SOLD! The YJ is on it's way to a new owner in the endless wheeling ranges of New Mexico. Hopefully it's out there kicking butt and taking names on some obstacles that aren't covered in moss and mud for once. The old worn out Iroks should really shine on the gritty rock out west. Farewell and godspeed to the Jeep that got the addiction started for me!
I've learned a lot from the YJ project, and hope to work that into my next build. I can't help but feel a little premature bailing on it just as soon as I finally got full hydraulic steering figured out and gathered all the parts to enter the world of multi-link suspension. However, my life doesn't have the room for as many projects as I dream up. I also was rapidly approaching the point of diminishing returns with the list of changes I wanted. I built the YJ tough for sure, but left a lot of voids in doing so. The T-18 is bulletproof, but my clutch finesse is lacking and the gap between 1st and 2nd left a lot to be desired sometimes. The same could be said of the 203/205; you won't find a tougher, more simplistic setup, but it's long, heavy, sloppy, and really only a 3 speed (or 2 speed in my case since 4.10 gears and 39.5"s meant no hi-hi range opportunities). The propane system was awesome, but empty tanks were sudden and made fuel sharing very difficult out on the trail. And even with the expensive, high-zoot Novak radiator, the 351w just never did cool right. I'm sure it was a tuning issue, with either the timing being off or the cam being less than ideal. Combining all of those minor nuances with the fact that the YJ leaf springs would barely survive a handful of trips before reshaping, and the wheelbase left a lot to be desired...the list of modifications and tweaks I wanted to make, extrapolated by the time it would take to do them and the extent of teardown to do them all most efficiently, basically made the project a wash compared to simply putting a fuel injected engine with auto trans into the already longer, way cooler, CJ-8 sitting next to it. Starting with the Scrambler would also give me the opportunity to undo the full hydro steering and mindless body and interior hacking and get back to a street friendly platform that I could cruise on the weekend and exponentially increase usage, making it more worthwhile in the long run compared to a purpose built rig. At least that is what I'm trying to convince myself.
Long story short; it's time to move on...