In part 1 of this build series, we left off after replacing the heim joint steering and crusty front brakes and then taking the first test drive to town. In part 2 we’ll review some necessary repairs, adjustments, and changes to get this rig ready for camping and exploration.
With reliability in mind, I opted to preemptively replace the fuel pump. The J hooks for the tank straps were rusty and fought the whole way. Both ended up twisted. Luckily the rust was noticed during inspection, and I had new Mopar J bolts on hand. I was unable to obtain a Bosch fuel pump and sending unit, so I decided to replace the pump and reuse the original sending unit. A decision I would later regret.
After installing the new pump in the old sending unit, the fuel gauge started giving random readings sometimes.
In part 1 I mentioned my plan to step down to 31×10.5 tires. I opted to utilize stock XJ steel wheels for the 31s. I already had 4 of them sitting around, I’d just need to source a 5th. After washing the wheels, I brought them to the shop and prepared them for paint. I like the look of tires sitting in the wheel wells and stock offset wheels improved the scrub radius for nice handling. Stock wheels and 31×10.5s rub the control arms at full lock though.
Some rattle bomb self-etching primer and Krylon Metallic Dark Metal paint would fit the bill.
It was torrential rain the day I prepped the wheels for paint. I made a sick rain suit:
New tires would have to wait until a 5th wheel was obtained and painted so I focused on another task. When Nick owned the Jeep, we installed a slip yoke eliminator in the NP231 case and coupled it with a double cardan driveshaft from Oliver’s. We got lucky during that initial build with a perfect pinion angle without shimming. My decision to install stock shackles drastically lowered the pinion angle, necessitating shimming.
I installed 8* shims from Iron Rock Offroad to point the pinion back toward the t-case. I need to remeasure, 6* may be more appropriate when the Jeep is loaded.
I goof’d during the axle shim install and pulled the driveshaft apart. Fortunately for me, Oliver’s put indexing arrow stickers on when they built the shaft.
Starting to see light at the end of the tunnel (or so I foolishly thought), I decided to take a break from the spanners and clean up the interior. The inside of this Jeep is pretty nice for its age and mileage. The only incompleteness of the interior was caused by Nick and I. We turned the back seat upright into a storage platform, show below.
It wouldn’t be a crusty old Jeep if you didn’t find a previous owner’s sock under the seats.
The dash cleans up nicely. The radio head unit is ancient and doesn’t support Bluetooth. It will need to be replaced eventually. For now, I’m rocking a Bluetooth to FM transmitter my friend Bubs donated on the Jeep’s first “real” test drive.
Some deep floor mats to keep in the mud:
Living in the southeast, air conditioning is mandatory. The next project was replacing the AC compressor, liquid line/orifice tube, and accumulator.
A new Mopar serpentine belt to finish things off.
After thinking the AC repairs were complete, I went to see my friend Weasel for an alignment and AC system charging.
The alignment went well, and my DIY caster settings were good. Weasel’s expert opinion identified that my AC condenser was clogged.
I couldn’t waste any time feeling down about the AC condenser, there was more work to be done. When Nick bought this Jeep, it had 31” BFG KO tires on stock steelies. He had the steelies behind his shed and allowed me to rummage around and grab one. They were all muddy and 3 of the 4 were home to a colony of ants. I grabbed the mostly ant free unit and tossed it in the Jeep. One of the decaying seat covers was sacrificed to keep mud off the carpet.
He also had an Old Emu steering stabilizer that we never installed as he did not have a clamp to attach it to the CavFab steering setup. It drove good enough without one.
The old 31 beside the 33s.
The 5th wheel was painted to match my old set.
The new AC condenser arrived and fit nicely. One of the quick disconnect lines was a pain but eventually went on.
Steering now stabilized by Old Man Emu.
My initial inspection found some rust on the front right frame horn. With some help, the front bumper was removed for wire wheel and POR15 action. I’ll replace those sway bar bushings eventually.
The day finally arrived to have 31×10.50r15 BGF KO2s installed. This changed the look of the Jeep that took some getting used to. Now I prefer this look, and the Jeep is a joy to drive. It’s officially a smooooooth runner.
Immediately after having the tires installed, Weasel and I took a trip to Morganton NC so he could buy a 4 Runner.
It only took driving at night once to realize how bad the sealed beam halogen headlights were. The voltage drop from the old wiring and XJ headlight harness design resulted in little light output. I prefer the look of halogen housings on older vehicles, but I decided to update to modern LED projector housings for better visibility. I don’t like driving at night but sometimes it’s unavoidable.
Since this machine is slated to be my next camping vehicle, I removed the roof rack from the blue jeep and gave it a fresh paint job.
While the roof rack paint dried, the first “real” test drive took place. A friend and I took a day trip ride to hit some forest roads around Linville and Wilsons Creek.
This old mountain store has been there for a long time.
Coming down highway 221 on this trip made it apparent that the rear brakes needed attention. They were refreshed after this trip.
Remember my regret about reusing the fuel pump sending unit and having fuel gauge issues afterwards? I ended up dropping the tank again to replace the whole assembly.
That’s all for now but there is plenty more work to do and plenty of places to go in this old Jeep. Stay tuned!
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