What are you doing to your rig - the continuing saga

[SeeingSpots]

So I found the first evidence of hacked work on my 98'. While replacing the rear shocks, I noticed that the stock mounting points on the body didn't have bolts holes, rather bolts welded to the body sticking out. I'm guessing someone probably stripped out the stock threads, and rather than tapping new threads, they just welded on bolts. Now my bar pin eliminators won't fit.

Son of a bitch....

I'm afraid to cut off the bolts and tap new holes. I have no idea what's in the holes behind the bolts.

 

[freerider15]

Haha. I have a lady. And 7/10 of young adults having the herp keeps me from being scandalous lol.

No. I don't care what I live in as long as it's not crazy far from work. Affordable. And not gonna be broken into daily.

Well, if I didn't already have a room mate (or one with a rig in the garage as well) I'd hit ya up!

Fort Collins will keep you the most sane Mike, but it isn't easy to find housing per se. Housing should start coming up SOON since most leases start/end July 31st in Fort Collins.

If you do end up this way, let me know....been to long...we need to get some beers!

 

[kastein]

So I found the first evidence of hacked work on my 98'. While replacing the rear shocks, I noticed that the stock mounting points on the body didn't have bolts holes, rather bolts welded to the body sticking out. I'm guessing someone probably stripped out the stock threads, and rather than tapping new threads, they just welded on bolts. Now my bar pin eliminators won't fit.

Son of a bitch....

I'm afraid to cut off the bolts and tap new holes. I have no idea what's in the holes behind the bolts.

On a 98 you almost certainly have spotwelded nuts back there. I bet they brought it to a shop, the shop broke the bolts off in the nuts (always happens), panicked, and ham****ed it back together to get it out the door. Grind the welded bolts off, grab your biggest pin punch and a BFH and a couple love taps should knock the original weldnuts out. Then just take your MIG welder, stick a piece of MIG wire to the tip of each new bolt (1.5" 5/16-18 grade8s, don't weld booger the threads) and fish em in from inside the crossmember.

96s and maybe a few other years, the original weldnuts are held in with some really fat MIG beads, and no amount of hammering took them out for me, but my 98 and all other late models I've seen they're just spotwelded in place and blow out easily.

 

[SeeingSpots]

On a 98 you almost certainly have spotwelded nuts back there. I bet they brought it to a shop, the shop broke the bolts off in the nuts (always happens), panicked, and ham****ed it back together to get it out the door. Grind the welded bolts off, grab your biggest pin punch and a BFH and a couple love taps should knock the original weldnuts out. Then just take your MIG welder, stick a piece of MIG wire to the tip of each new bolt (1.5" 5/16-18 grade8s, don't weld booger the threads) and fish em in from inside the crossmember.

96s and maybe a few other years, the original weldnuts are held in with some really fat MIG beads, and no amount of hammering took them out for me, but my 98 and all other late models I've seen they're just spotwelded in place and blow out easily.

Hmmm....I think that makes sense. Thank you! I don't remember what the topside of that crossmember looks like because my roll cage covered that area on my last Jeep.

 

[in4aride]

Well, if I didn't already have a room mate (or one with a rig in the garage as well) I'd hit ya up!

Fort Collins will keep you the most sane Mike, but it isn't easy to find housing per se. Housing should start coming up SOON since most leases start/end July 31st in Fort Collins.

If you do end up this way, let me know....been to long...we need to get some beers!

Well I don't want to be quite that far north but it might happen. And ya we definitely need to do some beers. Been a few.

 

[kastein]

Hmmm....I think that makes sense. Thank you! I don't remember what the topside of that crossmember looks like because my roll cage covered that area on my last Jeep.

It's pretty simple, there are a few holes in the underside of the crossmember you can fish the bolts in through. It actually took me longer to mig-tack the leadwires to the tips of the bolts and compress the new shocks into position than it did to fish the bolts in. I think it took like 15min a side to do the whole thing, if that.

 

[jdogg4]

my buddies place is about 15-1600 a month in Evans. It's a big place 5 bedrooms 3 up 2 down finished basement 3 full baths good size yard. BIG 2 car garage. I know you said its just you but with a finished basement you might find someone that could split it and take the basement cut it in half.

 

[Hypoid]

Time to flush the cooling system.

 

[mechbullxj]

Noticed condensate drip off of receiver dryer. Am running 2nd. elec. fan as to assist in keeping me and our engine cool.

 

[planefixer]

With the help of Flores, the roll cage is in.

 

[SolarBell]

Re: Re: What are you doing to your rig - the continuing saga

On a 98 you almost certainly have spotwelded nuts back there. I bet they brought it to a shop, the shop broke the bolts off in the nuts (always happens), panicked, and ham****ed it back together to get it out the door. Grind the welded bolts off, grab your biggest pin punch and a BFH and a couple love taps should knock the original weldnuts out. Then just take your MIG welder, stick a piece of MIG wire to the tip of each new bolt (1.5" 5/16-18 grade8s, don't weld booger the threads) and fish em in from inside the crossmember.

96s and maybe a few other years, the original weldnuts are held in with some really fat MIG beads, and no amount of hammering took them out for me, but my 98 and all other late models I've seen they're just spotwelded in place and blow out easily.

Make it even easier for yourself and put an external tooth lock washer on those bolts to help prevent the bolt from spinning before the nut is tight.

 

[Fred]

So I decided to try to finish up my tire carrier. I wanted to pull the Tomken bumper off to do this, and, of course, the last weld nut holding the bumper on spun. Really couldn't get to it with the Tomken gas tank skid on, so I went to take that off. One of the hangers broke, and then the skid wouldn't come off the hangers. Shawn smacked it a good one, and it came off. It was a rusty mess, so I spent yesterday cleaning, and painting, and doing some more welding on the tire carrier.

Today, I was doing some fitting, mounting the bumper, then the tire carrier, pulling off, and adjusting, drilling, bending, pounding, etc. I got it to fit pretty well, and a lot of the mounting done. Had to go to Harbor Freight for some flux wire, and I stopped at F'N Jeep to pick up a new hanger on the way. I was smelling something like coolant driving, and the heep was acting odd. I continued on to HF, and then saw the steam coming from under the hood.

Sniff, sniff, my jeep is bbbbroken. :tear: :tear:

Looks like the flowkooler water pump bit the dust after 13 years. I'll fill it up, and check it out tomorrow.

 

[in4aride]

Damn Fred. That was definitely a rough few days with the rig.

 

[Hypoid]

Wow! Some guys have all the fun...not!

 

[SeeingSpots]

Looks like the flowkooler water pump bit the dust after 13 years.

You know...the silver lining to all of this is that you definitely got your money's worth out of that water pump.

 

[Fred]

And it could have happened in a trail in Buena Vista, instead of 2 miles from my house.

 

[SeeingSpots]

First.....Some shock porn. Loving these new 5165. (Drooooooool). Cleaned up the 5100s that Frank sold me for the rear.






Got the fronts installed and buttoned up the whole front suspension and bolted in my new driveshafts. New Trackbar mount. New JKS discos. Got rid of the monster puck bumpstops. Much better.





And that brings me to my next project nightmare.....Or as I like to call it, The Whore of Babylon.


I eventually got these off. Initially I thought my trusty air hammer would knock them out.... but nope.....turns out they were the strongest booger welds in history. Had to cut them, grind them down, and and then use the air chisel for about 30 minutes. Got metal in my eye. What a bitch....

 

[xj-grin]

Oh, metal in the eye. That brings the suck... I remember a pic Frank posts once... uke:

 

[in4aride]

That shock sex though. Drioooooooool

 

[Fred]

Installed the GMB High output waterpump today. It has a plate riveted to the vanes of the pump just like the old flowkooler, but for half the price. Filled it through the upper radiator hose, burped it as well as I could, the first drive ran very cool, but no stop and go.

Pretty much done with the tire carrier/rear bumper. A few little details, such as reinforcement, and seeing how long the bolts need to be to hold a 33" tire, and it's done. Should have pics tomorrow.

What I wanted to do with the bumper off was install the shackle relocation brackets. But, no, I had to do the waterpump. It's a jeep thing.