Project “Tomahawk”

[ghetdjc320]

@Pete M Do you happen to have that picture of the 97+ front clip with the old style fenders? I seem to recall you had posted it but I can't find that thread. It's the one where the corners of the grill have been sanded and matched to the fenders. I'm contemplating going that route as I could still keep the stock style flares front and rear. I always liked the look of that grill more anyways. I think that will complete the best of both worlds look: full size door glass, Early XJ limited style all black interior, pre 97 mirrors, 97 grill 96- fenders and flares and my first get warrior bumper with grill guard. It does leave me wondering about my full set of new turbines though...

 

 

[Pete M]

[ghetdjc320]

1 hour ago, Pete M said:

That’s a clean look imo

[Pete M]

and a lot less work than new fenders and then trying to match flares.

[ghetdjc320]

30 minutes ago, Pete M said:

and a lot less work than new fenders and then trying to match flares.

Agreed. It adds a nice look to the front without throwing off the classic look from the side. 

[watchamakalit]

I had a 97+ grill on mine for a short bit. Looks nice and minimal modification.

 

Mine was a cheap aftermarket from rockauto. There isnt really much work that needs done to match the fenders. Even less for a guy with your body work skills.  The difference between yhe grill and fender was roughly the thickness of a quarter. 

[EUREKA]

How different is the 3M Rigid Pillar foam from Great stuff window and door foam?

 

Do the T&M latch braces weld on right on top of the factory sheet metal?

[ghetdjc320]

6 hours ago, EUREKA said:

How different is the 3M Rigid Pillar foam from Great stuff window and door foam?

 

Do the T&M latch braces weld on right on top of the factory sheet metal?

The pillar foam has much better adhesion to sheet metal and especially if there is paint on the surface. Plus being a 2 part system it should last a lot longer without deteriorating. It’s able to maintain its “springiness” without fatiguing. 
 

Yep the T&M braces go right over the factory sheet metal.  Used weld through primer on the back sides of any pieces that would be welded together though for corrosion resistance. Then I welded them on, epoxy primed them, then used some medium bodied 2 part seal sealer to seal the welds. They are a nice reinforcement to that otherwise flimsy area. My last MJ was starting to develop cracks around the door latch striker. 

[ghetdjc320]

Just ordered up all my custom switches from otrattw.com 

I went with the Contura X design as I felt it best matched the original switches and interior. The switches are fog, cargo, rock lights, arb compressor, front and rear lockers, winch power and winch spool in and out. Going to use the 4 dash locations along with the @m2bandit console pocket 4 switch holder. 
 

Also configuring my OBA setup. Not sure if I’m going to run the arb single or twin yet but plan on adding a 2-2.5 gallon air tank with coupling  to run a blow off gun or other air tools. The arb twin does a fairly impressive 6 cfm free flow rate. 
 

The bed lights will be activated by a tailgate ground switch. Thinking about doing a nice cargo light with 3rd brake light if I can find a design I like that looks clean. 
 

I think I’m going to stick with the old style 10 slot chrome grill as I have the original Marchal fogs and original turbines. The outside should retain a very “period correct” but slightly modified look. 

[ghetdjc320]

[89 MJ]

Very nice! Looks very OE, I doubt most people will know they aren't stock.

[ghetdjc320]

4 hours ago, 89 MJ said:

Very nice! Looks very OE, I doubt most people will know they aren't stock.

Yeah I agree. These are the contura x switches. The bottom light is independent and comes on with the dash lights and the top symbol illuminates when the switch is on. It’s all incandescent lighting also so it should match nicely. The connectors and pin terminals will ensure an OE level install. 

[Minuit]

On 1/4/2023 at 9:46 AM, ghetdjc320 said:

While neck deep in electrical work, I’m staring to design the audio system as well. The stock speaker grills in the door heavily shroud the woofer and interfere with imaging tk a great degree. I don’t like the idea of an aftermarket speaker grill directly on the door panel but this much shrouding is just not going to work. I was planning to replace the lower carpeted portion of the door panel so the opportunity to have a clean fitting grill will be there. Plus I never really liked the carpet “pocket” on these door panels. I’ll delet that and add one of the later style plastic door pockets. I wonder the size of the Jensen accusound grills that came on the loaded XJs

The Jensen door panels fit a lot better over the speaker. You can get them in factory black too, from an '87 Limited.

 

 

[ghetdjc320]

3 minutes ago, Minuit said:

The Jensen door panels fit a lot better over the speaker. You can get them in factory black too, from an '87 Limited.

 

I’ve seen some NOS recently. Was wondering though, are they the same width as the factory “louvered” styler grills? Just want to make sure they would fully cover the original opening. Here is the opening size:

 

 

[Minuit]

8 minutes ago, ghetdjc320 said:

I’ve seen some NOS recently. Was wondering though, are they the same width as the factory “louvered” styler grills? Just want to make sure they would fully cover the original opening. Here is the opening size:

 

 

 

 

[ghetdjc320]

Obviously the door panel opening is smaller on the non-accusound XJs. Just wondering how they would fit. My current plan was just to make a little grill using some thin birch and speaker grill cloth. I had been on the lookout for a long time for some nice black limited door panels but never found anything. I’m also dealing with speaker depth issues due to the full size window. I have about 1 7/8 of useable top mount depth if I go woth 5.25 speakers in the stock location. I was planning on also making a simple spacer ring and bring the speakers out another 3/16” or so. My goal is to have a good sealed barrier between the front and back of the speaker. I’ll use a piece of eggcrate style foam behind the speaker mounted to the inside of the outer door shell to reduce back waves. Probably use about a 12x12 piece just as a dampener in addition to plenty of Dynamat to keep the panels from vibrating as much. I also have some 1/8 minicell foam I plan to use instead of (or in addition to) the water shield to give a good seal between the door panel and door shell.

[ghetdjc320]

4 minutes ago, Minuit said:

 

 

That should work great! I’ll order up a pair of those then after I take one last look on fleabay for a set of limited black door panels. Here are some more pics and dimensions for reference:

 

 

[fiatslug87]

1 hour ago, ghetdjc320 said:

That should work great! I’ll order up a pair of those

Where are you ordering these from? Thanks

[ghetdjc320]

9 hours ago, fiatslug87 said:

Where are you ordering these from? Thanks

https://www.quadratec.com/products/13131_1003_14.htm
 

They’re available from Omix but they are nos supply they must have bought at some point. Just make sure to leave me a couple 

[Salvagedcircuit]

Curious, what is the filler neck near the booster in the photo below (circled in white)?

Thanks!

[89 MJ]

1 minute ago, commissioneranthony said:

Curious, what is the filler neck near the booster in the photo below (circled in white)?

Thanks!

Clutch master cylinder for the AX15.

[Salvagedcircuit]

Many Thanks!

[ghetdjc320]

Custom labels in for this project. Can you spot the differences? Thanks to @SoCalJeepComanche for making these and spending the time to customize them for the build. 

[Smokeyyank]

Tires and engine! 

[ghetdjc320]

21 minutes ago, Smokeyyank said:

Tires and engine! 

Yep, also had him delete the emissions schematic, change the plug gaps and emission tuning info.