MiRustyjeep

I don't know why it is, but every single time I have removed the transmission on ANY vehicle I've ever owned (and I've done more than a few), the transmissions always, always, always fight me on the way out. Such a pain in the butt.
 
Ugh...It never ends. Trying to fix everything at once is a mistake on my part. I didn't set out that way, but since the tranny needed work, I have some "inside" time. Figured I'd use it to get some other crap done that needed it. One of the other problems Rubi had when I bought her was a leaky fuel pressure regulator. Had never given me any trouble while running, but always took a couple tries to start. So I bought a new one. 20 bucks...Cheap experiment. Thought I'd fix that yesterday...Holy cow.

I got the tank loose, broke 3 of the 4 bolts that hold it up in back, and two of the three spun on my in the front. I could NOT get the fittings on the evap canister to pop free for the life of me. Any words of wisdom?

On a positive note, with all this downtime, I AM getting a lot of the rusty parts cleaned up. I have a sandblast cabinet so things have been coming off the jeep then getting cleaned and painted, ready for reassembly. I found my 4WD shift linkage was stiff and the handle wasn't floating the way its supposed to. Like the handle pivot was stiff and it wouldn't hit the gates right. I guess that explains why it popped out of 4 Low a couple times on me. That is all cleaned up now. The air pump cover that was missing is now repaired with a homemade cover, and that pump mounting bracket is all cleaned and painted. Skid Plate is all cleaned and painted, Driveshafts are sprayed with Rust reformer, and will be painted tonite, lots of rusty hardware is replaced, etc. Next time I have to work on it, it will be MUCH more enjoyable.

I did find a local guy to fix my transmission. He's already been into it, and says its in really good shape. He also said he'll be able to repair vs replace the input shaft. Super nice guy...and in my home town. It will be nice to stay in contact with him, for when I do my tummy tuck in a couple years...He'll be able to make my new driveshaft.
 
Got the fuel tank out this afternoon, finally. The quick connects were packed full of sand, so were not working properly. I ended up pulling the clip out rather than pushing them in, and managed to get them all apart. I only broke one, which I consider a success. Cleaned the top of the tank and replaced the filter/regulator. I hope it works. If it doesn't, the tank will come down a LOT easier next time.
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Looks pretty empty under here...
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Also put the air pump plate back together. Here is the repaired pump:

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Both pumps mounted:
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From the other side.

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Also got some paint on the driveshafts:
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Ordered some more crap to put this beast back together tonight...Should be soon. I'm hoping to go for a drive this weekend. I have Thursday and Friday off work. Was supposed to be going fishing, but that trip fell through. I kept my vacation though, and am hoping to have the transmission back so I can get this thing back on the road.
 
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My tank it out right now. I went to Lowes and got some stainless hardware, be a good idea in your case looking at all the rust. I couldn't find the retaining clips that keep the bolts from pushing through so I used some small rubber bands.

I gotta say, what a dumb ass location for Jeep to put those pumps. Yours look like they have been sitting under water for years.
 
You rust belt folk have it rough. It's like driving your TJ in acid rain every day!
Nah, not every day. Just the winters. This will not be a winter vehicle for me, so what I fix will hopefully stay clean in the future. Believe it or not, she's in pretty good shape. There are a couple of bad spot (i.e. the air pumps) but for the most part, the jeep is clean. What isn't will not be hard to fix.
 
I haven't gotten my tranny back yet, so I've been doing "make work" stuff on the jeep. While the tank is out, I'm going to try to get those bastard rear shock bolts loose. I've also wire wheeled and painted most of the rusty spots on the frame. The good news is that all the critical spots are solid. Bad news is that I DID find a rust hole on the rear passenger side section, right in front of the bumper mount. Non-critical, so I just cleaned it up as best I could...I'll deal with it later.
 
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Put my soft top on...WOOT!

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I actually like the spice on black. Wasn't sure I was going to, but I couldn't pass it up for the price. I got it off craigslist for 130 bucks, had to strip it down and repaint it, cuz I'm anal about that shit, and put a new windshield header on. Total about 220 dollars for a complete softop W/ a bonus set of half door uppers.
What was repainted?? Looks great! Now you need some lower half doors to go with those uppers!
 
Found the source of my transmission issues...
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Those little pieces of metal are the needle bearings from the pilot bearing...inner cage is destroyed, which left the needles free to roam all over. Now I understand why the tranny input shaft is FUBAR.
 
To add insult to injury...this is how the pilot bearing race came out. The puller I rented from Advanced Auto Parts just broke the edges, I assume because the inner race wasn't there. I ended up using a cold chisel and deformed it enough to spin in the bore. I was then able to use a small prybar to lever it out. SMH. Anyway, all new parts are in tonight. New pilot bearing, clutch and pressure plate.

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Due the to transmission repairs, I had a chance to clean up some of the frame too..

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Still need to drill some drain holes and get the insides cleaned out.
 
Just like Tom Petty said, The waiting is the hardest part. Finally got a call from the transmission guy, and he got everything apart. As suspected, the only thing that needs replacement is the Input shaft. Also the front and rear seal, because they get damaged when you separate the halves, I guess. Whatever, they are cheap. He gave me the option to have the shaft repaired, Let him get the parts, or let me get the parts, and he'd install them. We talked about the repair option, and I elected to go with a new shaft. I was concerned about the weld changing the hardness of the shaft. I have the parts on the way...but here is where it gets sticky...

I paid extra to have them shipped 2 day air...and MF'er UPS gave me this...

"We've incorrectly sorted the package at our facility. This may cause at least one business day delay"

WTF does that mean? You can bet I'm going after their ass for shipping costs if it doesn't show up tomorrow. Its REALLY going to screw me up. The whole reason I paid extra to get it on Thursday is that I can get it to the guy, and hopefully Friday he can get it back together, so I can work on getting the wrangler back together this weekend. Its enough to cause a guy to drink!
 
I FINALLY got my transmission back on Wednesday. I can't complain too bad though. The guys that fixed it for me were super nice and did me right on price. If anyone in West MI needs regearing, Manual Transmission work, T-Case work, Driveshafts, etc. Drivetrain Specialties in Marne is the place to go. I showed up to pick up the transmission and ended up spending a half hour or so BS'ing with them and drinking their beer. Last couple of evenings after work I've been picking away at this project, trying to get it finished up and back on the road. Yesterday, I got the transmission in, and tonight I hung the transfer case.

As a side note, how the heck do you torque check the nuts that hold the T-Case on? Its too tight to get a ratchet head in there. Crowsfoot? Never used em before, and it will change the torque setting, based on the amount of offset...

Anyway, tomorrow I should be able to get everything back together. Test drives after that....Wahoo!

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SHE LIVES!!!! Test drive this evening was successful. No weird squeaks, rattles or grinding noises. Started around town then eventually got out into open roads and the ol' double nickle speed limits. Things are good. My soft top is is good shape too, first time I've driven the jeep with it on. Since I bought it used, I was worried it might be all stretched out and floppy. But its in good shape, nice and tight.

I will say that the jeep has never shifted so fricken well. It is as smooth as silk, both with clutch engagement / disengagement and going through the gears. I can't believe how much of an effect that throw-out bearing had.

Next up....Bumpers and a Stereo! (When I save some money)

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Thanks Chris, I'm really digging the spice / black color combo too. I've got this wild idea to sew up some seat covers...I wear flannel nearly every day in the winter, so I was thinking black w/plaid inserts. After seeing the spice, I may pull brown into the mix vs black. I guess it makes sense, as we have an Audi Q5 that is black with Cinnamon seats that looks sharp too.

I put another hundred or so miles on it yesterday, without anything weird, so, I'm calling the project complete.
 
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Been a while since I've posted anything here, which at this point is a good thing. Reading back through, its all been repair stuff. I guess that means I'm thru the worst of it LOL.

I did order some new speakers, Kicker 43CSC54. They are 5 1/4", to replace the speakers in the roll bar and dash. They were relatively inexpensive, and will handle the power I plan to add at a later date. Also pretty highly reviewed, both on Crutchfield and Amazon. Prices were consistent everywhere I looked, so I ordered from Crutchfield because they provide all the "extras." I was just so freaking tired of the crappy blown factory ones.

In other news, I'm starting to wonder if my build plans are going to hold. All along, I've been going to do the OME lift, 1.25" body lift and 33'ish tires (285/75R16). I've been looking at CL a lot lately, specifically the wheels and Tires listings (My truck needs tires too). There are a TON of JK takeoffs out there...with BFG Mud-Terrains in really good shape. Most of the time, its 500 bucks or less. I'm considering running a set of those. They are "only" 32" tires, and I'd lose a bit of width 10 vs 11 inches, but man, for the price? And then I found a NIB Teraflex 3" lift w/ shocks for 650 bucks. SO...instead of spending 2K+ on my lift, tires, etc...I could be into for about 1400. Of course, my tummy tuck plans would change at that point, due to not having a body lift.

I think I need someone to help talk me out of it. Tell me to save up for the good stuff.

-OR-

If someone (or lots of people) can tell me that the Mud Terrains are AMAZING tires and I won't be missing anything with 255/75R17 tires, maybe its a good deal?
 
Issues with 17's; cost is quite a bit more compared to the equivalent 15" tire; that short of tire on that large of a rim gives less sidewall protection and flex off road. The other issue is you will need adapters to run the 5.5" wheel pattern on the 4.5" TJ. Good ones are expensive so take that into account when pricing JK wheels. The other other issue, 17's just look out of place on a TJ.