- City
- Biloxi
- State
- MS
Link to my windshield wiper linkage binding issue problem and solution
https://www.cj-8.com/forum/showthread.php?t=34544
https://www.cj-8.com/forum/showthread.php?t=34544
Another Scrambler Purchase/Road Trip - UPDATE- BODY ON FRAME AGAIN
- Thread starter spankrjs
- Start date
- City
- Biloxi
- State
- MS
A couple pictures of my "a$$ armor". A guy in our local Jeep Club fabricated this up for me. He welded the rectangular steel tubing to the bumper in the rear, and welded out riggers to the front of the sliders to tie them to the frame near the rear tires. The slider outriggers are bolted to the frame, with the bolts passing through crush sleeves welded into existing holes in the frame. I wanted the sliders built this way, so in case I ever wanted to remove them, I can, by simply unbolting the rear bumper. They are very stout, and my rattle can paint job matches the rear bumper powder coat pretty good.
Overall shot, they follow the body lines pretty good, they are not really "in your face" obnoxious, which is what I wanted.
We chose to let the sliders follow the angle of the rear sheet metal, so they follow the upward angle of the rear quarter panel.
Picture of the front outrigger that ties the front of the slider to the frame. This attachment method is very strong, no deflection or movement of these sliders at all.
I didn't want them to stick out from the side of the body too far. They stick out about as much as the factory flares.
Picture from the rear, how he tied them into the pre-existing angle cut corners of the rear bumper. Ties everything together well.
I am very pleased with how the sliders look, but more importantly, I am confident in the added protection they will give my rear overhang. Since my Scrambler is sitting lower now, I just have to plan on armoring/skid plating it
Overall shot, they follow the body lines pretty good, they are not really "in your face" obnoxious, which is what I wanted.
We chose to let the sliders follow the angle of the rear sheet metal, so they follow the upward angle of the rear quarter panel.
Picture of the front outrigger that ties the front of the slider to the frame. This attachment method is very strong, no deflection or movement of these sliders at all.
I didn't want them to stick out from the side of the body too far. They stick out about as much as the factory flares.
Picture from the rear, how he tied them into the pre-existing angle cut corners of the rear bumper. Ties everything together well.
I am very pleased with how the sliders look, but more importantly, I am confident in the added protection they will give my rear overhang. Since my Scrambler is sitting lower now, I just have to plan on armoring/skid plating it
Last edited:
kryptoniteCJ8
Legacy Registered User
- City
- Houston
- State
- Tx
I'm loving all the new mods! Keep up the great work and keep us informed.
- City
- Baton Rouge
- State
- La
I love that side shot. Sexy figure! p.s. It's storming here so this weekend should be a mudfest for you. Wish I could follow you in the yard Scrambler. Maybe I'll Jambo it
red mistress
Red Jeep Collector
- City
- Piney woods
- State
- tx
Red Scrambler
Well I'm kinda partial to Red Scramblers... that is one nicely built machine.
Going to be representing the Scrambler very nicely at Moab.
Well I'm kinda partial to Red Scramblers... that is one nicely built machine.
Going to be representing the Scrambler very nicely at Moab.
- City
- Biloxi
- State
- MS
Appreciate it
I should have a good "after action" report after this coming weekend
- City
- Biloxi
- State
- MS
Appreciate it
When is your red Scrambler going to be back on the road slacker
Great idea, let's see what the Jambo' is made of
We could hook up a draw bar to the front of "Yard Scrambler", I could drag you around all weekend while you steered and made engine noisesKind of wishing I had some Super Swampers after this weeks rain fall........................
- City
- Biloxi
- State
- MS
Well I'm kinda partial to Red Scramblers... that is one nicely built machine.
Going to be representing the Scrambler very nicely at Moab.
Appreciate it red mistress
It think it came out pretty good considering it is my trail Scrambler. Now, your original paint 82 Scrambler is definitely
I can't wait until my Moab trip
I think this bright red Scrambler should stand out pretty well in a sea of JK's/TJ's/Cherokees/Buggies
I just hope it performs well, too
You need to load up your built '83 Scrambler and meet us out there................
red mistress
Red Jeep Collector
- City
- Piney woods
- State
- tx
Moab
Man, would definately enjoy wheeling with U.
Been to Moab Easter Jeep... one time on honeymoon 2001.
I had just finished Scrambler after building from 1999 to the night before wedding.
Never seen rocks before and on first day 15 minutes into fins-n-things trail, a Scout flops right in front of us.
Had to winch him back up on feet and it took off rolling dragging me down hill.
Never will forget pressing brakes & installed hydroboost when got home.
In 2001 Wheeling had just got real hardcore.
Watched Steve Rumors roll the Avalanche Sniper... while going backwards up Potato Salad.
Pat Gremillion had just narrowed his Bronco and endowed it.
Met Rod Pepper and Rick Russell.
Also met group from TX whom I still keep up with.
Had a great time!!
I feel hardcore is over and most peeps are going back to having a body on frame nice rig to drive and do normal trails and family camping.
Your vintage CJ Scrambler with decals and soft top will definitely be one of the nicest Jeeps at event.
Man, would definately enjoy wheeling with U.
Been to Moab Easter Jeep... one time on honeymoon 2001.
I had just finished Scrambler after building from 1999 to the night before wedding.
Never seen rocks before and on first day 15 minutes into fins-n-things trail, a Scout flops right in front of us.
Had to winch him back up on feet and it took off rolling dragging me down hill.
Never will forget pressing brakes & installed hydroboost when got home.
In 2001 Wheeling had just got real hardcore.
Watched Steve Rumors roll the Avalanche Sniper... while going backwards up Potato Salad.
Pat Gremillion had just narrowed his Bronco and endowed it.
Met Rod Pepper and Rick Russell.
Also met group from TX whom I still keep up with.
Had a great time!!
I feel hardcore is over and most peeps are going back to having a body on frame nice rig to drive and do normal trails and family camping.
Your vintage CJ Scrambler with decals and soft top will definitely be one of the nicest Jeeps at event.
- City
- Biloxi
- State
- MS
Mine are the "Supersliders"
The "rock rails" do not have the bar that protrudes out from the body
- City
- Biloxi
- State
- MS
That definitely sounds like it was a fun/interesting trip
I guess I am a little ahead of the curve, I never really got into the super hardcore stuff. I can definitely appreciate the "extreme" built rigs and buggies, and I know my basic Scrambler could not go where they go, but I always liked the "dual purpose" nature of a Jeep, i.e. being able to drive it on road as well as off. But, with this "balance" approach, certain capabilities must be compromised in order to keep the vehicle a true dual purpose rig. I still enjoy driving my buddies "built YJ" (LT1, 60-14 bolt combo, dual detroits, 4:1, 39" Maxxis Crawlers, double bead locked rims, full hydro steering, linked and air shocked rear suspension, full cage, etc.). It is a very capable rig, but it is boring to drive on easy to moderate trails, it is basically just point it where you want to go and it just goes. You have to seek out the hard stuff to find a challenge. Where as with my little Scrambler (basically stock), even the easy/moderate stuff is fun and challenging. Plus, I saved money on not having to buy a tow rig and trailer, but I spent that money on two other Scramblers
It would be great if you come riding with us
I appreciate the compliments, and I will again compliment you on your fine collection of beautiful CJ-7's and CJ-8's
- City
- Biloxi
- State
- MS
Instrumentation Updates
This Scrambler has always had a "bouncing" speedometer. I took the speedometer apart awhile back and discovered that there were some pieces that had worked loose off of the speedometer needle assembly. There was no way that I could repair this. So, I swapped in another, used speedometer assembly. Since this is my Scrambler, and the original speedometer broke, I rolled the replacement odometer back to zero. Surprisingly, it is not too terribly hard to do this, and you can not tell that the odometer has been tampered with. BEWARE low mileage Jeep claims that seem suspicious.
IF I ever sell this Scrambler, it will not be based off of miles. And besides, there is not much "original" left on this Scrambler. The miles on the old odometer were at 167,000. Basically, since I rebuilt the thing, I wanted to keep track of "my" miles.
So, I changed the speedometer head. Before I swapped the new speedometer in, the old speedometer quit working all together. I spun the speedometer cable with a drill (in reverse) and the speedometer works. Spun the Vehicle speed sensor, speedometer worked. Pulled out the gear, this is what I found:
Obviously, new gear on the left, broke gear on the right. I am going to have to say that this is my fault. When I put the transfer case back together, I did not put the speedo gear housing back in the transfer case correctly. Depending on tooth count, there are 3 distinct "clocking" locations of the housing. I put mine in wrong, caused the gear to bind, and it broke.
The picture below shows how it should go. I have a 33 tooth gear, Note how the "mark" (colored black) on the gear housing aligns with the mark (NOT the big threaded hole, but the thin "cut" to the left of the threaded hole) on the output shaft housing:
Now my speedometer works, and it is almost dead on. The odometer works, too. For my combo, 33" BFG's, 4.10 gears, 33 tooth speedometer gear seems almost perfect. I checked my speedometer on the interstate by driving along side my buddies stock truck: 2,500 rpm=78mph, which is what my speedometer indicates.
But, to show how everything is not always "hunky dory", I broke my VSS nut, the one that secures it to the speedometer housing. The nut split, I over tightened it:
I ordered a new VSS, mainly for piece of mind. I will repair this one with a blob of JB weld on the outside and keep it as a spare. But, the current broke one is holding tight. Of course, I break it right before a long road trip. Good thing Hesco is in nearby AL, but next day air still sucks.
Since I had the speedometer out, wanted to nail down my fuel/temp gauge issues. Remember, I am using the expensive Mopar replacement gauges, not factory gauges or the cheap replacement gauges. The temp gauge pegs out, fuel gauge stays stuck between half and full, until you go below half, then it rapidly drops to "E", and you are then coasting into a gas station.
On my temp gauge, the plastic part of the gauge that plugs into the metal speedometer housing had popped loose when I plugged the gauge in, causing a ground issue. I reassembled it correctly.
On the fuel gauge, but really for both gauges, I ran a dedicated ground wire to one of the screws that holds the speedometer head to the speedometer housing.
And now I have this:
The temp gauge is showing normal, fully warmed up operating temperature, right in the middle. I am happy with this. This gauge is now functioning perfectly.
When I reassembled the gauges, the fuel gauge was reading 3/4. I went to a gas station, it took 5 gallons to fill up a 20 gallon tank, so it was reading correctly. The picture above is capturing the fuel reading with a full tank. I wish the needle was completely covering the full line with a full tank, but if it works consistently and always shows this reading while full, I will be happy. This weekends road trip should help me determine if my gas gauge is working, plus I should be able to get some accurate mpg calculations, too.
That's it for now.
This Scrambler has always had a "bouncing" speedometer. I took the speedometer apart awhile back and discovered that there were some pieces that had worked loose off of the speedometer needle assembly. There was no way that I could repair this. So, I swapped in another, used speedometer assembly. Since this is my Scrambler, and the original speedometer broke, I rolled the replacement odometer back to zero. Surprisingly, it is not too terribly hard to do this, and you can not tell that the odometer has been tampered with. BEWARE low mileage Jeep claims that seem suspicious.
IF I ever sell this Scrambler, it will not be based off of miles. And besides, there is not much "original" left on this Scrambler. The miles on the old odometer were at 167,000. Basically, since I rebuilt the thing, I wanted to keep track of "my" miles.
So, I changed the speedometer head. Before I swapped the new speedometer in, the old speedometer quit working all together. I spun the speedometer cable with a drill (in reverse) and the speedometer works. Spun the Vehicle speed sensor, speedometer worked. Pulled out the gear, this is what I found:
Obviously, new gear on the left, broke gear on the right. I am going to have to say that this is my fault. When I put the transfer case back together, I did not put the speedo gear housing back in the transfer case correctly. Depending on tooth count, there are 3 distinct "clocking" locations of the housing. I put mine in wrong, caused the gear to bind, and it broke.
The picture below shows how it should go. I have a 33 tooth gear, Note how the "mark" (colored black) on the gear housing aligns with the mark (NOT the big threaded hole, but the thin "cut" to the left of the threaded hole) on the output shaft housing:
Now my speedometer works, and it is almost dead on. The odometer works, too. For my combo, 33" BFG's, 4.10 gears, 33 tooth speedometer gear seems almost perfect. I checked my speedometer on the interstate by driving along side my buddies stock truck: 2,500 rpm=78mph, which is what my speedometer indicates.
But, to show how everything is not always "hunky dory", I broke my VSS nut, the one that secures it to the speedometer housing. The nut split, I over tightened it:
I ordered a new VSS, mainly for piece of mind. I will repair this one with a blob of JB weld on the outside and keep it as a spare. But, the current broke one is holding tight. Of course, I break it right before a long road trip. Good thing Hesco is in nearby AL, but next day air still sucks.
Since I had the speedometer out, wanted to nail down my fuel/temp gauge issues. Remember, I am using the expensive Mopar replacement gauges, not factory gauges or the cheap replacement gauges. The temp gauge pegs out, fuel gauge stays stuck between half and full, until you go below half, then it rapidly drops to "E", and you are then coasting into a gas station.
On my temp gauge, the plastic part of the gauge that plugs into the metal speedometer housing had popped loose when I plugged the gauge in, causing a ground issue. I reassembled it correctly.
On the fuel gauge, but really for both gauges, I ran a dedicated ground wire to one of the screws that holds the speedometer head to the speedometer housing.
And now I have this:
The temp gauge is showing normal, fully warmed up operating temperature, right in the middle. I am happy with this. This gauge is now functioning perfectly.
When I reassembled the gauges, the fuel gauge was reading 3/4. I went to a gas station, it took 5 gallons to fill up a 20 gallon tank, so it was reading correctly. The picture above is capturing the fuel reading with a full tank. I wish the needle was completely covering the full line with a full tank, but if it works consistently and always shows this reading while full, I will be happy. This weekends road trip should help me determine if my gas gauge is working, plus I should be able to get some accurate mpg calculations, too.
That's it for now.
Last edited:
- City
- Biloxi
- State
- MS
Have a safe and enjoyable weekend enjoying the fruits of your labor. Very nicely done my friend.
Appreciate it Toby, it should be fun
Although, with all the rain we have had down here the last few days, maybe some Super Swampers and a snorkel would be a good upgrade
On the bright side, at least it wont be dusty
- City
- Biloxi
- State
- MS
Post Sicily Island Report
After the road trip and off roading, I still have a few issues:
1) Speedometer needle still bounces. I noticed when I removed the carpet one of the screws that holds the speedometer head to the housing fell out. I need to reinstall this screw and re-grease the speedometer cable, hopefully that will fix this issue.
2) I have a very slight "death wobble" only between 45-50 mph. My lift came with slightly longer shackles, which changed the factory caster angle of around +3-6 degrees to 0. I will shim the front axle to regain the required positive caster angle. I knew the caster was off, seeing as how I have zero "return to center" steering characteristics.
3) Fuel gauge still does not work correctly. It reads right from full to 3/4, then stays at 3/4 for about 175 miles. When it shows a quarter tank, there is only two gallons left. I will change the gauge, check grounds, and if that does not fix it, drop the tanks and change the sending unit. Temperature gauge works 95% of the time.
Other then that, the Scrambler drove great. It worked really well off road, too. I love the 4:1 gearing and the much better "less tipsy feeling" I have after going down to 33" tires. There were a few times I missed the ground clearance I had when I had the 35's, but the over all performance gain of the downgrade in tire size was worth it. The only place 4:1 does not work well is in mud, but i will trade some mud performance for the excellent low speed control I now have.
I only took a few pictures, I left my camera in the tent the whole time. Two pictures of the Scrambler packed up ready to go. The extra bed space of the Scrambler is very nice.
A quick picture just to prove that yes, this thing does get dirty.
And now for the pictures everyone has been waiting on, the carnage pictures. The first pictures show the damage that my buddy Joe did to the Scrambler. He accidentally rear ended me on the trail. It was a muddy, tight section of the trail that weaved tightly through some trees.He was looking out his door at the ground, his passenger was doing like ways. I was going really slow in 4 Low, First gear. He did not anticipate "closing the gap" between the jeeps so quickly. His "boner bar" broke my driver side rear tail light and dented the back corner.
He was very upset about this. Surprisingly, it did not bother me too bad. This is a Jeep after all, and I do take it off road. Scratches, dents, and broken parts are all part of it. I just charged him for a new tail light and considered it "case closed". I will wait until I damage it some more before I start to worry about getting dents and scratches fixed, if ever.
The next picture shows some damage to the paint behind the passenger door opening. I either did this when I slid sideways off the trail into a dirt wall, or when I was playing in some wash outs. It will buff out.
Now, for the rock sliders. They seem to work really well. I got the Scrambler stuck on a steep, rocky uphill climb, that tilted to the driver side. My entire Scrambler's weight was resting on the driver side slider, on a tree root. I kept trying to climb, but the front diff was on a rock, and the rear tire was in a hole, trying to climb a root. I repeatedly rocked the vehicle forward and backwards, trying to continue the climb. The entire time, I watched the slider. It would deflect slightly, but never contacted the body. For slow speed impacts, they work great.
On the same hill, I went to back down, came off the brake and clutch thinking it was in reverse, it was in neutral. It rolled down hill pretty fast, back tire came down off a rock, the whole vehicle slammed down on the passenger side slider. I "think" I heard the "metallic crunch" sound at this time. After washing the Scrambler, i found this damage. Look below the decal, the "white" line.
I think the slider deflected up and hit the bottom edge of the rocker. I did not think it would deflect this much, considering there is about 1" of clearance between the rocker panel and the top of the rail. After washing it, I found the tell tale red paint on top of the rock rail. It slightly bent the bottom edge in a few places, enough to crack the paint/primer. I am going to sand the cracks out, re-prime the damaged areas to prevent rust, then mount up the factory chrome rocker moulding to cover up the damage.
So, in conclusion, I will say the rock rails work great for low speed, sensible driving. If you are going to hit stuff hard and stupid, use something else.
Even with all the dents and scratches, I am still very happy with my Scrambler. The 4:1 transfer case gears, Ox Lockers, fuel injection, etc. make it a pretty capable little off roader, no "big boy" stuff obviously, and it still rides great down the road.
And besides, the scratches and dents just show that I am using it for what it was made for. The more "broke in" it gets, the more comfortable I am with it.
I still have my green Scrambler to try and keep "perfect". Those first few dent on the red Scrambler are almost "liberating".
That's it for now.
After the road trip and off roading, I still have a few issues:
1) Speedometer needle still bounces. I noticed when I removed the carpet one of the screws that holds the speedometer head to the housing fell out. I need to reinstall this screw and re-grease the speedometer cable, hopefully that will fix this issue.
2) I have a very slight "death wobble" only between 45-50 mph. My lift came with slightly longer shackles, which changed the factory caster angle of around +3-6 degrees to 0. I will shim the front axle to regain the required positive caster angle. I knew the caster was off, seeing as how I have zero "return to center" steering characteristics.
3) Fuel gauge still does not work correctly. It reads right from full to 3/4, then stays at 3/4 for about 175 miles. When it shows a quarter tank, there is only two gallons left. I will change the gauge, check grounds, and if that does not fix it, drop the tanks and change the sending unit. Temperature gauge works 95% of the time.
Other then that, the Scrambler drove great. It worked really well off road, too. I love the 4:1 gearing and the much better "less tipsy feeling" I have after going down to 33" tires. There were a few times I missed the ground clearance I had when I had the 35's, but the over all performance gain of the downgrade in tire size was worth it. The only place 4:1 does not work well is in mud, but i will trade some mud performance for the excellent low speed control I now have.
I only took a few pictures, I left my camera in the tent the whole time. Two pictures of the Scrambler packed up ready to go. The extra bed space of the Scrambler is very nice.
A quick picture just to prove that yes, this thing does get dirty.
And now for the pictures everyone has been waiting on, the carnage pictures. The first pictures show the damage that my buddy Joe did to the Scrambler. He accidentally rear ended me on the trail. It was a muddy, tight section of the trail that weaved tightly through some trees.He was looking out his door at the ground, his passenger was doing like ways. I was going really slow in 4 Low, First gear. He did not anticipate "closing the gap" between the jeeps so quickly. His "boner bar" broke my driver side rear tail light and dented the back corner.
He was very upset about this. Surprisingly, it did not bother me too bad. This is a Jeep after all, and I do take it off road. Scratches, dents, and broken parts are all part of it. I just charged him for a new tail light and considered it "case closed". I will wait until I damage it some more before I start to worry about getting dents and scratches fixed, if ever.
The next picture shows some damage to the paint behind the passenger door opening. I either did this when I slid sideways off the trail into a dirt wall, or when I was playing in some wash outs. It will buff out.
Now, for the rock sliders. They seem to work really well. I got the Scrambler stuck on a steep, rocky uphill climb, that tilted to the driver side. My entire Scrambler's weight was resting on the driver side slider, on a tree root. I kept trying to climb, but the front diff was on a rock, and the rear tire was in a hole, trying to climb a root. I repeatedly rocked the vehicle forward and backwards, trying to continue the climb. The entire time, I watched the slider. It would deflect slightly, but never contacted the body. For slow speed impacts, they work great.
On the same hill, I went to back down, came off the brake and clutch thinking it was in reverse, it was in neutral. It rolled down hill pretty fast, back tire came down off a rock, the whole vehicle slammed down on the passenger side slider. I "think" I heard the "metallic crunch" sound at this time. After washing the Scrambler, i found this damage. Look below the decal, the "white" line.
I think the slider deflected up and hit the bottom edge of the rocker. I did not think it would deflect this much, considering there is about 1" of clearance between the rocker panel and the top of the rail. After washing it, I found the tell tale red paint on top of the rock rail. It slightly bent the bottom edge in a few places, enough to crack the paint/primer. I am going to sand the cracks out, re-prime the damaged areas to prevent rust, then mount up the factory chrome rocker moulding to cover up the damage.
So, in conclusion, I will say the rock rails work great for low speed, sensible driving. If you are going to hit stuff hard and stupid, use something else.
Even with all the dents and scratches, I am still very happy with my Scrambler. The 4:1 transfer case gears, Ox Lockers, fuel injection, etc. make it a pretty capable little off roader, no "big boy" stuff obviously, and it still rides great down the road.
And besides, the scratches and dents just show that I am using it for what it was made for. The more "broke in" it gets, the more comfortable I am with it.
I still have my green Scrambler to try and keep "perfect". Those first few dent on the red Scrambler are almost "liberating".
That's it for now.
Last edited:
- City
- Baton Rouge
- State
- La
Man that sucks. It seems like the worst part was getting rear ended by your friends boner bar. Even though you say ya'll were taking your time it looks like he hit it pretty good. If I were you I'd put him in the front next time. I'm sure there will be more damage in the future but hopefully not so painful for you.
Look good dirty too.
Look good dirty too.