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Natai

Natai

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wow, super long list, by the way what is your feedback on the "Stubby Antenna (Built Right Perfect Fit Stubby Antenna)". does it pick all stations like the OEM antenna?
Stubby Antenna seems to work just fine.
On a trip up in the foothills recently, I switched over to FM for a bit. Easily picked up about a half dozen stations, all coming in clear. (Based on the content of the stations, I'm thinking this was probably all that was available in that area.)
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Stubby Antenna seems to work just fine.
On a trip up in the foothills recently, I switched over to FM for a bit. Easily picked up about a half dozen stations, all coming in clear. (Based on the content of the stations, I'm thinking this was probably all that was available in that area.)
super, the one I bought from StickerFab does not pick any AM, just 3 FM vs 15 on OEM.

putting OEM back.

by the way I am always on Spotify 🤔
 

JohnnyX

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20220918_Wiring3.jpg


Edit: Here's some more info on the aux switch wiring box, for those that have asked about it or are interested in making their own.
Waterproof Junction Box (7-12mm holes) https://amz.run/67Pm
Marine Terminal Block 6 Gang https://amz.run/67Pn
Heat Shrink Wire Connectors https://amz.run/67Po
Dielectric Grease https://amz.run/67Pp

Use epoxy or adhesive tape to mount the terminal block in the box, and then 3M Automotive Adhesive Tape to secure the box inside the engine compartment. This box ends up being very lightweight, so the adhesive tape is plenty. Make sure to use dielectric grease on your connections. The box protects from the elements well, but the grease prevents any issues with moisture or corrosion. I recommend attaching the aux wires to the terminal block before securing the box, simply because the factory wires are kind of short.
This is such a smart way to do this
[/QUOTE]
Clever solution. Kind of surprised there isnt
First step was the hood struts. Easy to install, work well, and provide a bit more room to work under the hood. After that, replacing the stock antenna with the stubby.

20220918_HoodStruts.jpg
20220918_StubbyAntenna.jpg


Now it was time for a bit of creativity. I have a number of accessories I plan to connect to the aux switches. But I also fully expect to decide to make changes down the road. So I assembled some bits and pieces into an underhood wiring box. Terminal block inside a moderately weather-resistant box, some terminal connectors on the aux wiring, some dielectric grease, and good to go.

Wasn’t able to mount it where I really wanted, due to how short the aux wires were, but good enough. Also installed a busbar to use as a good ground point.
20220918_Wiring3.jpg
20220918_Wiring5box.jpg


Edit: Here's some more info on the aux switch wiring box, for those that have asked about it or are interested in making their own.
Waterproof Junction Box (7-12mm holes) https://amz.run/67Pm
Marine Terminal Block 6 Gang https://amz.run/67Pn
Heat Shrink Wire Connectors https://amz.run/67Po
Dielectric Grease https://amz.run/67Pp

Use epoxy or adhesive tape to mount the terminal block in the box, and then 3M Automotive Adhesive Tape to secure the box inside the engine compartment. This box ends up being very lightweight, so the adhesive tape is plenty. Make sure to use dielectric grease on your connections. The box protects from the elements well, but the grease prevents any issues with moisture or corrosion. I recommend attaching the aux wires to the terminal block before securing the box, simply because the factory wires are kind of short.
Very clever. Best solution I've seen so far. The upfitter switches are awesome, but you would think Ford or aftermarket might offer something more elegant under the hood.
 

Chelada

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Here's a couple of shots of the grounding busbar.
20220920_Wiring6busbar.jpg
20220920_Wiring7busbar.jpg


Got the sill guards installed. Installed easy, and they match the CO great.
20220920_SillGuards.jpg


Next up comes the lights. I don't need massive banks of gargantuan lights to illuminate an airfield, but I do need some fog lights. We get some heavy fog in the Central Valley, especially near the fields between my house and the airport. I'm also hoping to take the family up into the Sierras during the winter (none of our previous vehicles could go up when chains were required), so I want some amber lights too.

I went with a kit that let me pick the lights I wanted. KR Off-Road Bracket to mount 3 pairs in the pockets of the HD Modular bumper. After seeing some real-world testing, I went with Diode Dynamics. They seemed to provide better light output than Rigid or Baja. I decided on one set of white fogs (SSC2 Sport) for routine use, a set of amber fogs (SSC2 Pro) for worse conditions, and a set of white combos (SS3 Sport). The combos came with an amber backlight, so I opted for the backlight on all 3 pairs.
20220920_Backlight.jpg
20220920_WhiteFog.jpg
20220920_AmberFog.jpg
20220920_ComboLights.jpg


And of course, the aux switch labels:
20220922_AuxLabels.jpg
I have a set of these fogs coming in and it looks like the backlight for all pods just goes to one aux wire, is that right? I wonder if there's a way to get the backlights to come on with DRL or something that won't take up an aux switch. Your mods look great!
 
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Natai

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I have a set of these fogs coming in and it looks like the backlight for all pods just goes to one aux wire, is that right? I wonder if there's a way to get the backlights to come on with DRL or something that won't take up an aux switch. Your mods look great!
There's essentially three wires per light: main light, backlight, and ground. Depending on where you got yours, you may have a longer wiring harness they plug into, but it should still have an extra single wire for the backlight. Should be simple to tie that into the DRL via a fuse tap. Just gotta identify the right fuse.
 

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There's essentially three wires per light: main light, backlight, and ground. Depending on where you got yours, you may have a longer wiring harness they plug into, but it should still have an extra single wire for the backlight. Should be simple to tie that into the DRL via a fuse tap. Just gotta identify the right fuse.
Curious how you got your backlights to just the one aux switch? I'm new to messing with this stuff so excuse the noob questions. I appreciate the response. Fwiw, I got mine from 4x4TruckLeds.
 
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Natai

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Curious how you got your backlights to just the one aux switch? I'm new to messing with this stuff so excuse the noob questions. I appreciate the response. Fwiw, I got mine from 4x4TruckLeds.
The harness that came with my light kit included plug-in connectors for each light and terminated in a set of wires that included a single wire for all the backlights. Made it really simple.
 
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First trip off-road was a couple of weeks ago - in the snow. More details on that - along with a lot of photos from a professional photographer in this thread Northern CA group drive up Poker Flat to Saddleback Mountain

Today was a different matter all together. No snow, just rain. And a lot of MUD.
Another great time with Gold Country Broncos. Easily the dirtiest the King in Yellow has ever been.

This was at Prairie City SVRA outside of Sacramento. It was originally planned as a sort of Bronco Academy event to give those of us new to off-roading and/or the Bronco a chance to learn from others. Overall it went great - though it may have skewed a little more towards the "just follow each other around as we play in the mud."

Ford Bronco Saga of the King in Yellow PXL_20221203_192552437_2
Ford Bronco Saga of the King in Yellow PXL_20221203_192612920_2
Ford Bronco Saga of the King in Yellow PXL_20221203_192543728


And these awesome shots were taken by @22Badskwatch
Ford Bronco Saga of the King in Yellow 317975601_595070092619781_5168673519333671340_n
Ford Bronco Saga of the King in Yellow 318227938_595070132619777_6266912865235870880_n
 

PGHFORDGUY

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I should also mention that my wife and I had a couple of opportunities to check out some Broncos in person. First at a dealership back in 2021. I wanted to see how much the height of the vehicle might be an issue for my 5'0" wife. We checked out a Black Diamond and an Outer Banks. She got in those with no problem, but I hated the running boards on the OBX. Didn't feel like I needed them, but did feel like they were in the way.
That said, when we went to pick up my Badlands, we both immediately recognized it was notably taller on the 33s. Not an issue for me, but I did decide on some upgrades to help my wife out.

So next upgrade was the paracord handles. Great quality and quite possibly the easiest and most secure installation I could imagine for handles like these.
Ford Bronco Saga of the King in Yellow 318227938_595070132619777_6266912865235870880_n


Next I installed the KlutchTech Front Door Pockets.
I'd honestly prefer the M2M pockets, but I received the KlutchTechs as a gift.
Fronts go in easy. I haven't done the rears yet, but I won't be using the self-tapping screws.

Ford Bronco Saga of the King in Yellow 318227938_595070132619777_6266912865235870880_n


Then the Swarfworks Dune Flag mount. I looked at a few options, most required some additional hardware on the swingate, and a couple attach to the trail sights. I didn't want the mount up on the hood itself where it would reduce visibility, and I didn't want to spend more on other hardware for the swingate just yet. This mount from Swarfworks mounts straight to the HD Modular bumper using the factory bolts. It's even a cool little Bronco graphic on it.
Ford Bronco Saga of the King in Yellow 318227938_595070132619777_6266912865235870880_n


Next were the GPCA Tie Down Anchor Pro w/ D-rings. These replace the factory bolts to secure the rear of the MIC top, while also providing tie-down points. Well designed and good quality.

Ford Bronco Saga of the King in Yellow 318227938_595070132619777_6266912865235870880_n


And then, the superb JTops Bimini mesh top. This blows every other bimini I've seen for the Bronco I've seen out of the water. Top-notch coverage, and they really took the time to develop this thing specifically for the Bronco. Just watch the installation videos, give the velcro strips a full 24 hours to cure, and installation is a breeze.
Doesn't flap around, provides just enough shade to prevent baking in direct sun, and it's quiet. It's quiet enough that I could actually hear the faint jingling of the zipper tabs. I decided to cut those off and replace them with Micro Utility Cord.

Ford Bronco Saga of the King in Yellow 318227938_595070132619777_6266912865235870880_n


And since Ford decided that only those with leather/carpet interiors might have drinks in the back seat (one of the few complaints, but nonetheless boneheaded), I hooked up the ProCase Tactical Molle Water Bottle Pouch to the rear of the front seat. I wanted something deep enough that I didn't have to worry about something falling out, but not so deep it would be worthless for normal size drink container. Kids report it works great.

Ford Bronco Saga of the King in Yellow 318227938_595070132619777_6266912865235870880_n
What paracord handle brand did you buy. Yours look like they match the cyber orang accents inside the Badlands. Could you provide a link?
 
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Got out again last weekend, this time with my wife!
The original plan was a snow run up to Bowman Lake. There was a massive storm that came through the day before, so we weren't sure if it was going to happen. (Local meteorologists were calling it the Dragon Storm, which I found amusing.) Morning of we made some adjustments, as the the interstate and roads leading to the trail were closed due to snow. So instead we decided to meet in Placerville, CA.
We had 8 Broncos show up and we hit the road. The highway was also closed in this area, so we took some backroads. Hit some snow and stopped to air down at Stumpy Meadows lake. From there went up Wentworth Springs road all the way to just short of Loon Lake. A group of heavily modified Jeeps was struggling to turn around after failing to reach the campgrounds at the lake, so we decided that was a good point to turn around.

A few stopped for lunch, but two of us headed back out, hitting deeper snow along the same route back. Even leaving a bit before the others we were still driving backroads in the dark. Road conditions were good by that point, but visibility was not, as the light storm we'd been in all day got significantly heavier.

This was deepest snow I've ever seen in person and the first time I've been through that area - so also the first time I've ever driven in this. Went well overall, just a couple of 'oh shit' moments.

First was when trying to make a tight, multi-point turnaround between two snow banks. Suddenly got a bunch of service advancetrac, sta-bar disconnect, etc. ABS light light up, locking diffs and SBD unavailable, etc. Drove fine but was worried a trip to the service dept was in my future. Fortunately after a couple miles the warnings all clear and everything was fully functional again. Guessing some packed snow impacted a sensor.

Second was after we decided to head home with one other Bronco. Had some poor visibility with heavier snowfall for a bit, but going okay until we came upon 4 Jeeps. One of them was stuck pretty good and recovery was going to take a while. Snow was getting heavier with no way to turn around and visibility too poor to try and back out. They got recovered and we got moving again fine, but there were a few minutes of wondering if getting stuck there overnight could be a real possibility.
(Did learn the next day of a group of 8 "lifted trucks" that were on a trail on the north end of Loon Lake that got stuck overnight. A snowcat actually tried to get to them and had to turn around due to deep water surrounded by deep snow.)

Had a good time though, and I was really happy my wife enjoyed it. She got quite a few pics, here are some of the best.
Ford Bronco Saga of the King in Yellow PXL_20221211_185953384
Ford Bronco Saga of the King in Yellow PXL_20221211_190342560
Ford Bronco Saga of the King in Yellow PXL_20221211_190744643
Ford Bronco Saga of the King in Yellow PXL_20221211_192718854.PORTRAIT
Ford Bronco Saga of the King in Yellow PXL_20221211_194558810
Ford Bronco Saga of the King in Yellow PXL_20221211_194721969.PORTRAIT
Ford Bronco Saga of the King in Yellow PXL_20221211_194831459
Ford Bronco Saga of the King in Yellow PXL_20221211_201227678
Ford Bronco Saga of the King in Yellow PXL_20221211_211729717.MP
Ford Bronco Saga of the King in Yellow PXL_20221211_211733507.MP
Ford Bronco Saga of the King in Yellow PXL_20221211_213628368
Ford Bronco Saga of the King in Yellow PXL_20221211_213638153
Ford Bronco Saga of the King in Yellow PXL_20221211_213643966
Ford Bronco Saga of the King in Yellow PXL_20221211_220312113
Ford Bronco Saga of the King in Yellow PXL_20221211_220431564
Ford Bronco Saga of the King in Yellow PXL_20221211_230328977
Ford Bronco Saga of the King in Yellow PXL_20221212_001159766
 
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PrincipalD

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Big shout out to @Natai for this post! The wiring box was pure money! I had to replicate it and it’s already made things so much easier. I have it all boxed in and have not secured it to the side yet

Ford Bronco Saga of the King in Yellow E4D88F8F-36F7-4136-BFAF-34F454D49BCA


I found an all in one box and terminal block that had 6 slots for about $10. I had previously wired some ditch lights. Now I easily put a different light on two switches. No reason other than I could easily do it. Here is the box I bought:

Ford Bronco Saga of the King in Yellow 537E4389-4BC5-42FF-8275-02C195C16221
 

Arokcrwlr

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First step was the hood struts. Easy to install, work well, and provide a bit more room to work under the hood. After that, replacing the stock antenna with the stubby.

20220918_HoodStruts.jpg
20220918_StubbyAntenna.jpg


Now it was time for a bit of creativity. I have a number of accessories I plan to connect to the aux switches. But I also fully expect to decide to make changes down the road. So I assembled some bits and pieces into an underhood wiring box. Terminal block inside a moderately weather-resistant box, some terminal connectors on the aux wiring, some dielectric grease, and good to go.

Wasn’t able to mount it where I really wanted, due to how short the aux wires were, but good enough. Also installed a busbar to use as a good ground point.
20220918_Wiring3.jpg
20220918_Wiring5box.jpg


Edit: Here's some more info on the aux switch wiring box, for those that have asked about it or are interested in making their own.
Waterproof Junction Box (7-12mm holes) https://amz.run/67Pm
Marine Terminal Block 6 Gang https://amz.run/67Pn
Heat Shrink Wire Connectors https://amz.run/67Po
Dielectric Grease https://amz.run/67Pp

Use epoxy or adhesive tape to mount the terminal block in the box, and then 3M Automotive Adhesive Tape to secure the box inside the engine compartment. This box ends up being very lightweight, so the adhesive tape is plenty. Make sure to use dielectric grease on your connections. The box protects from the elements well, but the grease prevents any issues with moisture or corrosion. I recommend attaching the aux wires to the terminal block before securing the box, simply because the factory wires are kind of short.
What did you tape the box to? I'm looking under the hood and don't see a good spot - maybe the fuse box? Did you trim off some of the top mounting tabs?

BTW, great job on all the mods and trip reports. (y)
 
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What did you tape the box to? I'm looking under the hood and don't see a good spot - maybe the fuse box? Did you trim off some of the top mounting tabs?

BTW, great job on all the mods and trip reports. (y)
I actually attached the tape on the side and adhered it to the side of the engine compartment. Not my first choice, but the box is light enough and the tape is strong enough. No issues so far.
 

Rick Astley

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Thanks for the help with an upfitter switch junction box!

Here's how mine turned out, but I still need to run a line from the IAG dome lights through the firewall to get AUX6 to control those LED's.

Ford Bronco Saga of the King in Yellow 20230302_222432


Ford Bronco Saga of the King in Yellow 20230302_222407


Ford Bronco Saga of the King in Yellow 20230302_223002
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