When 2 nieces say "We'd like Jeeps for our first vehicles"...... What's an uncle to do?? Got a better excuse for a project?

Soooo... there will be YJ questions and lots of them since I'm not used to working on these "modern" Jeeps.... The victim a 1988 Wrangler that had an engine fire and has frame rot. The desired result? A stockish YJ.

first one... Are the stock leaf springs on a YJ supposed to be almost flat with very little arch or are they just worn out?

Second. What is the 4x5" silver box that looks like some sort of ignition module which is bolted to the left inside fenderwell under the coolant and ws wash bottles?

1 YES

2 YES Dura Crap Ing Module. May want to do HEI/TFI Swap.

If you're going to be rewiring (fire) and this Jeep would be for your niece, I'd considering swapping the 4.2 with the BBD feedback carb for a fuel injected 4.0.

1 YES.. No arch or worn out?

I considered a swap for I suspect the same reasons you are thinking... New driver, used to turn-key-and-go EFI, not a tempermental carb... However, the stock replacement wiring harness came with the Jeep and I wondered if I could find a lowish mileage 4.0 for short money.. I know HEI is an easy swap onto a 258, what about TFI? Easy? PRicey? This is definately a budget conscious project.

The BBD carb can be a real pain to dial in to meet emissions. Splicing the 4.0 FI wiring into an earlier Jeep isn't too tricky.

1 Yes normal very little arch.

Swap would be the best. Thats what I am going to do with my wifes CJ. The wireing spice is like five wires or something like that.

Did the HEI/TFI hybrid on My plow YJ Use GM HEI module then ford block style coil ford cap cap base and rotor and ford plug wires open gap up to .045 on plugs and this with a MC2100 carb makes my YJ a instant start like EFI. Total cost for ing stuff like $100. I don't know if it would pass emissions???

A willy's YJ. Boy, you learn something new every day!

Just joking with ya... you're a great uncle to build them a Jeep!

Not the 2 girls that were at the Homestead last weekend?

uh... nope...

Removed the battery with a shovel, the firewall junction box with a sawzall!!!

Are there two ECMs? One under the hood and one under the dash? What is the one under the dash near the heater? Anyone got one?

Rick their is a 4.0 complete in Kingston on Ebay. Its by that old neet things guy that has all the bantam trailers and stuff usually.

He also has a complet 5 cyl mercedes diesel that would kick butt as a swap.

I couldn't find the 4.0 auction. Got a pointer?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1988-JEEP-C...1QQcmdZViewItem

Keeping my eye open for a deal on a 4.0 should the right deal come along...

Small frame repair tacked in for the donor frame. It's a 1995, gotta love NE salt.

I presume the things you guys call track bars on your modern Jeeps are the bars I see on the YJ that run from the axle to the frame.... yes?

How they hell do I get them bolted back in? I have the axles and springs bolted in and these "bars" bolted to the axles front and rear, but they don't reach the holes for them in the frame? Is this cuz the frame is empty with no wieght on it? Ain't got those things on Franklin.

Don't bother with them.

Why did they put those on YJs, anyway? Doesn't make any sense on a leaf-sprung rig to me... just curious.

If they are going to be for 17-20ish year old girls who just want to zip around town I would install them. The make it more stable on the on/off ramps.

Yes, this is exactly who will be driving this Jeep and stability is very important.... So, anyone know how to make them "reach" the frame? Come on Dan, fess up!

Also, I priced the pre-bent DC brake lines today, but when he began with "this one is 60 bucks" then added from there, I lost interest real fast.... Do we have any DC discount programs thru NEWJO?

I would call Lamberts in Claremont or talk to Dan (Krawler) about the price of DC brake lines. One of them should be able to get you a small price brake atleast.

As to the trackbar you are reffering to yes the vehicle will need to be on its wheels with weight on the springs to install it. I generally do the frame side first then you can jack up the passanger side of the front axle to get the bar into place. Same for the rear except its on the drivers side.

And I agree with Ftrain, if I were building a jeep for a teen it would get the trackbars installed.

Donor frame all fixed up. Drivetrain ready to bolt back in... A few more questions...

Is the shifter on this stock 1988 5 speed (don't know the model) easily removed so I won't have to lift the tub up over it? How?

Is the right motor mount different from a 1988 4.2 to a 1995 4.0? The frame bracket appears to be different, but I don't have an actual 1995 right mount to compare to the burnt 1988 mount...

re: Motor mounts and the brackets they bolt to on the frame!!!

I may have really screwed up here.... Does a 4.2 NOT bolt in place of a 4.0? Or maybe I have a 1995 4 cylinder frame and that's the difference...

The mounts on the frame are in very different places from the 1988 to the 1995 frame. The '88 mounts are about 2-3" forward of where the '95 mounts are and the right mount is completely different. On the '95 it is 1" further away from the left mount than it is on the '88... See the pics... the painted frame is the '95, original engine unknown and the rusted one is the '88 original engine 4.2.



So... what are my options?

- Cut out '88 mounts and put them on '95 frame...
- Some fancy mounts made for this "swap".
- Swap in something other than the 4.2 I already have. What engine and will it bolt to the 4.2's tranny?
- Have Red Foreman kick my ass for being a dumbass?
- Give the whole thing to John since he doesn't have a YJ.

1 step forward, and I think 2 steps back!!! argh!

I cut the frame to engine brackets from the rusted 1988 frame, cut the same brackets off the 1995 frame. Then I tacked in the 1988 brackets onto the 1995 frame... I went to test fit the drivetrain into the newly modified YJ frame and when I tried to put the YJ engine brackets onto a CJ 258, guess what happened????

They don't F'in fit!!!! It appears ALL THREE PARTS are different from CJ to YJ, the frame bracket, the motor mount and the engine bracket......

Any suggestions other than go buy a 4.0?

OK, so now I'm thinking about a new can of worms and finding a 4.0 for the YJ to replace the CJ 258 that won't fit...

I know several have done this swap, what gotchas am I looking at here? I'm thinking a running XJ to swap everything in from, engine, complete harness, maybe all the gauges since I need them anyway,,, custom dash maybe?

I know I'll have to address the fuel delivery, anything else? What options do I have for that funky off center radiator and fan in an XJ?

Drove it to work this AM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Drove very nice, still more to do.... mostly little stuff... fender flares, right seat belt, finish console, sunvisors, bedliner for the interior...

Sounds like I might have a slight exhaust leak... manifold, maybe?

Sounds awesome!

Pics?

I'll have to get some pics here.... The status of the NieceJeep YJ is that its about to be delivered!!! It's rumored that my niece still doesn't know about it so the look on her face should be quite priceless.... We are meeting them in NC and she and her dad are driving it from there to Atlanta.

With a little luck and Gonzo's help the newly installed cruise control will be working before then. (My right leg will appreciate that!). Still a few little things to do, but nothing I shouldn't have done before our departure next friday.

Thanks to everyone on this forum for their help and insight. Without that help this might not be happening...

Rick

Do you want to be the uncle to my kids!

I have a 1955 CJ3B that needs restoration for their high school car. no need to rush as tehy are only 6 and 8.

No problem... Drive it over and I'll take care of it, Stephen.

Don't make statements you don't have room for!

LOL

Come on... we are all dying to know how the trip went... Can we *FINALLY* close this thread?

Is 2 years too long for a project, Joe???

We can close this one out (sort of).... The conglomeration of parts that made up "Birdie" (aka NieceJeep) rolled the 750 miles from Hudson, NH to Durham, NC without any big incidents. A downpour in CT and NJ showed that even though I thought I had the cowl/vent box sealed from rain, I, in fact, did not. The water poured in soaking the floor and more importantly the tunes! I had originally thought this was cuz i didn't seal the box to the tub and had dropped it to do that. In looking closer the next day it seems there are holes in the box that let the water pour right on onto our toes and the radio.

I pulled the radio, shook out the water and then dried it out at the hotel with a hair dryer. The floor matts got dry in the hotel coin-op.

For the cowl vent, I needed to look for a fix that I could perform at a hotel room with the very limited tools I had of wrenches, vice grips, screwdrivers and a pocket knife... At first I thought Ice and Water shield (bichathane sp?), but my best sad story at the local Lowes wouldn't get the guy to sell me 3 feet of a hacked up rough ended roll. And it dawned on me that sticking it to the vent gooey side up would work best, but then the gooey side would also be exposed to the outside world and pick up everything from the road and trees. A few scratches of certain body parts and I thought "what about a piece of lexan and some silicone sealant"? Unsure of how hard it would be to cut lexan with a pocket knife and that I'd have to match all the vent cover screw holes also, I bought the goods and returned to the hotel. The next morning frost covered everything in Durham and I began on the cowl vent. I sliced and sliced the lexan with my pocket knife each time making the score a little deeper. Eventually I was brave enough to try and snap it along the score. Luckily it broke nice and clean. I then "drilled" the screw holes with my pocket knife. Again, not too bad. I gooped the whole mess and screwed the vent cover back onto the cowl. This took about an hour. Obviously, I have disabled the VENT function of the heater controls, but I suspect I've stopped the interior rain.

The niece and her dad arrived at the hotel and all my B-I-L had said was the he needed his daughter's help with moving something heavy. She still had no idea. She was surprised to see us there, but we just played along with the "something heavy" theme. All of us headed out the parking lot with Dad behind us ready to film. Jackie walked Patty past the Jeep and then stopped and turned around all the while spouting something about "I have an old friend I'd like you to meet....". dad was rolling the camera and then Jackie told her "this Jeep is the old friend and it's yours". I reached around from behind her and dangled the keys which she grabbed and squeeled her delight. It was really something. Now I know how those Overhaulin guys must feel!!

It wasn't all good news, however.. On their 400 mile drive from Durham to Atlanta the engine stopped running twice. They were forced to pull over on the highway. Marty checked obvious stuff under the hood and found nothing. Got back in, Birdie started right up both times and they went on their way. The first incident happened right after getting gas, the second 50 miles later. I'd like to blame bad gas, but am skeptical. It ran fine otherwise. I am somewhat suspicious of the alternator cuz it's the only accessory I didn't replace and the gauge was reading a little lower than I'd like on the way down. Both times they were booting it up a hill, may the new Hesco fuel pump didn't have the volume if it was getting less than 12 volts? Dad is going to borrow a volt meter and check the reading on the battery terminals with it running...

Pictures will be forthcoming...

Here's what I started with:

That is VERY cool

good job Man

awesome job!