Hey all!
So my name's Alex and I'm a welder for General Dynamics Electric Boat. We build submarines for the US Navy. I work on jobs exclusively related to pressure hull integrity, ballast tanks, and sea pressure valves and tanks. I've ran beads with probably 75-80% of the processes and filler wires out there. From processes that shield the arc by basically dumping kitty litter on it to alloy stick rods that wont fuse at the toes not matter what and leave your next chest x-ray looking like a picture of a Montana night's sky (if you're too cool for resp protection or whatever those cancer ridden idiots say) and everything in between. With that being said I'm more than happy to offer any help or info I can with welding questions anyone might have.
Someone once told me, "Never make a major purchase that you can't make a profit return on". Now I've always dreamed of owning a TJ I6 4.0 manual and finally had the full capital to grab a 2001 with 130k miles. The end goal of this purchase is to start my own mobile welding repair business. I went with this Jeep because it already had 33" mudders which would've been my first purchase on anything else I looked at as to not limit my ability to access future job sites. Being in New England there's no avoiding rust and rot. I was lucky to find something with no true rot but to ensure success as I begin this chapter in my life I'll be looking to replace my most important components piece by piece. I'm here to learn the best methods and collect advice from other TJ enthusiasts.
I'm familiar with forum etiquette and have already been doing some research finding info I'll need moving forward. However, anyone that happens to read this and is feeling kind enough to dump a bunch of links in a reply would be highly appreciated.
My biggest hurdle so far is where to start. The previous owner definitely just wanted flash because the only mods are 33" tires, the most inconsiderate incorrectly wired HIDs I've ever had the misfortune of ruining everyone's eyesight with, and a grille guard.
I'm debating between some suspensions repairs and the ring an pinion gearing as my starting point. The suspension isn't terrible but doesn't appear to have ever been worked on as the rubber is pretty rough in most places so I'm concerned with reliability in tough access job sites. I've just learned in the past few hours more than I have ever known about differentials and gearing and I believe I have 100% identified my other concern. I have no balls on the highway, top speed of like 75 on level ground, no acceleration in 5th on any uphill (in fact I lose speed no matter what), and a highway efficiency of about 12.5MPG. So I'm thinking I need a different ring and pinion gear ratio with these 33s.
Anyone kind enough to offer advice and recommendations please keep in mind that I likely wont be doing any intentional crawling or climbing obnoxious grades. So I'm more concerned with reliability and mid grade durability than anything along the lines of performance parts. Also this is a vehicle I wouldn't mind having for a very very long time just fixing things as the break because damn do I love TJs.
Thank you for taking the time to read this, anyone who does. Have a wonderful day and stay healthy!
So my name's Alex and I'm a welder for General Dynamics Electric Boat. We build submarines for the US Navy. I work on jobs exclusively related to pressure hull integrity, ballast tanks, and sea pressure valves and tanks. I've ran beads with probably 75-80% of the processes and filler wires out there. From processes that shield the arc by basically dumping kitty litter on it to alloy stick rods that wont fuse at the toes not matter what and leave your next chest x-ray looking like a picture of a Montana night's sky (if you're too cool for resp protection or whatever those cancer ridden idiots say) and everything in between. With that being said I'm more than happy to offer any help or info I can with welding questions anyone might have.
Someone once told me, "Never make a major purchase that you can't make a profit return on". Now I've always dreamed of owning a TJ I6 4.0 manual and finally had the full capital to grab a 2001 with 130k miles. The end goal of this purchase is to start my own mobile welding repair business. I went with this Jeep because it already had 33" mudders which would've been my first purchase on anything else I looked at as to not limit my ability to access future job sites. Being in New England there's no avoiding rust and rot. I was lucky to find something with no true rot but to ensure success as I begin this chapter in my life I'll be looking to replace my most important components piece by piece. I'm here to learn the best methods and collect advice from other TJ enthusiasts.
I'm familiar with forum etiquette and have already been doing some research finding info I'll need moving forward. However, anyone that happens to read this and is feeling kind enough to dump a bunch of links in a reply would be highly appreciated.
My biggest hurdle so far is where to start. The previous owner definitely just wanted flash because the only mods are 33" tires, the most inconsiderate incorrectly wired HIDs I've ever had the misfortune of ruining everyone's eyesight with, and a grille guard.
I'm debating between some suspensions repairs and the ring an pinion gearing as my starting point. The suspension isn't terrible but doesn't appear to have ever been worked on as the rubber is pretty rough in most places so I'm concerned with reliability in tough access job sites. I've just learned in the past few hours more than I have ever known about differentials and gearing and I believe I have 100% identified my other concern. I have no balls on the highway, top speed of like 75 on level ground, no acceleration in 5th on any uphill (in fact I lose speed no matter what), and a highway efficiency of about 12.5MPG. So I'm thinking I need a different ring and pinion gear ratio with these 33s.
Anyone kind enough to offer advice and recommendations please keep in mind that I likely wont be doing any intentional crawling or climbing obnoxious grades. So I'm more concerned with reliability and mid grade durability than anything along the lines of performance parts. Also this is a vehicle I wouldn't mind having for a very very long time just fixing things as the break because damn do I love TJs.
Thank you for taking the time to read this, anyone who does. Have a wonderful day and stay healthy!
