WiscoXJ Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 The one inside the radiator? :hmm: I never put an auxiliary cooler in but I really should Ohh, ,y XJ has a seperate one so i just assumed the MJ's had one too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strokermjcomanche Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 The one inside the radiator? :hmm: I never put an auxiliary cooler in but I really should Ohh, ,y XJ has a seperate one so i just assumed the MJ's had one too Not all xj / Mjs have auxiliary trans coolers . But if you need one , dorman # 918-251 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted February 7, 2015 Author Share Posted February 7, 2015 ... 'cuz 33s. No, they're not staying there. Wheels and tires got swapped with the Baboon for at least another month until something new is figured out for that. These got thrown on so the truck wasn't stuck on stands. Made up a simple bumper for a friend and used this as a jig today. Pretty much another cookie cutter XJ/MJ bumper but it got some juices flowing for me again. :wrench: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted February 21, 2015 Author Share Posted February 21, 2015 Time to say goodbye to something that never should have been. I forgot how much beef this thing was made of. I also remembered making comments like "that's never coming off" when it was going on. :doh: Part of wanting to build a new set of bumpers was a bunch of little things that annoyed me since I painted it a while back. First and foremost was the spare tire. The truck is a short box and I've played around with putting it in the bed... which ate up too much room... then hanging off the rear... which was always just awkward... so the logical choice was to put it back where the factory intended. The problem then came in that it just might grow some more in the future, so I'm leaving enough room to hang a 33. Under a long box, there would be acres of room. Under a short box, things need to get rearranged. Number one was the exhaust. ... I'll deal with that later. Next was the sheet metal at the rear of the bed which was already moved around to make room for the previously mounted bumper. It's up there, but it's tight. I wouldn't put a 33 under there at the current height. I think a tiny, little 31 or the current 30 will fit in there just fine. Now... on to the main event. I want to change the theme of the truck a little. This truck has really grown up with me. In college, it went through the "quick and dirty lift and make it look cool" stage. Then it moved into a "done with college but not quite ready to completely settle down just yet" kind of thing. Now it's been a few years since that stage was done and over with for me, so I think it's time for the truck to catch up. Now I'd really like to see it move into a "grown up but still got it" sort of OEM+ look. This starts with bumpers! At first I wanted to find a good stock unit to hang back there, but the more I looked the more bummed out I got. So... I got creative. Look closely... I wanted a stock(ish) looking bumper with end caps that wrapped around the corners like a factory bumper would. I dug out some stock rear caps but they just looked odd. Then I got to the bottom of the pile and started playing around with some junk front caps... and I liked what I was seeing. I think they look way better than the square caps! The angle of the flares and the backwards fronts line up perfectly! They're a little smaller too so I can tuck the bumper up closer to the body too to avoid the "back porch" look. I should be able to finish up the bulk of the rear tomorrow. Feeling confident, I moved to the front... and then I got discouraged. VERY discouraged. WHY DID I DO THAT?!?!?! I'd love to be able to throw a stock front bumper back on there on modify it a little to make it stand out, but that doesn't solve what to do with the fenders and flares. Between that and cutting the grill I absolutely hate the sins I have committed in the past. Sure, I could hang another set of fenders, but these ones are already the right color and are (no doubt) faded evenly with the rest of the truck. Really lost now. Not sure what to do now. Might go back to the idea of just making up another "cookie cutter" custom bumper to hang on the front, but then I've just gone from having a front bumper that I was somewhat okay with and a rear that I really didn't care for to a rear that I really dig and a front that I'm on the fence about. Not crazy about that kind of change. :???: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strokermjcomanche Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 What about a 97+ style bumper with the newer ends matched up to the older flares? I like the rear bumper design . I have pics of what it would look like from one of my old trucks . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted February 21, 2015 Author Share Posted February 21, 2015 Thought about that... not sure if I'm crazy about the mix 'n match look. Found a few pictures of older XJs with the '97+ bumpers on the front and it really looked bazaar to me. Might put a non-butchered set of flares on the front and see what happens. Ugh... :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strokermjcomanche Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 Pm sent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WiscoXJ Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 Wana sell your old bumper? :brows: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted February 21, 2015 Author Share Posted February 21, 2015 Wana sell your old bumper? :brows: It'll probably get cut down and put on the rear of the Ape at some point... not really sure just yet. It's kind of a matching set with the front that came off the Eliminator. Kind of like making sure your belt matches your shoes, you know? All in the details. :laughin: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted February 21, 2015 Author Share Posted February 21, 2015 Change of plans for the rear... got it all tacked together and I like it SO much better without the caps. Ah well... it was a fun idea while it lasted. :idea: Pictures to follow later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WiscoXJ Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 Wana sell your old bumper? :brows: It'll probably get cut down and put on the rear of the Ape at some point... not really sure just yet. It's kind of a matching set with the front that came off the Eliminator. Kind of like making sure your belt matches your shoes, you know? All in the details. :laughin: I here that! just figured id ask :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shelbyluvv Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 Run stock uncut front flares. You can make a little tab to hold the over hang from the missing fender. I did it with 97+ fenders and a old style bumper. It is easy on the 97+ fenders because they have a lip the caps mount to. It should not be to big of a deal for you to bend up a piece of strapping to hold the flare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted February 22, 2015 Author Share Posted February 22, 2015 That's pretty much the plan at this point. As for the rear... ... I like it! Need to cut some caps for the ends but I can't finish it until it gets warmer outside anyhow. Been thinking about powder coat too. Might look more into that. As for the dilemma in the front, it felt like one of those '80s montage scenes in a bad movie where some chick is trying to decide on a prom dress or something and all her friends are waiting outside the dressing room for her to come out in each one. They all have their arms crossed and shaking their heads with each one until the last when they all have thumbs up and big stupid smiles. For a moment there, I actually thought about hanging a factory brush guard. I was diggin' the look with the lights and the roll bar! Sadly, it didn't solve any problems though. Might come back to that thought at a later date. As for now... I think I can live with the gap. Maybe try and fill it with some kind of trim... I dunno. I think of it like a scar that it's just always going to be there regardless of how you try and cover it up. There was a slight gap between the bumper cap and the flare that was closed up with a vise grip just to get the idea what I was working with. I'm diggin' this. Needs more stuff on the bumper itself but it's a start. I got it all together and took a step back to see a familiar old face. :) Obviously everything needs some freshening up with paint to get rid of the miss match of stuff. On the lookout for chrome trim for around the grill and headlight bezels too. Planning on blacking out everything else in place of the red. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kickinmule Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Yep, that tied it together very nicely! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kickinmule Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 And chicks dig scars... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted February 22, 2015 Author Share Posted February 22, 2015 Ugh... just went through and did another mass picture reload. Thanks again, FaceBook. Never again... copied everything over to photobucket. :fs2: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manche-89 Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 That truck is sick man, good job :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted April 24, 2015 Author Share Posted April 24, 2015 Need to finish up the face lift soon... it's MJ season. When I ordered a radiator for the Ape, I figured I might as well order two. They came today! There really wasn't anything wrong with the single core that has been in it for the last eight years or so other than the fact that it's a cheap single core that's been in there for eight years. Obviously, I'm on borrowed time! So... need to finish the rear bumper, paint it, paint the grill and headlight surrounds, paint the fender flares, might as well paint the rears too so everything matches, C101 delete, wash and enjoy. . :MJ 1: . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted June 12, 2015 Author Share Posted June 12, 2015 Ball is rolling on this little guy again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shelbyluvv Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 Hell yeah! I bet you thought getting those chrome pieces would be easy. I'm glad to see you finally got them though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted June 13, 2015 Author Share Posted June 13, 2015 Right?! Just ordered up a set of Jeep tailgate decals... finally. Now that the spare tire is back under the bed were it belongs, the rear of the truck needs to properly advertise. :brows: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WiscoXJ Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 What size spare is it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted June 13, 2015 Author Share Posted June 13, 2015 30x9.5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted June 13, 2015 Author Share Posted June 13, 2015 What size spare is it? 30x9.5 ... and it fits up in there pretty tight... The long box guys have it easy with their miles of room both in the bed and under it. I've played around with fitting a 33 under my old Pioneer and it wasn't near the squeeze that it is to fit a 30 under a short box! While I was fiddling around back there, I checked to make sure that my new license plate light doesn't interfere with the tailgate... Neat little LED unit I found on Amazon. They had mixed reviews, but for the space it takes up I'll take a chance on it. Speaking of lights... ... the headlights are getting some attention too. I've got a three core copper radiator waiting to go in soon that'll free up tons of space for putting in the new harness. Had to move things around in the garage back to "summer mode" and I think this is the first time the Eliminator and the Ape have ever been properly introduced... I remember back when I thought that having a 3.5" lifted truck on 31s was a big deal! :laughin: They both look a little sad right now. The Eliminator is due for a face lift while the Ape just looks like that all the time. I'm still getting bumpers sorted out for the truck. The rear needs a little bit of finish welding on it and then paint, and I need to pick the best one out of my pile of bumpers for the front. Yup... as stated before, going back to a stock bumper. I really miss the clean looks of this truck from when I first got it! That big ugly bumper was never intended to be hung on it! Fortunately, it's just nuts, bolts, and paint that's been mostly holding things back. That and a long search for a couple very specific pieces of trim is the start of a sign of things to come. I think it looks a little Chiefish, but that was a risk I was willing to take. That bright (currently dirty as hell) red paint really pops with a touch of chrome! That's right, Don... you're slowly converting another. :shake: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kickinmule Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 Don't be skeert of the bright-n-shiny! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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