Alberta LJ

[Canadian Moose]

Nice transformation.

I'm hoping to pick up an LJ Rubi in a few months so I'll be watching closely!

Thanks! So much to do yet on the LJ. Have you found one yet?

Love that new fastback soft top. Might look into that when my soft top dies.

Thanks! They are pricey ($800) but nice to have it frame-less.

Good stuff! (and nice 8274!)

Thanks! I cant wait to get the winch back on the jeep. I need to repaint the front grill one of these days.

I looked at that rig on-line before I bought my 04 Rubicon.... "Repo" on the title made me a little gun shy of it though... great looking rig now - nice that some TLC and cash will cure most DPO crap up... I really like the look of the LJ now I am kind of wondering if I should have gone that way as well... no complaints on the TJ - would have been nice for the dogs...
:smiley_drive:

Yeah, at the time I didnt think it was so bad. A lot of issues have come up that shouldn't be wore out already. The previous owner drove it pretty hard. Once I fix them I should be set for awhile.

 

[Canadian Moose]

Thermostat

One little side note. I picked up a new thermostat at napa. When I got home the box said 180 but I really wanted a 195 for the winter. After bringing it back and finding out that the box was just mislabeled. I have a bit of knowledge to share. Thermostats actually are stamped with the temperature rating on the brass bit (see the "inside" of the following photo)



Here is a photo of the old one. Stuck wide open.

 

[Canadian Moose]

Day 3, hard top!

A few updates.

Ordered up a Motion Offroad Track Bar (http://motionoffroad.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=13_30_231&products_id=134)
When it comes in I will install it with some JKS discos I got from a friend. Can't wait until my jeep starts handling better.

Also found an hard top this week for $500. Picked it up yesterday. I love it, sure beats the soft top! It has been snowy and cold (-37C or -34F) It came from a Tan rubicon, what do you guys think?

Funny story relating to the hard top. When I got to the guys house I noticed something dragging behind my jeep. One of the bar pins on the rear shock had snapped! One more thing to fix. I might ride with 3 shocks and outboard the rear shocks as well as replace them with a bilstein or OME. Also noticed that these shocks were rubbing on the coil buckets... ulg

 

[wardrow]

Personally I like your LJ and I am glad to see it went to a good home. Now all you need is a rear storage system RTT, and so on, and so on. :victory:

 

[ccarm]

Hardtop for $500...what a deal!!

 

[Canadian Moose]

Personally I like your LJ and I am glad to see it went to a good home. Now all you need is a rear storage system RTT, and so on, and so on. :victory:

Thanks! Those are on the list I would like to have all the kinks worked out, body work done and TJ tub trailer done by spring. I am thinking about mounting a RTT on the trailer though. The trails in Alberta can be very tight. What do you guys think?

Hardtop for $500...what a deal!!

Haha yup! I thought I would never find one... just goes to show... never give up. Kijiji ******!

 

[wardrow]

Thanks! Those are on the list I would like to have all the kinks worked out, body work done and TJ tub trailer done by spring. I am thinking about mounting a RTT on the trailer though. The trails in Alberta can be very tight. What do you guys think?


Ditch the trailer and keep the Jeep self sufficient!

 

[Canadian Moose]

Thanks! Those are on the list I would like to have all the kinks worked out, body work done and TJ tub trailer done by spring. I am thinking about mounting a RTT on the trailer though. The trails in Alberta can be very tight. What do you guys think?


Ditch the trailer and keep the Jeep self sufficient!

It will still be self sufficient I wont be wheeling with the trailer. The trailer is mostly just to hold camping stuff and large items like RTT or Kayaks. Basically if I want to go out one weekend everything is ready to go. Tools and spare parts will still be stored in the jeep while the trailer remains at camp.

The mountains are 3-5hrs away. From what I understand, towing a light weight trailer will have less of an impact compared to adding height... both for gas mileage and maintaining a LCG. Not to mention wheeling with a RTT wouldnt fit most places I go.

For my area and current needs I think a small trailer is best. However, it might totally be different for you and your area :victory:

 

[Canadian Moose]

Well I brought the jeep into a dealer to investigate why the 6 speed transmission wasn't shifting very well and was constantly popping out of reverse.

Stopped by to check on the progress...

I brought it in February 3, 2011 and got it back March 1, 2011 looking like this:

The transmission was replaced under warranty... but not without complications.
At first they were going to replace just the syncros as they were worn. The parts needed were in the USA and it would take a week to 10 days to get them. When the parts arrived I was told that they were damaged in shipping and it would be another week to 10 days. I was ok with that... until I found out they were lying. Turns out the mainshaft was seized into the rear output bearing. The rear case broke upon removal attempt. Thus a new transmission was ordered. Thats when Chrysler was notified and my jeep was flagged due to all this spending. They requested service records which I didnt have (new vehicle to me). This is when the dealership really blew it. They are pretty much the only one to see the jeep since I bought it, but they refused to sign off... they suggested I "buy" a safety inspection from a mechanic even though the jeep was in their lot with no transmission. WHAT DOES A SAFETY INSPECTION HAVE TO DO WITH SERVICE RECORDS!? Not to mention I had already waited a few weeks... and the new transmission had arrived. After playing phone tag for a few days I had it. I went in to speak in person to get this resolved. Ended up talking to the dealer principle and we got it all sorted out. I picked up the jeep on Tuesday with a new transmission. The only cost to me was a throwout bearing for the clutch.

What a hassle!

 

[Canadian Moose]

If you look closly in some of the photos you will see that the rear tailgate is bent and twisted beyond repair. This is due to the previous owner using a heavy 33" TSL (measured to 35") on the stock carrier. Additionally I think he may have backed into something.

(I will find a photo)

Well I started working on the red parts jeep tailgate. It was badly rusted on one hinge and slightly rusted on the lower one.

I will see if I can find a good before photo.

I removed the carrier and latch mechanism.

Here is all the rust cut out

There is a floater nut strip that needs some guidance so I welded two support pieces. They will also be welded at the top.

We then sand blasted the whole area and hit it up with some black rust paint.

Then came the tedious process of spot welding/ tacking the sheet metal into place. They are not pretty.... it was hard to keep from burning through... not to mention you only weld a quarter of an inch at a time then do lay another bead on the other side... and go until everything is covered.

I thought it would look awesome if all the holes in the tailgate were welded up and ground smooth.

This was the tool of choice

Thanks again for Phil and my brother for the help!!!!!

 

[Canadian Moose]

Paint day... first of many

Had a chance to paint the hard top and tailgate last weekend. We didn't quite get enough base down on the hardtop. I will have to touch it up this summer.

How does it look?

 

[BIGdaddy]

How does it look?

very cool. Like the silver surfers jeep.

 

[alexfm]

very cool. Like the silver surfers jeep.

Second that! That looks sweet! :sombrero:

 

[Canadian Moose]

Thanks Guys! :victory:

 

[College Kid]

Looks awsome! Where you at in Edmonton? If your brother's up for it I might have a bit of light body work for him. What brand of soft top is that? I've being going back and forth on going the frame less route or not.