The "get it out of my yard" special.

[thechief86]

Alrighty. So as many of you know, I've been an XJ guy for several years, and although I've had a little bit of everything, the XJ is still my favorite vehicle ever built. Specifically an older body 2 door, 5 speed, 4x4.
So it's no surprise that when a good friend calls me and tells me he needs one out of his yard ASAP to avoid paying fines due to some city ordinance about non-op automobiles, I'm happy to help him out.
When Jeff bought this jeep in October 2013 it didn't run, and had a bodged together 2" lift with spacers and shackles, and had been towed behind an RV most of its life. We found a few rust holes, and found that it would run with gas poured down its throat. So we replaced the fuel pump, put in some junkyard injectors, and got it running. Then Jeff set to work pulling the interior out, and cutting out the rust. Then he moved on to a nicer, newer 4 door, and let the 2 door sit.
So after 2 years or sitting, with no interior, big, gaping, perfectly cut holes in the floor, no taillights, and no bumpers, the battery is bad, and the fuel pump with literally 10 miles on it, is also shot.
My neighborhood doesn't care if I have a non running car in the back yard, so I towed it here, and today I welded in a fee patches, leaving me just 2 more to weld in before I POR15 the floor and do a roll on bedliner job. Then I'll bolt in the late model seats I have, change the radiator for the newer style one that's in the back of the jeep, install a v8 zj drag link and tie rod (the stuff on there is super worn and the jeep got death wobble being towed home, wtf?), then install a new fuel pump, and drive to the retread tire place on Nolensville rd, and have a set of 31's mounted up. This will put me at a the point of having a reliable daily driver, and a good starting point to upgrade from.
Eventually I will install some 3" coils in the front, and build a bastard leaf pack for the rear, as well as swapping the axles for 3.55 geared big joint 30 and 8.25 to help cope with the 31's.
Lockers will likely happen, as well as simple homebuilt bumpers, and I'll have a mildly built rig to get me around town, and to the good camping spots, without having to bring a tent in my tj.
I'm glad to be back in the XJ game, and hopefully have some time to help out at wrenchfests again and wheel with you guys some.
Not a great pic, but this is the current state of the interior, still needing 2 patches welded in.

 

[thechief86]

Not sure yet how I want to address the spray bombed primer spots, but I was thinking about either scrubbing those spots with some kind of oven cleaner and touching them up with the closest white I can find, or just doing the roll on bedliner on the entire jeep.
Obviously I have some more pressing issues before that is important, but it is the first thing people see...

 

[Ghost]

Want......

 

[thechief86]

Does anybody have any experience with the super cheap fleabay fuel pumps?
I know you don't always get what you pay for, but you always pay for what you get, lol.
I just can't believe the renix style fuel pumps are between $75-$100 at the big box parts stores now.
Last time I needed one they were around $30!
But I can get one for less than $20 straight from China, haha.
Thoughts?
(I realize they're probably total crap and will most likely be buying one from NAPA, but for that price, it's tempting)

 

[highspeed]

Does anybody have any experience with the super cheap fleabay fuel pumps?
I know you don't always get what you pay for, but you always pay for what you get, lol.
I just can't believe the renix style fuel pumps are between $75-$100 at the big box parts stores now.
Last time I needed one they were around $30!
But I can get one for less than $20 straight from China, haha.
Thoughts?
(I realize they're probably total crap and will most likely be buying one from NAPA, but for that price, it's tempting)

2 Things:

1. What happens if 3 weeks after the install the pump "gives up the ghost", how do you return it? Are you gonna get your money back? Get another junk replacement?

2. QC has always been an issue with chinese crap.

There is alot to be said about going to the local parts store and swapping an item out under warranty vs. repackaging and mailing an item to a foreign country and waiting for a replacement.

To each their own though.

 

[PacificEd]

Yep, fuel pumps with the sending units are $100 - I know as I've bought two for my Renix. Be aware that the fuel gauge will now read the opposite from stock.

 

[thechief86]

I definitely understand the idea behind easy returns, and I figured if it sucked I'd just consider it as not even having a warranty. And if it takes a crap, it's only a 30 minute ordeal to replace as I don't have to drop the tank on a renix xj.
But I'm just trying to weigh it out as a gamble, or just wait a couple of weeks and just buy a good one.
Actually, the wait time would be about the same as well, with shipping.
So there's my answer. Lol, thanks for the input.
If anyone has any experience with these, that would be great to hear as well.

 

[Lowrange2]

The fuel sender split should be between Renix and HO. HO reads reverse from Renix. I haven't dealt with Renix much at all but you can't find JUST the pump? I bought JUST a pump and put it in my sender for $40 (93 HO) last year from O'Reilly's.

 

[thechief86]

Yeah, they still have just the pump, but it's $70 now.
If I'm gonna spend that much, I'll just buy the whole thing for $100. I don't think the gauge works anyway...

 

[thechief86]

Cold weather kind of put a damper on progress, but I did get the rest of my patches welded in, and seam sealer applied, and got some jku Rubicon shocks to modify for use with my 3 " lift. I need to get back to the PO's house to pick up the rest of the parts I need, but I am getting closer to having my xj running
Good times. ..

 

[thechief86]

I finally had some time to play with this thing some more.
I got the engine running, and swapped the radiator to the later style, welded in another patch or two, and
Gathered up some parts. In the next couple of days I'll finish the patching and bolt in the seats, and put the taillights and bumpers on it.
I need to figure out what is going on with the electric situation, because the only working gauge is the oil pressure, and the fan for the hvac stuff doesn't work, and the radio is missing with evidence that
Someone had an aftermarket one in there and just hacked all the wires up trying to make it work. Gotta love a good redneck cluster frick.
The motor, trans and tcase are all swapped in later model stuff I believe, because it is a 1990 with an ax15.and an np231 with the late model exposed tailshaft and no CAD vacuum line hookup, but a CAD front axle. The motor is one of the best sounding 4.0 engines I've had, with no wierd noises or anything.
I haven't gotten to drive it yet because the rear driveshaft I have is too long to bolt up, but I'm confident it will drive pretty good.

 

[thechief86]

I also found some rattle can paint that is a close enough match that I can probably do the whole jeep with it and it will look ok from across the yard. Here's a pic of the side that I experimented with. I'll eventually sand the ugliest spots smooth and do a tape and respray of the whole thing, but this was just to see if I could make it better for cheap.

 

[thechief86]

Hey! I found my old thread!
The Jeep I posted about in the Weekend thread is this one, although a few years later.
I had sold the jeep to a friend, because his neighbor had gotten cancer and needed something to drive, and this was close to ready to go.
Well Tom recovered from his cancer, but never drove the jeep, and it sat in his yard until Nashville codes came around and threatened to fine him if he didn't register or remove it.
So now, it's mine again, and running again after sitting for years to the point of clutch hydraulics and fuel pump failure, and is very slowly returning to usable status.
I have since acquired a Toyota Tacoma, and a VW Jetta TDI, and some motorcycles as commuter pigs, so the XJ's main function will be light wheeling and camping with my little boy, who is now 3.
Since my last activity on this thread, I've gone back to school and finished my degree, and become a maintenance tech at a factory in Antioch, and of course, got a little boy, who is already loving offroading and has his own 4 wheeler.
I can't wait to share this hobby and my love for the outdoors with him.

 

[bosco01xj]

Glad to see you back. Dang, I can't believe he's 3. It's been a while since we've hung out. If you need a hand wrenching, let me know. I'm not too far from ya.

 

[thechief86]

Thanks, Brian! I won't be doing much to it for the next month or so, as I'm in the process of selling my house and buying another one, so time and money are very limited. If and when this is all sorted, it's on like Donkey Kong.
All my other stuff is currently in pretty good shape, so this jeep and the new house will be the only projects, unless something falls through and I end up living in a box for a while, lol.

 

[thechief86]

Well, today I attempted to figure out my electrical problems on the jeep, and just as I suspected, the fuse box terminals are all corroded and disintegrating from where a previous clutch master cylinder leaked all over the panel. So now, I need to remove the fuse box and replace a bunch of terminals, and then I think my issues may be solved.
Does anybody remember what size the little bolt in the bulkhead connector is on the engine side of the firewall? I tried 6mm, 7mm, and 8mm with no success, but that doesn't mean they don't fit, it's just a tight spot to get into...

 

[thechief86]

Well, now that I have corrected the majority of my electrical issues, and gotten the interior mostly together, I've been daily driving this secksy beast, and really getting reminded of why I love XJ's. The car is just a hoot to drive, especially with the 4.0 and the 5 speed.

I am still trying to get the wipers working, and can't find the circuit breaker to replace the missing one, which, I'm betting is the reason my wipers don't work. Once I get this sorted, and replace a few bad bulbs for the running lights, and install my radio, I'll be pretty well clear of the electrical nightmare that this jeep carried with it.
I still need to install the plastic kick panel and doorsill pieces, but other than that, the interior is as good as I'll ever care for it to be.
Once I have all the things that get in the way of the jeep being in "good shape" as a stocker, I'll start working on upgrading things as far as axles and suspension, however, I'm on the fence about building past maybe 4.5" of lift and 33's, and may even keep it at 3" and 31's, just to avoid the problems that come along with tall lifts and daily driving with XJ's.
It sure does drive nice now, with the maybe 2.5" lift and 31's, and will still be quite capable once I get some lockers squared away.

 

[High2by]

Progress is progress and that's always a good thing!