Got the winter car!

thrown_hammer · 08-12-2007, 03:57 PM

And the car is a Jeep! I grenaded the trans in the Baja a couple weeks ago. I bowed to peer pressure and found this built rock crawler TJ about 4 hours away in Ohio. Here's some specs and pics:

Specs: 1997 Jeep Wrangler 4 popper five speed. Five 15X10 M/T aluminum wheels. Five 36X12.5 TSL radials, Dana 30 front end with cromoly axles, 4:88 gears, and a lock rite locker. Ford 9” rear with 35 spline axles, 4:88 gears, a Detroit locker, and disc brakes. Rubicon Express 4-1/2” superflex lift kit, 1.25” body lift, Poison Spider rocker knockers, and probably some things I am forgetting.

Pics:

And what thrown_hammer post would be complete without a little mechanical failure and some drama...

Yesterday a friend and I drove 4-1/2 hours to look at a 1997 Wrangler. My friend has a nice XJ and knows his stuff. I am new at this whole “Jeep thing” so I wanted him there to kind of guide me along and check the Jeep out. We get there a little early and have a chance to crawl around under the Jeep before the guy gets home. This thing is built right with no shortcuts. Looks really good.
When the owner gets home we get the keys and go out for a drive stopping in a gravel parking lot to check the lockers. Everything works as it should. Next we head down the highway and get it up to speed and up to temp. Handles nicely enough. (for a jacked up big tire TJ.) A/C works great, and the heat too. Holds good oil pressure going down the road and at idle. Then we go out on some country roads and find a nice ditch to check out the four wheel drive. We put it in four high and drove down the ditch meandering back and forth listening for any weird noises. No problems. Same with four low. So we head back to the house.
I am very bad at haggling so I let my friend do the talking. He offered $1,500 below asking price. After a lot of deep thought the guy took the offer! We pack everything up and get ready to hit the road. About an hour into the drive I start losing power MAJOR! We pull into a gas station and the front wheel wells are SMOKING. I pull over to a hose and my friend hoses the wheels down. Instant steam. He informs me the brake pads were glowing orange. Not good…
We head for Advanced Auto. We run in and buy the whole front end, and a jack big enough to lift this thing up. We change the rotors, calipers, pads, bleed the brakes and have the Jeep on the ground within an hour. Just in time to get the core for the calipers!
Back on the road in the dark it’s about 9:30 PM and we still have a long way to go. Awhile later I get in front of my friend on the interstate and he informs me that the rear axle is covered in fluid. So we pull off at some highway garage in the middle of nowhere. Grab a flashlight and crawl under. The rear seal on the transfer case is leaking. Out of all the tools we brought we didn’t have a 10MM allen to check the fluid level. So we stop at Wal-Mart and get a set. It’s only about an 1/8” low so we keep driving. We stop to check it about once and hour and even though it is definetly leaking fluid it never got down scary low.
We rolled into my driveway at approx. 3AM. I still feel pretty good about my purchase even with the issues on the drive home. This is a trail rig not a freeway flyer so I suppose the drive home was a good shakedown cruise. I am just glad we came prepared to have problems.

lm6y · 08-12-2007, 05:12 PM

Welcome to the Jeep world.

Jeep stands for Just Empty Every Pocket.

Call Tom Woods to get the seal for the T-Case. If it has 4.5 inches of lift, it has a slip yoke eliminator kit on it. You'll probably never find that seal other than from Tom Woods. Once you get the seal, you'll have the number, and then any auto store can special order it.

Ummm yeah, the calipers do seize on these things, and quite often too.

You'll likely NEVER hurt the rear end, but watch the D30 up front. They are quite possibly the weakest differential ever made.

thrown_hammer · 08-12-2007, 05:19 PM

The SYE is made by Advanced adapters and I have a seal on the way. He put cromoly axle shafts in the D30 so I should be good. When it breaks we just buy a D44.

deanp · 08-12-2007, 06:14 PM

I've also had my share of Jeeps, including a '91 YJ that required a tranny rebuild at 91K and a spun bearing in the 'bullet-proof 4.0 at 118K.

My favorite saying was:
Junk,
Each and
Every
Part

But yet the temptation is there to build another......

thrown_hammer · 08-13-2007, 02:52 AM

I read this on one of the Jeep forums. "It used to be a Jeep thing, but all that stuff broke!"

Jim Richards · 08-13-2007, 06:43 AM

Nice drama to start out with, Shawn. I kept hoping to read something about nuns and crosswalks. Oh well.

thrown_hammer · 08-13-2007, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Richards

Nice drama to start out with, Shawn. I kept hoping to read something about nuns and crosswalks. Oh well.

Even waddling nuns are faster than The Tick!

deanp · 08-13-2007, 04:16 PM

How is it for drivability wth the 4cy l, 4.88's and 36's. Still seems like it would be geared to high in 2wd to get out of it's own way...

thrown_hammer · 08-13-2007, 04:50 PM

Gearing is pretty good. Around town it goes right along, and cruises at 65MPH in fifth at 2,800RPM.

deanp · 08-13-2007, 05:05 PM

Hope you have fun with it. Will be looking forward to seeing some shots of it in action.

thrown_hammer · 08-14-2007, 03:11 AM

I have already noticed when I am at a stop light and turn left if I get excited at all the left front tire will lift. Kinda spooky. I think it is because of the super kooshy suspension and the Detroit locker. This ain't no sports car!

Jim Richards · 08-14-2007, 04:07 AM

What happens if you get real excited, Shawn?

thrown_hammer · 08-14-2007, 07:43 AM

Too much skinny pedal and The Tick rears up like a wild horse!

Jim Richards · 08-14-2007, 07:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thrown_hammer

Too much skinny pedal and The Tick rears up like a wild horse!

Four cylinders of fury!

thrown_hammer · 09-07-2007, 04:34 AM

I think my sway bar is broken...

onewhippedpuppy · 09-07-2007, 04:38 AM

Booooo, bring back the baja!

thrown_hammer · 09-07-2007, 04:43 AM

The Baja is tucked away in the barn. Lately I have had crazy thoughts like making it into a turbo charged auto cross car, or even doing the IRS swap and making it a full blown track car. Just for fun. Who knows…

onewhippedpuppy · 09-07-2007, 04:46 AM

Now you're talking. It's too damn original to toss out, I loved the pics of you taking it off-road in the midst of all those 4x4s.