'Da Chief . . . So it Begins again

[cu4whln]

In Today's News . . .


Seats tracks are now painted.

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Seats belt install ...

These are aftermarket units from ZM Jeep.
They are a bit different than the stock units, but safe.

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Ready for the seats ...

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Seats now installed with longer grade 8 hardware.

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Hmm, what to do now ??

[cu4whln]

Next Up . . .

Well, have a lot of dash clean up to do yet.

Wiring, routing cleanup, glove box install, dash vent cables, cluster.

Plenty to do yet ...

BUT - Who needs a cluster to take a test drive??

NOT ME !

So, grab the wife for our maiden voyage.
After all, she has been very understanding while I have been working on this thing.

So off we go!



8 miles later, loop back to the house to pick up the registration and insurance papers... Ooops.

Wife stays at the house now just in case...

More miles, no major issues.

Basic report - All seems well.

Jeep drives well now.

The biggest observations:

The Jeep is 90% quieter now.
I attribute that to the sound deadener and AT tires vs MT tires. HUGE difference. Wow, we can actually talk while driving now.

Wind noise... Nope.
Well, driver window fell off the track or something.
Will have to pull the door back apart.
So I had the driver window was open the whole drive.
Thats OK, as it strangely warm here in Michigan right now.

Rattles seem better now - Maybe I can't hear them ?

Engine power is great as expected from last years drives.

Engine is very quiet, even with a straight through Borla muffler.
However, it has a nice deep, throaty sound with power.

It was a nice break to actually take it for a spin.

Pulled up in front of the house for a couple of pics before putting it back in the garage.

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Now I have to resist the urge to go drive it and get back to the grind.

Finish up the open items - Details always take longer than expected.

[SJTD]

Wow. Looks so good.

Do those seat belt rollers or whatever they're called need to be enclosed? Are there any exposed moving parts? They look way better than the huge stock boxes.

[cu4whln]

Wow. Looks so good.

Do those seat belt rollers or whatever they're called need to be enclosed? Are there any exposed moving parts? They look way better than the huge stock boxes.

Thx!

Seat Belts:

They have covers on there, just not real pretty.
I agree they are less intrusive size wise.

So, they do have a protective cover.
These belts are not "position sensitive" like a "normal" seat belt.

They work based on how fast the belt reels out.
So, you have to pull the belt out slowly or it locks on you.
Not a problem once you figure it out.

Note: I attached the inboard belt to the seat like modern set ups.
Thus, not large/long belt reaching behind the seats on the tunnel.

I am OK with them.

I have no plans for a back seat as we plan to road trip with a cooler, camping stuff, and luggage.

[cu4whln]

In Today's News . . .

Todays "Fun"

Keep plugging away at it.

Well, found out why my window wasn't working. Ooops.

The track guide broke off with a piece of the rusted channel.



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Guess it's time to find another window or try the repair parts.

Next up: Center caps and lug nuts.

I picked up some stainless hardware to attach the center caps.
There were a variety of fasteners before. I wanted them all the same.

So, bolts and star lock washers it is.

Do NOT forget to use locktight. You do not want these to come loose.

Installed a new set of lug nuts from BJs Off Road.

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Now for the red neck locktight...

I have learned this from aircraft and race cars.... "Goop" holds up very well to vibration.
If the bolts try to come loose, they will not turn.
I dabbed some on after installing the bolts the right way.
Maybe overkill, but center caps are hard to come by.

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So, removed all the wheels and got it done.

Then? Another 20 mile drive... with the driver window wedged in the up position.

74 outside and got caught in a traffic jam... no problem ! Temp at 200 F

Man, the vent window whistles like crazy!

Engine is very happy ...

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That is all for today . . .

[rang-a-stang]

BURNOUT VIDEO!!!!!! (or doughnuts )

I'm just kidding of course. After all the time and effort (and money in tire) Burn out videos can be expensive.

When you first started down the seat path, I thought they were going to look bulky and out of place. Seeing them in there now, against your dash and new carpet they look really natural there.

The color looks stunning every time I see it. It Doesn't get old at all... Amazing.

[cu4whln]

BURNOUT VIDEO!!!!!! (or doughnuts )

I'm just kidding of course. After all the time and effort (and money in tire) Burn out videos can be expensive.

When you first started down the seat path, I thought they were going to look bulky and out of place. Seeing them in there now, against your dash and new carpet they look really natural there.

The color looks stunning every time I see it. It Doesn't get old at all... Amazing.

Thanks Rang!

The seats were a lot of work.. but very comfortable.

I also had some concerns on seat size, they are wide !

The biggest issue was the overall height of the seat and how you feel sitting in it.
I lowered the rear of the seat track to right on the carpet to get them as LOW as possible. ( Fronts of seat is higher for comfort angle )

These seats have a lot more foam/structure under and in the seat bottoms than the originals.

Now, back to work on all the dash details . . .

[letank]

very nice seats, and even a better idea about the locktite / thread locker with the goo for the hubs bolts, what do you have on the street side for the hub bolts?

[cu4whln]

very nice seats, and even a better idea about the locktite / thread locker with the goo for the hubs bolts, what do you have on the street side for the hub bolts?

Lug nuts?

I bought a new set from BJs Off Road.

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[cu4whln]

In Today's News . . .

Cleaning up dash stuff so I can install the cluster...

But first, need to hook up the "Squid Launchers"!



The chrome is less than in good shape on these parts. See the black spots ? Missing chrome.

I have looked a bunch of them, none of them seem to have a decent finish any more?

So I got out my chrome plastic pen, and went to work.

Not a great pic, but the part on the left has not been done yet.
The right has, but it doesn't show clearly . . .

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This pic shows the surface a bit better...
You have to put a lot of the material on there, then let it dry for a couple of days. Do NOT touch it if possible...
The finish is in no way perfect, but MUCH improved!

Looking closely, you can actually see my reflection.

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Then I reinstalled the cables into the dash and routed them to the cowl vents.
Do NOT forget to run the cable through the plastic vent cover before attaching ( ask me how I know )
The cables are very stiff and hard to guide into the cowl door ( hard to see )
Hooking up the cable was a total pita btw.
Not sure how they did this at the factory.

Anyway, they are in.

After that, I tackled the parking brake reinstall.

Had to remember what went where since its been a year since taking it apart! Thank god I bagged all the hardware..
This also was not a lot of fun... I hate working under the dash...

Then hooking up the park brake cables was a challenge.
Got that on, then started to adjust the mech to work properly.

Yea, do not tighten the adjusting nut too much!

This led to a couple of short drives to test it.
At least that was fun !

[rang-a-stang]

But first, need to hook up the "Squid Launchers"!

BWAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! That is EXACTLY what the emblem looks like

[cu4whln]

In Today's News . . .

Houston, we have a cluster - ( F*3k )

Today was a bunch of small things that needed to be done before installing the cluster.

First up, route the driver power seat wires and get it operational

So, next time, I might do this before I install the carpet.
Pulled it back as best I could, and fished under the seat until I found the wire.

Next, I soldered a circuit breaker into the hot lead.
Installed this in an inline fuse holder. This way, if the seat jams, it will stop working, but reset in a few seconds.

Then added a ground, which I put on the driver side squid launch cable mount.

Next up: Tried to clean up the rats nest of wiring .. not well I might add!

Dropped the column down, and laid a towel down to protect it.
Grab the cluster...

First up, get the heater cable mounted...
Well, that was not easy.
The engineers didn't leave enough length to work with. Much fidgeting in the tight area and I eventually got it.

Then hooked up the vacuum lines.
Note, I marked these with a paint pen when I took it apart.
I also added extra length to the lines to make this easier.

Next, in the now small available area, I tracked down all the wiring and connections.
Very glad I added labels to all the connections. Was still hard.


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All plugged in and hooked up . . .

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Ease it into position, trying to be careful to not scratch up the Dash as I go.

Mostly successful ... lol


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Screw the cluster in, bolt up the column, then put on the column trim.

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And it's in!

Now for a test, and drive...
All working, except the fuel gauge.
That is grounded out somewhere and not working.
I knew this, just haven't dealt with it yet.

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More to do yet, but that was enough for today.

Fun fact:
The cluster started to rack up miles as this is the first time it was hooked up and driven.
Need to calibrate the speedo as it reads about 10 mph fast right now.
BUT that's for another day.

[78 WIDETRAC]

cu.... Your jeep is coming together nicely. For a one man band you have skills of many.
Your build is like a Jeep book we all wish we had on our shelves for reference and details that are not shown in regular books or manuals.

Thanks for the fine documentation!

[cu4whln]

cu.... Your jeep is coming together nicely. For a one man band you have skills of many.
Your build is like a Jeep book we all wish we had on our shelves for reference and details that are not shown in regular books or manuals.

Thanks for the fine documentation!

Thanks!

It's just Me, Patience, Persistence, and my Wallet !!

[letank]

Lug nuts?

I bought a new set from BJs Off Road.

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thank you for the pict, now I understand, I have different hub covers, that screw from the outside.



As for the gas gauge... even with a new sender -4 years old- I added a wire from the tank sending unit to the dash, going from the left inner quarter panel loom opening that feed to the right side lights, and wiggled the wire around the wheel well and under the carpet... Still poor gas gauge, too much resistance... probably need a new sending unit.