neohic

Painted with gloss army green Rustoleum rattle cans... ... the gloss did not last. Ah well... Pete said it best the the magic is in the prep. Keep everything clean and you can paint with just about anything.

One would think so, wouldn't they? Unfortunately it seems as though that every year those who drove through the elements the previous year completely forgot how and are always starting from scratch. As for the new drivers... well... those kids should've just stuck with riding the bus to school. :shake: We've had a good foot of snow for a week now and people are still driving like maniacs out there. I teach at a tech college and 11 of the 38 students in my program have gotten into some kind of accident just this week... three of which managed to put their vehicle on its roof. Idiots... all of them. Dern kids and their tomfoolery. :fs2:

Ugh... had to do some snow wheeling this morning. Even got the truck involved when the car got stuck in the driveway. Ho... ho... @#$%ing ho... it's that time of year again. :wall: Figured you where getting hammered. I have 1.5" on my deck this morning. LOL About 8-10" from Sunday evening into yesterday morning. More on the way.

Ugh... had to do some snow wheeling this morning. Even got the truck involved when the car got stuck in the driveway. Ho... ho... @#$%ing ho... it's that time of year again. :wall:

:thumbsup: Everybody likes cutting and welding on a used gas tank, right? :yes: Didn't have anything to worry about though... the tank has been dry since the '80s with zero vapors left in it. I've started trying to take care little things up front that add up in the end that seem to take forever after getting major things done. I started with putting the tank in and putting the hood on... things didn't fit quite right. Those sexy sloping lines just didn't jive with what was happening inside. The tank was from the donor '74 Beetle so I knew that the fuel intake would be in the wrong spot. I like where the filler was cut originally so I used the hood as the template. Here's how it went... For now, I used a short piece of 2" exhaust tubing as a place holder for whatever I choose as a cap. Like I said before, I like the fuel fill low to keep the hood looking clean. Just not a fan of a giant cap in the middle of the hood. Next on the list was adding a mini sump in the bottom of the tank. The fitting in the bottom was completely screwed up so I figured it needed to be cut out anyhow. It's not the absolute lowest point of the tank but I was planning on adding a drain elsewhere. I like the idea of being able to completely drain the tank if need be. Obviously, fittings to come later. I see a small body lift in my future too. The steering coupler rubs on the bottom of the tank as shown in the dirt. Last on the list is to patch up the last corner. I left it open to be able to clean it out as I go along. Not done with it, but I had to put the hood and lights back on for the evening. Couldn't stand leaving it without its face on. :roll:

What... no pictures of Austin's stuff? :D

Sounds like a perfect solution for me... move further north. :roll: Naw, moving south and west is the place for me. Go out and hang out with Jim in Pueblo... sounds good to me!

Sorry, dude... I about as un-Minnesotan as one can get. I don't hunt. I barely fish. I despise winter with a passion. It might just be the areas that I've lived in but don't care for the flat scenery at all. Whenever the day happens that I move away from this state, I can tell you it won't be soon enough. Ugh... Anyhow back on topic, my snow wheeling consists of pushing around the snow blower... and I hate that too.

... not that I'm all that old just yet, but I do catch myself already saying things like "back in my day". :roll: Today was a good day that brought back some memories of when I did something similar. A couple years ago I had the pleasure of driving a few hours out of my way for the shake of a hand that I had never met before. My wife and I were in Colorado and I couldn't pass up the opportunity of meeting someone. I had a blast walking around looking at Jim's collection and hearing all the knowledge I could soak up from him over the couple hours we shared. Did some real learnin' that day! The shoe was on the other foot today and I was kind of taken back by the thought of someone who was willing to drive a little ways out of they way to meet me. Sure, I've had a few CC members out at my place but it usually involved trading stuff or some kind of deal. Today was different. Today was just about one dude driving a few hours out of his way to meet another dude... and I think that was pretty awesome. Clark (Lowly) is a newer member and he seems super excited to own his truck. He's got some big plans for it and it's great to see someone from the younger crowd taking interest in these silly old trucks. Very nice to meet you, Clark! That's a great start to your truck. :thumbsup:

6'... few stools to stand on though to get that just right camera angle. :D

So... been working on my shop for a while and it's pretty much done. Done enough to be tired of working on it and wanting to get back to working on fun stuff anyhow. :D It's not much... 14'x28'. It's big enough to call home for now. As for the buggy, it actually saw the light of day! ... and then it got put in it's winter home. It's pretty much the same as it has been for the last few years with the addition of wheels and tires just recently. Looks almost presentable in some decent light! Unfortunately a good camera angle only hides everything that's been hiding in it. :roll: Ah well... it's in a workable area now so that's a step in the right direction, right?

Sometimes it feels like walking around the animal shelters and seeing all the broken and abused puppies, right? So hard not to save them all. Rusty MJs need lovin' too! :D Really too bad with this one... that's got to be my favorite graphics on these. I absolutely hate seeing the condition that vehicles get in the north espicially when they have low(ish) miles. Nice going, BJ! I think it's beautiful! Sure makes me want another rusty one. :thumbsup:

Ick... you can have it. :ack:

Sorry, Pete. No kids for me and none out where I live. Closest thing I got this year was the concrete guy troweling my new front steps. I've got an outstanding gingerbread man costume waiting on standby every year just in case though. :D

The tow points tie directly into the mounting plates. The bumper itself started off as a piece of 6" channel while everything else is 3/8" thick. I usually double up my tow points making them 3/4" but you could already have no problem hanging the entire Jeep from just one of them.

Ended up doing something similar to those. The measurements from Jay were spot on for getting the ball rolling. The bumper came out good, I think. The guy liked what he saw so he didn't want me to finish any of my welds. He also wanted it tucked really tight to the body. Plans are to tuck the rockers up behind the rear wheels. Overall, it's still a giant turd. :laughin:

Had a great time! Really too bad my suspension is total garbage for where I was! :laughin: The front flexes around pretty good but the shocks are too short. The rear leafs are really stiff but that's never been a problem because I've only really hauled around stuff with it. The last time this truck was ever on a trail it had the same front coils as it does now but the rears were still the original saggy 2wd springs. Ah well... the wife and I had an awesome time regardless! Lots of tight trails in Appleton, MN so there's plenty of fresh scratches. Again... ah, well! Got down there and remembered that I still need to replace the rear axle seals. Otherwise, no other problems mechanically. My friend's '87 XJ though... eek. Slightly scary. I think everyone was waiting all day for something to go wrong. Typical to others who take their trucks to the trails... not much for pictures. I got out and snapped a few while waiting but no real, real Jeep pictures. Overall, Appleton is a good place to go for a day trip. Stay to the north and you're constantly worried about if you're on an ATV trail or go south and juggle between easy bunny hill trails or steep rock climbs. Not much in between, really. Lots of tight turning trails that I wouldn't imagine trying to squeeze through. I think there just might be a turd of an XJ in my future that is strictly for trails and maybe winter driving. Anyhow, the end of the day resulted in a good time. A bit too windy for a bonfire, but it doesn't matter the weather when it comes to post trail libations. :group beer:

Gentlemen... every month I have the joy of writing the MJOTM thread. Each month I get to shine the spotlight in a different direction and each month is cool for its own reason. Sometimes though... sometimes I look forward to another month well in advance. Think of it like being a kid waiting for a day to go to the amusement park. You have a tough time sleeping the night before. The morning of you get up way earlier than you need to just to make sure you get there before anyone else. You're on your way to get there, it takes what seems like forever to park, and you go in. You smile at the first sight of the roller coaster but can't help but feel intimidated when you're waiting in line. "Keep your hands and feet in the ride at all times... stay seated at all times..." that whole thing. The rides starts and all the sudden the anxious wait is 100% worth it. The comparison? Just imagine what it'd be to go on this ride! jbain's '88 Chief!!! YEAR/MODEL ●1988 Comanche Chief ENGINE/PERFORMANCE ● Stock 1994 4.0 H.O. DRIVETRAIN ● AW4 Automatic Transmission 1979 F250 Dana 44 Narrowed to waggy width, Detroit Locker, Homebrew Truss with RCV Axles Ford 8.8 rear, welded tubes with disk brakes and Spartan Lunchbox Locker 4.88 gearing on both ends COOLING ● Stock radiator ELECTRICAL/IGNITION ● 91 Wiring Harness Swap SUSPENSION/STEERING ● 5.5" Extreme Duty Rubicon Express Longarm with SOA swap in the rear Rubicon Express Adjustable Trackbar JCR Steering Dakota Steering Box Waggy Dropped Pitman Arm Hockey Puck Bumpstops front and rear Front Limiting Straps INTERIOR ● 2004 Grand Seats Cobra CB Cooler (trail lunchbox) Center Console Roll Cage BRAKES ● Ford F150 up Front Ford Explorer Disk out back 1995 Brake Booster and Master Cylinder Swap LIGHTING ● Trailer Lights Replace the Factory Taillights Stock Up front EXTERIOR ● Home Brew Tube Doors Lexan Rear Glass Factory Front Skid Bedside Skid Rails Home Brew Front and Rear Bumpers Bed Cage Bed Bobbed 6 inches 8k Winch Home Brew Rock Rails Hood Vents CO2 Bottle WHEELS/TIRES ● Stock Ford Rims with DIY Beadlocks 38.5 Super Swamper SX’s MISCELLANEOUS ● Like many of you I started in an XJ but always wanted a Comanche…. especially a Chief. I finally found the perfect truck so I started parting out my XJ to come up with the money. I’m really lucky to be part of a local club that really helps each other out. Work is often traded for work and this is how most of my truck got to where it is today. Most of the parts are secondhand from Craigslist or build from scratch. BUILD THREAD Remember That One Time?... Tell Us Your Best MJ Story ● It was my best day…. it was my worse day. When I started this project it was getting a new paint job, a cowl hood and a lot of custom graphics. However, I quickly realized that the Comanche I wanted to build was completely different than the Comanche I wanted to wheel. I didn’t want an EXO… I wanted an inside cage… but an inside cage meant body damage or green trails. Fast Forward 6 months and I’m wheeling with a group of Crawlers and buggies that were running a real tough trail. I knew better than to attempt it but I was sure my MJ could make it. Long story short I completed the trail and did it without taking the hook…. but my drivers B Pillar and bedside would never be the same. As I climbed a nearly vertical embankment into the access road I felt a flood of pride and relief for completing a trail I had no business attempting. As I assessed the damage a sick feeling grew in the pit of my stomach when I realized my MJ would never be what I originally planned. Today my MJ (aka Chief) has dents on almost every panel ….. but he wears them with pride. CC is Awesome!... Why Do You Think So? ● Like-minded people in pursuit of the perfect project all in one place….. what could be more awesome. ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●● Holy $#!&, Jerry. Your Chief is something special now isn't it? Completely purpose built and built amazingly well! With the thread going on right now about an Eastern Pow Wow I know I'll be trying to be there with one of the main reasons of riding shotgun (or driving? :D ) this truck. Whether it be the diamond in the rough or the gem in the goats @$$, I think it's perfect. Beautiful job. Wouldn't change a thing... except more dents. -Ben Click here to view the article

Damn dude! Sorry to see that. :(

There's a lot of misinformation out there on that, I decided to see for myself. I'll get the diff out tomorrow and post some pictures up. I kept the 27 spline side gears and I'll compare the two... :popcorn:

I lust lit up when I saw this picture. :) That seat looks gorgeous! As for the axle, can't you just swap the spider gears to make the current carrier a 29 spline?

Nice! You, sir, deserve a beer for your efforts. Better crack one open and pretend it's on me. Thanks, Jay!

The hole spacing is 4.5"x2.5"? What about the maximum size the plate can be? :bowdown: PM sent.

Does anyone have dimensions for the rear bumper brackets on a Cherokee? There's four bolts on each side holding the bumper on. When removed, it'll look like this... I need to throw together a bumper for a Cherokee friend but I'm trying to do this with a limited time window. Hoping to have all my ducks in a row before the main event, so to speak. Can someone help me out? Pretty much looking for dimensions on hole spacing and height/width tolerances if I were to make up a couple plates like these... Any help is much appreciated. Thanks, dudes! :cheers:

It's a terrifying thought, but we do not in MN. nothing here in MI either. I for one am happy about it though... I wish that there was at least some kind of inspection... even if it were only when every few years. I think it'd keep a bunch of the scary crap off the roads. When I was working in repair you wouldn't believe the vehicles that some people would drive up in! :eek: