Rymanrph

The big problem seemed to be the gap between the heater box and the firewall. I suppose since this isn't the original box that the fit wasn't perfect. Here is the gap that I filled with silicone: I also had to pull up a good bit of the material I put down for heat and sound insulation. There was some water and surface rust that I had to remove. You can see in this picture where some of the carpet backing (and some of the carpet itself) is still stuck to the floor. I installed brand new door seals as well. Those are very tight. I really have to slam the door to get it shut properly now.

I'm looking at this cat right now: https://www.summitracing.com/parts/mpe-94006 It doesn't have an O2 sensor bung, but I figure the exhaust shop can add one when they weld it in. That's what was done to my current cat when I did the '97 conversion. I also found both O2 sensors for about $65 shipped which seems pretty decent.

I found last night that the antenna cable grommet had come out, so I'm sure that wasn't helping. I ordered a new cowl seal that should be here this week. How does anyone address the cowl drain on the passenger side? It's completely covered up.

Since I have the 97 conversion, if I delete the cat, won't it throw a code? I know it's petty, but I really don't want a CEL on the dash all the time. I don't have the option of unbolting it unfortunately - mine is completely welded in. I guess it's possible that my O2 sensors are not doing their job and causing the wrong fuel mixture. It wouldn't surprise me that anything is bad after over 200k miles. It might be worth it to replace those and the cat at the same time.

It's not required for my truck because it's old enough, but I figure it's cheaper to add a heat shield than to pay someone to remove the cat and weld in a straight pipe.

I got the same link twice, but after clicking on it, I saw this one too: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mopar-68064953AA-Catalytic-Converter-Heat-Shield-for-2007-2010-Ram-6-7L-Diesel/291940007837?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D38530%26meid%3D00f83097c7414681a7f66a96c2532119%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D1%26sd%3D311439973553 Either of these might be a good option depending on the size, especially since it has the clamps integrated already.

I was thinking about something like that, but I didn't know how hot the cat gets in comparison to what those wraps can take. They are rated in two different temperatures - direct contact and indirect. I might just buy a sheet of aluminum and build something to sit between the cat and floor. It would probably be cheaper to go that route.

I have a serious heat problem. The catalytic converter under the passenger floor board is cooking my interior. It got hot enough to melt the carpet backing to the heat insulation I installed on the floor and transmission tunnel. So, now I need to figure out some way of shielding the cat from the floor. Obviously the barrier I put down on the interior wasn't enough, so I'd like to put something between the cat and the floor. Was there a shield there from the factory? If there isn't a part that is supposed to go there, then I'll have to make something. Can the cat be wrapped, or does it get too hot for that? If I have to make my own heat shield, are there any recommendations for materials?

Since the Barracuda finally went to paint, the truck got a spot in the garage. I pulled the interior last night and I'm pretty sure the door seals are not my problem. The '97 XJ had a firewall pad that goes between the heater box and the firewall and it was still wet far above the water line. It hasn't rained in a while, but there has been a lot of water in the truck and I'm sure I wasn't able to vacuum it all out. I really really don't want to pull the dash because that would mean I would have to evacuate and recharge my AC (plus I really don't like having to pull the dash). The cowl seal is toast, so I'm going to replace that and I'm going to check the drain as well. I'll also see if there is any more sealing that I can do with the heater box hole in the firewall. Back in post #552, I mentioned making my own combo gasket for the newer heater box in the old hole. That could possible be a culprit too. Besides my water issues, I have a serious heat problem too. The catalytic converter under the passenger floor board is cooking my interior. It got hot enough to melt the carpet backing to the heat insulation I installed on the floor and transmission tunnel. So, now I need to figure out some way of shielding the cat from the floor.

It will be a two stage with clear. I had the engine bay painted three years ago. As far as the cost, I've paid him a little here and a little there as he did the rust repair on one corner, the collision damage on another quarter, etc. He told me to to finish the body work and paint would be about $2,500 since the only body work left is the doors and fenders (and a few other small parts). I'm going to have him replace the driver side door jamb, fill in the single exhaust cutout and antenna hole, so it will probably be slightly more than that. I imagine total with all the work that he's done it will be in the $4k range, maybe a bit more.

As much as I like both of those colors, the blue was a little light for my taste and the green was too dark. I had the engine bay painted three years ago in Cadillac Opulent Blue, so that's what the rest of the car will be. This was shortly after I dropped the motor back in:

The car went to paint this weekend, so this is the last I'll see it like this.

That looks very similar to the light bar in my truck. I had to section it for the right fit, but it's not too bad straight out of the Dodge.

Not a whole lot going on with the truck. I just repainted the plastic parts of the front bumper and repainted the rear bumper as well (you can see in my tail light pictures a couple posts up how faded the paint was). The fresh clear coat that I put on the tail lights oxidized almost immediately, so they look worse than they did before. Not sure what I'm going to do about that. The Barracuda is about to go to paint, so while I have space in the garage, I'm going to pull some of the interior. I've been getting a lot of water on the passenger floorboard, so I ordered a new set of door seals. That may or may not be the issue, but mine are pretty flat and I know they don't seal that well. I could have pulled another set from a junk yard (this is my second pair), but the newest set I could find would still be 15 years old. I'm not really looking forward to pulling the carpet and seeing what's underneath. I'm really hoping I don't have to scrape up any of that sound deadening stuff I put down or run into any mold issues. The next couple things on my list are painting the bushwacker flares; they've faded pretty badly. I also at some point will be doing the rear main seal, timing cover seal, oil filter adapter seal and oil pan gasket. There is also a spot on the back of the cab where some body filler cracked and split the paint. I can tell it's already starting to rust so that will need to be addressed too.

That is a clean looking MJ! Makes me somewhat wish I had kept mine at the lower height and the Ravine wheels.

The car is now at the new house and I swapped in a complete MSD ignition system. It seems to be running well enough for now, so I'm planning on getting the rest of the car painted this summer. Hopefully I'll have some good updates soon.

Pretty cool project. I remember reading a couple builds on these before. Good luck finishing it out!

It is new construction. The truck fit in the last garage and there was nothing special about it, so I assume it will fit in this one too. Unfortunately, its going to have to live outside. The JK and the Barracuda will get the covered spots. At least I can pull it in to work on it though.

The Comanche got a new garage (and house). This garage isn't as big as the last but I'm going to build a shed in the backyard to free up some space.

After I completed the '97 conversion (automatic) I was still on 31s and 3.55 gears I was able to hit 90. It kept downshifting looking for more, but that's all it would do. I regularly drive on our belt loop and the speed limit is 70, so I drive 75 on a regular basis, but that's with the 4.56 gears and the 33s. The JK cruises a lot better at those speeds.

I don't know how to embed the video, but I found this on FB with a very cool Jeep tailgate bench. https://www.facebook.com/EdPiotrowskiWPDE/videos/10153851299512716/?fref=nf

Thanks for the interest. I wish I had more to update, but I really haven't made much progress. I converted the car to a floor shifter which I really like. I had to swap in a new steering column, but it was worth it. The car wasn't originally petty blue. The paint code was GG1 which was a very dark green. My biggest issues with the car is the fact that it runs hot. It will get hot sitting still, but even after about 20 minutes on the highway at 55 mph it starts to overheat. I just had the radiator checked out and it's fine, so I'm going to put in a new thermostat, test the water pump and install a new radiator cap. If that doesn't fix my problem, then my block could be plugged up, or I may have a bad head gasket. While I'm building a new house the car is staying in my brother's garage so I haven't had much opportunity to drive it and when I do, it runs hot. I really need to make it a more reliable vehicle and then I can start thinking about eventually getting the rest of the body work and paint finished.

Just in case anyone else looks at this thread in search of a solution, mine was pretty simple. The power wire at the battery was just enough corroded to not work. After cleaning all my grounds, wire brushing my connections and replacing the ring terminal for that power wire, all is well.

I guess I should have mentioned that I did the '97 swap so the dimmer is part of the headlight switch.

I have had an upgraded harness and the H4 conversion housings for several years and I have been plagued with intermittent low beams. I have ruled out the switch and the relays. They work occasionally so its not the bulbs. I didn't think there was a separate ground for the highs and lows, but the ground I am aware of is very solid. Any ideas? It is getting frustrating to the point where I'm tempted to yank it all out and swap in some Trucklite LEDs.