Black Betty

[TORX]

The battery that came with the Jeep was definitely on it's last leg. It was an old Les Schwab battery that appeared to be growing cauliflower. I bit the bullet, and picked up a replacement Interstate battery for it. It definitely cranks strong every time now. A good set of cables and terminals are also on the to-do list.

After a little bit of maintenance I feel like she's a solid runner now.

 

[bmikes]

Thanks for the write up Dustin, that was really explanatory . The rear main seal is something I've never really knew what it was, or how to go about fixing the leak people always say it has. But after that I don't think id be afraid to tackle it. My moms jeep needs the seals re done baddddd. I think I might try it, at least the valve cover and oil pan.

Looks like you got a great start to black Betty!!

 

[NW-ZJ-SCOTT]

Thanks for the write up Dustin, that was really explanatory . The rear main seal is something I've never really knew what it was, or how to go about fixing the leak people always say it has. But after that I don't think id be afraid to tackle it. My moms jeep needs the seals re done baddddd. I think I might try it, at least the valve cover and oil pan.

Looks like you got a great start to black Betty!!

oil pan gasket and rear seal go hand in hand... IMO do both together.. regardless if ones not really leaking but the other one is:roll:

 

[flash2pablo]

Thanks for the detailed write up Dustin. I am in the same boat as Bmikes.
Previously, I did not know exactly what people were talking about regarding the rear main seal, since I have never pulled the oil pan off.
From your write up, I feel somewhat confident in my ability to get the job done (if i can get the oil pan off).
Black Betty is looking good!

 

[dohc91gli]

Good write up man! :thumbup: With say, a 4.5-6" lift, does the front axle really even come into play? Strictly curious. I know for a stock height rig it's a bear to do, but at what height is it a non issue?

 

[NW-ZJ-SCOTT]

Good write up man! :thumbup: With say, a 4.5-6" lift, does the front axle really even come into play? Strictly curious. I know for a stock height rig it's a bear to do, but at what height is it a non issue?

3-4" Lift Really changes things..

 

[streetpirate]

someday soon I should bring a case of beer over and give the Sex Palace the same treatment. Gravel driveways really kill any motivation to crawl around under a rig

 

[Red91Laredo]

I need to replace my RMS too. It's leaked since I got this XJ, but in the last couple months it's gone from leaving the occasional quarter size drop to leaving a 2" puddle pretty consistently. I haven't been very motivated to work under the Jeep on cold damp concrete but I know I should just do it now that it's starting to make a nice mess of my driveway...

 

[kndrewa]

I like your idea to keep it mild and clean.

 

[TORX]

Well Betty served as my daily driver for the past few years. I put a little over 30,000 miles on her. The motor developed a knock shortly after buying the Jeep, which was disappointing. However, it's been knocking now for 30K, and hasn't really gotten worse. :dunno: Gotta love the 4.0L. I picked up a motor from SpecFab to swap in, but quickly lost interest in that project. Instead I just kept driving her refusing to turn wrenches unless absolutely necessary. For example when the water pump explodes on your way home from work because you tried to ignore that new noise for too long, and you are forced to limp it to the nearest parking lot, which happens to be a High School.

Nail Salon to the rescue.

When my annual pilgrimage to KOH was fast approaching I needed a reliable ride down there. Rather than deal with the TLC Betty needed, I impulsively picked up a 01' 4.0L WJ. The WJ was plush, the WJ was quiet, and I really enjoyed it. However, I became bored with that too as it was too mom-ish for me. I drive a company work van during the week, so I really only need a personal vehicle to scoot around on the weekends. So the WJ got sold, and Betty was pulled from the weeds this past weekend, and put back on daily driver status.

I started by washing off the accumulation of 10 months of organic matter that clung to the paint. Noticed the door trim had seen better days, so I ditched that, and used a sticker eraser to remove the adhesive.

Never liked the purple Sport decal.

The rear brakes were shot, and would lock up under moderate braking. I picked up some new brake shoes, and adjusting kit. I mic'd the drums and they were still within spec. New hardware installed.

A stock XJ is like a rocket ship when you're used to driving an under-powered mommy-mobile WJ or anemic obese XJ. Put some miles on the stocker this weekend, and I'm pretty happy to be back in the XJ platform again.

The Jeep needs tires and shocks. For the time being I'm thinking a ~2" budget boost, some new shocks, and some 31's are in order. Maybe a mild bro-bar as well...

When I Atlas the Nail Salon, then I might toss the 231 in Betty and slap my old 30/8.8 in her, but until then she's going to remain a mild daily driver as I just may decide to sell her at any given moment.

Stay tuned!

 

[TORX]

Have a simple budget boost in the works for Betty. Goal is to be around 2-3" of lift to fit some 31's.

My plan is to reuse my old 3" BDS leaf packs from the Nail Salon that have been collecting dust. They're pretty broken in, so I removed the overload leaf from the pack and was hoping I'd net 2-3" from them with a stock shackle.

Well, I finally got around to installing them today, and it seems like they're netting me ~4". She's sitting a bit too tall, so now I'm stumped. Should I take a few leafs out, maybe the bottom two, and try a four leaf pack, or try the main leaf on my stock packs?

Today was nothing but issues, four snapped upper shock bolts, and one seized leaf spring bolt to it's bushing. Betty was being a b!tch.

 

[flash2pablo]

I think i am getting about 3" out of my rear leafs and i need to get another inch or so in order to even things out. Long shot if it would work for both of us but If you wanted to check and see, we might be able to do a swap.

 

[TORX]

I think i am getting about 3" out of my rear leafs and i need to get another inch or so in order to even things out. Long shot if it would work for both of us but If you wanted to check and see, we might be able to do a swap.

I'll keep it in mind, thanks. I might wait until I tackle the front before I start adjusting things to get a better idea of what needs to happen in the rear.

 

[TORX]

Added a simple budget boost for the front, 2" spacer and some new shocks.

Re-visited the rear suspension as it was sitting a bit tall. After a couple different leaf pack combo's. I found the top two BDS leafs combined with the bottom three from the stock pack leveled the Jeep out nicely with the newly boosted front end.

While pulling the stock leaf pack I had the front bushing seize to the bolt. Had to chop the head off, hole saw around the sleeve, weld a nut to the bolt, and then remove the sleeve and bolt together.

My recovery.

I also managed to snap off all the upper rear shock bolts. I heated the broken off bolts and nut-certs in the crossmember up with a touch, and was able to knock them out with a couple BFH taps. Fish new hardware through the factory holes, and that problem was solved. Easy fix, but a hassle none-the-less.

Ordered a set of 31x10.50 Treadwright All Terrain's. I picked them up during a X-Mas sale, the price was right so I thought I'd give them a shot.

Had the local Mexican tire shop mount them up as the larger tire shops wouldn't touch them because I was told "they'll never fit" and "they're not a factory size option".

The Jeep rode like a bulldozer after, found Juan-Pablo put a bit too much air in the tires. Took out about 20 pounds, and it's riding quite nice with the new tires and shocks.

I'm digging the stance, tires clear with just a bit of rubbing on the driver side bumper end cap on a hard turn. Easy fix.

You might also notice I picked up some 9" LED's for the front. I'm not a fan of LED light bars simply due to popularity, so I wanted something different. I liked the look of ARB 9" Intensity's but at $800 they weren't worth it for Betty. Their Chinese knock-off cousins at 1/8th the price were though.

That's about it for Ugly Betty at this point.

 

[Johnnie Walker]

Looks good, Dustin.

 

[Greenz]

Black Betty looks great. Have you had a chance to fire up those leds?

 

[TORX]

Black Betty looks great. Have you had a chance to fire up those leds?

I have, they've been wired in for a few weeks now. I'm actually really happy with them for the price. Really good quality construction of the housings, and the brackets are stainless TIG welded. The reflector is a flood beam output, which projects a retarded amount of light in front of the Jeep. Perfect for country back road driving, which is what I bought them for. I miss my old Light Force's which projected 1/2 mile, but these make up for the lack of distance with the wide spectrum and mass lumen output.

I need to do a comparison between these and the Nail Salon's 20" Olympus BroBar. I think these would be the superior setup. I just have to figure out how to flush mount them into its grill and not look goofy.

 

[paddlernate]

Superior, except for the the radiator blockage. Nice job though, looks like a great mild wheeler, and the chicks will think you're a real badass. Double win.

 

[R.DesJardin]

................ I just have to figure out how to flush mount them into its grill and not look goofy.

I have a saw.