ghetdjc320

Finally nailed down the suspension and got it ordered. I was seriously considering the rustys 4.5 kit and swapping the front to a 4 link long arm. Since I would need to customize the kit somewhat I called… and called… and called. No answer no email replies, nothing. So I went with BDS. They were extremely helpful. Absolutely great service . 3” lift up front, rear add a leaf, adjustable track bar, upper and lower adjustable control arms with Johnny joints and full set of shocks with steering stabilizer. I was a bit hesitant about going with an AAL but the existing spring rate is just too soft for almost anything. The aal should help with axle wrap and light loads/towing.

True. There was so much dirt under there. Every time I used the impact to remove a bolt I got a face full of dirt. Going to be quite satisfying to throw the turbo nozzle on the pressure washer tomorrow and strip it clean.

Didn’t have much time today to make progress but I was able to remove the bed. Going to blast everything clean tomorrow. Loads of dirt and mud but zero rust.

Yep, it’s a brass insert that goes into the lower knuckle ball joint hole in the pre 90’ knuckles. Sets the proper preload on the ball joints. The replacement insert comes in the spicer ball joint kit. You need a spanner socket to remove the old one.

I thought they were a tapered thread but I may be wrong.

Drivetrain is out

Engine compartment getting stripped down

The “scooped xj” was my MJ. It’s the vanguard bumper from JCR. It’s one top notch product. Bit of a lead time but well worth the wait.

Here we go!

Have a nice complete 90k 4.0 in Arkansas lol. I wouldn’t mind shipping either but it may be more cost than it’s worth

Just finished building a shop here in Arkansas but hasn’t considered working on other peoples MJs. Are you looking for someone near the valley? I know of a couple of shops around Austin that are great but everyone that’s any good is swamped with work it seems

They can be swapped as long as you go with the caliper, pads and rotor for the same year as your knuckles.

That was a strong contender if it wasn’t for the winch mounted in front of the grill. Didn’t want to cut down what little radiator air flow I had further with a winch. That’s a good quality bumper though. Seen a couple in person and they are very nice.

Guess I’ll jump in: on my MJs/XJs I’ve run oem, JCR (vanguard) and now the warrior gen 1. They all have been different styles of builds which has played a huge factor. My current personal favorite is the warrior gen 1 as it has great retro styling (looks like a factory style option to me) while using a much thicker material and still allows me to run a hidden winch and not cut my front fenders to the 97+ style. The quality on the JCR was superb and they seem to think things through on the engineering side better than some. If I were going for a more full blown modified look with good angles and functionality I wouldn’t hesitate to grab a JCR bumper again. I’ve had 4 of them so far. Here is a compilation of styles I was collecting when making my decision. The last one is the one I went with for my newest build.

As said above, the weight is 10w30. It’s good to keep in mind that these engines run a flat tapper cam so an oil with added zinc or a separate bottle of zinc additive is a good idea. Vr1 racing oil is what I used to run as it has good levels of zinc. But there are tons of options.

What version do you have? A picture would be great

Thanks Pete, that will work. I’ll go with a bright silver/chrome.

2 3/8” diameter and the “Jeep” lettering will be bright silver

I think your right. The clear plastic has yellowed from the sun but here is a shot of the back side. You can see where the chrome plating from the turbine cap came off onto the backside of the badge

Was about to finalize the design for the “Jeep” center cap logos to restore my turbine wheel caps. The original label was a very typical reverse screen print on a piece of clear plastic. The “Jeep” lettering was clear but I wasn’t sure if the base that it glued to was chrome or silver. Just want to make sure I get the right color on the “Jeep” lettering. The new ones I’m making will have a super strong outdoor adhesive and a thick UV coating with UV stable ink. Any input on what these should have looked like new would be great

Is the tailgate dented? I’ve got some major straightening and repairs to do to my tailgate also. On my last mj I was able to split the tailgate into two halves by removing a few spot welds. Was able to get it nice and straight by doing that and also cleaned up some interior rust (the tailgate is galvanized steel)

@Dzimm Makes the tailgate strap bumpers (second pic). He is listed in the vendors section and also has a website: https://zimmdakindustries.com As for the upper bumper, perhaps he could reproduce these as well

Got mine yesterday

I’m considering running another batch of these. Found a nice local supplier that can make these with a UV stable ink and epoxy finish. I would be making just the original JEEP logo for my turbine center caps but they should fit a variety of original wheels as @Eagle pointed out. If anyone is wanting some just let me know. I can probably have a batch run in the next few weeks.

Looks good!