Okay, as promised, the following are some pix and instructions of what I accomplished this weekend. Bear with me, I still have yet to finish the hookup (this is a work in progress: I will be editing some of the following steps to provide additional info).
1. If you have an '04 or late '03 model (not sure how late), you'll need a a 1/4" drive, deep 7/32" socket (or a deep 5.5mm) to remove the a-pillar cover on the driver's side. The two bolts that you need to remove are covered by caps, so you'll need to pry them out first.
Note: a-pillar covers on earlier model kjs (2002 or 2003) are fastened down with T20 Torx bolts. You'll need a bit to fit those.
2. Once you get the a-pillar cover off, you'll have something that looks like the following:
3. Following the instructions that come with your gauges, install the gauges in the openings in the gauge pod and wire them per the instructions that came with the gauges (e.g., [link=hp.autometer.com/instruction_download/instructions/665h.pdf newwindow]instructions for the gauges I bought[/link]).
Note: drill any holes you need in the pod cover to pass the wiring through while that cover is off (see the picture below).
4. To install the original a-pillar back in place and have room to fit the pod cover over that, you will need to remove the grab handle from the original cover. You need to cut out the two white plastic inserts in the grab handle and use them to hold the original cover in place. The a-pod cover will be installed
over the original a-pillar cover. See [link=p087.ezboard.com/fkjjeepfrm1.showMessage?topicID=1849.topic newwindow]Gauge pod pix[/link] for further info about this.
Note: you do not have to drill holes in the original a-pillar cover for the pod cover screws. Once you have secured the original a-pillar cover back in place, simply place the pod cover in position over the original a-pillar cover and using a phillips screwdiver and firm pressure, drive the screws in. The plastic in the original cover is soft and doing it thtis way will ensure a snug fit.
CAUTION: do not over-tighten the screws as you may end up stripping out the holes you create in the original cover.
5. I will cover gauge lighting and other electrical hookups in a further update to this thread (probably next weekend), but in the meantime, the following picture illustrates where I grounded the gauges' lighting circuit (behind the kick panel on the driver's side. There are already a number of easily accessible grounding points in this location):
6. Now you need to run wires to your gauges' sending units. Since I already had an easily accessible solution for this (I moved by radio antenna), I ran my wires through the opening that the antenna cable used to run through, but some people say you can use the same opening where the main harness comes into the cab, in the area of the brake pedal.
CAUTION: use a coat hanger to
snake the wire through the dash, but be careful. Using electrical tape, tape one end of the wire (or the ends of multiple wires to save time) you wish to route through the dash to the end of coat hanger and
carefully string the coat hanger through openings in the dash in the direction of your firewall opening, as required. As a precaution, you may wish to disconnect the negative terminal on your battery before proceeding further.
Note: it's a good idea to have a supply of wire ties, electrical tape and various size wire conduit on hand that you can use to protect your wiring as you progress:
7. The next picture illustrates the wiring I added for the OP sending unit (green) and the wire that will feed the custom switched-voltage relay (yellow) I'm installing for my additional accessories. Once I get the sending units installed, I'll finish wiring the gauges:
8. When it's all said and done you'll have something that looks like this:
That's it for now. I'll try to get this finished up by the end of next weekend.
Bonus pix:
For those interested in how many holes the Rennie Light Bar makes in your roof:
Posted by Jancohen
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