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20K views 146 replies 23 participants last post by  vstre 
#1 ·
:DFigured I'd start one of these. Had the Jeep now for 4 years. Hasn't gotten as much love as it deserves, but my other hobbies are boating and mountain biking, and I'm a full time M.E. major, so the budget isn't huge.

It all started here:

1999 Wrangler SE
2.5 Liter Low Output
AX-5 Transmission
Dana 30/35 combo...not off to a good start :rofl:
 

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#60 ·
Thank you, but could be delayed :brickwall

Well. My inexperience has once again gotten the better of me. The piece isn't quite square and I made the mistake of burning in the hitch tube. So should I grind the side welds down (on the hitch), cut them, square it again and weld again? I think that is ideal, but I could also cut down just outside those welds, square, bevel and weld together again. Ideas? I need to buy a welding table. Working on a vice attached to a warped wooden work bench is far from ideal.



And some pictures of progress while I think of a solution to my newbness :D

The difference between not enough heat and good settings:


And so forth:





Using, the no weaving technique. I like it.


Started boxing in:













 
#64 ·
Frame repair was cake. First fabwork, so we'll see how it goes. I got tired of "normal" bolt on mods pretty quick after teaching myself how to weld. But nothing wrong with some carefully chosen or otherwise impossible to diy bolt ons. :D

Regearing, now that's a trip, but once you understand what's happening its very easy. I can't wait to build new axles for it.

Any good wheeling in Ct?
 
#66 ·
not many really. not that i really have the equipment to really seriously offroad. Broke the spider gears in my dana 35 the other day, it was real fun replacing those and the side gears in my axle today. when i can afford it, dana 44 for sure
 
#68 ·
Alright some progress, albeit not very much:

Kept working on boxing it in:





I didn't get any feedback on how to fix this issue,





So, I took a guess at the correct solution and did this



:(

Cut along the hitch tube with my handy craftsman battery powered sawzall:



Hit it with a hammer till I was satisfied and JUST tacked it in this time :D



And back to boxing it in:





 
#70 ·
Did a lot more thinking than fabbing today. Getting to the stage where screwing up could be very aggravating.

But, finished boxing it in minus the bottom, because that has to be very accurately drilled for studs or welded nuts.



Mocked up "wings"



Body bolt access:





Project goes on hold for a few days. Gotta do a quick restoration on a 99 TJ.

:(
 
#73 ·
You have done a nice job teaching yourself to weld and fabricate . I have ran straight CO2 before , but I prefer a 75/25 mix. The weld still burns in and there is a lot less spatter . Might be something to consider next time you get a bottle filled . I feel bad for you guys up north and the rust , thats some aggravating stuff to deal with . Keep up the good work .
 
#74 ·
I've welded with 75/25 and 90/10. I always go back to straight CO2 and my machine is small, just 180 so I like the extra penetration. Thank you for the recommendation though. Maybe when I go to a bigger machine I'll switch because I won't be as concerned about getting adaquete penetration.

Also, thank you for the compliment, I'm getting there and I'm having a really good time along the way.

I'll keep some pictures of that sahara with the hole in the side of it coming so this thread doesn't die down. Its getting some cool stuff. Gonna have a Safari sort of look to it when finished.
 
#76 ·
Depends on how much the owner wants to spend. If he wants to go cheaper I'll bend up some 1/8" steel with a nut welded in and welded back in. If he wants it to look original, then these:

http://www.classicent.com/jeep.php

Mine is getting done the cheap way :D. I'll post up pictures as soon as possible. This stupid hurricane is putting a damper on progress.
 
#83 ·
Well. My buddy's unbelievably rusty jeep has been taking up my Jeep time, but I took a break from it and managed to get some little things done.

Got the Warn fogs wired up. The whole wireless control is a bit odd, but it saved me some time during installation. Gotta make it look up to my standards so no pictures of the wiring :D



Then moved to the back of the jeep to get the smashed tail lights removed and the license plate bracket deleted. All it took was a jig saw, a little liquid courage and some masking tape.











Big improvement in visibility over stock. Nice clean look and hopefully less likelihood of smashing them up on trees. Very happy with it.
 
#84 ·
A build thread within a build thread

Continuing with the original "Rusty Revival" theme, here is some updates on the project I'm working on.

The victim:

1999 Sahara.



Tear down. This went quick, but revealed many more problems than ever originally imagined.



New junk. So far this rig is getting 2" BDS lift, new magnaflow/dynomax exhaust from header back, a repaired frame, 03-06 gas tank skid plate, and some other stuff later on.



Cutting out the cancer, this poor thing was probably a couple months from disrepair and a hair from a bad accident. It will be returned to its former glory though.







Frame side coil buckets fell off when I pulled the axle



Axle side buckets had mostly rusted off as well.

Making it safe again.





First bead ran. Eh. Not awful. :cheers:



Mocking up the new Rusty's coil re-locators. Not bad, just had to re-make one of the retaining nuts because the nut was welding off center.



NEW...ish frame



Burned in



New front bumpstop extensions.

This side was simply bolted through.



This side we couldn't bolt through so drilled out the hole put a nut on top and created a void on the underside for it to clear.



Painted rear crossmember. Yeah bubblewrap to protect from over spray. :rofl:



Wheels were oxidized so got away from cutting, welding and wrenching for a bit to bring them back to life.



More to come...
 
#90 ·
Some more progress on the Sahara. Front bump stop cup threads were rusted out so heres my solution:

What I'm talking about:



Taped a serrated 5/16" flange nut to a socket on an extension.



5/16" bolt and washer to secure bumpstop cup



Put together



Start threading nut onto bolt



Tighten adequately and finish install





Finished up the front suspension. Will need one more coat of touch up paint.





"Rust Proofed" the underside of the tub



State of the old axle side coil buckets :laugh:



Axle now:



All ready for installation



Partially installed. Had to stop working.



Bumpstops will be cut down.
 
#91 ·
Alright, something worth posting about. The Sahara is more or less done. It needs a few basic maintenance items. What started out as a quick hack and weld turned into quite the nightmare, but I'm mostly satisfied with the end result.

Rear suspension all finished up:







Bedlined the rear inner fenders:



and did a bit more painting of the tub's underside,



Some vertical uphill action on the body mounts,





All the body bolts were treated in a phosphoric acid bath and wire wheeled



Sitting on all 4s. :D



:cheers:
 
#95 ·
Drove the Sahara to get an alignment tire balance and inspection. It didn't explode into a firey mess, so I think I did an ok job. :rofl:

Also got a little time to kill some bling on my Jeep:

Before (Not my taste):


After (Gunmetal, which makes everything more bad***)
 
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