neohic

Looks great, Wade! Any plans for bed sides, er... naw?

Thats gotta be a 4.2. That valve cover would fit a 4.2 head up to ‘86 based on the bolt hole configuration. 4.2 intake manifold also. Older CJ alternator mount on top... V-belts... yup, it’s a 4.2.

I’ve got questions... 35s with room for 37s? Crab walk for extra maneuverability? Additional 6” of ground clearance at a push of a button? Lane change/passing technology? Loads of technology wrapped inside a huge vehicle that’s dripping in plastic? Who’s the target audience here? I guess it’s cool but...

I thoroughly enjoyed the suspense of having to go into another page to get all that.

Post #4000.

I PAST!!! Still a long road ahead but it feels great to be done jumping through hoops with the county.

Calling in for my final inspection this week. Suppose these two camera angles won’t change anymore with getting going on the electrical and interior.

Not sure of any shops I’d trust to do it. Being it’s an ‘86, and others have already stated, a 4.0 swap takes a little more than “just get it running”. Honestly I’d take on the project in my spare time if my shop were done.

Right?

What’s your reasoning for needing long arms? 4.5” rides great with short arms and drop brackets.

I’d say that so much of it is the driver and picking the right line. My old Cherokee was on 33s but I’d keep up with rigs on 37”+ tires. I’m currently dreaming of the day of building a new trail rig and it’s tough keeping words like “streetable” in mind. Having fond memories of the XJ makes me appreciate a “small tire” rig in that they’re light weight and there’s less strain on the drivetrain. What is it that makes you want to bigger already? If you figure ground clearance, it’d only be another inch but your axles will definitely feel the difference.

Not the exact words I had in my head, but agreed... to say the least.

For whatever reason I was looking at my profile page and decided to changed my avatar. Haven’t done or even thought about doing that for years! Anyhow I noticed that I’ve been hanging around this place for 14 years to the day. Thanks to everyone who continue to chill on the big CC couch for all these years. So many good dudes who have come and gone. Cheers, all.

I’ve got a neighbor who promised an old truck to his kid years ago. Sadly the truck was sold before it happened. Low and behold he found the original tailgate in a storage unit recently and wanted to surprise his kid with at least some of the truck. This was genuinely a quick project. Always do favors.

The tarp came down but it was in preparation for some weather we got. Then he went over his deck with a pressure washer to prep for staining which he did on what seemed like the windiest day of the year. Can you guess which side of my shed has a texture to it now? He pretty much fogged the whole neighborhood. HE’s lucky I didn’t have a vehicle parked down there.

Thanks for keeping things updated. I truly enjoy seeing what’s new with your truck and I enjoy the simple and honest feel to it.

The exterior is nearly finished! Today I made up the door insert panels and painted them. I need to touch up the brown trim, paint the exposed sides of the 6x12s, seal around the windows, and caulk around the new door panels. Soon enough I’ll be ready for my final inspection to close my permit.

... on it.

I’d bet that whatever we see it’ll be followed with a unanimous “you need that”.

Pictures of said Gladiator?

It used to be all the time! Should be coming home to my new shop this year yet.

Unfortunately mine has been used for parts storage and for holding a Comanche shape to a car cover for four years now.

Friend of mine calls me up. "Hey! My dad wants to pull his Cherokee to Texas this week. Can you help putting on a tow bar?" "Sure!" Meanwhile I show up expecting to see a box kit with brackets and the whole bit. Nope... there's a pile of rusty $#!& with a trailer coupler at one end. "I figured you could just weld everything to the frame.” he says. “I measured it. It'll fit." I shook my head and told them, "No... you don't weld to these 'frames' unless you're plating the whole thing.” Figuring I was already there and while staring at a decent size scrap pile, I decided to make something work that I’d be comfortable using myself. I found an old hitch off a Chevy that I could harvest the mounts and some tabs from along with an old and busted hitch basket. Did you know that two of the three bolts for an early 2000s Chevrolet Silverado is the same spacing as the sway bar hardware on an XJ?... me neither. Four hours later into an "hour job" and the guys starts talking about adding a hitch to the back of his fifth wheel camper. "Oh yeah... that's really what I was hoping you could have a look at today. Shouldn't take long if you could come up with something for that today." “Naw... one rabbit out of a hat is enough for today.” I tied into the bumper mounts and sandwiched in with the sway bar. This was genuinely a fun MacGyver type project today but I had a tough time keeping my head in the game. Honestly I was ready to walk away once I heard the original plan only to find out towards the end of the day that my buddy’s dad is an electrician. We start talking about my shop build and volunteers to jump in when I’m ready to start wiring. Anyhow the moral of the story is to always help out and do favors for others when you can.

Thanks for the update. Will you be using the Explorer steering column?

Pretty sure this is the last “big” building I’ll ever do. Should we ever move again in the future a workable space is a must have. So much of the problem comes in to what’s considered my off time and then what I could be doing with it. I’m so much happier using a space rather than building one.