'98 Sahara build: "Staying the Course"

Two deaths in the family in five months, a son who is having heart issues that may or may not be stemming from what amounts to some kind of "breakdown" (still to be determined), another totaled car (not mine, but I get to deal with the repercussions from the event), and two daily drivers in need of fairly major repairs to keep them going. I'm more than ready to lock myself in the garage...
 
  • Sad
  • Wow
Reactions: derekmac, psrivats and Kiwi TJ
Squatch said:
Two deaths in the family in five months, a son who is having heart issues that may or may not be stemming from what amounts to some kind of "breakdown" (still to be determined), another totaled car (not mine, but I get to deal with the repercussions from the event), and two daily drivers in need of fairly major repairs to keep them going. I'm more than ready to lock myself in the garage...
Click to expand...
Sorry to hear that my friend....we all love are Jeeps (and cars) but family comes first....
 
  • Like
Reactions: Squatch
Kiwi TJ said:
Sorry to hear that my friend....we all love are Jeeps (and cars) but family comes first....
Click to expand...
Thanks, Kiwi. To be honest with you, if I had known what kind of year I'd be having, I never would have started working on the TJ. I would've just flipped it for a profit, and moved on. I cannot believe some of the crap I've had to deal with. Sometimes it gets to be a bit too much...
 
  • Sad
Reactions: Kiwi TJ
Squatch said:
Thanks, Kiwi. To be honest with you, if I had known what kind of year I'd be having, I never would have started working on the TJ. I would've just flipped it for a profit, and moved on. I cannot believe some of the crap I've had to deal with. Sometimes it gets to be a bit too much...
Click to expand...
Sounds to me like you need that time in the garage to get back to your 'happy place' so you can relax a little and think about other things just for a day.
Don't give up...
 
  • Like
Reactions: Squatch
Squatch said:
Thanks, Kiwi. To be honest with you, if I had known what kind of year I'd be having, I never would have started working on the TJ. I would've just flipped it for a profit, and moved on. I cannot believe some of the crap I've had to deal with. Sometimes it gets to be a bit too much...
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear all the troubles. Hope the rest of the year goes by far better than the first half.


If you ever decide flip it and start again .. let me know, I'll keep my eyes out for you my friend. I see plenty of decent rigs on CL like the one I tagged you in the Official CL thread the other day. That rig, if it had worked out timing and money wise, you could be driving by now. Still plenty of good TJs out there Squatch.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Squatch
psrivats said:
Sorry to hear all the troubles. Hope the rest of the year goes by far better than the first half.


If you ever decide flip it and start again .. let me know, I'll keep my eyes out for you my friend. I see plenty of decent rigs on CL like the one I tagged you in the Official CL thread the other day. That rig, if it had worked out timing and money wise, you could be driving by now. Still plenty of good TJs out there Squatch.
Click to expand...
Appreciate it, @psrivats. I actually didn't mean that I don't want the project because it's a project, I only meant that if I had known what life was going to be throwing at me, I would not have delved into the TJ I have for reasons of scheduling. I still look forward to attacking it, and making it my own. I'm just feeling a little beat down at the moment. It'll pass.
 
  • Like
Reactions: psrivats and Fouledplugs
Stating the obvious, it does sound like you've had a very tough year. I'm going to be out visiting my brother the week after july 4th and would love to see you if your schedule works out. We could mourn the passing of the 4 X 4 shop and Jeep boneyard together if you have some time!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Squatch
Squatch said:
That's a perfect example of why I prefer to work alone. I know it's my vehicle, and I know what level of dedication I will give it to ensure the job is done right. I have some well-meaning friends, but I don't want to be pissed off at a buddy because he made a mistake and screwed something up. If I screw it up, I have no one to blame but myself. But a friend? They're trying to help, but the part is damaged, or even destroyed. It's a hard pill to swallow, and I don't want to be grumbling under my breath about how I should've just done it myself. Therefore, it's just easier if I avoid that situation altogether, and do the job solo. And like you say, it's almost a Zen time for me...
Click to expand...
My problem is the opposite - I have always worked on my own Jeeps alone, save for when I had my son around, and was ok with that. Lately, though, I'd welcome help. The Zen of working alone has faded with age. I just don't know anyone who enjoys wrenching on a vehicle; I think that's why I've considered another vehicle at times.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Kiwi TJ, ac_ and Starrs
glwood said:
T

My problem is the opposite - I have always worked on my own Jeeps alone, save for when I had my son around, and was ok with that. Lately, though, I'd welcome help. The Zen of working alone has faded with age. I just don't know anyone who enjoys wrenching on a vehicle; I think that's why I've considered another vehicle at times.
Click to expand...
Yeah, that is very much the opposite. I still enjoy and value the time "connecting" with a project. The only time I ever think it would be nice to have some assistance is when I'm trying to muscle something around. Otherwise, I'm still good with it being exclusively "my time".
 
  • Like
Reactions: ac_
glwood said:
T

My problem is the opposite - I have always worked on my own Jeeps alone, save for when I had my son around, and was ok with that. Lately, though, I'd welcome help. The Zen of working alone has faded with age. I just don't know anyone who enjoys wrenching on a vehicle; I think that's why I've considered another vehicle at times.
Click to expand...

I do enjoy working on my vehicle, and I enjoy my alone time in the man cave doing so, but not when I have to. I mean If my brakes go out or if I loose a freeze plug or clutch, that sucks, but if I am upgrading like a lift kit or a dual battery, or some sort of cool upgrade, like a PSC steering box I am considering,
 
  • Like
Reactions: Kiwi TJ and Squatch
ac_ said:
I do enjoy working on my vehicle, and I enjoy my alone time in the man cave doing so, but not when I have to. I mean If my brakes go out or if I loose a freeze plug or clutch, that sucks, but if I am upgrading like a lift kit or a dual battery, or some sort of cool upgrade, like a PSC steering box I am considering,
Click to expand...
Agreed. "Because I want to" time is always more fun than "Because I have to" time...
 
  • Like
Reactions: Kiwi TJ and ac_
Took a couple weeks of vacation (tonight being the last day of it), and while I knew I was going to be juggling a number of different projects within those two weeks, I made it a goal to spend at least some time on the TJ. I was able to remove the old axle bearings and seals from my Dana 44 rear axle, and install new ones. I was also able to sandblast and repaint the backing plates, and then get the axles installed. This was a huge step forward for me after having such a dry spell. I threw on some old drums (to help minimize anything getting at the seals while I work on other parts of the rig) and roller tires, which allows me to move it around much easier, as needed. I was also able to clean up the garage quite a bit in preparation for further work. Not exciting stuff to anyone but me, but I'm happy to have the room to move around the Jeep! Here are some pics of the progress...
IMG_0719.JPG
IMG_0713(1).JPG
IMG_0717.JPG
IMG_0718.JPG
 
  • Like
  • Wow
Reactions: bobthetj03, psrivats, derekmac and 4 others
IMG_0754.JPG
IMG_0755.JPG
IMG_0758.JPG
IMG_0759.JPG


Those are OEM control arms with new bushings I installed. And yes, that is another Dana 44 sitting in front of the one I'm working on.

As much as I wish I could have spent the entire two weeks working on the TJ, I knew from the beginning that it wouldn't happen. However, the vacation was a huge success, nonetheless. I was able to replace the bearings and axle shafts in my Lincoln Town Car (my daily driver that had been out of commission since February), as well as do a brake job on it. I also worked on the house for three days, which included removing moss from the roof, effectively making a nineteen year old roof look more like a five year old roof. This was all done in the name of getting the house refinanced. I had 21 years left on my last refi, and that just wasn't gonna cut it. Even with the huge extra principal-only payments, it still would have taken me nine years to pay-off the house. So now, I'm a few days away from the final signing on a 10-year mortgage (!!!) that has a much better interest rate, and with payments only about $170 a month more. And it figures out that if I continue to pay the huge principal-only payments like I've been doing, the house will be payed off in 3 years (3 1/2 years, if I allow for some fudge factor). Now that's more like it!

Oh, and I did spend some awesome time with my 14 month old granddaughter, as well. In fact, I gave up a full garage day to spend the day with her. It was awesome. No regrets!

Anyways, that's that. It was good to be able to see where I left off on the TJ, and I'm looking forward to getting some more time on it again. Slow, I know, but Life happens. ;)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Vasq, jamespwsullivan, ac_ and 11 others
That progress is worth the wait..love that axle and diff cover with matching control arms....(y)(y)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Squatch
The earth shook! Something moved here! What’s happening? I’m so happy for you. Awesome vacation time, awesome work! The axles look fantastic. I like the covers and CA’s. You’re very meticulous.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: ac_, EJD and Squatch
Top Bottom
Back