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I was at the park today, having a bike ride and playing in the creek (Tinker’s Creek) with my daughter.
Lots of people out grilling, including Nate.
This is Nate’s XJ:
Lookin good! This is a super capable looking XJ. And it stood out like a shining beacon of awesomeness, with a trailer loaded with grilling supplies. And the stance is super cool, maybe a little rear end sag, which I think is a good look; ready for the whoopdie-whoops on the trail.
Nate’s XJ
Bastard leaf pack.
Shackle relocation blocks.
Frame stiffeners (rear).
Coils with spacers.
Hack n tap w/front driveshaft.
High-clearance winch bumper.
Winch.
HD rear bumper with built-in hitch.
Roof Rack.
Fender Flares.
Control Arms.
My rockers are WAY worse. ��
Last edited by MWMahoneyJr; 06-17-2018 at 05:54 PM.
Reason: Added more info about Nate’s sweet rig.
Today, I rolled the XJ out of the garage for the first time in like a year. On top we can see the rear seat, the fender flares, a sled and a piece of wood trim that fell off of the garage.
First, I had to finish up putting the front suspension back together. My workspace; a layer of cardboard, then floor mats. Bag of tools, Pepsi and sunflower seeds.
Here’s my coffe can of Jeep bolts. Every time I remove something I have been keeping the bolts and nuts in this can. We can see the old hub-to-knuckle bolts, the two caliper bolts for the driver side brakes (which I install a few minutes after taking this photo.)
Where I started today. That rotor looks hella rusty. I don't care.
Really just need to cinch the sway bar end link back down. So I slap some anti-seize on it and tighten her up.
Here's the passenger so de sway bar bushing. These things are cheesed. I need to measure the diameter of the sway bar to get the right bushings.
This is one of the front tires I just reinstalled. These things are dry rotted and cracked. Yuck!
Last edited by MWMahoneyJr; 06-22-2018 at 09:15 PM.
So I found the missing gas cap on the garage floor under the Cherokee.
I head to my custom gas door to install the gas cap...
My daughter seems to like the new gas door. She’s constantly opening and closing it, plus hiding sockets and Oscar the Grouch in there.
(Here we can see that she’s been in my Jeep Bolts coffee can; there’s one one of the castle nuts from my old ball joints and some of those spacer things that came with the new ball joints.)
Here’s the “custom gas door” I made...
For the record, I hate this modification. I thought it would look cool, somehow. I got an Ohio plate, it says “Wild Ohio,” the number 69...c’mon! But I hate it. It looks cheezball. And my wife pointed out that it’s prolly illegal, somehow, to display a partial plate, to display a plate that’s not mine. Valid point.
Last edited by MWMahoneyJr; 06-28-2018 at 11:11 AM.
Step 1a: Unnecessarily remove the door panel
Remove these 5 screws. Or don’t. You’ll soon find out that this is an unnecessary step.
Step 1b: Disconnect electrical and mechanical connections. Here are the rest of the door panel connections; 2 Blue Plugs(A & B) and the Latch Mechanism connection rods(C).
Close-up of the latch mechanism rods. They have a simple “L” bend to them, with little plastic caps that fit into holes on the latch mechanism. Notice the lower rod has no cap. The cap is stuck in the latch mechanism. We’ll see it in the next photo.
Close-up of the latch mechanism on the backside (inside) of the door panel. The rod ends with the plastic caps (shown in the previous photo) fit into the holes here. The upper rod with the yellow cap fits into this empty upper hole. The lower rod fits into the lower hole, and you can see the plastic cap still stuck in the hole.
Last edited by MWMahoneyJr; 06-29-2018 at 09:29 AM.
So it’s looking like I gotta buy a welder for this Jeep. First, I wanted to do the floor pans with sheet metal screws, then shifted my thinking towards rivets. Now with my rockers and door sills rotted away I’m looking to do some 2x6 rockers. Then I can tie my floor pans into that.
Plus, bonus: our couch keeps breaking. The metal supports underneath keep snapping. Maybe, just maybe I can also fix the couch with the welder. How do I not set the couch on fire? Fiberglass blanket?
Oh, and I have zero money to spend on a welder. I also have zero money for a couch...I’m thinking el cheapo Harbor Freight? On sale this weekend for $94.xx
Last edited by MWMahoneyJr; 06-29-2018 at 02:52 PM.
So two posts ago I removed the door panel from my driver side door. I was looking to remove the doors, and I figured this is how I’d get access to any wires that may need to be disconnected.
I did find two plugs in the door panel (the blue plugs from two posts ago.) But those weren’t the right plugs.
So then I decide to check INSIDE the Jeep for the wires. I peel back the thick rubber boot in the door jamb and see a multicolored bundle of wires. Reach around to the inside of the footwell and you can feel that bundle of wires coming through. It then splits to three smaller bundles, each with their own plug.
For my XJ, with power windows and locks, there are three plugs to disconnect and feed through the hole in the body. First, you’ll need to get rid of that damn rubber grommet. Then feed the plugs through individually. Easy Peasy.
Last edited by MWMahoneyJr; 06-30-2018 at 05:55 PM.
Now with those pesky wires and door panel out of the way we can finally remove the door.
First, I supported that sucker with a ratchet strap looped over a rafter.
Then I found my T-40 bit and a 1/4” wrench to break the bolts loose. I ended up mating another tiny wrench to the 1/4” for more leverage.
This tiny-wrench bull**** method worked. But it was the most tedious thing. So then I pulled that little pin holding the door check. Then I could swing the door wide open and just use a ratchet on the T-40 bit.
Also, I marked my hinges with black marker before removing them.
Last edited by MWMahoneyJr; 06-30-2018 at 06:22 PM.
I’m thinking about picking up one of those $100 Harbor Freight flux core jobbies. So, I jumped over to the welding thread for some advice...
Originally Posted by MWMahoneyJr
So it’s looking like I gotta buy a welder for this Jeep. First, I wanted to do the floor pans with sheet metal screws, then shifted my thinking towards rivets. Now with my rockers and door sills rotted away I’m looking to do some 2x6 rockers. Then I can tie my floor pans into that.
Plus, bonus: our couch keeps breaking. The metal supports underneath keep snapping. Maybe, just maybe I can also fix the couch with the welder. How do I not set the couch on fire? Fiberglass blanket?
Oh, and I have zero money to spend on a welder. I also have zero money for a couch...I’m thinking el cheapo Harbor Freight? On sale this weekend for like $95.
I know nobody loves the $100 HF 125, but I’m gonna get (maybe) what I can afford. I guess I mostly want advice on welding the couch supports. I’ll see if I can take a photo...
The guys were not having it. Everybody says “no.”
Originally Posted by bad_idea
You are asking for aggravation and failure using the HF machine to weld 2x6 rockers. I had the machine. It won't lay a decent bead. It doesn't have the amperage to penetrate. Save your money and buy a Hobart or Lincoln capable of using shielding gas. Scour CL and you may be able to find a used one cheap.
Originally Posted by Martlor13
you are going to be wasting money on that machine...buy once, cry once. Welders especially or else your projects will remain projects.
Originally Posted by Basslicks
craigslist or FB market place.... or maybe letgo.... I have a HF welder (the 90 amp flux-core machine) and yeah, I'm finally used to it and can put down some okay welds with it, but I hate the freakin' thing.
You're really better off just saving up for a better machine. Like the Everlast PowerMIG 140.... you're still limited to 110v power, but at least it's a good machine...
But I’m like, “whoa, guys. I’m broke as s joke...”
Originally Posted by MWMahoneyJr
That baby is like $450!
I like that it is 110v. I'm working in a detached garage and don't have access to 220.
Look, I'm not knocking the welder, and I don't mind paying for something when it is worth it.
I just don't have that kind of money.
I've been checking Craigslist and I see a lot of Lincoln stick welders for cheap, but they are 220v. And from what I read, stick maybe wouldn't be so good in my case (floor pans, thin sheet metal.)
Hell, I cannot even justify spending the $100 for the HF welder. I was hoping I could use it to also fix our couch, which would save us having to buy another couch. I think we'll just put a piece of plywood down so we don't fall into the couch. I guess.
Again, they’re like “no way.”
Originally Posted by Basslicks
Speaking from experience, the el-cheapo HF welders aren't good for sheet metal either. You need a welder that can run gas and very low amperage to be able to weld sheet metal and not blow through it. OR get an affordable stick welder and buy the attachments for scratch-start or lift-arc TIG... which you'll still need a gas bottle and flowmeter for... but by the time you do that, you're almost at the cost for that MIG in the link.
Originally Posted by Martlor13
dont rush into ya purchase...thats how regret happens lol.....save up and until you can get something decent.
And then I go, “but, but, but what about...”
Originally Posted by MWMahoneyJr
You guys are dropping truth bombs on me, left and right.
You know that's not what I want to hear. LOL.
I was hoping someone would say:
"Look, you handsome S.O.B., you seem like a capable, handsome, burly dude. From reading your build thread it seems you are really going at this Jeep resto with no fear, learning along the way and buying the appropriate budget-minded equipment to keep moving forward. I think it's time for you to step up to a quality piece of equipment.
HOWEVER, you are working with a non-existent budget, so...I wouldn't recommend the Harbor Freight $100 welder, but it'll lay down a useable weld, IF you get some good wire AND practice like hell. And you'll need a helmet and leather gloves, which is another $50 or so, minimum. THEN you need to buy material for practice AND for repairs. So just keep in mind that your $100 to start welding is more like $300."
Damn. I just truth-bombed myself...
And then this guy’s like “dude, no.”
Originally Posted by TrailerTrash
You will hate a cheap flux core welder. You will regret buying it after 10 minutes of attempting to lay even a half decent weld. And you will probably hate the cheapo hood you buy too. Some people have good luck with cheap hoods but I never did.
As said above buy once cry once.
uying the welder is just the beginning like you said there is other stuff to buy. You can get some $10 leather work gloves from Walmart. a Harbor freight hood will get you started. then there is the wire, probably a good extension cord, wire brush, tips, grinder, the list goes on
But you gotta pay to play man. If the funds aren't there for half this stuff then the funds probably aren't going to be there for the projects the welder will allow you to tackle
Guys, I notice Cherokees in movies and TV shows all the time.
Maybe I’ll point them out here...
Gran Torino
This is like 1:16:00 (1hr 16min) into the film. The scene where the racist old white guy takes the young Asian kid to the barber to “see how men talk.”
HOUSING: So. We had been renting my mother’s old house. (The house I grew up in.) She hasn’t lived here for 10 years or more, and various family members have lived here on and off so that the property isn’t vacant.
My wife and daughter and I have been here for the last three years, with our son joining us a few months ago (when he was born.)
Anyways, my mother is signing the house over to us. It’s mostly a headache for her that she doesn’t want to deal with anymore. The house/property is in no condition to sell, and she doesn’t want to deal with being a landlord.
JEEP:
Still moving forward. I’m still working on removing the doors and cutting the floors out. I bent my T-40 bit on one of the door bolts. The little “blades” on the end all bent.
I need to hit the bolts with some PB Blast, maybe a li’l heat.
I’m still shopping for welders. I have just over $100 put aside for the welder right now. I’m hoping to pick up a decent/used MIG something for $200-$300. But...
SCHOOL:
I start college next week. Like for real full time college at Cleveland State University, 15 credit hours this semester. I have 2 web-based classes, and 3 on-campus.
So on Tuesday and Thursday I’m downtown at school from like 12:00p to 6:30p, which is really hampering my job search.
(I THINK it is messing up my job search because employers do not want to hire a full-time employee who can only work three weekdays. BUT I couldn’t even find a job when I had a wide open schedule.)
The point is: I’m still here, still fixing this Jeep.
Mike
06-16-2018, 09:39 PM
Met another Cherokee owner at the park today...
