TJ Speaker Pod Deadening

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Want an easy fix to a factory flaw? How about some more depth to your overhead speaker pods found mounted to the rollbars? Head over to the hobbystore and and pick up some Polyfill, that's right ... Polyfill. You know, its the fuzzy soft material used for stuffing pillows and even stuffed animals. A bag of this retails for about $3.00 or less and for our use, it is about the best three dollar fix one could ask for.

Start by removing your factory or non-factory speakers from your speaker pods. There are four screws that attach them to the internal screw clips that are seated around the screw holes. Once removed, the speaker will drop and expose a hollow inside. This is where most of your sound coming from your speakers is being trapped. It actually adds an echo to the speaker causing poor sound quality. Open top Jeeps have enough problems keeping sound inside the vehicle, so why not make it better then what it actually is?

Once the speaker is removed, open up your bag of Polyfill and pull out a big handful. What do you do now you ask? You stuff it all up in the hollow speaker housing filling all the gaps you can. Do not worry about overheating or fires (unless you have a wiring issue), the Polyfill actually is flame retardent. It simply shrinks if it catches on fire and molds to a hard plastic material once burned down. After filling in the hollow section with the stuffing, go ahead and reinstall your speakers and covering grills. This install is complete once you finish the adjacent side. Time to turn on the tunes and hear the difference. Its subtle, but if you have a good ear its a massive change in quality and depth of tone. Give this little trick a try and see what you think. You can also use this "stuffing" technique in the front dash speakers or any other hollow backed speaker.

Rocky Road CB Antenna Mounts

New jeepers have a laundry list of accessories they want to immediately buy, such as lights, GPS units and stereo equipment. One item we frequently get questions about is the CB. Although citizen band radio, or CB has been around in one incarnation or another for over 60 years, it is still very popular and isn't showing any signs of fading away. CB radios help jeepers stay in communication with each other whether out on the trail or driving around town. Each year, manufacturers develop new and interesting products and ways to install your antenna. Finding the right mount for your Jeep can be pretty difficult. Here is something that worked for me and might just work for you.

Even with all my years of experience in searching for the right parts on the Internet, tracking down the right CB antenna mount seemed nearly impossible. I wanted a no-drill antenna mount that wouldn't interfere with the function of my top or its hardware. I have seen mounts that go behind the Jeep® tail lights, on the rear bumper, on the fender and even on the side exterior panels of the vehicle. None of these really fit my needs, not to mention I was still running the factory bumper, and it wasn't equipped with any sort of mount, like most factory bumpers.

I stumbled across a company called Arizona Rocky Road. After reading about their antenna mounts, I was hooked. They are very simple to install and they require no drilling or modifications to your Jeep® in order to mount them. The owner, Rick was great to work with as we corresponded back and forth with emails. I ordered up a single mount and before you knew it, it was sitting on my front porch ready to install. The mounts are heavy duty, all steel, hand crafted and finished in a flat black. Rick also throws in a Firestik Stud Mount for the ease of connections, and recommends a quick disconnect for quick removal of your antenna if needed. I got all of this for $29.00!

Upon installation of my antenna mount, I went through and texture coated the entire mount, leaving a nickel size section on the top of the mount unpainted for conductivity. As the paint was drying, I removed spare tire from the back of the Jeep® and unbolted the third brake light placing the bolts to the side. This was the toughest part of the installation.... seriously! After the Rocky Road Antenna mount was totally cured, I placed it in line with the three bolt holes on the back of the third brake light and grabbed my trusty socket to tighten everything down. I had to use a dremel tool on a section of the mount to flatten it out so that one of the bolts would snug up all the way, but that was by no means difficult or required. I threw the spare tire back on, and installation was complete.

If you're looking for a mount for one or multiple antennas, I recommend you take a look at Arizona Rocky Road's mounts. Rick is great to work with and is very quick on shipping your order. He has his own EBAY store, which makes things flow smoothly. Make sure check out his other products as well; he has quite a variety to choose from.

Submitted by: Scuba