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Product Reviews
by Dan Dohrn
Mobi-Arc 200x Mobile Welder
The Mobi-Arc is packed with features.
You can get optional “Mode Select”
modules that plug into the Mobi-Arc and regulate the output so you can
use the welding cables as jumper cables. The Mobi-Arc
 also
comes with a bypass kit. In the unlikely event that the Mobi-Arc
control box fails (or should you want to move the control unit to a
second vehicle), you simply move a few wires around and you have
bypassed the Mobi-Arc and the battery will charge as normal. One of
the many goals for the Mobi-Arc was to never leave you stranded and
the bypass kit ensures that will never happen. It also has solid-state
construction, meaning there are no moving parts to wear out over time.
Perhaps the best feature is that it will work with your existing
alternator if you chose to go that route. Many of the other mobile
welders on the market require you to buy their expensive custom
alternator.
It seems lately that the art of
customer service is fading at an exponential level; however, the
customer service I received from Scott at Mobi-Arc was second to none.
He was very willing to explain to me how the system worked and discuss
various options such as what alternator would best suit me. It was
obvious that he wasn’t just concerned with selling another unit, he
genuinely cared that the customer successfully installed his product
and had good results while using it. The excellent customer service I
received combined with the quality and functionality of the Mobi-Arc
make it a product that I am willing to recommend to anyone looking for
a mobile welding solution.
Steel Horse Locking Center Console
As most Jeep owners now know, Steel Horse is not the company to purchase Jeep parts
from if quality and  durability are important. When I first got my Jeep, I was unaware of
Steel Horse’s reputation and I purchased a center console manufactured by them. It
looked OK on the outside, but upon further inspection of the inside, I realized it was
junk. Between the vinyl covering on the outside and the carpeted inside, the console was
made of particle board. If I was manufacturing products for a vehicle that often goes
topless, is exposed to the environment, and gets bounced around a lot on trails, I
certainly would not make it out of particle board. Then there is the "locking"
mechanism. The console is so flimsy, that a lock would, at best, only keep the
neighborhood cats from getting in. After only a couple of months in my Jeep, the console
was suffering major damage due to the cheap particle board construction. The hinges
holding the lid on had come loose as a result of the screws being threaded directly into
the particle board. I repaired it by using rectangular pieces sheet metal on the inside
and outside of the console, creating a sandwich around the failing particle board. I then
used bolts through holes drilled in the sheet metal to hold the hinges on. Shortly after
this fix, the wood around the holes in the bottom of the console holding it to the Jeep
tub started to break apart. I had to "fix" them the same way as I did the
hinges. As if that wasn’t enough, the particle board around the cup holders began to
disintegrate.
I would definitely not recommend buying a Steel Horse center console or any
other made of particle board.
Four Wheel Drive Hardware Aluminum Valve Cover
Anyone with a mid 80’s CJ with the 258 engine that has had to deal with those
stupid plastic valve covers can appreciate this product. My plastic valve covers were
constantly leaking from warping, and I even managed to break one. With a replacement cost
of around $80 for a plastic one, the $125 price of the aluminum one seems really
reasonable. I purchased one a few years ago when they first became available from 4WD
Hardware. I put it on and immediately began to experience a large amount of oil being
sucked into the aircleaner through the pcv system. I wrongly assumed that it was due to a
poor baffle design on the valve cover and called 4WD Hardware. They were very helpful and
even had me talk to the man that designed the valve cover. He told me to pack it back up
and return it for a full refund. I was not looking forward to going back to the plastic
valve cover, but I couldn’t have all my oil being sucked into the air filter. A
couple years later, I rebuilt my engine and decided to try my luck with another 4WD
Hardware valve cover. This time when I put it on, there was still a small bit of oil
coming out the rear pcv hole, but it was less of a problem because I now had a breather
cap instead of a hose going to the aircleaner. In all fairness to 4WD Hardware, I think my
original problem was engine blow-by forcing the oil out the through the pcv system, not
the design of their valve cover. The only fault I can find with their valve cover is that
it seals so good that oil that normally was forced out from under the plastic valve cover
now has to come out somewhere else…which usually ends up being the pcv system.
I would recommend the 4WD Hardware aluminum valve cover to anyone with a 258 and
plastic valve cover. It not only seals 100% better, it looks great and covers up some of
that annoying valve system noise that plagues most 258’s.
Herculiner Do-It-Yourself Brush on Bed Liner
I’ve been considering the idea of covering the inside of my Jeep tub with some
sort of bed liner for some time. The high cost of professional spray on liners encouraged
me to look for other alternatives. I learned from fellow Jeepers on one of the Jeep forums
about a product called Herculiner. It is supposedly made by the same company as another
popular bed liner, Durabak. I heard plenty of good things and even examined a CJ-7 that
one of my friends covered completely with Durabak. I liked the results. I found a complete
Herculiner kit on sale at K-mart for $89 and couldn’t pass it up. Installation was
really simple, although it was quite messy. It was easy for me because I was in the middle
of swapping out my rusty CJ-7 tub for a ’91 YJ tub so I had a completely stripped
down tub, with nothing to remove, sitting in the garage. I applied it in my garage when it
was relatively cold (around 40 degrees) so it took longer to dry. I was concerned that it
wouldn’t bond to the metal due to the cold temperature, so I e-mailed their customer
service and they promptly contacted me with a phone call assuring me that the product
would bond to the metal, but it would take longer to dry. The kit comes almost complete
with everything that is needed for application, with the exception of some
Xylene, a paint
roller tray, and some rubber glove, which I strongly recommend.
The Herculiner created a nice even covering with embedded rubber particles for a
protective cover that is easy to hose off and will keep any cargo from sliding
around…not that there is any cargo space in a CJ. I would recommend this product to
anyone looking for a cheaper alternative to professional spray on liners.
Bestop Seat Covers
I had to replace my old fake sheep skin seat covers after a neighborhood cat got in my
topless Jeep one night and decided to leave some territorial markings on BOTH of my seat
covers. They needed replacing anyway. I really should be thanking that cat, the new Bestop
seat covers I purchased are great. They fit the stock CJ seats very well and were simple
to put on. They claim that they are not waterproof, but once I was returning from a drive
thru with a super size cup that wouldn’t fit in my stupid Steel Horse console, so I
set the cup on my seat wedged against the bag of fast food and the seat. When I got to work, I
noticed that the cup had tipped over and spilled quite a puddle on the seat. I grabbed a
couple napkins and the spilled soft drink wiped right off leaving no sticky residue and it had not
soaked into the seat cover at all. So, even thought they are not water proof,
they do an excellent job of protecting the seats and seem to be water (or soft
drink) resistant.
Overall, I’d say they are an excellent product that does a good job of protecting
the seat and looking good. n2jeepn.com
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