[bgredjeep]

I had to jump through a few hoops, but I got the trailer registered and tagged today.

 

[cpia84]

I had to jump through a few hoops, but I got the trailer registered and tagged today.

That is a huge hurdle. I know I have passed on a few things recent years because of the pain involved with getting a new title for one that didn't have one or replacing a lost one. Bill of Sales have helped in some cases. I do know the ladies at the DMV and whenever I have a potential purchase they let me know what I will need and if it is actually worth my time.

Looking forward to seeing you upgrade and prep the trailer for your needs.

 

[bgredjeep]

Got the new shocks installed today. I used some 2x4s to hold the weight so I could pull out of the garage (more room to work). It's sitting a little high, but I expect the springs will settle a bit once I get on the trails. Given foa's reputation, I'll probably pull them off and go through them just to be safe. I might try to soften the rebound a little while I'm in there as well. We'll see.

 

[NashvilleTJ]

Nice. I‘m all for being prepared - but 4 spares? 🙂

What size are the new shocks?

 

[bgredjeep]

Nice. I‘m all for being prepared - but 4 spares? 🙂

What size are the new shocks?

Lol. Jeep has been pulling double duty as garage storage. They are safely stacked back on the hood until I get them mounted on the trailer.

2.5x16. Same overall setup as the air shocks, but they are 2" shorter overall than the comparable radflo. I wanted to try a slightly shorter shock since my bumps are mounted inboard a bit. This way the air bumps will still be effective on a hard hit that's not perfectly square. I think it'll work out ok.

 

[bgredjeep]

Made up some spacers last night to mount the reservoirs. Got them mounted this morning. Not sure if I'll leave them here or move them to another tube, but they are secured at least.

 

[NashvilleTJ]

That’s really cool.

 

[bgredjeep]

I spent Saturday over at rcm fab working on the trailer. We decided boxing in the frame was overkill, but we did make reinforcement plates for a couple spots on the frame and fenders.

Cole just got his plasma table up and running so we made use of that for the plates we needed. We did cardboard templates and transferred that into fusion 360 to make the reinforcement plates. I also drew up some plates to mount the tie-downs front and rear. The plasma table is an awesome tool.

Aside from those, we replaced the coupler with a 10k rated one, added an 8k drop leg jack, and new tires. Once we finished up I had Cole load his buggy so we could see how it looked.

I still need to build a floor for storage in the tongue and the front center sections of the trailer. Looks like it should work perfect for hauling everything I need.

 

['92 vegas YJ]

That trailer looks like it'll be the perfect setup for you. I can't wait until you're able to hit the trails again. We need to get togehter.

 

[bgredjeep]

Since I'm getting closer to making a test ride, I figured it's time to get the jeep ready. I hauled it back to RCM Fab yesterday so Cole could get a few things done for me.

On my last trip to Harlan, Thanksgiving 2020, my radiator cracked. I tried to seal it up with JB everything, but it was on the mounting puck so it just kept cracking. He'll be replacing the radiator (building a new mount so this one won't crack), my steering cooler (old one necks down and was causing slower than desired speed), plus a couple other small items to get it trail worthy again.

This was the first time towing the new trailer with any weight on it. I was pleased it worked great. It feels really light and balanced. I ran 75 on the highway and all was good.

 

[daddyjeep87]

That short little trailer would be nice to tow.

 

[bgredjeep]

Well, change of plans. Cole got started taking the radiator out this afternoon, then he called me. Basically, we decided to go ahead with the motor swap we've been planning to do. He figured all the work he's about to do would have to been pulled out again to swap the motor within the next year or so. Might as well just do it once. Lol

4.0 inbound sooner than expected.

 

[bgredjeep]

Cole got started making my new motor fancy. I had already collected the motor mounts, header, and grand Cherokee alternator mount (with tensioner). Cole picked up a later model intake. He said the one on the motor was pretty gross. Planning to use the return style fuel rail from the older style intake.

 

[bgredjeep]

Progress stalled for a couple weeks while Cole did some rzr cages and bumpers. He's back on it this week and got the motor in yesterday. He had an issue with the oil pan hitting the skid plate. Turns out the shape of the oil pan was just different enough to cause interference at the front of the skid so he'll have to rework it a little.

In any case, the motor is in. He's got the harness cut down to the minimum to run the motor so once the old howell harness comes out it should end up pretty clean (lol) under there. I think all he has left to figure out is the wiring for the alternator. I'm running one from a grand Cherokee with the tensioner and it's wired a bit differently than the 93yj.

I also got some more paint on the trailer and put the wood back on. I'll still need to add some recessed flooring in the front sections to hold my gear, and I'm still planning to cover the fenders, but its slowly getting where I want it.

 

[bgredjeep]

I spent a few hours helping Cole at the shop today. He was working on the radiator mount when I got there. We got that wrapped up and he burned it in. He has also finished the exhaust. He reused my spintech muffler, but bumped it up to 2.5" to match the header.

I pulled out the howell harness, and we got the temp and oil pressure guage connections made. Right now he's just waiting on some fuel line and fittings he ordered. Hopefully next week it'll make some motor sounds.

 

[cpia84]

Good to see the progress. Swapping in a 4.0L has been a consideration for me as the 4.2L becomes more and more temperamental. You are running the AW4 as well, correct?

 

[bgredjeep]

Good to see the progress. Swapping in a 4.0L has been a consideration for me as the 4.2L becomes more and more temperamental. You are running the AW4 as well, correct?

Yep. Aw4 will still be manual for now, but I've already considered wiring in a tcu for full lazy driving.

 

[bgredjeep]

I didn't take any pictures or video, but the new motor fired up last night. We struggled a bit with the wiring, and I'm blaming one of the connectors that came in the harness with the 4.0.

I'm not sure if we had a section of harness from a different vehicle mixed in with what I got with the motor, or if jeep actually had 2 completely different sections of harness with the exact same plug. Either way, once we figured out and fixed that we weren't sending power to the green and orange wire, that basically powers everything, it started right up.

The motor sounds great, good oil pressure, etc. We have a few things to button up this morning, and we are planning on heading for a test ride at gulches this afternoon.

 

[bgredjeep]

We got the jeep together and took a test drive yesterday. In the morning Cole replaced the o-rings in the regulator on the fuel rail. That had been leaking Friday. Once the leak was fixed the jeep wouldn't idle any more. I picked up a new regulator on the way over and that fixed it. I figure the old one was gummed up, and the leak was keeping the pressure low enough to idle. Lol

That fixed, we finished tightening up some bolts, did a quick burnout in the shop to make sure everything was good, and loaded up to ride. As usual, pretty much no pictures were taken, but everything worked great.

The steering is faster with the new cooler installed, and the 4.0 lights up much quicker than my old motor. The rear springs are too stiff so we are going to swap in the 150lb lowers. I didn't want to run 150/150, but the rate with the 200lb lowers is just too much. Just makes it a little harder to set the dual rate stop when they match. I could change to a 125 upper for the same effect (maybe at some point), but I already have a pair of 18" 150s so free sounds good to me.

 

[bgredjeep]

Big red is coming home today. After the ride last weekend I dropped it back at rcm fab to finish a few items up. Cole went ahead and swapped in the 150 lowers. He also extended the roof back a bit to keep rain from running right down my neck when we are riding. I picked up a better air filter and it's pretty much ready to go.

I'll need to replace my carrier bearing as the one on there now is worn out. The joint on my driveshaft was moving enough to contact the frame last weekend. A fresh bearing will take care of that for another couple years.