I think I'm going to try fabbing something up. With three out of four missing... the stock one doesn't seem too robust of a solution!

Also, pretty sure I found the source of my oil leak.



A nice big dent/divot in the plug. Of course, I fumbled around and spilled almost half the oil I was going to just reuse. I hate being wasteful. An expensive lesson to check the fill plug on new or leaky things.

Anyway, new oil drain plug from the corner parts store with a plastic crush washer instead of copper, I put in the oil I was able to save, and I'll check it tomorrow morning before putting in the oil needed to get it back up to full.

 

Alright, I've finally got the time for a project weekend!

Last night I decided it was finally time to install the Truetrac axle. I'd been waiting too long trying to think of a way to make it perfect, when the truth is this axle is sort of a POS. It's got a leaky plug weld, one shock mount is bent along the threads, and of course, the previously repaired spring mount. I've pointed these out below.



Anyway, I realized this swap doesn't have to be permanent. I'll keep the original 8.25 tucked away so that if I ever have to get major work done like regearing, I'll use that much less abused and low rust housing and swap the Truetrac into it.

I gave the center housing and some other parts a quick clean to bust off any rust that had shown up in the past few months of sitting, then just hosed the whole thing down with Rustoleum.


I covered the leaky plug weld prior to painting with some tape. Then it got JB welded.



It got a quick touch up Rustoleum over the hardened epoxy this morning, and it's no uglier than the factory's work.


This afternoon, I made a junkyard run.


I managed to find this immaculate owners manual binder in a WK Grand Cherokee. These silly little upgrades go a long way to making the Jeep feel a bit more upmarket. It's way better than that piece of plastic fit for a Yugo.


I also grabbed a much beefier diff cover off of a 2004-2009 Dodge Durango. Actually, it came off a Chrysler Aspen, but same thing. It's a lot heavier than the stock stamped one! I doubt this will ever do anything other than add weight to my rear axle, but I am obsessed with doing as many OEM parts swaps as I can manage. ​​​​​​If I was really being a nerd, I would have cut down the Watts linkage mounting point significantly to save weight. I already wasted enough time on the rust removal though. This was after a fair bit of wire wheeling and sandblasting. I got it almost perfect, and naturally I forgot to take any pictures.


It's been painted and is currently hanging out in the oven to cure the paint.



One thing that was in the back of my mind was that I'd never seen the half shaft removal process on a Truetrac, so I decided to give that a test run.


First, remove the snap ring.


Then you need to remove this plug. It is threaded the same as the diff cover bolts, so you can use one of those to pry it out.


What it looks like removed. The next step is to remove that little spacer between the axle shafts.


Pop it out.


Now you can see your c-clips.

I didn't go any farther as I didn't want to get into the brake hub. That's for tomorrow!

 

I was hoping I'd have this swap finished today, but I just couldn't put it all together.


I forgot to take a picture of this, but I also sanded down the cast surface on the inside of the diff cover. Hopefully this cuts down on some of the shearing forces the oil is subjected to as it's flung around by the ring gear.


These axles are super simple to remove. If it had been a straight like for like swap, I could have had this done in two hours or less.

Alas, it wasn't meant to be.


Finally, these two are attached to the Jeep!


Here's the new brake line mount.

I ran into rust issues with the axle ends, as expected. I got a bit overzealous while doing the rust removal and nicked the axle end seal, so I wound up replacing one. The National / Federal-Mogul replacement I bought matched what was in there and it was packed with grease, so I know the guy was not lying about replacing all the seals and bearings.


On to the drivers side. Hopefully this is the last time a drum brake will ever be attached to this Jeep.


As light was fading I found all this spalling on an axle shaft original to the Jeep. I had intended to keep my original axle shafts because I had already installed longer wheel studs to fit the disc brakes and aluminum wheels. I called it quits at that point. I'll swap longer studs onto the best remaining axle shaft and get back to it tomorrow.

 

Got it all wrapped up last night and took it for a test drive. It feels like there's a good bit more side to side play in the c-clip axle shafts with the new diff, but it drove well.


I was able to swap over the wheel studs, so I can return the ones I had bought in a rush before the parts store closed for the night. It's good to have $20 back in my pocket, but when did wheel studs get so expensive!?!


The bearing surface on the axle shaft from the "new" axle was in significantly better shape for the drivers side.


It leaves two stripes now. I also launch tested it with one wheel on pavement and the other on grass or gravel. It's got significantly better traction in those conditions than I remember with the open diff.

I'm thrilled with how it has turned out! On to the next project - getting the heater plumbed back in for cooler weather, and making a mount for the coolant filter that's just been hanging around in the engine bay.

 

A steering brace has been on my to do list for a long time, if only to protect the chassis. And unfortunately, it seems the box I swapped in had a bit of play in the pitman arm output shaft / sector shaft. I had noticed a knocking sound from the front when I hit a bump while turning. So, might as well address both concerns at once. I came across a deal I couldn't ignore and had to give it a try.



I'm pretty happy with it! I feel like the steering is much less springy and vague, I can hold a set on the steering much more easily. The number of small corrections I've had to make seems to have dramatically reduced. I've only got a few miles on it but my initial impression is that it has been a great addition.

As I installed it, there is a missing bolt on the smaller black bracket just under that pinhole. It was a nightmare to get the bolt in position, and once I did, it interfered with the steering box pinch bolts and I could not center the pillow block. After a lot of attempts and ruminating on possible solutions, I decided to just leave it out and press on with the install.. I figure 3/4 bolts was still massively stronger than an unbraced steering box, the brace is made out of 1/4" plate and not going to be easily bent, and the steering box is over constrained at this point, so that ought to be enough. It's held in place by the stock 3 mounting bolts, the whole box brace pinch bolts, and the sector shaft bearing block.




I debated welding on an L bracket to the front of this bracket, then drilling through it and the main brace frame and bolting it there. There is a ton of space for a bolt there, I have no idea why it wasn't designed this way in the first place. I've outlined where it would go in red, and pointed out the pinhole that's directly over the intended bolt location in yellow. I'll consider making that modification in the future if I remove the brace. I also had to remove two of the factory tow hook tie ins to the frame to clear the brace. They're not substantial at all, but with the brace covering up where they bolted to, I have the chance to make my own much more substantial brackets and tie them in to the brace.


Unfortunately, I've got two new rattles - one that I am pretty sure is from the tailgate from when I hit any small bump with the back axle, and a new higher pitched clunk when I hit a bump with the left front wheel. The massive washboards I took it over when testing the brace probably contributed to those. Oh well. They'll get sorted... I hope!

 

Another day at work on the Jeep.


As I was expecting, the control arms are making contact with the chassis.




There were witness marks at several points on the chassis, and the WJ control arms. I'm disappointed in how hard they are to fit, but after seeing how far they move I'm sure they do a lot to absorb the sharp input from a pothole or the like.

The control arms got some more time with the angle grinder anywhere there were witness marks.


I also made some caster shims out of 3/16" steel while the control arms were out.



New back hatch rubber bumpers were $6 at Autozone. The old ones had gotten soft and collapsed. They're Dorman part # 45390

The test drive seemed to show most all of the rattles I had experienced were gone! The hatch rattles are massively improved, and I've still got a small rattle when going over washboard type bumps... after hitting the axle and steering linkage with a dead blow, I think it may actually be the calipers rattling! I'll have to look into it further.


This next thing was such a minor annoyance, but it kept eating away at me.


The hole on the diff cover for the Durango's Watts linkage was a massive invitation to bugs and dirt. I knew it would get filled with something soon, might as well make it what it was designed to hold.

I went back to the junkyard and grabbed the bolt that I meant to take with me last time. It's an M16x2 bolt, so it's a pretty uncommon and expensive piece.


The bolt is shouldered, so unfortunately I couldn't just cut it down and tighten it up into the diff. Enter a lathe.


We necked it down where the shoulder used to be, then parted it off shorter.


A perfect plug.


As it was meant to be. Much better.


I've been driving around with no sway bar. Today, my Rubicon Express drop brackets came in. I'm pretty disappointed in the product for such a major name brand. The picture of the product didn't match what I received, and the included hardware barely threaded into the holes they drilled. It did not fit in the stock sway bar brackets. Oh well, to the hardware store for more. These were the cheapest I could find, so I shouldn't have expected too much.


With end links meant for a 3" lift are combined with 2.5" drop brackets and only a 3" lift, you get a stupid sway bar angle.


I'm not a fan of how low it sits, but once I modify or install some more appropriate length end links it should get a bit better.

 

I'm really enjoying your build-a-long! I am needing to start a thread of my own build, though I do not have nearly enough time to keep updates on a regular basis.

MrTodd

 

Thanks MrTodd! I do also enjoy writing it out and documenting the build so I have something to look back on. I've been hating to see the decline of forums and build threads as other, more general social media like Facebook and Instagram has taken over. So I decided to do my part and be the change I wanted to see in the world!


First up, I went back to a set of stock style end links. That's a much better sway bar angle. I'm not worried about the few extra minutes it will take to disconnect these things. I still need to find a good way to tie the bar up when it's not in use. I've just been getting out to make sure it's not falling down!


So, I've been running a coolant filter all summer and left the heater core out of the loop. Even after scrubbing out the block I knew there was still rust in it. With cooler weather approaching, I had decided it was time to mount this thing properly and plumb in the heater core.


Here's what came out of the filter as I unscrewed it.


I cut the filter open and spread out the media. Look at those chunks! I then dipped this in the coolant above to get it all into one container and see how much crap came out.


Here's the result of that. Reminder - this block was thoroughly flushed before removal, and I removed the freeze plugs and scrubbed every bit of it I could reach with rifle brushes. This is what it caught in 7k miles.


And this is why I decided to leave it out. That is a 5/32 drill bit that was a tight fit into it. All your coolant has to pass through that! It is sold as a bypass filter, but I had not noticed just how small that hole was when I installed it. Between struggling to find a good spot for it in the engine bay, and the tiny flow orifice, I decided to just go back to stock. I'll just do regular coolant changes and not let it get so bad in the first place.

 

So, proof that I do more than just work on this thing!


Foster Falls, VA


Looking down on I-77

 

So I tried to do a ZJ shift handle swap. I had to use that hammer too much to be happy with it and still couldn't get it to shift back into park, so rather than adjust it I just went back to stock.


I picked up one of these trunk cubby bags. It feels really well built, and was a lot cheaper than I would have expected for being handmade in the States. I plan to use it to store electrical tape, zip ties, small spare parts, and the like that are currently under the bench seat. I still need to actually screw it on.


I wanted to make sure I had pulled out that fiberglass bag that always soaks up water and rusts the quarter panel out. Still no rust.

Turns out I already had. But I found a lot of dirt in the bottom for having been in here earlier this year, so I went to find out where it came from.


Oh look, a gap in the panels right into the wheelwell. Thanks Chrysler.


I gooped up the exposed seam on back of both rear wheel wells with windshield polyurethane. No more leaks!


Oh look, most of the wires into the tailgate are broken. Thanks again, Chrysler. I have had no rear wiper, no defrost, and the hatch open light has been on the fritz.


I kept the harness out of the Green jeep just for this occasion. Some of the insulation was already cracking, I wrapped it in electrical tape hoping to delay the inevitable.

Naturally, the Red jeep's rear window wiper was broken as well. You'll never guess what other part I kept out of the Green jeep! A window wiper motor!


The main body harness is still hanging around too. I unwrapped it to pull a few wires for my next project.


Power locks! These are the control wires loomed into their own standalone harness.

The stock power lock controls are way too complicated, and involve parts in the door panels that wouldn't be easily integrated into the manual lock and window panels. My current plan is to use the following:

• Original Green jeep electric lock door latches, and control wires from the body harness and the individual door harnesses, stripped of everything else.
• Aftermarket key fob and control module.
• One main lock/unlock switch in the center console.

 

I always wanted to try this. Cause I would love to put '98 5.9 levers in my '00 XJ.
Tranny, transfer case, and E-Brake.
Kinda go along with the 5.9 vibe in my Jeep. With hood louvers, grill inserts, and the tire cover.
I think I read for the tranny shifter that you have to trim down the sex toy looking thing.
As far as the other 2 go thinking that is not going to happen without some serious modding.

 

I have one of those. The fact that my rear hatch doesn't lock and I have untinted windows has kept me from installing because I don't want someone to think there are valuable tools in it. When I do put it in I have heavy-duty velcro, figure worst case scenario I can clean off sticky residue but I can't undo drilling holes.

 

Gojeep has a decent how to on the process for the transmission and transfer case. I just wasn't happy with the amount of effort required to get the shift **** in place. I am thinking I could weld the ZJ shift lever end on to the XJ shift lever, but it just seems like way too much work for such a small change.

Swapping in ZJ Tee and late XJ transfer handles (willyshotrod.com)

Honestly, I think anyone spending that much time looking in my Jeep would either be admiring it, or planning on breaking into it anyways. The bag doesn't draw too much attention and it's not like the typical thieves breaking into Cherokees are criminal masterminds - I'd expect bored teenagers, drug addicts, or people looking to steal the entire vehicle regardless of what's in it. I'm not too worried about the holes, but I would like to use some more substantial hardware. The included screws are tiny! They should do for now though.

I've been on the lookout for a cargo cover like my dad's XJ used to have for years to keep that area hidden, since I too have untinted windows. I've yet to come across one though.

 

I don't think I have ever seen that before. His transfer case lever write up was kind of lacking IMO.
Wasn't really sure what he was talking about.
But a lot of that is me. LOL.
Plus my him doing it on a '96 and down might be different then a '97 and up.

You looking for the '97 and up tarp type?
Or the '96 and down retractable type?

 

I wasn't even aware they changed the type! I've been looking for a retractable type like my dad's old '96 had. I figured they just became less common over the years and had planned on adapting it if I found an early model. I'll have to look into the later models.