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Weekend is over...what did you get done?

Well this weekend I didn't do much.... grabbed both my ceramic coated exhaust and intake manifold. bought way to many parts 1000 dollars worth (new upgraded motor brackets, triple fan with shroud, clutch, and yoke for the front dana 30). I still haven't even bought tires so really my rig is going to be real interesting looking when I get it up and running XD. brand new motor with an awesome exhaust and tiny little tires is going to be a good laugh for my uncle.
 
Went to URE to meet some guys I have never meet. Had a great time. Made new friends and even got kcox out on the trail. We literally did every trail out there in one day.
 
Picked up this little gem for next to nothing last week. 1998 ZJ Laredo. Almost everything works. Not a bulb burnt out anywhere, and even the factory fog lights work. For a Laredo it's well optioned - CD player radio, power seats, radio controls on the steering wheel. It's a 5.2 L with the 249 transfer case. Only things that still need attention:


  • Headliner needs new fabric
    Only the driver's side power door lock works
    Radio doesn't pull in a lot of stations. Could just be the antenna is unplugged. I haven't pulled the radio yet.
    The tailgate won't open up. It did before I put a trim panel on it though...

I've had to replace a leaking hard brake line, both CV axles that were broken open, new hubs/bearings, and I fixed the drivers side rear door that wouldn't open from the inside and had the window off the track.

Paint is adequate for 22 years old. Surprisingly NO rust anywhere on the body of the truck and only some surface rust underneath. Floors are solid as can be. I haven't even snapped any bolts yet. I say surprisingly because until earlier this summer it spent its entire 22 years in the Bronx and Yonkers in New York. Here's the kicker - 95,500 ORIGINAL miles on it.

Not sure what I'm going to do with it yet. I hardly need 4 running Jeeps. I may flip it, or I may keep it and sell the Commander. Only issue with selling the XK is I'll not have anything capable of pulling the XJ on a trailer.

50428066092_31a10f770f_c.jpg
 
Picked up this little gem for next to nothing last week. 1998 ZJ Laredo. Almost everything works. Not a bulb burnt out anywhere, and even the factory fog lights work. For a Laredo it's well optioned - CD player radio, power seats, radio controls on the steering wheel. It's a 5.2 L with the 249 transfer case. Only things that still need attention:





  • Headliner needs new fabric

    Only the driver's side power door lock works

    Radio doesn't pull in a lot of stations. Could just be the antenna is unplugged. I haven't pulled the radio yet.

    The tailgate won't open up. It did before I put a trim panel on it though...



I've had to replace a leaking hard brake line, both CV axles that were broken open, new hubs/bearings, and I fixed the drivers side rear door that wouldn't open from the inside and had the window off the track.



Paint is adequate for 22 years old. Surprisingly NO rust anywhere on the body of the truck and only some surface rust underneath. Floors are solid as can be. I haven't even snapped any bolts yet. I say surprisingly because until earlier this summer it spent its entire 22 years in the Bronx and Yonkers in New York. Here's the kicker - 95,500 ORIGINAL miles on it.



Not sure what I'm going to do with it yet. I hardly need 4 running Jeeps. I may flip it, or I may keep it and sell the Commander. Only issue with selling the XK is I'll not have anything capable of pulling the XJ on a trailer.



50428066092_31a10f770f_c.jpg
I've never driven a 5.2 xj, so don't laugh too hard... Do they not tow quite well?

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
 
Nope. It tows 5000 - same as the 4.0. The XK tows 7500 with the Hemi.
 
Dirk, it sounds like you are quite good at fixing ZJ's. I may need to have a wrench party to fix all the little gremlins with ours.
 
I'd be up for a wrenchfest. Been a while since we've had one of those.
 
I installed a new brake line on the 98 ZJ to replace one that was cracked, then did new calipers, pads, rotors, and new CV axle shafts and wheel hubs and I was still having brake issues.

Enter one leaking brake master cylinder. Hoping that this fixes the problem. I really would like to drive this thing one of these days!
 
Little frustrated - bought a replacement rear axle for my 1996 ZJ as the repair shop said that the one in it was going bad. Found one at a local junk yard. Got it home and started digging more into the rear end in mine only to find out it was a couple of $15 bearings and caps. So, I can fix mine for $30 and now I have a $100 rear end sitting in my driveway.

What frustrates me is that I the only receipt from October that I can't find is the one from the purchase, so I can't return it for yard credit.

Anyone need a Grand Cherokee rear end with disk brakes and 3.55 gears?



Oh - and an update on the 95,000 mile 1998 ZJ I just got, she's all put back together. I did need to get another new caliper as the first one I got (at the junkyard) was bad. As I was driving it to the smog testing place it locked up and turned that rotor red as can be. She runs great now that is worked out. Kinda don't want to sell her. The headliner backer is on the table in my basement right now waiting on fabric.
 
Little frustrated - bought a replacement rear axle for my 1996 ZJ as the repair shop said that the one in it was going bad. Found one at a local junk yard. Got it home and started digging more into the rear end in mine only to find out it was a couple of $15 bearings and caps. So, I can fix mine for $30 and now I have a $100 rear end sitting in my driveway.

What frustrates me is that I the only receipt from October that I can't find is the one from the purchase, so I can't return it for yard credit.

Anyone need a Grand Cherokee rear end with disk brakes and 3.55 gears?



Oh - and an update on the 95,000 mile 1998 ZJ I just got, she's all put back together. I did need to get another new caliper as the first one I got (at the junkyard) was bad. As I was driving it to the smog testing place it locked up and turned that rotor red as can be. She runs great now that is worked out. Kinda don't want to sell her. The headliner backer is on the table in my basement right now waiting on fabric.

I would probably be interested in buying the D35. Is it pretty clean internally and externally (not a rust bomb)? Brakes ok or hacked?
 
Brakes look fine, and it is really not that rusty. Just surface stuff. The truck had stickers on the window from Texas companies, so I suspect that it was a southern truck all it's life.

It also has the track bar on it.

I can take some pics and text them to you.
 
Does anyone know of anyone in the Raleigh, NC area who can do the Greg Smith power door lock modification on an 1989 Jeep Cherokee? Any recommendations will be appreciated.

I guess I'll have to Google this modification as I'm not familiar with it.
 
Getting ready to do axle bearings in the 96 and 98 ZJs...starting with the 98. One diff bolt was rounded completely off. Still got the cover loose enough to let the fluid drain, but still need to get that one damn bolt out. Just when I though I’d tackle an easy job to get a head start...
 
Looks like that '98 is going to continue to fight me. I got the diff cover bolt off finally, and the brakes all came off easily. However the cross pin bolt snapped, so the pin is stuck in and I have to order a special extractor kit to remove what's left of the bolt. So, project stalled until Amazon shows up tomorrow.
 
Called Jeep and it turns out that the center pin retaining bolt is no longer available. The parts guy at the dealership called it "obsolete." Guess its off to the junk yard.
 
Not surprising that the parts monkeys at Advanced, NAPA, and AutoZone - as well as the Jeep dealer - had no idea what they were looking for.

I found that we had a Randy's Ring and Pinion in town and called and they had boxes of these things sitting on the shelf. Picked up what I need and just waiting on the extractor tool to arrive.
 
So where is the Randy's Ring & Pinion? Franklin?

Did they have some good stuff to look at?
 
It is in Franklin - Cool Springs, actually. I had no idea, but they've been there since 2001. You can't buy stuff directly there. You have to call into the main warehouse number in Washington State to make the purchase and then they send the order to Franklin for pick up. They have a little showroom, but their warehouse is enormous.
 
I remember seeing something in the 4x4 magazines showing a Franklin, TN address along with the Washington one. It's good to know it's there.
 
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