rang-a-stang's summer project/build

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  • 78 WIDETRAC
    350 Buick
    • Aug 19, 2003
    • 844

    Rang


    Your jeep is really coming along nicely, Glad I could help with the carbon can.

    Comment

    • fulsizjeep
      Señor Jackhead
      • Aug 21, 2002
      • 22496

      Originally posted by rang-a-stang
      Pulled the Double Cardan. Here is the carnage on my shaft.

      Notice my yoke is mostly extended. I also notice this spot that looks like something smacked it pretty hard. Maybe a rock on the hill I was climbing? not sure. I looked around and did not see any damage under the truck where a broken shaft would have smacked something under there.


      I'm actually wondering if the slip joint was bottomed out at the time of destruction. Yes, no, maybe?
      Last edited by DarkMonohue; 02-26-2021, 12:28 PM.
      Flint
      Ran when parked.
      http://jubileejeeps.org/quadratrac
      88 GW, 401/727/208, 5" lift, D44s/4.10s/locked up, 35s with a few Evil Twin & TT's Fabworks mods
      76 401 Wag, 77 401 Wag, 77 401 J20
      http://eviltwinfab.com http://www.ttsfabworks.com

      Comment

      • rang-a-stang
        Administrator
        • Oct 31, 2016
        • 5465

        Originally posted by fulsizjeep
        Nice work on the seats!

        Sorry you have to deal with all that emissions orneriness. I remember tossing at least 3 of those carbon cans in the trash over the years.
        Thanks!

        I don't mind messing with the carbon can. I could remove it since I won't ever smog it again, but I like the idea of running it. I will add the Carbon Cannister Control solenoid back to my EFI in the coming year and let my computer control it though.
        Originally posted by SJTD
        I take it Cherk seats don't have adjustable backs? Just fold forward? I forgot the floor might be different.

        I wanted something else because of no recline. Tilting the whole seat helps but it's not the same. Also, '84 had no headrests.

        Whole lotta work as you saw. But they're from a Lexus so they gotsta be comfy right?
        Correct. No adjustable backs, just fold forward.

        I totally get it. If my factory seat covers weren't so stinkin cool looking, I would be looking for something like yours. I have a buddy with a Corvair and he installed similar Lexus seats as yours. They are amazing.
        Originally posted by 78 WIDETRAC
        Rang
        Your jeep is really coming along nicely, Glad I could help with the carbon can.
        Thank you, sir!
        Originally posted by fulsizjeep
        I'm actually wondering if the slip joint was bottomed out at the time of destruction. Yes, no, maybe?
        I have been thinking "no" for a long time but as I was driving this weekend (more below on that) I remembered I couldn't shift from D to R, so I wonder if it was bottomed out and pushing my drivetrain back/jamming the shift linkage?
        ***********************************
        Originally posted by rang-a-stang
        ...are gonna road trip it to Orange County Saturday.
        This happened. Planned route was about 95 miles, one way, from my house to my brothers house in Huntington Beach. The drive there was epic! Tons of waves and thumbs up, truck ran nice and cool, even when traffic picked up a little.

        Got off the 405S at Brookhurst (around 11:10am) to hit my normal watering hole and check MPG. I gassed up just as I got on the freeway in Camarillo so this would have been purely highway MPG. As I was pulling into the turn lane (50 yards from the Freeway exit), I lost power steering. Looked down and Volt meter showed 12v. Oh no! I lost my belt! Hooked a super fast U-ey into the gas station parking lot.
        My truck would only take about 3 gallons of gas; I couldn't fill the tank. Not sure why, but didn't really care anymore.
        Popped the hood to install the belt and my Alternator pulley was GONE!!!
        Looked back into the street and there it was!

        Ran out into that busy street to pick it up, called my brother (5 minutes away), and pulled my alternator out.

        Dangit, Dave. The sticker didn't work:

        No one honked.

        (actually trying to shorten this whole story some)
        Plan A: I ordered a replacement Alt and my brother headed over to McParts to pick it up. As he was on his way, I realized my current alt is altered to fit into my bracket so the new Alt would not work so we canceled the order
        Plan B:We next went to Home Depot, picked up a 5/8" course thread nut, went to Harbor freight and picked up tap/Die set to make it work. Our thought was, I would install this nut, tack weld it on to get me home, then do a permanent fix when I got home.
        Back to the truck and called a tow (at 1:45). We used the tap and die set and were able to get some good threads:

        While waiting for my tow, a G-Wag gassed up across the street! I about lost my (bad word)

        After MANY calls with our roadside assistance provider, and the tow provider, Tow truck showed up at 6pm. I waited 4 hours 45 minutes for a tow.

        (I have a lot of pictures of my Jeep on a flatbed over the years ).
        That night we put the pulley on the re-threaded alt, torqued it down, the spun it. The pulley wobbled. Not gonna work.
        Back to Plan A but modified: So I ordered another Alt, that night. Picked it up Sunday morning. Drilled my new hole:

        Threw it in my truck, test drove it around my brothers neighborhood with lots of revs, and throttle input changes TRYING to get it to toss the belt. Belt held fine so I went home and packed up my crap to head home.

        Interesting note: As we were cruising around my brother neighborhood, we saw the Roadkill Garage Purple Satellite parked outside a person's house. I didn't take a picture but it was, without a doubt, that EXACT car.

        Left HB around 1pm and made it home around 2:30, without drama

        So, 195 miles driven (corrected). One of the big reasons for this roadtrip was to weed out any issues like this so even though it sucked breaking down, that's kinda why I did this.

        Why do I think the alt pulley fell off? I think it is because I have taken the pulley off several times over the last 3 years and I probably hosed it up at some point (self induced casualty...again). I will fix this Alt and keep in as a spare. I noticed my engine seems to run a little smoother. Maybe my rings have seated, maybe my EFI is "learning", or maybe it's placebo, but it runs a little smoother.

        next up: fix the header exhaust leak and continue to daily drive it.
        Last edited by rang-a-stang; 07-05-2022, 01:31 PM.
        Chuck McTruck 71 J4000
        (Chuck McTruck Build Thread)
        79 Cherokee Chief (SOLD, goodbye old buddy)
        (Cherokee Build Thread)
        11 Nissan Pathfinder Silver Edition 4x4
        09 Mazdaspeed3 Grand Touring
        00 Baby Cherokee

        Comment

        • GWNashville
          232 I6
          • Dec 28, 2016
          • 229

          Rang-a-stang project.

          Wow. Your like me, between the GW and the Chevelle the AAA guys know me by name. Sorry about the alternator but love the stories. Glad it came out on the plus side at the end.
          Richard
          GWNashville
          Email:[email protected]
          1989 Grand Wagoneer 360 c.i.
          727 Transmission
          Sniper EFI Hyperspark
          Serehill Rear Glass and Fog Light Harness.

          Comment

          • FleetFox
            258 I6
            • Apr 04, 2018
            • 290

            Great attitude about this stuff Rang. I would have been speechless with rage, at myself of course.

            Fleet Fox

            P.s. Thanks for sharing stuff like this we are all incredibly human.

            Comment

            • Wagoneer Taylor
              258 I6
              • Dec 17, 2018
              • 434

              Great update Marc!

              Happy to see someone getting use out of their FSJ, haha cant wait to get to work on mine again.

              Love seeing this stuff, keep us motivated!
              Some call me Taylor...

              1977 Jeep Wagoneer (Wedding Wagon)
              Pewter, Blue Interior, Original 401
              PO swapped in a 360, soon to be a 401 again!
              "Soon" is a relative term.
              Cracked cylinder put a hurt on me + bad connecting rods.

              Comment

              • fulsizjeep
                Señor Jackhead
                • Aug 21, 2002
                • 22496

                Originally posted by rang-a-stang
                Next up: fix the header exhaust leak and continue to daily drive it.
                Great attitude! Keep it up.
                Flint
                Ran when parked.
                http://jubileejeeps.org/quadratrac
                88 GW, 401/727/208, 5" lift, D44s/4.10s/locked up, 35s with a few Evil Twin & TT's Fabworks mods
                76 401 Wag, 77 401 Wag, 77 401 J20
                http://eviltwinfab.com http://www.ttsfabworks.com

                Comment

                • cu4whln
                  304 AMC
                  • May 16, 2008
                  • 1700

                  Rang:

                  Dang it, Dave. The sticker didn't work: No one honked.

                  --------------------------------------------------------------------

                  LOL. Funny.

                  Welcome to the "backyard" mech club...

                  I have, and continue to make mistakes and learn as I go.
                  It's not yours 'til ya bleed on it . . . https://forums.ifsja.org/core/images...s/rolleyes.png

                  1977 "401" 'Da Chief
                  1979 Chero: "Madness" [Sold]
                  1972 J4000
                  1985 CJ : Renegade -locked and loaded
                  2005 Unlimited Rubicon - Built
                  2012 Artic JK 4 door, 2016 JK 2 door

                  'Da Chief here: http://www.ifsja.org/forums/vb/showt...ighlight=chief

                  Round 2- LT Swap: 'Da Chief:
                  http://www.ifsja.org/forums/vb/showthread.php?t=188457

                  "Madness" build here:
                  http://www.ifsja.org/forums/vb/showthread.php?t=89280

                  Comment

                  • rang-a-stang
                    Administrator
                    • Oct 31, 2016
                    • 5465

                    Originally posted by GWNashville
                    Wow. Your like me, between the GW and the Chevelle the AAA guys know me by name. Sorry about the alternator but love the stories. Glad it came out on the plus side at the end.
                    The wife was at the unexpected $180 I dumped on an alternator but it could have been sooo much worse. I'm super glad it happened where it did and not in the middle of the 405, or in one of the less nice areas of LA I drove through.
                    Originally posted by FleetFox
                    Great attitude about this stuff Rang. I would have been speechless with rage, at myself of course.

                    Fleet Fox

                    P.s. Thanks for sharing stuff like this we are all incredibly human.
                    I don't get too mad at myself because self-inflicted wounds like these are an hourly occurrence for me! When people build trucks as well as you do, you don't have to worry about this type of crap!
                    Originally posted by Wagoneer Taylor
                    Great update Marc!

                    Happy to see someone getting use out of their FSJ, haha cant wait to get to work on mine again.

                    Love seeing this stuff, keep us motivated!
                    I can't wait to see yours get going toooo! Need me to send a strongly worded letter to your machinist?
                    Originally posted by fulsizjeep
                    Great attitude! Keep it up.
                    Thank you, sir! I'll try but I make no guarantees!
                    Originally posted by cu4whln
                    LOL. Funny.

                    Welcome to the "backyard" mech club...

                    I have, and continue to make mistakes and learn as I go.
                    It keeps us humble, that's for sure! hahaha!!!
                    **************************************
                    I have a meeting every Tuesday that is usually about 90 mins, though my part is only about 5 minutes of that. That means, as long as my phone is on speaker, I get about 85 mins or wrenching.

                    Yesterday, I pulled my header to fix the exhaust leak. I knew I damaged my header gasket when I was installing it but I thought it was just a little crack. It had a nice PFT PFT PFT sound when running but it didn't sound like it was THIS bad:


                    That is the same header that has my Oxygen sensor on it, which blows me away because a leak like that should have sent my EFI into a tizzy. Hm. Fixed. Maybe I'll a fender flare off this week.... HHmmmm.....
                    Chuck McTruck 71 J4000
                    (Chuck McTruck Build Thread)
                    79 Cherokee Chief (SOLD, goodbye old buddy)
                    (Cherokee Build Thread)
                    11 Nissan Pathfinder Silver Edition 4x4
                    09 Mazdaspeed3 Grand Touring
                    00 Baby Cherokee

                    Comment

                    • FleetFox
                      258 I6
                      • Apr 04, 2018
                      • 290

                      I never have problems, because I never actually drive my truck...yet...

                      Fleet Fox

                      Comment

                      • rocklaurence
                        Moderator

                        Moderator
                        • Jan 14, 2009
                        • 1841

                        Its all about the journey. I think Id loose interest if my Jeep ran perfect and started every time I wanted it to. My Ford Ranger for example: doesnt get a second look. Over 15 years it has only needed a Battery, Spark Coil and an AC clutch. I just get in and drive it. The FSJ is a different story. Its a Needy Girl Friend that I love to be around. The more trouble she gives me the more attention she gets.

                        Comment

                        • rang-a-stang
                          Administrator
                          • Oct 31, 2016
                          • 5465

                          Originally posted by FleetFox
                          I never have problems, because I never actually drive my truck...yet...

                          Fleet Fox
                          That's a good measure. It helps with fuel economy, too! People say these things suck gas but how much gas have you put in your truck? Probably almost none in the last year! A year of ownership and you haven't had to fill it up yet?!? That's great fuel economy rawt there!
                          Originally posted by rocklaurence
                          Its all about the journey. I think Id loose interest if my Jeep ran perfect and started every time I wanted it to. My Ford Ranger for example: doesnt get a second look. Over 15 years it has only needed a Battery, Spark Coil and an AC clutch. I just get in and drive it. The FSJ is a different story. Its a Needy Girl Friend that I love to be around. The more trouble she gives me the more attention she gets.
                          Good point. I can't look at mine like a needy girl friend though; it's more like a loser brother-in-law that lives with you, eats all your food, lives on your couch, makes messes, doesn't have a job, and constantly complains about things. He's holding out for a management position, you know?
                          ***************************************
                          I knew when I bought my truck I needed to replace the rear flares. I have watched this forum for close to 6 years and have never seen anyone document how they did it. I did see one build thread, a long time ago, where someone swapped J-Truck flares onto a Cherk but it wasn't a true "This is how I did it". So I am going to document mine as I fly in pseudo blind. Feel free to call me out for doing something wrong.

                          Starting point: I am starting with my passenger flare because the body is square and straight around it (driver side is a bit munched). I took TONS of pictures before I started so when I install the new BJs fiberglass flare I can be sure it sits correctly. Here you can see the significant dent in the front of the flare.

                          In this picture, you can see where my tire would rub when I was Off-roading a couple weeks ago. Swapping to a straight flare will make the rubbing going away! YEsssss.....

                          The rear of the flare is much rustier than this picture makes it look. It has fiberglass filler from the previous owner as well.


                          And lastly, one more picture of the overall stock factory flare.


                          Removal: First step, I took my sawzall and made a rough cut through the flare and inner fender well, back to front.

                          For the record, I have cleaned my rear quarter pouch out several times. That dirt, rust, and scale was all stuck between the flare and the inner fender well. There were chunks of rusty metal, filler, and fiberglass falling off while I sawzall'ed. You can see the extent of the fiberglass in the rear most part of my flare circled in yellow.

                          This picture shows the relationship of the inner fender to the factory flare. Also notice the huge dent in the front was so deep it damaged the inner fender well.

                          Next part is not for the faint of heart. I took an air chisel, with a long flat chisel fitting, started at the rear portion of the flare and working my way up, chiseling the spot welds off to remove the last portion of the flare from the quarter panel. I am trying to leave as much inner fender as I can (more on that in a few) and I could not get a spot weld cutter on them so air chisel it was. Here's the last piece of flare removed.

                          Quarter panel with NOoooo flare left. It looks like the chisel damaged some of the quarter but really it is the 3 layers of paint, some filler, and some of the factory seam sealer cracking and flaking off. The metal seem unaffected:

                          Funny story: when I bought this truck, the belts were beyond crusty. I replaced them with new ones and threw the old ones in the quarter panel storage pouch area for emergency. Then I promptly forgot about them. Re-discovered them yesterday. Look how bad these things were!!!

                          Once the flare was completely removed, I trial fitted the fiberglass flares. They fit pretty well!


                          They sandwich between the inner wheel well and the quarter panel. Here's a view from the tailgate looking forward:


                          Plan: I want to pound/form the inner fender to meet the quarter panel, then butt weld them together to seal them up and create a flat area to BOLT ON rear fender flares. That way, in the future, if I crack these up, it will be a cinch to replace them. I cut a few relief cuts into the inner fender and started at the bottom rear corner. It took me about 30 minutes to get the rear most portion pounded into shape. I am really happy with that part. Then I moved to the front lower portion and repeated the process. The front is tougher because you do not have very good access to the inner wheel well. I ran out of time so here is where it sits (after about 2 hours of actual work time). Look how tiny my 33" tire looks!

                          I would guess I have about another hour of pounding the wheel well to meet up with the quarter panel. Then I will start trimming it, stitch welding it, and sealing it up.
                          Chuck McTruck 71 J4000
                          (Chuck McTruck Build Thread)
                          79 Cherokee Chief (SOLD, goodbye old buddy)
                          (Cherokee Build Thread)
                          11 Nissan Pathfinder Silver Edition 4x4
                          09 Mazdaspeed3 Grand Touring
                          00 Baby Cherokee

                          Comment

                          • Heavy_Metal_Thunder_81
                            Cherokee Outlaw
                            • Jan 10, 2006
                            • 7292

                            Looking good, Marc! I have dissected a few of these Cherokees and have a plan very similar to yours regarding making the inner wheel well and body meet and then spot welding my "new" donor metal flares on. Looking forward to more detail and the finished product!
                            -Jonny B.
                            1979 Cherokee Golden Eagle - UNDER CONSTRUCTION
                            7" Alcan springs, BJ's HD shackles - 35x12.5x15 BFG Mud Terrains
                            AMC 401 - Pro-Flo 4 EFI
                            NV4500/NWF BB/NP205 - Triple Stick'd
                            F D44 - 4.10, Eaton E-Locker
                            R M23 - 4.10, Detroit Locker

                            1979 Cherokee Chief - Parts
                            1979 Cherokee Chief - Parts
                            1979 Wagoneer - Sold
                            1981 Cherokee Chief - Cubed

                            Comment

                            • cu4whln
                              304 AMC
                              • May 16, 2008
                              • 1700

                              AWESOME WORK !

                              You are ahead of me...

                              Great idea bolting on these parts.. " Just in case "

                              I remember you commented when I said I was fixing my flairs...

                              BUT - I am going to "patch" my rear metal flairs up as they are only rusty at the bottom.

                              Your work is much appreciated.. now I can see MUCH clearer how this flair is constructed.

                              Documenting this repair should almost be a separate thread as everybody seems to have issues with the rear flairs.

                              I wish SOMEBODY would make the lower sections of the rear flairs out of metal ( patch section parts )

                              I have bought 2 Cheros out of the desert, and both still had rust in the lower sections due to this crapola design of this area. ie traps dust/dirt at the bottom, then retains water to rust it out from the inside. UGH.

                              Good luck on this repair - looks great.
                              It's not yours 'til ya bleed on it . . . https://forums.ifsja.org/core/images...s/rolleyes.png

                              1977 "401" 'Da Chief
                              1979 Chero: "Madness" [Sold]
                              1972 J4000
                              1985 CJ : Renegade -locked and loaded
                              2005 Unlimited Rubicon - Built
                              2012 Artic JK 4 door, 2016 JK 2 door

                              'Da Chief here: http://www.ifsja.org/forums/vb/showt...ighlight=chief

                              Round 2- LT Swap: 'Da Chief:
                              http://www.ifsja.org/forums/vb/showthread.php?t=188457

                              "Madness" build here:
                              http://www.ifsja.org/forums/vb/showthread.php?t=89280

                              Comment

                              • rocklaurence
                                Moderator

                                Moderator
                                • Jan 14, 2009
                                • 1841

                                Holly Molly!! You've got the Bug really BAD!!! You never stop! This is a good topic and me/we are thankful that your posting up.
                                I pulled my '81 Cherokee RostoMod out of the car port yesterday. I has sat since I closed my Rented Shop 5 years ago. I pulled 5 projects to my house at that time and Sold 4 of them in 2020. This one will sell if I can get my money out of it. Or Ill make it my 40" tired off-road toy.

                                Comment

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