Charlie Foxtrot
03-28-2017, 09:27 PM
(why "peeling the onion"? Cause this project has many layers & they all make you cry!)
Started to work on my latest jeep acquisition - 89 2wd MJ. I bought it last year after the snow began and haven't really started on it till now. The MJ was listed cheap on a CL with a bunch of parts thrown in. On a goof, I took my grand daughter & her pal on a road trip to look at it. I bought it w/o examining it, or even a test drive. I thought I needed the extra front axle, trans & TC that were thrown in the deal, the truck was an after thought. It needed a jump to get it on the trailer, so I put a junk battery in it when I got home. She sat in the snow all winter, just moving it around a few times. Darn thing started every time no matter how cold. Maybe it's a keeper. Bought some gauges for it a while back, so I pulled it in the shop tonight to get started. Steering felt like a frozen BJ. Got it up in the air, pulled the wheels, and started to look for problems. BJs are not frozen, & the uppers have been replaced. The TRE's are fairly new & snug. The gearbox seems to be the culprit. Some one tried adjusting it, and it now binds. Got an extra used one on the shelf (needs a seal). R&R soon. Looked at the track bar and was unpleasantly surprised. The TRE end is as bad as any I've ever seen that's still attached. The socket is just hanging on the ball stud. I've got a serviceable used track bar on the shelf off of a 4wd axle. The other laugh of the night is a 'cherry bomb' muffler used as a replacement for the cat converter. I wonder how that was received at the IL EPA smog test station.
Started to work on my latest jeep acquisition - 89 2wd MJ. I bought it last year after the snow began and haven't really started on it till now. The MJ was listed cheap on a CL with a bunch of parts thrown in. On a goof, I took my grand daughter & her pal on a road trip to look at it. I bought it w/o examining it, or even a test drive. I thought I needed the extra front axle, trans & TC that were thrown in the deal, the truck was an after thought. It needed a jump to get it on the trailer, so I put a junk battery in it when I got home. She sat in the snow all winter, just moving it around a few times. Darn thing started every time no matter how cold. Maybe it's a keeper. Bought some gauges for it a while back, so I pulled it in the shop tonight to get started. Steering felt like a frozen BJ. Got it up in the air, pulled the wheels, and started to look for problems. BJs are not frozen, & the uppers have been replaced. The TRE's are fairly new & snug. The gearbox seems to be the culprit. Some one tried adjusting it, and it now binds. Got an extra used one on the shelf (needs a seal). R&R soon. Looked at the track bar and was unpleasantly surprised. The TRE end is as bad as any I've ever seen that's still attached. The socket is just hanging on the ball stud. I've got a serviceable used track bar on the shelf off of a 4wd axle. The other laugh of the night is a 'cherry bomb' muffler used as a replacement for the cat converter. I wonder how that was received at the IL EPA smog test station.