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91 SB Sportruck rebuild


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Bought from my father this last winter for a whopping $0 which makes me the second owner. 230k+ hard miles, pretty much everything was shot. Drove from his house to mine which was about 12 miles, pulled into my driveway and the radiator blew. :rotfl2: So far I've pulled the engine, transmission, exhaust, and tore up some of the interior. Planning on keeping it close to stock since I already have to other lifted jeeps.

 

Specs

 

2.5L 4cyl

AX-4 2wd trans -> swap to AX-5 & NP231

Dana 35 rear 3.54 open

straight tube front -> swap to dana 30 3.54 open

Manual steer -> swap to power steering

No A/C -> Fix windows :D

 

The Good

 

Body & paint is in great condition. No dents, dings, scratches, etc...

Interior in good shape considering other MJ's I've seen.

No yucky muck on underside of driveline.

Power brakes

 

The Bad

 

Bed needs a bedliner.

Front / Rear brakes need to be replaced along with seals

Crappy idiot-light gauges (need to do the swap)

Headliner shot, needs a new one.

e-brake doesn't work (foot operated, teeth worn)

205-70-15s with a ridiculously small spare. (will probably put 225 or 235's on)

Exhaust (muff & cat are shot, needs replaced)

Needs various other stuff, shocks, radiator, clutch.

Rear leafs shot. Sits level but no resistance to any amount of weight.

 

*PICS*

Got some pics uploaded now.

 

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Stripped the engine today. Discovered the camshaft bearings were not in great shape. The bearing closest to the front was BAD. Looks like someone went crazy with a punch tool and sharp object. Tried to take a picture but I'm no photographer. Now for a trip to the machine shop and install the front axle.

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Got the front axle out today and removed the steering box. Forgot very two important B's (a buddy and beer). I could have used them. :cheers: Some jackass thought it would be a great idea to use torx bolts for the uppper control arms. Destroyed two hex bits and finally got a big ole pair of vice grips to hold them in place. Hopefully have time to install the donor Dana 30 tomorrow. Anyone know if my current pitman arm (manual steer) will work with a power steering box?

 

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I like the graphics on the side.....were those Factory?

 

yep

 

:agree: My Spore truck has the same ones, and they're the main cause of rust on the bed. If they weren't there I'd probably only have the fender rust. I suggest doing away with them.

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Needs a new sticker since the old one is faded and curled on the edges. Enlisted right after high school and spent 8 years in. Best damn thing I could have ever done. Anyways got the 4wd dana 30 axle swapped in today. Slow but steady progress....

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Finished installing suspension, steering components, and did a quick alignment. I also had a helper today...told the wife that we need another jeep now :brows: De-gunked engine components and cleaned up the accessories. Now to find a donor for the gauge & power steering swap.

 

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Spent a few hours cleaning up the engine bay including all the nuts, bolts, and screws. I also washed the jeep since it sat for a couple months and was looking rather sad :D I also used mspaint to create a "mockup" of how the jeep would look with a coating of rhino/line-x/herc along the door panels. I'm getting ready to do the same thing on my 2001 cherokee since the cheapo sport trim has been falling off and/or warped. Going to try and find a steal from craigslist. I HATE those little 205 donut tires and I'm not fond of the rims either. Gonna replace them with 225/75's along with newer style jeep rims.

 

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I took the bench seat out today and ended up ripping out the vinyl liner. The whole underside was soaked with brown water. I found a decent amount of surface rust but it could have been a lot worse. Going to use either POR or Rustbullet but I haven't decided yet.

 

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I did find some goodies though. :D

 

1 new pair of wipers

complete tire iron/jack system

3 1st aid kits

4 emergency hazard reflectors

2 flares

1 12v orange flashing magnetic light

1 new serpentine belt

1 new upper radiator hose

1 new radiator cap

2 hose clamps

1 windshield squeegee

1 ice scraper

1 extra ball for hitch

1 glove

lots of taco bell hot sauce packets yummy

only 46 cents. was hoping for more :rotf:

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  • 4 weeks later...

After spending some well invested time with a digital caliper and bore gauge I discovered all my internals are within spec so I'm just goint to rebuild the valve train, new rings, bearings, etc...Soaked every part including the head/block with degreaser and cleaned everything up today. Going to put a fresh coat of paint on after the block comes back from the shop. It needs new camshaft bearings since the old ones are shot.

 

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I don't recommend Rhino liner. The complicated process by which it is applied does not lend itself to items such as rockers. I didn't know any better and had Rhino put on my rockers. I regret it. :( Go with a more traditional spray like Line-X or a self-applied product like Hurc. Bith will allow more control during application and should produce a better looking result. :thumbsup:

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Thanks for the tip. I've also heard mixed opinions on rhino liner. I bought a quart of herculiner today at the store. I herculined my CJ-7 before I sold it and it turned out rather well. Took a lot of prep though to make it look good. For the MJ, I'm not worried really about looks since I just want to keep out water and will be putting in a new carpet to cover everything up.

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Finally had a break in the rainy weather and I was able to herculine the floor. It only took me about 30 minutes and I used the entire $20 quart of liner. It was just enough to complete the entire floor as seen below with a nice thick layer.

 

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I also finished putting most of the engine back together however I'm still waiting on piston rings and some various gaskets. Nothing but Honda, Toyota, and Nissan vehicles in my town so the part stores never have anything jeep related in stock. :shake: I should have the motor back in the Jeep by middle of next week. Still need to source a working AX-5 transmission and do the gauge cluster swap. I also found out that I need new doors seals since I found puddles of water inside the jeep again after a couple straight days of rain. :fs1:

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