OverlandZJ

I'll use this thread for the pics of restoring the wifes 93 5.2L Limited with Upcountry. Goal is to have a nice dependable and streetable little hotrod for the wife. Nothing wild.. just a good looking stocker with a bit of a punch should she feel the need to edumacate some kid in a ricer..

This will be a long term project as she likes this rig and doesnt want a WJ or a car payment. I'm hoping i'll be able to keep up with two ZJ projects this summer, time will tell.

Heres what i'm starting with. Recently we had a severe wind storm and a tree branch came down on the drivers fender and hood. It also has some minor rust on the bottom of the doors so replacements will be installed and a nice paint job sometime this coming fall/winter.






I'm starting with the interior and have just stripped all the seats and carpet.

I pulled the carpet this morning and was surprised to see a spot lifting and rotted. I saw no indication of rust from under the rig..

Guess i'll need to scrape and weld in a patch. This surprised me..



This spot is just behind the drivers side seat between the mounting bolts.

ol"blue

You've got a nice lookin' ZJ to use as a starting point John. I'll be watchin' this thread carefully.
Dan

1995Cherokee

^yea, me too.

OverlandZJ

Swapped out the broken drivers window regulator last night. Then started working on replacing a broken latch/spring assembly in a replacement console cover.

ol"blue

Hey good mornin' John. Was that regulator riveted in?

OverlandZJ

No Dan, bolted in the wifes and the donor vehicle it came from.

ol"blue

Well that made it a little easier.

OverlandZJ

If you notice in the pic, the black piece is what attaches to the bottom of the glass. This has come off the glass pane and i need to re-cement it to the glass... but in order to do so i have to make sure it's in the exact correct position so it doesnt bind when the window goes up and down.

After a bit of cussin and trying again i was able to hold the assembly together and run the glass through it's range and mark the window where that piece sets.

I'm about to glue it in and hope i have it right.

ironhead64

Subscribed!! I have a 95 ZJ Laredo that's just about stock and knowing your attention to details, this will be very interesting and educational!!

CRoading

I'm a big fan of building jeeps so I'll be checking this thread for sure...
Good luck! Hope you get your wife's thumbs up...

4Doors

ZJs aren't so popular with some in the XJ crowd, but I for one love them! Looking forward to watching this.

OverlandZJ

Uh Oh... my reputation proceeds me. Remember this is just a refresh, cleanup and get it running solid and strong. My ZJ will be the better of the two builds.

I took the motor off that old regulator as i was cleaning up yesterday... just about lost part of my finger. Thought i had a good grip on it.

Anyone familiar with these V8 exhaust manifolds? Are they prone to cracks or leaking? I can hear a slight exhaust leak on both sides of the engine compartment... and those look like a bear to pull out.

I also need to do a plenum gasket swap on this motor, that may be the time to address these manifolds.

OverlandZJ

BTW.. my window repair held up. I reglued it in with "Amazing Goop" since i couldnt find my window adhesive and the hardware store didnt carry it. It let it setup for a full 24 hours.

ol"blue

Glad your repair worked.
Those exhaust manifolds don't have a cracking problem but some have had a sealing/gasket leak with age.
Upon removal, spray the outlet flange fasteners well before attempting removal. On the right side manifold the EGR tube is attached with two bolts and runs up to the RR of the intake manifold where it's attached with a nut on the tube. (Careful, the oil sending unit is just to the left of the tube on the top RR of the block, to the right of the dist.) The EGR valve is forward of the tube mounting point on the intake. Hope that's helpful.

OverlandZJ

So the mating gaskets leak with age... good to know. Saves me a big purchase of headers.

Thanks for the EGR info, but i was familiar. Recently did an intake/plenum gasket job on a 95 5.2.

IIRC.. the 96+ V8's eliminated the EGR?

And yes.. i broke the OIL sending unit on that job. Tough to work in that space.

Threw the new buckets in and had the Mrs check them out... she likes!

Since i have limited exp with the ZJ's... anything i should take care of or update while the interior is out? Wont be welding the floor patch till sunday.