Gojira94 Posted January 5 Author Share Posted January 5 Homebrew toe setup - flip some spare 1/2" - 20 lug nuts around to hold the toe measurement bars with the rotors snug. Angle aluminum tends to be more true than steel angle iron and it's lighter. Frequently check they're level when making adjustments and re-measuring. Shoot for 1/16" less up front for about .5* toe-in. I used a laser angle finder and started with the beam at centerline of the rear tires and moved each side outward equally until I got the measurement I wanted. Then measured center to center on the knuckles and transferred that to the tie rod. Close enough to get it to my buddy's alignment shop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gojira94 Posted January 11 Author Share Posted January 11 I just drove it for the first time ever, around my neighborhood. Running and driving is silky smooth. It's still a ways away from finished. Bugs to work out - the temp and oil pressure gauges are pegged. Oil pressure gauge sweeps at key on, temp does not, both gauges worked fine some months back when I was tuning and making engine running adjustments. No big. Right fender liner still needs to go in, lots of clear coat correction and repair, little things. No tool exists to measure the width of my smile today... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GonzoTheGreat Posted January 11 Share Posted January 11 That must be an incredible feeling. Congrats on the first test drive! I love the attention to detail on this project. I'm happy to see that it's on the road! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gojira94 Posted January 12 Author Share Posted January 12 On 1/11/2026 at 6:41 PM, GonzoTheGreat said: That must be an incredible feeling. Congrats on the first test drive! I love the attention to detail on this project. I'm happy to see that it's on the road! Thanks! It almost doesn’t feel real yet. I took another short trip to the grocery store gas station in front of my neighborhood (no plate, no registration). Put $20 in it. A lot of firsts for me and this MJ are lining up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gojira94 Posted March 3 Author Share Posted March 3 It's been a while, 2 jobs and life stuff taking most of my time. A couple weeks ago, I tackled the pulsing lights at idle issue with the Durango alternator/ external regulator issue. Wrote that up on the DIY section. This past weekend, I got the fire extinguisher mounted under the passenger seat, using existing holes in the front bracket. I'm satisfied with it, easy to remove for vacuuming and reminds you to check the date when you do... Made by Shield, right here in Kings Mountain, NC. The bed hasn't been empty since I started pulling it apart back in April of 2022. Feels good. There are 3 small dents in the rear wheelhousings I'm going to work out soon. I have a ton of odds and ends for sale locally on CL. I have a tiny handful of Renix-specific stuff I'll post in our classifieds. It now has a temporary tag and is legal to operate on NC roads. I want to iron out the clutch master to 100% confidence vs warm restarts/ difficulty getting into 1st and reverse, and I need to tweak the toe adjustment. I found my custom fasteners for the passenger fender liner right after I ordered more. It hasn't been over 40MPH yet and lots of stuff needs to be tested/ verified at higher speeds: - Cruise control testing/ adjustment - Death wobble testing - Road feel with fairly little caster/ higher rear end than I like - headlight & fog light aiming/ adjustment - Overall engine performance/ driveability under differing loads & conditions Oh, and my personalized plate will read: 87-99 MJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gojira94 Posted March 3 Author Share Posted March 3 Forgot to mention, @eaglescout526 hooked me up with replacement gauges for temp and oil pressure. Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eaglescout526 Posted March 3 Share Posted March 3 1 hour ago, Gojira94 said: Forgot to mention, @eaglescout526 hooked me up with replacement gauges for temp and oil pressure. Thanks again! No problem! Glad they’re working for ya! Those little wires love to break when removing or installing them back into the cluster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gojira94 Posted March 21 Author Share Posted March 21 Minor update - I swapped injectors today to some Bosch EV6 I haven't seen anyone try yet. These are spec'd as: 0280155702 | EV6 | Long | Jetronic |4-hole | 200cc/min | 16 Ohm (very dark grey) I checked the resistance and found them all to be 16.8 - 17.2 Ohms. Not a bad thing necessarily, was shooting for 16 - 16.3. I ran them at 31psi confirmed fuel pressure. The STFTs at idle show just a touch fat at 110-114. I'll need to drive it a while to let the LTFTs set themselves but it looks like a solid winner for my particular rig. It's like a tiny bit smaller version of the 746. I'd like to see real world Ohms resistance on a set of 0280155700. If they're 'real-world' above 15.2 Ohm, I'd pronounce the 'Volvo 700' the most ideal injector possible, bar none. I say this because my motor is HO, 7120 head, bored TB, 2.5" exhaust and it still doesn't seem to really want more fuel than a stock Renix, except possibly above 3500RPM, where the better head flow makes a bigger difference. Renix and 91-95 HO cams are identical. What I took out were the ones that were in the motor from the 93 YJ, old Bosch-for-Ford 20#: 0280150943 | EV1 | Long | 4-hole | Jetronic | 210cc/min | 14.3 Ohm I had to turn those down to 24psi fuel pressure and it still smelled rich, and the oil was getting fuel-contaminated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gojira94 Posted April 12 Author Share Posted April 12 I was just changing out the transfer case front output yoke seal (thought I'd done it but nope) and noticed something just peeking out at the trans inspection cover/ spacer. If you know what this is, you know how I'm feeling right now. I've had it with internal slave. Advance Adapters conversion kit ordered today. After swapping the clutch master with a LuK LM206 shifting into 1st and reverse when warm was a lot better, briefly. Slightly cockeyed slave engagement took that away. At least I know what happened... The level of frustration with not being able to just get out and drive is getting to me. Spent a decent chunk of yesterday doing a blower motor in a Volvo XC70 (ask me how much fun that is). Today was my day to replace the transfer case seal and take it out for some more miles in nice weather. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHAES Farm Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 On 4/12/2026 at 5:29 PM, Gojira94 said: Advance Adapters conversion kit ordered today. Curious if this is the AX-15 or AX4? Which conversion did you get? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gojira94 Posted April 15 Author Share Posted April 15 3 hours ago, SHAES Farm said: Curious if this is the AX-15 or AX4? Which conversion did you get? Mine is the 89-93 AX-15 internal to external slave conversion behind a 4.0. https://www.advanceadapters.com/4993 My truck did originally have a 2.5 and AX4 but they're long gone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gojira94 Posted April 19 Author Share Posted April 19 External slave parts showed up Thursday, got a late start yesterday. I ran out of time to reinstall the shafts and bleed it but trans and TC are back in. With a 6" lift, I can roll the trans right out from under on a trans jack. I borrowed this one from a neighbor. He got it at Harbor Freight (Pittsburgh brand scissor style with a strap). Old: New: Important detail for anyone doing this swap - the input shaft cover bolts do need a thread sealer. I've used Permatex 59235 for years on head bolts in water jackets and for stuff like this. Remember to knead the tube really well each time before use! Most parts house stores are only going to have the small tubes (.3 oz) and you'll have to order the big one. Today I'm off to look at a 1972 F350 long chassis with a dump bed/ 390/ NV435, a mid-70s D100 and some other cool stuff, about an hour west of here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gojira94 Posted April 22 Author Share Posted April 22 I've been busy sorting through pics from an automotive archaeology dig on Sunday, forgot to add these from Saturday... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted April 23 Share Posted April 23 Dang, dude! Can’t believe how clean this truck is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gojira94 Posted April 23 Author Share Posted April 23 16 hours ago, neohic said: Dang, dude! Can’t believe how clean this truck is. Thanks! There was a lot of sheet metal repair in the area of that 3rd pic, kinda embarrassed, but the rest of the front half I'm happy with, much prettier. I'm looking forward to pulling the bed and rear bumper for a little clean -n- coat back there before I call it really done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gojira94 Posted April 27 Author Share Posted April 27 I originally said I was going to build this thing mostly to go pretty places (and light to moderate trails). Had her first outing on Saturday - 30 miles or so round trip, close to the house. First stop was an old traditional picnic spot from the 1800s, Flower Hill, which sits literally on the Piedmont to Coastal Plain fall line. I can feel the lack of caster, and the tires are a little overinflated, but it holds the road well. I may dial back the uppers a couple of turns and check for front shaft vibes soon but it's fine for now. No DW noted over some bumpy secondary roads between 45-65MPH. Cruise control does not work at the moment but that should be easy enough to figure out. Zero issues with clutch and gear engagement, such a relief to leave CSC stuff behind. I stopped on the way back for hot dogs at the local store. This is Percy Flowers' old land, all of it out here where I live. He was a legendary bootlegger. He made so much white lightning the sugar to make it arrived in rail cars... That D35 looks tiny under there... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gojira94 Posted May 12 Author Share Posted May 12 Made an adjustment to shorten my upper arms while on lunch break from job #1. 4 whole turns in on both sides, arm is 1" - 14 so that makes them .2857" shorter. Angle finder tells me I got back 3* of caster. Front pinion to shaft angle difference is 4.3-4.5* static now. By extension, that puts my caster at about 4.8-5.0* now. I've driven it about 70 miles all in so far. At low speeds it's felt wander-y, more stable at 55-65 but not ideal. I'll drive it to job #2 later today and see how much of an improvement it is. This truck will never see much time in the left lane on the highway. I need to look up the cross-caster spec (technically set a hair less on the driver's side for right lane driving/ road crown). I'll probably lengthen the left upper or shorten the right upper a half turn for that once I'm happy with road feel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Officialstorm_chaser Posted May 12 Share Posted May 12 51 minutes ago, Gojira94 said: Made an adjustment to shorten my upper arms while on lunch break from job #1. 4 whole turns in on both sides, arm is 1" - 14 so that makes them .2857" shorter. Angle finder tells me I got back 3* of caster. Front pinion to shaft angle difference is 4.3-4.5* static now. By extension, that puts my caster at about 4.8-5.0* now. I've driven it about 70 miles all in so far. At low speeds it's felt wander-y, more stable at 55-65 but not ideal. I'll drive it to job #2 later today and see how much of an improvement it is. This truck will never see much time in the left lane on the highway. I need to look up the cross-caster spec (technically set a hair less on the driver's side for right lane driving/ road crown). I'll probably lengthen the left upper or shorten the right upper a half turn for that once I'm happy with road feel. may I offer a suggestion of paint, a lot of older jeeps were made in a "military" green, you could somewhat resurrect that idea with your mj or you could make your own version of this paint job from twister (just an idea, you don't have to follow) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gojira94 Posted May 12 Author Share Posted May 12 25 minutes ago, Officialstorm_chaser said: may I offer a suggestion of paint I wouldn't mind it looking more 80s! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GonzoTheGreat Posted May 12 Share Posted May 12 Like this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Officialstorm_chaser Posted May 13 Share Posted May 13 16 hours ago, Gojira94 said: I wouldn't mind it looking more 80s! hence why I chose jo's truck from twister (although being a 1996 movie her jeep was a 1982) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gojira94 Posted May 24 Author Share Posted May 24 On 5/12/2026 at 1:03 PM, Gojira94 said: I'll drive it to job #2 later today and see how much of an improvement it is. Been busy with work and travel, meant to post back with results. I'd say what I got is a 60-70% improvement in return to center. I think it's possible to squeeze another degree of caster out of it without inducing front shaft vibes. None noticed with the recent adjustment. Next steps: 1) Diagnose cruise not working - most of this I can do in the garage (pretty wet here in central NC last few days/ next few days). 2) Figure out whether I want to try to adjust the doors to get rid of a significant gap at the top of both, or trust a local body shop to do it. I had a guy who retired about 1 1/2 years ago that I trusted with absolutely anything, Philip Lee of Lee's Collision in Garner, NC. He recommended me another local shop that could do it last time I spoke to him. I can't drive it in wet weather or leave it outside until that is addressed. 3) Find a spot where I can assess 4WD functions. I believe I may need a small cable adjustment to engage 4Lo without it possibly slipping out into neutral. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gojira94 Posted May 31 Author Share Posted May 31 Unless I've missed something, everything checks out electrically with cruise control. Vacuum also checks out. The dump valve is 100% good. Just now I was looking at the potentiometers in the regulator module. I haven't moved any of the settings since I harvested it from the boneyard. Lo and behold, the low speed limit is maxed out. Before, I'd tried engaging it around 55-60MPH per my speedometer. Might have worked if I was doing 70-75 lol. I need to get some chores done but I think I'll be taking a test drive today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gojira94 Posted June 1 Author Share Posted June 1 No dice on resetting the low speed to about the 10-11:00 position yesterday. Pots A and B feel a little crunchy, C feels smooth. I suspect the regulator is toast due to dead pot(s). When I get back in town I'll pull it back out and see about maybe ohming them out on the circuit board while turning to confirm dead spots. Long time ago there was an electronics repair place about an hour west in Durham, NC. Nothing else looks wrong with this regulator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gojira94 Posted Thursday at 08:06 PM Author Share Posted Thursday at 08:06 PM Despite the crunchy feel of pots A and B, they seem to work... Potentiometer readings and current settings: A - Centering Adjustment MIN = 323 Ohms MAX = 4150 Ohms "10:00" = 1500 Ohms Set to 2236 Ohms (50%, about "12:00") B - Cruise Enable Speed MIN - 1.8 Ohms MAX = 3975 Ohms "10:00" = 1126 Ohms Set to 90 Ohms (about "8:45") for next test drive C - Sensitivity Adjustment MIN = 1.9 Ohms MAX = 21,200 Ohms Set to 10,600 Ohms (50%, about "12:00") All electrical tests with meter and AM PC-1-R tool show good at cruise and brake switches. Next is servo tests with engine running/ AM PC-1-R tool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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