new battery/alternator not such a bad thing after all

[mjeff87]

Interestingly, after replacing the alt and battery, my gas mileage is back up to where it used to be. I've been noticing it's been slipping off over the last few months, as well as a whole lotta blowby (so much that oil is pushing out of the oil fill cap in the valve cover...enough to have to wipe it down every third day or so :oops: )

 

Now, blowby has decreased dramaticaly, and I'm back up to low 20's MPG-wise.....must have been suffering from a weak spark :?:

 

Jeff

[87manche]

sweet. So in like 5 years you'll make that money back in fuel. :wink:

good to hear it's running better. The Jeep got a valentine's day gift, new t-case skid to get rid of the sotcker. Should be here tomorrow. Looking for rock rails now. Nobody seems to make longbed ones :(

[Pete M]

The best rock rails are custom anyway.

Jeep on!

--Pete

[87manche]

I know. Unfortunately I don't have a welder, or a place to get steel. I'm building my bumper, I can take that somewhere to be welded, but rock rails seem like a different story. How about I just come up there? ;)

[Pete M]

I admit that I got lucky to find the guy that has done all my stuff, but if you check your phone book, you should at least be able to find a place that sells steel. Really all you need is a whole mess of 2x2 square tubing and some steel plate to spread out the load on the frame.

Jeep on!

--Pete

[87manche]

yeah, steel isn't the problem. My total lack of fabrication skills and lack of metal working equipment is the major hurdle. My other hobby is RC airplanes, so I've got lots of tools to make small metal and wood parts, but nothing to do something that big.

[Pete M]

It's not as hard as it may seem. A cheap electric grinder can do a surprising amount of fabrication. :D Just keep the design simple.

Jeep on!

--Pete

 

$20 at harborfreight.com

[whowey]

It's not as hard as it may seem. A cheap electric grinder can do a surprising amount of fabrication. :D Just keep the design simple.

Jeep on!

--Pete

 

$20 at harborfreight.com

 

 

I have 2 of the $9.95 versions of that grinder. The difference? Mine have a thumb switch on top, rather than the paddle switch. I just put a wire wheel on one, and 1/4 thick grinder wheel on the other. Damn, now I need to go get another one, for 1/8 cutoff wheels.

 

A word of warning though. That metal fabbing stuff is addicting. A grider, turns into two. Which turns into a chopsaw, then somehow a welder will find its way home, then you'll find yourself 'accidently' looking at presses.

:lol:

[pingpong]

Lets not forget the cutting torch :shock: or better yet the plasme cutter (still can't justify the expense). Or a tubing bender :twisted: Then you really can start to build some stuff, especially if you get the bend tech program. Really minimizes waste. we used 26o foot of tube on my rig, and all the waste and mistakes, didnt take up half a stick.

 

 

Patrick