrangler wheels. I’ve always been against spacers... but here we are haha. From the research I did, as long as they’re a nice set of CNC cut aluminum (not cast) that are hub centric and installed properly with correct thread engagement, it shouldn’t be an issue. Time will tell. Front, good to go:

Then it came time for the rears. Come to find out, the rear wheel studs were not long enough to get full thread engagement on the spacers. After a bunch of searching and measuring, I was able to find the correct wheel studs that were about 3/8” longer. I finally broke down and bought a stud installer after years of just making due with washers and a junk lug. Money well spent, it made installing the new ones a breeze.

Here is the tool in use:

New studs all in place:

And... new wheels are on! It looks a little silly right now due to the small sidewall, but these Michelin tires are brand new and were given to me for free. They’ll serve me just fine until I lift and get some bigger tires on there. Digging the wheels though, they modernize the look in my opinion.

 

[BigNuge]

Re: Mr. Roboto's Garage Makeover

Nice, progress is always good!

Hey, if you find you have a rear sway bar, and want bushing for it let me know. I bought a set for my 99XJ Sport, ended up deleting the rear sway bar altogether. Bushings are new in box Moogs.


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[Mr. Roboto]

Re: Mr. Roboto's Garage Makeover

Nice, progress is always good!

Hey, if you find you have a rear sway bar, and want bushing for it let me know. I bought a set for my 99XJ Sport, ended up deleting the rear sway bar altogether. Bushings are new in box Moogs.


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Hey, thanks! I do have a rear sway bar, but I haven't really inspected it yet. Most bushings I have looked at so far look to need replacing, so I don't expect those to be any different

 

[Mr. Roboto]

Jeep Progress continues....

The cowl trim piece was mysteriously smashed to pieces. I went to the pick and pull and found this faded green one. Since the Jeep is just black, I should be able to just rattle can it to match. I'll paint it later, but wanted to get it mounted up for now. I almost destroyed the new one the first time I opened the hood. See that little dent along the rear edge of the hood, just to the left of the center line? The hood is pushed down there, causing an interference with the cowl. Guess that's how it broke the first time. I'll need to try and beat that back into shape.

Finally got the headliner knocked out too. Front all glued down:

Rear fold:

Finished product. Just need to cut out the holes for the speakers, dome lights, visors etc. It's not perfect, but good enough. It was hard to get the material to lay without any wrinkles around the speakers:

Cut this old rotten muffler out. I have a Flowmaster cat-back exhaust kit on order, but the ETA keeps getting pushed out. I just registered the Jeep finally, so I want to go and get it inspected.

This is my very elegant $35 repair. Cheap generic muffler from Advance, clamped into place. It will do the job just fine until the Flowmaster comes eventually. No leaks, so it should pass inspection at least.

 

[BigNuge]

Very nice.....the headliner is one thing I never got to on mine, sold it with the typical saggy/ugly headliner...lol.

I have to ask, where the hell are you finding a pick and pull around here???[emoji1787]


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[mmsheb]

Is shining up that driveshaft on your to-do list? LOL

 

[Mr. Roboto]

Very nice.....the headliner is one thing I never got to on mine, sold it with the typical saggy/ugly headliner...lol.

I have to ask, where the hell are you finding a pick and pull around here???[emoji1787]


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Thanks! I dealt with a sagging headliner in my old one for years and never touched it. Also sold it with it hanging down badly. This one actually was not sagging at all, just a mess from the damn mice.

As far as the pick and pill, I have to go to MA. Holland’s and Jacks in Billerica. Both about 35-40 minutes from me. There was one closer in Nh, but they seem to have shifted more into a scrapping operation instead of a pick and pull.

Is shining up that driveshaft on your to-do list? LOL

Haha, I wish. Anything too aggressive, and it will throw it out of balance. For some reason, the XJ rear drive shafts in particular scale up very quick around here from the salt. The front drive shafts don’t seem to suffer from the same.

 

[Mr. Roboto]

Nothing too big to report, but progress is progress. Got the headliner in and the interior all assembled again. Crappy pic but oh well. The wire hanging down in the back is for the rear cargo light. It needs to be replaced, so I ordered one off eBay.

One thing I always do to any car I have that does not have one from the factory is install one of these auto-dimming rear view mirrors with the built in homelink garage door openers and compass. They're cheap and plentiful on eBay. While the headliner was out, I ran the constant 12V, switched 12V and ground wires for it. I'm out of wire loom, so I need to get some more to clean up the wires, but it's in and operational.

I registered it Friday. Got a vanity plate for it which I'll show when the actual tags come in, but it was great to go for a drive with the family. Went out for some lunch, ice cream, and a nice cruise. Saw a little dirt pile where we stopped for gas, so I had to get a shot of that serious flex hahaha....

A pretty good power steering leak presented itself while we were out. When the fluid warms up and thins out, it's leaking from the high pressure line coming off the pump. I'll replace the pressure and return lines while I'm in there. Cheap/easy fix at least.

 

[xjjeepman]

Awesome progress, brings back memories of mine

 

[Finallygotit]

Ya know, and I don't know why, but I never knew these non-factory units existed. I need to get one for the wife's vehicle.

Thanks!

 

[Mr. Roboto]

Awesome progress, brings back memories of mine

Thanks, it’s been nostalgic for me too bringing back memories of my old one. It really makes me thankful of how far I’ve come. When I did most of the work to my old one, it was in my parents cramped garage, on jack stands, using the limited selection of tools my father had while I had no budget as a college student. Now I have all this heated space, tools, a lift, and most importantly, a lot more knowledge.

Ya know, and I don't know why, but I never knew these non-factory units existed. I need to get one for the wife's vehicle.

Thanks!

Actually, most of the “oem” ones are in fact these generic units. Gentex is the OEM for probably 90% of the ones used by auto manufacturers. The Gentex 313 and 453 are the most readily available. Check out those part numbers on eBay and you’ll get flooded with options. Several people also offer wiring harness pigtails if you don’t want to rig up your own. They all just need 3 wires, unless you’re trying to integrate one with a built in thermometer as well. This one was a 453 and was $30 shipped for reference.

 

[Purist]

Cherokee is looking great, man! Those wheels were a good addition and really look fantastic on the WK2. Might have to get back on my dad's case to upgrade his.

Nice work on the rear-view mirror, too! It's the little things. Looking forward to seeing the vanity plate. MA still isn't taking vanity plate requests because of COVID. But I'm dying to get one for the M3 (got a few ideas for it). Can't remember if I had shared this in my thread, but I had put in a request shortly after getting the car that was denied. The plate would have read SIDEPC. (e.g. side piece). My wife thought it was hysterical and I would have loved to drive around with that as a plate...alas. MA DMV didn't think it was as funny as we did.

Hey, can you remind me on how you heat your garage? I looked back quick and even ran a few searches, but came up empty. Thanks, man and keep up the great work!

 

[Mr. Roboto]

Cherokee is looking great, man! Those wheels were a good addition and really look fantastic on the WK2. Might have to get back on my dad's case to upgrade his.

Nice work on the rear-view mirror, too! It's the little things. Looking forward to seeing the vanity plate. MA still isn't taking vanity plate requests because of COVID. But I'm dying to get one for the M3 (got a few ideas for it). Can't remember if I had shared this in my thread, but I had put in a request shortly after getting the car that was denied. The plate would have read SIDEPC. (e.g. side piece). My wife thought it was hysterical and I would have loved to drive around with that as a plate...alas. MA DMV didn't think it was as funny as we did.

Hey, can you remind me on how you heat your garage? I looked back quick and even ran a few searches, but came up empty. Thanks, man and keep up the great work!

Thanks! They're actually 17" JK Wrangler wheels. They may have been used on the WK2 as well, not positive! But I like them. They are also plentiful on FB Marketplace for pretty cheap. They really update the look I think. Kind of going for an OEM+ build (I know that term doesn't usually apply to old Jeeps, but that is the goal in my head haha). Here are the wheel adapters I ended up getting. They are good. CNC aluminum, hub and wheel centric. No issues so far! I ordered new lug nuts to use with them as well.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GNTD7Z9/?tag=atomicindus08-20

DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT buy the ones from wheel adapters USA I linked you to in one of my other posts. They took my money and shipped me nothing. I had to file a paypal claim, and only just the other day got my money back. Bunch of clowns.

Too funny on the vanity plate haha, that would have been awesome if they let you get it. Mine isn't that original once you see it heh.

As far as heat, I have a Modine Hot Dawg 60K BTU heater. It's fantastic, I have absolutely zero complaints. If you scroll back to page 5, post 91 is where I started the installation. It's honestly the best thing I've done to my garage. Being able to work out there in a t shirt in the middle of winter is a great feeling! Worth every penny. If you have any questions, let me know. I researched the **** out of it at the time haha.

 

[Purist]

Thanks! They're actually 17" JK Wrangler wheels. They may have been used on the WK2 as well, not positive! But I like them. They are also plentiful on FB Marketplace for pretty cheap. They really update the look I think. Kind of going for an OEM+ build (I know that term doesn't usually apply to old Jeeps, but that is the goal in my head haha). Here are the wheel adapters I ended up getting. They are good. CNC aluminum, hub and wheel centric. No issues so far! I ordered new lug nuts to use with them as well.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GNTD7Z9/?tag=atomicindus08-20

DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT buy the ones from wheel adapters USA I linked you to in one of my other posts. They took my money and shipped me nothing. I had to file a paypal claim, and only just the other day got my money back. Bunch of clowns.

Too funny on the vanity plate haha, that would have been awesome if they let you get it. Mine isn't that original once you see it heh.

As far as heat, I have a Modine Hot Dawg 60K BTU heater. It's fantastic, I have absolutely zero complaints. If you scroll back to page 5, post 91 is where I started the installation. It's honestly the best thing I've done to my garage. Being able to work out there in a t shirt in the middle of winter is a great feeling! Worth every penny. If you have any questions, let me know. I researched the **** out of it at the time haha.

Yeah, sorry, I realize they were from JK's...I mistyped when I said WK2. I always seem to mess up the Jeep nomenclature. Meant to say XJ..haha. My bad!

As for the heat...thank you!!! I'm reading through that now

 

[nicholam77]

Dang dude, you've been busy! Nice progress. I dig the wheels. Homelink mirror is a nice upgrade, too. I have to say I LOL'd at the pic of the mouse. Looks like your lift is going to be coming in handy.

 

[Mr. Roboto]

Dang dude, you've been busy! Nice progress. I dig the wheels. Homelink mirror is a nice upgrade, too. I have to say I LOL'd at the pic of the mouse. Looks like your lift is going to be coming in handy.

All these little issues/upgrades seem to be taking a while, but progress is progress! Glad you got a laugh out of the mouse photo

Tackled the power steering leak finally. New high pressure line, return line, and flushed/bled the system. Back to good!

The Jeep is nasty, I've been daily driving it since registering it, and we've had a few snow events, so the salt ruins a black car immediately, so ignore the mess. But I decided to order some "smoked" corners to see how I like them. I haven't decided yet, what do you guys think?

Before, Amber:

After, Smoked:

I also changed the flasher relay and changed all the interior/exterior lighting to LED. I went with the switchbacks in the front, so they light up white when the parking lights are on, but they blink amber. Pretty cool.

Most importantly, I took it for an inspection finally on Friday once I thought it would finally pass, and it did. Success!

Went for a little sunset cruise tonight with the family. Had to stop and take a few shots by the lake with the pink sky.

Ugh, that rear squat. I thought I would drive it around stock for a while, but I am already heavily looking into lift kits I do love having one of these again though, so I am glad I pulled the trigger.

I've been pretty busy working on other peoples cars too. I started doing minor things for people here and there at work if they asked, and word spread, and it's been *********** from there haha. Need the extra cash for Jeep parts anyways!

Did brakes all the way around, front CV axles, and an oil change on this 2003 Envoy.

The lift has certainly paid for itself serval times over by now. I've had it for 5 years now, and it's been worth every penny and all the work I had to do to get in installed.

 

[mmavet]

How tall is that ceiling?

 

[Mr. Roboto]

How tall is that ceiling?

It's about 10.5 feet.

 

[Mr. Roboto]

I'm sure everyone is tired of hearing about wiring updates, but I'm documenting them here for future reference. This SHOULD be the last one. My last issue was my trip meter kept resetting to zero when I'd turn the Jeep off. I confirmed, no constant +12V at the gauge cluster with the ignition off, which is needed to retain that. I found the issue under the steering column. There had been an alarm installed in this at some point that has since been removed.. A very poorly installed alarm at that. I found this exposed wire, and it tested hot. the rest of it was spliced into that blue wire for some reason... who knows. I removed the splice and connected it back up, and the trip odometer works again.

The smoked tail lights also came in, to match the front smoked cornering lamps. I dig them, and the smoked fronts have grown on me. I'll keep them.

Before:

After:

 

[M-technik-3]

How much snow did you guys get? Those tails make a difference they look a bit more modern than the old oem's.

 

[Kriesel]

Your lights look awesome!

Ugh, that rear squat.

I used a single leaf "budget boost" thing in the back to boost mine once, and then later upgraded to a good XJ kit for all four corners from Iron Rock Offroad.

 

[Mr. Roboto]

How much snow did you guys get? Those tails make a difference they look a bit more modern than the old oem's.

I'd say about 12"-14". How much out your way?

Your lights look awesome!

I used a single leaf "budget boost" thing in the back to boost mine once, and then later upgraded to a good XJ kit for all four corners from Iron Rock Offroad.

Thanks! And that's actually an option I'm considering, with the same plan in mind, to do a real lift at a later date. Those add-a-leafs are cheap and install pretty quick. How was the ride when you added yours?

 

[Arclitgold]

Re: Mr. Roboto's Garage Makeover

I enjoy the updates as you’re making real tangible progress and it has to feel good solving problems one by one!


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[Kriesel]

I'd say about 12"-14". How much out your way?



Thanks! And that's actually an option I'm considering, with the same plan in mind, to do a real lift at a later date. Those add-a-leafs are cheap and install pretty quick. How was the ride when you added yours?

The ride with the add-a-leaf was fine. I did 3" add-a-leaf, and 2" spacers in the front.

 

[M-technik-3]

I'd say about 12"-14". How much out your way?

We had about the same, seems Worcester got the brunt of it. My gal lives in Millbury which is next to Worcester and she had about 16-18" before it started to melt.

 

[Mr. Roboto]

I enjoy the updates as you’re making real tangible progress and it has to feel good solving problems one by one!


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Thanks for following along! Yes, it feels good getting things checked off the list for sure. I can’t sit still, so it’s been good to have something to tinker with.

The ride with the add-a-leaf was fine. I did 3" add-a-leaf, and 2" spacers in the front.

Great! Thanks for the info. Pretty sure I’ll be doing something just like that. Did that budget boost work with the factory travel shocks?

We had about the same, seems Worcester got the brunt of it. My gal lives in Millbury which is next to Worcester and she had about 16-18" before it started to melt.

Yeah, it’s been melting quick. Here’s the pile in the work parking lot, it was almost 2x as large but they’ve been trucking some away and it’s also been melting. I’ve been daily driving the Jeep since registering it to give it a shakedown. No issues have crept up yet.

One common thing in these is the flimsy center console bracket breaks all the time, and the center console wobbles around as a result. There are a few companies who make a metal replacement piece. This one came from DirtBound Offroad. It took almost 3 weeks to come, but it is what it is.

Old vs new.

Got it installed, and everything is super solid now, but the armrest seems to sit crooked now. I’m going to try and tweaking it a little bit, but I’ll probably just have to shim them left side up to level it out and live with the gap. Oh well, it’s just a Jeep.

 

[Mr. Roboto]

So I realize now that one of the photos I posted earlier spoiled it if you have a good eye, as the temporary tag was in it, but my vanity plate came in yesterday:

 

[Kriesel]

Great! Thanks for the info. Pretty sure I’ll be doing something just like that. Did that budget boost work with the factory travel shocks?

Yeah, in my case it seemed like the 3" add-a-leaf, and 2" pucks in front brought it back to an original oem height haha

 

[Mr. Roboto]

I've been thinking about making use of the large space above my Gladiator GearTrack for a while now. I have a lot of cabinet space for storing smaller things, but not a great spot for large bulky items. I finally settled on one of these NewAge hanging shelfs. The 2 pack is 2ft x 16ft long, and was decently priced at about $200.

https://shopnewage.com/products/pro...nted-steel-shelf-40406?variant=14991607201858

What I liked about it was that it doesn't require any supports below the shelf, so it won't interfere with the GearTrack that's there or the door. Much like many of the NewAge products, it comes in a bunch of small flimsy pieces that eventually end up being assembled into something fairly sturdy. I'm a mechanical engineer, and even I thought the directions were horrible. I gave up on them after a while and just figured it out on my own. One thing to note, is this thing requires on almost perfect 16" or 24" OC stud spacing. So if your wall isn't right on, it will be a challenge to install.

Here is the most expensive laser level stand you'll ever see

After what felt like an eternity, it's up

I spent some time organizing the GearTrack to make slightly better use of space, and made a few dedicated hooks for hanging my snow blowing gear up. As you can see in the before pics, I used to just have it scattered about where I could find space at the time. Now it's all consolidated. Threw a few things up there on the shelf quickly, but more to come.

Few Jeep updates as well. I got it up and did an oil change, transfer case fluid, and replaced the headlight switch. These have a very poor design, where there are no headlight relays. All of the power for the exterior lighting runs through the headlight switch, and they burn out fairly often. Simetimes even melting the receptacle as well. Hopefully my LED lighting swap will help with that, as the current draw should be much less now, but I will probably also install a relay harness at some point as well.

Ran it through the car wash for the first time finally too. She cleans up well! Still daily driving it. Only had one small issue creep up with a coolant leak, but it was just an upper radiator hose that was not fully seated so it was a quick fix.

After much thought about doing a temporary budget boost vs full lift kit, I think I have decided to just wait and do the full lift kit when I am ready. Pretty sure I am settled on this one. The cheaper lift kits really suffer from on-road comfort, and from what I have read, OME is one that offers the best of both words. Will probably be doing this kit with 31" tires.

https://dpgoffroad.com/product/3-5-or-4-5-super-ultimate-xj-old-man-emu-hybrid-kit/

It should look similar to this. Just enough to make it look more aggressive without having to deal with huge tires/re-gearing and any major fender trimming. For a 22 year old Jeep, it drives very well right now, and I don't want to give up any drivability when I lift it.

 

[Arclitgold]

Re: Mr. Roboto's Garage Makeover

I’ve been considering buying those shelves. Other than being terrible to figure out, do they feel pretty sturdy?

I love a small lift on a Cherokee. They should have come that way from the factory!


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[nicholam77]

Nice work! Despite the install hassle the shelving looks good and great use of space. The proposed lift on the Jeep looks perfect to me.

 

[Mr. Roboto]

I’ve been considering buying those shelves. Other than being terrible to figure out, do they feel pretty sturdy?

I love a small lift on a Cherokee. They should have come that way from the factory!


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I am satisfied with them, especially for the money. They look good, and will be more than study enough for what I need to store up there. I even hung off the edge in front of the cable in the middle and it didn't budge.

Nice work! Despite the install hassle the shelving looks good and great use of space. The proposed lift on the Jeep looks perfect to me.

Thanks! It always seemed like wasted space to me, so I was happy to finally put it to use.

And thanks both for the positive thoughts on the lift height haha. I agree, I think 3.5" of lift gives it the great OEM+ look of how it should have came from the factory.

 

[Mr. Roboto]

Couple Jeep updates to share.

1) Wanted to chaneg the fluid in the rear differential. I decided to change the axle bearings and axle seals as well while I had the cover off. They didn't really need replacing, but I've never done them before and wanted to learn how. Call me crazy. This was easy enough.

2) The compressor had been loud, even with the clutch disengaged (there is currently no charge in the system). Then coming home from work, it really started screaming. I'm, surprised I didn't throw a belt, because I could barely turn the pulley by hand. Replaced it with a new Denso compressor.

3) The Flowmaster I ordered about 2 months ago finally came in. It needs some tweaking, I need a longer pipe behind my cat to get it to sit correctly. The whole system needs to come back towards the rear by several inches. I may replace the cat with a high flow while I'm in the process. It sounds OK - kind of drones on the highway, but we'll see if I get used to it. It's been a while since I've had anything with an aftermarket exhaust.

4) And finally, I picked up a new used hood off someone parting out a Jeep. I think I mentioned it before, but the stock hood had a dent right on the rear edge, and was bent down. It would rub the cowl as a result. This replacement was only $40 bucks, and was easier than trying to bend the old one back into shape. Paint isn't perfect, but it's functionally much better.

And that's it for now!

 

[Arclitgold]

Re: Mr. Roboto's Garage Makeover

Yay more Jeep updates!


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[Mr. Roboto]

Re: Mr. Roboto's Garage Makeover

Yay more Jeep updates!


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Yes! At least a few people seem to like them haha.

I forgot to add this quick clip I took of the exhaust at idle. Just taken with my iPhone, but it's better than nothing.

 

[BigNuge]

Re: Mr. Roboto's Garage Makeover

Nice progress dude....

I’ve been following, makes me miss my XJ a little honestly...lol


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