Oh yeah...all that foam that's in the way after you drill the holes. But on top of that, I had dull bits so it took me way longer than it should.
WK2 Jeep Grand Cherokee Rock Sliders
- Thread starter Vin
- Start date
My apologies for taking so long to reply... I came down with some kind of bug and this is the first day in a while that I can sit upright without falling over.
I got the sliders on. You wouldn't think foam would be such a pain... but it is. I not only like the way they look on the Jeep, but love how solid they are. This was an exercise in "don't jump at the first option that presents itself, but wait for the best option to become available." Thank you again to everyone on this thread who got me to Emerson.
A Murchison snorkel and dual battery set up has also been installed and a Gobi rack is at the moment somewhere between Denver and Houston so this build should be done in the near future.
I got the sliders on. You wouldn't think foam would be such a pain... but it is. I not only like the way they look on the Jeep, but love how solid they are. This was an exercise in "don't jump at the first option that presents itself, but wait for the best option to become available." Thank you again to everyone on this thread who got me to Emerson.
A Murchison snorkel and dual battery set up has also been installed and a Gobi rack is at the moment somewhere between Denver and Houston so this build should be done in the near future.
I just joined this forum and am following your modifications. I have a 2015 Overland with the 3.0 Diesel. I have a Rocky Road outfitters roof rack and have already purchased the hidden winch mount to install. I'm now waiting to purchase my winch and also looking to add rock rails in the future. I look forward to your review of the rock rails you installed.
Volvite,
Welcome to the forum.
The Uneek 4x4 rock rails are, in my opinion, perfect for the WK2. They are a perfect length and the angle on either end matches with the line coming down through the wheel arch. The workmanship and fit is impressive and the powder coat had no blemishes or nicks when it got to me. Mounting is a little tricky because of the foam mentioned above as well as weight of the rail and your position when mounting them. It's either a one person and two jack stand job or a two person job. The second option is preferable. I am able to put my full weight on the rails and rock the vehicle without detecting any looseness or wobble from the rails.
I have the same WK2 Hidden Winch Mount from RRO... just installed last week. It's a quality piece of kit, but be mindful of the size winch you try and mount. I spoke with their reps on several occasions and they mentioned that previous customers had been unable to successfully fit some of the newer, larger Warn winches on the mounting plate. Look on their website for a list of winches they know have been fitted. I mounted a Warn M8s on mine.
I'll post photos later this week.
Welcome to the forum.
The Uneek 4x4 rock rails are, in my opinion, perfect for the WK2. They are a perfect length and the angle on either end matches with the line coming down through the wheel arch. The workmanship and fit is impressive and the powder coat had no blemishes or nicks when it got to me. Mounting is a little tricky because of the foam mentioned above as well as weight of the rail and your position when mounting them. It's either a one person and two jack stand job or a two person job. The second option is preferable. I am able to put my full weight on the rails and rock the vehicle without detecting any looseness or wobble from the rails.
I have the same WK2 Hidden Winch Mount from RRO... just installed last week. It's a quality piece of kit, but be mindful of the size winch you try and mount. I spoke with their reps on several occasions and they mentioned that previous customers had been unable to successfully fit some of the newer, larger Warn winches on the mounting plate. Look on their website for a list of winches they know have been fitted. I mounted a Warn M8s on mine.
I'll post photos later this week.
Did you guys see the new sliders that Chief Products are getting ready to release? They are building a wk2 called "HELLHAWK" They will be releasing a new front bumper and the sliders. They have some early photos posted on there web site and there Instagram.
![HELLHAWK+PROJECT+[RENDER-3-4]+WEB.jpg](/forums/data/attachments/49/49421-9eff1b77cb5b5e6ac2f3bcfc6c9f4e35.jpg)
Have not seen this but I'll check it out. We installed their front skids with the acc protector and it's top notch, my brother has just left the factory lower fascia off cause he doesn't mind the look.
yeah, I can't wait. They said they will fit the 2014-2019 wk2's and only take 3 hours total to install.
Here's a better shot of the rails, they said they are doing final testing now so they should go in production soon.
Everything that comes out of Chief Products is slick. The angle or rake of the horizontal support struts in that photo look great. I added their V8 sump protection plate as the last piece of protection on the front of my Jeep. The best part of the process is dealing with Bill Mackin (their "Chief" executive) ... he's an absolute pleasure to work with.
Between Chief, Uneek 4x4 and Murchison some of the best WK2 parts come out of Australia. The ocean being in between us does complicate matters though...
Between Chief, Uneek 4x4 and Murchison some of the best WK2 parts come out of Australia. The ocean being in between us does complicate matters though...
There is a US distributor for Uneek and a lot of the Murchison parts - Emerson Kappler at KS Overland Evolution in Fl.
Chief has a Ca. entry point/warehouse/distribution center/something... just make sure you buy when the shipment gets in or the restock wait will be lengthy.
Chief has a Ca. entry point/warehouse/distribution center/something... just make sure you buy when the shipment gets in or the restock wait will be lengthy.
Thanks for the info. I've been thinking about the Warn Zeon 10-s Platinum to add to my jeep. It shows the same mounting configuration as the M8000. It's the price that really keeps me from the purchase but the ability to change the clutch wirelessly would allow for no modifications to the grill to use the clutch lever like most winches. As for your winch, how did you modify the grill? I'm just looking at options that if you are still able to keep the "hidden" aspect it may be the way to go.
I’m unsure which winch mount you’re considering, but if you go with the Zeon be sure to check whether or not you’ll need a control pack relocation kit, it’s an additional cost to factor in.
Thanks for the heads up. As for the relocation kit, it wouldn't be required for the Warn Zeon Platinum 10-s that I'm looking at.
Volvite,The mounting pattern on the winch base plate for the M8000s and the Zeon Platinum series looks to be similar, but the winches are very different in all other dimensions. I never got an answer from RRO as to which dimension (assuming there was only one) exceeded the space allowances of their hidden winch mount, but when you compare the two winch types side-by-side the Zeons are physically much larger. Regardless, they were adamant that several customers had tried and failed to fit a Zeon (which is sad, because I really wanted to mount a Zeon). You could/should do some research to see if the WK2 hidden winch mount offered by Chief Products allows for the use of a larger winch... I think there is even a build thread somewhere on this site where someone got a Zeon to work with one of their mounts.
To avoid (hopefully) having to access the winch clutch and corded handset plug by digging around behind the grill and fascia, I purchased Warn's Wireless Control System (Warn Part No. - PN 90287) in addition to the basic winch. It plugs into the contactor housing and has so far worked very well. I did not have to purchase a relocation kit since the wires which connect the contactor housing to the winch motor and drum were long enough to work on their own. I only relocated the housing about a foot away and there is between 18 and 24 inches of wire included with the basic winch.
I included two photos - One showing the front assembly with only the fairlead and winch hook showing on top of the RRO's Brush Bar Combo and Bash Plate, and another photo showing the contactor housing behind the front grill.
Hope this helps,
Vin
Attachments
Nice, yea I only mentioned it cause some hidden winch mounts on other vehicles require a remote mounted control pack.. just lookin out!
Vin,
Thanks for the response and the pictures. So funny thing is, I installed a RRO hidden winch mount and the Warn M8000 winch on my brothers 2015 WK2. I know I took pictures of the install, but for some reason I can't find them. At that time I didn't own a WK2 yet. His install went smooth we just never figured out the best way to use the clutch. With your wireless adapter, do you just use the motor to de-spool the cable/rope? I think that might be the best option to allow him to button up the grill and not use the clutch lever and just hook up the wireless remote.
I did find on Jeepgarage.org the WK2 with the Warn Zeon Platinum 10-S installed with the Chief hidden winch mount. I have yet to find out what are the differences between the Chief and the RRO winch mounts. I can't imagine it's all that different as there's not much room behind the grill to do a lot of different options. I had already purchased the RRO hidden winch mount since I had installed it for my brothers jeep. Just hadn't installed it since I didn't have my winch yet.
Jon
Jon,
I spent a few months thinking about how to access the winch controls once the grill and fascia were back on the Jeep. In the end I found it best to rely on the wireless remote to spool and de-spool the rope. I know it's slower, but given the alternatives and what they would have done to the front of the Jeep I decided to give patience a try.
I did have two ideas that I never acted on...
1. Once in position behind the grill the clutch lever is visible but inaccessible. The seven plastic grill inserts are attached to the surrounding grill with two screws each. I day dreamed about a way to attach a hinge to the inside of the fifth grill insert that would allow access to the clutch.
2. Warn makes a remote, mechanical clutch extender (Warn Part No. 38316) for its larger line of winches (truck and tow truck winches... not Jeep/SUV). This part will not work for our intended applications, but in theory a custom built extender would allow you to access the manual clutch from under the hood.
Neither alternative seemed practical or within my capabilities and so now I am left hoping that the wireless remote continues to work well (knock wood) or in an emergency I will have to pop the fasteners holding the grill in place, peel it back, and reach in to access the winch.
Best of luck,
Vin
I spent a few months thinking about how to access the winch controls once the grill and fascia were back on the Jeep. In the end I found it best to rely on the wireless remote to spool and de-spool the rope. I know it's slower, but given the alternatives and what they would have done to the front of the Jeep I decided to give patience a try.
I did have two ideas that I never acted on...
1. Once in position behind the grill the clutch lever is visible but inaccessible. The seven plastic grill inserts are attached to the surrounding grill with two screws each. I day dreamed about a way to attach a hinge to the inside of the fifth grill insert that would allow access to the clutch.
2. Warn makes a remote, mechanical clutch extender (Warn Part No. 38316) for its larger line of winches (truck and tow truck winches... not Jeep/SUV). This part will not work for our intended applications, but in theory a custom built extender would allow you to access the manual clutch from under the hood.
Neither alternative seemed practical or within my capabilities and so now I am left hoping that the wireless remote continues to work well (knock wood) or in an emergency I will have to pop the fasteners holding the grill in place, peel it back, and reach in to access the winch.
Best of luck,
Vin
Yes!!! Man, I didn't realize how difficult it would be to find armor and offroad parts for the JGC.!!! I'm pumped to see what all you have on your rigs.
