Packing A Jeep Wrangler Full Of Hacks

Picking just one image to show off all of the hacks done on this Jeep Wrangler is a tough order. We decided to go with this custom ceiling console as it features the most work done in a confined area.

Give the video walk-around a bit of time before you decide it’s not for you. [Eddie Zarick] spends the first moments touting his “Oakley” branding of the vehicle in decals, emblems, embroidered seats, zipper pulls, and more. But after that you’ll get a look at the pressurized water system we previously saw. Pull open the back gate and there’s a nice cargo cover he built that includes a cubby hole which stores the soft sides when he wants to take the top off. There are several other interesting touches, like the police radar spoofer that he uses to scare the crap out of speeders. Ha!

The ceiling console we mentioned earlier was completely custom-built. It includes a CB, scanner, HAM, and seven-inch Android tablet. There is also a set of push buttons which control the various bells and whistles; well, spotlights and inverter actually. Just add a commode and he’s ready to live out of his car.

66 thoughts on “Packing A Jeep Wrangler Full Of Hacks

  1. What a nice build! Though with all of that style and electronics being shown up, I guess the car is a nice target for thiefs and burglars. Do you have any security features in place? Given how much effort you’ve put into this, at least a GPS tracker with a mobile data plan would be nice to have.

    1. I hope he has a primary security system, but if not he could load a lost/stolen tracking app onto his Android tablet there. He says it always has an Internet connection so it presumably is one of the CDMA or GSM tablets. I personally would use that as my secondary theft location system, and primary system for if someone just rips out the tablet.

      1. I would replace the windshield and windows with some sort of unbreakable glass (there are many brands), reinforce the door locks and design a custom circuit for the ignition (with a remote kill switch if connected to a microcontroller with mobile data plan). Thiefs always follow a premeditated procedure to steal certain car models. Anything differing from the standard setting will prevent them to succeed.

        1. Unbreakable glass is rather frowned on for cars. It’s a safety hazard. In an accident you could be stuck in a burning or sinking car and need to break the glass to get out!

        2. Typical US laminated windshields could be difficult to get through but that they can often be entirely removed easily after being shattered. So anchoring the edges might help there. Adding “security” film to all the other tempered glass windows and properly anchoring the edges would help with those, too.

  2. That’s more extensive than what I did with mine… I made more of a switch panel and used a commercial base, a Tuffy Products secure enclosure, for the radios and fabricated the panel. Nothing special, really… just a place to hold my switches in a reachable position, and an LED status panel so I would know what’s going on at a glance. It hinged open for access. Illumination tied to the dimmer on the headlight switch. Everything was done through relays mounted elsewhere. I used CAT-5 for the control wiring and Romex for the high-wattage stuff like lighting(it’s what I had on-hand at the time). Almost felt like an aircraft cockpit… when I wasn’t hitting my head on the thing while offroading.

    And I agree with MrX… Jeeps with softtops are notoriously insecure(hence why I installed the secure enclosure). before I made this, somebody cut a hole in my window and placed a Starbucks iced coffee full of human excrement on the seat. I don’t know why. People are jerks, I guess.

    (before the VHF/UHF rig was installed)
    http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k293/mystickneon/IMG_0909.jpg

    The Guts of the panel: (I know, my place was a mess)
    http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k293/mystickneon/IMG_0903.jpg

    1. I see things hanging loose in your field of view, cords trinkets and one of the malodorous pine tree thingies. I won’t share the road with a rolling junk store display in the windshield. Also seen are bat handle toggle switches which will pierce the cranium in an accident.

  3. I enjoyed the build and the quality appears top notch. However, were in AZ those side mounted water and air connectors would be gone after the 1st trail run. Not the optimal mounting location.

  4. Lost me at ‘Police Radar Spoofing’ system. Including this in a list of features is a dick move and will hopefully be viewed as ‘impersonating a Police Officer’ and will carry the same penalty as installing a MIRT.

    Using such a device to create false positives could cause motorists to suddenly alter their driving habits without warning and could create unsafe or even hazardous driving conditions.

    You are not a Law Enforcement Officer and have no business taking it upon yourself to act as one. If I want to speed that is between me and the people that are legally allowed to enforce those regulations. Like I said- Dick Move.

    If your hack caused an accident would you remain at the scene and take complete and total responsibility?

    1. Almost all cheap (Cobra) radar detectors leak and set off good radar detectors all the time. Also traffic lights and automatic doors to stores. Also many speed that do not have radar detectors.

      Cool customizations to the Jeep!

      1. And none of your examples are {flip a switch} intentional actions. To make such a customization to a civilian vehicle shows an intent to ‘mess with people’ where the people are speeders that the creator of the hack has a problem with. My point is that the creator of the hack in this instance is not qualified to act in the capacity of ‘traffic monitor’.

    2. Because police radar causing motorists to suddenly alter their driving habits is somehow less hazardous? Anyone driving with a radar detector is more than entitled to any spare radar that might be drifting around… Your speeding is a dick move.

      Having a radar emitter is no more impersonating a police officer than is having a box of donuts on your passenger seat. Drive like a responsible human being, take off your danged headphones/earbuds, use your turn signals, think of others, and don’t be a dick. I think that about covers it.

      1. Oh, and put down the effing cell phone while you’re at it. Your entitlement regarding radar detectors suggests that you’re probably the type that drives with a phone permanently glued to your hand…

        1. …and for the record… I don’t even own a radar detector and I’ve set a custom auto-response to my cell phone that says ‘I’m driving right now, I’ll call you back.’ …That sound like ‘the type that drives with a phone permanently glued to your hand…’?

          You fail so hard.

      2. Police are entitled by their jobs to emit radar, the creator of this hack is not. The creator of the hack is not allowed to act as traffic enforcement and has no ability to cite motorists. A police officer emits his radar as a function of doing his ‘sworn duty’ the guy doing it from in this Jeep is doing it to ‘mess with people’. ‘Spare radar drifting around’ is not generated intentionally at the flip of a switch from a machine created specifically for the purpose. It’s this thing called ‘Intent’.

        People speed. It’s how it is. I’ve frequently been passed by police officers just cruising when I was speeding myself. By suggesting that my speeding is a dick move I’m forced to assume that you are a hypocrite because I seriously doubt that you NEVER exceed the posted speed limit. Never.

        Your assumptions of _my_ driving habits are completely unfounded and are more of an attempt at ‘mud-slinging’ based on your own peeves and irritants. You have no idea of my driving habits or how seriously I take the act of piloting a half-ton glass and steel death-machine.

        People like you are the reason that civil conversation and discussion fails on the internet. You think that grandiose flame attacks somehow lend validity to your baseless opinion.

        And telling _me_ not to be a dick? Your indignation pretty much took care of making you a hypocrite on that one as well.

          1. ‘Use radar gun’ =/= Monitor Traffic. Besides… the Jeep is using a _spoofer_ and not even an actual radar gun.

            Truth be told… the FCC would likely have an issue themselves with this particular hack considering that this device was created to intentionally interfere with the reliable operation of other electronic equipment.

    3. Let me fix this one.

      Lost me at ‘If I want to speed.’ Including this in a list of features is a dick move and will hopefully be viewed as ‘being an imbecile’ and will carry the same penalty as involuntary manslaughter.

      Using such a device as a 2 ton vehicle traveling at excessive rates of speed for your own amusement could cause other motorists to suddenly alter their driving habits without warning and could create unsafe or even hazardous driving conditions.

      You are not a race car driver and have no business taking it upon yourself to act as one. If I want to annoy you with a radar spoofer that is between me and the people that are legally allowed to enforce those regulations. Like I said- Dick Move.

      If your speeding caused an death would you remain at the scene and take complete and total responsibility?

        1. “grandiose flame attacks” – Pot. Kettle. Black.

          “Police are entitled by their jobs to emit radar… A police officer emits his radar as a function of doing his ‘sworn duty’…”

          So… where is it in your job that your’re entitled, and required by your ‘sworn duty’ to endanger other peoples lives?

          I don’t know that there are any statistics out there citing radar spoofs as cause of death. But I kind of doubt anyone has suddenly slammed their brakes, and jerked the wheel hard enough to flip their car more than people have been hurt by speeding.

          “Your assumptions of _my_ driving habits are completely unfounded and are more of an attempt at ‘mud-slinging’ based on your own peeves and irritants”

          Pot. Kettle. Black. Again.

          Anyway, I’m through. It *is* the internet after all. People are ‘wrong’ on it. Or sometimes, they just have their differences. So, I guess there’s civil discussion for you. *shrugs*

          1. ‘grandiose flame attacks’… he brought it first. I just brought it better.
            my ‘sworn duty to endager other peoples lives’… you don’t know my driving habits and my 5-8 over the limit isn’t nearly as dangerous as you make it out to be.

            ‘doubt anyone has slammed on their brakes’… it happens all the time when people cross the crest of a hill and _SEE_ officers shooting radar… or simply see a cop period. You seem to automatically equate ‘speeding’ with ‘racing’ and automatically assume that anybody that speeds is weaving in-and-out of traffic doing 15 over through rush-hour traffic.I don’t.

            ‘I don’t know if there are any statistics’… Fact of the matter is that this hobbyist hacker is not authorized to act as traffic monitor. The laws that are in place make what he is doing a whole lot closer to illegal than legal. Is this modification an extension of the operators duties? No, the operator isn’t a law enforcement officer- He’s going ‘too far’.

            What mud-slinging have I done? My statements are based far more on fact than opinion and don’t resort to making wholesale assumptions of people that in reality couldn’t be further from the truth in my particular case.

            I love that ‘Anyway… I’m done with this Internet argument… just as soon as I click ‘Post’ so I can have the last word.’ If you’re ‘done’ as you claim to be then don’t reply in the first place. Your way is essentially an act of cowardice… ‘I’m gonna say what I want to say then run away.’

            My point… this would be like a hacker making a mobile TV-B-GONE and crawling through neighborhoods hoping to get a signal to bounce between the curtains. Dude is not entitled to act as TV-Patrol, and certainly not as Traffic-Patrol.

          2. …what he is doing is essentially an electronic version of getting in the left-most lane, setting his cruise-control to the speed limit and not letting people pass. It’s not _his_ JOB to affect (nor effect) the flow of traffic.

      1. How about this then. Just accept that some times the police take it upon them selves to try and enforce things that are not covered by their job and some times turn out to be perfectly legal. A little give and take in both directions seems fair enough.
        ( I realize Erik has already covered the actual legality of having the emitter)

  5. I know that there are more serious rigs tornado spotters use. Narc on tornados not citizens. Chicken Band radio is dead. Even the Spanish has gone, just lots of static. But oaklay, not a hack. Just 80’s rampant commercialism. Overpriced shades.

    1. Since he evidently has a ham (amateur radio) license, he can operate the radar gun as a 24 GHz ham beacon – perfectly legal as long as he identifies every ten minutes, which he could do by turning it off and on rapidly a few times sending his callsign in morse code. No matter what else, he can claim Part 97 operation and he’s golden – as long as he identifies his station.

      If the device is an unmodified Part 5 (license-free) device then he can operate it under Part 5 rules (duh…) and that’s de facto “do whatever you want”. No problem there.

      Only potential problem is Ka band (35 GHz) which would require some sort of licensure, though there are several different ways to do it.

      1. Erik, Your dribble fails the smell test pal,

        “There are several other interesting touches, like the police radar spoofer that he uses to scare the crap out of speeders. Ha!” The guy ADMITS on the internet and posts about the fact of what the thing is and what HE HIMSELF is using it for. It is not a “beacon” it is not set up to be a beacon, it is meant to interfere with and cause harm to radar detectors which are in fact licensed by the FCC as radio receivers which is in fact ILLEGAL according to the federal communications act of 1934. It’s the same reason you cannot jam cellphones legally. It isn’t up to you or him to enforce your own damn idiocy on the rest of us, we have the freedom of speech, the freedom to transmit or receive radio signals WITHOUT inference from vigilante idiots like you or this Oakley obsessed douche bag. ALSO since this thing transmits on a public safety frequency, which is governed under part 90 which states for, private, non-public safety use, you must have a part 90 license to operate or face jail time and a $10,000 for the FIRST offence. A ham license DOES NOT cover this device UNLESS it is an X-band or K band “door opener” type device legal to xmit in the free and clear STATIONARY, but again he is using it to harm others WHILE IN MOTION!, ILLEGAL. IF he wants to be a dick and try to make people obey the law which he thinks he’s entitled to do, even though he is NOT a COMMISIONED law enforcement officer, I think it’s more than fair that others play the same game.
        And we will see what happens, because I have in fact reported this to the FCC.

  6. Surprised no one has commented on this but I hope either he works for Oakley otherwise it seems to be a bit of an unhealthy obsession with a company that could potentially turn around and sue you for branding a product they have no affiliation with.

    Aside from the legal-smeegal stuff, it is a cool build either way.

    1. I would not be surprised if Jeep or made an Oakley special edition jeep. Even so Oakley makes Jeep sunglasses, and their are Oakley seat covers and such for Wranglers so I doubt that this rolling BIllboard is a problem.

    2. It’s an american thing. Some people, especially in the south, dedicate their lives to certain brands. Something like what we can see with Apple’s reality distortion field™ around the world for some dedicated fans.

  7. Its part 90 that he needs to worry about. He is emitting from a moving vehicle a frequency that is in the public safety band which could in fact be an source of interference to police radar (public safety communications) (could be construed as a jammer, WHICH IS ILLEGAL) with the intent of “pretending to be police radar” and I will be reporting him to the FCC and we’ll see how long he has his Amateur radio license after that.

    I am in fact a radar detector enthusiast, had a background in law enforcement and now I work on radar every single day. I rarely if ever speed, but I drive with a detector as a means to control my speed, it keeps me on my toes, as the last thing I want to do is get pulled over with it in my car as it will mean a ticket for sure as cops take little pity on RD users. What this guy is doing is dangerous, has his intent plainly displayed for all to see what he is doing and I have stored his site and this post as proof, which I will be forwarding to the FCC and his local PD.
    There are some things you just don’t do as a ham, and being a fellow ham myself it is my duty to report this.

    Thanks HAD.

          1. I do feel great, asshat. He wants to play wannabe and troll on the highways doing illegal shit, He can find out why you don’t break the law to enforce the law, even though it isn’t his place to begin with. I think his jeep is an aswesome build and I’ve very impressed with what he’s done with it, except maybe the all self indulgent oakley masturbation. But illegally mounting a K band stanley automatic door opener xmitter on his ride with the intent of doing harm to others when its none of his business is where I draw the line. If he wants to play traffic cop, there are many departments that have reserve or auxiliary officer programs and he can get commisioned and then volunteer his time and “zap” speeders all he wants. The reason he knows all about automatic door openers xmitting and causing interference to RDs is the fact that he owns a RD himself. Which just adds to the fact that he thinks he is above the law and furthers the case against him. And like I say, I reported it, and if the FCC wants to throw his ass in the klink and fine the dog snot out of him, he was asking for it. And its pretty f*ing stupid to post your real name and show your license plate in the same video where you are admitting to breaking the law by causing intentional interference to a very legal (in the majority of states), legally FCC licensed RD. You reap what you sow.

        1. You guys are a lot of fun. Ive been enjoying reading these comments about me being above the law and trying to control traffic. Just so everyone is aware and clear. This is a very low powered device that is actually a FCC Part 15 device which requires no license to use. It is not a jammer and has never been used to “imitate a cop”. It is not an interference device and is perfectly legal to use. That being said, I do not have a RD and never have had one. But all RDs are in essence a “radio scanner” and its scanning certain frequencies (Cop radars and other devices) and lets you know when one is being transmitted. So if a device like mine is legally transmitting a signal that you device picks up, thats your buisness to see what is being transmitted in the area, same as if you picked up the motion doors at stores ext.

          I am by no means trying to “enforce the law” and really don’t care if you want to speed or not. Im not trying to hide who I am either. Just try to just enjoy posts guys and not bash the one thing you don’t agree with.

          Ed Zarick
          KK4LPV

          1. “I am by no means trying to “enforce the law” and really don’t care if you want to speed or not.”

            Then why did you install a device intended to act as radar spoofer in your vehicle… Sounds like you _do_ care to me.

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