Sunday, January 31, 2010

Kilby Enterprises Wrangler Cargo Panel install

To facilitate future mods, I installed a set of Kilby Enterprises JK cargo panels. These are basically two pieces of bent sheet metal cut to fit.
They don't actually do anything at all. So what's the point? The point is that they give you a nice surface to mount things on.
Read on for install pics.
One of the pictures on the Kilby website shows a couple of 12v power sockets mounted in them, and that's what I intend to use them for. I'll mount a couple of 12v sockets (aka 'cigaratte lighter things'), as well some 120v power outlets (there is room behind the panels to hide a dismantled inverter), and some mounting hooks.

The panels came in a big box, wrapped up in paper to keep them from getting scratched up.

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Also got a bag of 6 t-handle bolts to replace the hex-head bolts that came with the hard top.
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Before pic.
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The 3 holes on each side are where the hard top normally mounts. These panels are thin enough that the hard top can still be installed just fine.
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The panel has cut outs and the front and back to fit around the soft top plastic mounting pieces also.
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If the front of your panel interferes with the plastic door surround (used when you are running the soft top) you have an early production version, and need to contact Kilby.
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Here you can see the difference between an early (front) and current (rear) panel. The early panel works with hard tops only, the current design has a larger cut-out in the front which lets it work with the soft top plastic rear door frame.
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Their logo is nicely done, looks like laser cut metal, but I'd rather make use of the holes.
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I bought 4 lifting eye bolts off eBay. Neither Home Depot nor Amazon didn't have any short enough to keep them from rubbing against the carpet. The threading is 1/4-20, and on these the bolt part is about a half-inch long, with a 1 inch eye.
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Mounted, with flat elastic bungee cord handing from the eyelets.
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