Operation 'Basket Case MJ'

[Gojira94]

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.

 

 

 

[Gojira94]

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...

 

[GonzoTheGreat]

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!

[Gojira94]

5 hours ago, 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.

[Gojira94]

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

[Gojira94]

Forgot to mention, @eaglescout526 hooked me up with replacement gauges for temp and oil pressure. Thanks again!

[eaglescout526]

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.