Just another Jeep

Somecallmetimm

Adventurer
Thank you. It's been tough.
Time for some wrench therapy... and a little bit of wild escape to get centered and grounded.

On a side note... I recently scored a Camp Chef Sherpa and moved out of the wooden crate kitchen I've been using. Shaved off nearly #15 in the kitchen, and gained a table in the process.
The TJ wheels are growing on me. I really like the handling especially on long trips. It seems to have better grip on the road with the smaller contact patch. And the improved mileage helps.

Best of all, the oil pressure gauge finally works in the XJ... Had to do some rewiring to make it happen. It's always nice being able to finally fix chronic problems.

More to come...
 

Somecallmetimm

Adventurer
So I found a good deal on a fairly new 100ah AGM battery and picked it up, the guy ended up giving me a solar controller and inverter when I picked up the battery. So with 2 controllers and a couple panels of varying capacity, I'm working toward setting up 2 power sources, one in the back of the XJ with a lead battery to act as power for accessories, cooking lights, air compressor, etc, then another separate setup for the trailer for lights, device charging and other stuff.
Pix to come.
In the meantime, I was getting ready to do a brake job on the family truckster, popped open my wrench set and saw this.
Typical.

20230513_110507 by Tim, on Flickr
 

shays4me

Willing Wanderer
At least it's there. ?
I’ve spent many a dollar on eBay replacing single sockets that were missing. My ocd won’t allow a incomplete set and that’s the only place I’ve found tools that are identical to the ones I’ve lost or didn’t get when I picked up the tools used.
 

Somecallmetimm

Adventurer
At one point last year, I was gifted a whole bunch of tools, mostly inexpensive chromoly stuff, and most of it was sae. However i did find a few treasures in the bunch. One of which was a good hand full of 10mm sockets. I surmised that they were all sockets that had wandered off from other's kits, and formed a commune only to be discovered and granted to me.

The new world mantra is "waiting on parts..."

Ok, so not jeep or even mine (but as the fleet manager, they're mine to maintain) We just got our first of 4 RCI SmartCaps (finally) installed on a new work truck, and man is this thing impressive! It's been a pain getting it here, but it's worth it. High quality and super secure. Initial impression is that it's well worth the price and wait. Unfortunately due to shipping snafu, the other 3 won't be showing up for another couple months.
New RCI SmartCap by Tim, on Flickr

Back to your regularly scheduled Jeep content.
 

Somecallmetimm

Adventurer
Always looking for a good deal, just scored a Canon t7 for about half the cost of new, and considerably less than most used ones. It even came with an extra lens. The problem? Minor issue with the focus screen and the original battery is shot. The focus screen has no affect on photos, and can be easily overlooked, and eventually fixed. So I grabbed the new camera and did a photo shoot with my favorite subject...

IMG_9297 by Tim, on Flickr

IMG_9303 by Tim, on Flickr
 

Somecallmetimm

Adventurer
And so it begins. While I may not be at the perfect point to start a big project, I finally got tired of tripping over the axles in my garage. The swap has begun. I was also motivated by the worsening leak at the rear main seal... something that's a lot easier to swap out when there's no axle in the way. Convenient.

20230616_205310 by Tim, on Flickr

20230616_224221 by Tim, on Flickr

Got the shocks, sway bar links, steering and track bar removed from the axle. Next is to crack open the brakes and tackle the springs. Hopefully I can squeeze enough time in between work and the rest of life, to have the jeep ready for a trip at the end of the month. If not, the TJ will have to fill in.

I'll be swapping axles for a d30/c8.25 combo with lockers, upgrading suspension from 3" to 4.5" with new shocks, replacing rear main seal, and upgrading the gas tank to a 25 gallon ZJ tank. Lots of work to be done in a couple weeks... wish me luck.

More pix to come.
 

Somecallmetimm

Adventurer
Recent family trip.. Kansas to Idaho and back. Travel time was rushed too much to enjoy, but we were focused on time in Boise with family rather than time along the route enjoying the trip. Turns out, I'm the only one who likes traveling back roads... go figure. Regardless...
Boise is beautiful, but the population has exploded there and this was the first time I left without wanting to head home, pack up all our stuff and move back. It was very sad.
A few pix from the trip. Enjoy...
 

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