Project Geosynchronous Orbit

[MoparManiac]

Yeah I know, once again I'm still new to all this stuff. I did pretty good on the front mounts welding overhead which wasn't too bad.

I think it's a combination of my newbish "skills" and the pinch seams spattering crap all over my tip.

 

[foxwar71]

I LOVE when pinch seams blow up and spit everywhere!!


Youre welds look good though, as long as no one breaks any of them at FC, I'll stick to that statement

 

[knucklehead 61]

tips & cones last much longer if you get some of the wax/grease type mig tip dip stuff.
any good welding supply shop will sell it.

 

[MoparManiac]

Finally got some work done this weekend. Didn't get to work on it too much Saturday since I had other things going on, and Friday some of my friends stopped by.

Finished up the inner plating from the motor mounts back to just below the firewall. Made some small tie ins for the firewall just because. Ignore the gorilla droppings near the bottom of the passenger side plate, I'm trying to learn how to weld overhead

Passenger side

Driver side

Overall

Also picked these up from a member of a local forum for $350. Brand new 17" Inner Air Locks.

Now I have to get the engine/trans ready to drop in so I can set the frame-side motor mounts in place before I finish the welding, but before I do that I'm going to take a stab at some block side motor mount brackets similar to how Vetteboy did his.

 

[foxwar71]

Looks like crap .!..!.





(yes, you can give me crap for getting nothing done on mine this weekend)

 

[ktm racer 419]

mark wheeled this weekend. you melted a little metal together

mark wins

 

[MoparManiac]

Just got some stupid stuff done tonight like painting and organizing/cleaning...

Also, Carmelo found this build sheet in my bench seat when I was beginning to strip the interior this past weekend

Have to order a couple random things from Novak again but tomorrow night I'm going to clean the engine down and start on the motor mount brackets again. I got discouraged the other night but Vetteboy helped me out a bit so I should be able to get some templates done.

 

[ktm racer 419]

Also, Carmelo found this build sheet in my bench seat when I was beginning to strip the interior this past weekend

.

what!?

thats awesome

 

[cmelo]

what!?

thats awesome

I ate some of it

 

[vetteboy]

Man I wish I'd kept mine; I think it was in one of the rear door panels.

Mine left the factory in May '94, one of the last of the '94 model year. At that point they were already stuffing '95 parts into it (like the dual-diaphragm booster) so I've had a few interesting run-ins at parts counters over the years. It was also from that sheet that I figured out that my XJ left the factory beautifully enameled in 'glamour turquoise' paint.

Good luck on the engine plates.

 

[MoparManiac]

what!?

thats awesome

Yeah Carmelo got hungry and I didn't have any nachos or burritos.

Man I wish I'd kept mine; I think it was in one of the rear door panels.

Mine left the factory in May '94, one of the last of the '94 model year. At that point they were already stuffing '95 parts into it (like the dual-diaphragm booster) so I've had a few interesting run-ins at parts counters over the years. It was also from that sheet that I figured out that my XJ left the factory beautifully enameled in 'glamour turquoise' paint.

Hah "glamour turquoise" that's funny.

I'm curious to see what weird things I can find about this MJ, but I doubt there's much. Even if there was, I probably wouldn't know what's weird and what isn't.

Good luck on the engine plates.

Gotta double check my templates tonight and start cutting the flat plates. Then measure for the tabs coming off them to grab the motor mounts themselves.

This weekend is going to involve a lot of putting the engine in place and then taking it back out so I can do some final welding on the inner plates to the frame side motor mounts, and the block side motor mounts themselves. I also need to attach the NP435 to the 4.0 to make sure everything is centered as much as possible.

 

[ktm racer 419]

Mine left the factory in May '94, one of the last of the '94 model year. At that point they were already stuffing '95 parts into it (like the dual-diaphragm booster)

uggg. my 96 was basically a 97 in a 96 body, that was a pain in the balls to get parts for until i figured it out.

I'm curious to see what weird things I can find about this MJ, but I doubt there's much. Even if there was, I probably wouldn't know what's weird and what isn't.
.

if you find my pot i want it back

 

[vetteboy]

I also need to attach the NP435 to the 4.0 to make sure everything is centered as much as possible.

Careful with this. The drivetrain in an XJ/MJ isn't centered to begin with; it's offset to the passenger side slightly.

I forgot about this and put the trans mount dead center on my front link crossmember. Wasn't a big deal until I went to change the motor mounts over to poly and had a bitch of a time trying to get everything lined up again.

 

[MoparManiac]

Careful with this. The drivetrain in an XJ/MJ isn't centered to begin with; it's offset to the passenger side slightly.

I forgot about this and put the trans mount dead center on my front link crossmember. Wasn't a big deal until I went to change the motor mounts over to poly and had a bitch of a time trying to get everything lined up again.

Interesting.

Maybe I'll take some measurements off my brother's stock XJ first and compare to that.

 

[foxwar71]

Maybe I'll take some measurements off my brother's stock XJ first and compare to that.

x2

I love having another stock XJ to go compare everything to; crossmember placement, leaf placement, drivetrain angles/offsets, etc....

 

[cmelo]

Interesting.

Maybe I'll take some measurements off my brother's stock XJ first and compare to that.

Called it.

 

[MoparManiac]

Got the flat plates that will bolt to the block done.

Blank templates.

Only took a pic of the pass side...didn't think to take a pic of the driver's side

Also cut them out using this torch I bought over the summer, the DHC 2000. Took me a while to get used to it and get the flame tuned correctly, but it cuts almost as well as a plasma provided you have a steady hand and only cost me $340 all said and done.

That slag flies right off with a file, or if stubborn, a quick shot with the angle grinder.

Saturday I'll make the tabs that grab the motor mounts themselves, tack them onto the flat plates, set the 4.0 in the engine bay to check alignment, then burn them in. After that, bolt the NP435 behind it, drop it back into the engine bay, and cut out the floor for the shifter tower as well as align the frame side brackets for final welding to the inner plating.

Gonna be working that engine hoist quite a bit :laugh:

 

[vetteboy]

You saw mine? All 4.5" cutoff wheel. FTW. My shock towers and every bracket on my front & rear axle too, for that matter.

Good to see ya makin progress though.

 

[MoparManiac]

You saw mine? All 4.5" cutoff wheel. FTW. My shock towers and every bracket on my front & rear axle too, for that matter.

Good to see ya makin progress though.

haha yeah I saw yours. Everything previous to this I had used an angle grinder, but cutting 5/16 plate sucks lol.

Thanks. Thanks for the tips as well :thumbup:

 

[kastein]

I've cut 1/2 plate with an angle grinder and it does in fact suck. Did my leaf spring plates with it, it took about five or ten minutes to cut a 10" wide plate. Most of that was because I am severely OCD about non-sheetmetal fab and was following the lines exactly.