Novak Conversions Jeep Wrangler TJ engine mounts

What did you do to your TJ today?

Unique Username said:
This is gonna push me over the edge on ordering one. Been holding off.
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It honestly feels amazing. For reference, I've drove TJ's with no sway bars at all front or rear on interstate and the trail. I'm able to take corners pretty fast now without the body even feeling like it's rolling. I know on the trail it's going to feel amazing and evenly load my tires instead of flopping the body with the rear end.

I ordered from Poly Performance and it got to my house in like a week and a half or so. When you go to install one, Mr. Blaine has a good tip- don't be a sissy with a hammer and block of wood.

Also, the packaging foam makes great knee pads.
 
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Figured out why half my running lights weren’t working, corrosion and trash quality connectors. Used some solder sticks and heat shrink to seal everything. Also took the side marker pigtails off the parts Jeep I have, the replacements I got last year let water in, straight junk.

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Duner said:
Figured out why half my running lights weren’t working, corrosion and trash quality connectors. Used some solder sticks and heat shrink to seal everything. Also took the side marker pigtails off the parts Jeep I have, the replacements I got last year let water in, straight junk.

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Great project, I love these connectors for exactly this type of repair.
I used them when repairing the engine harness on our JKUR recently, but from what I see, your project may not last as long as you expect.

Not a criticism, just an observation based on what I see above and comparing it to how these connectors worked for my project, it appears that your solder ball has not been fully melted yet.
If properly heated, it will melt and flow INTO the strands of the wires and create a much better connection than what I see in your posted photo.

Another trick taught to me by Uncle Sam, is to twist the exposed wires together before making a solder-splice connection so the repair point is not a physical weakness compared to the rated pull strength of the wire/harness.

In short (pun intended), you want to 100% ENSURE that your splice is better than the rest of the wiring, and you don't want it to ever become the failure point.
 
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sab said:
I second red02tj's recommendation of adding a safety thimble. It doesn't look like you have one - can't tell from your profile pic (too small), but I found a full frontal shot in your image history. The safety thimble will help you keep both your hands (assuming you like them 🤷‍♂️), as well as protect your fairlead from damage.

One other recommendation - make sure your Superwinch fairlead has a back-side radius, and that the corresponding opening on your winch mounting plate is large enough. They usually are not, and that can lead to your rope getting damaged as it rubs across the sharp edge during an angular pull. One brilliant feature of @mrblaine's fairlead design is an outline on the back of the fairlead that should be visible upon mounting to the winch mounting plate. I recently put a Warn 9.5XP on my Expedition using a Warn mount and Mr. Blaine's fairlead, and I had a fair bit of cutting to do on the Warn mount to keep my rope protected.
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Just got around to checking. The winch mounting plate is big enough and the fairlead has a backside radius. I'm good to go on the fairlead.
 
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Designed and 3D printed a new blade for my vent. Have you seen what people want for used vents online? Crazy.

Printed in Black ASA so it should be plenty strong and heat resistant for Oregon weather.
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Can hardly tell the difference from the front.
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Now I am working on the other vent that has a missing direction nubbin.
This will probably end up being made out of something like TPU, but have not made up my mind yet.


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WestCoastDan said:
Great project, I love these connectors for exactly this type of repair.
I used them when repairing the engine harness on our JKUR recently, but from what I see, your project may not last as long as you expect.

Not a criticism, just an observation based on what I see above and comparing it to how these connectors worked for my project, it appears that your solder ball has not been fully melted yet.
If properly heated, it will melt and flow INTO the strands of the wires and create a much better connection than what I see in your posted photo.

Another trick taught to me by Uncle Sam, is to twist the exposed wires together before making a solder-splice connection so the repair point is not a physical weakness compared to the rated pull strength of the wire/harness.

In short (pun intended), you want to 100% ENSURE that your splice is better than the rest of the wiring, and you don't want it to ever become the failure point.
Click to expand...

I did get a small container of the solder stick brand originally, it is not worth the price. The other brand ones work just as well it seems.

See I noticed that too, is hard to see but the solder did spread in that pic, but the center band tends to stay from what I’ve seen no matter what I do. This might be the quality issues people mention.

Twisting the wires together is definitely the way to go!
 
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WestCoastDan said:
Another trick taught to me by Uncle Sam, is to twist the exposed wires together before making a solder-splice connection so the repair point is not a physical weakness compared to the rated pull strength of the wire/harness.
Click to expand...

Good point. MIL-SPEC soldering essentially says to make a physically strong connection with the wires, then an electrically strong connection with the solder.
 
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JohnF500 said:
Well didn’t do it as working too much but paid for Scorpion Off Road in Cleveland Tn to find and fix a vibration and the front differential bearings were shot so since that had to be opened might as well start somewhere and put in a elocker, new driveshaft and a real Sye- had a worn out hack and tap, new rear axle, and had bent a wheel and the spare was not the same set back. 2 new wheels mounted. No vibrations and found out we have 4.56 gears (build sheet 3.73 and most recent owner didn’t know much). Can’t wait to head out to the Cherokee national forest tomorrow. With the 4 inches of rain yesterday there should be a few opportunities to use the locker 😀😃😁
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I have read all the debates about front or rear locker, I got a front as Scorpion Off-road said ‘you have to start somewhere’ and the front differential needed work so no extra labor cost throwing in the locker. So much better in the mud and no issue crawling over areas ATVs usually go… it was an awesome day in the mountains.
 
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Finally did it. Changed all the hoses, water pump, fan clutch, T-stat, and the belt while I was at it. That was a job. The PO installed a York compressor for on board air which is great. Moves stuff around and eliminated the belt tensioner. Had to remove the air intake to undo the alternator to get it off. Can’t find a way to adjust the belt tension, it’s like they found the exact size of belt needed. Working on the Smart car had an advantage, I had the 8 mm tool to remove the drain plug on the side of the engine block 😂. Lots of coolant left in that area. Made one mistake, put the belt back on and the rest of the stuff, now I don’t know if o can get the hose clamp onto the water pump with everything in the way. Those clamps may work but a pain to use. The plan is to wrap everything up Monday.

Hopefully got the fan clutch nut tight enough.
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Novak Conversions Jeep Wrangler TJ engine mounts
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