I need a radiator and so will you

My point is this, parts will be available, from OE NOS to new aftermarket parts. Quality and availability will vary through time. The good news is that these Jeeps are popular, so they will have support, and they will be relatively easy to keep and maintain. I have various old cars. A few popular models with tons of support and parts availability, and others makes, well they're built out of unobtanimu and honestly worth more parted out because of the rarity of their parts. (I've been on a ~5 year search for tail light lenses for one and have seen price swings from $300-1,500 for ~60 year old plastic lenses :oops:)



As I've said, I do expect these late model electronic-gizmo vehicles to be a challenge going forward. As electronics age, they crap out. Right now, I don't have much hope for these late models lasting 3+ decades, but aftermarket support will likely solve the problems that arise for them too.

This post makes sense.

We live in a world where it is really easy to knock off about anything you want to produce and at this stage of the game there isn’t anything in the way as far as patents too much-

We all need to remember- there were just under a million TJs sold. Thats a lot of Jeeps. In a 10 year period that beats the legendary Corvette about 400 percent in unit sales, just as a comparison.
 
The biggest problem with keeping our Jeeps running is that most of the time, the available aftermarket electronics, (sensors and such), as well as radiators and other cooling parts simply don't work. How many times do Jerry Bransford or Mr. Blaine have to say, "ONLY use Mopar parts", because nothing else works. Having a plethora of parts available means nothing if they don't work.
The original point of this thread was radiators. And while some have said "I have Blah Blah radiator and it works fine", the fact remains that MOST of the time, they don't. The same goes for a significant number of parts, most of which are vital to keep our Jeeps running. When Mopar parts finally fun out, I can only hope that the aftermarket can pick up the slack, or we're ALL going to have nothing but expensive Yard Art.
 
The biggest problem with keeping our Jeeps running is that most of the time, the available aftermarket electronics, (sensors and such), as well as radiators and other cooling parts simply don't work. How many times do Jerry Bransford or Mr. Blaine have to say, "ONLY use Mopar parts", because nothing else works. Having a plethora of parts available means nothing if they don't work.
The original point of this thread was radiators. And while some have said "I have Blah Blah radiator and it works fine", the fact remains that MOST of the time, they don't. The same goes for a significant number of parts, most of which are vital to keep our Jeeps running. When Mopar parts finally fun out, I can only hope that the aftermarket can pick up the slack, or we're ALL going to have nothing but expensive Yard Art.

I'll put in a crate motor before I let my TJ be Yard Art. The engine and electronics are only a part of the whole system.
 
I'm going through a whole "who will get banned first" thing on another forum over a Rusty's is BETTER than Savvy guy.:rolleyes:
For your amusement.

"Rusty Off-road builds quality products at affordable price, Savvy builds quality products at an unreasonable high price simply to support Gerald's racing habit. Rusty's has customer service, Savvy has customer no service. Rusty's has inventory and ships next day, Savvy takes your money but never ships. Whether you buy Rusty or Savvy products for your TJ/LJ neither have been race proven on a TJ?LJ or likely ever seen a racecar.

2019 KoH Gladiator 4600 myth. Nothing on that Gladiator can a TJ/LJ owner buy for your JT/LJ except the window shield decal. Additionally, even with Gordon and Miller at the wheel and unlimited Jeep money Savvy finished dead last in the 4600 class. Only Mall Crawlers buy parts for their TJ/LJ from the last place finisher?
So what is your point? You read something negative about Rusty's on the internet but have no personal experience."
Creedmoor

So Jason Scherer won 4400 class and Miller was first place loser, what does that have to do with Savvy or Rusty's?

Never argue with an idiot.
 
I think 100 years from now, all the cars on the road will be less than 20 years old, a rare few TRUE antiques made before about 2000, and nothing in between. Modern automotive design for manufacturing places an emphasis on lowest cost at volume, which means it's optimized for making hundreds of thousands per year, with a large initial tooling and equipment investment. This creates a large barrier to entry for anyone who wants to make replacement parts at typical aftermarket replacement volumes, with dwindling numbers still left on the road. Yeah a TJ is probably better off in this regard than many less popular vehicles, but still, how many TJ cam position sensors get purchased in a year? I guarantee you it's not enough to bring an ROI anybody would consider spending the money to manufacture with any level of quality...which is why we don't have any. Same is true for the radiator, the heater core.

I know i sound doom and gloom here but i fully expect that if I want to keep my LJ running past about 2030-2035 it's gonna be engine-swapped. I don't consider scouring salvage yards to be a viable, sustainable option for a TJ....they already disappear in days in the salvage yards as it is, just wait until the replacement parts market gets even worse.
 
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The biggest problem with keeping our Jeeps running is that most of the time, the available aftermarket electronics, (sensors and such), as well as radiators and other cooling parts simply don't work. How many times do Jerry Bransford or Mr. Blaine have to say, "ONLY use Mopar parts", because nothing else works. Having a plethora of parts available means nothing if they don't work.
The original point of this thread was radiators. And while some have said "I have Blah Blah radiator and it works fine", the fact remains that MOST of the time, they don't. The same goes for a significant number of parts, most of which are vital to keep our Jeeps running. When Mopar parts finally fun out, I can only hope that the aftermarket can pick up the slack, or we're ALL going to have nothing but expensive Yard Art.

Thanks. You said what I was trying to say.
 
I'll put in a crate motor before I let my TJ be Yard Art. The engine and electronics are only a part of the whole system.

Would that mean replacing every little sensor and whatnot along with the engine? Serious question.

I like the old school TJ too, but in reality, it ain't really old school. Like right now, I am trying to find the passenger air bag sensor. Not a biggie, but no one makes it. The one I bought off e-bay is not what they told me it was. How many do I over pay off e-bay until I get the right one?

I never thought about all this until this thread came along.
 
I'm going through a whole "who will get banned first" thing on another forum over a Rusty's is BETTER than Savvy guy.:rolleyes:
For your amusement.

Had to go look:LOL:

I havent been on that forum in a few years. Looks like the activity has picked up a bit, there was a time where only a post a week was all that was new.
 
Very valid point...but...

you'll still need a quality radiator that will fit in a TJ

shorter engine makes more room for a thicker core, which opens up the possibility to use more robust and more flexibly manufactured heat exchanger technology.

I think it'll be easier to get the mechanical parts than the electrical ones. In that regard, keeping them running may not call for a full engine swap, but an aftermarket fuel and ignition controller. Of course then you've got to tune it and probably replace your cluster to get gauge readings, but it's possible. back in my Datsun days (20 years ago) it was all the rage to put this EFI controller called "Megasquirt" on them. I had to google to check, but that's still a thing.
 
Thanks. You said what I was trying to say.

So for you and anyone else who is worried about OE quality parts availability, I suggest you start stockpiling when you can, and keep any OEM take-offs, which typically can be rebuilt/repaired, just not economically. There are guys out there who specialize in rebuilding electrical switches which are "non-serviceable", but it's not as cheap as a parts store replacement. This is somewhat the route I've taken. I have a few MoPar branded spare parts for my Jeep sitting on the shelf, like a radiator, which the OP is now searching for. Focus on the commonly replaced parts.

Now that I've given out my secret, I probably need to go buy some parts.... :LOL:
 
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Let me ask all of you guys something- Name one vehicle you commonly see sitting around at parts are not available for- even some Corvairs and Studebakers are on the road -

But to be relevant look at other things that were manufactured about that time- Dodge trucks, Cherokees, etc ..... Human beings are unbelievably resourceful and if we want to make something happen we usually do-

Probably the worst case we’re going to see is you have enough of these with a lot of mileage and crash damage or whatever and their becomes a healthier used stock parts market- Daveys Jeeps can testify to that already.

I’m not trying to belittle anyone’s concern- And I’m not avoiding reality- And if you want to make the case that the simpler vehicles have more true longevity then see how many CJ seven’s there are around.

The TJ is probably cursed with enough technology to be a little bit problematic but it sold well enough in numbers that most of us aren’t going to see a real problem unless we live where y’all at the edge of the planet away from suppliers and commerce.

This is just my gut feeling of what I think the future will be more like. Sort of like having déjà vu all over again.
 
Name one vehicle you commonly see sitting around at parts are not available for

We are ingenious...issue is less of innovation and more about what you legally can get away with in your state.

I've always thought that dropping a Haltech and modern sensors on a TJ 4.0 would be a fun project. What stops me is that sanity says following the beaten path to an LS or Cummins is the sane choice. At least until I get my shop built. There's suffering through a project and then there's suffering plus a gravel driveway in the rain.

And worst case is you end up swapping your radiator out every year or two. It get frustrating. It's time consuming and soul crushing doing the same fix over and over again...but realistically we're now in an an age of shitty parts.

I still wish I had my 69 Chevy truck. I look out there at all the parts available...LS swaps...stuff I would have dreamed of doing in the early 90s...not much internet to do research, nobody to mentor me or guide me...just wait and be patient and like you said... someone will figure it out.

-Mac
 
Interesting - Why are there less CJ7s on the road than TJs on the road?

There were 379,299 CJ7s made.
[URL]https://www.jeepfan.com/tech/prod-numbers.htm[/URL]

There were 603,303 TJs made
[URL]https://www.jeepfan.com/tech/prod-numbers2.htm[/URL]

Statisticallly you would see 1 cj 7 for every 2 TJs or 3 Tjs based on my 965,945 TJ number , but that ‘s for sure not the case - and technology wise they are as simple as a ‘68 Chevy truck.

With obsolescence being the topic, and technology being the question of ushering it along, that leaves us with the fact that time, age and parts and restoration costs ultimately come into play-
 
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I don't know why the link I originally posted wasn't working, but I ordered from world.parts.direct and it shows it as 100% feedback, and the part is now out of stock

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1341614303...d=link&campid=5337789113&toolid=20001&mkevt=1

I bought 1 from them and it arrived damage like another that was posted here. Outer 2 tubes on 1 side were bent inward. I returned it but have not replaced it yet. I just want 1 for a spare. Mine was replaced with a new Mopar unit about 5-6 years ago.
 
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Let me ask all of you guys something- Name one vehicle you commonly see sitting around at parts are not available for- even some Corvairs and Studebakers are on the road -

But to be relevant look at other things that were manufactured about that time- Dodge trucks, Cherokees, etc ..... Human beings are unbelievably resourceful and if we want to make something happen we usually do-

Probably the worst case we’re going to see is you have enough of these with a lot of mileage and crash damage or whatever and their becomes a healthier used stock parts market- Daveys Jeeps can testify to that already.

I’m not trying to belittle anyone’s concern- And I’m not avoiding reality- And if you want to make the case that the simpler vehicles have more true longevity then see how many CJ seven’s there are around.

The TJ is probably cursed with enough technology to be a little bit problematic but it sold well enough in numbers that most of us aren’t going to see a real problem unless we live where y’all at the edge of the planet away from suppliers and commerce.

This is just my gut feeling of what I think the future will be more like. Sort of like having déjà vu all over again.

I've done a fair bit of old vehicle rebuilding and 'restoration' Used parts are the name of the game. There are PLENTY of old, lightly used and NOS (new old stock) parts out there on Ebay. You gotta get good at searching and identifying good parts from pictures. What the TJ has going for it, vs something like a chevy Corsica is its an enthusiast vehicle, which means people are passionate about them. They get restored and those that are wrecked or rusted out are parted to keep others on the road.

My other "enthusiast" vehicle is a 1978 GMC motorhome. There were less than 13,000 ever made. Of those, greater than 66% of them are still on the road. Sure, its a more mechanical vehicle, but there are some rare parts on them too...Look up the unified power plant GM made. It has a goofy transmission and its not easily swapped to anything else, due to the construction of the vehicle. There will always be passionate people coming up with creative ways to keep these old girls going. I don't have any doubt that I'll be able to keep both my GMC and my TJ on the road for as long as I can pay the registration fees on an ICE vehicle. The .gov is going to rule them not feasible to operate more quickly than parts availability.
 
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And worst case is you end up swapping your radiator out every year or two. It get frustrating. It's time consuming and soul crushing doing the same fix over and over again...but realistically we're now in an an age of shitty parts.

Ours is not an issue of longevity, the non Mopar stock style replacements just don't cool as well. I'd be okay with a 120 dollar radiator that didn't last but did work to cool the rig.
 
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