finished up the radiator install yesterday with more daylight
Now she's happy again..and so am I for getting that functional yet compromised 20 yr old one out before it went for good and possibly causing a lot more damage with it.

The fit is a little tighter on the fill neck against the stock air box then I would like, but I think it will be okay. I tilted the radiator as far forward as I could before cinching it in place.

 

Re-positioned the inner fender splash shields to eliminate rubbing by the tires and installed new lift gate supports. Picked up gear oil for both differentials

 

Put a new air filter in. Easy day.

 

Ordered my intake manifold and carb for the MJ.

 

Removed the dash and ran new drain hose from the sunroof to the floor outlet on both the drivers and passengers side. Removed a large part of an aftermarket remote start system. Repaired the moving flaps under the shifter arms. Cleaned all the soda and coffee off of the center console once I had it removed.

 

Replaced wheel cylinders, shoes, hardware, and parking brake cables. Bleeders on both cylinders were seized, as were the brake lines to the fittings. Tore the old cylinders apart and one was filled with what looked like poo at both ends. Brown, slimy, and had that dead fish smell. Disgusting.

 

Designed out my new camshaft and cyl head for the MJ's intake/carburetor combo.

 

Spent most of my afternoon destroying the UCA's on my rig. I knew there was a reason I've been putting it off for a year. Sheered two of the carriage bolts while extracting them, and I had to use the Sawzall on the passenger side. Looks like I have to remove the starter to be able to even get a breaker bar in there for the final bolt. PB, heat, BFH? Yep, tried all that. No love.

This is my DD. I have arranged a ride tomorrow, and I get to look forward to visiting the hardware store for some M10 1.5 grade 8 bolts and nuts on my way back from work in the afternoon. Joy!

I will post pics of the destroyed, 21 year old OEM bushing when i can.

 

The wife and I took it out for it's first decent trip. Went to Walla Walla which is 92 miles round trip. I wanted to see how all the repairs held up. No leaks or issues. Great power and smoother ride than expected. When we got home I installed the new Weathertech mats that came in the mail today. Fit perfectly.

 

Went to You Pull It and picked up a rear seat cup holder assembly and a trim piece that holds the headliner up at the sunroof. Installed them after cleaning them. Went by Hobby Lobby (don't tell the wife) and picked up some foam for rebuilding the drivers seat. When I got home I pulled the seat (fairly simple) and reworked the foam. Didn't come out perfect but I didn't expect it to on the first try. It's a lot better than it was though. I'll redo it again in the future and know better what to do. This was a practice repair.


Before





After

 

As it turns out I did not actually have to remove the starter but I did have some fun with my Dewalt Sawzall. Forgot to take a pic of the destroyed bushings but needless to say, OEM bushings from 1998 with 241K miles on them do NOT want to be evicted.

At least I got to use the ball joint press again, so I figure now I've gotten my money's worth since I did the ball joints already. Taking a break since it already says 94 degrees at not even noon.

Now the fun part begins: trying to deadhead these bolts by myself while articulating the axle in all kinds of crazy ways to achieve the end result.

 

A ratchet strap works wonders, that's what use to hold mine while putting the bolt in.

 

That's a good idea. I'll have to find it in the garage but I'll dig it out. Thank you JW.

 

Pulled my retractable cargo cover and painted it black. Looks much better then the original tan color.

 

Replaced the radiator fan on my WJ. Went to do the relay, and found a PO had done it before me. Did a very sloppy job. I enlarged and cleaned up the access hole with my oscillating tool (love that tool!) and...... Oh, man. Can't find the relay that was delivered Wednesday! A $62 solid state relay, and it's disappeared! The bad news is, the most likely culprit is my toddler. She loves to put things in the trash!

So, been looking over the wiring diagram, and yes, I don't see any reason I can't substitute a standard 40 amp automotive relay for the crazy expensive solid state what-were-they-thinking relay. I"ll let folks know how it goes.