Zenobian_84

Inquiring minds want to know. I know I can't be the only one out there. B) The only ones I own as of now; I found a local automotive parts place that has a ton of models for sale. Lucked out and found the Trans-Am on the very top shelf of the place. Had a few inches of dust on it, but everything inside was still mint. Currently have most of the Barracuda put together, but not painted; the Trans-Am is currently getting the shell painted before I start putting the internals together. Just picked up the Z-28 today. Might go back to that auto parts place and pick up their AMC Gremlin "Grabber"; found it lurking around on a shelf when I went to pick up some model cement. Also, anyone have this model? There's a few versions of it (Honcho, Pink Poison, and "The Dude") and was thinking about getting a hold of one. Just wanted to know how big it actually is.

Going to re-do the door panels for the 2nd time (sometime in the very near future) and was looking for some inspiration. Here's what I'm starting with; Going back to the original speaker size up front (5 1/4) and matching 4x6's for the back. Don't know if the PO has butchered the wiring for the rear speakers, but I wouldn't be surprised if he had... :thwak: Depending on how well the Gorilla glue worked on holding the top "mounting plate" to the re-made door vinyl panel is going to determine whether or not I keep the "Old Man Pants" blue trim. I'm just going to assume that the material is probably going to be non-recoverable. - - - Seeing as how I'll have to remove most of the interior pieces to install the rear speakers, I figure I could color them differently to get a different look out of the truck. I was thinking about possibly doing a "Tan" or "Black" color; but I really do like the OMP color. It just screams "AMC". 8) Anyone got any suggestions on a new color scheme? I could always re-paint the dash, I suppose; I do have to fix some buggered up things behind it soon anyway. :dunno: AMC Blue is a hard color to mix and match with. A shame I don't have plain black or something.

I know internally the AX-5 / 4 are different (1 gear exception); but are the two transmissions different externally? Not sure when I plan on doing this, but I recently came into a little extra money, and have decided to try and find a good running 4x4 system to put into the truck. I know I need the following: - Front and Rear Axles - Setting up MJ perches in the back (assuming I get an XJ rear) - Rear drive shaft shortened - AX-5 Speedometer cable But am unsure of these: - Front driveshaft? Could I snag one out of an XJ and throw it in there (assuming it comes from a 231/AX-5 combo) Or would I have to find a suitable one from a 2.5? - Brake Proportioning valve; how would I go about setting it up on an XJ axle? Does it need to be on the truck (IE: is it a must have for an MJ) or can I forego it altogether? - Different or additional crossmembers? - Is there an easy way to distinguish an AX-5 from the AX-15? Could anyone help a newbie to the 4x4 scene out; is there anything else I need to obtain before I swap everything? - - - - - And I know this question has probably been done to death, but I'm still getting used to using the new search function (not on much anymore, sadly :( ) and I can't seem to find any results from searching for 2.5 4x4 related topics.

Drove out a few towns over to do some errands today. On the way back (driving about 55-60) I stopped like normal at a red light. Everything seemed fine; I took off and stopped at the next red light (about a mile or two down, same speed as before) and I noticed a squeal (almost like a small squeak) coming from under the truck. Put my foot on the clutch pedal and noticed it had a slight rumble; pushed it to the floor and the rumble and squeal went away. Let go of the pedal and the squeal and rumble returned, but it isn't affecting how the truck idles or drives. Got home and checked under the truck, sure enough, the sound is coming from the AX-4. Layed under the truck with a friend pushing in and releasing the pedal, same symptoms. Is the clutch slipping? Flywheel coming loose? This just started today; had the clutch replaced a little over a year ago. - - Another odd problem is that when I go to put it in reverse, no matter how much gas I give, the truck will shimmy back and forth like it's getting ready to stall out (irregardless of how I work the clutch / gas). Problem may be related? That particular problem started a few months ago, but seems to come and go as it pleases.

What's the best method to clean the inside of the windshield washer tank? After 25 years of buildup from various windshield cleaning agents, there are some deposits on the inlet pump at the bottom. Plus, it's just plain grimey down there. :ack: Tried a few different times cleaning it, with no real improvement in appearance after the cleaning. :dunno:

I just thought about this, and it probably sounds silly; does anyone have the original glove box key for their trucks? :dunno: Never got one with mine, and, to be quite honest, I've yet to actually see one for any of the other Jeeps I've been in. Was thinking about getting a key made for it sometime down the road, just as something to have around. Would I have to go up to the dealership and deal with them about getting one made, or would I just have to get a local locksmith to make a key for it? Another question; can the mechanisms be removed from the glove box door, or is it permanently held in place? On the off-chance that the dern' thing is all caddy-wonkus or some such; I wouldn't mind having an extra mechanism or two hanging around, if I could get the keys that goes to them that is... :hmm:

Headed off to the beach tomorrow to unwind. Been sick the last week; and I've been needing some R&R; not to mention a decent tan. Might even hit up a Pick n' Pull if I can remember to. Thought I'd throw up some tunes everyone can relate to. I don't dog on that little 2.5 (not as fun as the 4.0, sadly) very often when I'm driving on the long trips. When I do, it's always funny watching other people's faces as I eventually speed past. :rotfl2: If anyone's out there in New Smyrna tomorrow, watch out for that yellow devil driving past. :chillin:

In my quest to get this truck in tip-top shape; the next replacement is going to be motor mounts, along with a new manifold and exhaust running to the muffler. Am probably going to go with some Brown Dog MMs, because I've heard nothing but good reviews from them. I'd rather pay a few more sheckles for quality products than getting cheap-o parts I'll have to replace in a year or two. Question is; What's the difference between Rubber bushings and Poly bushings? The truck isn't going to be abused, and will probably remain a (mostly) street driven DD. I'm assuming the stock setup is Rubber, but I've heard different arguments for both types of mounts. Can anyone school a noobie on this and give some insight on the important differences between the two? :dunno: I read on BD's site that Poly mounts are better in hotter areas, and are better at resisting weather elements. FL is about as extreme as it gets for weather; not sure how much truth to this there is though.

I'm sure you know how the rest of the saying goes. Guess the truck finally got tired of me ignoring it; and boy did it show me what-for. Seems the 25 year old fuel pump decided it wanted to retire to South Miami Beach for the rest of it's days. :fs1: The good news it that it still works... but only when it wants to. :shake: For all it's worth, it still hasn't left me stranded yet; so at least I can be thankful for that. As a note for my other 4 Cylinder brethren out there; the Denso OEM Fuel Pumps are no longer being made by Chrysler. The Bosch ones still are though (and are apparently also OEM), but I needed one fast, and had to go with an Airtex. I highly recommend to those of you wanting OEM parts that intend to keep the 4 Cylinder to order one for the future. Unless Rock Auto or some other place is still selling their stocks of Denso pumps. In that case, I'll be getting another sometime soon to hold on to.

Hum dee ho; just posting some art from my stash. Will update it time to time with "hip and cool" pictures I've finished. Also, feel free to contribute; I'm always looking for inspiration for my next piece. :yes: :thumbsup: - - "Razor Ramon", WWF Wrestler. Worked on this on and off for a week or two; finally got around to finishing it up at work the last few days. Looks better an an angle rather than a "top-down" position, IMO. :dunno:

After a few months of delay, finally got around to popping "the question" to the GF yesterday. She said yes, among the many tears being shed; and many kisses were had. :yes: Feels pretty good taking the next step. :cheers: Now if I can finish some of the other things going on at the moment, life will be pretty good for a while. :thumbsup:

As the title states, what was the usual gear ratio found in the HP 8.25s (97+ XJs) Figured if I don't decide to add 4x4 to the old girl, I can at least upgrade the rear end to something respectable. The 8.25, coupled with an AX-5 should be the very last upgrades I do to this truck; getting sort of tired of the 4-speed, TBH. The reverse can also be said as well :yes:

Heading to the P&P to look over 8 Cherokees the yard recently brought in. Decided 'Ol Blue (benchseat name) has to go. I want tilting buckets and a spacious center-console, dangit. Problem is, the GF said she'd tear me a new one if I got rid of Ol Blue. I don't know why she's taken a liking to the bench seat; nothing exciting ever happens on it, if you catch my drift. :brows: :shake: I'm pretty sure she's just going to have to deal with it. I was probably going to get in hot water soon anyway with her; so I figure I might as well get it out of the way now. :yes: Anyone else have problem with their respective loved ones over Jeeps (who hasn't, right)? I love her to death, but the girl gives me grief over the strangest things... :thwak:

Decided to finally off the bench seat after a year of hard work and comfiness. :( The temptation of having a center console is too much (plus the additional gains of nifty buckets). I know the work involved in the swap, but need help with brackets. The "Rocket-Ship" style is bad for taller folk; and the preferred bracket is the "Straight" style. With me being a taller guy, I'd need to snatch 2 of the lowest sitting style of brackets. Does anyone have an actual picture of these two types of brackets? The posted diagrams just aren't detailed enough for me to tell the difference. :dunno:

Been an "artist" (am using that term very lightly) for over 5 years now. Nothing serious; no aspirations to go anywhere in life using it; just a hobby of mine I like to do from time to time. My friends think I'm pretty good, but I don't think so; but then again, that could be another story for another time. Anywho, figure I'd post a "From Beginning to End" progression of the latest creation I'm working on (for myself, mostly). Decided to make an 11x17" poster of an old Castlevania game cover (Dracula X for SNES, to be exact) for my brother-in-law's Christmas present. He enjoys the old video game stuff like I do and is a pretty big Castlevania fan. Skip the next part if you don't care to learn about an old video game; or if you already know about it. - - Backstory :ack: Anyone who remembers the 80's has to remember the first Nintendo system (NES) that came out; eventually a little game came out that made a lot of people take notice. It ran by the name "Castlevania" and was legendary for it's difficulty, and it's story about the Belmont clan fighting the evil that was Count Dracula and his minions from Transylvania. A bunch of sequels later, the game had cemented itself in people's hearts and memories. 1995 came and went, and the Super Nintendo received a port of a Castlevania game from Japan (Castlevania: Rondo of Blood) titled Castlevania: Dracula X. No idea why they decided to use the X moniker; but that's how it went. It continued the story of the Belmont clan fighting Dracula, yada yada; and this time it was up to a young man named Richter Belmont to stop the count. He was also tasked with finding his girlfriend, Annette; her "sister", Maria, and two other woman from the village who were abducted by the evil forces. Long story short, the game was pretty darn good. And it's also a good favorite of mine. - - Moving on; this is the progression in a 5(?) hour time-span from the beginning to where the piece currently is. Really need to work on getting a good camera too. :thwak: First off, start with: Moon, bat, Dracula sketch, Richter sketch. :popcorn: Next, move on to fleshing Richter out. Add details as needed, eventually turns into this. Continue with the details, changing some things as needed. Richter is now 90% complete. :eek: Also, his hands are funky, but I was never good at illustrating hands; so it's a moot point. Comparison shot of how everything is coming. Need to get crackin' on finishing his weapon, and everything else. Around 3 hours in by now; or pretty close to it (am not a quick artist by any means) Hours later (because there wasn't a necessity to take photos of adding everything else) I made it to this stage; where the picture currently is. About 75% done, and just about ready for color. A few details still need to be finished and re-worked, but I'm pretty satisfied thus far. Still trying to decide on what medium to use for coloring though... :hmm: Will post the finished results when I complete it. Hopefully shouldn't take too long; considering I'm not working on the Jeep much these days. :dunno:

I know this question has probably been done to death, but the search function doesn't seem to want to search any of the terms I put in; so that's why I have to post a new topic. :shake: Might have a lead on a good AX-5 that came out of an 88 2WD MJ. I was just wondering if it would be able to be mated to a 4x4 system; should I ever decide to go that route. The AX-5 also has an external slave (thank god) so irregardless, would be a good upgrade over my tired (but good running), internal slaved AX-4. --EDIT-- Is there anything else important I should pick up while I go collect the tranny? Like speedometer cable, etc?

Looking at doing this in the very near future; along with replacing the water pump. Hopefully the later will solve my back-pressure leakage problem. On topic though; how difficult / time consuming is replacing the timing chain cover gasket on the 2.5? Any tips to be shared with a first time "attemptee" other than to not rush it? Hopefully this should be the last oil leak I have to deal with on this little engine. :crossfingers:

So, finally got some spiffy chrome foglights today :yes: and even started to wire everything up. My problem is that they're on the outer holes (foglights on the inner holes seem... off, to me, at least) and I can't seem to get to the driver's side hole to put the nut on. Is there some easier way to get this one on; aside from simply removing the bumper? Removed driver's side horn, and the bug guard bracket to worm my arm behind the bumper bracket; can barely get a socket with some extensions on the light. Just the joys of working on a Jeep I s'pose :shake:

Like many others here, I decided to try my hand at refurbishing my backing board and curing the "Green Dandruff" syndrome the roof had. Used some cheap glue (thought at the time it would work, but was sadly wrong) and got a good 4 days out of the finished results before the FL heat dissolved the glue. Headliner board is in good shape overall, but I'd like to use something that won't dissolve in the 100+ degree summertime heat. Anyone got any good recommendations on a brand of adhesive; or something I can use in conjunction with the adhesive to get an even better finish? I thought about using some of this http://www.yourautotrim.com/perhittrimad.html ; has anyone used this before? I was going to take it somewhere to be refurbished a while back, but $90 was the cheapest I could get an estimate on. :ack:

Was wondering what the sister group of switches (right of steering column) were on an MJ. I believe they are the "Power/Comfort" and,"Rear Wiper" toggles on an XJ. Was thinking of possibly using their wiring for some little side thing I'm working on.

To make a very long story short, I had a leak in my lower rad hose (rad. to block) earlier in the month. Replaced it with another hose; seemed to be fine. Seemed to make a mistake with the clamps and lost a fair bit of coolant last night at work. Fixed everything and filled up again, drove around for a while. Opened the hood after driving it a while today and there's still leakage going on. From where the hose connects to the block, and where it connects to the radiator. The clamps are as tight as humanly possible (and there is no hole on either side; already tested that again) and it's just a very slow trickle of drops. What's the problem here? I read about some 2.5 guys having the same problem and most people directed the source to a faulty thermostat or most likely a failing water pump. Thermostat / housing is working and leak free, so I'm looking at the water pump. Would the WP cause this sort of back pressure if it was failing? :dunno: :hmm: Also worth noting that the leak only occurs once it hits operating temperature (around 210). While it's warming up, there is no leaks at all period.

Went out to the Ocala Pumpkin Run & Car Show yesterday with the GF and her other friend. We all had a blast :cheers: Only 3 of us AMC guys out there ('83 AMC Spirit / '78 CJ) guy with the CJ didn't bring it though; he was just searching for some 304 parts. Just a few highlights of the day. Took more pictures, but there was probably around 130 cars there on the last day of the event. The trusty AMC 4.2 doing what it does best; leak oil. :shake: Going to work on getting a few things done today. Weather is absolutely fantastic down here (solid 60!) :yes:

I was thinking the same thing the last few weeks. :shake: Lower rad hose had a pinhole leak. Discovered it after I flushed the dang thing when I gave it a tuneup. Had to re-flush and fill / put a new one on. Valve cover doesn't leak anymore, thankfully *knocks on wood*, but the oil pan is missing a bolt somehow... :hmm: Oh, and apparently the heater resistor has a leak in the lines somewhere. Noticed a bit of antifreeze on the Charcoal canister. Thinking it's getting to be time to replace the heater core.... :fs2: But, even with all of it's problems, I still like my truck. :yes:

Not really a fan of either; and I honestly can't say either of them are going to do anything worthwhile should they: A. Continue another 4 years in office Or B. Begin 4 years in office. I'm not going to be holding my breath about the country turning around for at least another 20 years. By that time, we should have some form of new politician idiots to deal with. It's basically become a race nowadays to see which candidate can promise the better deals for the American Gov't; irregardless of whether or not they even hold true to those promises once they're elected. I honestly wonder sometimes how my parents left my generation in this @#$%ing mess of a situation; then again, I can't say I'm really surprised it's gotten this far out of control.

Thanks Fiat; this will pretty much kill what little faith anyone has left in the USA as far as automakers go. Jeep was the only brand I still had some sort of faith in as far as holding true to what the original values were. Made in the 40s throughout today, it HAS always stood for freedom, AMERICAN PRIDE, and the "No Limits" mentality. Guess not anymore. :soap box: