JohnPr's jeep aero mods

[johnpr]

so today i was working on the jeep, i did a few small improvements and worked on 1 large improvement.

so first we will start off with safety.

always use the proper tools for the job.

wear eye protection if the project warants it (use comon sense) - not necessary for what i did today, but may be on future projects.

use proper hand protection - today I used latex gloves, other projects will require mechanix gloves, leather gloves, or welding gloves



keep a first aid kit around (or at least some band aids)

wear the proper clothing - some projects it doesnt matter what you wear but others you will want to wear long sleeves, and others you will want clothing which is loose fitting without being baggy.

hearing protection - some projects may require hearing protection, usually when using power tools

respirators / face masks - very usefull when working with paint, chemicals such as fiberglass (good for today).

shoes - always wear closed toed shoes, some projects may require steel toes

work in a well ventilated area, even if you are using breathing protection, built up fumes cause both breathing problems and are a risk for flash fires.

always try to work smarter not harder.
measure twice, cut once.
ok now that i have the safety part covered i will start working on posting what i actually did

[johnpr]

so here it is! the aerodynamic horror itself, a beautiful 2007 4dr 4wd jeep wrangler!





ok the blue arrow points at a rubber nub used to support the windshield when its lowered, the red arrow is after removing the passenger side nub and covering the whole with painters tape



the red arrow points at the windshield tie down loop, i will be removing this tomorow.




i also covered the hood hinges with painters tape, this is in the middle of covering it, i made it a gradual slope up and a gradual slope behind it also
i plan on making a fiberglass "ramp" for it

in my next post i will be talking about my "grill block plus"

[johnpr]

materials:
cheap paintbrushes, they will be tossed out - i bought this set from dollar tree


aluminum foil- doesnt need to be expensive either, other masking materials may work but this is what i used



fiberglass cloth and resin - i used bondo brand which is available from many home supply stores (home depot), wal-mart (automotive section), or auto supply stores (auto zone)

painters tape -doesnt leave a nasty residue, very useful for many things

core material - i used cardboard because it is readily available and free from my apartment buildings paper recycling bin

also i picked up some foam posterboard from dollar tree, i dont know yet if it will react with the resin or not, i will fill you in later on that.

a spreader - good for geting air bubbles out



this was a bit of trial and error, most projects are. i picked up some glue as that was how i origionally wanted to hold the cardboard together, hot glue works wonders, but i dont have an outlet in my workspace.


first i made an upright piece


then in order to make an identical piece i outlined the first



here are the 4 upright / support pieces, i will be removing the foglights tommorow because i did not have the proper tools with me today



i have started putting the blocking pieces, i used painters tape to hold it all together



i will be covering the light area with plexiglass tomorrow after i finish the suface prep and painting



getting more of the grill block together



the hole in the center of the grill block is so that i can adjust airflow according to the weather, i am using an old cookie sheet someone threw out, i will attach it with screws.



this is the side view



quite a difference?

before:

after:

this is where the alum foil comes in, use it to cover anywhere that might possibly get resin on it, cover anywhere that wont get resin on it. its just cheap insurance



first coat of fiberglass is on, i was mostly trying to stiffen this up a bit and make it water proof, i have to paint it tomorrow, screw it on and put the light covers on tommorow, i am going on a camping trip this weekend so i wont be able to post any completed pictures until monday.



so far this project has costed me less than $40,

fiberglass cloth - $12
fiberglass resin - $10
cardboard - free
painters tape - $2
aluminum foil - $2
brushes - $1
latex gloves - $1

*notes - some of these are common sense but i know people who have done some of the no-nos,

*never use a razor blade near paint
*cover everything that you remotely care about getting damaged
*be patient - when you rush you will make mistakes
*dont get angry - you will make mistakes, its part of life, just try to fix them as best you can
*use the proper safety materials
*measure twice - cut once
*have fun

[FX2.3]

Subscribed!

Looks real good!

[zjrog]

Interesting... Will this be removable so you can still hit the trails and not overheat?

I'd love to get a 4 door Wrangler when my ZJ dies. But, I really want one with the diesel they keep teasing us with.

[johnpr]

yes it is removable, i put over 200 miles on it this weekend and the heat didnt go over the normal point despite being over 90 degrees. i ended up having to redesign it a little though because the area covering the lights did not end up being as stron as i would have liked, i am considering making one out of sheetmetal to fix this issue and to also make it look a little nicer.

i find that the 4 dr wrangler from the factory has a decent amount of power, i use it to tow quite often and also towed my brother's s10 today a distance of ~30 miles with no heat issues. i would like a diesel engine for it but i have no idea how long until something decent comes out.

i am looking at making an airdam but i will have to see what time i can get to do that, i have alot going on in the coming weeks preparing the rv for a long trip (to wyoming and back) so i have to do some aero mods on that first
-john

[johnpr]

so i filled up the tank today, i averaged 21.29 mpg. it was quite the increase considering i added the grill block 90 miles into the tank so i dont know the complete impact yet, also i towed a vehicle so all in all i think it was a very positive gain.

[zjrog]

Cool. Can't wait to see the finished product.

[Red]

Cool, subscribed

[johnpr]

I have been wanting smaller mirrors for the jeep, i would just do a mirror delete seeing as how simple that is on my jeep (2 bolts on the inside, easy access) but the reason i dont is because (as mentioned before) i tow, alot (most of the time that i use my jeep) so i found a pair of "Euro Sport mirrors" from autozone which costed me about 32 USD so I got them.


origional mirrors


new mirror


size comparison

the mirror lenses are darker on the new ones and they shake a little as i drive but thats fine, they get the job done.

[RoboMike]

I'm following ya.... just waiting for your mpgs

[redline5th]

Nice! I like those mirrors man!

[johnpr]

thanks, i have to make a bracket and relocate them, i will be doing that in the early part of july (when i get back from wyoming) so i will not have any updates until then.

[Greenblazer]

So when are we gonna get to see the finished grill block?

Later,

Allan Greenblazer

[awillard69]

Watching with interest....

[sweatbrah]

so i want to do this!!! need help

[johnpr]

ok i filled the tank today, the results so far are in conclusive, i got 19.xx on my last tank but i have a few other tanks which show similar mileage (check my fuel logs) anyhow, the tank was mostly city, i towed two vehicles and lots of cargo. the only downfall with trying to get a perfectly conclusive improvement amount is that my jeep usage changes alot, and i mostly use it to do work.

sweatbrah - what kind of help do you need and what kind of vehicle are you working on, i am more than happy to give ideas and try to instruct on how to work with different matterials.

as a side note about my current grill block, i plan on re doing it out of plexiglass, i am not the happiest with the appearance of this one and i think i would like the look of plexi, will keep you guys updated as things change.

[tjts1]

I think a sane person would call this "putting make up on a pig" or "polishing a turd". Subscribed!

[texanidiot25]

Originally Posted by johnpr

as a side note about my current grill block, i plan on re doing it out of plexiglass, i am not the happiest with the appearance of this one and i think i would like the look of plexi, will keep you guys updated as things change.

Sheet metal and rivets... Mad max style.

Cool project, subscribed.