What did you do to your TJ today?
- Thread starter LJRubiconGuy
- Start date
I have a plan for the work I'm doing and have set time for it on Saturday. I put the bung back in safe storage for that time once I confirmed fit. Will then bead blast and Cerakote the rest of the cat assembly and the intake.
I think through the sequence of work, try to accumulate all the things I'll need, set aside the time for it and then knock it out. It usually takes longer than I hoped, but I leave some room for contingency and optionality.
WestCoastDan
TJ Addict
Worked on the Wolfbox install. Almost finished but I want to use a different power cord option.
I also need to run the rear camera wiring through the tub.
I’m planning to run it through one of the factory 3rd brake light pins… I’ll pull the pin and use the grommet for my cable.
That will get me to the taillight wiring and out to the camera.
Mock-up location of the camera…
And I definitely need to address the springboard the drop-plate has created for the spare.
It’s really close to touching the carrier arm, but not quite there.
I’ve got a plan for that…
I also need to run the rear camera wiring through the tub.
I’m planning to run it through one of the factory 3rd brake light pins… I’ll pull the pin and use the grommet for my cable.
That will get me to the taillight wiring and out to the camera.
Mock-up location of the camera…
And I definitely need to address the springboard the drop-plate has created for the spare.
It’s really close to touching the carrier arm, but not quite there.
I’ve got a plan for that…
Sure looks that way. Good eye. Looks like a fracture at the exhaust valve seat. I literally just unpacked it to ensure there was no severe damage on the corners during shipping and snapped a random quick pic. Had to get back to work. Was planning to inspect and check it over with a straight edge Saturday.
I'm sure it get sorted out. And it was. Quick call to the vendor and a warranty replacement is en route.
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Regardless, you should disassemble it and see what i mean about the transition from the seats to the ports and other casting flaws.
Hey…ahhhhh… by any chance do you want to sell that door???
Not sure how bad you got into the door, but I’ve got some armor if that helps out any.
https://kxtfab.com/products/tj-lj-half-door-armor
Installed an additional OEM underhood light and converted both to SMDs.
WestCoastDan
TJ Addict
Better lighting under the hood is a must.
I opted for a couple of 12V light bars from an old solar project that I had.
I used the factory lamp as the switch.
Where did you get the harness and connector? During my PSC install I obliterated the connector while trying to disconnect it and need to replace it
I had it leftover from a similar project on my '98 XJ.
You can purchase them at the Auto Recycler from the later model XJs.
Hasselblad
TJ Enthusiast
Learned an expensive lesson today (in hindsight)> If doing a body lift and MML, do the BL before the MML, or you may as I did, pinching and fouling up the wiring behind the bell. At least it wasn't the cat throwing the P0157/P0158 codes.
I'll do that on the replacement. I know there are opportunities for improvement with porting these by design in order to retain the 50-state status for the street. But also that there have been QA issues.
If it's a complete mess, I could go up to the new CNC Victor 50149 with their LS style valves. It's much spicier on the wallet, but full CNC porting should be much cleaner.
I want the aluminum head to improve cooling, support higher compression on premium while benefiting from the more efficient shaped combustion chamber. Not all of that shows up as a big difference on a dyno run at 3000-redline, but it appears to make a difference in street power in the 2000-3000 range.
If Edelbrock's own representation is accurate, the torque improvement with the Performer head alone brings the torque at 2000rpm up to the level of the stock motor at 3200rpm. Peak numbers write headlines, but area under the curve makes a bigger difference in the day to day. If the head is up 24 ft-lbs in peak torque, that's great. But if it's truly up 55 ft-lbs solely due to the head at 2000 rpm, that's a much bigger 30% impact taking it from 68.5 hp to 89.5 hp on the stock motor at that rpm. My guess is that the switch from 0331 log manifolds to headers could be credited with about half of that torque (see last chart below).
Combined with the additional stroke and added compression, should meet me where I want to be with torque at 2000rpm closer to 300 ft-lbs/114hp at the crank, a 66% increase over stock.
Reference info
Edelbrock's power curve advertised
Stock jeep power curve - 2004
Stock 0331 log manifold (blue) vs DT shorty headers (red) from this article
My Car Guys trim treatment held up well (so far) to three rain days with no streaking on my TJ fender flares. My wife "suggested" I do the plastic trim on her WJ. Slight difference doing fender flares on a TJ to WJ Laredo plastic trim. Turned out great but took an hour to clean and apply. Pic sucks because the sun wasn't out at 5am. The WJ trim is a faded/streaked light gray without it.
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Turned out great! I've had good luck with Adam's Polishes VRT for that type of trim too. Has held up well where I've used it.
I was going to try Cerakote wipes but the reviews of it streaking were mixed. This is made in the USA and said it lasts for months or your money back. No greasy "Armor All" residue either.
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I'm not even really talking about "porting". If you take it apart you'll find the seat opening being a hard step to the port being totally unacceptable. These are meant to be massaged right out of the box. It's a mistake to run them as delivered. The victor versions sound interesting, but I'd rather send mine to russ with an intake and let him match them
Got the stainless bolts out, here's the one that yielded:
Re-installed the old bolts, torqued them down which felt ENTIRELY different from the experience with the stainless bolts, and got it filled up with gear oil. Only thing left is the steering linkage stuff, then I can pull her out and see what grenades!
Re-installed the old bolts, torqued them down which felt ENTIRELY different from the experience with the stainless bolts, and got it filled up with gear oil. Only thing left is the steering linkage stuff, then I can pull her out and see what grenades!
Kiwi TJ
Just asked myself if I’m crazy and we all said No
Supporting Member
Ride of the Month Winner
Nice quick and easy job today painting the driver side mirror…( right hand side ) 
Oh and And tried the pie of the month- Nacho and cheese…. Highly recommend it.
Oh and And tried the pie of the month- Nacho and cheese…. Highly recommend it.
Put on the used soft top I got for now until it’s warm enough to replace all the fabric. I can’t wait to see this color on here!
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