Show me what's custom on your TJ

[DirtDawg]

You kind of need to sit in the drivers seat with the tablet in the holder with an arm on it to really see what you need.

I wanted the tablet pointed right at me and I didn't want it blocking the vents or anything else.

That tab on the bottom was my final attempt to address the bouncing. That tab may have helped a little, but the steel right there isnt super stiff and it still moves. The bounce is due to the dash flexing at this point

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My buddy and I both use that location for our nav tablets (my Samsung on RAM docking and his Apple on a similar) but we're using RAM "claw" mounts clamped to that grab bar. I like your custom fab much better! We both had bouncing due to dash flexing. My solution for both TJs was combo of HDPE pullman loops plus length of 1" Velcro One-Wrap, with the loop attached to the dash trim panel at the windshield. Its not a perfect solution but does act as an overtravel limiter to stabilize the device.

 

[speeding_infraction]

What are we considering "Custom" ? Things that we did custom to our Jeep or stuff that is just different from the norm?

Is a Hemi swap custom?

Or stretching your frame?

Making a Winters shifter fit on a 545FRE when it was made for a 727?

Custom AiRock brackets allowing 12" travel shocks?

GR center console?

Onboard welder?

How about too many things to list.

Imo it's something not offered by the aftermarket

 

[Wildman]

Imo it's something not offered by the aftermarket

Which is why I asked... But then you could say if something had to be modified from how it was offered it might then be custom? Or just one off?

While maybe not totally custom the way Jeff & I mounted our onboard welders control box into the glove box area might be a little custom?

 

[jjvw]

Imo it's something not offered by the aftermarket

Custom is whatever you want it to be, whenever or wherever you change something to suit your needs or fancy.

 

[speeding_infraction]

Which is why I asked... But then you could say if something had to be modified from how it was offered it might then be custom? Or just one off?

While maybe not totally custom the way Jeff & I mounted our onboard welders control box into the glove box area might be a little custom?

View attachment 659350

Yes. Yes, that would be considered custom lol.

 

[Wildman]

Yes. Yes, that would be considered custom lol.

I'll say this much after wadding into the deep end of the mod pool... Even when you bought something that's supposed to fit if you've changed something in your rig 9 times our of 10 it's not going to work as advertised anymore and you're going to have to modify it to work with how you've changed your rig from stock... It's been the story of my life for the past 5 years.

 

[alittleoff]

Good afternoon all.

My other '03 TJ is modified from driving on top of the snow to plowing the snow with a Meyer plow blade kit installed by yours truly.
And instead of using the steel blade that it came with, I got a piece of that hard plastic scrap from a local supplier.
I can't remember the letter designation but it can take a good ball peen hammer smack as the retailer demonstrated to me on a different piece of scrap that was laying around.
It measures 5/8" T x 7" W x 79" L. Drilling the 6 mounting holes was a breeze with the drill press.
Last season it worn down a little less than a 1/4". But most of that was on the hard pack ice. I know enough not to plow bare asphalt.
We expect to get snow today.

 

[Rickstar321]

What are we considering "Custom" ? Things that we did custom to our Jeep or stuff that is just different from the norm?

Is a Hemi swap custom?

Or stretching your frame?

Making a Winters shifter fit on a 545FRE when it was made for a 727?

Custom AiRock brackets allowing 12" travel shocks?

GR center console?

Onboard welder?

How about too many things to list.

Yeah... but did you put an angry grill on it...?

 

[Rickstar321]

I could send you the DXF. You could leave the dash mounting points alone and just mess with the mounting arm in CAD.

The three hole pattern is for the Bullet Point 20mm balls. The center hole is 1/4" I was using with RAM 1" balls with 1/4-20 attachment.

Idea in the beginning came from a Mob Armor/ 1" ball mount I sell for a RZR grab handle


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Yeah that would be awesome! Thanks!

 

[CMBD]

Yeah that would be awesome! Thanks!

PM me your email.

 

[Kiwi TJ]

I use a RV pump to pull water from the lake or stream. I made up a 20' suction hose using the same material and added a simple inlet screen ( bubbler ) to keep out any large debris.


OK a poor sketch below

The heat exchanger has four ports. Two on top and separate set two on the bottom, the water from the top two does not ever mix with the water in the bottom ports. It only transfer the heat not the water.

You cut the hose that runs from the engine to the heater core inside the jeep. You re-route that same hose to the top inlet side of the exchanger, you then run the hose from the outlet side of the exchanger and continue it back to the heater core, and that completes the upper part.

You run a hose from the lake to a RV suction pump to pump water to the inlet side on the bottom of the exchanger and install a Tee before you attach it to the exchanger.

You run a line from the outlet ( hot water ) side into the hot side of a Mixing Valve, and install a line from the Tee you installed on the cold water side and connect it to the cold inlet side of the mixing valve.

You then will have a third outlet on the mixing valve that would be the outlet or tempered water that you can adjust the shower to what you like.

I just use this.... .a weed sprayer $15.00 painted it black so it gets very warm in the sun...I added some velcro so it doesn't roll around on my rear shelf..

 

[Kiwi TJ]

Most people have done this custom touch… added an Ammo box as the centre console. sitting on MDF box for the handbrake. Then made an elbow pad for it….. painted the whole thing body colour

 

[Kiwi TJ]

Did the rear seat delete And added a shelf… wanted to find a way to secure the shelf to stop tea leafs ( thieves) lifting it up and helping themselves.
Found these in marine part of the hardware store… I can tighten these down from underneath and secured to the existing hardware from the rear seat..the shelf does not move.

 

[Kiwi TJ]

I’m on roll now
Put a map of New Zealand on the rear drop-down table with a red dot from everywhere I’ve been in TJ…. Plenty more dots to be added especially next month.

 

[Abendage]

Did the rear seat delete And added a shelf… wanted to find a way to secure the shelf to stop tea leafs ( thieves) lifting it up and helping themselves.
Found these in marine part of the hardware store… I can tighten these down from underneath and secured to the existing hardware from the rear seat..the shelf does not move.

I built something similar in my LJ, but the rear seat still fits. The top uses the rear roll bar bolts and the front of it has a frame made of 1x1 steel that shares the rear most seat mount bolts. Locking the tailgate makes it secure enough for what I need it for. Also added E track to the top to strap down coolers and such.

 

[k1n3k]

This is one of my favorite mods.
No more wires flying around when the doors are off, no holes in the factory dash, and sturdier than a mid-west grandma.
View attachment 659280

Any documentation or pic on how you installed that? Did you make it or buy it? I like it!

 

[Kiwi TJ]

I built something similar in my LJ, but the rear seat still fits. The top uses the rear roll bar bolts and the front of it has a frame made of 1x1 steel that shares the rear most seat mount bolts. Locking the tailgate makes it secure enough for what I need it for. Also added E track to the top to strap down coolers and such.

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Nice work… being an LJ you do have an extra room to keep the rear seat… I left my rear seat brackets in there as occasionally I need to put it back in.
The beauty of custom is you make it do what’s right for you and your needs..

 

[thedustyboot]

old photo since I've added a holder for a small axe and machete to the underside of the table but this is by far my favourite mod I've done to my jeep. I just used whatever was laying around the shop one afternoon and it turned out great!

 

[Kiwi TJ]

old photo since I've added a holder for a small axe and machete to the underside of the table but this is by far my favourite mod I've done to my jeep. I just used whatever was laying around the shop one afternoon and it turned out great!



View attachment 665595

Totally agree I use mine every week…

 

[WestCoastDan]

Any documentation or pic on how you installed that? Did you make it or buy it? I like it!

Thanks!
I built it because there was no good place to put the phone other than the floor in the TJ.
I had a mount between the grab bar and radio face, but it flopped around and I hated the charging wire hanging between the phone and the power port; it was either 'in the other car', under the damned seat, or tangled up around the shifter, etc.

I also had a similar mount that fit in the same area on the driver side, but the steering wheel blocked the phone screen when it was mounted low enough to see over/around. It worked as a place to secure it, but it wasn't much help if you wanted to use it for maps, etc.

I saw another member build a roll cage/ cross bar over the entire dash to secure radios and switches to, so figured I could come up w/ something similar.

It's literally only 2 L-brackets riveted to the dash structure and a 1" diameter aluminum rod that I drilled and tapped the ends on.
The radio bezel comes on/off without removing the mount or phone holders.

I thought about mounting an inclinometer like this in between them, but that's as far as that went.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B9MV4DZH/?tag=wranglerorg-20

There are more pics and details here:

Post in thread 'What did you do to your TJ today?'

Sep 13, 2025

I finished installing prototype #1 of the Tek-Rak

Brackets in position w/ rivets
(Yes I free handed those cuts on the band saw.)

Test fit the cross bar.

secured the brackets

Installed the bezel and phone holders
(breaking the grill was a bonus)

Side view of my wire management

Long shot

What I learned and how I would do it differently
I would spend more time aligning the brackets and drilling the holes into that dash frame. My brackets shifted from their intended position after the rivets were tightened.
Drilling the...

• WestCoastDan

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