Gojira94 Posted November 9, 2022 Author Share Posted November 9, 2022 Main floor cutting done. Next I'll dress all the mating edges for welding in the patches and clean off the surface rust everywhere else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gojira94 Posted November 9, 2022 Author Share Posted November 9, 2022 Door hinges and cowl seam sealer is like old crumbly mortar, I couldn't just pretend not to see it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gojira94 Posted November 10, 2022 Author Share Posted November 10, 2022 2 light coats of Colonial Red Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gojira94 Posted November 23, 2022 Author Share Posted November 23, 2022 I got the final arrangement for front accessories mocked up. I had a 99-01 intake in the parts pile that came with the drive train purchase that matched the PS bracket so I'm swapping over to it. Everything now comes back off for cleaning and painting before install/ final assembly. The belt I used is 74". It's snugged but not all the way tight so it should sit in almost the exact middle of the adjustment range once the belt is tensioned correctly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gojira94 Posted November 23, 2022 Author Share Posted November 23, 2022 Finally got around to dropping the tank and checking the pump and sender. The outside has patches of rust scale that will come off ok but the inside was a pleasant surprise. The sending unit is accurate per my meter and the pump runs well. Not sure if it's a TBI or MPFI pump, as there's no number on it anywhere. Looks new-ish. I'm hoping it's a FI pump since this truck reportedly had a 4.0 in it somewhere in the past before the 2.5 was dropped back in. We'll see. There was about 8.5 gal. of fuel in it that smelled stale but not bad. I pumped it out with the pump in it and put it in my '03 Accord with another 4 gal. of fresh 87 non-E. Easier than trying to dispose of it somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gojira94 Posted November 23, 2022 Author Share Posted November 23, 2022 The vent/ rollover valves were fine and work great. The grommets are cracking and the bottom side of the bed showed a few small spots of evaporated fuel. Found a pair on Amazon for $9. I'm happy not to have to spend close to $350 on a tank and pump/ sender. Looks like the worst that could happen is needing to buy a good quality MPFI pump if this one won't make 39psi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gojira94 Posted November 27, 2022 Author Share Posted November 27, 2022 Fuel tank stage 1- the top half. I went ahead and shot it before it could flash rust. Flap disc, wire wheels and Dremel for the tight spots at the filler neck. Then rubbed down with acetone. EDIT: the grommets are the old ones. I put them back in upside down for painting. Top side is larger diameter and will get a smidge of aviation sealer under it to seal & protect it. Or I could use OxGard... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted November 28, 2022 Share Posted November 28, 2022 a stitch in time saves nine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gojira94 Posted November 29, 2022 Author Share Posted November 29, 2022 6 hours ago, Pete M said: a stitch in time saves nine. Great Scott!! I forgot the before pics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89 MJ Posted November 29, 2022 Share Posted November 29, 2022 That turned out great! I always clean parts up when I pull them off. Even on my Eagle. There is something therapeutic about cleaning up old parts. As a plus, it makes it a lot more pleasant to work on should you ever have to pull it again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gojira94 Posted November 29, 2022 Author Share Posted November 29, 2022 I remember the ads for the Eagle when I was in Jr High school. The IROC wasn’t a thing yet and the early fox body Mustangs had restored the honor of the Ford pony cars after the Cobra II debacle. For some reason I really liked the Eagle, with its high stance and sensible looks. And you’re right, you’d better give everything you pull off an old vehicle proper treatment, even if it takes a week to run down what you need to do it right! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gojira94 Posted December 2, 2022 Author Share Posted December 2, 2022 The cover on the side of the sender slides off so you can clean the internal elements. Spots of higher than normal resistance indicate buildup of grime. Before cleaning it read 2.4 to 146 ohms with a really big jump between 80 and the upper limit stop. After cleaning it now reads .4 to 91 ohms, very smooth across the sweep/ range. Empty should read as close to 0 as possible because the low fuel light comes on at 5 ohms and turns off above 16. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gojira94 Posted December 2, 2022 Author Share Posted December 2, 2022 Finished product- I may replace the last segment of the vent line. I used the last of what I had and was a little short but then found another small piece of the same 7/32” in my toolbox. the loop that holds this line is still there and in good shape. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gojira94 Posted December 21, 2022 Author Share Posted December 21, 2022 (edited) Turning attention to the front suspension and axle swap, I noticed this. I'd thought before this rig looked a little higher than stock height. Someone confirmed from pics I have sagged out leafs with AAL on the back, rear shackles might be longer than stock, hard to tell. Even before I noticed the springs, I saw that the proximity of the tie rod and steering damper was oddly close: Even with no engine weight on the nose, I thought the tie rod and drag link should sit lower so that begged a look at the Pitman arm, which looks stock length/ drop to me. Exhibit D - the sway bar appears in need of a drop kit (and seriously needs new end link bushings, at a minimum): These upper spring mounts arrived yesterday, apparently more parts are in order to sort out previous shortcuts: Edited March 3, 2023 by Gojira94 correction Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted January 6, 2023 Share Posted January 6, 2023 I always suggest longer links rather than the drop kits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gojira94 Posted January 6, 2023 Author Share Posted January 6, 2023 17 hours ago, Pete M said: I always suggest longer links rather than the drop kits. I got what I saw were the longer links (8 1/4 vs 7 1/4) and then discovered the ones on it now are the same length, and bent from the force/ poor fitment. That (and the $45 price tag) made me pull the trigger on the IronMan4x4Fab drop brackets. I wasn't interested in $150 adjustable quick disconnects for this relatively modest build. Now I'm in the market for adjustable front arms. Some say just do the lower arms but I want uppers as well. Just doing the lowers will put the front pinion angle even more positive than it will/ should be with the D30 under it. If I've got the thinking wrong on that, I'm open to correction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted January 6, 2023 Share Posted January 6, 2023 be super careful with the bolts that you'll have to remove to install drop brackets. they are known for snapping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gojira94 Posted January 8, 2023 Author Share Posted January 8, 2023 On 1/6/2023 at 2:31 PM, Pete M said: be super careful with the bolts that you'll have to remove to install drop brackets. they are known for snapping. What, these? I’m lucky this MJ has been in NC all its life. My only real rust is the floors from incoming water, the battery tray support and the famous clutch master leak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gojira94 Posted January 8, 2023 Author Share Posted January 8, 2023 Grabbed a 98 ZJ 5.2 front sway bar and brackets today. Had to go to a yard almost an hour away on a gamble it (the bar) would still be there. I was sure I’d score a 28mm bar since the VIN lookup on it said it had the “SDU: Heavy Duty Suspension…” package. It’s way beefier than my stock 24mm but I was disappointed when I mic’d it at only 26mm. Now I have to decide whether to do adjustable links or go with ZJ links with the stem/ ball swivel arrangement. I cleaned it up and painted it and got a new pair of 26mm bushings for it. Mocked up with the drop brackets: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted January 8, 2023 Share Posted January 8, 2023 I spy some corrosion creeping in. but better than most, that's for sure. it's just a super common place for problems since it's a ledge that can retain mud and such. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gojira94 Posted January 8, 2023 Author Share Posted January 8, 2023 32 minutes ago, Pete M said: I spy some corrosion creeping in. but better than most, that's for sure. it's just a super common place for problems since it's a ledge that can retain mud and such. True- I wish there was a great cache of every fastener we ever wanted for everything. This MJ was spared a lot of that kind of moisture-retaining dirt, probably because it’s been 2WD all its life, not really a suitable off-roader. I’m now at the age where I get mail inviting me to join AARP (not so fast I’m not the double five yet), and this is my first 4WD and first Jeep (I’ve been high performance street/ track all my life). I intend to get my MJ dirty but never leave it that way. Keeping things clean and in good order after the fun is had, is my way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gojira94 Posted January 9, 2023 Author Share Posted January 9, 2023 I mocked up the bar and brackets using 8 1/4” XJ/MJ links to get an idea of where I’d land with length requirement on the end links. There are TJ links just like the ZJ ones but an inch longer (9 1/4” vs 8 1/4”). I have a pair of Moog 8 1/4” ZJ links on the way. With the driveline out, I think it looks like I’m right where I’ll want to be once it’s back in and drops the body a couple of inches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gojira94 Posted January 12, 2023 Author Share Posted January 12, 2023 Front control arms from Core4x4 showed up today. They are VERY stout. Clevite bushings, as advertised. I paid the extra for the hardware kit, glad I did, I'd have paid more trying to gather all that piecemeal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted January 14, 2023 Share Posted January 14, 2023 beefy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gojira94 Posted February 16, 2023 Author Share Posted February 16, 2023 Ok, time to get back to work after a couple weeks of mental masturbation over lift options and plans... I can't remember the last Saginaw steering gear I redid, but I took a chance on getting this one apart and seeing if it was worth a rebuild. Top plate stamp messed with my head a while, most of the documentation on markings is from the 60s-70s. 7A085 I think means year ending in 7 (1987), A for I don't know what, followed by the Julian date code 085 for March 26th (4 days before my MJ rolled off the line). This is the nastiest box I've ever personally dealt with: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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