Automan2164

Just filled up the ZJ today. 5800 LB wet with 30's a 4.0L. With my grandpa driving style, liberal use of cruise, and coasting, I have a confirmed mileage of 20.26 MPG for the 414 miles I got out of that tank before filling... 100 miles of that was with trailer. Rob :D

Just noticed this, but I noticed it rolled up at the front of the bed... I bet this also has the factory soft tonneau cover, that had slits and holes to work with the factory rollbar too... Double sheesh. Rob

Holy options Batman. Replace that 2.8 with a 4.0 and you would have one of my dream trucks. The previous owner didn't happen to still have the new owners contact info did he? That might be a truck we all want to keep an eye on V6 or not, that has a pile of desireable options. Would you have bought it? Rob

Well, just got home with my latest purchase... A 1940's Bantam T3-C Jeep trailer: During WWII, Jeep as we know it was started by Bantam when they answered the call for the military's needs for a new light duty offroad vehicle. They produced the very first run for Jeeps throughout the war, and made military spec trailers for them. The trailers were something in themselves. They were smaller, and matched the size of the Jeep but had a few cool attributes. They had blackout lights, parking brakes, cargo straps... One thing is that they were actually rated to haul 500 lbs. But thats not the best part. They could haul 500 lbs, and float while doing it: When the war ended, Bantam ended up selling Jeep to Willys, which most people are familiar with. Not wanting to die off, Bantam continued to make trailers. They made many types of trailers, but the one I ended up with was the civilian version of the military one. The lost the parking brake, the black outs, and the lunette hitch in favor of a 1 7/8" ball. They also added a tailgate (as the waterproof military ones couldn't have for obvious reasons) and sold them to the public. Still heavy-duty rated, and used most of the same parts. They made these up though the '50's, before finally collapsing and shutting their doors. I was completely unaware of these trailers until one came up on craigslist, and I had to go check it out. The owner had bought it to pull behind this: This is his '42 Truck, he built from the ground up. Complete frame off, with many custom parts. He actually took measurements off another truck for the bed, had a sheetmetal shop make the bends, and welded it all together himself. For the floor he used the "trex" style decking they use for patios so it wouldn't rot. The truck isn't just for looks either. He re-geared it with Ford axles, and it will cruise with the best of them. He actively uses it as a living history demonstration, will dress the part, and camps in it for events. We talked for a long time about our hobbies, and I learned a ton about his. I would highly recommend trying to make it out to a few of the events he brings the truck to if your in the IL/WI border area. Great guy. It turned out to be a little small to pull behind his '42 Chevy Army truck, so he ended up selling it. He had thought that it was the military version, I did some research, and we both ended up learning a lot about a 65ish year old trailer. Upon some research, the cues of the Bantam civilian were too hard to miss. The tailgate, the lack of the lunette hitch, the gussets of the side of the box to re-enforce the back because of the open gate, the stake pockets (never offered in the mil spec), and a couple other small things. Definitely a Bantam T3-C. The shorter version of the story is, after some inspection, we agreed on $350, and I was off: It will be a nice little trailer to pull behind the ZJ when the MJ's are down. I like the sides, as my current trailer is just open-rail sided. On top of that, it would make a killer travel trailer to pull behind the MJ on road trips, leave at camp, and go wheeling. I could even try to duplicate the stake sides and bows and toss some canvas on it to get it covered. So many options. Its nice that its not in perfect condition, so I will feel less bad about using it. I am sure the diamond plate that someone welded in was an upgrade for the better. On the way home, I did notice a bent rim in the mirror as I was turning, but it rode pretty good. When I got home I did notice a crack opening up on the frame from rot, but I think that should be pretty easily taken care of with some weld. I can't complain too much with what I paid for it, as I took the cost of repair into the purchase price. Overall, I am happy to own another small piece of Jeep history, and wanted to share! And did I mention the Bantam T3-C has a fan club with a registry!? I am in heaven. :D http://bantamt3c.com/ Rob L. :cheers:

Sorry for your loss. Rob

pull the ring and pinion carrier bearings and all shims from thre donor housing and install in you mj all should fit And what says that the gears will be properly set up? Rob

:hijack: Do you have a build thread for that thing? I have seen your XJ, the KJ, the flipper XJ's/WJ, but I don't recall ever seeing your MJ. /hijack Rob

I thought someone had posted a link to this one in the classifieds, as seen on CL. Rob

I've messed with the one in my '86 when I was too young to know what I was doing. I did a full cluster swap. Between the old and new was some decent miles, so I had the bright idea to just use my fingers to roll the odo to where it should have been. Bad idea. I heard a little snap, and then the odo just free-rolled. Turns out, there are little washers between the odo numbers, and each tab into a small wafer that will break if you try to force the numbers back. Once I got everything apart, I rolled the odo to where it needed to be in my hand, then made up a replacement wafer. I cut up a rectangle of plastic out of a q-tip box, put slits into it for the tabs with an exacto, and installed it. It was years ago, but its not that hard once you get into it. Rob

My god, we've created an MJ monster! The force is strong with this one. Rob :D

Well, 'tis that time of the year for me. Since I work for the public works fleet, this is the time of year that the squad cars rotate out. I am the change master, and take all the old equipment out of the old car, and install it into the new. Everything from headlight/tail light flashers, light bars, radios, cameras, DVR's, gun racks, cages, pre-empt lights, computers, and all the like. It's one big pile of wires... I've been after the Police to put new LED lightbars on the cars and ditch the old rotators for a few years, but they kept crying broke... The bars were rated at 40 amps, but in their old-well worn age were pushing 80 amps. :eek: Well, I got my wish this year, and they are having me replace all the lightbars with brand spanking new LED lo-pros. I've got 8 total, and already installed 3. I likey. They are what I call "I'm going to puke" bright, and run without blowing a 10 amp fuse in full pursuit mode. That's not the warm fuzzy feeling though... This is what I was greeted by when I pulled the first one out of the box: Now that just makes a guy feel good. :USAflag: Rob :cheers:

For $50, if I were that close, I'd have bought it. The tails alone are worth that. Nice score. Rob :cheers:

This is correct. And the valve is reverse threaded; turn clockwise to open, ccw to close. Standard thread on all my stuff mate. I am actually sitting next to the machine in my shop and both fittings to screw the hose ends on the system are righty-tighty, lefty-loosey. :dunno: As for the question about the cans of stuff from the parts store... here is a response I gave someone else: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=30129&p=302368&hilit=refrigerant#p302368 Coming from EPA certified tech. Rob :wrench:

I thought the measurements were funny, but didn't take the time to divide them out... Ah nuts. Rob

Sounds about right. Rob

I am surprised that I have actually seen a whole handful of Orvis edition ZJ's in the yards during my travels. Rob

Said it once, say it again. I love my ZJ. :D At times I wish it was a 5.9L, since its a '98, but at times I am glad its not. With gas prices being what they are, I'm glad I have the 4.0L. My average mixed MPG is about 19.4 right now, with the front drive shaft out, and somewhat sensible driving. Doesn't stop me from pining over a 'niner when I see one for sale though. Rob :drool:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NOS-BLAC ... ccessories Rob :dunno:

More specifically, what is your rear axle? Rob

I don't think anyone wants you to leave per-se. I think you just need to read better into your responses, because after just re-reading that whole axle swap thread, it seems you have selective reading or something. Sure, plenty of guys said that the best option would be to find a D44 if you want bolt in. I didn't read any post that said it was the only option. I saw D35's, 8.25's, AMC 20's, and all sorts of viable options tossed out. And for no one helping? Puh-lease. I read about a few members who trolled some yards for you. Some posted up links for local leads, some just asked around. Tons of help. I have no idea where you thought you weren't getting advice. Most guys were telling you to do the most logical thing, which was to find a dime-a-dozen D35/8.25 out of an XJ and just have someone burn some perches on. It seemed like you were just hung up on the gear swap. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. Just an opinion. Take it as you wish. Rob :dunno:

I hope they are planning on using that as a tree house and not some sort of driving vehicle. Rob :eek:

Save it. MJ's are like potato chips. Can't just stop with one. Its taken every bit of my inner strength to not buy one locally, but since I don't have the room, my mind is made up for me. Rob

That grille guard looks a lot better than I thought it would... Almost stock-like and simple. Rob :cheers:

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Rob