Novak Conversions Jeep Wrangler TJ radiator

What did you do to your TJ today?

Goodbye rusted screws. Hello stainless steel.



Sun is beaming down in LA. Put the top down and switched out the full doors for EAG spider ones. Changing out the rusted torx screws on the door for new steel ones later today.

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Quick and easy job yesterday, replacing my seat covers as they were on a clearance special.....my old ones were well past their 'sell by' date. These will do until I get some really nice ones form the States.
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Then went mountain biking with my daughter....
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Can’t believe you were able to get them all out!

🤣 oh man, it wasn’t easy. Took a lot of muscling, and I’m a big guy lol That locktite is serious. There was one so stripped from the PO that I couldn’t do it alone. Took it to a welder who is removing it this week. Still, I was in disbelief. Especially since I’ve heard so many horror stories online about taking them out haha
 
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🤣 oh man, it wasn’t easy. Took a lot of muscling, and I’m a big guy lol That locktite is serious. There was one so stripped from the PO that I couldn’t do it alone. Took it to a welder who is removing it this week. Still, I was in disbelief. Especially since I’ve heard so many horror stories online about taking them out haha

The ones I removed, I broke a torx impact socket on them using a long handled ratchet. I ended up drilling out and retapping the threads. I hate locktite. It's so unnecessary.
 
Continuing my fender/flare/slider rehab thread from the other day (post #40), I finished up the paint on the flares and sliders. I don't think I'll use the Rustoleum rattlecan truck bed paint again - I had two newly purchased cans quit working while still half full of paint. They blew propellant but no paint. Then, as the flares were drying, a wind gust came along and blew two of them off the hooks they were hanging on and onto the garage floor. 🤬 So I had that to do over again. I spent some extra time on the sliders, there had been a fair amount of surface rust in places where it is tough to get a spray can to shoot into. After cleaning those areas up I probably overdid it with the paint this time and there are a few places where the paint ran, but they are all in spots that no one can see, so I don't really care. All that is left now is to bolt everything back on and drive around letting lesser mortals gaze in wonder at my Jeeply awesomeness...

Fender flares looking good - before the wind picked up.
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Sliders are done.
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That area under the step that was really tough to get paint into. I think this will keep the rust at bay better than the first try 5 years ago.
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Opened up my radiator to change the coolant. What do I find?
Sludge. Lots of it.
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Time for a chemical flush...
Well I've done two chemical flushes plus an Italian tuneup. Still there. Going to give it one more descaler flush and then just live with it. It hasn't overheated at all.

I guess I should replace the radiator eventually...
 
Checked fluids, soaked the door hinges in Kroil to loosen them up enough to pull the doors in the next few days and did the pillow fill in the speaker pods thing.

Off to the start up the grill for the cookout.
 
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Installed some knock-off GraBars from Amazon. What a pain in the ass. Halfway through, I thought I probably should have spent the extra 60 bucks (mine were like 25 dollars) for the "real" ones. Anyway...

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And a pic of the hole in the trim. Ended up going with a 2" hole and I still had to notch it for the bracketry. It looks OK...but not great. They are installed though and they are solid. I hope my wife likes them, cuz she sure as hell won't like the cost of replacing the A-Pillar trim!

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Then, as the flares were drying, a wind gust came along and blew two of them off the hooks they were hanging on and onto the garage floor. 🤬 So I had that to do over again.
God, I’d be so eff’n pissed. A few moths ago I was repainting my battery tray and the string broke. It fell in the grass and was just tacky enough that the dead grass stuck all over it. 🤬 That kind of shit works my nerves.
 
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when I bought my son his jeep, (about 2 years ago) one of the 1st thing I did was replace the tailgate hinges with some Kentrol Black Stainless Hinges. https://www.quadratec.com/products/13114_10X_PG.htm
He went to open his tailgate today, and found the following:

did some research and found that it has a limited lifetime warranty, so tomorrow I get to call Quadratec.
as a side note he is running stock tires so there is not a lot of extra weight on the tailgate.


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Novak Conversions Jeep Wrangler TJ radiator