'98 Sahara build: "Staying the Course"

ac_ said:
Sometimes it is nice to see improvement. Even small changes. It inspires the rest of us or maybe I can't speak for everyone, but it inspires me to get off my butt and start working on my pig. Even the little things. Maybe I read that you rebuilt or put new bearings in your axle, and I see an awesome clean picture and get slightly jealous, so it inspires me to go out and wash mine.

Don't be ashamed at how small or big the project, we are all rooting for you, and looking for inspiration to do something to our own. Keep up the good work! Don't forget we like pictures!!
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Thank you, my friend. I really appreciate that. This kind of stuff isn't exciting, but needs to be done, nonetheless. That's the part I like about it. I feel like I'm rescuing it from a slow death, and that with each step I take, it keeps getting better. Eventually I'll get to the part where I can start adding parts, instead of just removing them!

I was so wrapped up in what I was doing that I didn't take any pictures. Of course, not really much to look at, really. Hopefully, that will change soon.

Hope things are going well with the house. I cannot imagine what it must be like going through that...
 
I thought I was busy, till my house burned down, now I know what busy really is! At least things are moving pretty fast, but still not fast enough.

This is a picture Robyn took last Thursday:

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Then Saturday, I went over to finish the brakes on Robyn's TJ (See what I did there? Kept this a TJ thread). I had to also fill the pool, and a couple other things and I took this picture. This was 2 days later:


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They say it is a year, but I am hoping it will be faster. I am Jones'n for my shop. You can see it sneaking in the picture towards the back.
 
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Dang! The progress made in two days is encouraging! And yeah, I'll bet you do want your shop back. When I was looking to purchase the house I eventually bought, I went out to the 2-car garage before ever setting foot inside the house. Also, had the garage reroofed before the house. I mean, a man's gotta have his priorities, right?
 
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Squatch said:
I'll be looking for new/used body mount bolts, so if anyone has some nice ones remaining after doing a body lift, I'd love to acquire them from you. Just PM me with what you have and what you need to get for them. Thanks!
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There's a good chance I have some laying around in the spare bolts box I can toss in the mail for you. I'll be out of town until Friday but I can look over the weekend.
 
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Alex01 said:
There's a good chance I have some laying around in the spare bolts box I can toss in the mail for you. I'll be out of town until Friday but I can look over the weekend.
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That would be fantastic, @Alex01. Most of mine are rusted away where they were threaded into the nut. They would just spin, until I put downward pressure on the body mount, and then they would catch a thread from the area that was exposed above the nut, and back out. Damnedest thing I ever saw!

I'm not in a hurry, so whenever you get to it, that'd be fine. Also, I definitely want to pay you for 'em, so let me know what you need to get, as well as the mailing costs.

Thanks again!(y)
 
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ac_ said:
I thought I was busy, till my house burned down, now I know what busy really is! At least things are moving pretty fast, but still not fast enough.

This is a picture Robyn took last Thursday:

View attachment 102198

Then Saturday, I went over to finish the brakes on Robyn's TJ (See what I did there? Kept this a TJ thread). I had to also fill the pool, and a couple other things and I took this picture. This was 2 days later:


View attachment 102199

They say it is a year, but I am hoping it will be faster. I am Jones'n for my shop. You can see it sneaking in the picture towards the back.
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You should of had them trim the corner of the roof back and put a shorter rain gutter on there, so you don't hit it like you did before. :)
 
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Squatch said:
Got to spend 7.5 hours in the garage today working on the TJ. Still nothing glamorous to speak of, but I enjoyed the time on it. I removed the back bumper, and the body mount bolts, save for the very front one, which I just loosened. I had to grind the heads off the rearmost ones, and then cut access holes to get the large nuts and what remained of the bolts out. The two that connect to the rear crossmember where the shocks are mounted came out easily. Moving forward, the next two at the back of the torque boxes came out fine, but the middle one on the passenger side snapped. The driver's side one came out surprisingly well, considering that the torque box is rusted around where the body mount is, and will need to be repaired. I felt certain that if any of them would give me fits, it'd be that one. Anyways, the rest removed fairly easily, though the bolts are fairly heavily damaged by rust. I'll be looking for new/used body mount bolts, so if anyone has some nice ones remaining after doing a body lift, I'd love to acquire them from you. Just PM me with what you have and what you need to get for them. Thanks!

I also removed the driver's side inner fender well liner, as well as the flare. All this was done (removing the bolts) so that I can lift the body up off the frame for better access to the top of the frame rails for cleaning and painting. Also, knowing that the torque box will have to be repaired on the driver's side, I figured I'd be doing all this eventually, so I just decided to take the plunge while I had a garage day. Oh yeah, and I still have the two broken shock mount bolts to contend with, so maybe the extra room will come in handy.

If I remember correctly, all told, there are 11 body bolts. I was trying to look back at what @Mike_H had said he did, and I couldn't remember if he said he loosened three front bolts, or just one, to the grill area. I only saw the one center bolt, and I believe the other two on either side of the grill are just rubber spacers/snubbers, of sorts. I tried looking it up, but my computer has been acting up all week, being extremely slow to load anything, and even freezing up, so I couldn't find what I needed. In fact, I even have a real concern that after all this typing, I won't be able to post it. Damn computer, anyway...

Anyways, it was a great day!
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Hey Squatch...Not sure why I didn't get a notification that you mentioned me in your post...What I was saying about lifting the body (straight from @mrblaine so I can't take credit) is to loosen the one body mount bolt in the center of the grill shell that holds the radiator support. Then remove two bolts in the reinforcing rods that run from the firewall to the grill. The bolts are on the outside of the shell. When you lift the tub, it needs to move independently of the grill and Rad support, or else it will bind and may bend things.

Glad you're getting back in the shop on that ol' girl. I'm gonna copy your idea on the vacuum attachment too. That, friend, is pure genius!
 
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Alex01 said:
My guess is the large ones are body bolts. The smaller ones 🤷‍♂️View attachment 104019
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Those are all OEM body mount bolts. The smaller ones on the bottom are the ones under the grill and the rear four. Two of the smaller ones that are shorter than the rest need to go in the locations at the shock crossmember to keep from dimpling the floor up. The other 3 can be the longer smaller ones. The larger ones go at the 6 locations under the doors.
 
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Mike_H said:
Then remove two bolts in the reinforcing rods that run from the firewall to the grill. The bolts are on the outside of the shell. When you lift the tub, it needs to move independently of the grill and Rad support, or else it will bind and may bend things.
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That's the part I couldn't remember! Thanks, Mike. I appreciate the tip! Also, glad someone can use the vacuum idea. It isn't the fastest, as the hose will suck the larger flakes up tight to the opening, and close it off until you remove or break down the flakes so they will pass through. However, it is really effective at getting the loose stuff out of there. I'd be embarrassed to show the amount of crap I removed from inside the frame (but oh so glad I did it!)
 
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mrblaine said:
Those are all OEM body mount bolts. The smaller ones on the bottom are the ones under the grill and the rear four. Two of the smaller ones that are shorter than the rest need to go in the locations at the shock crossmember to keep from dimpling the floor up. The other 3 can be the longer smaller ones. The larger ones go at the 6 locations under the doors.
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Thank you, @mrblaine!
 
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Squatch said:
That was regarding the reinforcing rods needing to be separated from the grill and radiator support so I don't damage (bend) things when I lift the rear of the tub. I knew there was something I was forgetting with regards to that process.
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If you are lifting the back of the tube, it isn't the grill support rods that need to come out, it is the grill support body mount under the grill. If you don't get it out and the snubbers, you run a very high risk of putting bows in the OEM fenders right where the cut out for the tire is.
 
mrblaine said:
If you are lifting the back of the tube, it isn't the grill support rods that need to come out, it is the grill support body mount under the grill. If you don't get it out and the snubbers, you run a very high risk of putting bows in the OEM fenders right where the cut out for the tire is.
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Ahhhh...okay, then. I will make sure and remove them. Thank you for the added detail. The last thing I need to do is add any more damage to the rig than it has already sustained (via neglect from the previous owner).
 
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