JeepcoMJ

well, since my dad no longer makes a living out of his shop (since going back to work for a company that builds semi trucks), it's getting very clean...and as a result, we can begin to decorate it. begun today, started with a junk tailgate :brows: add a center cap, and an old 4 cylinder Hurricane filter cover, and it's gettin there. now if only i could find that j4k hubcap clock i made... future plans include an old willy's grille that I've got laying around (after I get headlights, turn signals, and the headlight trim rings for it...then I will paint it white and black and put it up), and a complete front clip from a junk cherokee I've got...this will be functional with headlights and turn signals which actually turn on. one thing I'd really like is to get a junk MJ box, chop the back off of it, mount it on the wall, and put the parts washer in it with a drying rack on one side .

I find saltwater easier than fresh water. the first few months is the worst...you CANNOT add fish for the first month or so until chemicals start to settle, and even then you can't get much more than a damsel or two to jump-start the eco-system that's what gets most people; the wait. if you're patient, you can do one safely and not lose out on $$$ best thing I've found, when starting a new tank, is to pull live rock and some base out of the old tank and add it to the tank that's being started...it cuts the start time in half. we did this for my sister and she has a 40 gallon cube tank with fully functional ecosystem within a month of beginning the tank.

Quick history. I began building the 3800 MJ in the fall of 2004 as a stock rebuilt 86 jeep comanche. less than a year and a half after completion, I decided on an engine upgrade; a 3.8 camaro v6 from a 96 camaro. netting 205hp and 225 ft lbs of torque I believe, this is quite the upgrade. everything started going downhill in the fall of 2007, when I blew up the transmission. the AX-5 is not a transmission that can handle that torque, but I had spare trannies so i just replaced it instead of upgrading. since then, I've been through two more of those transmissions and currently have another one going out the door. at the point that the trannie had blown, I had blown two dana 35's already and had yet one more to blow. also, in fall 2007 a 16 year old backed out of his parking stall at the waterford high school, taking out the rear quarter panel behind the wheel on the driver's side. I repaired this in june 2008, i was hit again in the exact same spot. With the right of way, I crossed an intersection, and the guy across the road did also...only he turned left into the rear left quarter of the truck, not two weeks after I had repaired the rear left quarter. not happy... further...I have spun rod bearings in the engine. time for a rebuild and upgrade ;) Now in the interest of rust prevention, I've begun Series Two of the 3800 MJ project. In this build, I intend on several upgrades and demand absolute perfection. (pictures will be added as stages progress) Prep Stage: tear down gut the truck completely. this is an attempt to rival mfpdm's rebuild :brows: Stage One: rear axle upgrade to dana 44 rear end with limited slip. I have a problem with dana 35's...they just don't seem to like me enough. ZJ rear discs POR15 rear end and springs Stage Two: body torn between two projects...either the 2500 front end with 97+ doors and mirrors, or 97+ front end all together. also a tonneau cover, and custom tail lights. repair cab corners repair damage to the box rust has begun Stage Three: interior and floors updating interior from black old-school to charcoal/black 97-01 interior cleaning, prepping, and POR-15-ing the floors. I had done this previously but with undercoat, and had laid down clear plastic to attempt to keep the water off of the floor (this did not work... :roll: ) Stage Four: engine, trans, suspension, and front axle either rebuilding the current 3800 with a bore and cam, or upgrade to a series 3 supercharged 3800 upgrade to AX-15 manual transmission (acquired already)...this may require me to build a bellhousing. this will be rebuilt...it won't take me long NP242 part time transfer case (have this too). I will rebuild this as well rebuild front axle using a new housing...the current one is bent install a new lift kit; currently thinking a 4" kit from IDK what company, just not Rough Country or Rusty's

thanks dude. idk where the gauge pods are from...they came off of an xj I worked on for a friend who fell on hard times...couldn't keep the jeep and had no time to finish it. anyways, as promised here are pics of the console from above. I still haven't finished the front of the console, as I have something special planned for there. and a few showing the cheapo center console i've put in (works better than factory options, and it's a wheeling truck anyways...), and also showing my front Central Axle Disconnect switch... and the rear bumper I will be using, set on top of the factory bumper. it's lacking on outer protection, but is just fine for a rear bumper. I will be extending it at some point after it is installed, and running it to the wheel well for some side protection.

man, this is a good lookin project so far how hard was it to prep the body? I'm going to be re-doing the 3800 (my 86 MJ) over the winter and repainting the whole truck at that point...

but DON'T replace the sensor that's on the t-stat housing. if there's one there (I believe even renix have them, and KNOW that H.O. has it), you need to keep it. it's the temp sensor for the engine computer and if it goes missing will cause running issues.

np a little more help to make it easier...the sensor has only one wire going to it. don't pull the sensor unless the motor is cool and on a level surface...coolant will flood out, or burn the $#!& out of you. just like opening a radiator cap...not a good idea :P

that's exactly it. the b*tch of the system is that the holes are not fun to drill in cast. the sensors are mounted to the knuckles up front, and the backing plates in the rear. the diff fluid ones are drilled through the axles, the washer fluid one is located on top of the washer reservoir, the power steering one requires a nonstandard power steering line on the pressurized hose. kinda a PITA to deal with. I had the assembly but it was stolen from me out of my parts stash (it's a shame that some of the locals can think of doing that...i only let 89eliminator, beaterjeep, TNT, geonovast, and my buddies Aaron, Jake, and his brother Joe in now. made a mistake letting someone else in. anyways, I'd hook up what you can on the sentinal system then devise different ways to make the rest of the lights work. the sensors are simple...levels or thicknesses are reached, and they close the circuit.

a factory gauge cluster and sending units would have been cheaper... anyways, depending on what the sensor for the gauge looks like, you may be able to put it in place of the factory sensor. the factory gauge sensor is actually located at the rear left of the cylinder head, directly on top of it. it is the farthest thing back and the only thing with a wire in that location. you may be able to just swap it in. after all, the factory one is just a dummy light sender and you've got the full gauge sensor to go in anyways.

today I got the front driveshaft back in, and then took a 86 cherokee selec-trac vacuum switch and plumbed vacuum line from it to the central axle disconnect. the disco is now powered by engine vacuum...due to it formerly being a 2wd, it had no other option. anyways, not 20 minutes after i installed the 4wd, and I already high centered it on a pile of field rock :oops: :eek: luckily i could dig the rock down and then when i moved forward the loose rock all fell down/moved around. bottom of frame rails are scratched up as is the tranny x-member and the right cab support. just scraches so nothing bad.

:P forgot to mention, it's sitting out on the cow yard in front of our barn right now :brows:

my grandpa had this 68 (or is it 69?...working on the title) up north, and it hasn't been used in years since the brake lines rusted out. the cab and floors are junk, fenders are junk. everything is straight but just rusty. the hood is OK, grille is decent. dana 44 front and a 14 bolt (i think) rear with 4.56 gears or something like that. top speed was around 55mph at redline it's got a 307 or something like that (not a 350, i forget what the other engine option was) with an auto trans, 4wd, and a PTO driven dump bed (flat bed) which is in great shape except for the decking. also has a complete plow assembly which is all hydraulic. the frame is good, suspension is good but joints surely need replaced. brakes all need redone, tires are junk (good tread but weatherchecked) but all hold air and rims are good what is the aftermarket support on a truck like this? it's passenger drop and I don't want to transplant the parts into a jeep...either rebuild it, or sell it to someone who will (I really, really want a flatbed and a classic would be sweet) the money isn't really here for the project...and it's kind of a split between my dad, brother, and me on what happens to it I'm sure.

:jump: :rotf: you think that's bad? it's bad, when you have scrapped 14 snowmobiles and the front of the barn still looks like it did before. it's bad, when you get a picture with 6 comanches, 4 of which you own...and the volkswagon's in the shop with the cherokee down in front of the barn :D your neighbors have nothing to b*tch about... tell them to shut up and stop complaining, or you'll give them something real big to complain about (think military jeep in advanced decay)

yar man.... at least baby will be healthy soon...nice, new front axle, alloy valve cover, and wiring issues fixed :D don't worry bout the house...i'll manage :P

On a side note.. the whole 3wd thing ONLY works if you have a front locker. Without a locker in front and the disco disengaged, neither of the front wheels actually have power. If you just powered the front with it disengaged and nothing going to the rear, the outer shafts would sit and do nothing, and the inner shaft would sit and spin twice as fast as the carrier. haha...right you are correy was thinking this as i typed. I'm literally in the process of doing a manual vacuum switch right now for this, so I will post up what I've figured out with that. plans are to go to air-actuated with an air actuator off of a MACK water truck's PTO drive (my dad builds trucks). this will eliminate vacuum. I'm probably going selectable locker whenever the $$$ is there for it.

throw your concern over vacuum systems out the window. get some washers, remove CAD, shim it over, and lock it in. if you don't like that idea, then on ebay for a hundred-something dollars you can buy a posi-lock kit which is cable operated to remove the vacuum system and give you master control. this means you can put the vehicle in 3wd with 4wd enganged (this is good for tight turns where you need traction), or you can pull the cable and put it in 4wd. I'm in the process of building my own posi-lock (very simple to do) for my 87 comanche, as I'm running a 95 t-case in it which doesn't have the vacuum switches. to put the vacuum switches in, you will need to split the case, remove internals, drill a hole, tap the hole, insert the vacuum stuff. the vacuum stuff is in no way connected to the motor, so removing it will not cause poor running conditions, and it in no way has anything to do with shifting the transfercase into 4wd...it only switches the front axle into 4wd. i understand wanting to keep it "stock-ish" but to be honest, the vacuum system is more problem than necessary.

...which literally swaps out with the mechanical one

hopefully you have a 23 spline output shaft on your transmission...if not, then you're SOL already cause you need to swap the input shaft. as for being electronic, wtf do you mean? does it have a shifter arm for your shift linkages to hook up? if so, then scrap all the vacuum hoses and buy a posi-lock kit for the axle disconnect. the vacuum stuff is worthless to attempt to keep. hell, you can even permanently lock the axle disconnect in...but DO NOT spend the time rebuilding a case simply because you want to keep out-dated equipment

remember that geonovast has multi-port fuel injection, so his situations would be a little different than yours.

A-pillar lights are a waste of time, unless you're willing to black out your hood to reduce the glare they produce off of the hood. also, as stated, you can't use them very much unless you lead the pack. put some up top where they have some projection, or some in front.

Wouldnt that foam just suck up any water and accelerate the rust? :???: yes, it would. DON'T do this method. if you're pushing the car down the road or intend for it to scrap itself (rust) within the next year, feel free. I've had two comanches come in with this method, and the bottom half of the CAB was gone only a year or so after having been "repaired"

If it was free I still couldn't afford the gas to drive it home. :( Considering it doesn't move I don't think that'd be a problem...you said you've got a hauler :P bahaha. right you are Correy. with a spun bearing (or a few more... :roll: ) and a leaky transmission and no seats right now, you'd be hard-pressed to make it home

beaterjeep isn't feeling well at all lately. hopefully next weekend I'll make it to his place to swap out his front axle.

sounds like a bad Throttle position sensor, or MAP sensor

my stuff is all local, and my tank is NOWHERE near as nice as that one. at the moment, I'm concentrated on fish and minorly on inverts. as for quantity of fish in there, nothing I have is very big (less than 1.5 inches per fish) and at one half inch per fish per gallon (general rule of thumb) i'm far under my quota. also, one thing I've found is that with excellant water quality, inverts do not get bothered much (for the most part...this varies with species) by "overpopulation" within reason. I'm upgrading to a 50 gallon soon as I find a decent deal on one...i just don't have the $$$ for something brand new right now.