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Making one from two

sledneck

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Durango, Co
I rolled my green 2000 last summer and was able to make it useable but recently found a black 2000 with motor issues on craigs list. I got the black one for $500 and a couple days later picked up a used rough country 3" lift springs/leafs, 2" spacers/blocks, a drop pitman that was still in the box, a steering stabilizer that was still in the box, and shocks that were almost brand new for the lift all for $240.

I found the black motor had a broken piston and a huge crack, almost a hole, in one of the cylinders. I pulled the motor with the trans, haven’t heard of anyone doing this but it was pretty easy, and the next day threw the lift and the shocks on. I didn't use the stabilizer cause the one on the green XJ is better and likewise didn't use the pitman arm cause I have one installed on a Durango steering box on the green one. I cut the fenders and did the rear quarter tuck and fold.

I have about two days in (two half days and a full day on the lift and cuts), minus the day getting the jeep back to my shop.
I still need to pull the green motor, I'm hoping to pull the engine with the trans again and hope to stuff it without taking them apart.
Pull the bumpers, tires, and rear disc brakes off the green one and install
I have an aluminum radiator on the green one as well that I'll be using
I have a whole made snorkel on the green one that I'm still on the fence about transfering.
I have duel stock electric fans, with the clutch fan cut out, hooked up on the green one that work well that I'll reuse.

My main conundrum right now is hood vents. The green one has spacers on the hinges to give it about an inch, however I don't really want my head cut off. I was thinking, without looking at it and can't remember how it looks right now, if I could cut the firewall to the cowl and use a small electric fan to push air into the cowl and out. I need opinions on if you think this will work.

The main thing is $...the wife already almost killed me a couple times for buying stuff. I think I can scavenge a little fan but I don’t think I can afford hood vents, without ending up dead at least.
 
Because it use to overheat on every hill on the highway not to mention cruising in low gear for any amount of time. Good point though it's worth a shot at seeing what it does. Thanks!
 
I have duel stock electric fans, with the clutch fan cut out, hooked up on the green one that work well that I'll reuse.

sledneck; said:
Because it use to overheat on every hill on the highway not to mention cruising in low gear for any amount of time.

These two statements are more than a little contradicting.

Overheating on the highway is probably not an issue with the fans, but overheating in low gear is most definitely related the the stock e-fans not moving enough air. This has been beat to death around here, but that stock mechanical fan moves a TON of air, and electrics generally can't match that.
 
Worked for me so I'm gonna keep using it. It overheated on the highway with stock radiator setup when climbing 11k passes so I guess you can't blame it too much. On the trail with two E fans running it works good. What I was asking is about cutting vents into the cowl area. Wondering if anyone has do e it and if it would work
 
I haven't seen anyone cut holes for cooling but lots of folks have done it for cowl intakes, so I don't think you'll run into any problems from doing it, but I don't know how effective it'll be either.

If I remember correctly, the cowl is a high pressure area at speed, which means your fan probably won't do much at cruising speeds. But it would help at low speeds.
 
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Worked for me so I'm gonna keep using it. It overheated on the highway with stock radiator setup when climbing 11k passes so I guess you can't blame it too much. On the trail with two E fans running it works good. What I was asking is about cutting vents into the cowl area. Wondering if anyone has do e it and if it would work


Just so there isn't any confusion here. You talking about cutting holes in the firewall to allow air from the engine bay to escape into the cowl area right?

If this is the case do not do it. The air intake for cabin is in the cowl. You will be breathing hot engine fumes.

Many have put in hood vents to let the heat escape however that isn't going to help you at speed. Hood vents only help at slow speed.

My guess would be you need a tranny cooler and to pull the tranny cooling out of the radiator if you haven't already. Also a better radiator. Single or double row. Not three row. Do some research on those two things.
 
I pulled a transmission cooler out of a Ford Explorer, put in LeBaron hood vents, did the cowl air intake, and replaced my thermostat and upper radiator hose. All that netted me almost 10° cooler in my running temperatures.
 
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Got her up and running, now I have pain in the a$$ title problem and what I have narrowed to a nasty heat soak issue. I'm cutting hood vents, I'll post some pics tomorrow, and wired both electric fans to run while the motor is on. I don't give a crap about it sputtering on startup after its been sitting but it's been stutteruing and stumbling on its face while driving when it gets hot (temp sensor stays in the middle I think its about 210) and its pissing me off. I wrapped the injectors and it helped a tad but not much. I checked fuel pressure and confirmed the injectors arn't leaking and the fuel pump is good, had 50 psi. After the vents I'm probably gonna try to make a heat shield for in between the headers and intake manifold and take off the factory heat shield thing thats on top of the manifold, I heard it helped some people so it's worth a shot.

I'm gonna drive it in a couple hours when I get off work and see if it runs when the ambiant temps are low, about 45* out now. The motor didn't do this in the old body so I'm guessing the hood gap did alot or it's something else and I'm not finding it.
 
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The new ones compared to the aluminum ones I tried first.

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Hood vents. Still gonna rivet them in place but I'm waiting to use the numatic rivet gun. Used two metal air returns for inside a house cut and painted. I think it looks pretty good.
 
Those are the old one I had already unscrewed. I forgot to take a pic of the fist ones so I grabbed a quick shot of what I had when I remembered.
 
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