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1991 YJ "Sherman" build

27K views 93 replies 32 participants last post by  ZeroGravity 
#1 ·
I bought my 1991 YJ the spring of 2008, my senior year of High School. This was the first vehicle I had bought. This was the first Jeep I had looked at and had no idea what I should look for and more importantly, what to avoid. It had 111K on the clock, recent clutch and some other work. It appeared to be in good condition, ran well with relatively low miles. I never thought to pull up the carpet or crawl underneath. Prior to purchasing the YJ, the oil change I did at my tech school was the extent of my automotive abilities.

When I bought it, the Jeep had: 33x12.5 R15 all terrains, 1" shackle lift, trail master shocks, 4.o liter, 6 cylinder HO, 5 speed AX-15 with 111K on the clock. I paid $2000 for the Jeep, a pair of vice grips used for a window crank and a box of random little Jeep parts.

I bought it in Rhode Island, near where my brother goes to college. My buddy came and helped by driving the two of us back home in the newly acquired Jeep. As soon as we got into town I had him show me how to drive a stick. I picked it up like it was nothing and drove to school the next day (out of town, about 17 miles).

The day I bought it:


I was very exited.

I quickly realized how awesome it is not having a top on the Jeep. This was probably 3-4 days after buying the Jeep, driving it to school for the first time:


I drove my Brother's Taurus most of my senior year because it was his freshman year in college and couldn't bring it down with him. I had no problems whatsoever, switching to a Jeep.


Over that summer I didn't do a whole lot to the jeep. Mostly things like getting the radio working properly. I ripped the carpet out in the summer because I was sick of how it got inside the Jeep. It helped a little but I then realized how bad shape the body was in.

I bought a soft top August of 2008. Better late than never. These are pics of the install.


This is my idea of heaven:


After taking the carpet out it was obvious to me that it had some serious body rot issues. The body mount bushings were also very decrepit. The body was rusted in the typical spots. The "Jeep" logo had been tacked over and the Jeep had aluminum rockers self tapped to cover up the rust. The driver's side floorpan had been "replaced" with a hastily bent, thin piece of sheet steel and secured with self tappers. The pass floor pan was solid but rusty. I now know that it's too thin (bends) and will need replacement this spring. The rear corners of the cab, where the roll bar mounts, is also very rusted out.

Here's a good example of one of the bad body mounts:


For some reason the previous owner had cut away (with a grinder) at the inside of the tub to gain access to the body mounts, but hadn't replaced the mounts. The rear two mounts had no bolt securing them. They were simple placed between the frame and body.

Although he hacked up the tub pretty poorly, it made the future body lift easier.

Passenger rear corner prior to fiberglassing, but shows the extent of the rust:


This is the driver's side, from the inside:

This is also more recent but is a clear picture of the damage.
 
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#3 ·
December of 2008 there was a huge snow storm, probably 13" or so at my girlfriends house. I was blocking someone in and had to temporarily move so they could get out. I pulled out of the drive and pulled off to the side of the road with half my Jeep in the snow. As I was pulling out of that small patch of snow something went BANG and I lost power. Jumped out of the Jeep and my rear Drive Shaft (DS) was sitting in the snow. The ears on my rear output Yoke had snapped. The U-joint needed to be replaced as well.

So I threw it in 4WD and pulled it back up the driveway. The only problem was that my front axle kept slipping out when the RPMs would go over 1500. In retrospect It probably saved my transfercase, because I would have driven home (20 miles) and could have damaged it. With the slip yoke removed the NP231 will just leak Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF) until it's replaced.

I had an out of town shop replace the yoke, u-joint, and added a couple pints of ATF to the transfer case for around $350. I would have preferred to do it myself but I was away from home and still didn't know a lot about how my drive line works.

When you shift the transfer case into 4WD two things happen (or should); the transfer case provides power to the front axle, and a vacuum actuated shift fork locks a two piece axle shaft (on the passenger side) together, providing "traction" and tells your open differential that both wheels need power. I don't know the engineer's intent, but the two piece axle system is apparently there so when you're not in 4WD, your front drive shaft won't spin, causing unnecessary movement in the transfer case. However, it's obvious that it's not a problem to have that happen because the TJ model wrangler uses a solid front axle. The housing on the passenger side of the front D30 axle tube is called the Central Axle Disconnect (CAD).

A lot of guys use the posi-lock system because they don't trust the vacuum system anymore. However, the vacuum system worked really well for the first 17 years of my Jeep's life, and she's had a rough life. I've been told my by Canadian redneck buddies that the automatic locking system Jeeps has is reliable. Also, thinking back to the late 80's, most trucks still had the locking hubs we're all familiar with. The CAD on the YJs must have been a pretty cool advance in technology; a reliable, automatic 4WD system.

Slipping out of 4WD bothered me as I liked 4WD and it was winter in New Englad. I decided to make my own manual locking system known as the "posi-lock". I used a socket set, crescent wrenches for the compression union, Vice Grip for the tap, drill, heat gun, drill and Dremel to drill the hole through the shift fork.

I bought some blue RTV, heat shrink tubing, manual locking choke cable, drill bit bit and appropriate tape size, a compression union, two springs of different strength (but same size), and some wire stops. I bought the heat shrink at autozone but you can find longer lengths (and different colors) online if you like. The choke cable I used is approximately 1/4" Outer Diameter (OD) and used 1/4" heat shrink. It was OK the first 3-4 feet but got real difficult after that. No real trick just keep working it on until it's done. The manual choke cable isn't waterproof alone, so the heat shrink acts as a barrier against water and other junk front entering the tube and rotting out the cable.




Tapping the hole for the compression union:



Here is the CAD with the spring and compression union installed:



The union I used was 1/8 NPT (really half inch) threaded on one side, and the other side was a 1/4" compression union. I would have uses a standard union with compression on both sides but couldn't find the right tap. I suggest using a tap handle for tapping threads, but if all you have is a vice grip they certainly work.

The compression union holds the choke cable tight to the housing, and some RTV over the union sealed everything up. I drilled a small hole through the fork and used a cable stop to prevent the cable from pulling through. It pulled out on my first try, so I drilled another hole and fed it back through, and secured with a wire stop.

I ended up mounting the handle right under the dash, and feeding the cable through the firewall, tied to the hood supports and down to the front axle. When it gets nicer out I'm planning on re-routing it to underneath the Jeep so there's more slack to the cable and a more direct route to the axle. It was really tough to pull the cable all the way so it engages 4WD but has gotten easier over the past year.

However I can tell you that it does work reliably. If I had to do it again, I would simply get TJ shafts and installed a new axle seal. I spent probably $130 total on this project, which could have been used to buy some junk yard shafts and an oil seal. It was a fun and easy project to do with satisfying results.
 
#4 ·
I found a really nice 1993 YJ in the junk yard with seemingly no problems, with the exception of rear corner damage. Besides that, a super clean tub. I extracted the dash and the windshield from the brave soul. A little rust under the glass but nothing bad:



How often do you not see rust under the hinge mounts in New England?

Unfortunately, I wasn't the first Jeeper to get to her; the doors and seats were missing as well as some interior stuff and probably the KC lights indicated by the sticker. There was damage to the rear corner, but didn't look like it affected anything which tells me some poor kid was probably rear ended and the jeep was totaled by the insurance company. Or maybe the guy's wife was just pissed.

I had it sandblasted for $150 at a commercial shop a couple towns over. I got super ripped off, for sure, but whatever. They did a good job. Primed and read for paint:



I had some paint mixed up for my at a local shop. Challenger red I think it's called. Believe it or not, most body supply shops will custom mix you spray cans of touch up paint for about $20. I also bought a couple cans of 2K clear gloss I found on the internet. The cans were a two part system; you pierced the bottom contained with the cap which activated the clear coat. Cool idea, but another silly thing I wouldn't bother with now. Here is the primer, paint, and two cans of clear:



I get the primer from a body shop in town. It costs $10-$15/can but the owner of the shop insists I use it over something like Rustoleum products because it's sandable and of better quality. I trust him because my Mum knows him and he's only selling a couple cans of paint.

After paint, shortly after clear coat. Don't use your basement as a paint shop. It was the winter and I was desperate, but unless you're the only one living at home be more considerate:


New glass installed:



Broke the seized windshield hinges, so painted a pair to swap along with windshield. These ones were polished Stainless Steel (SS) that I sanded really well and painted with Rustoleum satin black. I began using Rusteolum satin for most of the parts on the body. It's much cheaper than $20 cans of touch up paint, and it always turns out much better looking. The sating hides imperfections in the metal as well as tiger stripe (to some degree), and just looks good.

The hinges are made by Omix, bought from Quadratec for $110, if I remember correctly. Because they were only $15 more than regular steel hinges, and since my old hinges broke because of rust, there was no question in purchasing the stainless ones.
 
#6 ·
I realized the intense vibrations I was experiencing on the highway was actually caused by my front tire:



I can't say why I didn't notice it before, but I'm glad it didn't burst and cause damage or some kind of accident. It's hard to say what caused the belt to warp, but my mechanic explained that some tires are just junk.

Because of the tire wear, I would have to purchase two new front tires. I was learning more and more about my Jeep and off roading and realized that my 33x12.5 left me with little to no flex room. They also rubbed going around corners which sucked. I decided to cut my losses and get all new tires.

I bought 4, 31"x10.5"x15R BF Goodrich Mud Terrain T/A from Costco for just over $700. It was explained to me by the Costco people that they could only mount stock tire sizes due to insurance reasons. I've talked to some guys on Jeepforum and was not the case at other stores. Whatever. I could only fit 3 tires/wheels in my mums pathfinder at once which explains the lack of wheel in the picture. I had it mounted in town $20. I just wasn't trying hard enough.



These are my dream tires. Costco also has a great on-road warranty that comes with no extra charge and covers most on road damage.

Looks pretty good with the 31's:



Now I really can drive 55 :rofl:

Some of our chickens playing king of the Jeep:

 
#29 ·
I realized the intense vibrations I was experiencing on the highway was actually caused by my front tire:

holy hell! thats crazy! anyway, great job so far, especially fixing all that rust. it looks great :thumbsup:
 
#7 ·
I had duct tape patching the hole all winter. I knew I needed to do something about it. With no money or means to do much else, I fiberglassed the hole. I'm aware that I need to address the rest of the issues, such as the rotten roll bar, but not everything is practical all at once.



I used the 4 1/2" grinder to remove the rotten pieces of metal and clean up the surface rust forming on the surrounding metal the best I could. I painted POR-15 on the metal that wasn't going to be directly glassed to. I didn't use very much POR-15 on this part.



I used fiberglass mat and Bondo epoxy marine resin. I taped a piece of wax paper to an emtpy cereal box, laid the cut piece of fiberglass mat on the wax paper and saturated with resin. After application, I "painted" more on until it was just see through. It's important not too use too little, or apply it too thick.



The overlap is about 1 1/2"-2", which give the glass plenty of hold. I layered the fiberglass about 4 layers thick in most places, which is very sturdy.

I needed something to get the shape of the rear corner. I could have made a pre-formed piece of fiberglass using a custom mold, but this worked and only took a couple minutes.



There was a lot of body filler covering up the corner, so I'm sure the rust was only helped out by some sort of collision or accident.

The seat belt mount was hanging on my a 1/4" piece of rust. I made a new bracket out of 1 1/4"x3/16" steel. They are secured with 4 grade 8 bolts and washers. The new mount is bolted to body steel that had not rusted. It is not bolted to the fiberglass. I also had to mount the seat belt roller up about 4" because the support had rusted out at the bottom.



Finished from the inside:



And outside, with aluminum rocker installed:



You can also see the fiberglass work I had done closer to the front.
 
#8 ·
In May of 2009 I installed a 1" daystar body lift with my friend. It was a real pain in the ***, but it's nice to have a secured body. I didn't take any pictures at the time, but will get some up in the future.

I decided I was sick of having a red Jeep so I painted it O.D. Green. I used the roll on method with excellent results. I mixed Rusty red primer and gloss hunter green Rustoleum enamel to match the color of an ammo can I have. I spent $60 on everything and it's incredible how well it turned out. Because it's OD, some people think it was spray bombed, and other people ask if I had it professionally done. I can see some roller marks that I may touch up this spring.

I didn't take any picture of the painting, but I used many thin coats. I mean watery thin coats. The last few coats were put on heavier which gave the paint an eggshell finish. Not too shiny, not too dull.

Here's a pretty good picture of Sherman at my buddies house in Lawrence. The neighbors thought it was great :cheers2:



I like the olive drab and black color scheme. I painted the rocker panels black and secured them with zinc plated self tappers which really improved the appearance. I tried tinting the hard top but I realized it cannot be done outside (wind). I think it would look really sharp and give me a little more security by making it harder to see into.

The whole name of Sherman came from the friend who lives there. The roads in Lawrence are horrendous and he could always hear me coming down the road in the Jeep. Not because of my exhaust or my wheels, but because every bump would cause a ridiculously loud squeaking noise. If you've ever seen warm films that have tanks in them, the tracks always squeak just like my Jeep used to. I have also been in a couple accidents with Sherman. The first time I was hit in the rear tub corner by a box truck going through an intersection, but caused no damage. The second time I was side swiped by a lady driving a Honda Civic Hybrid. It bounced off my 33x12.5" tires and totaled every panel on her driver's side. The axle seal was dislodged from my front D30.

So the name Sherman and tank stigma has just stuck.

At about the same time I painted it, I bought a Tuffy stereo console. After a year without one, this thing is a god send. It looks great and is functional. The Cupholders work well and it's very well made. It's also nice to be able to change the radio right at my fingertips. Reaching up to the dash can be a pain some times.

This basically brings me to here, now. I am slowly gathering parts to commence the real build phase of this project. As my good friend of mine puts it, my Jeep can only get better.

My awesome girlfriend got me a Ruff Stuff front Dana 30 differential cover. It's made out of 3/8" plate steel that's formed, welded, heat treated and then has it's mating surface milled flat. This thing is heavy duty.



Lincoln Weld Pack 140 aquired



I bought a Roug Country 4" kit in early December. It was on sale for $299. I got the heavy duty steering stabilizer and had it shipped to my house for $388. Great service and fast shipping. Go Rough Country.



The first thing I did was to inventory all of the parts to make sure I received them all, and to organize my lift instalation.

Here is the steering stabilizer:



U-bolts:


Bump stops, pitman arm, and sway bar extensions:

I won't be using the sway bars

Transfer Case Drop:


Trac bar relocation brackets:

I wont be using these either

Contents of parts bag #1:

Contents of parts bag #1, in their respective baggies:

This organization will make the lift easier.

Contents of parts bag #2:


Contents of parts bag #3:


Does anyone know what this hardware is for? It was in it's own unidentified bag:


The real reason I bought the lift: Stickers!!! :bacon:


Waiting patiently:


I have some questions about the shock mounts. I want to replace the shock mounts on the frame of the vehicle. This is so I can replace the rotted out old ones, clean up and repair the frame underneath (pinholes on upper shock mounts), and install stronger ones. The lower shock mounts on my D35 are very low to the ground. If I was to weld them on higher up on the axle, would I just have to raise the upper mount the appropriate amount to compensate for the clearance gained under the axle? I was reading in the lift install manual, which mentioned, because of the lift, the shocks may hit the axle tube. Is this common, and would relocating the mounts as I described fix this problem?

All off the essential parts are there. I'm missing a couple washers but they cost $.05 at the hard ware store. I'm really only going to be using the springs, shocks and pitman arm. The track and sway bars are coming off and most of the hardware in the kit is for the track and sway bars. Oh well, it's good hardware that I can re use.

I already have about 2" of lift with my shackles and body lift. With the 4" kit I am going to need extended brake lines at the very least. I believe I'll be able to get by using the transfer case drop for a while, but I plan on building my own rear CV shaft and installing a Slip Yoke Eliminator (SYE). I am also going to be purchasing greasable bushings and bolts for my shackle mounts.

I'm also considering replacing my steering components at the same time. I need new front bearings, and since I plan on keeping my YJ, I may as well replace the old, rusty components. I plan on getting some solid TJ shafts to replace my intermediate shaft, so I'll install new bearings on those so I can replace it all at once.

In 2010 I have a few goals besides installing the lift and differential cover. I have to replace the cooling system. My radiator is toast. I also want to weld in a roll cage this summer. At the very least I want to tie in the roll bar to the bottom of the tub and to the frame instead of to the windshield. I also plan on fixing a lot of body rot with my welder.
 
#16 ·
not to be that guy, but you wouldnt want a moderator to see that post. they take the whole illegal wheeling thing pretty seriously on here. just lettin ya know, no hard feelings!! it is very frustrating in MA sometimes they are so strict about it. there are hardly any legal wheeling spots at all. but if your down for the drive, cape cod jeep club goes on some sick trail rides (legal too!!)
 
#17 ·
Oh, I wouldn't ever wheel illegally. That's why I don't get a chance to go all that often. I see what you mean, though. I meant that the few places you can wheel legally are usually prett good.
 
#22 ·
I installed a Rugged Ridge H/D steering upgrade yesterday. My Tie rod ends needed to be replaced and it was just about as cheap to upgrade than to simply replace. I'm not going to lift it until I get the steering and brakes set so I more or less had to do this. I love not having so much bump steer.

Next weekend I'll try to get my brake lines done so I can finally get the new suspension in.

I'll post some pictures when I get batteries for my camera.
 
#24 ·
I saw the first pic in the thread- I can't believe my Jeep used to be red.

Anyways planning on lifting it this saturday. I'm heading down to Worcester where my uncle is going to help with the install- he has a full garage and air tools so it should go pretty smoothly (with any luck). I'll make sure to get some pics of the install.

I honestly haven't felt this exited in a very long time. Little kid in a candy store exited.
 
#26 ·
Thanks :cheers2:

I used Rustoleum Hunter Gloss Green and Rusty Red Primer. I mixed about 1 Quart of Red to about 2 Quarts of Green to get my color.

I haven't addressed the interior yet. The roll bar has padding over it but the floor and inside of tub will be bed lined after I get the body work done.
 
#27 ·
I got the lift installed!

:cheers2:

We started working about 10:30 in the morning and didn't finish until about 9:30 that night.

The frame to spring bolts were all a major pain because the sleeves had rusted to the bolts.

We ended up having to cut out the pitman arm. My puller was too small and the gear puller wasn't cutting it.

I can't get onto imageshack but I'm going to see if I can upload them to my album on JF.
 
#28 ·
Very nice build! I love how you did your paint, it looks much more professional than a spray bomb job. Looks good! :thumbsup:

:tea:

Brandon
 
#30 ·
I tried to upload the images to my album but it didn't work :confused:

But Image shack was working.

Front right on:


We did each corner individually. It's not how I would have preferred to do it, but my uncle has done plenty of spring work so I wasn't going to say anything. Plus it worked so whatever.

Front done:



I thought this one was pretty cool:


New backround

Back on all fours, the next morning:



When I took it wheeling the summer after buying it I broke my front pinion yoke, which caused the drive shaft to bend my leaf spring. It wasn't as apparent while installed, but this was all the springs lined up:



Height to shackle bolts was 14". Now is 18".

It looks and feel great. The tires look a little small at first sight but I don't really see it anymore. Everything about the suspension is like new. I don't get the excessive body roll while steering and no more death wobble. My springs don't squeak and creak and my shocks are actually working now.

Torqued the shackle bolts to 50 ft. lbs. The ride itself feels springier than my old springs, which tells me that these have less flex, but my old springs flexed until they were flat anyways.

I'll try to get some flex pics today and some shots of my drive line. Pinion angle isn't too bad considering it's on 5" suspension lift. I get moderate vibes around 20, and 30-35 mph, but still nothing I want to get into off road until I install a Slip Yoke Eliminator and extended rear brake line.

Thanks Rough Country :2thumbsup: I'm planning on putting the stickers on when I have a chance to steam the underside to get all the grease and oil off. I was thinking about putting the RC sticker on my windshield (big one) but I don't think the white would look good with OD and black. Any suggestions?
 
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