Automan2164

Ordered the Spectra premium single core from Rock Auto like I should have to begin with. $89 shipped to my door. I bet that one will be the right one. Rob

Just got off the phone earlier with Rock Auto, which told me they can only offer a refund at this point, since something is clearly not right with Omix. I then called Omix, who told me that they couldn't help me and that I had to go through Rock Auto. After repeatedly explaining that the problem wasn't with Rock Auto, she told me that there was nothing she could do. Looks like Omix can have their money back. I'm done with that. Rob

I don't care what kind of neighborhood you are in, somebody wildly firing a gun into a vehicle in a populated area is a HUGE deal. God forbid if there would have been someone rather than something staring at the end of the barrel. I'd call the cops, and make a stink... That's a huge deal. Rob

It's torn and boogered up pretty good. I already have a good run on the spot welds, just a matter of getting back down to it today. We grabbed that silver one... It's not going to take too much effort to just get that sucker buzzed on. Be a lot cleaner that banging the crap out of the existing one, and it will still look like turd from the inside. Rob

Captains log... Update. Other than this problem: http://comancheclub.com/topic/42982-stay-away-from-omix-ada/ Had a good day today. Awhile back, I had seen an ad on CL for a '98 Cherokee Limited for cheap. It was originally from Montana, had higher miles and a rod knock, no rust, and no title. He wanted $1200 for it whole. I was excited because I thought it was black with the same pinstripe mine had... Only to find out that it was actually green. (My eyes, black/green, and a computer don't jive) I sent him a text asking if he wanted to sell me the front clip. He said he was really only trying to get rid of it whole. I asked for the backstory, and he filled me in. Lady had it towed into his shop not running. He put some oil in it and fired it up. Had a rod knock to beat the band. They called her and told her it needed a motor, and she just left it to them. He bought it from the shop for scrap value, and asked the owner for the title. Turns out, she had bought it from a 'Buy here, Pay here' place, and hadn't received the title after paying for it. The dealer had closed down, and there was no way to track them down. He said she seemed over it, and laughed about how long it took for her to finally bring the keys in for it. He had plans to turn it into a wheeler but couldn't bring himself to cut it up. I just wished him good luck with the sale, and to keep my number if he changed his mind. Yesterday was the day he changed his mind. I went over and picked over it today. It was almost a shame... Ended up getting the front clip, a good matching full sized spare that had only touched the ground a couple times to replace my compact spare, and some tweeter grilles. The front clip is surprisingly rust free... But shows it's miles... Rock chips, scratches... Has the trademark 'checking' that the dark colors do on some of these. Hopefully not a big deal with having to repaint it. Even the flare studs look clean. No rust other than were a chip or scratch is, but even at that, just surface/flash rust. Also took some time to start dismantling mine. That's where I left off for the night. I started drilling all the spot welds, but wanted to wrap up and get things put away before it got too dark, as well as finish up some chores. More updates to come as I get them. Rob :cheers:

Just wanted to share my recent experience with Omix-ADA. As most of you know, the XJ was wrecked and I have been picking up parts to fix it. One of the parts I wanted after asking here, was the 2 core radiator. Since I already like Rock auto, and had an order going, I decided I would do the Omix-ADA 17101.19 Dual core radiator... It is direct shipped from Omix-ADA in GA. Earlier in the week, it came in. I was excited until I opened the box... And found a single core radiator in it's own box... 17101.21 I contacted Rock Auto to tell them, and they instantly sent me a return slip. I asked if they could get the other one coming right away, but they said they had to wait for FedEx to pick up the one I had. He also said he was going to add a note to the file telling Omix to double check the box before sending it out. Pain in the butt, but whatever, mistakes happen. Today I was out picking up a front clip when the GF said the box came in. I ended up wrenching until late, then came in and decided to open it up and check out my new 2 core radiator... This is where I get pissed. Upon opening the box, I found a radiator strapped up to a spacer. No part number or internal box like before, just shipping materials. I took a closer look... Only one row of cores... Then I noticed a double decal on the box, and decided to pull the top decal back... And here's where I reeeeaaalllly get pissed... This time they didn't even bother reboxing one... They just decaled over the decal... I am so fed up with this... Share this with all of your forum friends... Omix has yet to respond to my complaint, and this is just ridiculous. I understand mistakes happen, but this is uncalled for. Rob

I'm glad they didn't......... makes our trucks that much more unique. And don't you enjoy the hunt just a little? I giggle like a school girl whenever I find an MJ tail light....... :D I wish I would just giggle... Rather than buying them all. My name is Rob, and I have a problem. Rob :peek:

Congrats Jim. Where do we show up for the after party? Rob

Wow. Just wow. I was expecting a super price tag... I would happily pay $5000 for that if it was nearby and I needed a Jeep. Rob

Looks like someone had them made... They aren't quite correct. Rob

Thought of that also. The Farmer is sitting there down to bare unit body so that was going to be my fall back.

I didn't even think of that. I have the '97 FSM's in hardcopy... I wonder how detailed they get... Hmm. Going to have to check that out. Thanks Fellas! Rob

Does anyone have access to measurements for the inner supports, frame rails, or any of that kind of stuff they would be willing to share with me? I have to reweld in the inner fender of the XJ, and kinda wanted to make sure it is put back in the correct place. Thanks in advance, Rob

Some great ideas for your own adventure trailer if nothing else. I like all the little ideas and additions... Like the spare tire cover grill top. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=a84_1398563985 <iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.liveleak.com/ll_embed?f=6b967bbd42aa" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Rob

I was impressed with an 8" bazooka tube in the MJ cab. I had one back in high school and it added just the right depth without going overkill. Rob

I can't even believe you are asking about the paint... You know it has to be the Archer colors. Rob

I had a long typed out reply ready, but I lost it when tapatalk couldn't connect with comanche club... Short and sweet version: Those are the 2 kits I picked up for my truck. One I installed, one I am keeping around for obvious reasons. I contacted my local Carquest guy, who talked to the Gates guy. Gates guy found them on a shelf in Belgium. I am sure with the two part numbers I posted, you will do a bit better than starting from scratch like I did. One has the idler, one doesn't. I would buy that thing if you have the money and the place to put it. It would be worth it for the body alone. Put the truck into a corner and pluck away with the motor as time allows. As long as you still have the original headgasket or a matching replacement, you are in decent shape. The headgasket comes in 3 different thicknesses to set head height. Without the gasket, I think there is some math involved. Buy it if you can. That's a rare bird, don't let it fly away. Rob

Buy it and fix it if you can get it cheap enough. Parts are more difficult to find, but not unobtainium. You have enough people around here that know about them also. I have a good understanding, opsled and JeepcoMJ know more than myself. Rob

Sounds like the 2 row is justified enough. I have an aux cooler from a police equipped XJ I plan on adding while I have everything apart. Thanks fellas. Rob :cheers:

It's not that I am nervous about the spectra... I have gotten them before and they are great. I was just more or less trying to justify the extra cost. <br /><br />Rob

Time to start ordering parts for the wrecked '97 XJ. The radiator is one of the items on the list, and the current one is the single core with plastic tank ends. I'm coming here because the Spectra single core replacement is only $81.79 from Rockauto.com. The double core Omix-ADA they offer is $169.79... I come here to ask... Is it worth the extra? Seems opinions are everywhere out there as to the efficiency of the single large cores or the smaller double rowed cores... Could go either way depending on what forum you pull up. Since the opinions here are the only ones that really matter to me, can anyone convince me to spend the extra dough for a double core? Rob

Says right on the sticker 205 series BSW tire... Rob

We didn't have a cordless sawzall that we could use. I approached some people at the yard and offered money to have them cut it for me, but no dice. I think this is going to prompt me to buy a nice set though. Probably start an opinion thread once I have some more time. Rob

Aaaannnnddd we're back. I moved the thread to our slush pot while I was talking property damage number with the insurance companies. State Farm came back Friday with their numbers, and they were pretty close. Actual value was something like $3750, but a couple of my upgrades were taken into account, and then State Farm also adds tax, title, license, and doc fees as if you were going to buy new. Their number before buy back was $4650. Buy back from SF was only $300, so they ended up at $4350, about 150 more than Progressive. Now with all this taken into account, if I were to go with SF, I would have to pay my $100 deductible until they collected from Progressive. With all the info in hand, I called Progressive back, and played the game. I told her SF came out higher, but didn't say by how much. Also explained they included all the fees. She said they will reimburse me within 30 days if I changed my mind and decided to buy something. I told her I wouldn't and that for sake of ease, I'd rather keep the property claim and the medical stuff with one company. She was pretty firm, but I tossed her out a proposition. $4500 even, clean title, and we could call it a deal. After a few minutes on hold, she made it happen. Cut me a $300 for the tow bill, and a $4500 check for the Jeep. Fair enough. Now that I have that coming it was time to get down and dirty. Pat really wanted to help me get this back on the road so he volunteered his time to come down to run a few yards with me and parts search. He ended up running around during the week up by him and found a few black XJ's in OK shape, but some had hail damage, some had dents/rust... I am still holding out for cleaner stuff. We loaded up in the diesel and hit up the local LKQ. As soon as we crested the hill to the place, I could tell it was a half off day. Local radio station was there, lot was packed, and people everywhere. We strolled for a bit, then settled on an XJ that whowey and I had picked over before. The hood, header panel, and left fender were gone/no good, but the right fender was saveable, and it had a smattering of parts that I may need exposed for easy picking. Ended up getting all of this: Pass fender in decent shape, one little bend, but not horrid Headlight surround Grille insert Both fender support brackets E-Fan Mech fan/clutch Mech fan bracket/bearing Cruise control assy Hood hinges Upper radiator support Battery tray Both front flares R/H inner fender lliner Got all that and walked out for around $100. We wrapped up, and tried to hit a couple other yards, but none were open. I wanted to pick up a hammer/dolly set from Harbor Freight along with some other stuff, so we b-lined it there. While heading there, I kept thinking about that inner fender support. We had pretty much stripped it bare, so it was also easy picking. We walked around HF for a bit, filled a cart, and ended up picking up a couple of spot weld drill bits. We figured we could just head back and grab that corner. We were still near the JY, Pat had a charged drill, and we were good to go. Bad part was, was the 1/4 chuck on Pat's drill wouldn't take the spot weld drill. I really wanted that clean metal off the XJ, this thing was mint. I made the executive decision to drive an hour home, pick up my drill, and then hop into my rental and jet back before they closed. I called the GF enroute to get the batteries on the chargers. We swooped in and picked everything up, as well as grabbed a 1/4 socket adapter and a socket for Pat's drill. I brought some lube to keep the bits cool, and we went to work. I expected the HF drill bits to burn up 2 holes in. We would get them started, hit them with some penetrant to keep them cool, and then drill away. Neither of us ever had to flip the cutting head. I would recommend them. 20 minutes later, we had this: That cost me about $20. We grabbed the hood latches just in case also. It was only after all of this that we realized we had the correct sockets to work with Pat's drill and not have made the 2 hour round trip to my house. So that's where I stand for that. Just collecting parts yet. I have a cart load of stuff waiting on Rock auto, but I just want to see the damage first after taking off some panels. I talked to the body shop, and I have planned to go out to their yard this afternoon to start pulling panels and get a battery back into it so it can lot run and drive while they move it around. More pics to come this afternoon. Rob