Jesseshoots' TJ Build

Got the winch all put back together minus the rope, cause the weather sucks out and it’s a lot of work to spool it all back in.

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Last Friday I sanded down the RuffStuff diff covers and gave them a once over making sure the battle scars are only on the surface, which they are. Once I cleaned them up I sprayed a nice coat of clear on them to keep ‘em looking pretty.

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Got the winch mounted and the in-cab controls temp mounted with painters tape over the cardboard panel, but wired in and working.

I first tried to pull power from the cig lighter but that was a mess and didn’t work. There was a weird relay issue that I still can’t figure out. Every time I pressed the momentary switch it would activate the relay but no power would come thru. It was like the relay was operating in reverse somehow.

So I just tapped into the empty fog light fuse behind the glove box and boom, perfect actuation.

It’s always satisfying when something you put together works. Even if it’s as little as a few switches in a line with some wires.
 
Good project. I’m still debating with this idea. Currently I just plug in my control and run it to the driver’s side window and operate the winch that way. With the slack in the lead I can still operate in multiple driver positions. Have you found it still easy to reach when in a lean or on a slope? Just curious. Mine is a three lead by the way. I may just go ahead and wire it up and then have both options available for operation
 
Good project. I’m still debating with this idea. Currently I just plug in my control and run it to the driver’s side window and operate the winch that way. With the slack in the lead I can still operate in multiple driver positions. Have you found it still easy to reach when in a lean or on a slope? Just curious. Mine is a three lead by the way. I may just go ahead and wire it up and then have both options available for operation

I've yet to have a chance to test it on the trail, but I don't see any issues with being able to reach or easily press the buttons. This is why I haven't committed to making a real panel yet and just have the cardboard taped in place. If I find that I need to re-arrange it's a lot easier.

With the three lead you'll just have to tap the in and out poles and not worry about bridging a ground. I did it because it was something to do and I didn't want to have to worry about hooking up the controller at the beginning of the day and fearing that it would get snapped off on a branch or something. Also, not having to find somewhere to keep it in the cab while plugged in. It cost me $5 in switches and some spare wire and connectors I had laying around.
 
Good idea to try different locations and I like the idea of cab controls. I believe I will add this to the list of things to do in the near future especially since it seems I have more time suddenly. I’ve been working on my Jeep and fixing things that I let go to long. I had to replace the multi-function switch because my headlights would switch to high beam and my driving lights would come on by themselves. Fixed the under hood light. Replaced a sway bar link. All this and the Jeep doesn’t seem to have to wear dirt too long after a trip off road. Simple and light things to keep me busy as I recover from shoulder surgery.
 
Finally got my new inner shift boot installed. I think the stock one was starting to go...

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Next up is to make a shift boot. I don’t want to spend $40 on a leather one, but also don’t want a rubber one. This will be fun.
 
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Today I got my rear axle seal replaced. A mechanic friend of mine has been super slow at work and offered to do it for me, for free, if I brought the axle to his shop. So of course I took advantage of that!

Some takeaways from today:
1. Drum brakes are a bitch to get apart and back together. So many springs!
2. Drum brakes work so much better when they don’t have a quart of 80w-90 all over them
3. I had no idea that rear brakes did that much work to stop a Jeep.

I should have taken pics but I didn’t want to get my phone all nasty with gear oil.

Next step for the build is a full set of Savvy double-adjustable control arms and a Safety Thimble for the winch. Going to put the MetalCloak bump stops in at the same time as the arms.
 
Welp, some pure sexiness arrived just in time for a weekend install!

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My TRE safety thimble is in the mail and should be here tomorrow if USPS is telling the truth.

Thanks so much to @Garza for the help with the order It was such a breeze getting this stuff ordered through him.
 
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@mrblaine which direction do you recommend installing the zerk fitting end of the JJ? I've seen it done both ways. I'm not worried about being able to grease them since it's basically useless to grease them thru the fitting. Will the zerk get caught on the stock brackets if I point it up?
 
@mrblaine which direction do you recommend installing the zerk fitting end of the JJ? I've seen it done both ways. I'm not worried about being able to grease them since it's basically useless to grease them thru the fitting. Will the zerk get caught on the stock brackets if I point it up?
Lowers up, uppers what ever lets you get grease in them if you decide to go that route. We don't, but others may.
 
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Looks like I posted too soon cause the safety thimble showed up just a little while ago. This is one trick piece of kit. Can’t wait to have it on, but not looking forward to the splicing.

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I forgot to update after getting the Savvy arms installed. The ride is a vast improvement over the zone lowers and stock uppers. Being able to dial in the pinion angle just right is amazing. I got a digital angle finder from Home Depot to make it easier. Set the rear to 0.5* under the drive shaft angle and set the front up to have around 5-6* caster (can’t remember anymore since it was late when I did it).

The only hard part about the whole install was drilling out the front axle bushing sleeves to fit the new bolts. My drill battery died on me with 1/16” left in the last one.

I got the rear MetalCloak bump stops installed but I couldn’t get the front to droop low enough to get the springs out and really didn’t want to fight getting a track bar back in place so I called it a day there. Another project for another day I suppose. This is what I was working with in the rear before I replaced them.

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Last weekend I finally took the time to splice in my Safety Thimble. It was a super easy process once you do it, just intimidating to start. I cut my winch rope down to about 75’ to have enough take off to make a soft shackle out of.

I’ll be the first one to admit that I’m not good at something, so here is my confession. Tying the damn button knot on the soft shackle absolutely kicked my ass! I spent about an hour getting it wrong before my fiancée came down and knocked it out in about 15 minutes. All I have left to do is pull the knot tight and bury the tails.

Today I finally put the winch rope back on the freshly rebuilt winch. All the hard work rebuilding it really paid off when I spooled that bad boy up!

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Well today ended with an exciting ride down a steep decline and a tire in to a tree... Fortunately no one was hurt and damage to the Jeep was minimal.

I was coming down a ledge, full stuff and full lock driver, and clipped the hard brake line right at the fitting to the soft line with the tire shearing it clean off. Needless to say I lost my brakes and that’s when it started going too fast. My foot went to the floor and like an amateur pushed the clutch in >.< Once I made it down I was able to cut the hard line near the proportioning valve and fold it on itself a few times to seal it shut. Limped it off the trail and to the hardware store to get some Teflon tape and a bolt to plug it for my 100 mile drive home.

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I very clearly need new brake lines and to adjust my steering stops to prevent this from happening again.

Aside from the ride ending early, the new control arms worked wonderfully and I feel like they really made a difference while climbing.
 
Long time with no update... haven’t hardly driven the Jeep since I busted the brake line. I did finally get all the parts in and installed, all that’s left to do is re-bleed the brakes and tack on some studs for the hose clamps.

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I have a weird brake pedal feel that is super stiff at first and then gets softer. When I let off the pedal it hold the brakes for a few seconds and then releases. I used 3/16” stainless lines with -3AN fittings all the way to the calipers. Plugged one port on the distribution block so that I have one front line and one rear line. Line runs down driver CA, goes to a tee, then the lines run along the top of the axle to the caliper. Does anyone have any ideas as to what my issue is? I’m hoping the re-bleed will fix it but if not I’m thinking it’s a bad master cylinder.

I also got a killer deal on some LiteDOT’s and finally got them wired up and installed as well as body mounting my license plate. I still need to figure out a tag light though. I went ahead and put provisions in the wiring for it because there’s nothing worse than going back in and rewiring things!

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I’m not crazy about having a swing out carrier so I’m working on a cargo rack solution to hold my uppers/windows while allowing the 35” spare to ride in the back. It also has to have room for a cooler because who goes wheeling without food/drinks?! Pics to come once I figure that out. Also a Warn Rock Crawler rear bumper
will be looking for a new home if anyone is interested.
 
I've been working through some brake issues over in this thread. I bought some new tools over the weekend to help with the bleeding process.

Also finally took the 30 minutes to finish up my soft shackle. Even took the chance to test out my safety thimble and cab controls for the winch. The switch for wind out crapped out after the first use so I'll have to swap that out (it was $4 for 5 switches).

I've been fighting some P044x codes and put in a new Mopar purge solenoid that should help with those. I cleared the CEL and it didn't come back on instantly so that's promising. The only other one I'm getting is the occasional P0123 which sucks because I'm almost certain it's the clockspring. I plan on disconnecting it and seeing if my 2k rpm sputter goes away. If not, I'll throw in a new TPS sensor (Mopar of course).
 
Long time since an update. I bought a house with a garage leading up to the holidays, then moved, then had holidays, then some family stuff, and now I'm finally getting around to working on the Jeep again.

Back in October/November I bought a Savvy cable shifter from @toximus and I started the install the other night. I dropped the skid but left the driveshaft in. The nuts on the OEM bracket were a pain to get off but I made it happen. It was late so I called it a night and didn't adjust it. I have 2H, 4H, and N as it stands. No 4L. This leads me to believe I need to adjust the housing position, not the cable end lengths.

Today I bought @taylormade73 old AntiRock since he upgraded to the SwayLoc. It should be here in the next couple of days and hopefully I'll find some time to install it next week!

All I have left to do to get it ready to wheel again is go through the brake system one last time. They work, just sometimes it takes a few seconds to release the pressure and other times the pedal can be hard.
 
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