Updated post #1 to include build sheet.

In other news... the overtime at work may be starting to come to a fade. FINALLY might have time to actually WORK on this thing!

Stay tuned, you might actually see some valid progress!

 

All I do is stay tuned... I'm ready to see something new

 

Yeah, I know... you're always tuning something.

Well, I might end up having to find my own set of LCAs... looks like the ones I was supposed to be getting have been sold. Still waiting to hear back from the guy that was going to give them to me.

It's always like ONE thing that's holding me up.

 

Keep your head up!! It's a project for a reason

 

Yup - sure enough. Well, it's been confirmed. He had to sell them. However, after looking at other kits and stuff as well as the lift guide (see pic below), I think I'm going to go ahead and plan on lifting it without the LCAs for now. Gonna go ahead and start cleaning up the leafs and repainting them, put them all back together and start throwing parts at it. Should have some free time coming up in the next few weeks, so on with the project.

 

GREAT!!!

 

Separated my leafs for the upcoming lift. Stripped the paint and rust then hit them with some red lead and then gave 1 of the packs a coat of silver hammertone. Don't have any pics of the hammertone after it went on, but I'm sure everyone has seen it before. Ran out of primer though so I couldn't do the other pack.



They weren't really all that rusty... just surface rust and spotting. The bushings and the leafs were in pretty good shape overall...





Packs all pulled apart...



Primer going on and drying while stripping the others...







...and a nice little souvenir on the bottom of my foot. Stepped on a nail sticking out of one of the pallets. Stupid thing.

 

Compiled a Jeep "To-Do" list on my phone...





I definitely have my work cut out for me.... all this while only being able to utilize about 10% of my garage space.... you don't even want to know what my to-do list looks like for that.

So, if anyone wonders why I don't make much progress... the priority list goes like this...

-Work
-Family (I have a wife, 2 sons, and a daughter)
-Yard/Home maintenance (grass has to be cut about twice a week here in the summer time)
-Garage to-do list
-honey-do list
-Jeep List

Yup.... all the way at the bottom.

 

****Almost forgot****

On a side note, I got the springs finished painting and put all back together. Haven't take a picture yet, but I will in the next couple of days.

 

Good work on busting down the packs for a clean up.
Are you going to build a new pack or just put the stock ones back together?

 

Oh those aren't stock packs, they're from a Tuff Country lift....
http://www.tuffcountry.com/lift-kits/jeep/cherokee/
43802KH

Got it for free from a friend, so I'm just cleaning and painting it up before I throw it on.

 

Here's a pic of the lift.... packs are all painted and reassembled, I cleaned off the coils, still have to clean the shocks and paint them as well as the track bar.

 

Getting so close!!!

 

NOPE! No progress made on the lift yet. I need the money to get some DOT3 and system flush for the brakes before I do the extended lines (fluid has never been changed while I've owned it... probably never before I owned it either).

SO, little by little, I'm catching up with other things that I need to get done.

No pics, but I cut 3 sides and the lid off a washing machine for some sheet metal. It's about 1 gauge thinner than the OEM floors, but it should still work. My biggest challenge is going to be welding it without blowing holes through my floorboards.

Also finally got around to throwing in the 6.5s that I got on ebay. Moved the 5.25s to the rear hatch until I get the sound bar wired up and installed. Couldn't believe the sound difference. I'm really glad I went with the 6.5s. Didn't have to modify anything either, just used the screw holes closer to the middle of the speaker instead of the outside screw holes. The cutout on the door and panel were fine as well.

They sound GREAT!

pics:

 

MOAR updates....

Changed.... er well.... scraped off the OEM valve cover sealant and UPGRADED to a Felpro valve cover gasket





after degreasing the aluminum cover - was greasy black


Gasket on:


Best thing you can do when doing this.... trace out the outline of the new gasket on the cardboard that it came in... put your bolts in the respective holes on the cardboard. Makes it really easy to put them back on the valve cover in the correct locations.



Painted the valve cover

Drying...


The finished product:


And all bolted up:



Painted the extra trackbar I have to go on the jeep when I do my lift.




Looks like it's still leaking a little oil from under the gasket though so I think I might have to pull it back off and clean the surfance and then put it back on again.