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Reaper Mod Journal

9K views 13 replies 4 participants last post by  ReaperZune8 
#1 · (Edited)
:evil:

This will eventually Detail my personal mod journal for my 2005 CK EX. (with pics)

Mods completed:


Hidden Power Port (cant seem to find the proper thread for this one, but i will take some pics of my setup)

Trailer hitch

Mods currently in the works:

DIY Roof Rack 2.0

Rear hatch release


I am currently rocking some BFG AT/KO tires... these things are rediculously loud on the hiway... i may switch over to some michalins someday.

I am a simple guy, making simple mods. My tools include a circular saw, ratchet set, dremel, vice grips, screw drivers, spray paint, and duct tape. It will be my intention to detail my mods so any ya-hoo could do this stuff... and to toot my own (ever so small) horn... heck, that might be another mod i might do... big ole horn mod.

My mods will make camping and mild offroading a bit easier. I take my E on the beach from time to time as well, so i may be adding a light bar to my roof rack (when its completed) and also a Hi-Jack mount (i tend to bite off more than the E can chew from time to time).

Questions, Comments, Emotional outbursts, and suggestions are all welcome.
 
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#2 · (Edited)
I just completed the Rear Hatch Release mod this weekend!!!!!! WOOT! I shall soon (today or tomorrow) Edit this post and toss up my writeup WITH eleporn (pictures)!!! Seems i cant edit previous posts once i post again... =(

Here is a basic rundown of how I did it.

Parts Used:

9mm bolts 4
9mm Nylon Nuts 5
Lock Washers
Bike Cable
OEM Passenger door handle. (you can use the driver door if you want the lock/unlock mechanism, but you must also order the switch. I did not desire to have the switch, i am sure someone can figure the details for wiring it in.
2x 2" 90* brackets
1x 1" 90* Bracket
1x toggle bolt anchor
Rubber Band
Sweat and Blood. (every project i do, i seem to bleed on it a little)

Tools:
Vice Grips
10mm Socket
10mm wrench
Dremel
Cordless drill w/ Drill bits
Slide Caliper
Screw Driver.
#1 soft pencil (#2 will work as well)
Razor.

First i installed a 1" bracket on the release mechanism using the factory hole just below the actual moving part. I used a 9mm hex bolt, lock washer and nylon nut. I installed it so that i could see the nut rather than the head. The bolt was too long and would interfere with the moving mechanism in the release, so i had to do some dremel work to shave it down to a size that would work.

Actual release mechanism setup
unshaved

shaved


Then what i did was I cut one end of the pull cable (the end that would be fastened to the handle) I pulled the bike cable out from its sheath, Ran it through the release mechanism through the hole just above the stock cable and then through the bracket i had just installed. Ran the cable through the metal stopper and the cable sheath and put the vice grips on the cut end.

I then Drilled a hole in the location i wanted to mount the handle and installed a 2" bracket there with a 9mm hex bolt, lock washer, and nylon nut.

From there i needed a way to keep the cable sheath in place so I bent one of the remaining 2" brackets over upon itself. I left an oval opening the end near the 90* angle for me to slide the sheath into. I drilled a hole in the E to install another 9mm Hex bolt/lock washer/nylon nut to keep that in place. When i bent the bracket, it made the holes line up pretty well, but i still had to drill out a little bit on the ends ( opposite the oval opening) to put the bolt through. I installed it on the door, ran the sheath through, jimmied the sheath tightly into the edge of the oval. This allowed enough space for me to install one of the screws that came with the bracket. I drilled a very small pilot hole So the upper screw could go into the E to keep the bracket from rotating and it also works to keep the cable sheath in place.

Bent bracket and placement


I then installed a hex bolt and nylon washer on the end of the cable (NOTE: this makes it easier down the line... you will need a bolt long enough here to feed through the handle assembly and put another nylon hex nut on the other side) So basically now the cable had a bolt/nylon nut crimped on the end. This keeps the cable from fraying and you will also use it to attach the cable to the handle assembly.

Now... this is the part where if you mess it up, youre going to see it... PLASTIC CUTTIN' TIME!!!

Before you just start hacking into the plastic, I reccomend you create a cardboard template and cut it till you get it so that the handle just barely fits into it. get it as TIGHT as possible. I personally modified the handle and cut off some of the sections of thin plastic to get a tighter fit. Once you get the hole just right, mark a corner with an X so that you know which end is the upper right (you can go with whatever corner you want, but you will want to make sure that is the corner of the template you always use). Now that youve got the template just right, you will want to make a crosshair for where the bolt will be. I used a slide caliper to measure how far from the top of the plastic the bolt should be, it happened to be 130mm from the top. I drilled a pilot hole in the approximate spot that the bolt should go. I just so happened to be ever so slightly off so i made the hole a bit bigger so that i could put the plastic up and see the bolt placement properly.

The bolt will be you point of reference!

When i got the pilot hole to where i could put the toggle bolt straight through properly i removed the plastic again, put the toggle nut up where it needed to be and held it in place with a rubber band. I then put the plastic panel back up and screwed the bolt into the toggle nut. I then placed the template over the hole and lined up the cross hairs properly to line up with the bolt. I then outlined the template with the pencil, being careful to keep the template placed properly lined up with the bolt. I also ensured the template was parallel to the bottom and top of the plastic panel so it would be horizontal and not all crazy looking. I did not want this thing to look all willy nilly like. Make sure you take your sweet time to get the template and pencil in the outline of where you are cutting so that it is perfect.




Once you get the template drawn on the plastic panel properly its time to have some fun. Whip out a dremel with the cutting head on it. Place the panel on a flat surface, Don your eye protection. Cut INSIDE the template lines, you can always cut more off if you need to, its hard to put that plastic back once youve cut it off. I screwed up a little bit and let part of the rotating area on the dremel touch the panel outside of the cutout... OOPS!. However, i did get this cutout done pretty darn well. The fitment was very tight (YAY!) and i carefully made the hole a little bit wider by shaving off some of the plastic with the razor.

I then placed the handle in the plastic cutout to ensure a proper fit. Once you have a good fit, slap the panel back on the rear hatch. I then connected the bolt that was on the cable to the handle. You will want to get the nylon nut fairly tight to the handle, but not so tight that it cannot rotate whatsoever. Once you get that done, Slap the handle into the cutout and put the bolt into the Toggle anchor nut. Tighten that bad johnny down.


Toggle nut placement and setup

Boom, your handle should be looking pretty sweet right now.

Test your install. Step inside your cargo area, close it, use the handle to open your hatch. if it opens proper YAY! if not, adjust the length on the cable via the bolt/nut. When you get that to work properly, its now time to get back inside the cargo area, close the door, lock your E, Unlock your E, open the hatch again. IF you could open your hatch, you have the proper tension on the cable and... YAY project finished. If not, the back door will not open and you will have to take off the handle from inside your hatch and loosen the tension on the cable a little. Repeat untill you can lock, unlock, and open properly. Put the handle and screw back in the panel.



Project FINISHED (again, YAY!) Enjoy a cold or hot beverage of your choosing, Brag about your newest install on EOC, include eleporn (pictures) of your install. Go camping as soon as humanly possible to enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Sources/references/credits: Autopilot, RallyRedShon, and My Father inlaw (some of the "I" should be We or He). This mod brought to you by the letter and number V.
 
#4 ·
Aye, my friend, aye. One should note... that it does not come with the handle assembly when ordered... make sure to order it as well as the handle. The Toggle Anchor bolt isnt preventing me from puting the plastic square over it... the fact that i havent ordered that part is... if its more than 5$ i will probably just paint the bolt.

Input very appreciated!
 
#6 ·
THIS JUST IN... aluminum C channel for the DIY roof rack mod thingy. SWEET! thnks to twi n stuff. Probably gonna hafta wait till next weekend to get at a drill press. These things are WAYYY solid!.
 
#7 ·
I look forward to seeing it.
 
#9 ·
Pics, guaranteed! I might even show up in one this time. (thats the Father Inlaw in the other one =P)

Sweet jeebus ramblerdan... youre darn near ready for the zombie apocalypse!
 
#11 · (Edited)
Elemmat

Heres some pics of me cleaning the E... proper preparation prevents... so i can put the elemmat in... no snags with this mod :) Thanks to Murdock Industrial!

These are small pics... if you wish to see the full size ones, click here.

element full of junk


icky cut to fit mats i got at autozone did their job... not that well though.


I think its clean...


Elemmat laid out in my living room...


Installed.




A few things about the elemmat in the 6 hours ive had it so far... looks kinda thin but its deceiving... this mat is VERY well made and i am guessing it is most durable... i shall test this though :evil:
 
#12 ·
Winjet Yellow OEM style foglights installed, link to my writeup and rating of the kit in my sig. The only thing OEM about them is the foglight assembly themselves. Not entirely thrilled about them... more in the writeup which i might duplicate here and go into further detail. This mod may not be finished as i might wire them to turn on only if my low beams are on... of if its easier, just to turn on if my headlights are on in general. I also need to order some plastic clips as i broke all of the ones on the drivers side plastic fender cladding in order to route the wire to the headlights (these dont use the factory wiring :x)

Mods in the works:
DIY Roof Rack... just got the C-Channel aluminum from Twi not too long ago, just got to drill the holes and draw up something nifty for what i want on top of that.

Outdoor/indoor Temp Gauge... got a battery powered gauge, thinking about mounting it to the roof console somehow. Possibly painting it before hand to get a decent match to the interior headlining/overhead console.

Mods i am contemplating:
07+ Seat swap; Will it work? are the mounts the same as the 06 and below? are the sensor/airbag hookups the same? If there is going to be too much involved with fabrication, i may Nix this mod. I am really considering this mod because there is an imperfection in my current drivers seat that was hidden by the people who sold me the car (dirtbags used the fabric fixer that only works for a little while then breaks apart making it even worse:twisted:) And if i am going to replace the seat, Why not upgrade?

SC Console; the only thing really making me not want to do this is i go camping in the E a bit and that would create a hump rather than a dip in the center... a dip is easier to work around than a hump for this purpose.
 
#13 ·
Seat Swap is a no go for now. Unless someone smarter does it with a nice writeup of course. There are more connectors on the 07+ seats and airbags aren't something i feel like playing with.

Indoor outdoor temp sensor. Ive got it, and its installed, i just need to find better placement really, of both the unit and the sensor.

Trans fluid and Diff fluid both done today (@~75k miles) 2 hrs tops for both, probably closer to 1.5 hrs. Thanks to ApriliaGuy's most awesome How To write-ups. The diff fluid was the easiest thing Ive done. However it was ridiculously hot n humid out today... that took a lot out of me.
 
#14 ·
It is summer time again... That means mod time. That, and i need to finish my C-Channel roof rack modding... after looking at twi's thread again, some people have come up with some awesomeness that i may have to build upon. My schedule this summer is rough, so it will be slow going. Must muster up the ambition!
 
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