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Halley - 2017 WK2 Trailhawk Build

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2017 build wk2
153K views 197 replies 68 participants last post by  IDoMy0wnRacing 
#1 · (Edited)
Hey all!

So this is my formal introduction here after a few months of following, reading, admiring, and researching. My username is as such due to my endurance adventure blog that I write with stories of my Appalachian Trail thru-hike, cross country bicycle trip, and recent attempt at Vermont's 273 mile Long Trail over two weeks last month. Disappointed that one ended early, but you can go read about it and see photos if you'd like: 2180 miles - Endurance Adventuring

I'm a decade long TJ owner, selling my Volvo 840 buying my Wrangler Sport in high school, and building her since then. She's up on 35" MTR/Ks, 3" lift with Currie suspension components, 8k winch, Undercover Fab aluminum skids from front to back, Rigid LEDs everywhere, strobe lights for on-road recovery stuff (good samaritan lights as I call them) and the rest of the typical works with electronics and radios. The members of the Massachusetts Jeep club I founded in 2011 affectionately call her Big Red. As our club has grown, my close group of Jeep friends began discussing an overland trip through northern New England. As I took on the planning of our adventure with my buddy Rob, I began realizing that the TJ wasn't going to be the best platform for me personally to do these kinds of trips in.

I began shopping for a JKUR, floating the idea of trading my daily driver in and keeping the TJ and the JKUR, each to serve different purposes. As my research continued and I spoke with JKUR owner friends, I realized that I'd much rather have something along the lines of an SUV that would be less of a one trick pony. I travel for work and therefore frequently have rental cars, so I began test driving the Grand Cherokees during my weeks away from home, which ultimately turned my search in that direction. Reading about the current (2016) and new models for 2017, I focused on the Overland and Trailhawk trims as ones I'd be interested in buying. Price was a factor, but I knew early on that I didn't want to heavily mod this truck, so buying a Limited trim and upgrading things wasn't really in the cards for me. The Overland always struck me as much more of a luxury oriented vehicle than the name might suggest, and the Trailhawk is the nitty gritty but still very well equipped model, as you all know.

After many months of waiting, debating, test driving, yada yada, I finally went ahead and purchased a 2017 Trailhawk last week. Fully loaded (minus Blu-Ray entertainment), it was a unique package with the active safety package, luxury package - read: panoramic sunroof that I dreamed about, multiple skid plates underneath, 18" wheels wrapped in Kevlar lined Goodyear A/Ts, and the Quadra-Trac/air suspension package. Sticker was $49,500, and after a week of putting dealerships against each other, and after a bit of negotiating I got it from a dealer in New Hampshire (90 minutes from my house in Boston), for $42,799. I am quite happy with the price, and opted to add the 7-year bumper to bumper Mopar warranty for $1,300 for a piece of mind. There's a high likelihood I keep it that long, and I can get money back from FCA if I sell the vehicle first.

So that's probably enough for post #1. I purchased it and dropped it off immediately for the front end to be protective wrapped, so I haven't had a chance to take it for a real high-res photo shoot yet (save for lining the ladies up for a family photo as you'll see below). Here are some photos to start, since that's what we all love in these threads anyway. This will not be the most advanced or capable build in the history of this forum, but aside the rare iPhone photo, I promise to at least have high quality pictures.

Look forward to writing more posts with mods and adventures.

Ryan



At the Dealership by Ryan McKee


Three's Company by Ryan McKee
 
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2
#6 ·
Thanks! Yeah I'm a big fan of the subtle red hints too.

Nice rides.
Welcome to the Garage
Thank you!

Nice ride, IMO you got a good deal on your pricing too.
Thanks. I think so too. I had attempted to push one of the dealerships to $42k even, but their finance manager called me directly and told me that "If someone was offering me the car for $42.7, I should pay cash and do cartwheels out the door." so I called that dealership and said I'd take it for that price immediately after we got off the phone :)

Nice rides and Welcome :thumbsup:
Thanks much!
 
#7 ·
First up on the mods list (I guess removing the license plate bracket happened first thing when I got home) was to get the front end protective wrapped against road rocks and paint chips. I had been meaning to do this on the A4 when I purchased, but never got around to it. I had only had the GC home for 12 hours before I drove it a few miles and dropped it off at a local shop that has Lambos, Ferraris, and Porsches as his regular detail / wrap clients. In discussing my options with Pete, the owner of Unique Car Care, even before I took delivery of the Trailhawk, he laid out three options for protective packages that I could go with.

For $799 I chose the Xcel self-healing/UV safe/10 year warranty protective wrap for the full front bumper, grille, 1/3 hood, 1/3 front fenders, and mirrors. He even used a special "stealth black" to cover the hood decal to match the hood wrap line. In addition to this I had him do the b-pillars to protect the glossy black material from scratches, then the a-pillars and the roof line before the sun roof. My intention with the latter two was to protect the paint from scratches that I might encounter when on trails as the roofline lifts the low hanging branches up. I know a lot of you have access to wide open trails and beautiful mountain ranges, but in New England we have a ton of heavily wooded trails with overgrown vegetation that often lends pin striping to the paint jobs of our rigs.

Total cost with the pillars/roof add-ons and a detail job after the install - $1,049.00... Beneficial for me, he kept the car in his shop all week while I've been gone.

Here are some photos he sent me during the install...



Xpel Ultimate Bumper Install by 2180miles


Xpel Ultimate Bumper Finish by 2180miles


Xpel Ultimate Hood Finish by 2180miles


Xpel Ultimate Hood Install by 2180miles


Xpel Stealth Film Install by 2180miles


Xpel Stealth Film Finish by 2180miles
 
#9 ·
I've yet to see it in person. I'll let you know how it looks in person and will get some dSLR photos in daylight to show.

I chose not to do the whole hood because the cost difference was a few hundred dollars, and I honestly don't think that the top portion of a relatively flat hood that stands 48" off the ground will be subject to a lot of damage. I was happier to reallocate the money to the pillars/roof where direct damage to the paint is more likely.
 
#11 · (Edited)
Cobra 75WX / Firestik NGP CB Install

So the next thing up on the mods list was a CB. Our club has a requirement for CB radios during group events and trail runs, and while I'm not entirely sure yet that the Grand will replace the TJ on those easier runs, it's still important for me to have it. I've been planning to take the amateur exam and eventually installing a 2m/440 system in the truck, but haven't gotten around to that yet. For now, a few miles of coms is all I need on a regular basis. For better or worse, there's not a ton of information on CB installs in the WK2 models. A handful of photos here and there of antenna mounts, and a bit of HAM installs, but I figured I'd go ahead and of a more detailed write-up for anyone else that may need it in the future.

In order to maintain a clean look for the cabin, and to occupy as little floorspace as possible, I chose the Cobra 75WX unit. The system is pretty much contained in the mic itself, with scan and weather functions, and has a separate box that converts the PL-259 coax to the mic cable, also adding an external speaker 1/8" jack (the 75WX is known for a weak speaker, since it's contained in the microphone itself... for now, it'll be fine, but I'll eventually put a speaker under one of the seats for a little more oomph). I also chose a 2' antenna with the approximate knowledge that when mounted on a spring by the bracket, I would get the top of the antenna about 8" over the roofline. While this isn't fantastic for any antenna, it will give me adequate reception and will still maintain a clean OEM+ look (it'll also be able to fit in the lower bay of my garage if ever the need arose, and I can easily swap in a taller antenna for trips with the club.

From the images I found on google, it seems most people rivet or velcro a mic clip into the center console or on either side of the 8.4" screen, but I wanted something that was a little more easily accessible and didn't require drilling a hole in the dash or the tacky look of an adhesive. I started searching for a cell phone type mount specific to the Grand Cherokee, and discovered the ProClip Console Mount which was designed to mate up to the center console by the cup holders. They provide a small tool to pop up the console and get the lip of the clip underneath for secure mounting. It took all of 2 minutes to get this thing hooked up, including drilling out and screwing in the mic clip that Cobra provided with the CB.



ProClip Mount by 2180miles


ProClip Mount by 2180miles


Photos of other owners who have tailgate mounted antennas on the WK2 have shown them in two locations, 1 being drilled into the brake light assembly, and the other into the lower bumper below the brake light. In both instances the antenna is mounted into plastic, so I went ahead and ordered a NGP (no ground plane) antenna from Firestik. This is a special kind of antenna where the internal wiring is designed to work at locations that do not have metal ground planes, like motorhome fiberglass, on a motorcycle where the metal is minimal, and on boats. In this instance it worked perfectly for my plastic brake light.

I initially was hesitating to drill into the brake light itself but after removing the plastic pop rivets and taking the light off the Jeep, I realized that there was plenty of room to get a metal bracket on the back side of the mount in between the tail light's plastic. I cut up a small piece (1.5" x 1.5" , if that) of 18 gauge steel to provide a firm backing to the antenna bracket. Drilling it out to the same hole pattern as the bracket I was then able to use the self-tapping screws to get through the mount, plastic brake light, and metal on the other side. I painted the metal plate and put it front of my heat gun to speed up the drying. Putting this back onto the Jeep I was able to close the tail gate and check that there were no clearance issues between the two when it closed. Initially there was a little bit of rubbing (against the tail gate side plastic, not metal thankfully!) so I took the bracket to my angle grinder with a flapper disc and smoothed it down a bit to cut down on rubbing.



WK2 Brake Light Assembly by 2180miles


WK2 Brake Light Assembly Removed by 2180miles


Firestik Antenna Bracket w/ Metal Back Plate by 2180miles


Next up in the process was figuring out how to get the coax cable back to the CB itself. I had decided from the beginning that the CB controller box would live under the battery compartment lid (the battery on the WK2 is under the passenger seat... makes 12v wiring a breeze), so the coax needed to end up there. I fed the wire through the vents in the back of the trunk, then used my interior trim tool kit to lightly bend the trim pieces and push the wiring underneath. I moved from the rear pillar to the trim piece at the very back of the trunk, then around to the passenger side. I had to unbolt the cargo tie down to lift the right side of that trim piece up, but then was able to feed the wire down along the spare tire compartment to behind the rear bench seats. Moving to the rear passenger door, I fed the coax under the door trim and then under the passenger seat bracket and into the battery compartment. It took a while to get all of this done, using patience as I was petrified of breaking a trim panel on the brand new truck, but I managed to use all 18' of the wire without any coils or major stuffing of any spare wire... all good things for signal! It's also nice that the only time the cable is exposed is the 2" between the B-pillar and the front passenger seat, and the location where it passes through the tailgate weather strip.

Once that was done, I went to check in on my buddy Rob who had been going to town with the battery compartment cover. Cobra includes a nice grommet and mount for the wire, so we decided that instead of mounting the control box on the top of the compartment cover, we'd mount it underneath. Due to where the battery lives there was a lot of room to the left side, where the control box fit perfectly. Simple crimp-on ends were easily attached to the (+) lead of the battery, and we grounded it out to the seat bracket for a good chassis ground. Drilling out the compartment cover to run the mic control cable under the seat, we then threw the grommet in there and called it good. The nice thing about this CB is that the microphone can detach from the control box so if I ever need to get it out of the way for whatever reason, it's simple to do so.

Here are the photos of the wiring (I labeled the route in red) and the under-seat bracket and wiring.



Coax Routing Through Trunk by 2180miles


Coax Through Passenger Compartment by 2180miles


Coax Into Battery Compartment by 2180miles


Batter Cover Undermount by 2180miles


Battery Cover Install by 2180miles


Battery Cover Installed- Wire Quick Disconnect by 2180miles


After this it was a matter of getting the antenna assembly onto the rear bracket, and tuning it. While Firestik tunes their CB antennas from the factory, I find it's always best to re-do the tuning on the vehicle itself to find out how the environment and install have affected its signal. The yellow band at the base of the antenna in some photos is there to denote that is is a NGP antenna and will not function normally on a standard CB antenna install. Once tightened down on the bracket and the tailgate operation was tested a few times, we took the Jeep out to the end of a state park where marshlands surround the parking lot for quite a distance in every direction. This area provides an uninterrupted surrounding for the antenna to be tuned in, not affected by power lines, buildings, or other structures that can cut down on the reception and SWR readings.

After toying around with the adjustable antenna screw for a while, Rob and I were quite pleased to have the CB measure in at around 1.2 - 1.5 SWR at channels 1, 20, and 40. In my many experiences installing CBs in my Wrangler (I've used 3, 4, and 5' antennas, so I've done a bit of tuning) and installing them in dozens of friend's rigs, this was the quickest and cleanest install to SWR readings I've ever come across. I was quite pleased. I took some photos of the Jeep while we were out there, and let Rob mess around with the air suspension, dropping it into it's lowest settings (which I hadn't yet done) and raising it up to Off-Road 2 mode, it's highest setting.

After returning back to his house, packing up my stuff and leaving, he sat in the cab of his Tacoma and we did a range-test between our radios as I drove away. I knew going into this that the 2' antenna would be a limiting factor on range, but I was happy to find that I could hear him clearly and he could receive me clearly up to around 2 miles away as the crow flies. I had measured out distances from his house online beforehand to know which landmarks marked which distances. So, a few hours and about $150 and I have a solid CB set-up in the Grand, with a range that will do just fine for what I need it for.

Hopefully this will help someone out in the future if they are doing the same thing to their WK2.

Big thanks to Rob for helping out. Here are the final photos of it installed.




WK2 Antenna Mount Bracket by 2180miles


WK2 Antenna Spring Mount by 2180miles


ProClip with CB Mic by 2180miles


Grand Cherokee CB Cabin Mount by 2180miles


WK2 Plum Island Reservation by 2180miles


WK2 Trailhawk Rear by 2180miles


WK2 Tailgate by 2180miles
 
#182 ·
Cobra 75WX / Firestik NGP CB Install

So the next thing up on the mods list was a CB. Our club has a requirement for CB radios during group events and trail runs, and while I'm not entirely sure yet that the Grand will replace the TJ on those easier runs, it's still important for me to have it. I've been planning to take the amateur exam and eventually installing a 2m/440 system in the truck, but haven't gotten around to that yet. For now, a few miles of coms is all I need on a regular basis. For better or worse, there's not a ton of information on CB installs in the WK2 models. A handful of photos here and there of antenna mounts, and a bit of HAM installs, but I figured I'd go ahead and of a more detailed write-up for anyone else that may need it in the future.

In order to maintain a clean look for the cabin, and to occupy as little floorspace as possible, I chose the Cobra 75WX unit. The system is pretty much contained in the mic itself, with scan and weather functions, and has a separate box that converts the PL-259 coax to the mic cable, also adding an external speaker 1/8" jack (the 75WX is known for a weak speaker, since it's contained in the microphone itself... for now, it'll be fine, but I'll eventually put a speaker under one of the seats for a little more oomph). I also chose a 2' antenna with the approximate knowledge that when mounted on a spring by the bracket, I would get the top of the antenna about 8" over the roofline. While this isn't fantastic for any antenna, it will give me adequate reception and will still maintain a clean OEM+ look (it'll also be able to fit in the lower bay of my garage if ever the need arose, and I can easily swap in a taller antenna for trips with the club.

From the images I found on google, it seems most people rivet or velcro a mic clip into the center console or on either side of the 8.4" screen, but I wanted something that was a little more easily accessible and didn't require drilling a hole in the dash or the tacky look of an adhesive. I started searching for a cell phone type mount specific to the Grand Cherokee, and discovered the ProClip Console Mount which was designed to mate up to the center console by the cup holders. They provide a small tool to pop up the console and get the lip of the clip underneath for secure mounting. It took all of 2 minutes to get this thing hooked up, including drilling out and screwing in the mic clip that Cobra provided with the CB.



ProClip Mount
by 2180miles


ProClip Mount
by 2180miles


Photos of other owners who have tailgate mounted antennas on the WK2 have shown them in two locations, 1 being drilled into the brake light assembly, and the other into the lower bumper below the brake light. In both instances the antenna is mounted into plastic, so I went ahead and ordered a NGP (no ground plane) antenna from Firestik. This is a special kind of antenna where the internal wiring is designed to work at locations that do not have metal ground planes, like motorhome fiberglass, on a motorcycle where the metal is minimal, and on boats. In this instance it worked perfectly for my plastic brake light.

I initially was hesitating to drill into the brake light itself but after removing the plastic pop rivets and taking the light off the Jeep, I realized that there was plenty of room to get a metal bracket on the back side of the mount in between the tail light's plastic. I cut up a small piece (1.5" x 1.5" , if that) of 18 gauge steel to provide a firm backing to the antenna bracket. Drilling it out to the same hole pattern as the bracket I was then able to use the self-tapping screws to get through the mount, plastic brake light, and metal on the other side. I painted the metal plate and put it front of my heat gun to speed up the drying. Putting this back onto the Jeep I was able to close the tail gate and check that there were no clearance issues between the two when it closed. Initially there was a little bit of rubbing (against the tail gate side plastic, not metal thankfully!) so I took the bracket to my angle grinder with a flapper disc and smoothed it down a bit to cut down on rubbing.



WK2 Brake Light Assembly
by 2180miles


WK2 Brake Light Assembly Removed
by 2180miles


Firestik Antenna Bracket w/ Metal Back Plate
by 2180miles


Next up in the process was figuring out how to get the coax cable back to the CB itself. I had decided from the beginning that the CB controller box would live under the battery compartment lid (the battery on the WK2 is under the passenger seat... makes 12v wiring a breeze), so the coax needed to end up there. I fed the wire through the vents in the back of the trunk, then used my interior trim tool kit to lightly bend the trim pieces and push the wiring underneath. I moved from the rear pillar to the trim piece at the very back of the trunk, then around to the passenger side. I had to unbolt the cargo tie down to lift the right side of that trim piece up, but then was able to feed the wire down along the spare tire compartment to behind the rear bench seats. Moving to the rear passenger door, I fed the coax under the door trim and then under the passenger seat bracket and into the battery compartment. It took a while to get all of this done, using patience as I was petrified of breaking a trim panel on the brand new truck, but I managed to use all 18' of the wire without any coils or major stuffing of any spare wire... all good things for signal! It's also nice that the only time the cable is exposed is the 2" between the B-pillar and the front passenger seat, and the location where it passes through the tailgate weather strip.

Once that was done, I went to check in on my buddy Rob who had been going to town with the battery compartment cover. Cobra includes a nice grommet and mount for the wire, so we decided that instead of mounting the control box on the top of the compartment cover, we'd mount it underneath. Due to where the battery lives there was a lot of room to the left side, where the control box fit perfectly. Simple crimp-on ends were easily attached to the (+) lead of the battery, and we grounded it out to the seat bracket for a good chassis ground. Drilling out the compartment cover to run the mic control cable under the seat, we then threw the grommet in there and called it good. The nice thing about this CB is that the microphone can detach from the control box so if I ever need to get it out of the way for whatever reason, it's simple to do so.

Here are the photos of the wiring (I labeled the route in red) and the under-seat bracket and wiring.



Coax Routing Through Trunk
by 2180miles


Coax Through Passenger Compartment
by 2180miles


Coax Into Battery Compartment
by 2180miles


Batter Cover Undermount
by 2180miles


Battery Cover Install
by 2180miles


Battery Cover Installed- Wire Quick Disconnect
by 2180miles


After this it was a matter of getting the antenna assembly onto the rear bracket, and tuning it. While Firestik tunes their CB antennas from the factory, I find it's always best to re-do the tuning on the vehicle itself to find out how the environment and install have affected its signal. The yellow band at the base of the antenna in some photos is there to denote that is is a NGP antenna and will not function normally on a standard CB antenna install. Once tightened down on the bracket and the tailgate operation was tested a few times, we took the Jeep out to the end of a state park where marshlands surround the parking lot for quite a distance in every direction. This area provides an uninterrupted surrounding for the antenna to be tuned in, not affected by power lines, buildings, or other structures that can cut down on the reception and SWR readings.

After toying around with the adjustable antenna screw for a while, Rob and I were quite pleased to have the CB measure in at around 1.2 - 1.5 SWR at channels 1, 20, and 40. In my many experiences installing CBs in my Wrangler (I've used 3, 4, and 5' antennas, so I've done a bit of tuning) and installing them in dozens of friend's rigs, this was the quickest and cleanest install to SWR readings I've ever come across. I was quite pleased. I took some photos of the Jeep while we were out there, and let Rob mess around with the air suspension, dropping it into it's lowest settings (which I hadn't yet done) and raising it up to Off-Road 2 mode, it's highest setting.

After returning back to his house, packing up my stuff and leaving, he sat in the cab of his Tacoma and we did a range-test between our radios as I drove away. I knew going into this that the 2' antenna would be a limiting factor on range, but I was happy to find that I could hear him clearly and he could receive me clearly up to around 2 miles away as the crow flies. I had measured out distances from his house online beforehand to know which landmarks marked which distances. So, a few hours and about $150 and I have a solid CB set-up in the Grand, with a range that will do just fine for what I need it for.

Hopefully this will help someone out in the future if they are doing the same thing to their WK2.

Big thanks to Rob for helping out. Here are the final photos of it installed.




WK2 Antenna Mount Bracket
by 2180miles


WK2 Antenna Spring Mount
by 2180miles


ProClip with CB Mic
by 2180miles


Grand Cherokee CB Cabin Mount
by 2180miles


WK2 Plum Island Reservation
by 2180miles


WK2 Trailhawk Rear
by 2180miles


WK2 Tailgate
by 2180miles
Excellent install. I would really suggest that you take the Amateur Radio Exam it's very easy now days.
73 de w6pea
 
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#16 ·
So the weather in New England has been crazy, so you'll have to forgive the exterior of the car being a mess.

Last weekend my buddy Rob and I (check out Rob's tear-drop trailer build) drove out to Central MA to meet a guy from Craigslist who was buying Rob's Audi A3. I thought it was a great opportunity to check out the GC's long distance highway handling, as I'd yet to really take it that far outside the city since purchasing. Needless to say, it drove beautifully. While we alongside each other on the way out, he made a comment to me that the 2' antenna was leaning backwards, which surprised me; I really would have thought that an antenna that small would have enough drag to bend the spring mount, but alas it did. I ordered an HD stud mount while the Craigslist transaction took place, and finally had the chance to replace it.

Minor change, but it now stays perfectly vertical while driving, which is what the OCD in me strives for.

Last photo is one I took on I-95 last Thursday during the gigantic snowstorm that went through the area. I was completely, completely alone on the highway, snow blowing sideways, and at times impossible to see, so I naturally pulled over to take a photograph. Then I realized it would make a great shot of the Jeep itself, so I backed up a few feet to snap that. Good news is that this thing did amazingly well in the snow.




Firestik Medium vs HD Spring by 2180miles


Firestik HD Antenna Spring by 2180miles


New England Whiteout by 2180miles
 
#20 ·
Thanks cavz! Congrats on the Trailhawk... I too was super pleased with the look of the 2' Firestik. I think for trips (versus day-to-day) I might run a 3-footer, but the reception and aesthetic combination of the two footer are perfect for regular use. I pick up lots of conversations with regular driving on the highway despite the shorter-than-normal height.


Nice, clean install on the CB. Jeep looks great!

Curious to hear more about your trip plans around NE.
Thanks Beacon! What part of the region are you from? A small group from North Shore Jeeps did a 900+ mile overland trip through the Northern Maine Wilderness last summer and had a great time. I'm currently planning our overland trip for summer '17 through Ontario and Quebec. Definitely look up Northeast Overland, they're a group out of Maine that sponsors a few events annually, and I'll keep you posted on here with stuff we do as a group.


Looking forward to following your build Ryan! Thanks for sharing the CB wiring details. I can totally relate to the wiring OCD, which is only rivaled by my panel gap OCD.

Subscribed!
Thanks man! Definitely welcome for the CB details... that's the exact response I was hoping for when I scribed the write-up. I know there isn't a ton of detail for installs like that in WK2 platform vehicles, so I figured it might help. Definitely keeps me on my toes as I plan more lighting, radio, and other electronics installations.
 
#21 · (Edited)
I had a great time last weekend heading up to the White Mountains in New Hampshire to do some photography and hang out with my parents at their vacation house. My goal of the trip was to spend time on Friday and Saturday nights getting time-lapses of the stars and moon over Mt. Washington and the regionally famous Crawford Notch. It was a great weekend, albeit exceptionally cold on Friday night with temperatures reaching 5 degrees below zero with 20+ mph winds. The camera sat diligently and took just under 300x 30 second photos of the sky moving overhead as I lay in the back of the Grand and stared at the stars through the panoramic sunroof. It was kind of awesome to have owned the Jeep for just over a month and already be out using it for the exact purpose I hoped to.

Here's a three hour time-lapse of the moon rising over the 6,289-foot summit of Mt. Washington:





And a photo stack of 178 frames of that video (with geometric correction that I didn't do before making the time lapse):


Mount Washington Moonrise by 2180miles
 
#22 ·
One of the best takeaways I got from the weekend with the Jeep was the fuel economy potential for it, at least as a base measurement. I was traveling solo with minimal gear, and no wind drag of roof crossbars or a rack, but with the combination of highway and mountain driving, I averaged 24.5 miles per gallon over the course of my 391 mile weekend. I'm stoked with this... I know there will always be the Prius mileage (my dad drives one and reminds me all the time) but for a two ton SUV I think it's pretty damn good.

With a mixture of sun, snow, and rain throughout the weekend the roads made a mess of the Grand, so I went ahead and washed/waxed her once the temperatures warmed up in Boston. We broke records by having 3+ days in a row with high 60s and low 70 degree temperatures, which made for perfect car washing situations. Love how it drives, love how it looks dirty, love how it cleans up. I also made full use of the air suspension and dropped it to the "park" height to have better access to washing the roof... neat trick.

I've got some cool new stuff coming in for it in the next week or two, a new Factor 55 hitch link and some shackles for rear end recovery. Should be delivered by the time I get home from this current work trip where I'm being reminded regularly how terrible Florida is with its humidity and sunlight and blah.

Please don't mind the abandoned house next door in the background. Guy died in it 10 years ago and the family refuses to do anything with it, but also refuses to sell it.



400 miles of Winter by 2180miles


Washed & Waxed by 2180miles
 
#25 ·
I'm glad to hear, my hope was to help people looking to do it in the future!



Hey bud! Just thought I'd say hello. I just picked up a 2017 GC Trailhawk myself - I think same color (Rhino), and it looks like we live in the same neck of the woods. I live about 30 minutes north of the city.

I dig what you're doing to the Jeep. Small, tasteful changes. I might have to hit up Unique Car Care for a wrap myself. Have you ever had anything else wrapped? My wife had a cheaper wrap job done on her white jetta. Looked awful after a couple of months. The white car didn't help, just highlighted the dirt line haha.

Anyway - keep on postin' man. I'm looking for ideas of things to do to my TH.
Hey flander!

I grew up in Reading and live in Boston now... pretty close by! I'm guessing the Rhino one you bought was from Kelly? Mine's Granite Crystal, but I had seen they had a Rhino model when I was first shopping. Congrats on the purchase!

I've never had anything else wrapped. When I bought my Audi the plan was to have it done but I never got around to it and then it just becomes useless to even do because it already had road-chips from being so low. I can't say enough good things about the guys at Unique though.. highly recommend them.

If you're bored, go sign up on NorthShoreJeeps.com and our Facebook page - North Shore Jeeps - I'm the founder/president of the club and we're going to be having our annual spring BBQ in late April/Early May... you should definitely come by. Lots of JKs and TJs, but a great community of people.
 
#24 ·
Hey bud! Just thought I'd say hello. I just picked up a 2017 GC Trailhawk myself - I think same color (Rhino), and it looks like we live in the same neck of the woods. I live about 30 minutes north of the city.

I dig what you're doing to the Jeep. Small, tasteful changes. I might have to hit up Unique Car Care for a wrap myself. Have you ever had anything else wrapped? My wife had a cheaper wrap job done on her white jetta. Looked awful after a couple of months. The white car didn't help, just highlighted the dirt line haha.

Anyway - keep on postin' man. I'm looking for ideas of things to do to my TH.
 
#26 ·
Morning.

I've lived in MA most of my life. Now up in Lawrence. Like your style, Ryan. Practical to your needs and well implemented. Good work man.

Got my GC in May last year. Traded in my 2011 Audi S5 for a very different ride. Love the truck. First stop was XPel for the front, hood, mirrors and fenders. Tinted the front windows at the same time. Talk to my man Joe at clear bra, Car Detailing, xpel paint protection | Salem, NH in Salem, NH. Couldn't be more pleased with the work he does.

--Eric
 
#28 ·
Hey Eric!

Thanks for the kind words. Practicality/reasonability are going to play a big part in this build, making it capable and comfortable without going over the top. Still getting used to having a car payment again, lol.

It is in fact a very different ride between the Audi and the GC. I didn't get rid of the B8 for a few reasons... 1) I didn't want to muddy the deal with the dealership by bringing a trade into it.. 2) KBB's True Car thing allows you to get bids from dealerships at any point for cash value, so I figure if it comes down to not wanting to keep the 3 vehicles I can just do that and get rid of it that way.. 3) I absolutely love, love, love, that car. 8-speed paddle, sport suspension... she flies. Gets me in trouble sometimes, but there really is something to be said for that whole German Engineering thing.

I had the GCTH wrapped by Unique Car Care up in North Andover the day after I purchased it. Did a 1/3 hood wrap, fenders, bumper, A-pillars, roof line (the latter two to protect from branches on trails) etc. They did a fantastic job. Thank you for the recommendation of your guy, though!

Same offer I extended to Beacon, we've got a great group of Jeep guys in the North Shore Jeeps club, and will be having our annual BBQ (club runs monthly, too!) starting in April. Find us on FB, or at NorthShoreJeeps.com

I'll have to check out those groups. Good to see some other MA guys posting in your thread too. I'm in Boston now but have lived in MA my whole life. Definitely interested in hearing your plans for Canada this summer. This is my first Jeep so haven't done much offroading beyond the gravel roads near my NH place.
It's fantastic to see a few more Boston/MA guys. Especially since this forum is much more tailored to the GC crowd, I'm almost surprised that there are this many on a forum for the platform of Jeep.

I'll be posting up more about the Quebec trip as it gets closer... just sent out the first formal e-mail about it to our Overland group yesterday, now I just need it to be July!!
 
#30 ·
Next up... recovery points for the rear end of the rig.

While the forward bumper of the Trailhawk is adorned with red powder coated tow hooks, a large part of the aggressive appearance of the vehicle's front end, the back has nothing readily available but a trailer hitch receiver. In the interest of being ready for things like trail recovery scenarios, I wanted to put something in the hitch to allow for being yanked backwards if ever necessary. While Harbor Freight has their classic $19 option, but obviously it isn't really an option at all.

After scouring the internet I recognized a name from the ExpoOverland guys front bumpers - Factor 55. A product by the name of "Hitchlink" caught my eye as the perfect solution to my needs for a rear recovery point. A block of aluminum weighing in at just under 2 pounds and rated to 9,500lbs , this thing is a beast. Their website depicts the ultimate failure point at 51,000 pounds... a point by which the trailer hitch and frame would have been yanked out from underneath the WK2. With a multitude of color options I rolled the dice for the dark grey to match Halley, and was quite pleased to find that it did. I bought some powder coated red 3/4" shackles to add a nice accent to the back of the Hitchlink, keeping with the grey/red theme of the entire vehicle. A few minutes on Amazon found me a locking hitch pin, since I've now got nearly $120 into my rear recovery point... not something I'm ready to have stolen off the back end of the Jeep.

While on Amazon I also picked up a 125-piece first-aid kit for a whopping 20 bucks. Never a bad thing to have, and it even goes so far as to include a glow stick and space blanket. Hopefully never are needed, but for now they're stored in the nifty zipped up kit in the trunk's spare tire organizers.

Pictures, cause that's what people care about... :)



First Aid Kit by 2180miles


125 Piece First Aid Kit by 2180miles


Factor 55 Hitchlink w/ Pin Lock by 2180miles


Red Shackles by 2180miles


Factor 55 Hitchlink by 2180miles


Hitchlink Street View by 2180miles
 
#153 ·
Next up... recovery points for the rear end of the rig.

After scouring the internet I recognized a name from the ExpoOverland guys front bumpers - Factor 55. A product by the name of "Hitchlink" caught my eye as the perfect solution to my needs for a rear recovery point. A block of aluminum weighing in at just under 2 pounds and rated to 9,500lbs , this thing is a beast. Their website depicts the ultimate failure point at 51,000 pounds... a point by which the trailer hitch and frame would have been yanked out from underneath the WK2. With a multitude of color options I rolled the dice for the dark grey to match Halley, and was quite pleased to find that it did. I bought some powder coated red 3/4" shackles to add a nice accent to the back of the Hitchlink, keeping with the grey/red theme of the entire vehicle. A few minutes on Amazon found me a locking hitch pin, since I've now got nearly $120 into my rear recovery point... not something I'm ready to have stolen off the back end of the Jee

Pictures, cause that's what people care about... :)


Hitchlink Street View by 2180miles
Does the Factor 55 hitch mount rattle much inside the receiver while normal driving? Also, I seen some stick rubber washers on the shackle did you find the need too?
 
#31 ·
Next up... recovery points for the rear end of the rig.

While the forward bumper of the Trailhawk is adorned with red powder coated tow hooks, a large part of the aggressive appearance of the vehicle's front end, the back has nothing readily available but a trailer hitch receiver. In the interest of being ready for things like trail recovery scenarios, I wanted to put something in the hitch to allow for being yanked backwards if ever necessary. While Harbor Freight has their classic $19 option, but obviously it isn't really an option at all.

After scouring the internet I recognized a name from the ExpoOverland guys front bumpers - Factor 55. A product by the name of "Hitchlink" caught my eye as the perfect solution to my needs for a rear recovery point. A block of aluminum weighing in at just under 2 pounds and rated to 9,500lbs , this thing is a beast. Their website depicts the ultimate failure point at 51,000 pounds... a point by which the trailer hitch and frame would have been yanked out from underneath the WK2. With a multitude of color options I rolled the dice for the dark grey to match Halley, and was quite pleased to find that it did. I bought some powder coated red 3/4" shackles to add a nice accent to the back of the Hitchlink, keeping with the grey/red theme of the entire vehicle. A few minutes on Amazon found me a locking hitch pin, since I've now got nearly $120 into my rear recovery point... not something I'm ready to have stolen off the back end of the Jeep.

While on Amazon I also picked up a 125-piece first-aid kit for a whopping 20 bucks. Never a bad thing to have, and it even goes so far as to include a glow stick and space blanket. Hopefully never are needed, but for now they're stored in the nifty zipped up kit in the trunk's spare tire organizers.

Pictures, cause that's what people care about... :)



First Aid Kit by 2180miles


125 Piece First Aid Kit by 2180miles


Factor 55 Hitchlink w/ Pin Lock by 2180miles


Red Shackles by 2180miles


Factor 55 Hitchlink by 2180miles


Hitchlink Street View by 2180miles
 
#32 ·
Next up... recovery points for the rear end of the rig.

While the forward bumper of the Trailhawk is adorned with red powder coated tow hooks, a large part of the aggressive appearance of the vehicle's front end, the back has nothing readily available but a trailer hitch receiver. In the interest of being ready for things like trail recovery scenarios, I wanted to put something in the hitch to allow for being yanked backwards if ever necessary. While Harbor Freight has their classic $19 option, but obviously it isn't really an option at all.

After scouring the internet I recognized a name from the ExpoOverland guys front bumpers - Factor 55. A product by the name of "Hitchlink" caught my eye as the perfect solution to my needs for a rear recovery point. A block of aluminum weighing in at just under 2 pounds and rated to 9,500lbs , this thing is a beast. Their website depicts the ultimate failure point at 51,000 pounds... a point by which the trailer hitch and frame would have been yanked out from underneath the WK2. With a multitude of color options I rolled the dice for the dark grey to match Halley, and was quite pleased to find that it did. I bought some powder coated red 3/4" shackles to add a nice accent to the back of the Hitchlink, keeping with the grey/red theme of the entire vehicle. A few minutes on Amazon found me a locking hitch pin, since I've now got nearly $120 into my rear recovery point... not something I'm ready to have stolen off the back end of the Jeep.

While on Amazon I also picked up a 125-piece first-aid kit for a whopping 20 bucks. Never a bad thing to have, and it even goes so far as to include a glow stick and space blanket. Hopefully never are needed, but for now they're stored in the nifty zipped up kit in the trunk's spare tire organizers.

Pictures, cause that's what people care about... :)



First Aid Kit by 2180miles


125 Piece First Aid Kit by 2180miles


Factor 55 Hitchlink w/ Pin Lock by 2180miles


Red Shackles by 2180miles


Factor 55 Hitchlink by 2180miles


Hitchlink Street View by 2180miles
 
#33 ·
Next up... recovery points for the rear end of the rig.

While the forward bumper of the Trailhawk is adorned with red powder coated tow hooks, a large part of the aggressive appearance of the vehicle's front end, the back has nothing readily available but a trailer hitch receiver. In the interest of being ready for things like trail recovery scenarios, I wanted to put something in the hitch to allow for being yanked backwards if ever necessary. While Harbor Freight has their classic $19 option, but obviously it isn't really an option at all.

After scouring the internet I recognized a name from the ExpoOverland guys front bumpers - Factor 55. A product by the name of "Hitchlink" caught my eye as the perfect solution to my needs for a rear recovery point. A block of aluminum weighing in at just under 2 pounds and rated to 9,500lbs , this thing is a beast. Their website depicts the ultimate failure point at 51,000 pounds... a point by which the trailer hitch and frame would have been yanked out from underneath the WK2. With a multitude of color options I rolled the dice for the dark grey to match Halley, and was quite pleased to find that it did. I bought some powder coated red 3/4" shackles to add a nice accent to the back of the Hitchlink, keeping with the grey/red theme of the entire vehicle. A few minutes on Amazon found me a locking hitch pin, since I've now got nearly $120 into my rear recovery point... not something I'm ready to have stolen off the back end of the Jeep.

While on Amazon I also picked up a 125-piece first-aid kit for a whopping 20 bucks. Never a bad thing to have, and it even goes so far as to include a glow stick and space blanket. Hopefully never are needed, but for now they're stored in the nifty zipped up kit in the trunk's spare tire organizers.

Pictures, cause that's what people care about... :)



First Aid Kit by 2180miles


125 Piece First Aid Kit by 2180miles


Factor 55 Hitchlink w/ Pin Lock by 2180miles


Red Shackles by 2180miles


Factor 55 Hitchlink by 2180miles


Hitchlink Street View by 2180miles
 
#34 ·
Not sure how to get those repeat posts deleted... If anyone knows how or wants to get rid of the redundancy, I'd appreciate it. Alas, we'll move forward!


A silly little mod, but with the intention of being out and about photographing/hiking in the WK2, I went ahead and had some vinyl lettering done for the rear side windows to hopefully drive some traffic to the blog and social media accounts. The lettering/logo measure 22" wide and 4" tall. I found a place called Sticker Genius on the web who printed me 3 copies of the sticker (1 as a backup) for $35 delivered. I haven't yet decided if something will go on the rear window of the tailgate, but I wanted to get this done first so that I could see what would look best on the back.

Looks pretty clean, in my opinion.




2180 Decals by 2180miles


Vinyl Mock-Up by 2180miles


Rear Window Panel Installed by 2180miles
 
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