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BOCEPHUS
This is gonna be my build thread for BOCEPHUS. I already have a good introductory post here, so you can check that out if you want.
Feel free to ask about any of the stuff I've already done if you want to, I'll answer to the best of my ability. (Some of it was a while ago, so my memory might be a little foggy.) https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...da66e42e02.jpg So my goal for BOCEPHUS is to make her into an overlanding rig. I've got a few ideas I'm throwing around, but I'll try to restrain myself from talking about future plans... I want it to be a surprise! Anyway, my first build post is coming in just a few minutes. |
KILL SWITCH
This works on my '89, but I don't know about post-97 XJ's--the wiring is different. You could find a way to make the concept work, however.
Cherokees are stolen pretty regularly around my area and I want to start doing things to help deter thieves. I know that if a thief wants my jeep bad enough, the jeep will disappear, but anything I can do to make it difficult for them makes it more likely that they'll give up. The first thing I did (this was yesterday, so my pictures were taken after I finished the install) was install a kill switch! It's basically a redneck car alarm, but I like to think that it would deter someone just by the sheer amount of noise it would make if they simply tried to start the jeep with a screwdriver. All of the wiring is done underneath the dash, so it's pretty low-effort. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...072216a6c6.png A simplified wiring diagram of how to make a horn/starter kill switch. This kill switch, when activated, redirects power from your ignition wire to your horn when the key is turned to the "run" or "start" position, and also disables your starter. So when you flip it and someone gets in and tries to start the jeep... HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONK!!! It won't stop honking until they put the key back to the "off" position. What you'll need: About 4-5 feet of 14GA wire, some wire strippers... Soldering equipment/heat shrink equipment or just some butt connectors and electrical tape, whichever works for you. You'll also need a 3-pole SPDT on-off-on switch. I got one rated for 35 amps at my local auto zone, it works just fine. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...c5a0f12d0c.jpg The shiny switch in front of my shift boot is the kill switch. Not too hidden, but I am going to add a fuel pump switch next, which will be more hidden. You can choose to mount it wherever you like, but I put it in front of my shift boot where it's simple to get to. Flip it all the way to the right and it's armed, flip it all the way to the left and it's de-activated and you can start your jeep like normal. There is also a middle position, but it's useless--your jeep won't start AND there's no alarm. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...1006ca6ea3.jpg There's the switch inside the console. You can see that there are three wires: The middle wire is the supply wire, and the outer two wires are your two options for power redirection. Whichever direction the switch is flipped to is the wire that gets power from the middle one. I cut my lengths of wire and attached them to the switch first, and then marked the ends I, II, and III on either end. It made the install really easy. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...305b6968d3.jpg I had to cut my shift boot insert to fit around the switch, but it still works just fine. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...31e45f6779.jpg Here is where I spliced my wire in for the horn: That's the horn relay, and you can see the red wire inserted into it. Find whichever terminal activates the horn when power is given to it, then strip some wire and put it into that terminal WITH the relay. That simply provides a way for your ignition current to go straight to both your high and low note horns under the hood when the key is turned. I couldn't get a good picture of my wire splices to the ignition wire, but there are images of where your ignition switch is and where the wires go online. Just take your lower dash panel off and it's really easy to see: A big yellow wire headed off the right hand side of your steering column, under the dash. If you put a test light to it, the wire should have current running through it as soon as the key is turned to "run", and should continue to have power when you turn it to "start". It's 14GA, so if you use any smaller of a wire to run to your kill switch, you'll burn it up. Remember, your kill switch wires are now carrying that load. I've only had the thing installed a few days now and it's already a habit to use... When I get out, I flip it all the way to the right: armed. When I get in, I flip it all the way to the left: disarmed. |
No idea why this happened on this particular post--I submitted it to the write-ups forum for approval and it ended up here. Whoops!
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Hey everyone.
So I know I said I was going to be doing a lot in a very short span of time, and I had intended on that, but then there was nothing for two or so weeks. That wasn't intended. Long story short, just after I posted my very last post in this thread my father was found dead in the woods. He committed suicide. I (and my family) have been grieving for a time. I have more stuff planned for tomorrow, and I'll have updates for those... Valve cover gasket, wheel center caps, maybe more--depends what comes in the mail and when. I'm doing better now, but all you can do in this sort of situation is try to move forward the best you can. |
Originally Posted by ELC_AMX
(Post 3523662)
Hey everyone.
So I know I said I was going to be doing a lot in a very short span of time, and I had intended on that, but then there was nothing for two or so weeks. That wasn't intended. Long story short, just after I posted my very last post in this thread my father was found dead in the woods. He committed suicide. I (and my family) have been grieving for a time. I have more stuff planned for tomorrow, and I'll have updates for those... Valve cover gasket, wheel center caps, maybe more--depends what comes in the mail and when. I'm doing better now, but all you can do in this sort of situation is try to move forward the best you can. |
Holy crap.
So sorry to hear. Suicide really sucks. Prayers to you and yours. Cool trick with the horn.
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Thanks for all the kind words, everyone. This Cherokee was one of the things he was proud of me for doing, and that's just another reason I'll never sell it.
Anyway, I got some stuff done today and yesterday. and attached it to the windshield. It works great so far, really stable and doesn't feel like it'll come off any time soon. I replaced the valve cover gasket and painted the valve cover red while I was at it: https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...b1c070d47f.jpg Valve train. The jeep's got some lifter tick but I've heard pretty much every 4.0 does. It's not too bad for a motor with 185k on it. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...40cb618c7d.jpg You can see here why my old gasket was leaking. The bulged section was sitting to the inside of the sealing surface... The width of the actual compressed part of the gasket there was maybe about a millimeter or two. I hate crappy cork gaskets because they do just that, so I bought a $40 fel-pro gasket (the blue kind) and installed that. I've driven the jeep a little today and it works great so far, no leaking. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...9ad6ad8883.jpg Valve cover after I scraped it/sanded it for a little bit. Ready for paint. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...d3c8eb31ff.jpg Valve cover after I painted it. The roughness is actually because there's a bit of metal flaking (best way I can describe it) on the surface. The paint itself is smooth as a spray can can apply it. Here's an interesting part: So the Cherokee uses a CCV (Crank Case Ventilation) system instead of a PCV (Positive Crankcase Ventilation) system... I'm not 100% sure about what the difference is, but everyone says it's horrible. The rearmost hose is tiny and gets all clogged up even if you maintain the Jeep properly, which means it then can't breathe like it should. When I pulled the valve cover off, one of the inserts into the vent holes fell apart because it was made out of old rubber, so I needed to replace it... Why not fix the whole thing? This is an in-depth link on what to do, how to do it, and why written by someone else, but I'll kinda go over what you need to have and how you need to install it for the rearmost vent hole. Note: That guide is the guide I followed when fixing my CCV system. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...0ae5d08ce6.jpg Here is what you need to fix your rearmost CCV setup. You can see all the part numbers circled on the packages, and I got all of it from Autozone right off the shelf for about fifteen bucks. A grommet (bottom right), a PCV elbow (bottom left), a male air chuck insert (top left), some hose clamps (top left also, they come with the chuck inserts), and a length of 3/8 fuel line. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...0826ea36e2.jpg Here is where your rearmost CCV ties into your intake manifold. Shouldn't be too hard to find if you trace the line from the valve cover to there, but if you have trouble finding it, it's right in front of/below the intake hose. It's a threaded-in insert, so you should just be able to unscrew it, and here's what you'll find: https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...83128cf3ad.jpg Yup. Same thread count and pitch as an air chuck insert. Just replace that old insert with the new one and tighten it up. Before you put your grommet and PCV insert into the valve cover, though, you should take a screwdriver and lift up the flap inside the breather tube in the valve cover itself. Just reach into the CCV hole with a screwdriver and pry it up, or you can do like I did and poke holes in it with a screwdriver from the inside of the cover. You'll be able to tell what I mean when you see it... Once you do that, your breather tube is forever open and free to supply pressure to the PCV valve you will then install. Make sure to remember the hose clamps, because trying to pull that 3/8 line off of either end of your new setup is a real pain. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...7ff8118e53.jpg Everything's installed and looking good. You can see the new PCV valve coming out of the rear of the valve cover there, just like I described, along with the new 3/8 fuel line. It lets the crank breathe more easily as long as it supplies adequate pressure to open the PCV valve (which isn't much, so there's no problem there). I used to leak oil from the valve cover gasket and both CCV vents in the cover itself. With the new gasket and PCV setups, that is no longer the case as far as I can tell. I took about a 45 minute drive this morning after I finished up the install and it's still totally dry, which is awesome. I hope this helps some of you! |
and they came in the mail yesterday. They look sweet on the wagon wheels, and give a nice classic look to the Jeep.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...4ccca143b5.jpg Good old wagon wheels. They look great, but the exposed hub in the center is all rusty and doesn't really contribute to the look I'm slowly working toward achieving. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...a308a09b63.jpg Here's a center cap. They felt like they were built well, just a tiny bit thin... But they aren't exactly going to take any impacts, so it's fine. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...299a99c7d3.jpg One of the fun parts about working on a car is when a 19mm, closed-end lugnut turns into a 17mm, open-end lugnut. I had two of them shed their jackets on me when I went to remove them. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...782df9ff59.jpg There's how they look on the wheel. The only gripe I have is that they were the tiniest bit too small (not even a millimeter off, maybe half a millimeter) in diameter, so without a spacer gasket (which I'll get to) put around them, they clinked around in the open space outside the hub. To fix that I wrapped some electrical tape real tight around each one, then used a hammer and a piece of wood to tap them into the wheel. It worked great, and you can't tell it's electrical tape unless you get really, really close. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...4da8cdd1af.jpg There she is outside Autozone with the new valve cover goodies and the new center caps. I really don't hold the slight size difference against the center cap's manufacturer--the tolerances for each wheel change over time given enough use and I'm sure no manufacturer's products are 100% perfect... All it takes is a tenth of a percentage of error to make a center cap clink around in a wheel. Besides, these were pretty cheap and I think they look great. |
Almost forgot, there was some other stuff I did that I forgot to mention, all of which I did about a week ago.
I flushed the cooling system twice through, and put in some head gasket sealer as a temporary fix for the head gasket. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...f909ebc9f9.jpg I also drained and refilled the front diff, painting the cover while I was at it. I had two replacement stickers made, and one new. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...3301d48d3b.jpg Replacement. The first version was sharpie on paper, with packing tape over it to hold it to the window. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...08a8311e75.jpg Replacement also, same methods first time around. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...1f0d6cdfb3.jpg I also had this one made in memory of my dad. I have one on both of my jeeps, we put one on dad's jeep, and my mother has one on her car. |
I figure it's about time I get a list of stuff I want/need to do up and going. I don't think there will be any particular order to the list, it's just stuff I want/need to/should do. A lot of them are just ideas I'm considering but are definitely on the table... The issue is that I'm not experienced enough to really know enough to say yes or no to them.
The basic idea to this jeep is that I want to make it as durable as I can while keeping the jeep looking relatively stock, as far as body work goes. I really appreciate the lines that AMC/Renault gave it. I want it to be strong, but... Sleeper strong, if that makes any sense. It'll look like a pretty modest jeep from the outside but once you get close you realize it's been built into a tank you can take anywhere for any period of time. I won't be lifting it past 3" and I'm gonna be keeping 235/75/R15's on it because I like their size relative to the wheel wells and the jeep itself. Headliner (missing, want baja blanket pattern like my seat covers + steering wheel cover) Tailgate trim panel (missing) Attempt to fix rear end body tweakage (impact prior to my ownership on upper rear left corner has squished the sides outwards a little) Fix reverse lights Install gauge set (coolant temp, oil pressure, alternator output) Rip carpet/seats out and inspect floors, then rhinoline (?) or put new carpet in Partial rollcage inside (while carpet is out) Drill drain holes in rear quarters (they fill with water due to the body tweakage making the quarter windows not seal correctly) Find out why brakes squeal + fix it Better alternator (Durango 160W?) Cowl intake 2nd battery setup (after cowl intake, will be mounted on fender under the hood) Winch + stock bumper solution (I like the look of the stock bumper but know that Detours is no longer doing the backbone for XJ's) Fuel pump kill switch Underhood light New rear main New oil filter adapter gasket set Skid plates/hidden sliders Frame stiffeners 30gal gas tank Custom make roof rack w/ ladder + KC's CB antenna tailgate mount (in rear wiper spot) Stiffer coils/leafs (for all the weight I'll be adding) Fix rear axle tilt (?) (Not sure if I need it, but I've heard that your driveline angles get iffy after you put a lift on. I put a 2 inch lift on it and have a vibration at highway speeds that hasn't been solved through wheel balancing.) Snorkel Police alley spotlight Paint (Just to refresh the blue. I want to keep the blue/white theme I have going on. The tailgate won't get painted, because it's got a story to it.) Drain + Refill rear diff, paint diff cover High idle switch(?) (I want one, but am not sure if I can even do that on an '89 4.0 with the AX15. Most of the time when I see people talking about them they're for later models with the AW4.) All sorts of interior electrical goodies for camping Special door mod... You'll see later :whistling2: Down the road a ways: Axle swaps(?) (I have a D30+35, but don't plan on wheeling it much. When I do, it'll be lightly--maybe some forest trails or mud. I just want a good, capable daily driver and road trip machine. Thoughts?) Closed --> Open cooling system swap Head gasket replacement (I don't have the space, time, or tooling to properly do this at home right now. I flushed the cooling system and put head gasket sealer in there, but even if I hadn't the gasket was only leaking oil and didn't seem too serious. The gasket sealer seems to be working for now. Thoughts on how soon I should do this?) Open --> Limited slip diffs? Get keys made for door + tailgate locks Power mods? Drum --> Disc swap? I'd love to have some recommendations for mods I haven't listed here, because I know I haven't heard of everything. Pretty much want to make this thing as bulletproof/capable as I can while keeping it looking unassuming outside. Anything's welcome! Also: She's got a pretty awesome rumble. Anyone interested in a bit of a video? |
Welp, it's 3 in the morning right now but I got my underhood light in the mail yesterday, installed it in the evening. Didn't have a wiring harness so I had to solder the wires right onto the leads the harness would normally hook up to, but it works great anyway.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...0584c6e6c9.jpg Got it in the mail and went to town tearing the plastic out from around the pins. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...6b1a22ed8b.jpg Fixed it all up, soldered and everything. Ready to wire up. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...38a9e4979b.jpg I wanted it in a central location under the hood but had nowhere to screw it to... Sounded like a job for RTV, and it works just fine glued to the underside of the hood. I'll just keep adding more over the course of the next two days as she's out of commission right now, and that should give me a pretty bulletproof mount. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...d77296092a.jpg Done. One wire with inline fuse running to positive battery terminal, the other going to body ground. This light is a factory MOPAR piece and has a gravity switch inside, so I don't need an actual switch, but I can still disconnect it manually if need be, probably only if it decides to flicker on and off while driving... Vibrations and all. It's actually pretty bright, but I'll probably still look into an LED bulb for it. So that's another thing to check off my list. Makes it a lot more convenient to work at night--don't have to fiddle around with flashlights quite as much anymore. Today I'll be doing the oil filter adapter seal kit, and that should square away about 95% of my remaining oil leak problems. |
Got around to doing my oil filter adapter o-rings today. Gotta say, it was worth it! Where she was previously leaking like a broken faucet, there's absolutely no leak anymore. Feels great.
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...3f8681c840.jpg Got the adapter off. Mine is the older style that uses a 16mm (I used a 5/8 ratcheting wrench and it worked just fine) bolt instead of a T60 Torx, so it was easier to fix than the torx style adapters. I believe this fix had already been done before, because I've heard that the factory put threadlocker on the banjo bolt... There isn't any on this one! At any rate, the leak was horrendous so it had been a very long time since it'd last been done. As evidenced by... https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...c12be222ab.jpg These awful old gaskets! Not only were they compressed flat, they were all old enough that they were cracked. The smallest one broke into about 15 different pieces as soon as I touched it after taking this picture. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...86f47489ae.jpg New O-rings. Mmm... https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...7dd48307eb.jpg Put everything back on and went for a drive, let the jeep sit for about thirty minutes, then took this picture! The stains on the driveway are old, but it's easy to see that there isn't a leak anymore. Yay! I didn't do a more in-depth writeup on the process because there's already a million how-tos on it everywhere else. It's a super common problem, and this old jeep was affected by it. Not anymore! |
Took her for a spin again today, about an hour's drive. Still no oil whatsoever underneath! I'm ecstatic--but I still have to worry about the rear quarters filling with water... That'll come soon enough, probably just a healthy amount of RTV around the rear quarter windows.
In other news, I decided to try out some bleach spray on my wagon wheels today. For a long time they had been subject to an incredible amount of brake dust coming off of the front brakes (the front wheels were black, at times) but after I finally replaced calipers, rotors, and pads, the brake dust stopped appearing. I never bleached the wheels after that, though I did power wash the jeep a few times--but I wanted to see how white the wheels would get again. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...3e9b1b1510.jpg Old, sorta dirty wheel before bleaching. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...ef508c5b0c.jpg Wheel after bleaching. I didn't do it perfect (for starters, if I wanted to do it perfect I'd have all the wheels off the jeep) but it looks a hell of a lot better. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...a0563276f9.jpg Ain't she purdy? The two wheels that took all the brake dust for so long (which were rotated when I was doing my brake work, so they're now on the back) are a tiny bit eggshell colored instead of white now, but I'll come out with the bleach every once in a while and see if I can slowly correct it. Here's hoping! Anyway, not much for today. Went and visited my old automotive school for a few hours, and for the first time in a few weeks had no worries in my mind. It felt nice. I'll have more stuff to do here pretty soon, but I start working again next week and progress will be a little slower. |
Alright, so I think it's about time that I start looking at how to get her painted. I don't have the equipment to do it right myself, so what do you guys recommend? Is MAACO any good?
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Originally Posted by ELC_AMX
(Post 3525553)
Alright, so I think it's about time that I start looking at how to get her painted. I don't have the equipment to do it right myself, so what do you guys recommend? Is MAACO any good?
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