Caroline’s, Rubber Duck Jeep Renegade build

[Caroline12]

My Yellow Renegade has always made me think of a Yellow Rubber Duck. Hence the first photo of my Duck sticker.

I’m planning on using my Renegade as a small overland camping vehicle, for walking summer and winter.

I hope you enjoy watching my Renegade grow from a stock Renegade to my vision of an Renegade overland vehicle.

thank you for reading.

[Caroline12]

First thing to do was a Terrafirma 1.5” lift kit, done at Jeepey.

I picked up Terrafirma rock rails while I was there to fit. 
I had fitted 5 x Falken Wildpeak AT3, 60% off road and 40% road, considering fuel consumption, road noise and longevity, to reduce my environmental impact. 

 

 

Edited October 10, 2021 by Caroline12
Photo edit

[Caroline12]

Rock rail prep for painting, rub down rock rails ready for Raptor 2K primer.

Jeepey advised me to prime and repaint the powder coated rock rails as they have seen rust come through the powder coating after 2 years. 
hence rub down prep and repainting. 

[spookie the aardvark]

2 hours ago, Caroline12 said:

My Yellow Renegade has always made me think of a Yellow Rubber Duck. Hence the first photo of my Duck sticker.

I’m planning on using my Renegade as a small overland camping vehicle, for walking summer and winter.

I hope you enjoy watching my Renegade grow from a stock Renegade to my vision of an Renegade overland vehicle.

thank you for reading.

Love the idea and can't wait to see the results

[UKTJ]

Looking forward to watching the build.  Do you have a plan for the build, or will it be more 'organic'?

Edited October 10, 2021 by UKTJ

[Caroline12]

2 hours ago, UKTJ said:

Looking forward to watching the build.  Do you have a plan for the build, or will it be more 'organic'?

Yes, I do have a plan in mind, don’t know what organic means in this situation. But yes a plan.

 

- points 1 and 2 this year for winter driving. 
- rest of points spring next year and onwards. 

 

1. I want to order a Daystar  front bar for the renegade, attaches where the front red hooks are, it’s actually a bar to hold driving lights. It’s not a bull bar strength, see photos. 
2. going to fit KC 6” Daylighters LED on to the bar for better high beam driving lights. This has already been setup in the Jeep with relays and splice to hi beam. Wiring is awful, so new wiring harness and fully waterproof set up. 
3. Frontrunner full roof rack 1.76m long with wind fairing for eco and noise.

4. ARB 2m x 2.5m awning with light, plus front and side wind breaks

5. rear transfer case protector from Italy. 

 

other than that, for brought items, will probably do. Not sure on a snorkel, we’ll see.

 

lastly I will make a marine ply fibreglass roof box to size spec I want to slide items into when the awning is up,  rear opening hatch for my camping chair, normal windbreak, camping mattress,  garden spade, ice axes etc. 
 

that’s as far as I’ve got so far. 

[V]

That awning has given me an idea. If I can make a lift and rotate bracket for one, it could swing round to the front to enable working on the engine with the bonnet up and still keep my tools out of the rain.

[Caroline12]

37 minutes ago, V said:

That awning has given me an idea. If I can make a lift and rotate bracket for one, it could swing round to the front to enable working on the engine with the bonnet up and still keep my tools out of the rain.

Should be easy enough to do, bracket and unistrut support would be fine

[Caroline12]

Rock rails full painted with Raptor 2K paint, next week I start fitting

[V]

Rock rails look great. Did you get into trouble for painting the grass?

[UKTJ]

5 hours ago, Caroline12 said:

Yes, I do have a plan in mind, don’t know what organic means in this situation. But yes a plan.

 

- points 1 and 2 this year for winter driving. 
- rest of points spring next year and onwards. 

 

1. I want to order a Daystar  front bar for the renegade, attaches where the front red hooks are, it’s actually a bar to hold driving lights. It’s not a bull bar strength, see photos. 
2. going to fit KC 6” Daylighters LED on to the bar for better high beam driving lights. This has already been setup in the Jeep with relays and splice to hi beam. Wiring is awful, so new wiring harness and fully waterproof set up. 
3. Frontrunner full roof rack 1.76m long with wind fairing for eco and noise.

4. ARB 2m x 2.5m awning with light, plus front and side wind breaks

5. rear transfer case protector from Italy. 

 

other than that, for brought items, will probably do. Not sure on a snorkel, we’ll see.

 

lastly I will make a marine ply fibreglass roof box to size spec I want to slide items into when the awning is up,  rear opening hatch for my camping chair, normal windbreak, camping mattress,  garden spade, ice axes etc. 
 

that’s as far as I’ve got so far. 

Sounds like a well thought out plan.  By 'organic' I simply meant adding something and then deciding what if anything else to add.

[Caroline12]

7 hours ago, V said:

Rock rails look great. Did you get into trouble for painting the grass?

Thank you, it cost a fortune to paint those rock rails.

no Dad preferred the grass painted to the inside of his garage, he’s going to cut the grass this week  

[Caroline12]

7 hours ago, UKTJ said:

Sounds like a well thought out plan.  By 'organic' I simply meant adding something and then deciding what if anything else to add.

Thank you. Yes once my plan is done, it will then go organic, when using it out and about, I will discover what might/might not need doing.

for example, the back seats, might come out as I don’t use them, anything I put on them slides and falls over. That is wasted space and annoying if bags full of shopping. Damaged food is not great

- probably get an extra battery in a box, then possibly a charger + solar panel for electrical needs, don’t know (expensive). Battery for lights el.cool box, phone etc, plus emergency starting of Jeep. 
who knows, but it will be practical

[V]

Food shopping: Try securing the shopping bags with a suitable length bungee through the handles of the shopping bags with one end of the bungee hooked up to the left rear head rest, the other to the right rear head rest.

[spookie the aardvark]

Food shopping: Internet order and home delivery ........................ simples

[Caroline12]

Fitted drivers side rock rail yesterday, fitting passenger side one today.

Also fit mudguards, tap wheel bolt holes and lightly grease wheel hub to prevent corrosion stuck wheels when removing - Tip from Jim

 

1. Once removed plastic trim, I put rock rail up to sill to see how it fitted and what needed to be cut off - brackets.

 

2. Cut off plastic trim brackets, some were damaged from off-roading and badly placed jacks. 
 

3. on exposed bare metal from cutting and squashed (reshaped - now straightened) sill, clean and paint sill with black hammerite paint to stop any further corrosion. 
 

4. Refit rock rail, ok fits, get into position.

5.  get front support holes lined up the best they would go. Holes do not all line up. Get best position for all. And right position for front back position. 
 

6. 9mm drill for rivnut through rock rail and into body sill hole. Could only do 6 of 8 holes. I was not removing the front door and a rivnut previous in wrong place. 
 

6. Rivnuts in, bolt up, but not tight. Now mark position off back 5 bolt holes on to sill. Mark check again. 

 

7. remove rock rail, check marks and centre punch for position.

Using cobalt centre point drills (dewalt industrial extreme) 2.5mm for centre drill. Put in pilot hole, then drill 5mm and 6mm drill for bolts, M6 bolts. 
On very front hole, where multiple plates and rivets, 2.5mm cobalt drill, then 3mm titanium coated drill, 3.5mm, 4.5, 5.5 and 6mm drill - easy. 6mm cobalt centre point dewalt would not go through, too flat on the  step, needed normal 118 degree titanium HSS drills.

This was the hardest hole to drill due to plates and rivets. 
 

8. refit rock rail, bolt up front bolts loose to take the weight.

fit rear bolts and fit washers and lock nuts. Tighten up.

Tighten front bolts. 
 

9. front drivers wheel off. Tap damaged wheel bolt holes, little grease on bolts and hub face. To prevent wheel sticking to hub for easy removal in the future.
 

10. Fit front and rear mudguards and bolt/screw plastic front wheel arch to front of rock rail, to properly secure. 
 

finished drivers side.

 

[Caroline12]

I made a little step for the tow hitch which I took off, the bracket was too narrow to put my feet on and sitting in boot or for changing my walking boots on, I was marking the boot sill. So I made a 30cm unistrut Raptor painted rear step. 
 

also doubles up as a roof rack step for easier rear access

 

roof rack next year.

[John]

Oooo that’s a real shin bone scraper  

[spookie the aardvark]

Good old unistrut thousand and one uses, no Jeep should be be with some

Fantastic work so far, can't wait to see it in action

[Caroline12]

1 hour ago, spookie the aardvark said:

Good old unistrut thousand and one uses, no Jeep should be be with some

Fantastic work so far, can't wait to see it in action

Thanks Spookie, unistrut is great stuff, thinking of going up to Salisbury Plain soon, you fancy going ? Never been up there before

[Caroline12]

Day 2, today was hard work, bolt holes not lining up well, rivnuts going back inside, so a bit of a bugger day. But rock rails are on and done, mudguards are on and changed front daytime running lights. 
black hammerite on the cut edges, now I need resharpen all my drills, after blunting them on the sill welds, oh well.

 

[spookie the aardvark]

40 minutes ago, Caroline12 said:

Thanks Spookie, unistrut is great stuff, thinking of going up to Salisbury Plain soon, you fancy going ? Never been up there before

Hi Caroline, yes I would up for a trip up to the Plains sounds great Not been up there for years and then it was with a Pajero Maybe we can find someone local to the Plains in the club who would act as a guide or lots of guides (throw them into an area first ) - getting your Renegade blown up after all that work - not a good idea

[spookie the aardvark]

45 minutes ago, Caroline12 said:

Thanks Spookie, unistrut is great stuff, thinking of going up to Salisbury Plain soon, you fancy going ? Never been up there before

It's ok I have a length of unistruct on my roof holding the CB aerial

[Caroline12]

2 hours ago, spookie the aardvark said:

Hi Caroline, yes I would up for a trip up to the Plains sounds great Not been up there for years and then it was with a Pajero Maybe we can find someone local to the Plains in the club who would act as a guide or lots of guides (throw them into an area first ) - getting your Renegade blown up after all that work - not a good idea

I don’t want to be blown up

[Caroline12]

2 hours ago, spookie the aardvark said:

It's ok I have a length of unistruct on my roof holding the CB aerial

I know