The Pickle / Jurassic Pickle, Nostalgia Build With My Kids

16YO is all good, jeep not so much. Don’t have a plan yet but it’s pretty but it’s also a jeep so it drove home fine…

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This might be the most telling picture of how bad it is. This is the driver side fender/firewall connection.

The floor is also buckled at the trans tunnel.

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  • Wow
  • Sad
Reactions: lBasket and Wildman
If the frame is OK a new body isn't that hard to swap on...

Glad your son is OK..

Still trying to sort that out. Steering wheel is pretty crooked, jeep is leaned pretty significantly driver. Might just body tub leaned. There’s no heat in the shop and it’s 7* so we aren’t messing with it yet.
 
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Still trying to sort that out. Steering wheel is pretty crooked, jeep is leaned pretty significantly driver. Might just body tub leaned. There’s no heat in the shop and it’s 7* so we aren’t messing with it yet.

Well it's 29* here so while warmer it's still COLD...
 
We checked diagonals to lower control arm mounts and it’s all with 3/8” of square. That’s probably how it came from the factory. Length front to back LCA mounts are within 1/8”. I actually think the frame is fine. It might get a Frankenstein plasma cut passenger side built and welded in.
 
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My son had been having all the fun since he wrecked it. This is my contribution. Same width as the rear flares. Still a lot of welding to do and he’s going to hate me when I tell he has to pull it all off one more time but that’s ok. It’ll be worth it.

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Next up, the rear main, drain plug or trans input seal is leaking quite a lot while driving. Rounded up a trans jack and everything this week, got the lift cleared and up on the lift. I think the motor mounts are shot too, likely from the wreck and the frame is worse than we originally thought but still drivable. Adjustable track ordered to get the axle back “centered” under the frame. A whole lot of splitting the difference going on to get this back on the road. Hahahahaha

In other news I scored a cool box for my shop. I’m building out a hangout area and this will be the center piece. It also has a 4 door JL rubicon stock suspension in it with 0 miles.

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Jeep was parked for 3 days and it spilled its guts all over the the cardboard we left under it. Looks like the front trans seal or something let go. It’s oil but it’s very clean not like used engine oil.
 
We spent a couple weeks after work pulling and resealing the transmission. It has next to no oil in it, just dark sludgy stuff in the bottom. Cleared it out, refilled and reinstalled everything. Water pump is leaking now so that’s the next thing to tackle.

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Jeeps been solid a couple months now, 16YO has loved it all summer long. AC quit and we haven’t messed with it yet. I blew up the motor in my JKUR, as soon as we get it back together I’ll probably let him drive it so we can get back to things like rebuilding a couple mangled body mounts and things like that.

We did get the back seat, carpet and seat belts all put in. Found a pristine new back seat form a Sahara that’s just been in storage since 1998. Sorry no pics, I’m a bum like that nowadays. I just forget to take them.