A lesson learned—keep it light and nimble!

Started small on the TJ today. First, at 180K, I like to know what I'm up against, so I pulled all the spark plugs and replaced them. Thankfully, all 6 cylinders looked good. There was some uneven firing of the plugs, see the picture, but they were all burning clean. Since I have no idea if the gaps were set correctly before, I see nothing to worry about here. On the plus side, at least they were smart enough to install Autolite APP 985 plugs last time.

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Second, since the coil pack and intake tube were out of the way for the plugs, I replaced the valve cover gasket. There was good news here as well. The top of the engine had zero sludge and was as clean as you could possibly want.
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I also cleaned up the valve cover and replaced the PCV grommets and elbows. What a PIA it is to remove the old ones!
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Lastly, I cleaned up and as much as I could for now, installed a new engine air filter, and buttoned everything up. Off course while reassembling everything the hose going from the intake tube to the front PCV elbow disintegrated. Fortunately, I had some 1/2 heater hose that was a perfect substitute.
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I still need to do a full under hood de-greasing and cleaning, but that will have to wait for warmer weather!
 
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Nice score. That is so clean. It is exactly what I would do if I did it over again. Get a super clean stock blank slate.
Since this is going to be a driver, I have a pristine stock front and rear bumper I'm considering installing. But I also have a new Barnes 4WD aluminum front bumper. Parts, parts, parts!
 
Since this is going to be a driver, I have a pristine stock front and rear bumper I'm considering installing. But I also have a new Barnes 4WD aluminum front bumper. Parts, parts, parts!
I think I recall you posting a pic of the Barnes bumper in the "Minimalist bumper" thread. It looked pretty slick. I've never seen one anywhere else.
 
I picked up this bare bones Sport for a very good deal. It has has 180K on it, but is 100% rust free. After bringing it home, here's what I found wrong with it:

- front pinion seal is leaking badly and there's a growl coming from it (Needs a pinion bearing and seal)
- has a P0135 code (The OBDII connector wasn't working when I got it, but I cleaned the plug and was able to read the code)
- rear main seal is leaking (slightly)
- valve cover gasket is leaking
- rear pinion seal (Dana 35) is damp
- u-joints are all original
- jack and jack accessories are missing
- rear seat belt is broken
- both visors are missing
- washer bottle pump is inoperable
- battery tie down is missing (you can see where the + terminal contacted the fender a time or two!)
- driver seat is worn/torn
- bad blower motor resistor (Fan only works on high speed)
- soft top is done

Other than that, it runs and drives well. It looks like the cooling system was recently replaced, as well as the alternator. Also, the 42RLE appears to have been rebuilt back in 2012. Given how absurdly rust free it is, I'm going to build this one based on lessons I've learned from the past. Per the title, the theme will be keeping it light and nimble. Since I plan to drive this daily, tire size will be limited to 31".

I have the following parts already in the garage that will make their way onto the Jeep:

- Savvy gas tank skid
- KMC Black Enduro wheels
- Rubicon Dana 44 rear (4.10 gears)
- Dana 30 front with a Detroit TrueTrac (4.10 gears)
- Either a Savvy UA or UCF Extra Clearance aluminum skid system
- Tuffy full console
- Tuffy underseat storage box
- RoundEyes H4 headlights
- Either a 241OR or 231 with SYE
- 1/2 doors, they'll need to be painted first), with BullDawg uppers
- Barnes 4WD aluminum front bumper
- Hella Fog lights
- Misc other small parts

Things I'll need to make a decision on are springs, control arms, and shocks. For the springs, I already have a brand new set of Nth Degree 3" springs, but that will be more than I need, especially since I'll be doing a Savvy BL and a MML (Motor Mount Lift). If I don't use them, H&R 1" springs will be used. The steering will be a ZJ conversion and the control arms are pending the spring decision. The final decision will have to be whether I want to wrap the tub in full aluminum armor. Since I already have a set of Savvy TJ tub rails, it's highly likely I'll go that root.

As for the Jeep, here's what it looks like now. The only real options are A/C, full doors, and automatic transmission.

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I’m jealous right now, just because that looks like a fun project.
 
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I think I recall you posting a pic of the Barnes bumper in the "Minimalist bumper" thread. It looked pretty slick. I've never seen one anywhere else.
Qch5TVI.jpg

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It's something they made for a short while and I've never seen another one. The only thing I don't like about it is it sticks out a little further, due to the V shape. That said, it's still a nice looking bumper. I'm going to mount it up again and see if the Antirock will fit. It's been a while since I test fit it, so I don't remember if that was an issue.
 
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Since I'll be installing a spare Savvy gas tank skid I have, I ordered a new Bosch fuel pump.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001C64PWU/?tag=wranglerorg-20

I'm also trying to order a new Savvy rear bumper, but the $71+ shipping charge is making me re-think this one. I can get a Next Venture High Clearance bumper shipped for less than $300.

Order from Hauk Supply...He should be cheaper with free shipping.
 
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I did the unthinkable with this one and created a spread sheet. I'm putting every part and $ spent on it in there to see just how bad it gets!
I have a spreadsheet on mine at work. It's shocking when you add up every little last part. I'll have to encrypt it to make sure my wife never, ever sees it.
 
Order from Hauk Supply...He should be cheaper with free shipping.
This actually
I have a spreadsheet on mine at work. It's shocking when you add up every little last part. I'll have to encrypt it to make sure my wife never, ever sees it.
I was thinking the same thing!
 
I have a spreadsheet on mine at work. It's shocking when you add up every little last part. I'll have to encrypt it to make sure my wife never, ever sees it.
I started keeping spreadsheets for all my project cars a few years back. They're buried deep within the bowels of the hard drive and given a random alpha-numeric title.
 
I did the unthinkable with this one and created a spread sheet. I'm putting every part and $ spent on it in there to see just how bad it gets!
I suggest that you password protect that spread sheet. Minimum 35 characters, upper and lower case, special characters, numerics, and some embedded “women will never guess” phrasing.
 
I suggest that you password protect that spread sheet. Minimum 35 characters, upper and lower case, special characters, numerics, and some embedded “women will never guess” phrasing.
I thought if you were married you just needed to use the password BlowJob?