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sPOD

Every once in a while I run across a product that seems kinda cool, but something just says its not worth it or its build bad. I decided to contact 4x4s-pod and talked with John many times via email and over the phone a few times. After much thought I decided what the heck. Worst thing it shows up and its cheap and flimsy I'll just compain and we would work out some kind of exchange.

A few days go by and I noticed that I might have problems with my footman loop and how the heck does my bikini supposed to work. John stated in the instructions on his site it pointed out that you use a different than stock footman loop on the 1997-2003 TJ's. Feeling like an idiot I was told not to worry he would send me one. Little did I know he had to order it and pick it up himself from the Jeep dealership. Today comes and I get a phone call from John as Im pulling into my drive way. "Uh, this is the sPOD shipping department. Our records show that your sPOD has arrived." I thought it was funny as heck, but expected it tomarrow and sure enough it was here today. John knew I lived in a remote area and wanted to make sure as he put it. "I just wanted to make sure a bear didn't walk off with it". Im not that remote, but it was still funny as heck.

Normally I do a complete install before showing off anything. Honestly I was simply amazed at the level of detail and thought that went into this and just had to share it. Im more or less excited because if its this nice in pieces its going to look great installed. Anways below is a few of my thoughts and I'll get it hooked up over Labor Day weekend and really see how things work.

Summerize the difficulity of the mod here. Written by kizer, if you have any questions or comments about this install visit

 


This tube was found on my door step. I thought there is no way my over the windsheild switch kit would fit in that.

Cracked the top and bottom and sure enough it was all packed in there.

After squeezing it out almost had to ram it out of the tube with one arm and feed it out with the other.

Every piece fit together like a Jigzaw puzzle in the tube. I was simply amazed. If this much effort went into packing something up I cant wait to see the details of the actual product.

I picked up the Terminal block that sits under the hood and all your accessories connect to. All of the posts where bent in different directions, which Im sure is to make plugging in the harness easier.

The lettering below is silk screened on. A note to everybody else who makes things loose the stickers. =)

The end of the Terminal block had a ground. Every and I repeat every piece of wire other than two which I'll show later had a lable. None of that reading the instructions and trying to figure out what the green wire or the yellow wire are for.

I chose the 6-switch panel with the air guage. I want the air guage to monitor my York thats waiting to be installed. I couldn't figure out where I wanted the guage and when I saw this solution I knew it was what I wanted and well frankly I found I had to have it.

All the switches come prewired along with a fitting for the air guage.

Now what impressed the heck out of me. was the fact that every wire was tight along the center of the run and zip tied with mini zip ties to keep everything clean. Im assuming that was during the build process it could be placed in the back of the switch panel and kept clean, which makes for an easy build.

The end of the swich panel has a plug that ties into another wire that runs from the cab into the engine compartment. Kinda makes it hard to screw up when you just "Click" two ends together.

Look at the quality of this switch panel. One single piece of sheet metal rolled and an end welded on and smoothed over followed by some power coating.

Just enough welding to keep it together and keeping it clean.

Heres the air guage face. Probably one of the only things Im not super happy with. I personally would of liked a liquid filed guage, but hey I dont have air now so what am I complaing about anyways. =)

Oh, wait now. Im going to plumb in my ARB lockers so I can monitor their pressure. Wooohooooo

The switches used stick out aprox 1/2 an inch.

If this isn't attention to detail I dont know what is. Instead of using a screw with a nut an insert was used to act as a welded nut to make installation a snap to the mounting bracket.

Is anybody else listening? We want welded nuts or something like this in our bolt ons.

On the back of the guage a quick release/connection was used to make connecting the air line a snap.

Included in the kit is 8 or maybe its 10feet of air line. I didn't unroll it as of yet to measure. I will when I goto install everything.

Ok, this makes up for my guage comment. The end of the air line comes with a 1/4 threaded fitting. Well I think its 1/4 I have to double check that now that I think of it. Notice its already got tyflon tape? It came with tape already on it.

I decided to test fit the other end of the wireing harness that plugs into the under the hood terminal block. The wiring harness had different length wires and I was wondering if it would actually fit.

Like a glove. Notice the 90degree bends in the ends? It made plugging in a snap and the wires appeared to be just the right length in between each other. Kinda reminded me of spark plug wires that are tailored to each plug. As well each wire is labled so you can not mess things up.

Heres the end of the wiring harness. Each wire is different in length. There is a regular red wire, which Im assuming provides power to the LEDs on the switches, which there just happens to be a provided length of wire with a fuse not pictured.

The extra green wire near the top Im guessing is for the 7switch panel, which I do not have, but I'll look into it just incase Im nuts. Oh wait its probably the ground for the LEDS. Oppps. hahahaha

This is the finish to the panel the switch panel connects with. This is sheet metal powder coated. It looks nearly like ABS plastic. Meaning its going to blend in awesome with the look of our plastic dashes.

Heres the backside of the panel. Notice the crazy bends and cuts. Some time has gone into building this panel.

Inlcuded in the kit are some printed decals that lay under the switches and if you had the Contura switches Im sure they would/could lay on the switches directly.

My only big complaint is the decals came with an odd fold when they where rolled and made the 3 center decals begin to peal before they where used. However I dont think Im going to have a "Map Light" anytime soon. =)

The Terminal bracket had this on the back of it. Im guessing because it all fit into a tube just bearly big enough to ship a soft ball bat.

Notice the small bend near the bottom? No problem. I tried to bend the bracket by hand and it wasn't hard at all. I just dont know what its going to do to the coating on the bracket, but Im sure it wont be an issue.

As well came this little bracket. It was labled Relay Mounting Strip. You mount your relays to it opposed to figuring out where to mount them under the hood in various places.

Again attention to detail. The cheapest of all the pieces in this kit in price not quality has the same fittings on it that act as welded nuts.

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