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Like I said man I understand either way, but I definitely have more respect for your Jeep the way it sits. I've got a gear-head buddy at work that tries to convince me weekly to LS swap the Cherokee. For one, the thought of a GM motor in a Chrysler product just makes me cringe from a purist stand point. But two, I just don't need the extra power. The Jeep does everything that I need it to do and is fine the way it is.
I understand what you mean and I appreciate it. I definitely get the part about being a Jeep purist, which is why I'm only looking at putting another Jeep engine in it. I'd really like to be able to drive 80 mph on the interstate without having to keep my foot to the floor (80 mph is the speed limit here in SD).
On the control arm front, I ordered these:
I've got yet another road trip coming up for Thanksgiving so hopefully I'll be able to get these bushings installed before then.
Well I got the new LCA bushings installed and just those made a big difference. Then it was time to trek across South Dakota yet again for the holiday...
Today we went off-roading in the Black Hills. I didn't get a ton of pictures but it was a lot of fun!
So recently I noticed that after installing my lift about this time last year that the rear has "settled" lower than the front. Here's a good example pic:
So I decided I was going to add a leaf to my leaf packs. Now I know that AALs are generally not recommended but I am hoping that since my leafs are only a year old that it will be okay... Effectively making it a "bastard pack". I bought 1" AALs from Rancho. Some people say Rancho rides too rough but my coils are Rancho and I've been happy with them.
Rancho add-a-leafs...
All apart!
Re-assembled.
Gave it a quick shot of paint...
I had been looking all over the web for affordably priced u-bolts... Ended up picking this set off of Rockauto for $25 shipped.
Installed!
It didn't raise the rear-end a ton, just enough to level it with the front. In driving around town today, I noticed no discernible difference in ride quality and no drive-line vibrations. Success! We'll see how this works out long term.
In other news, I picked up the inline-six engine block from the machine shop today...
Sooooo it's been a while... I haven't done much to the Jeep, unfortunately, as funds are slim at the moment.
I've just been driving and enjoying it.
One thing happened recently - as I was driving I noticed the battery light came on. I pulled over and popped the hood only to discover that the alternator stud had broken off!
This had happened once before and there had been enough threads remaining that I was able to find another nut and reattach everything. This time there was nothing left.
As I said, funds are short at the moment, so I really did not want to purchase a new alternator. In the future I would consider buying something like a Mean Green alternator, but in the meantime I need to just get by.
I searched online and found this alternator repair kit:
I ordered it and once it arrived it was time to do a slight tear-down of the alternator.
With the cover removed:
I got this piece of the monstrosity off:
Here's a clear shot of the broken alternator stud:
I removed the "insulator" around the stud:
Picture of the stud hammered out:
New parts going in:
All back together:
Everything works as it should again.
It's been a while since I uploaded a YouTube video, so I need to get on that.
I also don't have much progress on the 4.0 engine block (again - funds are short) but I at least got it painted:
The Jeep has developed an intermittent starting problem... Seems like the battery at first... But after using my battery charger on it, the Jeep still wouldn't start. The charger has a light that is supposed to turn on if the battery is bad and that light has stayed off. I can get it to start by jumping it with another vehicle though.
Tomorrow I'll bring the battery to an auto parts store and they can use their fancy tester on it. I suppose that the fiasco with fixing the alternator could have ruined the battery. Or maybe I didn't actually fix the alternator after all if I somehow screwed up the install of the terminal.
We'll see. I'm hoping the ignition switch or the starter isn't going out again...
I crawled under the Jeep today to inspect the starter and discovered it was completely falling apart! All the bolts holding it together vibrated loose.
O'Reilly's is going to honor the warranty, which is nice. Unfortunately the replacement starter won't be here until Tuesday.
This whole thing has got me thinking... I've had a lot of engine vibrations since I replaced my motor mounts. I'm sure that contributed to the starter vibrating apart. Is there anything I can do to prevent the new starter from doing the same thing? Does anyone have any ideas?
The Jeep has developed an intermittent starting problem... Seems like the battery at first... But after using my battery charger on it, the Jeep still wouldn't start. The charger has a light that is supposed to turn on if the battery is bad and that light has stayed off. I can get it to start by jumping it with another vehicle though.
Tomorrow I'll bring the battery to an auto parts store and they can use their fancy tester on it. I suppose that the fiasco with fixing the alternator could have ruined the battery. Or maybe I didn't actually fix the alternator after all if I somehow screwed up the install of the terminal.
We'll see. I'm hoping the ignition switch or the starter isn't going out again...
Sounds to me like terminals. That's what my
Cherokee was doing. Just barely not making good enough contact, but when you stick the jumper cables on it you get the juice from the other car and it squeezes the terminals a bit. The cable to the starter wasn't making good connection on my Comanche and did the same thing too.
Sounds to me like terminals. That's what my
Cherokee was doing. Just barely not making good enough contact, but when you stick the jumper cables on it you get the juice from the other car and it squeezes the terminals a bit. The cable to the starter wasn't making good connection on my Comanche and did the same thing too.
I think you are correct. My starter falling apart wasn't helping but the terminals could use a good cleaning too.
I decided that what I will call "Phase 1" of this build to be more or less complete. I've got a reliable daily driver that can handle basic trails on the weekends.
Now I just have to decide what to focus on next. The interior is loud and to keep my wife happy I'm considering saving up and completely overhauling the interior to make it as comfortable as an XJ can be while also installing a new sound system. I would like to install a backup camera for on the trails but I haven't found a good place for it yet... I would prefer not to have it on a suction cup on the windshield and instead have something "cleaner" but we'll see. I would also like a GPS system and that is the same problem... Where to put it?
Or I could start building up my axles a bit... I would like to re-gear to 4.56. In a perfect world, I would like a selectable locker up front and a limited-slip in the rear but that may have to wait a bit.
I would love to have more armor and new bumpers but I'm hesitant to add that much weight to my 4 banger. I'm still new to offroading so what I have works for the beginner trails I drive. I just have to be careful not to back up into a tree and pick my lines over rocks carefully so I don't whack my flimsy stock bumpers lol.
As for the drivetrain... I'm still on the fence as to whether or not I want to rip out the 2.5L/AX-5. My wife just sold her DD and so I'm considering trying to find a 4.0L Jeep with a blown motor that I can pick up cheap and drop the stroker I'm building into.
Decisions, decisions... So many options, so little cash... LOL!
11-14-2017, 09:27 PM
