Jeepman Posted January 8, 2013 Share Posted January 8, 2013 I got the steering column dash sub-frame mocked into place. I only have two holes drilled at the moment, but I've got the rest marked. After I mounted it, it looked really low, but tonight I connected the brake pedal and it bolted up fine to the assembly on the firewall. After remeasuring, I might be 1/16th inch off, so not as bad as I thought. The holes are slotted and it doesn't affect the fitment of the dash, so I'm happy. Here are a couple shots: Great Build as It reminds me of my 97+ conversion I did 2 years back... Any Reason why you did not install the proper Dash Brackets? I see you removed the Old style MJ ones but you did not re-install the New XJ ones which would have helped you to Properly align the dash where I seen that you said nothing lined up for the dash mounts and that is because you did not install the proper Dash Brackets... Id Post a link the my pIcture of the Proper Brackets installed but my Webshots account is all screwed since they changed over thier system... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rymanrph Posted January 8, 2013 Author Share Posted January 8, 2013 Any Reason why you did not install the proper Dash Brackets? I see you removed the Old style MJ ones but you did not re-install the New XJ ones which would have helped you to Properly align the dash where I seen that you said nothing lined up for the dash mounts and that is because you did not install the proper Dash Brackets... Id Post a link the my pIcture of the Proper Brackets installed but my Webshots account is all screwed since they changed over thier system... Mainly because I had seen it done this was successfully before and hadn't seen anyone use the '97 style setup. If I had to do it all over again, I probably would have tried to incorporate those brackets, but I've been riding on this setup for almost two years without issue, so I'm not going to worry about it. If I could weld, I would have done many things differently. And if I had started out building this truck from the beginning, I would have done some things differently too, like newer style XJ seats, but I wasn't going to toss the older style ones that I paid good money to recover. I've learned a lot along they way and know that I may not have done everything the "right" way, but I'm still pretty pleased with the outcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeepman Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 Now I understand why and knowing how to weld is important but you could have had someone weld them in for you like your Paint and Body guy... My Only concern would be if the air bags go off without proper attacment to the Firewall I would be worried that the dash will get riped off with the airbag deployment... They were designed a specific way to distribute the forces of an air bag deployment and if you have ever seen an air bag deploy you will know what I am talking about... I am a worry wart when it comes to stuff like air bags which is definately why I welded them in for my 97+ conversion but I too have seen others bolt them in and rivet them in but I have never seen anyone just not install them... As Is the Truck Looks Great ill be building another on in the near future as my current build got canceled due to no time to work on it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rymanrph Posted January 9, 2013 Author Share Posted January 9, 2013 My Only concern would be if the air bags go off without proper attacment to the Firewall I would be worried that the dash will get riped off with the airbag deployment... I am a worry wart when it comes to stuff like air bags which is definately why I welded them in for my 97+ conversion but I too have seen others bolt them in and rivet them in but I have never seen anyone just not install them... When I did my conversion, I hadn't seen anyone else use them. I mounted it the way I had seen in done. The main support bracket for the steering column is bolted to the firewall and to the side of the cab in at least a half dozen places, so its not like the bracket is just free floating under the dash. And then the dash is bolted up in the same spots as it would in the XJ with the addition of the tabs I added. I understand that my setup is not how the factory designed it to work, but when the airbag fires, I would think most of the forces would be toward the firewall, not away from it. I would use them if I were to do it again, but I am not worried about the dash being blown apart by an airbag deployment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rymanrph Posted January 9, 2013 Author Share Posted January 9, 2013 I have to come back and look through your thread every once in a while. I just can not get over how beautiful your MJ is. I just love it!! Thanks! Over three years ago, I saw two Comanche builds that pushed me go look for my own. AnotherJeff in Winston Salem and yours (back when Go4Lo) was building it in Charlotte. I will always have a soft spot for both his truck and yours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92tanMJ Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 I just read your build start to finish and I must say I am impressed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffK Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 Its a '97 Sport 5 speed with A/C and that's it. I don't mind the color, but everyone keeps telling me its girly. I just put four new to me tires on it (Yokohama Geolanders, 30s). I spent all day Saturday cleaning the interior. I de-greased and pressure washed all the carpet. Vacuumed and wiped down the floors and cleaned all the interior plastics. It was rather gross. I'll be putting a new soft top on it with tinted windows and I'm going to get the doors and and hood repaired. Both doors have been dropped and the hood looks like someone danced on it. The rest of the paint is in good shape and the seats are fantastic for 157k miles. Then I'll drive it for a couple months and sell it when it gets warm. I like it though. i had forgotten how much I enjoy driving a TJ. This is my 4th TJ, but its been almost two years since I had my last. I'd kinda like to try an LJ, but I've never spent that kind of money on a Jeep (at least the purchase price). It wouldn't be my first choice, but I like the color. Then again neither was tan/khaki/brown... Not that wild about the color, but the top is new and has tinted windows. I do like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rymanrph Posted January 11, 2013 Author Share Posted January 11, 2013 I like to try and get a color I've never had before. Although, I've had black twice (three if you count my '97 XJ donor), red twice (three if you count a color change), green twice (if you count a color change - moss green and rescue green are pretty different though) and white four times (ugh), but I've never had any shade of blue. I've never repeated yellow and I finally got a dark gray when I bought my last Miata. I'm still holding out for tan/brown, orange and a better blue. I'd take purple on the right vehicle too. My interior mod has shipped..... 6 to 10 business days to go. The post office tried to deliver it yesterday, but couldn't leave it because it required a signature. I hate that because I'm never home when the mail comes. I'll go pick it up at the post office in the morning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rymanrph Posted January 12, 2013 Author Share Posted January 12, 2013 OK, so here it is... sorta. Its a new leather wrap for the steering wheel, obviously not installed. The top and bottom of the wheel is a medium gray with the sides being charcoal. The company sent me enough thread and some needles to install it myself, but not much by the way of instructions. They have some info on their website and a couple videos on youtube, so we'll see. The only problem is the material is incorrect. The charcoal is perforated and the medium gray is solid. It should have been the other way around to match my seats. I've emailed the company to see what I can do about getting that fixed. The wheel in my truck really is in decent shape. However, the one in my new TJ is awful. From what I can tell, they are the same wheel, so I'm going to move the MJ wheel to the TJ and recover the TJ wheel and put it in the MJ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexia Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 The charcoal is perforated and the medium gray is solid. It should have been the other way around to match my seats. I've emailed the company to see what I can do about getting that fixed. The wheel in my truck really is in decent shape. However, the one in my new TJ is awful. From what I can tell, they are the same wheel, so I'm going to move the MJ wheel to the TJ and recover the TJ wheel and put it in the MJ. Yes, the two spoke 1997-2002 TJ steering wheel is the same as the 1997-2001 XJ steering wheel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rymanrph Posted January 17, 2013 Author Share Posted January 17, 2013 The company gave me a discount to just keep the wrap they sent me, so I ended up using it. Here is a shot of it on the wheel: Here you can see the stitch pattern. This was right after I did it, so the glue wasn't dry and looks a little shiny where it seeped through a tad. Here is a comparison of the original wheel on the left and the new on the right. The original is going back in the new Wrangler I bought because its in really good shape. And finally, here's an installed picture: Overall, I'm very happy with how it turned out. On the bottom of the wheel you can see where the foam was slotted for the original seam, so I wish I would have filled that in beforehand. The leather quality is very good and the stitch pattern wasn't difficult. Stretching the leather in some places and getting the thread tight was difficult however in some spots. When doing the top portion, about two thirds of the way through, the thread broke. Fortunately, we were able to tie a knot and tuck it away so I didn't have to re-stitch the whole thing and you'll never be able to see the knot. I will try to get some better pictures this weekend with my good camera to show off the color a little better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffK Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 Looks great. RedlineGoods? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rymanrph Posted January 17, 2013 Author Share Posted January 17, 2013 Looks great. RedlineGoods? You are correct. I found them through the Miata forums. You can almost build an interior with all the options they have for those cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffK Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 Same place I found them, good stuff. I wanted to see how their steering wheel covers turned out, thanks for posting it up. I got an armrest cover for my now sold M3 from them. Image Not Found Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rymanrph Posted January 19, 2013 Author Share Posted January 19, 2013 Here is a better shot of the new wheel cover: Does anyone know where I can get a new brake pedal cover? Mine is torn to shreds and I can't find one. The local part stores can't get them and I couldn't find one on rockauto.com either. You can see in the above photo how badly I need one. Today I took care of a couple nagging issues. The exhaust kept rattling on the shackle bolt. I guess the SOA and longer shackles just put it right in the right spot to contact, so I hacked off a couple inches. It doesn't look that great from below, but you'd never see if without crawling under the truck. I also had an issue with the gas filler neck. Every time I fill up I'd get several drops of gas dripping down on the ground. Turns out the filler hose had a kink in both ends so when the gas was pouring in so quickly, I don't think it could handle it. I ended up moving the gas tank forward slightly and flipping the hose around, so hopefully that solves that problem. I finally got around to lengthening my rear axle vent line too. After 6.5" of lift, the stock hose just wasn't adequate. Nothing spectacular, but all little things that needed doing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffalob Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 Here is a better shot of the new wheel cover: Does anyone know where I can get a new brake pedal cover? Mine is torn to shreds and I can't find one. The local part stores can't get them and I couldn't find one on rockauto.com either. You can see in the above photo how badly I need one. Today I took care of a couple nagging issues. The exhaust kept rattling on the shackle bolt. I guess the SOA and longer shackles just put it right in the right spot to contact, so I hacked off a couple inches. It doesn't look that great from below, but you'd never see if without crawling under the truck. I also had an issue with the gas filler neck. Every time I fill up I'd get several drops of gas dripping down on the ground. Turns out the filler hose had a kink in both ends so when the gas was pouring in so quickly, I don't think it could handle it. I ended up moving the gas tank forward slightly and flipping the hose around, so hopefully that solves that problem. I finally got around to lengthening my rear axle vent line too. After 6.5" of lift, the stock hose just wasn't adequate. Nothing spectacular, but all little things that needed doing. Man you do nice work...your interior is as nice as the rest of your truck...spectacular! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffK Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 Here is a better shot of the new wheel cover: Does anyone know where I can get a new brake pedal cover? Mine is torn to shreds and I can't find one. The local part stores can't get them and I couldn't find one on rockauto.com either. You can see in the above photo how badly I need one. Today I took care of a couple nagging issues. The exhaust kept rattling on the shackle bolt. I guess the SOA and longer shackles just put it right in the right spot to contact, so I hacked off a couple inches. It doesn't look that great from below, but you'd never see if without crawling under the truck. I also had an issue with the gas filler neck. Every time I fill up I'd get several drops of gas dripping down on the ground. Turns out the filler hose had a kink in both ends so when the gas was pouring in so quickly, I don't think it could handle it. I ended up moving the gas tank forward slightly and flipping the hose around, so hopefully that solves that problem. I finally got around to lengthening my rear axle vent line too. After 6.5" of lift, the stock hose just wasn't adequate. Nothing spectacular, but all little things that needed doing. The brake pedal pad is Mopar part number 52002749. Morris 4x4 has them for $3.99. http://www.jeep4x4center.com/brake-pedal-pad-automatic-transmission-52002749.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turner-2000tj Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 So, I don't see a Cherokee listed on RedlineGoods website for steering wheel wraps. Did you send in your wheel to get a free one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rymanrph Posted January 20, 2013 Author Share Posted January 20, 2013 So, I don't see a Cherokee listed on RedlineGoods website for steering wheel wraps. Did you send in your wheel to get a free one? Well, they're in Poland, so instead of shipping them my wheel and then paying to ship it back, they just bought one locally (that I paid for). They would have sent it to me, but I didn't want to pay shipping on it, so I told them just to keep it. I could have gotten a wheel at the local Pull a Part for about $10, but then the shipping there and back would have been more than I paid for the wheel they purchased. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rymanrph Posted January 20, 2013 Author Share Posted January 20, 2013 One thing I have noticed recently is that my A pillar panels look "old" compared to the rest of my interior. I used my original MJ ones because they fit and I didn't really realize the '97 ones were that different. I know the XJ panels don't have screws to hold them on, so what is used instead? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COFFMAN Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 97+, you will need to file 2 rectangular hole in the A pillar to fit a spring clip thingy. The panel clips on. Have thought about what i will do, and probley use the original panels. I would think the hole that needs to be filed is were the original screw holes go. So if i stuff up fileing the hole i wouldnt be able to re-fit original ones. Hope that makes sence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biotex Posted January 27, 2013 Share Posted January 27, 2013 Hey Ryan, Just re-read your build so I could find the part about installing the BW flares. I had forgotten that you first tried the flat flares, then went with the cut-out pocket flares. I'm curious as to what you didn't like about the flat ones. Was it the fitment? Or looks? I'm trying to decide which way to go myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rymanrph Posted January 29, 2013 Author Share Posted January 29, 2013 Hey Ryan, Just re-read your build so I could find the part about installing the BW flares. I had forgotten that you first tried the flat flares, then went with the cut-out pocket flares. I'm curious as to what you didn't like about the flat ones. Was it the fitment? Or looks? I'm trying to decide which way to go myself. The flat flares simply do not fit in the back. They are not made for the Comanche. No matter what adjustments I made, they didn't look right; there was always a gap above the character line and I wasn't happy with it. The cut out flares are designed to fit the Comanche, so the fit is much much better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92tanMJ Posted January 31, 2013 Share Posted January 31, 2013 97+, you will need to file 2 rectangular hole in the A pillar to fit a spring clip thingy. The panel clips on. Have thought about what i will do, and probley use the original panels. I would think the hole that needs to be filed is were the original screw holes go. So if i stuff up fileing the hole i wouldnt be able to re-fit original ones. Hope that makes sence Maybe you could just get some of that plastic dye because they really do kinda match Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jahlborn Posted January 31, 2013 Share Posted January 31, 2013 Rymanrph, this build is amazing. I am planning on starting to do something similar to what you have done and just flipping through looking at pictures has really inspired me. I will definitely be following this build closely now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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