1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee Install

jantman · Post by **jantman** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 7:20 pm

Hey, all.

I just posted some photos of the install in my personal 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

It's not beautiful... it's horrible... maybe worse. The install has been heavily modified for 2 years... but, to it's credit, it moves the traffic as well as anything I've driven (that doesn't have a siren, as per NJ state regs for volunteers) and the wiring is safe and not much of a drain.

Some simple specs:
Code3 MX7000 lightbar, 3 rotators and 4 strobes (2 front/2 rear), ArrowStik in rear.
Many LEDs, headlight flasher, halogens behind grille
Whelen Power Air Horn Plus
Motorola Spectra mobile
Antenna for 2m/440 ham handheld

The flasher for the front flashers on the lower deck of the bar is shot, it works intermittently, rest of the time they just stay on constantly. I'm thinking of replacing them with two Whelen 500-series Linear Super LEDs, synched with the other LEDs.

Older photos, lower res, older domes on bar, and links to videos:
http://jantman.dyndns.org:10011/showSit ... =truck.php

New photos with the new clear domes on the bar:
http://jantman.dyndns.org:10011/showSit ... hotos2.php

Enjoy,
Jason[/url]

Wicho · Post by **Wicho** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 7:31 pm

Uh...hamsexy with whacker flair?

jantman · Post by **jantman** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 8:10 pm

Close... chronologically and financially whacker first, then ham...

Speaking of that, I don't think I've been on the ham in a few months... should check those repeaters sometime soon...

kg4ere · Post by **kg4ere** » Sat Nov 11, 2006 9:42 pm

Post by Pj » Sun Nov 12, 2006 1:35 am

Good:

Bad:

Most amuzing:

You really need to drill some holes for those antenna's though.

thebigphish · Post by **thebigphish** » Sun Nov 12, 2006 1:59 pm

are those home made LED panels in the rear side windows?

tvsjr · Post by **tvsjr** » Sun Nov 12, 2006 2:07 pm

Enjoy? What a wacktacular install.

For nothing more than that scanner wedged behind the seat, you should be taken out and summarily flogged.

You won't be so happy when that rat's nest burns up.

Ugh.

kc0jar · Post by **kc0jar** » Sun Nov 12, 2006 10:14 pm

Man, that's even worse than my former whacktastik grand cherokee install. I don't miss those days at all.

MK4412 · Post by **MK4412** » Fri Dec 01, 2006 9:09 am

Holy shat! I now know my worst has never been THE worst!

apco25 · Post by **apco25** » Fri Dec 01, 2006 10:34 am

1. Please clean out all your crap before you take pictures.

2. INVEST IN A LARGE BULK PACK OF CABLE TIES.

3. CUT WIRES TO LENGTH. Its wire, not pasta!

4. DRILL HOLES for antennas, lightbar cables etc. I can't imagine the weather seals on your doors will hold up with all that crap in there.

MK4412 · Post by **MK4412** » Fri Dec 01, 2006 10:49 am

I just re-viewed the pics again, and I am speechless. I hope that you do not use these as a pictoral resume' to work at a communications installer, or emergency vehicle dealership. You and your vehicle (poor Jeep, I feel for it) need help.

apco25 wrote:1. Please clean out all your crap before you take pictures.

2. INVEST IN A LARGE BULK PACK OF CABLE TIES.

3. CUT WIRES TO LENGTH. Its wire, not pasta!

4. DRILL HOLES for antennas, lightbar cables etc. I can't imagine the weather seals on your doors will hold up with all that crap in there.

DITTO. Buy some split loom as well, delete the crappy looking LED wannabe's. Take that god-awful lightbar off the rack, and mount it right. MX mounts will go right over a GC's rails, you don't need it up on pylons. And last, but not least, don't advertise an install like this anywhere. It makes you and the service look like idiots. By the way, get a more "butch" fleece. I hope that pink one is the one your 5 year-old sister left in your car by accident. UGH....OMG!

SafetyLighting · Post by **SafetyLighting** » Fri Dec 01, 2006 12:23 pm

LOLOL, this is great. With all the money spent on stupid things you could have bought some very nice equipment and done the job right. Everyone starts somewhere, but you seem to just stay on a level plane instead of improving.

apco25 · Post by **apco25** » Fri Dec 01, 2006 12:27 pm

Last thing I'll add is, we're not being asses about it. If you want help on how to do this vehicle up right we'll be glad to get you going in the right direction.

75% of what's bad could be easily corrected.

kb0nly · Post by **kb0nly** » Fri Dec 01, 2006 12:45 pm

Oh wow.. i think i just puked in the garbage can after looking at that wiring...

Why am i being so rude about it? Because i spend a lot of time fixing shat like that..

On the other hand, if you kept doing installs like that it will make others money, myself included, repairing them.

Terry_Glover · Post by **Terry_Glover** » Sun Dec 10, 2006 6:58 am

I swear, the liquid in those so called water bottles (item 2) has a yellowish tint and it's foamy... just look closely.

I commend you for not throwing your "Bladder Bombs" out on the side of the road though!

Me thinks the poor kid got embarrased here, no defense and no reply, AT ALL.

MK4412 · Post by **MK4412** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 8:03 am

Yeah. Sorry, Jantman. I think I can speak for most here, and say that if you are looking for suggestions on improvement, you will find it here. PM me, and I'd be happy to help. Unfortunately though, the pics do provoke the ribbing!

007 · Post by **007** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 3:20 pm

I hope you patient care is better than the way you install your equipment.

Your Jeep should be shot and put out of it's misery.

jantman · Post by **jantman** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 9:11 pm

I haven't been by here in a while, was just cleaning out my bookmarks and found one pointing to this thread.

I haven't had the time to do much work (cleanup) on the truck lately, and the prospect of a new pickup this year really hasn't motivated me to do much work on it.

The wiring under the seat may not look good, but it's hidden by the seat. All circuits are fused at 125% of load, and I know where each wire goes. It's not beautiful, but it isn't unsafe either. Also, everything's on a solenoid, so it's not even hot when the master switch is off.

"1. Please clean out all your crap before you take pictures."
The photos are of my truck, as it is every day. I don't do paid installs, I'm not looking to sell anything. The few times I've done installs for friends, I do them right. For my own truck, I'd rather see a few wires hanging out than take the time to route them under the trim.

"4. DRILL HOLES for antennas, lightbar cables etc."
I don't OWN the car. No externally visible holes through the roof. Anything else goes. Once again, the next truck, which will be titled in my name, will have thru-roof antennas and lightbar wires.

"delete the crappy looking LED wannabe's. Take that god-awful lightbar off the rack, and mount it right. MX mounts will go right over a GC's rails, you don't need it up on pylons. And last, but not least, don't advertise an install like this anywhere. It makes you and the service look like idiots. By the way, get a more "butch" fleece. "
1) The LEDs were $8 each. If you would like to mail me the difference for 6 TIR3's at $50 a piece, I'll send you my address. 2) There are no hole-less mounts for the GC, according to Code3. The only ones they have are drilled into the area over the door, and they advise removing the rack. 3) What "service"? I'm not advertising anything. This is my POV. 4) It came in the mail. It's a blanket. The MVA pt's don't mind what it looks like, and I don't mind tossing it if there's too much blood.

"With all the money spent on stupid things you could have bought some very nice equipment and done the job right."
Let's see... $150 for the bar, $50 for the switch panel, $48 for six LEDs.

"I swear, the liquid in those so called water bottles (item 2) has a yellowish tint and it's foamy... just look closely. "
Goes with the Skoal in the console.

The job of the lighting is not to serve as a demo. I don't do paid installs except for friends, and I don't want to. The purpose is to get people out of the way, and keep them from hitting me when the vehicle is parked. It does that fine. Will I do the next truck very differently? Yes. Will I put more money and time into it? Yes. But for now, this does the job very well, and lets me concentrate on what I have to - caring for patients while I'm on duty, and making money when I'm not.

FiremanSparky · Post by **FiremanSparky** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 5:15 pm

Where's rooflifeco at?..................

Seriously, if you install your equipment on a new truck and decide to sell any of it, please give me a P.M. as I know who would be interested in it.

Frank

jantman · Post by **jantman** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 6:43 pm

I'll keep it in mind, thanks.

The bar and air horn will probably stay (when this eventually happens, don't know when) but most of the rest will go.

EPC_1111 · Post by **EPC_1111** » Fri Mar 02, 2007 10:22 pm

What was that Gunnery Sgt Hartman said?
"You make me want to vomit".

601 · Post by **601** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 12:45 pm

All the extra lights seem like overkill to me, but that's just my opinion. I also have a Jeep Cherokee (2002) with a Vista bar on it, that's it, and it works fine for me in heavily congested areas. It's a 5 rotator with amber rear flashers for when i'm parked on scene. While I am going the same route as you as far as the running cables through a door, I just haven't had the time to inspect the inside of my roof to see where I can drill (I have a sunroof on mine) and I may be getting a mini LED Liberty instead in the next few months. But, just for reference, here's pictures of mine: