Novak Conversions Jeep Wrangler TJ engine mounts

What did you do to your TJ today?

Continuing the "resurrection" of Liz's '99 TJ, this weekend, I was able to pay attention to some much-needed detailing... :cool:

After successfully testing the Sonax wheel cleaner (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003UT3S6Q?tag=wranglerorg-20) on one of the stock “Canyon” wheels, I continued with the other three. They turned out pretty darned good, or at least I think so! Hopefully, a good coat of wax (or three) will help keep them looking good...

BEFORE:
View attachment 608861

View attachment 608862

AFTER (...before I waxed them):
View attachment 608863

View attachment 608864

I also did a deep clean under the hood with some foaming WD-40 Specialist Machine & Engine degreaser (https://a.co/d/isMsYS), and it looks much better! It needs more work, but you gotta start somewhere, right?!? The underside of the hood is really being stubborn...

BEFORE:
View attachment 608857

View attachment 608858

AFTER:
View attachment 608859

View attachment 608860

Then, it was time to attack the paint. 😣 Man, this thing needed some TLC, despite being garage-kept for most of its life. A thorough wash, heavy scrub, clay bar decontamination, a once-over with Lukat Fix It Color and Gloss Restorer (https://bit.ly/44oy4O0), and finally, a smooth coat of Liquid Glass Ultimate Auto Polish (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B099GGRR47?tag=wranglerorg-20) gave it a clear, hard, mirror-like finish (almost!). It's not perfect, and she has some battle scars, but it's 110% better than it was.

BEFORE:
View attachment 608865

View attachment 608866

View attachment 608867

AFTER:
View attachment 608868

View attachment 608869

View attachment 608871

View attachment 608872

And, I thought I was gonna have time to wash the Merc, too! We all know THAT didn't happen... 🤪 There's always next weekend!

Shocked Oh No GIF by GIPHY IRL


That's like an old-school Oprah show review.... "Here's a before of your wife who rolled right out of bed" — "and now we've put the pros to work on her!" :love:
 
My ole Jeep started experiencing extended/slow cranks and intermittent no power at key on this week. Ended up being the shoddy battery terminals the PO had installed. The positive side clamp started backing off the wiring, after repairing it everything started working perfectly. Now to wait for the JeepCables Big 7 package to arrive so I can just replace all the wiring in one go. Seems easy enough, not like the battery cables I used to replace as a recall on the GMT10XX trucks.

For those wondering, this is what kind of terminals the PO installed..... the stupid plate is bent to all hell and making a poor connection, ended up slapping an ring terminal on it and connecting it to one of the screws so I could get to work and back while my package is lost in the land of Oregon.

View attachment 608008

Well, here's the post install. Not as clean as I'd like but it's what I had on hand. Still planning out a whole box to live near the battery to house fuses and relays for future upgrades... but life gets in the way (im actually.just too lazy to model it all)
20250412_150733_1182764727822222813_20250415122213.jpg


I have to say, it was super easy to do with basic sockets. My jeep now starts up first try and don't have to fart with the cables... I should have taken a photo of the poor thing.
 
View attachment 608921

That's like an old-school Oprah show review.... "Here's a before of your wife who rolled right out of bed" — "and now we've put the pros to work on her!" :love:

Have you seen Oprah without makeup? No wonder Stedman stays so far away from her. Her money is "attractive" to him though. Compromise. 🤫
 
That narrator's voice in your video is too southern and deep. It doesn't match the nails or skirt ;)
p.s. I use my wife's hair dryer to remove all of my decals.
p.p.s. Why didn't you spray the gas tank skid while you had the paint out? It looks like it has some serious rock rash.
View attachment 609023

Its on the to-do list - drop the tank, replace the bolts, clean everything up, and repaint the skid. Oh, and do the splashback fix, although it stopped doing that shortly after I bought it, I guess because of the gas I put into it. *shrug*
 
  • Like
Reactions: John Cooper
@AirborneTexasRanger any critiques? 😂 I’m all ears, always looking to learn. I read through your entire welding thread 😂 I’m more or less self taught.
You might want to grind out your tack & reweld this corner. It's a stress riser so you want to make sure you have good fusion with no sharp edges.

Screenshot_20250416-045053.png
 
Novak Conversions Jeep Wrangler TJ engine mounts