97 TJ - "Second Chance"

[Falko]

did u remove a 4.10 d 35 rear?

I did; Barnes4WD is already in possession of it though.

 

[cardudenc]

thanx, had 1 bought and missed it.
great build. if my 4 banger tj dies its going to get the same. i hearmthe fuel mileage isnt that bad.ive never checked my yj with the sbc crate engine to see what it gets

 

[Falko]

Thanks.

I don't have an accurate means to calculate fuel mileage since I didnt get the tank vent and filler neck set up correctly when swapping to the 05 tank, but by the gauge I get about 14 on the highway if I don't hoon it everywhere I go.

That reminds me, I should fix that.

 

[Falko]

A few random updates before I start on new sub-projects:

A new set of lowers. Double adjustable with Johnnys and 2" .250 wall link

And a 60"x24" cargo rack for the rear

Loaded down for the beach:

Heres where the required work will start again. When I was leaving the beach my radiator ran decided to detach itself and strip all the blades off. I was never really happy with the overall fan performance, so ill be redoing the entire system now.

 

[Falko]

I haven't posted in this thread in quite some time, but honestly there was nothing interesting to share. I did however recently start a bit of custom work.

The driver of the project? My hood latches decided to join the entitlement class (and quit working) while I was on the way to work:

I picked up an unpainted re-pop hood from a member on the board here, but I also had some damage remaining from the bridge excursion so I didn't want to put fresh paint near damaged and dingy fenders:

And since the hood wasn't painted yet, why not cut it up? I decided to make some "highline" fender flares, and because i like to make everything difficult I decided to do them out of aluminum. Start out by removing the flares, cutting the fender forward of the wheel arch, and cutting some inner frames:

and add a bit of tube. The large radius is rolled with a HF unit using Swag off-road 1.75 dies. The radius is about 10". The other bends were muuuuch easier with a JD model 32:

 

[Falko]

Skipping a bunch of steps (because i have no pictures) abracadabra... tube fender flares, and also hood pins:

And in true 4x4 fashion, they were first both bolted on at 11pm the night before i left for a weekend trip. This time it was only to the Blue Ridge Parkway for a friend's wedding:

This weekend I hope to wrap up the finish work on the front flares, devise some permanent turn signals, and start work on some matching rears.

 

[Falko]

Thanksgiving weekend project: matching rear fenders.

Start with some tube and mounting flanges:

Then trim to shape:

Add some skins:

Weld up with the splatter gun:

And finish as the rain sets in:

 

[Falko]

So again, haven't been doing much except driving this thing, but I've got a few upgrades in mind.

I've had to sit out a few trail rides because of the absence of some basic equipment required for responsible riding. Time to fix that.

A few weeks back I fabbed up a rear bumper. 1/4" plate outer wings, 1.75" tube, 3/4" clevis mounts, and a receiver for the bike rack:

And a couple of boxes from Barnes4WD brought some more goodies.

I decided on the Barnes sliders for the wheel to wheel coverage, but wanted some side steps, sooo... Get the bender out.

 

[Falko]

The other Barnes box contained, among other things, a stubby bumper. As long as I've had this thing it's never had a front bumper of any kind. I figure it's time. Main purpose was for the addition of front tow points. I also added some tube work as well.

Slight mod to the bumper to add some tube landing pads:

Bending up the grille hoop:

Grille hoop cut and tacked:

Pre-runner and supports:

Complete, with the fenders back on:

 

[Falko]

So this is how it's been sitting for a few weeks. Everything on the front end came apart for paint.

I took the opportunity to use the easy access to R&R the steering box because of a leaking sector shaft and rerouted my pressure hose to cure a leak cause by tension on the hose.

I also coated the front of the frame with chassissaver paint.

I just went to get the last of the parts from paint. Time for assembly.

 

[Falko]

I realized today that I hadn't posted an assembled picture yet:

New wheels and tires coming soon...

 

[scotch737]

Very nicely done. Saw this one in person. Great build!

 

[Falko]

New (to me) wheels and tires installed:

 

[RenegadeT]

This TJ is turning to the dark side with the storm trooper look

 

[Falko]

Merry Christmas to me.

Lots planned for the holiday time off...

 

[sammi_davis]

Nice work on the Jeep .

 

[Falko]

Here's what was accomplished over the holidays. Shout out to my friend Matt for the garage space to do the work, and most of the photos.

"Sportbar", old seats, and a bunch of dirt came out.

Started the cage with A to C pillar hoops, .120 DOM; fastback style.

B pillers dropped to above the frame rail for tie-ins

Seat mounts for the new PRPs. You'll notice in this pic that the tub has been lined with Monstaliner

A look with the seats and harnesses bar

 

[Falko]

Blue tape in the last one was for laying out the triangulation tubes. You can see in this one (hardly) that I had laid out straight tubes meeting at the centerline for both the rear plane and top plane

After sitting in it with that layout, I wasn't happy with the head clearance, so we devised a new top plane tube arrangement.

Soft top still fits.

Then routed the rear plane braces to match

Still needs to be removed for final welding and paint; will hopefully get to that this week.

 

[SPOA87YJ]

Nice!

 

[Falko]

It's extracted...

 

[Falko]

Almost.

 

[Falko]

I spent the better part of February out of town... Hammers, Japan, and Texas slowed progress, but the heep made it back to the road today.

(Hardcore work parking lot pic)

Theres still some details to wrap up; I'll post some better pictures this weekend.

 

[jonescj5]

I stop and look at your jeep when ever I see it in the parking lot. Mine is two cars down in the picture black lj

 

[Falko]

Not much going on with this thing as I've been messing with beater-deluxe Derelicte recently, but I did finally add rear speakers back this past week.

The sound bar obviously wouldn't fit with the cage so I made some custom pods. Thanks to the internet for the idea of using PVC caps and I designed up some roll cage clamps and had them 3D printed:

And yes, white speakers do look as douchy as I expected:

 

[Falko]

Old build resurrection.

I finally did what I said I would... *checks back*... 6 years ago so I figured I should document it.

Back in June of 2014 was the first time the radiator fan let go, and last week was the 5th or 6th time it put the Jeep out of commission. It was always capable of keeping the motor cool, but the control and electrical were kinda half assed.

Here's what was there:

That box on the top with the knob housed the electronics. That's where it liked to short out and blow fuses about once a year. I decided to switch it out for a Taurus/Volvo unit with the OEM style electrical.

Mounting was kinda a trick with limited space. Added fastening locations to the radiator mounts to accept and constrain mounting bolts

That made the shrowd simple and flat.

Back in the Jeep... the fan has to go into the engine bay first, but not bolted to the shrowd, to get everything together.