Introduction post here.
2004 TJ Rocky Mountain Edition that I'll be working on repairing, refreshing, and rebuilding. It has less than 90k miles on it, but it has been ridden hard and put up wet too many times, and ultimately just underused for several years. My girls are finally to the age that they've taken an interest in it, so initially I'll be working on fixing the things that are needed most. Copied from the other thread:
1. Rear brakes need to be replaced. They are worn and caked with dirt and grime, and the e-brake may as well not exist currently.
2. Even with fixing the cracked vacuum line, I still have a whistle when letting off the throttle, so I need to track that down.
3. Alignment and spend some time adjusting and setting pinion angles and caster.
4. Address rear sway bar. When I installed the rear CAs, I noticed the bushings in the RE links were crumbled (they're 14 years old), so I need to determine if it's worth it to replace them or just run without it altogether.
5. Adjustable rear track bar with correct relocation bracket. The original RE bar that's in there is fixed and the bracket isn't angled so it's in a permanent bind and the bushings are worn. Also it's off center by a full inch.
6. Tires. The MTRs are a decade old at this point and while they still have decent tread, they have flat spots and suck to ride on. I'm thinking of going with Cooper STT Pros in the same size.
7. Exhaust. After the belly-up the exhaust is rattling on the side of the transmission pan, and my quick fix with parts store strapping didn't resolve it. The bushing on the trans mount is wallowed out, but I think if I can replace that and bend the hanger a little it should eliminate the issue.
I'm still waiting on my passenger side PRP Daily Driver seat to come in. I ordered one by itself originally to make sure I fit in it, that way if I needed to get the wider model I could just move this one to the passenger side. I'm happy to report that I do indeed fit in it, so when the second one comes in, I'll get it mounted. As a tip for the seat-mounted female end of the seatbelts on later model TJs, I came across this bracket that I think will work great to mount them without any question regarding strength. I've seen Jerry's bracket he fabbed and this looks very similar, but for $2 each they look like they'll be adequate and a time saver for me.
Note that my risers that I had on the factory seats weren't needed since the adapter brackets give just about the same amount of height, but I had to place them on top of the seat brackets temporarily until I could replace the bolts with the correct length versions.
I can't promise frequent updates, but I'll try to be regular with them. I'm also looking forward to feedback and any suggestions on the jobs listed above.
2004 TJ Rocky Mountain Edition that I'll be working on repairing, refreshing, and rebuilding. It has less than 90k miles on it, but it has been ridden hard and put up wet too many times, and ultimately just underused for several years. My girls are finally to the age that they've taken an interest in it, so initially I'll be working on fixing the things that are needed most. Copied from the other thread:
1. Rear brakes need to be replaced. They are worn and caked with dirt and grime, and the e-brake may as well not exist currently.
2. Even with fixing the cracked vacuum line, I still have a whistle when letting off the throttle, so I need to track that down.
3. Alignment and spend some time adjusting and setting pinion angles and caster.
4. Address rear sway bar. When I installed the rear CAs, I noticed the bushings in the RE links were crumbled (they're 14 years old), so I need to determine if it's worth it to replace them or just run without it altogether.
5. Adjustable rear track bar with correct relocation bracket. The original RE bar that's in there is fixed and the bracket isn't angled so it's in a permanent bind and the bushings are worn. Also it's off center by a full inch.
6. Tires. The MTRs are a decade old at this point and while they still have decent tread, they have flat spots and suck to ride on. I'm thinking of going with Cooper STT Pros in the same size.
7. Exhaust. After the belly-up the exhaust is rattling on the side of the transmission pan, and my quick fix with parts store strapping didn't resolve it. The bushing on the trans mount is wallowed out, but I think if I can replace that and bend the hanger a little it should eliminate the issue.
I'm still waiting on my passenger side PRP Daily Driver seat to come in. I ordered one by itself originally to make sure I fit in it, that way if I needed to get the wider model I could just move this one to the passenger side. I'm happy to report that I do indeed fit in it, so when the second one comes in, I'll get it mounted. As a tip for the seat-mounted female end of the seatbelts on later model TJs, I came across this bracket that I think will work great to mount them without any question regarding strength. I've seen Jerry's bracket he fabbed and this looks very similar, but for $2 each they look like they'll be adequate and a time saver for me.
Note that my risers that I had on the factory seats weren't needed since the adapter brackets give just about the same amount of height, but I had to place them on top of the seat brackets temporarily until I could replace the bolts with the correct length versions.
I can't promise frequent updates, but I'll try to be regular with them. I'm also looking forward to feedback and any suggestions on the jobs listed above.