I was talking to a mate today about the front recovery hooks. He said he would have a go at making some.
He runs a steel fabricator business and has laser cutters, serious folders, etc.
I had to remove the Jeep one from mine. What a bugga! Some of the bolts had been put on with a rattle gun, the others have to be done by hand, about 1/64th of a turn at a time...
Hopefully the new ones will be user friendly. As well as bigger hooks and mounted further forward.
Cheers
Numb Thumbs
__________________ 2017 Grand Cherokee Limited with Off-road Pack - Quadra-Lift, Quadra-Drive and Bash Plates.
I met with the fabricator yesterday. We are developing hooks that will be exactly like the stock hooks on MY11 vehicles, (including placement). The kit will include custom mounting brackets for each side. Installation will be very straightforward and simple. Prototypes will be created on June 11th. Then they will go to an engineer for proper load testing/rating. Revisions will be made if necessary and then the final product will be laser cut, welded and folded. We are contemplating the creation of a one piece option for people who prefer loop type recovery points. I'll post photos of the prototype and installation process June 12th.
On June 11th we are also developing a replacement 'belly pan' to replace the stock plastic unit. More than likely it will be alloy, so it will be light and strong. Hopefully I will be able to post photos of the prototype June 12th.
I met with the fabricator again on June 11th. We took everything apart and made all of the necessary measurements for the patterns. Everything was very straightforward and the prototypes should be ready next week sometime. We are creating 4 prototypes.
1. Pair of recovery hooks (with required mounting brackets for 2012 & 2013 vehicles).
2. Pair of recovery loops (one piece for added strength).
3. Alloy 'belly pan' replacement.
4. Alloy 'protection plate' for some added lower front end protection, (covering washer bottle, bottom of radiator and air suspension controller).
I'll post photos of the prototypes fully installed on my MY12 WK2 very soon. If anyone with a MY11 or MY13 WK2 near Brisbane or the Gold Coast would be interested in helping me verify proper fitment, send me a private message.
I plan to test these prototypes for a few weeks (maybe a month) before making any necessary final revisions and sending them off to be manufactured. If all goes well they should be ready for sale by end of July.
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2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee WK2 Limited
2017 Grand Cherokee Limited with Off-road Pack - Quadra-Lift, Quadra-Drive and Bash Plates.
