Biotex

Ok, so mine are not factory. Unless they changed, mine look like big plastic rivets. I'll see if I can get a picture of them. No wonder you guys are pointing me to Autozone and hardware stores. The push in fasteners like you posted are everywhere, as in easy to find. Mine are not. I have never seen anything like them before in automotive use, so that is why I asked.

Thanks for the link. We don't have an ACE here, but we do have an Autozone. Will check out the Help section, but don't remember seeing anything like that before. Thanks for the ideas. Do you remember what the fasteners were called? Are they a rivet?

Getting ready for paint, and noticed that there are some plastic rivets of some type used to attach the rubber mud flaps and skirting onto the fronts of the MJ. I'm wanting to remove the flaps/skirting for paint prep, and to be able to get to the front bumper bolts. What are you guys using to replace these fasteners with on reassembly? I'm assuming they are OEM???

Yes it did! Also got a new I-phone that takes decent pictures, but I prefer the camera because it doesn't make so many dark shadows. I started in on the rocker panel rust. Finished the driver side, and removed the front flares for paint prep. I'm going to order new flares, but still trying to not destroy the old ones while removing. Takes a lot of patience to get the nuts off without twisting off the studs. Something like 2 hours per flare.

Do you have to install a seperate bung for the O2 sensor?

So where can I get one of those A pillar guage mounts? Looks good.

I'm going to look into a vacuum guage mounted in the A pillar. As cruiser said, it is a great diagnostic tool.

Very good advice!

That table shows you what your rpm will be with any given tire size at what gear ratio you have. It is set up for a 1:1 final drive ratio, meaning it isn't going to tell you anything about what your asking. Perhaps I'm mis-understanding your original question. Every engine is different as far as what rpm is the most efficient. It depends on a lot of factors such as elevation, bore & stroke, internal friction, torque, wind load, etc... so the best you can do is to generalize. Over the years, I have come to learn that there is a fairly wide operating band on these engines. In other words, the point where the engine is lugging vs. the rpm where you are wasting gas to the max. In my experience, the best economy is in the 1900 rpm range and I try to shift in the 2200 rpm range. These rpm numbers appear to me to need to go up with lift and tire size.

Ok, let me explain (read backpedal). My first thought was teflon tape yes, but anytime I associate oil and sealer or teflon, a red flag goes up for me. But it was soo early in the morning, and my brain wasn't remembering it's only a manual transmission. So what if a little contamination finds its way inside the case. I did look and saw there was a $3 washer available, but it was something like $7.50 to ship it. So I was thinking maybe, just maybe there was a quick fix I wasn't knowing about. If the teflon tape will stop the drip, then no problem. I need a group hug... :peek:

I have an annoying very minute drip from the drain plug. I have tightened it as much as I dare to. What's the best fix?

I too have been using it quite a bit. Was wondering though... Is it ok to use it at 2 or 3 AM? I'd not want to wake anybody if it is tied to a beeper or phone or something. Not sure how it works, so just asking.

Do you have a website?

I own a furniture store and self storage units. I realized my 401K wasn't going to cut it, so i pulled the money out, paid the penalty, built the storage units, and am as happy about it as can be.

I think you mean axle wrap not wheel hop. I used Barnes 4wd also, and they too have the three holes so you can fine tune your wheelbase. They are also longer as well.

Finally got around to picking up the engine, tranny and chasis. The chasis is a late 70's Datson frame I believe. Here is what I got for $200 plus the wiring harness, new shifter, new brakes and seals still in the box. I have an offer of $100 for the chasis, so I may be looking for something to put this engine/tranny into. Something light...

I used to have the best luck with Autolites, but then they went to China and Mexico. Some of the higher end plugs are still made here in the US, but he bottom line is that the lower volume copper core plugs we use do come from china. So I always asked the parts guys to dig around and find a box that was stamped made in USA. Those have run out now, so i'm with A/C Delco. Always was told to run them only in GM engines, but they do all right by me so far. One of the things I don't like about champions is that they are plated. When you take them out, the plating is gone. I'm sure some of it finds its way into the cylinders! Also, I have had a few bad out of the box. Not many, but even one sticks with you. Spark plugs are another one of those topics where guys will swear by a particular brand, and others have nothing but troubles. I like Bosch, NGK and AC right now. Did you know Autolites parent company is Honeywell? Used to be allied signal.... the makers of Fram!

No need to pull the timing cover. When you pull the pan, you will be able to look into it from the back side. Check the chain slop while in there.

Champions (and some others) are made in China. Quality control went out the door... Might try switching brands and see if that is the problem.

You definately have some good tube bending skills! Nice work. I'm about 60% completed on my Juggy (YJ frame) build. I'm using a Pro-Bender III and bend-tech 6x software and a JD2 pipe notcher. I never bent tubes before, so I can appreciate the work your doing. When I made my door openings, I used a canvas half door as a guide and made them so they could easily be popped on or off so I can keep the mud out-----or not...

What temperature of a thermostat are you running? Seems to me that the farther to the rear of the engine you go, the hotter the combustion temps get. Wondering if your front cylinders are not hot enough. I'm seeing out engines like a 195° t-stat. Also, what plugs are you running and what gap? I'm not a fan of Champions in our engines. :popcorn:

A short is considered a negative to a positive, and will either blow a fuse, (trip a breaker), or melt the wire. Once the wire melts, it opens (electricaly speaking) at which point it is no longer a short. If the wire is large enough that it won't melt, then it will likely destroy the battery. So I see no way a short will drain a battery on a continuing basis. If I'm wrong here, please explain.

Yup!

Just to add to what has already been stated, is that the alternator has diodes inside. A diode electrically allows for current to only flow in one direction. In this case, it keeps the battery from discharging (backfeeding) through the alternator and to ground. This will slowly discharge your battery, and yet your alternator will still work as normal. Keep in mind that it is common for the diodes to go bad in alternators. So if pulling the fuses one at a time doesn't find the problem, try disconnecting the alternator also.

If it were mine, i'd clean out what you can get to, and then run a high detergent oil such as Rotella for diesel engines. Just so happens this oil has high enough zinc content to provide anti-wear resistance for our flat tappet engines. The idea is to change the oil every couple of thousand miles, and the filter more. You want to clean out the sludge slow enough so that you don't risk clogging your oil galleries or the sump screen. I have had very good luck with a product called seafoam. Again, the more frequently you can afford to keep new oil inside with fresh filters, the better. edit: In the old days, sludge like that was common due to the fact that the oil refining process wasn't as advanced as it is today. Pennzoil and Quakerstate used a crude blend that just caused sludge buildup. With the modern chemicals and refining processes, and the cleaner burning engines, that kind of buildup is a thing of the past thankfully. Neglecting oil changes will cause that as well. Kind of shows you just how bulletproof these bottom ends are...