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My Painfully SLow Build Thread

21K views 193 replies 18 participants last post by  deerhunter1911 
#1 · (Edited)
Ok, so talking to Mike (MTTREK360), i've decided to start a build thread. I have a ton to do tonight (school sucks...) but figure'd i'd start small.

I bought my first, and only Jeep in April '09; a 1997 TJ Wrangler Sport, 4.0 I6, Manual Trans, D35/D30, with Pro-Comp 31" All-Terrain tires.

my jeep as i bought it:



My short list of mods:

1) removed factory steps in favor of more ground clearance

2) painted headlight bezels black (who likes chrome on a jeep...)


3) returned the air intake to stock (was a K&N that left me with mud IN my intake manifold...)

4) "installed" a bottle jack on the driver-side accessory tray, as mine was missing

5) cheap neoprene seat covers for winter (they suck and i dont use em in the summer, but are better than nothing), bungees to hold the rear seat up when folded, and a braided 550 cord pull for the passenger seat tumble.


6) Fabbed up custom mirror mounts that mount to the upper windshield hinge to allow me to run Harley Davidson mirrors year-round with or without doors






7) painted my spare-tire cover with my custom logo (friend is an artist and created one for me)



future mods: too long to list...
but in the short term:

1) extend breather's into airbox
2) replace leaking Power Steering Gearbox and add PS fluid cooler
3) New bumpers, winch, and rock sliders

bear with me, this is gonna take a while... cheers.
 
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#4 ·
longjeep04: thanks man! I hated the stock mirrors and they were just useless, even in relocation brackets. I did some brainstorming and forum-prowling and came up with those. i'd like to re-do em with a little more time and some bigger steel, but they are STRONG as hell. 3/16" steel...not goin ANYWHERE! and the mirror's are great. ive been running a borrowed drivers side mirror for a few months, but next week im gonna go get a set of my own, extended though so they stick out a little further. can't wait!

as to taking it slow, its forced, monetarily; college is expensive, lol! you are right in that it gives me time to think, and i am a FIRM believer in "do it right, do it once" so it will get done right, its just gonna take a while. as anxious as i am to get wrenching, im a pretty patient person, and i know good things come to those who wait, so ill be waiting for something REALLY good!

anyway, that was a long winded "THANKS A BUNCH!"

mttrek360: holla at the redness!
 
#10 ·
#11 ·
so i just went out to get something out of the jeep and noticed a BIG nail in the rear passenger tire...gotta go out and get a plug kit tomorrow before school...shucks, but i might pick up hose to extend the breathers...not sure yet.
 
#16 ·
...and good to go! Ready to go for this weekend!
yes, good to go for this weekend. PUMPED! whats this about you asking mom for permission? cough cough...:hahaha:
 
#25 ·
im puttin my on steering skid today just got it painted waiting on it to dry as i type this lol, yea zach is a good sport even though he took forever to put his lift on
 
#28 ·
went wheeling today; had a much TOO eventful trip. diablyYJ and i both killed alternators...damn mud...

anyway, after changing his at a hardees, mine died en route to home and is sitting somewhere waiting for me with a new alternator...thats tomorrow.

the good news: being the moron that i can be, i had no idea until mike (mettrek360) looked at my jeep and low and behold, i have a 2" budget boost! no wonder the 31's fit so well! so hooray for that...now to write a damn psychology paper and dream about fixing my jeep....more later
 
#32 ·
alright, so after all the drama last night, i got home around 1:30 (thanks again guys, and Justin for the ride) and finished my 8-page paper. crashed around 400, got up at 1000, edited the paper, and left for NAPA about 1130. Got me a BRAND NEW, LIFETIME WARRANTY (i WILL be using that...) alternator for the new low price of $140. Turned in my paper at 1400, then had a buddy drive with me the hour and a half to get my Jeep.

luckily, the jeep was still in once piece and actually cleaner than i left it (pouring rain up there...). swapped in my new alternator, which went very smoothly, and i only bled on it a little bit (not joking...). jumped the jeep, and VROOM she went. life was good for all of 5 minutes...

once we decided to grab food and head out, the "check engine" light popped on...hmm...so the jeep died in the parking lot at idle twice. not good. ran diagnostics (ignition on, off, on, off, on) and got the code "12 24 55" (which mike and zach sumultaneously figured out for me, thanks guys) signifying a) my battery had been disconected, b) my TPS (throttle position sensor) input was above or below acceptable voltage and that the TPS signal does not correlate to MAP sensor, and c) end of diagnostics.

so i decided to run for it, and i got onto rt.70 east it stuttered (like died, but roll-started itself) 4 times in the first mile or so, but then was A-OK for the rest of the 2.5 hour ride home (traffic was horrendous...). the light is still on and i still get the diagnostics code.

what i am curious about is why it came on AFTER the new alternator was in, not at the same time the "check gauges" light came on? ill see what happens in the AM and re-evaluate. oh jeeps...
 
#33 ·
so today, i got in the Jeep to go to school, RPM's went up to 2000 at startup and warmed up and idled at about 1600 rpm. not good. i get out of class and turn on the jeep to head to NAPA to get the new TPS, and the "check engine" light is gone, but i still get code 24 under diagnostics. puzzling...so i head to NAPA anyway and talk to the guy up there who recommended (because its not super crazy instrumental) that i just clean the hell out of it all.

i figure, sure, what the hell, save me money, and i have to clean anyway...so i got a can of automotive electronic parts cleaner and some Di-Electric grease and headed home to try my luck between classes.
 
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