Louie4's YJ by Louie4

11 minute(s) of a 411 minute read

Well I got the winch back on and put the top cover on. Then the gear that the motor shaft goes into fell so I fished it out of the clutch assembly/shifter hole after taking it out and got it. I then pulled the shaft out of the housing and lost the indent ball. I found the spring but now I need a new ball.

I sent Warn an email to see about a replacement. Dang it.

Crisis averted. I thought for a minute and did a google then thought about the local bike shop down the road. The guy that owned it answered the phone and I asked about a small ball bearing. He said he may have some lying around and I could come by. I went to the shop and told him who I was. He picked up a ball bearing and I held out the clutch assembly and it was a perfect fit. I asked how much and he said "Nothing". I asked again and he said he found it on the floor and for me to use it. I've dealt with these guys before when I was doing my hand throttle and I've always received that kind of service. I wish he would have charged me $5 or something because it would have been worth every penny.

Come to find out that shop is the third oldest in the country, operating since 1899. It's Greenlee's Bicycle Shoppe located in Old North Knoxville. If you need bike parts they are top notch. I've gotten a tube from there and some cables.

http://greenleebicycle.com/

4-16-2014

Finally put another hanger on my exhaust and a new band clamp. Way better than I had it.

Thanks and yes it's massive. I really like that remote thus far. It has quite the range. I'm still on the lookout for a hand held controller for a backup. I got the plug for the old M8274 plugs just need a controller. I know Pierce Arrow sells a heavy duty waterproof one for $40.

4-20-2014

I'm in transition now with location so it was the best option.

Since the jeep is in Knoxville for the next couple months and I'm in North Carolina I have just been thinking about what to do. What I really want to do is wheel it to be honest but tinkering is what keeps me sane.

So I went to a CNC4x4 Club meeting yesterday in Raleigh. There were nice folks there and the club was very organized and family oriented. They are part of the United Four Wheel Drive Association and also participate in community events and cleaning up the National Forest (Uwharrie). I need to attend an event and find a sponsor then I can apply to join. So the sooner my jeep gets here the quicker I can join and take part. I believe the membership is 50+ with ages in the mid 20's -50's.

Here is a list of things I want to get for the jeep (and new garage if I can get the house squared away).

1. Aluminum solenoid cover for the M8274 from Crawlorado. The price isn't much different from the plastic.

2. Synthetic rope. After installing the new winch it sunk the front end down maybe up to an inch. It was noticeable at least. I believe it still has the OEM 150' length 5/16" cable on it. I am thinking about doing 5/16" x 125' or maybe 3/8" x 100'. Haven't decided yet but it will reduce weight either way.

3. Hobart welder. Probably just get the standard MIG wire feed from Northern. The one I have gets me by but I know the Hobart is solid. I have been thinking I could upgrade the ground wire on mine and put some fresh .035" flux core wire on it. What I have on it now is old and looks to be a little rusty which is probably not helping the welding.

4. 35" Goodyear MT/R's and new wheels. This is a biggie and will take the most time to save for. My 33" KM2's still have maybe 3/8" tread but I want a bigger tire and I have the room. If I don't have the room I can make it.

5. Improve my shock situation. I'm running Autozone specials all around and the front is still using stock mounts on the frame. I need to change that using Ford shock mounts or hoops and buy better shocks. I want to go SOA one day so changing the front mounts will be a benefit.

Other than that I'm just bumming around the temp. apartment and getting fat. Luckily I start work tomorrow.

4-27-2014

Went back to Knoxville this weekend and found my Brown Dog mounts. I even installed them before I left Knoxville. I wanted to have them installed before I came back to tow my wife's stuff to NC.

5-10-2014

My setup thus far has been fine but with the fan and winch I wasn't sure how it would hold up. I think just the upgraded alternator may be fine for what I do. I just need to upgrade the wiring on it. I'm itching to have my jeep here in Raleigh but I don't want to drive it back and forth on a 5.5 hour one way trip too many times.

I'm also concerned about the engine overheating when I start pulling a trailer around the mountains with the M8274 taking up a lot of space on the front. We'll see.

I actually went to a wrenching day with the local 4x4 club here in Raleigh and had a good time. It was more a meet and greet for me because there were plenty to help out. Great time though.

6-2-2014

Well I came home after volunteering and when I stepped in the kitchen I heard glass crunch. Then I saw a huge rock on the kitchen floor. I was stunned for a moment then saw my MacBook Pro was gone. The low-life's went in through the small window above the sink after trying to kick the back door in. Went through my side drawer next to the bed. Probably looking for a weapon. Didn't take my 14k gold class ring on top of the drawer.

I've been in the house two weeks. An alarm system is top priority now. On a lighter note, I hung out with '92 Vegas YJ (Chris) all day Saturday. We had a great time and he's a solid dude.

7-8-2014

Well I made it with the wife to Raleigh a couple weeks ago. The journey was long (8 hours) and very hot. The jeep was loaded up on the inside except for my driver's seat and the 5x8 u-haul was packed from top to bottom, front to back. On inclines the temp creeped up around 230F and anytime I was over 55 mph. I was able to maintain 50 mph on hills and could usually hit 65 mph on flat ground. The floor boards were cooking my feet and legs so I threw some clothes over the tunnel and dumped (3) 8lb bags of ice in the drivers floor board in Virginia. By the time I got home it was bone dry. I also had to fill up with gas about 3 times and every time I took the gas cap off a rush of fumes came out. It typically doesn't so I'm sure it was just that hot.

But we made it. Now I'm thinking about putting some heat shield matting underneath or something to help block it. I also would like to look into a radiator that can cool better but I may just stick with the Autozone special because it seems to work fine with the Taurus fan and driving/wheeling. But I would like to get the A/C going and having something more substantial may be better.

My next small project will be to lengthen the steering shaft. Mine is stretched to max with the body lift and gear box relocation bracket. Should be simple enough to cut the shaft and sleeve it.

7-12-2014

No real updates on the jeep yet. I've just been driving it most everyday to work and around town with just the top portion of the Softopper on and no doors. It's been nice. I did ratchet strap a piece of plywood to the top to bring it back home from Lowes. Probably looked funny. I may put a tarp in the back and get a load of dirt to fill holes in my front and back yard. The neighbor said there used to be a bunch of trees in the yard and were cut down. Now the roots have rotted away and left holes and sumps.

We finally got our window installed yesterday where the thief got into the house. Finally feels complete. Now to entertain the in-laws for the next several days.

Oh yeah, I plan on getting a stock tranny mount simply because I want to lower the drivetrain and give more clearance when I do get a belly up skid.

7-17-2014

I took the steering shaft out of the jeep to sleeve. It seems to be in good shape. I do wonder if there was a clip where my finger points. I remember one being there. Anyway, I plan on getting a stick of square steel tubing from Lowes. It was stretched fairly far out.

7-20-2014

Here is my monstrosity. 1"x1/8" angle and a piece of 1/4" plate to bridge the gap. Pretty crappy looking but it will do what I need it to. I'm going to get the flap disc and clean it up and slap some paint on it.

7-27-2014

My old Pioneer deck crapped out not long after the new speakers. Got the cheapest deck with a front input.

7-29-2014

Replaced my M8274 solenoid cover with the one off my M8000. Looks better and I have a remote as a backup to the radio remote. Old one is posted to compare.

8-9-2014

I put my new filler and vent hoses on that I got from MTS after some searches on the forum. My old ones were leaking and I need to get a safety inspection for my jeep soon since I moved to North Carolina. Anyway, I crawled under the jeep for a much needed inspection as I usually do. I had some rear driveline vibrations while I was towing the u-haul and I think I found the problem.