Project CRD MJ is born:

[zluster]

That is your issue. You don't pull your rod onto the thin stuff. You let your puddle "wicK" onto the edge. Baisicly wrather than let the rod burn into the sheet metal you let the maltent pool of metal you are pushing around, flow onto the edge and it burns in. It's sheet metal so you are not looking to penetrate the steel, your just looking to fuse it together.

-Chris.

Hmmm, I see what you mean, I'll have to remember that next time I have to fight something that thin.

 

[zluster]

Todays update:

Finished welding the brackets in place, patched a hole in the firewall I burned when tacking things in place, gonna wire wheel em then through some primer on tomorrow, then onto the lower pivot bolts, tranny tunnel bolts, patch a rust hole in the floor, weld in the 97+ seat bracket, do the firewall mods, door latch posts.......etc etc

Oh and just so no one thinks I'm a slacker I did a liberty diesel timing belt this morning.

 

[dieselenthusiast]

Nice work Sam!

 

[Corprin]

Todays update:

Finished welding the brackets in place, patched a hole in the firewall I burned when tacking things in place, gonna wire wheel em then through some primer on tomorrow, then onto the lower pivot bolts, tranny tunnel bolts, patch a rust hole in the floor, weld in the 97+ seat bracket, do the firewall mods, door latch posts.......etc etc

Oh and just so no one thinks I'm a slacker I did a liberty diesel timing belt this morning.

Want to do the timing belt on my KJ

You are not Sir Sam on LOST are you?

 

[dieselenthusiast]

You are not Sir Sam on LOST are you?

Yes he is.

 

[zluster]

Fair number of updates here:
http://colorado4wheel.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=6&start=20#p36

 

[kndrewa]

Holy Grail of door panels? Power windows/locks are hard to find for 2 doors?

 

[zluster]

Holy Grail of door panels? Power windows/locks are hard to find for 2 doors?

Yes very. Been looking for years, only found 2 2-doors in the junkyards, both already had the window switch part molested. Right now I am the envy of the 97+ MJ people.

Bow down to my door panel 97+ MJ converters!

 

[zluster]

got a wildernest topper last year in august of 2017. And then finally got rid of the other shell on CL. Turns out the old one fit a longbed toyota truck perfect.

 

[zluster]

I ordered a pair of metric ton leaf springs with ~3" or so of lift. Took a long damm time to come in but they finally arrived last night.

I have a set of ruff stuff SUA perches that I will use to mount these up to a KJ 8.25 from my 05 parts CRD.

http://www.ruffstuffspecialties.com/catalog/DEAV-WIYP.html



The 8.25 I am using has a limited slip and 3.73s which is a good match for the CRD powerband.

 

[zluster]

Rolled the MJ into the garage and started prepping the KJ axle, got the KJ brackets - lower control arm, shock mount, and spring pad cutoff, and I am half done grinding the tube smooth.

Brackets to cutoff:

Spring pad cleaned up:

Everything cutoff:

 

[zluster]

In preparation for installing the axle I sprayed the leaf springs. They were basically bare steel, or one step above it. So I prepped them by cleaning with Acetone and a microfiber rag. I had a ton of high temp rustoleum black around so I used that, hit the leaves with a bunch of coats of. Might not be the best prep or cleanup or even paint for the long term, but its gotta be better than bare and I'll its under the jeep anyway.

 

[zluster]

So I made a video showing some things I ran into with the spring......
https://youtu.be/4aUsUiwlxrk

I think I'm going to try and push to have some more videos go along with what I'm doing, youtube recently changed their rules so I am now in a push to hit 100k subcribers, I have a little over 500 currently.

Shameless plug:
For any of you willing to subscribe please to help me out you can do so by clicking on:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtRd0ADTAvGGaPDYU6MrGIQ?sub_confirmation=1

 

[zluster]

Old springs VS New.

https://youtu.be/9vq6Y7Ka3p8

I wasn't able to get the axle in, turns out I was shipped the wrong perch, so the axle wont be under it until next weekend I would guess.

https://youtu.be/-lbpswKezQs

 

[dieselenthusiast]

Good work! It looks like you're making America great again!

 

[burntkat]

I subscribed, the project is quite interesting. I'd love to find an old MJ to work up.

 

[zluster]

I subscribed, the project is quite interesting. I'd love to find an old MJ to work up.

Thanks! There have been many days I regretted going full bore into the diesel side of this, had I kept it geared to a 2001 XJ 4L swap I could have been done by now.

 

[trippled]

So does this thing run? Some of the updates kinda jump around. Very cool buildtho. Always really liked that little Fiat diesel.

 

[zluster]

So does this thing run? Some of the updates kinda jump around. Very cool buildtho. Always really liked that little Fiat diesel.

Its actually a VM Motori diesel.

No this engine has not run yet, been sitting 15+ years now. I have so much stuff to do on this project the "get engine ready to attempt first fire is pretty far down the line.

Realistically at this point if it turned out my engine was trash I would just throw a 4L in and be done sooner. Going through the process to prep the engine for start needs to happen at some point. However I have so many things I can work on before then that I would be doing if I were converting to a 01XJ 4L setup that I can still work on those.

Heck I was hoping I would have the axle in this weekend, and that didn't happen.

 

[trippled]

Yeah I know they have the big VM on them but weren't they basically a part of Fiat?