Jeep Overhead Molle Done Right

Meet the Epic CROW Molle System.

This is the overhead molle storage rack that we have needed. With so many of the other similar products being “good enough” we finally have the overhead storage that is done right.

The post will walk through the install of the installation and provide an overview of the product along with my initial thoughts.

Parts and Tools

The Epic Crow has almost everything you need for a successful install in the box. Epic gives you all of the nuts and bolts, wire, wire connectors, and even zip ties to make sure your install is an stress-free as possible. That said, they don’t give you everything. So here is a list of the tools and extra parts that I used to make as clean and easy of an installation as possible.

Allen Wrench set: You will need at least a 2.5mm a 3mm, I suggest an extra 4mm on-hand too, just in case.

Torx Bits: You’ll need a 25mm for most of the small Jeep trim bolts and the 40mm to remove the hard top clamp bases on the B-pillar.

I highly recommend you drill to attach your Epic CROW. Use a step bit, or a 1/8” drill bit and a 1/4” drill bit to get to the required hole diameter. You may also want a hammer and a punch for this part.

Trim Removal Tools: I use this simple kit from Amazon, it has never let me down and it helped make sure I didn’t screw up the delicate plastics inside the Jeep.

You’ll also need a ratchet set that has at least a 7mm and 10mm socket. Depending on how involved you decide to get with your wiring, you may need more.

To access the ground for the power run under the glove box you’ll want at least a 10mm ratcheting box wrench as well.

It’s always a good idea to have a large flat head screwdriver when working with metal clips, just in case you need to reset one when pulling these trim pieces off.

Wire snips, a wire stripper, a heat gun or butane torch, and some automotive insulator tape are a must for the electrical. The stripper I use also crimps, so I left that off the list. But if yours doesn’t, you’ll need a crimper.

Some needle-nose pliers are always handy for these jobs, so keep a pair nearby. Never leave home without, but you'll find a leatherman handy, I'm still loving my Leatherman Arc.

And lastly, for the zip ties, have some small wire snips or a zip tie tool. I prefer the zip-tie tool because it tights the zip ties more than I can do by hand and clips them flush so they won’t stab or slice your skin.

Installation

Your first step before you start removing bolts and drilling holes in the Jeep is to set up your CROW your way. I took my time on this step and thought about how I see myself seeing up more aftermarket accessories down the road. This is why I aligned all of my parts to the center front and rear of the rack.

At this point, if you ordered the Epic CROW with the lights and USB port, you’ll also want to figure out your wire run and if you will be running the wire through the B-pillar like Epic’s instructions, or the A-pillar like I did. I also added an extra Baja Designs yellow light just for some added brightness when I need it.

Initial Wiring

Wiring on the Epic CROW takes place in two stages, this first stage where you wire your lights and USB ports to the harness provided by Epic, and in stage two where you wire that harness to power. Stage two takes place following the installation of the CROW to the Jeep.

The smart way to wire your initial wiring is to send full-time power to the dome lights and ignition-only power to the USB port. That way whatever you have plugged into the USB port doesn’t kill your starter battery, and because the dome lights have a physical button, you can turn them off without worrying about draining.

I wired the dome light red wire to the harnesses red wire because under the glove box, the factory harness that is red/white is all-time power. I then wired the USB to the yellow wire that I’ll pair to the pink wire under the glovebox which is ignition-only power. Make sure to crimp and heat the butt connectors to ensure a solid connection. I also followed mine up with automotive harness insulation tape to give it a factory look and further protect the cables.

Once everything is crimped together and taped up, run the wires towards your desired route and zip tie them down, you’re going to love this zip tie tool for this. In Epic’s instructions they suggest the B-pillar then down behind the seatbelt, I don’t like popping that panel off and opted to run my wires through the windshield frame because we will already be popping most of the front trim pieces off. This also creates a shorter run for the harness which is always smarter.

CROW Install

With all of your wiring done. It is time to start on the actual installation of the Epic CROW into the Jeep.

Begin by removing the three T-25 bolts along the front-side of the sound bar. Once removed, I tossed them into the cup holder for safe keeping. Next, you need to remove the trim piece and factory dome light. I’ve seen some of my friends install their CROW without removing all of this assembly and I would’ve been fine keeping it up there as well. I believe that Epic recommends removing the assembly in the event that you run your harness down the B-pillar, so if that isn’t the direction you’re running your power, don’t worry about popping the whole thing off. That said, if you want to do it for a little extra room, it’s just clips and easy to take off with a solid yank or use some trim tools if you’re timid.

With the trim out of the way, you now have access to the hard top clamp plates. These plates are held in with four T-40 bolts. The good news is that each of the plates are labeled left and right with left being the American driver side.

Keep these bolts nearby. Now you can grab your CROW and place it overhead. Start by angling the front of the unit up through where your roof was, and rest it on the metal trim in front of the windshield gasket.

Then lift the rear of the CROW to the bolt holes that you just exposed. Loosely place two of the outside bolts back to hold the CROW in place. With the CROW hanging loosely in position, align the front of it to the factory notch in the windshield trim.

Now slowly tighten the rear two bolts ensuring the CROW does not misalign. If it does, loosen it just enough to align it up again.

With the CROW firmly in place, mark the holes in the windshield trim where you’ll drill. YES, you NEED to drill. If you plan to take your Jeep off-road, do NOT use double sided tape. It is easier than you think to drill and will be over in just a minute. Use a tap to mark the holes, or even begin drilling a pilot hole with a 1/8” drill bit. With the holes marked, remove the CROW and finish drilling the holes to 1/4”. You can either use a step bit or drill your pilot hole with the 1/8” all the way through and move up to the 1/4” to finish the job.

Now grab a vacuum and be thorough in cleaning up the shavings. Make sure to hit your seats and footwells with the vacuum because those shards are going to be everywhere.

Now the moment you’ve been waiting for INSTALL THAT CROW! Just like before, angle the CROW upwards from the front and side it into place and grab one of the T-40 bolts to hold it. Instal the hard top clamp plates towards the inside of the Jeep with the CROW against the paint of the roll cage. Tighten to about 80%.

Add the provided bolts to the newly drilled holes and use a 10mm box wrench and Allen Key with the flange nuts to tighten down the front of the CROW. Work both left and right bolts until the CROW is snug. Tighten these to 100% and then tighten up the rear bolts to 100%. Make sure to give each of the now six bolts an extra snug.

Final Wiring

I’m going to be honest, this is the hardest part.

I opted to run my primary cable through the cowl over the sun visors and then town the passenger A-pillar. You’ll want to pop the sun visor off, it’s held on with a couple more T-25 bolts. From there, use some trim removal tools to pop the front speaker cover. Then grab that 10mm socket we’ve been waiting to use and pop the trim off of the grab handle where the 10mm bolt is hiding. Remove those two bolts and give the handle a decent yank, it’ll come free pretty easily.

The final trim piece is the one just to the side of the glove box. This one pops off pretty easily with some trim removal tools.

Now the path is cleared, run your cable. The easiest way to do this is to follow the factory harness across the top of the windshield then down the A-pillar. Once there, run it down the small trim piece to the now open triangle section and then down to the footwell.

With the cable into the footwell, you need to locate the factory switch harness. There are six cables. Four of them run to the factory switches and two are spares. The Red/White is a “Constant Hot” meaning it doesn’t require the engine to be running to send power. This is the one we’ll connect our Baja Design’s lights to.

The second spare is a pink with orange stripe. This is the line we’ll connect our USB ports to as to avoid draining the battery with whatever we have plugged into it.

We also need to find a home for a ground connection. I like the one hidden behind the kick trim on the outer-side of the footwell.

Just like we did on the CROW before we installed it, connect everything with the butt-connectors then heat shrink and tape.

With that finished, zip tie the harness as you see fit all the way back up to the CROW.

And there it is! All done and ready for accessories.

Final Thoughts

The Epic CROW Molle System is not the first overhead molle rack to fit in the Jeep, but it does have some stand-out features that should pique your consideration.

The first is how closely it sits to the hard top. While some see the inability to use the CROW as a basket as a downside, I see it as an upside (pun intended) because the risk of knocking my head against it while bouncing down trails is virtually eliminated. I measured the head-height of the CROW against the JCR and the CROW sits a full half-inch higher than the JCR. It’s safe to say that it is very snug and non-obtrusive to the interior experience of the Jeep.

The second is the construction quality and material selection. Seeing the two racks installed, side-by-side makes it very apparent just how high quality the CROW is over the JCR. The aluminum composite that Epic uses is also less susceptible to heat. Sitting next to an overheated head rack is as uncomfortable as it sounds and the CROW seems to resolve that. In my temperature comparison test, I left both racks in full sunlight on a 90ºF day for over an hour. When I returned to test the heat, the JCR was at 95ºF/35ºC while the Epic CROW was only at 85ºF/29ºC.

Concerning the storage bags, I do have them, but I have not yet found a use for them. I’m more a minimalist in my Jeep build and won’t add them to the rack just for the sake of adding them. When I find a use, they’ll find a home. That said, if this rack weren’t sent to me and if I were just purchasing the CROW, I’d only opt to purchase it with the light and USB kit then add the molle bags after I find a use for them.

The way I see it, the price difference of around $25.00 makes the Epic Crow the simple choice between it and the JCR.

For more ideas for your Jeep build, check out my build page for my Gladiator, Winston. And for gear you’ll need before your next overland adventure, try my gear page.

Happy trails!