Novak Conversions Jeep Wrangler TJ engine mounts

Doing It The Hard Way - JL Steering Box and a Front Stretch

I got my whole A/C system changed out last weekend using all UAC parts from RockAuto, aside from the evaporator in the dash. In the end I got it done, but I would recommend trying one of the other brands to someone else. Just about every part had an issue with it.
  • Condenser was made with 40 rows of fins instead of the 41 rows the factory unit had, so the mounting holes were about 3/4" off. This was a total pain and I ended up just mounting it with zip ties at the bottom. Not ideal.
  • High pressure line needed to be bent away from the compressor so it wouldn't contact, and the mounting bracket was installed on it backwards.
  • Low pressure line was too short, bends needed to be flattened a bit so it would connect on both ends
  • Lines coming out the top of the accumulator were too tall/out of spec and got in the way of the line connecting to the evaporator
  • The compressor itself did seem fine, though time will tell.
I didn't want to take my dash apart, but I wanted to clean my evaporator. I stuck a plug in one end with a hole drilled through it and used a syringe to fill it with acetone. It took quite a bit, close to a quart I think.
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I blasted it out as well as I could with high pressure compressed air, this is what it looked like:
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Then I stuck the air hose in one end, set the regulator to about 35psi and blew air through it for about 40 minutes. Hopefully this was enough to evaporate any remaining acetone in there.
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To get the condenser out without removing the radiator, I replaced the radiator mounting bolts one at a time with longer ones, that way I could slide it back enough to get the condenser in and out. That worked pretty great, but I'd be extra careful not to put too much torque on those bolts given they just screw into those body clip things.
View attachment 560233

I forgot to grab a picture of the new condenser, but you get the idea.

Here is all of the oil that came out of my old compressor. Barely a few drops. I'm not sure if that's normal or not, there seemed to be a lot of oil everywhere else in the system. It definitely looks old and smells weird, but I'm thinking it was just a clutch failure.
View attachment 560234

While I'm not impressed with the components, it is still blowing ice cold after a week, so no major leaks or malfunctions yet. 🤞

Just so you know, they make A/C specific flush solvent & kits for doing it too.

https://www.amazon.com/Conditioner-...ng-Fittings/dp/B0BVZ5N3Y3/?tag=wranglerorg-20

https://www.amazon.com/TSI-Supercool-FFQ-High-Temp-Greater/dp/B00CFQQX5S/?tag=wranglerorg-20

But looks like you've got it handled.
 
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I did the thing, I got the JL steering gear mounted to the frame!

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The welds aren't pretty, but they'll hold. I'm not showing the ones Ray Charles did on the inside half...

The placement of that last bolt was rather unfortunate, but it worked out ok. If I were to do this again, which I definitely wouldn't, I'd hammer in the corner of the grille about 1/2" so the steering gear clears it and last bolt could clear the coil bucket. You know, advice for anyone unhinged enough to copy what I'm doing. It seems like the coil spring will have enough clearance, but we'll see.

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It took that under powered drill contraption about 30 minutes and 4 batteries to get through that one hole. I'm glad I didn't have to drain the radiator though.

Still need to clearance the frame where the stud comes through the pitman arm, after that I think the track bar is the next hurdle. Feels good getting this part over with.


HI @carrotman,

I just wanted to say thank you! I recently created my account, but I’ve been following your JL steering box swap thread for several months now. Thanks to your detailed work and pioneering, I was able to do a similar swap myself. I used a Motobilt front half kit, frenched the frame like you did, and installed a JL steering box at the front—it worked great! Somehow, I even got it driving before the next work week, which was a lifesaver since it’s my daily driver. Your thread was invaluable, and I really appreciate it! I cant figure out how to upload pics in the forum yet but there are a few pics of how I did it on my second most recent post on Instagram @prestonjaypalmer
 
HI @carrotman,

I just wanted to say thank you! I recently created my account, but I’ve been following your JL steering box swap thread for several months now. Thanks to your detailed work and pioneering, I was able to do a similar swap myself. I used a Motobilt front half kit, frenched the frame like you did, and installed a JL steering box at the front—it worked great! Somehow, I even got it driving before the next work week, which was a lifesaver since it’s my daily driver. Your thread was invaluable, and I really appreciate it! I cant figure out how to upload pics in the forum yet but there are a few pics of how I did it on my second most recent post on Instagram @prestonjaypalmer

That's awesome to hear! I can't believe someone else wanted to try this, but I do have to say, driving characteristics are great with the JL box. Good call on the Motobilt front frame, that probably saved you a ton of time and headache.

I'd love to see a build thread, I think you just need to get to 10 posts on the forum before you can post pictures.
 
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That's awesome to hear! I can't believe someone else wanted to try this, but I do have to say, driving characteristics are great with the JL box. Good call on the Motobilt front frame, that probably saved you a ton of time and headache. I'd love to see a build thread, I think you just need to get to 10 posts on the forum before you can post pictures.

Build thread is coming hopefully I can find some time to write it all up.
 
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Novak Conversions Jeep Wrangler TJ engine mounts