Nikki's yellow throwback Jeep
- Thread starter Nickgsjeep
- Start date
OP
Yeah I just started. I guess there’s like a full on community of hobbyists who take apart matchbox and hot wheels cars and customize them. I was looking at a matchbox jeep yj I had bought my kiddo and thought it would be cool if it had a suspension so of course I googled it and sure enough I found a bunch of stuff on customizing them. From painting to wheels swaps to full body jobs. Some of the stuff these people turn out is absolutely incredible.
Man.. I can’t imagine some of the stuff that gets turned out. I need a hobby... right now works my only hobby!!.. I’ve got 100’s of matchbox cars.. there all numbered collections from the 70s but I still like to looks at them every once in a while.. keep up the good work
OP
I think I’ve just leveled up my nerdiness
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OP
This guy's TJ captivates you . It makes you stop and stare .
Sir I cannot say enough about what you have put together.... I'll tell you my gut reaction and maybe there's a reason that this thing grabs me like it does.. I traded in a beautiful pastel yellow 83 CJ7 with 13,000 Miles when I was young and didn't have better sense.
But what you have done is put together something that looks like what's the factory should have given us.
My gut reaction if I got my hands on something like that would be I'm never going to let anybody touch this or let it get away.
You've got a good sense of putting a TJ together and what you have created is one of the best overall packages I've seen. Good job .
OP
Hey thanks a lot! Still a work in progress but I sincerely appreciate the compliments.
OP
Well the AC/Heater controls stopped working on every setting except high. So after a search on this forum it lead me to the blower motor resistor. I picked up a “Standard ru352” from o’rielys. $14.00
I took off the courtesy light and took out the glove box and located the little sucker
there it is with the light shining on it below the green plug. I made sure to release the little red safety tab that it seems quite a few people had issues with. I opted to use little needle nose pliers. Worked well.
After a little finagling the plug was out. After undoing the red clip I was able to do everything while looking through the glove box opening. Plug was out and the old resistor was unbolted and out in about 10 minutes. Tested the new resistor for a second then bolted it in and closed everything up. All hvac settings function properly.
I also replaced the passenger door weather strip. I didn’t take pics because you all know what a weather strip looks like. Originally the oem weather strip had a tear so I ordered an aftermarket one off amazon. Terrible decision. The aftermarket one was so thick and bulky and too big all around. It bunched in places creating creases that leaked. The pressure from the size broke my door handle latch because it required so much pulling force just to activate the latch. DONT GET AN AFTERMARKET WEATHERSTRIP! Ponied up the $150 for a new oem one. Perfect fit. Perfect seal. No more leaks. All total it cost me over $200. It would have been much cheaper to go oem from the start (which I usually do). Lesson learned.
I took off the courtesy light and took out the glove box and located the little sucker
there it is with the light shining on it below the green plug. I made sure to release the little red safety tab that it seems quite a few people had issues with. I opted to use little needle nose pliers. Worked well.
After a little finagling the plug was out. After undoing the red clip I was able to do everything while looking through the glove box opening. Plug was out and the old resistor was unbolted and out in about 10 minutes. Tested the new resistor for a second then bolted it in and closed everything up. All hvac settings function properly.
I also replaced the passenger door weather strip. I didn’t take pics because you all know what a weather strip looks like. Originally the oem weather strip had a tear so I ordered an aftermarket one off amazon. Terrible decision. The aftermarket one was so thick and bulky and too big all around. It bunched in places creating creases that leaked. The pressure from the size broke my door handle latch because it required so much pulling force just to activate the latch. DONT GET AN AFTERMARKET WEATHERSTRIP! Ponied up the $150 for a new oem one. Perfect fit. Perfect seal. No more leaks. All total it cost me over $200. It would have been much cheaper to go oem from the start (which I usually do). Lesson learned.
Sometimes the best way to save money is to try not to save money.
I spent my second year as a contractor replacing all the cheap tools I bought the first year.
Every now and then something plays out but boy it's hard to go wrong with the real deal.
I spent my second year as a contractor replacing all the cheap tools I bought the first year.
Every now and then something plays out but boy it's hard to go wrong with the real deal.
OP
I’m trying to track down a leak. I think it may be this crack but I’m not sure. New OEM door seals and even when I stuff towels up in where the door used to leak and up by the fire wall I still wake up after a night of rain to a wet passenger floor board. I had to tear up the foam in some spots cause water got under it 
. Any ideas?
. Any ideas?
OP
OP
The first parts of the SAVVY overhaul are in. Aluminum steering skid.
It's rare that I see a jeep build that I say man I want to drive that.. I do when I see this one.
OP
Thanks man!! Big changes ahead. Classic TJ lines will remain but underneath is going to have an overhaul. Hopefully be “done” by summer. (“Done” is a fluid term in this case)
I really look forward to seeing what you do, you have a flair for getting one set up well. I'm picky and a little bit handy with vehicle fix ups, and was like - "man , I want that " once I saw what all you did and how it turned out . Thorough, original and functional.