beater!

[xjknut11]

I just read through this whole build today, took A LOT of notes aperwork. Good stuff man.

 

[peuglow]

Whoah. I just read through this whole thread. Any updates on this build? AWESOME, AWESOME work.

 

[BasslicksXJ]

Anything new?

 

[ehall]

Got a little windfall on some cash so I did some upgrades, nothing major

First was Black Magic brake upgrade, with new calipers and Centric rotors, to get rid of the old rusty junk that has been on there forever. Nice fit and finish, with no installation issues. Everything looks like stock parts but nicer (zinc coating, etc) and only a little more expensive than premium NAPA parts. Still breaking them in but they are working nice so far. Highway scraping sound is gone finally.

The bigger deal are the new Cooper Discoverer AT/3 meats on new Cragar rims. I have been running a mismatched set of 31s ever since I installed the lift, because I had multiple upgrade paths and didnt want to buy new tires that I would just get rid of after changing something else. But as of today, 17s are by far the most popular truck tire size in use, and since I had the coin available I decided to go straight to that and solve all my problems at once. EG, these tires are 32x10.5 and are available for 17s but not for 15s or 16s, and if I had done intermediate purchase I would have been borked.

Listed tire size is 265/70xR17 which translates to nominal 32x10.4 but Cooper shows actual size as 31.4x10.7 so still largish 31s, about an inch difference over the tires I had on there earlier.

The 17x8 rims have a 4.5" backspacing so the tire sticks out a comfortable amount but not too much. Rear tires are about even with the flare, but fronts stick out a bit (no rubbing on control arms).

Front fender clearance is okay but I will need to cut-and-fold the lip before I try to get anything bigger going. Rear looks tight but bumpstops may prevent too much damage.

This setup has a lot of features I like. Committing to 17-inch means I can do flipped tie-rod or high-steering without interference, can go ahead and upgrade to rear discs now, can upgrade to WJ knuckles or larger brakes without concern, switch to JK axles, whatever. And these 32s give me good mixed-use tire that can be swapped with 33 muds when I want or need, and will work well with existing 4.10 now or upgraded 4.56 later. I also like the tire tread and winter rating on these tires, since that is most of what I use the jeep for.

As another option for people, the stock JK Rubicon were (are?) 17 inch and can be a cheap source of the rubber. I looked around and could not find any, but something to keep in mind.

Lots of things I am cleared to move on now, steering, cut-and-fold, tire carrier, regearing, rear discs, ..., not sure what to do next, but now that this is cleared off the list I can start moving again.

 

[ehall]

The tires don't rub on the control arms or the body but they were grabbing the corner of the front fender flare in tight turns and making a loud POP POP POP noise

A couple of minutes with the cutoff wheel and they no longer rub on the street...

... however they will still rub when the front is stuffed, so I need to do something. Most direct fix is probably just trim the fenders a bit and move the axle forward, but I am still using stock upper control arms so I need to get some adjustable arms before I can move the axle. I had deferred buying adjustable UCAs because I was planning to get long arms eventually but they are still pretty low on the priority list (armor and lockers first) but I would go ahead and do it if I got a good opportunity. Or I could just buy some adjustable JKS UCAs to go with the JKS LCAs I already have and push the axle forward a bit. They are kind of pricey but I think this is probably the prudent thing for my intended usage, since switching to LAs would unleash a bunch of other issues that I don't want to deal with. I will wait until the new year and see how work shapes up for January before deciding.

Another thing that stands out is that the extra inch or so is making it slightly more difficult to get in and out of the jeep. Since the tires mark the completion of the initial suspension, this is probably a good time to segue to structural and armor improvements, primarily rocker guards, but also stuff like front and rear bumpers to replace stock. The first part of this is going to be frame stiffeners so that I have something to build on/around. At the moment I am favoring the Ruff Stuff stiffeners but I am going to wait until January to make a decision. My little flux welder wont be adequate so I will need to buy some help and that will take some coordination and budgeting.

I also want to start thinking about LSD in the rear and selectable locker in the front, and regearing to 4.56 or 4.88 to support 33s or larger, and getting enough fender clearance for those. So with that in mind, I am starting to think about fender chops, to go with new bumpers, and to make room for the tires at full stuff.

This is how small little things turn into great unwindings--rubbing a flare in a parking lot and next thing you know you are rebuilding the whole bottom half

 

[billyjp2]

do you have extended bump stops in the front? That would probably be the cheapest and simplest solution to stop the tires from stuffing into the fenders.

 

[ehall]

No I was looking at some stuff but it had gone off the market. I need to get some oversized plates and bumpers for the rear.

Need to add some pucks to the front too.

 

[bluejeepkid]

would something like this work in the rear?
they don't come with the poly bumps tho

http://www.ebay.com/itm/201061031892?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1558.l2649

 

[ehall]

I found some chrome Jeep center caps on ebay for $20

I printed the PDF template from this thread, and used some spray adhesive to mount it to some cardboard. I ran some LCA bolts through the wheel holes for tight fit--LCA holes have a shoulder at the head, so it tightens up nicely in the wheel

Punch, drill a pilot hole, then drill a real hole a little larger than #8 screw to allow for some error and adjustment. Also used a countersink bit on the rear so I could make the heads of the screws flush with the rear of the wheel. I forgot to take a picture of the rear hardware mounting sorry

Final install, looks pretty good with the other chrome trim elements. This thing will look nice if I ever get it repainted

For the next major phase, I think I have decided to get the Synergy long-arm brackets and the rear leaf brackets, weld those to the frame rail, and cut and weld some Ruff Stuff frame stiffeners at the same time. Not cheap so I will have to save and plan for it. I will see how January shapes up and either start on it then or get some cheap UCAs to hold me over for until the spring or summer.

 

[BasslicksXJ]

I found some chrome Jeep center caps on ebay for $20

I printed the PDF template from this thread, and used some spray adhesive to mount it to some cardboard. I ran some LCA bolts through the wheel holes for tight fit--LCA holes have a shoulder at the head, so it tightens up nicely in the wheel

Punch, drill a pilot hole, then drill a real hole a little larger than #8 screw to allow for some error and adjustment. Also used a countersink bit on the rear so I could make the heads of the screws flush with the rear of the wheel. I forgot to take a picture of the rear hardware mounting sorry

Final install, looks pretty good with the other chrome trim elements. This thing will look nice if I ever get it repainted

For the next major phase, I think I have decided to get the Synergy long-arm brackets and the rear leaf brackets, weld those to the frame rail, and cut and weld some Ruff Stuff frame stiffeners at the same time. Not cheap so I will have to save and plan for it. I will see how January shapes up and either start on it then or get some cheap UCAs to hold me over for until the spring or summer.

Thanks for posting that, I've got the same centers (just not chrome) ready to go on and I've been trying to figure out how to make a template... problem solved!

 

[ehall]

For the past couple of years I've just been driving this thing and haven't done a whole lot of work on it, so I'm catching up on stuff and having a bit of an adventure in maintenance issues.

Lately its been having a lot of long hard starts, and bogging on hard acceleration sometimes too. Both of these point to a failed check valve in the pump, very common, and a simple test from Autozone loaner gauge proved it--pressure at "normal" of about of 32 PSI at idle, falling to 0 PSI very quickly after shutoff, indicating all of the fuel in the line draining back through to the tank. Another thing, is that even though this pressure is normal for 91-93 (continuation of Renix era), it is kind of low comparitively (94-96 uses 40 base) and supposedly these Ford injectors fire better with higher pressure too. Obvious thing was replace the pump, to fix the drainback, and to try and get pressure up.

Rockauto had the Spectra Premium sender assembly on sale, and since it included the sock and and a new o-ring gasket and everything else, and I've had good experience with Spectra Premium before (even used their sender assembly on my 85 Cadillac and was very pleased with it), I ordered one of those. However the part I got was not very good construction quality. First, the pump had threaded posts with eye terminals instead of the spade connectors, which means I could not swap in a stock pump unless I also had the stock pigtails. But that was not possible either because the Spectra Premium assembly did not have a ground tab on the pickup tube for stock pigtail, and instead ran the ground wire to the plate at the top, too far for the stock pigtail to reach. Plus, the wire colors at the harness were different, so I would not be able to do diagnostics from reference. Any one of these would be no problem but this much varience not acceptable to me.

Looking around, a lot of pumps for 91-93 have these threaded posts (even some of the Bosch pumps), but it is clear that the OEM design is for spade terminals. It looks like people are just taking GM parts and trying to sell them as Jeep parts. The only picture of a pump that I can find that even shows the right terminals is for Delphi pump--cosmic irony Delphi is a GM brand and makes the right Jeep part.

Rather than waste more time, I already had an emergency backup pump from a part-out in one of my bins, so I pulled it out and did some bench work with it. I put a funnel in the elbow and filled it with mineral spirits to check for drainback, and it looked good. Then I filled a drinking glass with mineral spirits and submerged the pump to prime it and clean it--a little barking and gurgling, and then it emptied the glass in a split second. I got it installed, and the gauge showed 37 PSI at idle, so pretty good pressure. However it still showed rapid loss of pressure when the engine was cut off.

Simple test pinching the return showed a slower rate of decrease so the pressure regulator probably leaking a little. I think it is the original FPR, if so 350k miles on it so a little leak is okay LOL. Since I wanted higher pressure for the injectors anyway, I bought a Delphi 50 PSI FPR (interchange #5277829) which should run around 42 or so under vacuum (haven't checked it yet), but that should be close enough margin for the computer to correct from O2 sensor input. It probably runs rich at cold start, but I'm not seeing any problems with anything yet. I want to get an FPR gauge at some point but it is way down on the list.

I also bought a check valve from ebay to test with, and that fixed the problem--$10 and no more hard starts

After all that, no more hard starts and the Jeep runs a lot better, plenty of power and no bogging. Only thing missing is a good backup pump--I ought to buy and install a Delphi and put the current one back in the emergency bag.

 

[ehall]

The other big maintenance item was the air filter. A few years back I put an Airaid filter in the cowl and I hadn't checked it in a while. It went in like this

this is what it looked like last week

The red coloring is from the oil, so clearly that was all gone. The filter media looked alright however, and no obvious sign of material wear. Cleaned the filter and it seemed to be in good shape, a fresh oiling and it would probably be good to go again.

One thing I'd been planning to do from the start was switch to an Amsoil dry filter, so I ordered an Ea AU555. Pretty thing, with metal supports, and an inverted cone snout, so better breathing in the cowl too. And its shorter so it ought to have less interference with the wiper motor arms.

Unfortunately the metal ends prevent it from being deformed, so it wont go in the cowl :eyes: For now, I have it hanging in the engine bay over the blower motor, at least its on the cold side of the engine bay and elevated.

I'm still thinking about options but I will probably fabricate a box like the THOR intake uses, and put it back on the firewall at some point. Frankly I am enjoying it like this for now because its so much quieter. When the filter is in the cowl, all the intake noise gets drawn into the intake next to the driver and you really hear every little chirp and whistle, so having it in the engine on the other side of the jeep has reduced the noise level dramatically. No noticeable difference in performance one way or the other. It is more exposed to water on crossings, however it seems to be pretty well protected from splashes and such--I went through a very large puddle on purpose and the filter stayed dry. Overall this is probably a better actual solution than the cowl intake, better filter in a better place.

ps--I also replaced the cabin air filter while I had the cowl off. The old paper filter was quite dirty and was blocking blower motor flow, so I bought 7-02231 foam filter from NAPA and trimmed to fit.

Cabin heat works better with the higher airflow

 

[ehall]

I need to do some big dollar transmission work on my other car, and a bunch of small stuff that need attention, so I got some adjustable UCAs and moved the D30 forward to clear the front fenders until I can come back around to stiffeners and long-arms. I hope to get back to the big work in the summer.

I wanted to save some coin so shopped around and found ebay vendor Core 4x4 selling adjustable uppers for a very good price. I was surprised how well they are made, good long threaded rod and sleeve, solid welds, adjustable from 15" to 19", rubber bushings, good paint and clearcoat.

Thinking about it for a while, and decided to pack the rear with grease and run them without a jamb nut, so that they would get the full weight on all the threads. Drilled and tapped for a zerk, put it about 1" behind the threaded rod, and filled the entire cavity and threads with red-n-tacky heavy grease. They are very tight and solid, grease does not come out the threads so it is really packed in there. But I will check them the next time I do a lube and see if they are holding up. If grease ever comes out the threads, I'll know they've loosened up.

All four arms were at 15" before so I set them all to 16" to keep the pinion angle close.

Front driveshaft is stretched out an inch further too

No issues with the steering gear and there is still room for more if I want it--only thing close to rubbing is the steering stabilizer on the tie rod, otherwise everything is nicely positioned. I need to adjust the drag link and recenter the steering wheel. Steering feels alright but may need a slight adjustment.

Overall it has improved the ride quality tremendously. I mean huuge improvement in ride quality. I wish I had done this sooner. And I have lot more space between the tires and fenders so I won't have to trim as much metal.

 

[OverlandZJ]

Good to see you back on this project Eric..

Hope you'v been well.

 

[ehall]

Hi John :wave:

 

[ehall]

I also bought a check valve from ebay to test with, and that fixed the problem--$10 and no more hard starts

This thing worked for a day or two then became very sporadic and then stopped working altogether. I got 2 for $10 so I swapped in the other and it repeated the same pattern. Popped it open and its a very weak spring with very flimsy flap, so any kind of pressure was forcing it to dislodge.

Thought about it for a bit and decided to get real, so I bought this brass check valve from McMaster-Carr and added a couple of 3/8 NPT to 3/8 hose adapters. Its way beefier than the cheap ebay junk

I was afraid it might be too much, kind of hard to blow through, but the web site says 1 PSI minimum and it seems to work alright.

It sure does hold pressure well. I can cut the engine and come back an hour later and it will start on the first crank. Does not even need a full revolution.

They don't make cheap chinese crap on ebay like they used to

 

[ehall]

I have a lot of stuff queued up but here is something simple. I was getting a transmission for my Cadillac at a local yard and found out they changed owners. The previous owners wouldn't let anybody on the yard but the new owners were all about it. I didn't have my junkyard list or a lot of spare time but a quick run through I saw a 98 ZJ with a decent interior so I grabbed the armrest for $10. I have seen people on CF talk about this quite a bit so figured I would check it for the low price.

It is way thicker than the late model armrest (twice as thick) and it also has a pull-out drawer for rear cupholders

It doesn't screw into the same place as the late-model XJ armrest. Instead you have to screw it into the plastic about half an inch forward from the existing holes. Then the tang on the latch will catch in the hole.

And there ya go

The only real misfit is that the rear screws for the XJ hinge are visible from the rear when the cupholder is closed. I tried covering it with some foam but it looked even worse. Thinking about some other things but I will probably forget about it--out of sight out of mind

Its also a slightly different shade of grey but I have fifty of those now so I'm past caring.

Putting the armrest higher is a little more comfortable. Three screws instead of two makes it more structurally sound as well, not as much racking and twisting as the XJ armrest.

 

[ehall]

Picked up a 10-blade curved fan from another local yard that opened recently. My old stock e-fan was dragging and had a huge amount of turning resistance, plus it had a broken corner so it flopped around some. The new fan has a lot less turning resistance, but unfortunately it also had a broken tab in the lower corner. $20 for the fan plus some small items so I took it with the idea that I could fix the broken tab.

First thing was cut a little fill piece from the old housing, superglue it in place, and then apply epoxy to the inside as a backing. I did a very similar repair to my dad's John Deere mower hood and it has held up for several years so I expect this will work fine.

A little more trimming on the foot, and then it went right in. Once that was done, I cut and spliced the old electrical connector onto the new wire, and that was all there was to it. One thing to note, the wires are flipped on the motors, but the black wire is still ground for both of them.

I've been looking for a 10-blade fan for a good five years. Small and stupid but pretty glad to be done with it.

 

[MT Mike]

New 10 blade fan for less than $60

Not sure what you paid for your fan at the yard, but I thought this was a good deal.

 

[ehall]

Thanks Mike, I got mine plus some small parts for $20. I don't really trust aftermarket fan motors unless its Bosch (OEM provider) or Four Seasons (really good)