Backdraft

don't feel alone. I just had the wifes transmission rebuilt last week. A 4L60E in an 05 Trailblazer. This will mark the 4th time its had the tranny rebuilt/replaced. I hate those weak problematic pieces of junk. The first time it went out was under warranty. Not sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. And the best part, this last time it ran for 2 days before the check engine light came back on.

I think it could be made to work, sure. but with the newer dash, I would also use the aluminum subframe for the steering wheel mounts as well as the HVAC box for ease of use. The reason for the heater box as far as I can remember would be because the vents will line up properly from the box to the dash. With the wiring, you should only have to power up the individual systems. HVAC controls, Radio, accesory switches, etc. May have to give up cruise control as well as I believe its integrated into the ECU. Obviousy you'd need aftermarket gauges as the 2nd gen dash uses a bus system to communicate data to them. But honestly, by that point, why not go full out and stab the later engine/tranny/wire harness in. The dash is the hardest part. Everything else is more or less plug and play.

Fixed it for ya Jim :thumbsup:

Sorry to bring a raincloud friend, but the dash doesnt bolt in in any way. There are 8 mounting points, 6 on top and 2 underneath that will need to be added/drilled/modified in some way. Once thats done, the firewall needs holes cut, holes welded up, and holes relocated. And to make matters worse, nothing electrical wise will work with your truck without extensive modification. The dash gauges won't work at all with your truck. Edit: you replied before I posted. Good choice :thumbsup:

When I did mine, the windows and locks worked just fine. Did they work ok on the donor before you pulled everything? Are the plugs seated in the sockets good? No expierence myself, but ive heard the switch assemblies in the doors on 97+s can be problematic. Do you have a known working switch you can swap out to check? To answer your question about the rear door wiring, no. You do not need to do anything to the rear wiring to make the fronts work. This of course is assuming you still have the cross body harness intact.

I stopped counting somewhere around there too. Right now, I have about as much as Ryan in mine. And what kills me is I havent painted it! Granted, a certain percentage of that was tools I needed to get the job done right. However, all in all, I'm happy I spent it. Truck looks good, performs great, and I love it! Brett, you're well on your way. You've got a great starting point, and a good drive to make all the little things work right to boot. All you need is time and theres plenty of that.

There is a little plastic clip that holds the rod to the cylinder assembly. you have to pop it up and away from the rod, then the rod will slide out of the hole in the cylinders lever. this site shows the clip I'm talking about: http://www.auto-keys-locks.com/381091-Chrysler-Rod-Clip-Retainer/dp/B0089KMAEC?traffic_src=FIND&utm_medium=CSE&utm_source=FIND&affId=the005-20

Well, we got the D30 out of the XJ and into the MJ and the 2wd beam from the MJ under the XJ so we could move it out to the scrap yard soon. Also got the 8.25 out of the XJ and have it sitting on stands ready to cut off the perches and shock mounts. Have new perches ready to be welded on. It should be done and under the truck tomorrow. After that, I may take the last couple days of vacation to relax before going back to work.

We get 3 or 4 cold days in the south!

I voted about an hour ago. Now I'm wrenching on a Jeep. I love America!

Not much for updates as the going has been slow the last few days. My luck has seemed to disintegrate. Pulled the motor/tranny/tcase from the XJ donor. I have a feeling the XJ is possesed. It has put up a heck of a fight giving up all of its goodies. We spent around 3.5 hours before getting the driveline out. Everything that could possibly hold up removal happened. Then once we got it free, we pushed the XJ shell back out from under the suspended motor. Engine was roughly 6 feet in the air and once the XJ was clear, the front chain slipped off the chain hoist hook and the engine tumbled foward. the rear chain held it, but the front landed perfectly against the floor while the tcase was pointed straight up in the air. Fortunately all it did was break the power steering pump reservoir, the transmission dipstick tube, and stretch and break some wires. It shouldnt hurt too bad to replace those. After letting the engine down to the floor safely, we decided to give up for the day. Replaced a leaking water heater yesterday so no work on the MJ. This morning while unloading said leaking water heater from the back of my truck, I dropped it on my left foot and crushed two toes. Now my big toe is nice and swollen. Not too sure if I broke it. I blame the XJ. Today I rolled the MJ back into the shop to slide the driveline into it. I fought it for another 3 hours or so and finally got one motor mount lined up and the bolt through. The drivers side motor mount didnt want to line up for no one. After scratching my head for a while I pulled a tape measure out and measured the distance from each motor mount to the front crossmember. Yup, the motor mounts between a 4cyl and a 6cyl are completely different. I knew that. But as luck would have it, that little fact sipped my little mind. All I wanted to do really was set the drivetrain into place to measure the height of the truck before I changed front springs and swapped the D30 under it, so no big deal. Anyway, I pulled the drivetrain back out and set the XJ and MJ side by side and swapped the motor mounts before I forgot again. Tomorrow I should have the D30 swapped in and hopefully have the 8.25 pulled and new spring perches welded on and under the truck. Maybe. Hopefully. I'm holding my breath anyway.

That little yellow box is the cruise control computer. Your ECM, or engine computer, is silver (aluminum) and sits upright under the dash to the right of the steering column. At least they are on 87 to 90 Renix models.

Subscribing. I havent been to Moab since the N fall fling in 04. Next year would be a good time to go back. I'm flexible on dates as well, but I'm not interested in burning to a crisp!!!!

Jealous. I'd love to hunt in Montana. Never been in that area. Closest I've been is Spokane. Beautiful country up there.

Ive used the 3m 77 adhesive on the headliner in my XJ. That was before I knew 3m made some specifically for headliners. Anyway, it looked like a professional job and lasted 5 summers and winters in Texas before I sold it.

The Tikas are nice for sure. This year I'm rocking a Browning .270 with a Nikon Monarch 6x24 50mm scope. Going to the lease Monday to hunt and hopefully make it earn its keep. Next year I'd like something in the 7 Mag flavor.

Concerning the AC, If you have the lines unhooked and open to the atmosphere for an extended period of time, a new reciever/dryer may be in order. It is filled with a dessicant material and is very moisture sensitive. For that temp switch. Its not OEM. Check the drivers side tank of your radiator. Just above the radiator hose, there should be a bung about an inch and a half to two inch diameter with a plug screwed into it. The plug has two wires coming off of it. That is a temp switch. If its not there, or no bung is present, it is probably a replacement radiator and that fitting with the boss is most likely an improvisation to put a temp switch back in service.

Nice, what is it sitting on top of?

The entire HVAC box will need to be pulled to get at the heater core. You are correct in the location of the mounting bolts. There are five of them. One near the passenger side inner fender. Two almost directly underneath the heater and ac lines going into the box from the engine bay (these two wil be one on top of the other with about a 6 to 8 inch gap in between them). And two more one above the other almost directly behind the engine its self. They will be just to the passenger side off center from behind the head/block. These will all be nuts that you remove ( 10mm IIRC). The studs are formed into the HVAC box its self. You will also have to remove the heater hoses from the heater core as well as the AC lines from the evaporator if applicable. There are also a vacuum line or two that needs to come loose. Should be right by the heater hose connections. After that, it pulls straight out from the inside of the cab. Once its out, theres about a hundred little screws that hold the top and bottom halfs of the HVAC box together. Remove them, pop the top half off and you should be able to access the heater core for replacement. Assembly is simply in reverse order. Sorry, didnt have any pictures, but maybe i droned on with enough details to paint a picture. Good luck

We found a small amount of cancer that needed to be replaced... Enjoy more of the butt ugly welds

Nice toes! :rotfl2:

Not trying to take anything away from Jim, but if you need the door lock linkage/rod stuff, I have some spares I can part with. I'll be driving through DFW Monday on the way to Wichita Falls. I can meet you somewhere in the area and drop them to you if you want. :thumbsup:

Way to go Nick! Your truck has always been easily one of my favorites. Well deserved for a great member and a truck that refuses to go down without a fight. Enjoy it. Also looking foward to the possibility of wheeling Moab next year.

I agree with using neither for hunting. If deer is my game, I would grab a Remington .270. A rifle better suited for the task. Combine it with a decent scope and youre good out to a few hundred yards. Also, I'm not sure what the Mosin or the SKS costs, but Academy sports has the remington .270 for under $400. Either way, its your decision and happy hunting. Personally, I'm leaving monday for the hunting lease with a Browning .270 and a Nikon Monarch 6x24 50mm scope, shooting Barnes 130 grain ammo.

Making more progress today... Yeah, I know I have butt looking welds. Still have another day or so before the metal work is finished, but the majority of it is done.