Matt's Cheerleader Jeep buildup thread...

NotMatt · Jul 2, 2006

Paulie said:
tube fenders and boatside the thing would make it look bitchin

The boatside rockers are definitely in the works... going to tie them into the cage and tie the cage into the frame. Haven't figured out all the details yet, I'm just happy to ALMOST have it on the road.

Kelly · Jul 3, 2006

VERY cool Matt, looks killer

NotMatt · Jul 3, 2006

How sacreligious is it to put a Marlin Crawler sticker on a Jeep? Think I'll get beat up? Marlin makes some nice bolt-on wheel spacers for the 6 on 5.5 lug pattern, just ordered another set to match my front pair, and I know there will be a sticker in the box.

blackcj71 · Jul 3, 2006

Looking good, How wide are you outside tire to outside tire?

NotMatt · Jul 4, 2006

mg:

The transmission is out. That is all.

(I'll have get someone to help me measure tomorrow for the width on the front)

NotMatt · Jul 4, 2006

SYE got installed today. Man, now I know why people say "get a good pair of c-clip pliers"... that sucked getting those things on and off with my crappy parts store special c-clip pliers. :redneck: But, it's done... now all I have to do is figure out how to get the output adapter off the YJ AX15 and onto the XJ AX15 and I'm golden.

Comet · Jul 4, 2006

NotMatt said:
How sacreligious is it to put a Marlin Crawler sticker on a Jeep? Think I'll get beat up? Marlin makes some nice bolt-on wheel spacers for the 6 on 5.5 lug pattern, just ordered another set to match my front pair, and I know there will be a sticker in the box.

Haha! Go for it. It'll make people think about what you're running.
I don't have any stickers on my Jeep, so I guess you could say for me any sticker would be a sacriledge. But I know I'm in the minority here.
Great progress man.

BTW, I took my axle out of my '61 F100 and it's in line to be dropped 4" as we speak, so thanks again for all the info. on your dads truck.:clappy:

Kelly · Jul 5, 2006

Totally bitchen Matt

NotMatt · Jul 11, 2006

I can hardly stand the excitement. Transmission is back in, exhaust is hooked back up, t-case is on and ready to go. Tomorrow my rear wheel spacers show up... tomorrow evening I'll be aiming the rear pinion a bit better and fully welding the perches on the rear axle, hooking up the rear brake line, filling all the fluids and bleeding the brakes and taking it for a test drive in FWD.

Should have rear shocks by this weekend and a rear driveline as well. Need to build the anti-wrap bar and take it into the exhaust shop for some re-working to get around that, and then wire up my winch... and... I'll be ready for a shakedown run.

Oh damn, I forgot I have to figure out why the battery keeps going dead even though the alternator seems to be putting out current... must have a draw somewhere.

MarcW · Jul 11, 2006

replaced two grounds on my heep, and it starts after two weeks of sittin with a 525 CCA batt.

used to die after 2 days :clappy:

Rock_Crusher · Jul 11, 2006

NotMatt said:
I can hardly stand the excitement. Transmission is back in, exhaust is hooked back up, t-case is on and ready to go. Tomorrow my rear wheel spacers show up... tomorrow evening I'll be aiming the rear pinion a bit better and fully welding the perches on the rear axle, hooking up the rear brake line, filling all the fluids and bleeding the brakes and taking it for a test drive in FWD.

Should have rear shocks by this weekend and a rear driveline as well. Need to build the anti-wrap bar and take it into the exhaust shop for some re-working to get around that, and then wire up my winch... and... I'll be ready for a shakedown run.

Oh damn, I forgot I have to figure out why the battery keeps going dead even though the alternator seems to be putting out current... must have a draw somewhere.

I hate jealousy... you'll be wheeling soon.... :flipoff:

let us know what you come up w/ for anti wrap?

NotMatt · Jul 11, 2006

MarcW said:
replaced two grounds on my heep, and it starts after two weeks of sittin with a 525 CCA batt. used to die after 2 days :clappy:

Well, I took the battery out... but this particular little problem started happening about a week before I parked it for this tear-down. It would run fine once you started it... the alternator was putting out 14 volts or so, and the rig ran off the alternator forever... but starting it would slowly drain the battery over the course of a few days it seemed. Drove home one night in the dark with no trouble, soon as I pulled in the driveway and shut it off, the lights went dim to almost nothing and I could just barely restart it...

Damn electrical crap, I hate troubleshooting stuff like this, but I guess I need to get in there and check all the connections between the alternator and the battery first.

Cascade_Crawler · Jul 11, 2006

Amp output?

NotMatt · Jul 12, 2006

Grrr.... this sucks. I got the steering all put together and adjusted and my drag link is too short! What's the deal with wrangler boxes... seems like it turns much further to the left than to the right... so much so that since I measured for the drag link with the pitman arm pointed straight back, my drag link is too short now for enough adjustment to let it turn steering stop to steering stop. I can turn all the way left to the stop, but the box stops before I get to the right.

Is this normal? Should I just lengthen the drag link and make sure I get it close to steering to the stops with the wheel centered and not worry about where the pitman arm is pointed when I'm going straight down the road, or what?

NotMatt · Jul 13, 2006

Tonight is the first "shakedown" drive... just gotta fill up the tranny/t-case, bleed the brakes and the clutch, fill up the diffs, and hook the rear driveline up. :clappy:

Let's hope I don't have to make too many right-hand turns.

:redneck:

CrustyJeep · Jul 13, 2006

NotMatt said:
Well, I took the battery out... but this particular little problem started happening about a week before I parked it for this tear-down. It would run fine once you started it... the alternator was putting out 14 volts or so, and the rig ran off the alternator forever... but starting it would slowly drain the battery over the course of a few days it seemed. Drove home one night in the dark with no trouble, soon as I pulled in the driveway and shut it off, the lights went dim to almost nothing and I could just barely restart it...

Damn electrical crap, I hate troubleshooting stuff like this, but I guess I need to get in there and check all the connections between the alternator and the battery first.

Diodes... Learn how to work that fancy scope you have and I bet you'll be able to see the funkdified pattern.

CrustyJeep · Jul 13, 2006

NotMatt said:
Is this normal? Should I just lengthen the drag link and make sure I get it close to steering to the stops with the wheel centered and not worry about where the pitman arm is pointed when I'm going straight down the road, or what?

That's that I would do. When your right front tire droops out you'll have the bumpsteer from hell, causing you to be unable to turn right all the way to the stops.

NotMatt · Jul 13, 2006

CrustyJeep said:
Diodes... Learn how to work that fancy scope you have and I bet you'll be able to see the funkdified pattern.

Or just replace the alternator with the spare I have and not worry about it?

CrustyJeep · Jul 13, 2006

NotMatt said:
Or just replace the alternator with the spare I have and not worry about it?

Now where's the fun in that

NotMatt · Jul 13, 2006

Rock_Crusher said:
I hate jealousy... you'll be wheeling soon.... :flipoff:

let us know what you come up w/ for anti wrap?

I will definitely do. I am still unsure how I will end up doing it, but I have a good picture in my head. The exhaust on this rig needs to be re-done anyway, so I'm going to rip off what's there all the way up to the manifold, build the anti-wrap bar near the diff on the passenger side of the rear axle, and then take it to the exhaust shop and tell him to do whatever he's got to do to make the new exhaust work around it.