87Warrior

After making several calls to equipment rental stores and doing a lot of reading online, I picked up the 20lb pressurized abrasive blaster from the dreaded Harbor Freight. I also stopped by Tractor Supply and got 2 bags of their Black Diamond media. Have a respirator, hood, goggles, and gloves. Need to get some ear plugs. Harbor Freight Blaster Black Diamond Abrasive I will be using this set up to clean the frame and chassis of the Manche. I am not sure if one of our compressors can run the thing at full power. I am thinking about running 2 compressors to a manifold on the blaster, each regulated to 90psi. If I am understanding the air dynamics correctly this should just provide more volume, not pressure. Is that right? I may get a filter for the blaster as well, to keep moisture out of the pot. Not sure if that is necessary because it is stone cold outside with very low humidity.

Following the rebuild in my Rubicon, she burned 3/4 of a quart in the first 500 "break-in" miles. 90K miles later ans it doesn't burn/leak a thing.

Poor dog will be blind in no time :(

Ya know, I have never had this issue with a Jeep. Rigs from 12K miles to 200K miles, the lug nuts always come right off with the proper sized impact socket and 1/2" drive ratchet. If you are noticing excessive corrosion on the stud or lug nut a dab of low strength lock-tite or anti-seize should stop that from happening. Remember, torque to 85-100 ftlbs. I would also imagine the cheapo replacement lug nuts will will round their corners making it difficult to remove. Make sure you are using the right sized tool to remove the lug nuts, because if they have been replaced, there is no guarantee they are the same size (my truck had 3 different sized lug nuts on it when I bought it).

I like where you are going with this rig. Should be right at home with your other Jeeps :brows:

Wow. This is quite the build. Well documented too. Truck looks great

Those floors are a thing of beauty! :yes:

I grew up using my fathers AC-Delco floor jack, he still uses it. It is a solid unit and real heavy, yet it operates very smoothly. It does sit a little high to use under most fwd cars.

I doubt it, but that would be cool. I want to see some side shots and construction shots. I have seriously been considering buying this bumper (help out their pre-sale) to protect my PREFECT bed. Makes me nervous that the will be protected by a Fey.

I do like the attitude of that Italian :D I bet a Jeep Truck comes to be, probably loosely based on the JK platform. I hope they come up with something that the wheeling community can embrace for the sake of the "Jeep" name. I won't be in line to buy their truck, because I am building my own... unless it hits showroom floors in 5 years and can pull my TJ. This is exactly what I hope they DO NOT build. I can't see it being more desired by consumers than the 4 door. Plus, it would not be a truck. There are a few guys at Chrysler who still care. Here is a good read about how the Rubicon package came to be. Just a group of true Jeepers proving the usefulness of hardcore equipment to the executives, which is kind of disappointing in itself. http://www.jpmagazine.com/featuredvehic ... index.html

:rotfl2: I get to take everything apart again to get it blasted/painted... which will take about 6 months (my body shop guy is slower than a snail, but does phenomenal work). I'll wager that you will be driving your truck as I am setting the drivetrain in place :rotf:

good score on the parts! I am really looking forward to hearing your impression of the fuel tank, then ring set up; as I will follow suite.

EBC Yellowstuff. I put them on my TJ a few years back. After getting the Yellowstuff pads bedded into the replacement rotors I noticed much better braking. They won't lock a 35 up on pavement but did provide a much more responsive peddle.

My donor XJ does not have ABS :clapping:

January 10 Minor interior update I finally got the Steering Column/Brake pedal brace finally bolted through the A pillar cab side, less the upper right bolt. The back side of the mounting hole is in an open space between panels on the back side. Will get a stud welded in place for the missing mount. In addition the MJ parking brake mechanism is mounted and moved freely in conjunction with the aluminum brace: Here is a reference picture for anybody pondering this swap: The green locations are the mounting holes for the '97+ steering column/brake pedal brace. I gained access to the lower right hole via the hole were the door wires go through, utilizing a wire to hold the bolt and prevent it from falling. This bolt will be welded on the inside to prevent it from turning and falling between the cab body panels. The upper left is the mount I have not yet finished. The cowl seam comes down and prevents access as it sits. Hopefully a stud and be welded on the inside of the cab to support. The yellow locations are the factory MJ parking brake mounts The two mounts on the right are still being used while the third on the left has been relocated. I used a button head bolt through the relocated parking brake bracket to clear the locking mechanism, secured with a nut against the bracket, then through the lower left (green) XJ aluminum bracket and hole. You can see the 2nd nut on the button head bolt shared with the aluminum brace to hold the unit in place. Another reference shot from the inside firewall. You can cearly see the factory MJ dash with a paper template of the XJ dash indicating how different the steering shaft holes are. Fusebox is also mounted on the passenger a pillar/kick panel.

:yes: Couldn't agree more. That is why I am building my dream Jeep (less the V8 power and 33's... for now) :banana:

I don't think there is any minimum or maximum number of Jeeps a person needs to own in order to have the Jeepin Problem.

I have not been aggressively searching so I still need them :yes: If you could throw up a few pictures that would be great. Also PM me your contact information. I should be able to send payment following the weekend. Thanks Brent! Brett

I too have ordered a few parts from there in which they showed up quickly. But they were parts exactly as advertised on their site. Cool beans. But I certainly won't pay an extra $40 to order an identical product through MO that can I get from the manufacturer.

:banana: yeee-haaaw Did your chain locations do any damage to the oil pan? I like being able to pull with all accessories still mounted to the front. I could not figure out how to do that when pulling the MJ's 4.0.

I see no reason you couldn't use a hitch with it as well. I agree. The bumper/receiver is probably stronger than any bolt on hitch for our trucks. There are very few bumper mounted receiver hitches sold that are specifically tow-rated for Jeeps. Liability reason I suppose. Just make sure to get safety chain hooks welded on.

Hitch is probably not tow rated, notice: no safety chain hook ups, even though it could probably pull more than our trucks can. The pin hole is probably accessed under the bumper. All of Hanson's bumpers seem over priced to me. But having seen 1/2 a dozen first hand, the build quality is excellent. If that was on my truck I would probably mount the plate on the drivers side of the bumper and bend it to match the bumper contours.

Thanks for the heads up on the MO floor pan. My truck is headed to the body shop within the month and I had contemplated buying the pans through MO, but if they are the same as C2C :thwak:

Best looking aftermarket I have seen for the MJ rear end. If I needed a rear bumper, I would defiantly put this one at the top of the list. I would like to see their frame brackets as well.

Hype, gimicks, and sob story is how I now feel about that show. They built a home for somebody in a small town outside of my hometown. The town was about 75% destroyed by a tornado. Their first mistake was selecting somebody's home who was not a native/local. We all know how tight knit small Midwestern towns are. Granted they did select a soldier's family who did need a home, but it was the wrong place at he wrong time. The family was pissed they did not get an in ground pool so Extreme Makeover bought them a truck. My grandfather tried to help build the home, he has been in construction for 55+ years. The help they wanted was generally unskilled so that you would not question the construction techniques. How can a foundation properly cure overnight? There was also TV equipment screwed into every wall and ceiling. Ty was there for a few hours on day 1 and a few hours on day 7. He did nothing besides yell in the damn mehaphone. His room was no secret either. Extreme makeover also painted and spruced up parts of the neighborhood that their cameras would catch. They also poured a sidewalk in the city park. The 'move that bus' was a joke to. The family actually rolled up in a car a few blocks down the road and got in the bus. Before that there was 2 hours of fake arrivals while the film crew captured the scene. When the family showed up it was rather lame. 1 year after the family moved in, the house was up for sale. Naturally we toured it. Not 1 door operated properly and several walls were cracked around door/window frames. All of the concrete was cracking and the floors creaked. The big kicker was their donation philosophy. The local hardware store donated all lumber and event tents but did not get one word of recognition. Sears stole the glory. The ABC crew also melted 1 of the huge event tents and refused to pay damages since its used was donated. There is a reason this show never returns to the same location...