Skinned knuckle build

[AussieNick]

Growing up in Australia, my father told us stories of working as an auto electrician. He had worked at Bathurst on a race team until he shorted something during a pit stop and cause a minor incident with a fire. Dad always told me, “Never work in manual labor. The older you get the more your body regrets it. “

When I was 18 I bought my first car for $200. It was a ‘69 Datsun 1600 and I completely rebuilt the engine, transmission, brakes, steering and suspension from the ground up. I put about 3 grand into that Datsun and sold it for $1000 a few years later. Now you can’t buy one for less than 20 grand.

Good memories and good stories.

Fast forward 30 years, in August I was traveling with my 17 year old daughter to colleges visiting engineering schools, telling stories, and she blurted out she would love to build a car with me. So the next day I started searching Craigslist for Jeeps under $10000 in SoCal. My daughter will leave home next summer so time is of the essence.

That next weekend I bought this ‘98 TJ for $5600.

 

[AussieNick]

The next day I joined this forum and posted this thread for help getting started

https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/need-build-order-advice.25699/
Starting point is a ‘98 TJ 4.0, 5 speed manual transmission with a Dana 44 rear diff, stock gearing, stock suspension, 30” tires. 177000 miles and everything original except after market steel lock boxes in the glove box, center console and under the rear seat.

I set our goals:

• Rebuild steering
• Rebuild suspension
• Rebuild brakes
• 2.5” suspension lift
• 1.25” body lift
• 33” tires
• Investigate and fix engine noise
• Investigate and fix poor shifting
• Investigate and fix inoperable transfer case
• Investigate and fix inoperable e-brake
• Fix broken brake lights and turn signals
• Repair front seats - foam and vinyl
• Replace seat belts
• Re-key all lock boxes.

 

[AussieNick]

Getting to know the car I discovered and repaired surface rust between the transmission skid plate and the frame.

Before and after photos.

 

[Kiwi TJ]

The next day I joined this forum and posted this thread for help getting started

https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/need-build-order-advice.25699/
Starting point is a ‘98 TJ 4.0, 5 speed manual transmission with a Dana 44 rear diff, stock gearing, stock suspension, 30” tires. 177000 miles and everything original except after market steel lock boxes in the glove box, center console and under the rear seat.

I set our goals:

• Rebuild steering
• Rebuild suspension
• Rebuild brakes
• 2.5” suspension lift
• 1.25” body lift
• 33” tires
• Investigate and fix engine noise
• Investigate and fix poor shifting
• Investigate and fix inoperable transfer case
• Investigate and fix inoperable e-brake
• Fix broken brake lights and turn signals
• Repair front seats - foam and vinyl
• Replace seat belts
• Re-key all lock boxes.

That's a nice short list.....as most on here will testify...that list will grow hehe

 

[AussieNick]

That's a nice short list.....as most on here will testify...that list will grow hehe

 

[AussieNick]

With the skid plate off and rust repaired, observed no tcase linkage. Installed the Savvy cable. Tcase shifted flawlessly and 4 Hi and Low working.

 

[AussieNick]

Replaced engine oil, transmission fluid and tcase fluid. Shifts easy now through all 5 gears. That was a win.

 

[Bofa-Deez]

Nice find. It looks really close to stock, which can be helpful. At least you won't have to go through all the crappy upgrades the PO bolted on.

 

[Bofa-Deez]

Replaced engine oil, transmission fluid and tcase fluid. Shifts easy now through all 5 gears. That was a win.

Get the brake system bled also. This is a commonly overlooked maintenance item. I understand that sticking brake calipers on TJs are quite common

 

[AussieNick]

Investigating the handbrake was a can of worms.

I have replaced all hand brake cables and they still don’t work.

I contemplated a rear disc brake conversion but decided it’s too complex and pricey.

The drums and shoes look fine so I replaced the spring kits in both drums and adjusted them.

This got my hand brake working on one side only. I should have done new drums and shoes while I was in there. So that’s still in my list of things to do.

 

[AussieNick]

Get the brake system bled also. This is a commonly overlooked maintenance item. I understand that sticking brake calipers on TJs are quite common

This is great advice and I can’t believe I haven’t got to that by now. That’s a nice job for the weekend.

 

[Bofa-Deez]

Investigating the handbrake was a can of worms.

I have replaced all hand brake cables and they still don’t work.

I contemplated a rear disc brake conversion but decided it’s too complex and pricey.

The drums and shoes look fine so I replaced the spring kits in both drums and adjusted them.

This got my hand brake working on one side only. I should have done new drums and shoes while I was in there. So that’s still in my list of things to do.

Stay persistent my friend. These things aren't very complex, but one in good running order that drives well is a glorious thing

 

[JMT]

Welcome! Nice list. So far the repairs have been simple fixes! Good news!

 

[AussieNick]

Welcome! Nice list. So far the repairs have been simple fixes! Good news!

Thanks for the welcome.

Better news is my daughter learned to drive stick on the dirt roads nearby and loves the TJ. In addition to that, she loves wrenching under the car. Win.

 

[Bofa-Deez]

Thanks for the welcome.

Better news is my daughter learned to drive stick on the dirt roads nearby and loves the TJ. In addition to that, she loves wrenching under the car. Win.

That's awesome! I have a 15 yr old and a 13 yr old that both learned how to drive a standard. I told my wife that my two daughters will also learn how to change a tire before they drive alone. Stranded with a dead battery meant something different 20 years ago, today it means a dead cell phone battery, and they absolutely need to know how to change a flat before venturing into the world alone

 

[Flivver250]

Sounds like a blast!

 

[Kiwi TJ]

Thanks for the welcome.

Better news is my daughter learned to drive stick on the dirt roads nearby and loves the TJ. In addition to that, she loves wrenching under the car. Win.

My eldest daughter learn to drive stick and do basic maintenance on my TJ too....my youngest daughter is now lining herself up to do the same thing haha...life is great !!

 

[AussieNick]

No surprise, Jeep owners make great Dads.

 

[AussieNick]

Next thing we addressed was the front drivers seat and seat belts. Replacing seat belts was a no brainer. After looking at many different options for seats I decided I would do the whole repair myself and save a lot of money. Only criteria being that the front seats match and look great.

I bought a block of foam, an electric knife, some grey vinyl, and a can of spray on glue, for about $60.

This was a super easy job , I recommend trying this to anybody regardless of experience. Here are my before and after photos with about 2 hours of labor.

Then I ordered the Bartract front seat covers , I think $279 for the pair which I really like the look of. Water proof. Tough. Look great. I also pressure washed my carpets so everything is clean and reinstalled for this photo.

 

[AussieNick]

Brake lights and turn signals were just bulbs.

At this point we are making good progress on this list.

• Rebuild steering
• Rebuild suspension
• Rebuild brakes
• 2.5” suspension lift
• 1.25” body lift
• 33” tires
• Investigate and fix engine noise
• Investigate and fix poor shifting
• Investigate and fix inoperable transfer case
• Investigate and fix inoperable e-brake
• Fix broken brake lights and turn signals
• Repair front seats - foam and vinyl
• Replace seat belts
• Re-key all lock boxes.