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Parking Lot Gem from the Desert Rebuild

Nice! You gotta love the old Willys. That thing puts a smile on my face every time I drive it.

Well after some more disassembly I'm discovering some scoring on the cylinder walls, and the timing chain was pretty darn loose. It's getting more and more expensive the deeper I dig.
 
Just find a good used 4.0. You clearly have all the means to pull one out of something. Part out whatever it comes from and you can break even or better.
 
Well the measurements confirmed some things. The block is .060 over. The crank is .020 under on the rods and .010 on the mains. The rod that was knocking (#2) has a standard bearing in it!!!!!! I have never heard of such a thing!!!! Every bearing is wiped out and the cam bearings don't look too great either. This is going to make a good boat anchor. I think the best thing to do is put a good used 4.0 in there and be done with it.
 
I found some cracks in the frame that needed attention.



This one's right by the engine mount.


Weld 'er up!



I decided to stitch weld the frame rails from the front end to about halfway back. The factory welds looked poor at best and were starting to fail along both rails in spots.





Up by the front crossmember.


Up by the crossmember on the passenger side. You can see a crack that runs all the way down the the lower part of the frame rail. I welded it up but haven't taken a picture of it yet.



By the shock mount.


Pass side engine mount.


Hopefully that will help with the cracking issues. I have to address a major stress crack issue up by the front pass. spring hanger but that's a job for tomorrow. Stay tuned....
 
Is it just the shadow from the camera flash or is there a good bit of separation between the two sides of the frame at that seam?
 
There is definitely some separation there, but it's only in a few spots and the flash definitely makes it look worse than it is. I would say it's probably between 1/64th and 1/32nd of an inch at the worst spots.
 
I have some pictures to share finally. First up is the freshly painted frame. I used the KBS Rust Seal and BlackTop paint kit. I liked it very much and it went on very well and covered excellent. I highly recommend it.





I still need to paint the axles. That's a project for this weekend.

Next is the new engine for the Jeep. A 92 Wrangler 4.0 with supposedly 100K on it. I got it complete with everything you see here for $240. Not bad.



I tore it down and it needed some love in the bearing department and had a bad sludge problem. It is currently at the machinist getting cleaned, shot blasted, and magnafluxed. We'll see what it needs but plans right now are .030 over, new cam bearings, freeze plugs. Line hone the mains, and deck depending on what pistons I buy. Then I will reassemble into a 4.6 stroker. I've done a ton of research and it seems like a good way to go for my needs.



Next is my pile of parts. I went for the 2.5 OME lift with CS036R springs all around. New YJ spring plates and greaseable shackles with MORE conversion hangers and Warrior 4 degree shims. I also bought a new LUK clutch.

 
Howdy folks,

It's been quite a while since I've posted, but much has been accomplished on the build. First up is the engine. I've built a 4.6 stroker motor from the donor 4.0 I picked up last spring. It has a new SCAT 4.2 crank and a set of reconditioned 4.0 rods. ICON 944 pistons at 0.020" over. MOPAR 229 Purple camshaft and lifters. New stock valve springs and back cut valves. Three angle valve job with new seats and a ported head ported by myself in the garage. The head was decked .010" and the block .020". Custom length pushrods. The rotating assembly was balanced to under a half a gram at the machine shop and they also weight matched the pistons and rods. Standard King bearings were installed and I assembled the engine in the garage. I am very pleased with the work from my local shop ans I'm very excited to fire it up.

Next, I've been doing a TON of body work on the tub and its associated parts. All the dents were hammered out and all the cracks welded up. I cut out the passenger side floor pan due to rust through that was revealed with the media blasting. Several years of a wet carpet led to some pretty bad rust on the floor pan on that side. I guess it's not too bad if that's the only rust I have to worry about.

I set up a paint booth in the garage and shot everything with SPI Epoxy Primer. The booth is a positive pressure booth with two fans pushing air through furnace filters. It clears the overspray quickly ans works very well for my needs. I did the hood and fenders a few days ago and the inside and bottom of the tub today. SPI is great stuff and I'll be using their products for the rest of the build.

Tomorrow I will spray UPOL Raptor liner tinted to Jamaica Beige in the inside and underside of the tub as well as the underside of the front fenders. It seems like everyone has good results with it so I'm excited to try it out.

That's it for now, I'll keep up with the build as I go along. It's starting to come together now!



















 
That's one heck of a set up you've got going on! Keep the pictures coming and good luck moving forward. I'm waiting on my OME kit to arrive.
 
WOW! Great garage build, I had missed this thread before and really enjoyed the story as well. The Jeep couldnt have gone to a better owner...I am subscribed! :cheers:
 
I coated the underside of the tub and fenders, as well as the tailgate and cab divider with UPOL Raptor Liner tinted to Jamaican Beige. It sprayed easy and covered well. I like the texture and I am very pleased with the result, I highly recommend it.






















 
I also started the body work. I put some filler on the tailgate and got it sanded very flat.



Next, I filled some shallow dents on the hood, and also got it sanded out nicely. I used Rage Gold filler. It filled awesome without pinholes and feathered excellent.





Today, I sprayed sealer, base, and clear on the dash and grill. I've been using all SPI products. I used the Epoxy Primer thinned out 25% as a sealer, and I sprayed 3 coats of PPG Omni base. I didn't think the base covered very well and the nest panels I paint will need 4 coats or ill have to lay it on thicker. I sprayed 3 coats of SPI Universal Clear. This is my first time spraying BB/CC, and I'm adjusting my technique as I go. I'm very pleased with the clear. I got some runs, but they'll sand out. I'm excited to see some color on this thing!









 
I think everyone's going to be excited about this. Great work. That liner looks like chocolate, good enough to eat.
 
Don't know how I missed this thread. Nice work dkg4244. I am local to you, in fact I am storing my Scrambler over in Forestdale for the winter at a relatives house. If you ever need a hand just let me know. Also would love to see that Jeep in person some day.
 
Lookin good. I used the raptor liner but left it as black. I like yours better. It would look good with the white paint I used. I follow the SPI forum and when I run out of what I'm using I want to try their epoxy primer. How good does it sand after the wait period? I currently use Kirker which works good, just want to support the forum and the price is reasonable.
 
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