Operation Phoenix

[macleanflood]

I think we're both getting closer to having shit figured out.

I'm never going to have my shit together. I'm just muddling my way through the instructions and learning hard lessons along the way.

Drove to town for cheap gas. Astro in Eugene is $3.49 cash instead of 3.94. That and I needed non ethanol for my lift. Man everything drives really smooth.

I need some pointers to destructions for operating the single dial on the shock reservoir.

Weighed the Jeep coming home. Emptied out all my camping gear. Had my tools. 2080 front, 2260 is the back...but that's also with 11 gallons of extra gas.

Noticed extra carnage. Chip in the windshield. Hole in the front license plate where it's folded under the bumper. Hole in the exhaust where the transmission mount ripped off.

Planning on welding a patch slash reinforcement plate on the exhaust to better spread the load of the mount's 1/2 rod.

I need to clearance the rear fender. I think I'll pull the tire and run a hot line with the torch and fold so I've got a smooth spot farther up rather than a knife edge.

Ordered some grade 8 flange bolts. Maybe they might stay under the skid plate. Seems resistant to red and blue loctite. But I probably need to clean up more of the antisieze I previously used in the holes.

-Mac

 

[Wildman]

I'm never going to have my shit together. I'm just muddling my way through the instructions and learning hard lessons along the way.

Drove to town for cheap gas. Astro in Eugene is $3.49 cash instead of 3.94. That and I needed non ethanol for my lift. Man everything drives really smooth.

I need some pointers to destructions for operating the single dial on the shock reservoir.

Weighed the Jeep coming home. Emptied out all my camping gear. Had my tools. 2080 front, 2260 is the back...but that's also with 11 gallons of extra gas.

Noticed extra carnage. Chip in the windshield. Hole in the front license plate where it's folded under the bumper. Hole in the exhaust where the transmission mount ripped off.

View attachment 640228

Planning on welding a patch slash reinforcement plate on the exhaust to better spread the load of the mount's 1/2 rod.

I need to clearance the rear fender. I think I'll pull the tire and run a hot line with the torch and fold so I've got a smooth spot farther up rather than a knife edge.

Ordered some grade 8 flange bolts. Maybe they might stay under the skid plate. Seems resistant to red and blue loctite. But I probably need to clean up more of the antisieze I previously used in the holes.

-Mac

Just like many of us I'll never be DONE with mine but I'd like it to get to where it was more reliable...

I'd posted a thing on shocks a while back but can't remember which thread it was in other than in the general discussion section. Heck Jeff even learn something about his King shocks Edit( OOPS coilovers) from reading it.

 

[macleanflood]

Spent all morning putting another ten gallons of paint on the shop and masking and caulking.

Did a hundred miles of Forest Service roads in the afternoon. I like these shocks...very close to a go fast rig. Takes corners well and runs whoops and washboards without issues.

Found a few cars. And a halfalanch. Used the winch to flip the roof on the Hobbit tiny house to get to the sealant for asbestos tests.

Everything ran flawless. Need to patch the exhaust.

-Mac

 

[Wildman]

Here's that thread on shocks: https://wranglertjforum.com/threads...usters-on-off-road-shocks.85780/#post-1754620

 

[macleanflood]

Un holed the exhaust and got the mount properly welded.

I really need a TIG welder.

I also almost assassinated my welder. Left the ground clamp on the Sahara...backed it into the shop to weld nuts on one of the tailgate bolts. Pulled it off the stand and halfway across the gravel driveway. Shortened the gas hose. Resoldered the terminals to the main board. Reassembled the strain relief that did nothing. Beat the weld clamp back into a shape resembling a clamp. Works fine.

Oh and the 231J is leaking. Not hemmoraging.

-Mac

 

[macleanflood]

Editing videos...not sure if this needs more editing...

And parts/tools arrived! And I replaced the bright silver bolts on my jack mount with black ones and got the right metric thread pitch to use the knobs from my dump trailer mount. Lot harder to loose a big knob and a lot easier to grab with sore hands and gloves.

-Mac

 

[Irun]

I love your tackle anything mentality. You don't get flustered, you just get stuff done. Kudos!

 

[macleanflood]

Yesterday I changed my oil. Had to use a chisel on the old oil cap and replace it. Today I edited up footage I shot doing my outboard.

Was digging a little to set footings for a side shed on my shop and found a nest of ground bees. Got stung on my hand. It's quite swollen.

Flexed out the Jeep in the yard to shoot an intro. Another reminder I need to clearance the back part of the fenders.

-Mac

 

[macleanflood]

I'll leave this unlisted and viewable for a week or two and then schedule it into my release sometime in early October.

-Mac

 

[Abendage]

You’re braver than I welding and grinding with all that hay in your shop!

 

[macleanflood]

You’re braver than I welding and grinding with all that hay in your shop!

You missed the half full gas tank behind me!

And technically it's alfalfa...

Need to clearance these fenders. Was originally thinking of heating up and folding an inch inward but now I'm thinking maybe I should do a jog cut on the top of the fender and push the whole arch back 1.5" and clearance the tub to match.

Hmm. Thoughts? All the powder coating is sheeting off the fenders anyways.

-Mac

 

[macleanflood]

Decided to stop overthinking things and just hack things up.

Shitty powder coating weights about a half pound for each 14 pound fender.

-Mac

 

[macleanflood]

Fenders chopped and painted and bolted back up with a little silicone on top to maybe keep the grit out...but it's probably coming from below.

Got a P0206 Cylinder 6 injector circuit code the other day. Interesting that after the code popped the fuel trims went flat. Cleared the codes, fuel trims are now moving and no further issues.

-Mac

 

[NashvilleTJ]

Nice work, Mac. And the shop is looking great.

 

[macleanflood]

Here's the answer to will a TJ tow an RV. Yes, mine can tow a 16' camper. It just takes three trips...

Meanwhile some parts came in for my exhaust plans. Got a hi temp bushing and some 1.5" 1/8" wall DOM. Decided the hook on the exhaust tip won't work and ordered some stainless coupler nuts and some 1/2 stainless threaded rod.

-Mac

 

[bbaldwin237]

Meanwhile some parts came in for my exhaust plans. Got a hi temp bushing and some 1.5" 1/8" wall DOM. Decided the hook on the exhaust tip won't work and ordered some stainless coupler nuts and some 1/2 stainless threaded rod.

View attachment 642809

-Mac

Is this just to keep the hanger from shifting in the rubber and contacting the tank?

Also, when I picked up my Jeep from the shop the other day I asked what a ballpark price to do the fab work (not including shocks) on outboard would be and he said about $1200-1500. So be glad you're capable of doing that work yourself! I can buy a welder and a lot of scrap to practice on for $1500

 

[macleanflood]

Is this just to keep the hanger from shifting in the rubber and contacting the tank?

Also, when I picked up my Jeep from the shop the other day I asked what a ballpark price to do the fab work (not including shocks) on outboard would be and he said about $1200-1500. So be glad you're capable of doing that work yourself! I can buy a welder and a lot of scrap to practice on for $1500

I need to pull the exhaust up so the plan is to French the DOM tube into the frame...insert the high temp red isolation bushing...then weld a coupler nut to the top of the exhaust...and run the threaded rod through the frame to the coupler nut. The threaded rod should give me a ton of adjustability.

Drive your Jeep down here. I'll volunteer @Woodrow and we can knock it out in a weekend. Now that I almost know what I'm doing and with a couple people it's not terrible.

-Mac

 

[bbaldwin237]

I need to pull the exhaust up so the plan is to French the DOM tube into the frame...insert the high temp red isolation bushing...then weld a coupler nut to the top of the exhaust...and run the threaded rod through the frame to the coupler nut. The threaded rod should give me a ton of adjustability.

Drive your Jeep down here. I'll volunteer @Woodrow and we can knock it out in a weekend. Now that I almost know what I'm doing and with a couple people it's not terrible.

-Mac

Oh I see, that makes sense.

Haha maybe one day. I'm not there yet (and may never be?) I just thought I would ask while I was there. Especially since the LJ I parked next to was outboarded.

 

[macleanflood]

 

[macleanflood]

Ordered a Tom Woods driveshaft on Tuesday. Arrived Thursday. 42 1/8" just about an inch longer or so than my previous Adam's shaft. Figured I might get away with it when I pushed the transfer case up...but no.

Drove it for a few days and it was much smoother. I beat the crap out of that front shaft...has some pretty good witnesses marks.

Guessing since my Dana 30 pinion seal is leaking the wobbling shaft might have caused my 231J issues. Certainly didn't help.

Pulled the diff cover to play with the e-locker. Found three teeth in the bottom of the housing. E-locker is kinda working... pulled more wire into the housing to let the stator assembly rotate more freely.

Pulled the Lube Locker off. All the bottom silicone traces fell off. Sealed it up with Right Stuff and pumped it full of Lucas 85w140 after replacing the pinion seal.

Those teeth have probably been off for a while. I don't think I've opened it up since I did the regear. It'll be fine until I get my credit card down from the giant crater I made doing an outboard.

Probably will order 5.13s for the front and back too...cause why the hell not.

Was able to bolt up the new shaft without dropping the skid...body lift is convenient and years of contorting myself working on cars has taught me a few skills.

Hard top and door probably going on this afternoon. Raining steady outside.

Spent the last couple of days adding a side shed to the shop to park the lift and tractor so as not to clutter up my shop space for parking. Going to pick up some IBC totes and move the goat's alfalfa out there too.

-Mac