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Another Scrambler Purchase/Road Trip - UPDATE- BODY ON FRAME AGAIN

spankrjs

Scrambler Junkie
Lifetime Member
SOA Member
City
Biloxi
State
MS
Since I was just messing with installing/adjusting doors on JeepAddicts red Scrambler, decided to do the same on mine. Not the best idea, especially since I am going Jeeping this weekend at Choccolocca ORV Park, near Anniston, AL.

My doors have never fit "right" since I bought this Jeep. When I originally put it back together, I drilled out the upper and lower door hinge holes to 7/16", and used YJ plastic inserts to help take up some slop. The insert broke apart, so i removed them completely. I now have 7/16" holes for 3/8" hinge pins. The lower hinge brackets are completely wallowed out.

Upper:

20200622_182513.jpg

20200622_182518.jpg

Really no way to fix this, I need to replace all four hinge brackets: both uppers, both lowers.

I set the gap between the two hinge holders at 12-3/4" exact, but I could not get the door to fit in the hole correctly. Even with door hinges slid all the way down on the door, which raises the door to it's highest position, the door would hit the body tub. I have always had to run spacers between the body brackets/door hinge pins to space the doors up correctly. I even have the windshield hinge sitting higher then the cowl. With the hinge pin holes wallowed out, no sense trying to adjust it "correctly", I just made it work for now!!!!!! IIRC, I raised and kicked back my lower hinge bracket to take up the slop.

Since the holes are wallowed out, and the insert/bushings destroyed, I wrapped some foil tape around the hinge pins to take up the slop. I installed my spacers first, then the tape. Doing it this way, the tape keeps the spacers from sliding off the pins when I pull the doors. If you have ever been around when I try to reinstall the doors, with spacers sitting on top the hinge brackets, trying to get the pins in place without knocking spacers all over the ground, this is an improvement LOL!!!!!!!!!

Butch, but works for now, until I buy all new hinges/brackets:


20200622_182529.jpg

Door installed, adjusted. Fits correctly in the opening, opens and shuts fine. Thank God for foil tape and washers!!!!!!!!!

20200622_183818.jpg

When I rebuilt this Jeep, I had the painters blast/prime/paint the doors/hinges separate. When i installed the hinges to the doors, I just straight bolted them on, painted metal against painted metal. After 10 years, 40,000 miles, the paint still looked almost new on the back of the hinges/face of the doors.

I did manage to reduce my spacer count from 3 to 2:

20200622_183827.jpg

I still can not figure out why I have to use spacers? Unless the hinges/brackets are wore so bad, but no way they are wore down 3/8"!!!!!!!

Passenger side is similar, except it runs about 1/4" thick spacer stack.

I can not think of any body issues that would cause this? CJ doors, OEM tub? Hinges slid all the way DOWN on the doors, effectively raising the door to its highest position in the body opening, I still have to run spacers? I'll look into this again when I change all the hinges out.

Changed the oil, ready to go :fingerscrossed:

20200622_183847.jpg

No work on JeepAddict's red Scrambler, time to go Jeeping :woot:

I really wanted to meet up with the Virginia crew, I just can't get off work right now :banghead:

As it is, will probably be leaving home Friday afternoon late, drive 6 hours, set up camp, wheel Saturday, break camp Sunday, head home, back to work first thing Monday morning. At least one day of wheeling!!!!!!

That's it for now :wave:
 

spankrjs

Scrambler Junkie
Lifetime Member
SOA Member
City
Biloxi
State
MS
Wait, when did those side vents make their appearance?

Two pages back, in April, when I had to pull the driver side fender off to change the 4.0 header. I only did the driver side, due to rust bubbles forming under the surface of this fender. The passenger side is still stock. I figured it will help expel some heat from the "hot side" of the engine bay, i.e. exhaust/intake side.

Not 100% thrilled with it, but it does serve a purpose :shrug:
 

Jeeperdd

CJ-8 Member
Silver Member
SOA Member
City
Gordonsville
State
VA
Two pages back, in April, when I had to pull the driver side fender off to change the 4.0 header. I only did the driver side, due to rust bubbles forming under the surface of this fender. The passenger side is still stock. I figured it will help expel some heat from the "hot side" of the engine bay, i.e. exhaust/intake side.

Not 100% thrilled with it, but it does serve a purpose :shrug:

Surprised you didn't paint that vent red to blend in with the body?
 

spankrjs

Scrambler Junkie
Lifetime Member
SOA Member
City
Biloxi
State
MS
I ordered some new to me/used/good condition lower body hinge brackets. I will clean them up, paint them red to match, then install.

I am going to take off my OEM windshield hinges, drill out the hinge pin holes to 1/2", and install these bushings:

https://catalog.buntingbearings.com...ings/bronze-flanged-bearings-sae-841/ffb68-10

I stole this idea from here:

https://wranglertjforum.com/threads...gs-with-oil-impregnated-bronze-bushing.19966/

IF the new to me lower hinge holes have too much slop, I will install the above linked bushings inside them, too.

I did NOT want to replace all of my OEM brackets/hinges with stainless, chrome, or black power coated aftermarket stuff. Really, only my lower hinge brackets are wore out. So, replace them, install bushings in the top brackets, try it all again :crazy:

This may be a little more work, but it will only cost me around $40, bushings and new lower hinge brackets, vs around $100 to replace with aftermarket stuff :twocents:

And, it will give me a chance to order some color matched 'Sebring Red" spray paint, maybe I will paint the fender louver, too :thumbsup:
 

John N

Addicted....Ex-SOA VP
BENEFACTOR
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Rockville
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VA
What if you made the bushings out of brass, so they would hold up better? It sure looks like you could modify a rifle shell casing to fit in there pretty easily. I’ve got a bunch of different sizes.
 

spankrjs

Scrambler Junkie
Lifetime Member
SOA Member
City
Biloxi
State
MS
What if you made the bushings out of brass, so they would hold up better? It sure looks like you could modify a rifle shell casing to fit in there pretty easily. I’ve got a bunch of different sizes.

You could do that, just need a shell with a 3/8" ID, the OD can be whatever you decide to bore out the hinge hole, 1/2" is a good size :shrug:

What size shell has a 1/2" OD, maybe a .50 caliber rifle shell?

The bushings I ordered are made out of the same stuff pilot bushings are made out of, should hold up better then plastic or brass :shrug:

Oh, and I ordered some Sebring red paint to paint the new to me lower hinge brackets, AND the louver :rotfl:

I will probably just try to find some off the shelf rattle can paint to try to match the decal colors :shrug:
 

Randyzzz

Blown Budget
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Redmond
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OR
You could do that, just need a shell with a 3/8" ID, the OD can be whatever you decide to bore out the hinge hole, 1/2" is a good size :shrug:

What size shell is a 1/2" OD, maybe a .50 caliber rifle shell?

The bushings I ordered are made out of the same stuff pilot bushings are made out of, should hold up better then plastic or brass :shrug:

Oh, and I ordered some Sebring red paint to paint the new to me lower hinge brackets, AND the louver :rotfl:

I will probably just try to find some off the shelf rattle can paint to try to match the decal colors :shrug:

A 45-70 case has a hair over .50, plus a flange that could be drilled through for a spacer of sorts.
 

John N

Addicted....Ex-SOA VP
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Rockville
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VA
You could do that, just need a shell with a 3/8" ID, the OD can be whatever you decide to bore out the hinge hole, 1/2" is a good size :shrug:

What size shell has a 1/2" OD, maybe a .50 caliber rifle shell?

The bushings I ordered are made out of the same stuff pilot bushings are made out of, should hold up better then plastic or brass :shrug:

Oh, and I ordered some Sebring red paint to paint the new to me lower hinge brackets, AND the louver :rotfl:

I will probably just try to find some off the shelf rattle can paint to try to match the decal colors :shrug:
.50 BMG is too big. The inside of the neck is .5” And that’s just the neck. It’s a bottleneck cartridge, so the body is much larger. The .45-70 is straight walled and is a good suggestion. I’d have to put some calipers on a few casings and see what might be good with the neck cut off.
 

spankrjs

Scrambler Junkie
Lifetime Member
SOA Member
City
Biloxi
State
MS
Drove up to Choccolocco ORV Friday afternoon, wheeled Saturday, made it back home yesterday. About 5.5 hours one way, around 350 miles each way.

A few pics, I didn't take many.

Driving there, very hazy due to the "Saharan dust":

20200626_144858.jpg

Crossing into Alabama:

20200626_170825.jpg

Arriving at the park:

20200627_080951.jpg

I didn't take any action pictures, some of the others did, here are some pictures, but none of my Scrambler?

20200626_155833.jpg

20200627_094929.jpg

20200627_104724.jpg

20200627_104807.jpg

And me walking LOL:

20200627_095044.jpg

20200627_142007.jpg

If I get some pictures of my Jeep from some of the people I was with I will post them up.

Pretty fun park, trails range from 1 -5. I haven't been here in close to 4 years. Used to be able to run up to level 3 trails, but not anymore. Too many people substitute driving skill with horsepower and/or tire size, a bunch of trails are now far too rutted up for 33" tires. You need at leas 37" tires to avoid high centering on the axles. Still, fun park, I would go back.
 

spankrjs

Scrambler Junkie
Lifetime Member
SOA Member
City
Biloxi
State
MS
A few more action pictures:

IMG_2968.jpg

IMG_2989.jpg

IMG_2991.jpg

IMG_3017.jpg

IMG_3045.jpg

IMG_3045_01.jpg

The last two pictures, the guy was trying to climb up a waterfall, in the pouring down rain, trail became a creak, and his starter went out. That was fun!!!!!

I had one major issue: At the end of the day Saturday, while hooking back up my sway bar, I could smell anti-freeze. The plastic plug on the bottom of the plastic tank was dripping. Tried to tighten it, it just spun. More leakage. Got to the hotel, radiator self emptied in the parking lot. Luckily, an Advance Auto 40 miles away had a replacement in stock. So, I replaced my broken plastic/aluminum radiator for another crappy aluminum/plastic radiator, under warranty.

So, need to buy a metal radiator for this one. The plastic tank radiators suck. Only took about 30 minutes to swap radiators, so no big deal.

The guilty party:

20200629_071354.jpg

Cleaned up ready to go again:

20200628_170117.jpg

So, need to fix before Michigan list:

radiator/belts/hoses
door hinges
lost a sway bar lynch pin
fuel gauge is acting up

Not too bad.

That's it for now.
 

spankrjs

Scrambler Junkie
Lifetime Member
SOA Member
City
Biloxi
State
MS
My newest "plastic tank/aluminum radiator", only a week old, stinks like anti-freeze. No visible leaks, but it is leaking. Been meaning to do this, finally pulled the trigger:

Purchased from Summit Racing, 2 core "HD" copper/brass radiator, Crown fan shrould:

20200704_112009.jpg

All new belts/hoses to replace the 10 year old stuff, plus an aftermarket secondary coolant gauge, new clutch fan, stock CJ seven bladed fan procured from "mssldn", thanks again!!!!!!!!!!!! And, misc bolts and fasteners:

20200704_112037.jpg

The 4.2/4.0 water pump has 5/16" fine thread holes in the flange. These studs are a hair too short to use:

20200704_114138.jpg

20200704_114315.jpg

20200704_114147.jpg

So, I bought these.

20200704_114640.jpg

20200704_112058.jpg

Too short Dorman, next to too long carb studs:

20200704_114735.jpg

10 minutes with the trusty Dremel:

20200704_115847.jpg

Much better:

20200704_120749.jpg

This Jeep came with the stock 3 core radiator, 4 bladed fixed fan, no shroud. I used bolts to hold the 4 bladed fixed fan to the water pump. Much easier to use studs, with the fan clutch set up, and a fan shroud in the way.
 

spankrjs

Scrambler Junkie
Lifetime Member
SOA Member
City
Biloxi
State
MS
Bolted the fan to the clutch:

20200704_122703.jpg

Bolted the assembly to the water pump:

20200704_123629.jpg

This Scrambler has a 1" body lift, so the "stock" holes in the fan shroud will not work, the fan will be pressed against the shroud. Need to drop the shroud 1" to compensate. Blue tape to mark out the new holes:

20200704_133659.jpg

20200704_133706.jpg

My holes are not as "neat" as the original ones, but they will do the job. This plastic does not drill "clean", so I used the Dremel with a router bit. Even at slow speeds, the plastic would melt some. Not pretty, but works fine.

20200704_135718.jpg

20200704_135724.jpg

Mocking up the fan/shroud. Fits fine, no rubbing:

20200704_140825.jpg

I ended up using "body bolts", with bigger washers, to help hide my holes LOL:

20200704_140835.jpg

All front end cooling system parts installed, everything fits fine:

20200704_142919.jpg

Since JeepAddict's red Scrambler is in my garage, I did all this work out in the Harbor Freight garage, in the rain LOL:

20200704_125215.jpg
 

spankrjs

Scrambler Junkie
Lifetime Member
SOA Member
City
Biloxi
State
MS
Plenty of room between the fan clutch an inner face of the radiator:

20200704_142938.jpg

All new belts and hoses installed:

20200704_170156.jpg

Swapped out the radiator/fan shroud bolts:

20200705_102455.jpg

More rain:

20200704_170248.jpg

After the rain, and after bleeding out the heater core, test drive. Once warmed up, my coolant temps runs between the following to temps:

20200705_142344.jpg

20200705_142757.jpg

This reading is at the CTS, at the thermostat cover. Seems fine to me, since most 4.0's run at 210. I did not think to check the temps with the previous set up. Over 40,000 miles with no melt downs, should be fine.

I also "fixed" my gas pedal. I was only getting 90% at the TPS. Took a few minutes, some longer bolts and spacers, and a bit of Dremel work to the upper gas pedal assembly bolt hole.

20200705_103443.jpg

Hard to read, but gas pedal released, TPS at 0%:

20200705_105956.jpg

Gas pedal floored, WOT at 99%:

20200705_110008.jpg

The fan clutch addition seems to have "freed" up the motor some at highway speeds. Before the gas pedal mod, I was only getting 90% of TPS movement. The extra 10% helps to hold speed on hills better. At cruising speed, 75 MPH, the TPS is at 40%. But, it is amazing how much throttle you use to hold hills!!!!! With the scan tool plugged in and watching the TPS screen, I go above 90% quite often at high speeds/long grades.

Neither the fan clutch/gas pedal mod gave me more HP, but I like to think both improved the Scrambler some. The fan clutch might slightly increase the MPG.

The belts and hoses needed to be changed, more so for piece of mind. I will keep the old parts in my spares box.
 

spankrjs

Scrambler Junkie
Lifetime Member
SOA Member
City
Biloxi
State
MS
While I was messing with the coolant system, decided to add a secondary temp gauge.

Wiring was easy enough:

20200705_134930.jpg

Completed, sitting next to my "12 volt power supply" and my "Redneck Ray" "not a LED 12 volt toggle switch that I use as a check engine light since LED's can't be used since the damn computer always sends out a low ground signal that is just enough to trip an LED but not a regular bulb that has been in here temporarily since last year before the Hurricane, Utah trip" LOL!!!!!!!!

20200705_141838.jpg

In the above picture, the fuel gauge/temp gauge are working correctly. However, they have been acting up. You will also note that I have an aftermarket dash board, hence the 4 stainless button head screws that secure the speedometer to the dash board. The VDO gauge will NOT work off the factory sender, so I will have to install a VDO sender somewhere else in the engine to get this gauge to work. I was hoping the VDO/OEM gauge could use the same sender, they can not.

I have been using the expensive/now hard to find Mopar replacement gauges, which had been working flawlessly for the past 8 years, until recently.

Part number and instructions:

20200705_175937.jpg

20200705_175928.jpg

These gauges do NOT work like the OEM/replacement gauges. Each gauge gets 12 volts, and the sender acts as the ground signal to make the gauge function. They do NOT use the wierd "voltage step down" thing like OEM gauges. I am not an engineer, not 100% sure how they work, but they had been working great.

I pulled them both out to clean/bench test them:

20200705_160004.jpg

In the above picture, no power or ground, the needles point to the stops as they should.

The gauges "plug" into these plastic things. These have pins on the back that plug into the gauges, studs on the back for power/ground feeds:

20200705_160021.jpg

They also have some type of electrical "doo-hickey" that connects the power/ground taps some how. Not sure what this is, resistor, capacitor, diode? In the above picture you will also barely see a copper "square" plugged into one of the holes in the back of the gauge. This contacts the metal speedometer housing and grounds the gauge.

With the gauges removed, I hooked each one up to 12 volts, then would ground the sender post. The temp gauge would quickly go to full "Hot" like it should. As soon as the ground wire removed, the temp gauge would quickly drop to full "Cold", like it should. The fuel gauge would work similar, except a bit slower. The temp gauge was almost instantaneous, the fuel gauge would rise to "full" fairly quickly, would take a bout 20 seconds to drop to "empty".

This was with the little "ground square" NOT touching anything. Not even sure if it is necessary?

I "exercised" the gauges on the bench about 20 times each, then reinstalled them.

20200705_171650.jpg

In the above picture, engine is at 210 degrees. After some diagnosis, the temp sending unit is malfunctioning, which I suspected from some previous issues over the last few weeks. The gas gauge is reading a bit lower then it should.

20200705_172036.jpg

In the above picture, two minutes after shut down, the gas gauge still has not pegged on "empty". It will eventually, after about 5 minutes.

Once I swap in a new sender, the temperature gauge will work correctly. Not sure why the fuel gauge is working slowly. Even if I pull the sender wire off the back, it still drops slow, so pretty sure it is an issue with the gauge itself.

On the fuel gauge, I am not terribly bothered. Hopefully, it will start working normally again. For the last 8 years these two gauges have worked flawlessly. A non-working fuel gauge is not the end of the world. I always write down fill up mileage, can always go at least 240 miles on a tank of fuel. Still, I want it to work correctly.

Maybe I could send it somewhere for repair?

That's it for now :wave:
 

Randyzzz

Blown Budget
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Gold Member
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Redmond
State
OR
I have a note somewhere that when using a LED for your Check Engine Light, you have to put a resistor between the leads to keep it from illuminating dimly. Darned if I can find my notes, however!

Found it. A 1/4 watt 1000 ohm resistor placed between the positive and negative leads of a negative switched LED will stop the glow when the LED is off.
 
Last edited:

spankrjs

Scrambler Junkie
Lifetime Member
SOA Member
City
Biloxi
State
MS
I have a note somewhere that when using a LED for your Check Engine Light, you have to put a resistor between the leads to keep it from illuminating dimly. Darned if I can find my notes, however!

Found it. A 1/4 watt 1000 ohm resistor placed between the positive and negative leads of a negative switched LED will stop the glow when the LED is off.

Yep, something like that :thumbsup:

With no more Radio Shacks in this area, and installing the CEL before a two day drive to Hurricane, Utah, the NAPA toggle switch won out :rotfl:

Big Plus on the Toggle Switch - if the CEL lights up, and I want to ignore it, I turn the switch to the "Off" position, light goes out :rotfl::rotfl::cheers::thumbsup:
 
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