Project “Tomahawk”

[Comanche SS]

Safe Travels!

[Salvagedcircuit]

3 hours ago, ghetdjc320 said:

Some final shots before leaving

 

 

 

Absolutely stellar work right there! Wow.

What did you end up choosing as a head unit? Thanks!

[ghetdjc320]

On 4/30/2025 at 1:38 AM, Salvagedcircuit said:

 

Absolutely stellar work right there! Wow.

What did you end up choosing as a head unit? Thanks!

I used the Joying 6.2” single din head unit. Can’t say enough good things about that unit. @Limeyjeeper was the one who first suggested it. Seems like very good quality unit.  Unfortunately, I don’t see it listed on Joying’s site anymore though the 7” single DIN *may* fit

[Limeyjeeper]

The end product looks outstanding. Well done. Your attention to detail is inspiring. Safe travels.

[ghetdjc320]

[fiatslug87]

 

[ghetdjc320]

Very cool to spot a fellow club members’ MJ here on island today @Yellowoctupus 
 

Next year in May there is an island wide car show at Andersen Air Force Base. I say we arrange an MJ takeover for anyone willing and able 

 

 

[Salvagedcircuit]

Aww yeah, lookin good

[fiatslug87]

How long will it take for yours to arrive?

[ghetdjc320]

9 hours ago, fiatslug87 said:

How long will it take for yours to arrive?

It’s scheduled to arrive June 9th. 

[Yellowoctupus]

Quote

I say we arrange an MJ takeover for anyone willing and able 

 

All four of us!! There's strength in small numbers!! 

[ghetdjc320]

Truck is few days out now from port. It made a stop over at Honolulu for a day. According to the shipper, the truck came in at a weight of exactly 3,231 lbs. 

 

 

[89 MJ]

That’s lighter than I would’ve guessed. I suppose that aluminum LS saves a lot of weight

[ghetdjc320]

4 hours ago, 89 MJ said:

That’s lighter than I would’ve guessed. I suppose that aluminum LS saves a lot of weight

I'm sure it does. I tried to stay away from too much extra weight but between the hidden winch, bed roll top cover, crossmember/skid, front and rear bumpers, I'm surprised by the final weight. 

[Eagle_SX4]

I wish mine was that light. My long bed rolled across the scales at the scrapyard at 4,100lbs with an empty bed. I might have 100lbs of junk in the toolbox but still can't figure out why it weighs so much.

[ghetdjc320]

17 minutes ago, Eagle_SX4 said:

I wish mine was that light. My long bed rolled across the scales at the scrapyard at 4,100lbs with an empty bed. I might have 100lbs of junk in the toolbox but still can't figure out why it weighs so much.

I know the 4.0 and its accessories are quite heavy. I can’t imagine that makes up all the difference though . I kept the axles on the light side along with c rated tires and 17” aluminum wheels to avoid extra unsprung weight but I wasn’t conscientiously trying to go for a light weight build. 

[Comanche SS]

That means mine could be around the 3k area….very little sheet metal left with the same drivetrain as you. Crazy. Stoked for you to enjoy your truck

[ghetdjc320]

20 hours ago, Comanche SS said:

That means mine could be around the 3k area….very little sheet metal left with the same drivetrain as you. Crazy. Stoked for you to enjoy your truck

 

it’s been a long time in the making. Ready to hit the road! 

 

[ghetdjc320]

About to pick it up from the port 

[ghetdjc320]

It has arrived!! Definitely need to fix the drivers side interior door pull/armrest. That’s first on the list. It runs great though. I’m going to grab an HP Tuners and adjust the speed sensor input on the PCM since I’m running the Dakota GPS speed sender. The sender is working great and gives me an accurate Speedo. The fuel gauge also appears to have resurrected and is functioning perfectly again . I’m guessing it maybe just needed a full tank and some road miles?? Funny how some bugs work themselves out. 
I’m not happy with my steering though. The steering is too stiff. It’s definitely some form of power steering but it’s too heavy. I’m guessing the 12:1 box with the 33’s is asking a bit too much. Will probably go with another PSC big bore box or something that gives me a better steering feel. The brakes work well and seem to be well proportioned. I can tell that I could benefit from a slightly larger master cylinder in the 1” or 1-1/16” bore range as it takes a good bit of fluid movement (aka pedal travel) to move these massive calipers. But they do work very well. I would definitely recommend this style brake setup if you have the pre-90 knuckles. Will have to get some glamour shots but here is a quick pic.

 

 

[Tsalagi]

[ghetdjc320]

So it turns out it’s the actual steering box that is defective. It doesn’t want to return to center, it’s very tight and resists turning left badly. Ordered up a new PSC big bore box and will never again buy a rebuilt box no matter who builds it. Redhead has a pretty good reputation but this box is trash. 

[Comanche SS]

1 hour ago, ghetdjc320 said:

So it turns out it’s the actual steering box that is defective. It doesn’t want to return to center, it’s very tight and resists turning left badly. Ordered up a new PSC big bore box and will never again buy a rebuilt box no matter who builds it. Redhead has a pretty good reputation but this box is trash. 

How did you determine its bad?

 

Also curious what PS pump you ran? The LS pumps are generally Saginaw series II (or P-series) but they have different flow/pressure for truck and car applications. I run the Car pump, with a 1.5:1 steering ratio and mine does well…original 250K miles box on mine.

[ghetdjc320]

5 hours ago, Comanche SS said:

How did you determine its bad?

 

Also curious what PS pump you ran? The LS pumps are generally Saginaw series II (or P-series) but they have different flow/pressure for truck and car applications. I run the Car pump, with a 1.5:1 steering ratio and mine does well…original 250K miles box on mine.

These box issues are a familiar one. The pump itself is quiet, flowing well and bubble free. You can feel the feedback in the wheel from the steering box. Almost feels like those “Cruisin USA” arcade game steering wheels that would pull the wheel one way or another as you drove. The return to center is non existent and the steering is stiff only when turning left. All the steering components such as ball joints, linkage etc are all new. I’m truly starting to believe that a “rebuilt” steering box is a myth. Once they go, send em to the scrap heap. 

I’m running the stock C5 TC 2 steering pump which is rated at 1200 psi with the upgraded GM performance pulley. The only thing is dislike about the C5 power steering setup is the reservoir. The location is great for feeding the pump but is tough to fit your intake around. I cut and welded that bracket on every dimension possible to eliminate all but the tiniest bit of clearance between the reservoir and the engine. I’d run a PSC reservoir and TC 2 pump but there just isn’t a great spot to add that reservoir on a C5 belt drive. Chase bays has a pretty sweet little reservoir I may try someday. But I’ll see how the steering does with the PSC box. I had one on my YJ before and it was the best steering I ever had on a non-rack & pinion Jeep.