1 ton YJ/CJ rebuild

[cj777]

As some of you know, I recently traded my TJ for a YJ. Not content to wheel a rig someone else built without adding my touch to it, I wheeled it once (on the way home) and began tearing into it.

Here it is as I got it.

Current specs are: Dana 60 front, 14 bolt rear, 5.13 gears, Detroits front and rear, 3 link front w/ 16" coilovers, 4 link rear with 14" air shocks on 42" PBR. 4.0, AW4, NP231

 

[cj777]

The first matter of business wasn't very exciting. I tore into the engine electronics. A lot of necessary sensors were removed or disconnected, making it run pretty rough. I added a check engine light so I could properly troubleshoot it. Then added a coolant temp sensor, and replaced the map and tps sensors, motor mounts and leaking air intake. After doing all of that and tracking down the remaining vacuum leaks, it ran much better.

My next change was the cage. I wasn't happy with all of the small tubing used in the existing cage, so I picked up a cage from 89wrangler to build off of.

After a fresh coat of paint:

And installed (also picked up a new windshield frame and glass you can see in this pic):

 

[cj777]

I wasn't happy with the old steering column or dash so I swapped in a CJ dash and an XJ column.

Old:

New:

 

[spraypaintman]

cool additions to the project!

 

[cj777]

I've never been a fan of square lights, so off they go......

New tube fenders mocked up:

And the front end about where it's going to sit:

 

[spraypaintman]

Looking good I always liked a cj grill over a yj! CJ fronts ends are a classic! Looking good man! Nice winch and flat fenders too!

 

[cj777]

This weekend I started fabbing seat mounts for the cage

Just waiting on my tabs to come in from mud pro to mount the seats

Teaser pic of the first batch of steering goodies from Tarheel 4wd More to come....

 

[spraypaintman]

Does your jeep have a body lift?

 

[spraypaintman]

I know the cj grills are taller than the yj ones and will look funny and stick up if you don't modify them with the yj body.

 

[cj777]

Looking good I always liked a cj grill over a yj! CJ fronts ends are a classic! Looking good man! Nice winch and flat fenders too!

Thanks!

Does your jeep have a body lift?

It does. It's got a 2" one right now, which is why the shock hoops clear the body. It will likely be something I address during the build as I've never been a fan of big body lifts.

 

[cj777]

I know the cj grills are taller than the yj ones and will look funny and stick up if you don't modify them with the yj body.

yep, the grill body lift puck had to be cut about in half to get it to sit at the right level

 

[spraypaintman]

cool deal it's going to be sweet! That old cage looked like crap!

 

[rodcycle]

any updates??

 

[cj777]

any updates??

Not much. I got the seat mounts welded to the cage, painted the cage and installed seats. That's about it for this week.

Next week I'm upgrading the cooling system.

 

[rodcycle]

Looks awesome

 

[mrfixit]

the motor trans and t case were out of a 2001 Cherokee with 21,000 miles.
we owned it before Rodney rebuilt it, and how do you like that 4wd shifter.

 

[cj777]

the motor trans and t case were out of a 2001 Cherokee with 21,000 miles.
we owned it before Rodney rebuilt it, and how do you like that 4wd shifter.

Haha, it's funny you should mention that. The pry bar shifter is gone, it was one of the first things that had to go. I'll take some pics of it's replacement when I get a chance. Thanks for posting the history.

 

[Judge]

Lookin good!

I love my PSC steering system. The new variable ratio box must be the balls because everything works much smoother and with less labor than the PSC box on my full size (dodge) rig setup. I am running full width 60's with full crossover though.

 

[89wrangler]

Cage looks great in there! rest looks good too!

 

[cj777]

Cage looks great in there! rest looks good too!

Thanks, Steve! I'm really happy with the way the cage worked out.

 

[cj777]

I've made some small progress over the last month....

Redid the shifters:

Got most of the new steering installed. Just waiting on the new ram now. An XJ steering shaft fit perfectly:

Had to remove the outlet on the bottom of the radiator and solder it upside down to clear the orbital. Hopefully it holds up, if not I'll need to look into a different radiator:

upgraded the battery cables to 2 gauge with military terminals:

And finally......Paint! My first attempt doing bc/cc. I definitely learned a lot and could do better next time. But it looks ok, and will be bounced off a rock and scratched up soon enough so it doesn't need to be perfect.

My custom paint booth:

Everything back together before wet sanding and buffing:

 

[cj777]

Also decided I wasn't happy with a lot of the previous owner's modifications to the tub, so I'm starting over on that soon....

 

[ncsutj]

Looking good

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

 

[cj777]

Well I almost hate to call it progress, but this is how it sits now.

 

[spraypaintman]

You should have paid me to help you take the tub off. That tub was heavy!