TJ's TJ

New fel-pro valve cover gasket, painted valve cover, new cap, rotor, plugs, wires, oil filter:
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We were a bit surprised to see that the timing chain is out of spec at only 84K miles, so a new one from Cloyes is on order:
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I have a question for you, in reference to your post # 16 where you mention relocating skid plate/ trany mount bolts. Does that mean the bolt locations are different on an '06 frame?

I'm doing the same year frame swap on a '98 TJ. I thought the only difference was the steering box mounting holes.

Thanks.
 
I have a question for you, in reference to your post # 16 where you mention relocating skid plate/ trany mount bolts. Does that mean the bolt locations are different on an '06 frame?

I'm doing the same year frame swap on a '98 TJ. I thought the only difference was the steering box mounting holes.

Thanks.
No, the skid plate and how it mounts to the frame are different on the later frames. You can either add new rivnuts to your new frame to mount your old skid plate to it (what I did) or use the newer style skid plate (I think other parts may be required to do this, like maybe the trans mount may be different) or another possibility is to buy a aftermarket skid plate for the later frame (for more ground clearance)
 
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My old plate is a bit rusted, but usable. I've not tried to test fit it yet. I'm putting in a 5.9 magnum and 46re trany from an '03 durango RT and the trany mounts on the RT and TJ plate line up just fine. I did not think about the old plate not working with the newer frame.

Do you think I can redrill the old plate to mount on the new frame? If so, why did you not go this route?

Another question I have is regarding the frame side spring perch relocation. When I took the body off the old frame, I did notice the perches where at odd angles to each other, I'm assuming the relocation resoles this.

Can I reposition the axle side perches to achieve the same result. I'm in the middle of setting up my 8.8 and so now's the time to do this.

Thanks!
 
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Not sure on the skid plate. I had cut my frame rails open anyways for rust clean out, so just put the new rivnuts in the old locations.

EDIT: Not sure that moving the perches on the axle will work as they will be getting into the lower control arm mounts and it seems like a bad idea to rotate them as well for both clearance and geometry issues. Also, have you considered outboarding the rear shocks? If done properly, outboading the shocks can greatly improve the suspension. Suggest that you try and contact Mr. Blaine on this forum and pick his brain a bit to help you decide which way to go for your intended use.
 
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New Timing Chain set from Cloyes:
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Recommended that you line up the timing marks prior to changing so that you have a reference point.
 
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Fel-Pro 1 piece oil pan gasket on. It came with these blue plastic alignment studs to make keeping everything in place easier. Wasn't bad because we were on the stand, but would definitely help if you were doing this in place.

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We got the front driveshaft disassembled to check the splines prior to buying rebuild parts. There is not a lot of information on the web about how to check the slip joints on our drive shafts. So I sent an e-mail to Tom Woods with some questions, I have never dealt with him before, but have heard only good things. Not surprisingly he got right back to me with some advice. To check splines, disassemble the joint, clean it, then reassemble and check for play, more than .008" of play may cause vibrations. Ours is tight with only a few thousandths of play. So maybe a candidate to rebuild.

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I got a free DC rear shaft with the frame, it is about 19.5" long, which according to Tom Woods is about right for a 4" lift with a Super Short SYE. I was hoping that it would be rebuildable.

I cut off the dust seal in order to get the splines apart and make an educated decision on weather or not to rebuild this shaft. I'm glad I did the extra effort because the plastic on the splines was coming off on several.
 
Exhaust manifold only had 1 small cracked weld where the 2 big tubes come together, otherwise it was really clean. Crack was ground and re-welded. I know the new design with the bellows is probably better, but I figure if this one looks this good after 20 years, it is worth a repair.

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Crack repair:
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Also replaced the studs with 3/8" bolts:
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VHT Very High Temp Primer and Header Paint:
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We found a decent set of used JKS J-AXIS control arms locally on craigslist for $400. I like the design, but they are pricey new (at ~$1400 for the set). They need a repaint, but all move nice and free and were still very tight in the internal threads. New England salt is tough on any paint system. The bushing in the lowers showed some cracks so we replaced (they take standard lower arm bushings).
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Ready for POR-15:
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Came across a craigslist part out and caught a glimpse of a Currie AntiRock in one of the pics. Picked it up used with a rear sway bar with extended links, a set of rear bump stops and isolators with 3" extensions, and a set of perfect Sahara flares, all for $300.

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