The Maynard Restoration ('98 Sport) build thread

Wakeangel

Wakeangel

Member
Joined
Oct 3, 2019
Messages
81
Location
Chandler, AZ
Yes, it's true, I named my Jeep after a musician. Though the male name started with my '91 YJ. The quick back story in case you don't feel like heading over to my profile. Maynard is a '98 Sport i bought in the summer of '99. It had 100 miles on it. It spent most of it's life running forest roads all over Oregon and Washington and getting me through a lot of snow to various ski and snowboard locations. We've relocated to Arizona and now I'm ready to explore the trails and backroads here. It has been my daily driver for 20 years. It started with a new set of tires and has since grown to a restoration and build. The goal is to make it a capable well handling offroad vehicle that can tackle moderate to easy trails in desert and forest back country.
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Maynard, before we got started.
 
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First up, new tires!
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General Grabber X3 31 10.50 r15 load range C.
I went with the Grabbers because I had a set of Grabber AT2's and they were outstanding in snow and gravel. They also did really well on trails around Vegas. I read a lot reviews and watched a lot of videos on the X3s and they seem to handle everything I want to do.
After getting the new tires it occured to me that the stock wheels looked awful. Chipped, peeling paint and starting to get some surface rust. Plus the tires are rubbing the lower CAs. Since I'm likely going to have to get wheels with more backspacing, why not paint what I have just for looks. I think they turned out pretty good.

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Last week I ordered a set of Big Dick's Suspension (BDS lol) springs and Rancho rs5000x shocks. Rs55239 and rs 55241. Along with bump stop extensions and 3/4 inch spacers for the front. I chose BDS based on price and availability. In retrospect, Procomps might have been the better choice. But I've not read any bad reviews about BDS and I'm working with a tight budget. While waiting for the lift parts to arrive I decided it was time to address the faded fender flares and a big rust spores on the cowl. The cowl is the only significant rust spot. It's been steadily growing so I figured I should address the problem before it actually ate through.
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I used Krylon plastic surface prep and did five light coats of Krylon flat black. It turned out really well. It maintained the stock texture and doesn't seem to scratch off.
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The cowl after a little bit of exploratory sanding. I eventually sanded off all rust and serisously roughed up the last of the paint. I used self etching primer and wet sanded it down to smooth.
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I used duplicolor PX8 and clear coat. Note to self, duplicolor sucks. The paint didn't spray well and wet sanding didn't help. Same with the clear. Next time I'll use Mopar paint. It's not awful I guess, and there's no more rust. But that's about all I can say for it.
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the fender flairs turned out way better.
 
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The parts I ordered all arrived within a couple days of each other. On Sunday I'll install the suspension parts I currently have. Right now the plan is to install the shocks, cycle the suspension, add bumpstop extensions, then the springs and see what I'll need next. If I get the driveline vibrations I'll start with the motor mount and body lift. Then the lower the transfer case of necessary. If I don't get the driveline vibrations I'll likely get the Savvy TC shifter cable. In the meantime the stock linkage needs to be adjusted.
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As per recommendation, I sanded and painted the Ranchos. I decided that I liked the red shock boots. But since shock boots are bad I painted the shocks red! Pics to come.
 
Lift install day is going pretty well. Though the front axle isn't dropping as low as I'd hoped. I got the old springs out but suspect getting the new ones in is going to be a challenge. Disconnected the end links, calipers and track bar but it wont go any lower. I read something about loosening the CAs but I haven't done that yet. Hopefully that's not crucial. Looks like I'll need a full two inches of bump stop for the shocks. Was hoping for less but oh well. Anyway back to it.
 
Wakeangel said:
I used duplicolor PX8 and clear coat. Note to self, duplicolor sucks. The paint didn't spray well and wet sanding didn't help. Same with the clear. Next time I'll use Mopar paint. It's not awful I guess, and there's no more rust. But that's about all I can say for it.
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I have the same experience with duplicolor color match paint. Lots of splatter. Have you standing on one side of the axle? Or jacking up the opposite end? Sometimes it just needs a little more push to get things in/out. Good job, the jeep is coming along great!
 
Thank you! Yeah, it took a little more work to get them in than I expected. I wound up getting it by jacking up one side with a couple ratchet straps pulling in 2 different directions. The rear was a lot easier. Not an easy solo driveway job that's for sure!
 
I got the springs and shocks put in yesterday. I'm actually surprised at how much lift I got. Considering how much the old springs had sagged I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. I wound up with 3 inches of lift. With the BDS 2 inch springs and half inch spacers in the front. The ranchos are sitting at 5.5 inches at ride height in the front and 5 inches in the rear. I've got some driveline vibration so it looks like next week will be a MML. I'm wondering if a body lift is necessary or if the fan shroud can be modified. It's weird having to actually have to stretch a bit to get in my jeep now.
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I approve of your jeeps name. He owns a vineyard just down the road from here and I keep thinking one of these days I'm going to run into him at WalMart or the gas station. Will advise if I ever do
 
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I once dated a girl whos nickname was Maynard. Cant remember for the life of me how she got it...
 
kmas0n said:
I approve of your jeeps name. He owns a vineyard just down the road from here and I keep thinking one of these days I'm going to run into him at WalMart or the gas station. Will advise if I ever do
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I've been to the Caduceus tasting room several times. Evidently there's a trail that goes from Phoenix to Jerome. I'm thinking a day of wheeling with Tool blasting and then wine will be delightful! I always wonder how I'd act if I ever saw him around.
 
Went on my first wheeling trip, after the new suspension upgrade, last Sunday. The first thing I noticed with the Rancho shocks is how much more control the jeep has on washboard and rocky gravel roads. Small bumps are felt but more as a muted rumble than before when it felt like I would bounce right off the. It's not exactly floating over the trails but it's so much better. Even good articulation in some steep rocky sections. Controlled with no sliding.
 
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So this happened. I had some driveline vibration after the lift. Not too bad, mostly below 30mph. so the other night I replaced the transmission mount with the Anchor brand. It seems to be exactly like stock. And I figured since I'd have to drop the skid plate, I'd go ahead and fix the transfer case shifter rattle that has been plaguing me for a long time. The kit was cheap but installation took for ever. After I finished that I replaced the motor mounts the Brown Dog 1" lift rubber mounts. I'm now rattle and vibration free! Though I do feel a slight engine vibration at idle. Which likely means I tightened the through bolts a bit too much. But it's so minimal that it doesn't bother me. Next up will be end links. I'm thinking about doing the DIY disconnects while I wait on the Antiroc. The current links are some cheap after market and are toast. But I've gotten used to the sway. On the Great Western Trail.
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A lot of things have been updated since the last post. New stereo, JVC KD-X260BT, 5.25" kicker speakers in the dash, pioneer 6.5" speakers in the soundbar, Rockville RW10CA powered sub. It sounds amazing, I can't believe I've gone this long without a sub.
I did an AC overhaul last summer. Two summers in the desert southwest without AC was too much.
Caltrend seat covers, they're pretty great.
Basic amazon floor mats. They're a little wonky but are decent and look better than the carpet under them.
August '21 cooling system overhaul. Mopar radiator and water pump. Stant 195 thermostat and radiator cap, hayden fan clutch, felpro gaskets. Napa hoses. The only thing I didn't do was replace the heater core. I should have done that when replacing the ac evaporator, but I cheaped out.
Next up, led lighting inside, new TV cable ( the oem cable seems to be stretched and doesn't function properly. transmission leaks in the bell housing, shift shaft, and looks like the output shaft seal has failed again. The sub gets too hot under the back seat so I'm thinking of fabricating something that will allow it to be sit over the transmission hump but also not get stolen.
I'm starting school next month so I'll be a broke student. I'm hoping to squeeze another 100k miles out Maynard without replacing the engine or transmission. 290k on both so we'll see.
I'd like to get full doors because I'll be back in the northwest and watery daily driver isn't ideal. I have a set of the top sliders that have been around since 2002. They were never really leak proof and are even worse now. So I don't have a lot of fath in them. I had a set for my YJ that were amazing.
 
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