Topics

It's time and I need to fund the Wagoneer restoration:

Have some pics and more info here: //detroit.craigslist.org/mcb/cto/2333369441.html

And lots of info and pics on the eBay auction:
//cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250807074203&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT#ht_1820wt_862

2004 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon - $13,500/obo
53,000 miles
4.0L Inline 6 cyl.
5spd.

Aftermarket Upgrades:
Rubicon Express 4.5" Superflex suspension lift
35x12.5R16 ProComp Xtreme Terrain tires (includes a full size spare) - about 60-70% tread left
JKS Quicker Disconnect sway bars (adjustable up to 6" of lift)
Skyjacker SoftRide Nitro shocks
SkyJacker dual steering stabilizer
Tom Woods rear CV driveshaft
Tatton front CV driveshaft
SKB front winch bumper (custom designed and built)
Olympic A/T slider rear bumper & heavy duty tire carrier
ARB Snorkel
K&N air filter
Tuffy Overhead Security Console
Cobra 29 WX NW ST CB with whip antenna and mic (mounted inside the Tuffy Overhead Console)
Tuffy Security Subwoofer Console
MP3 Antenna Bypass (plug in your MP3, hit the switch, tune to 88.5 and the antenna shuts off and your MP3 player plays through the stereo)
Jeep Add-A-Trunk
KC Slimline OffRoad lights mounted on the windshield with windshield hinge brackets
Bestop Sunrider Soft Top (complete top and frame replacement)

Extras:
All receipts of the parts and any work that been done (outside of my garage) to the Jeep
Brand new windshield due to a stone chip and crack...I literally just had this replaced on Friday (April 8th)
The new owner will also get a Bestop tonneau, windjammer, and Safari bikini top setup that goes with the Jeep. Can be viewed here: http://www.bestop.com/bestop-product/?p ... ops-safari I also have a Bestop HighRock lower cargo rack that goes with this setup for the new owner: http://www.bestop.com/bestop-product/?p ... ck-systems
Also, if interested, I have a pile of spare/extra parts that can be worked into the deal. Otherwise, I will probably sell them independently.

*****The pictured Warn winch is NOT included in this sale*****

Well...it looks like we are officially the proud owners of a 1986 Grand Wagoneer. Its been completely redone with 10,000 miles on the engine, tranny, and transfer case, new interior, new 4" lift and new 31" all terrains. There really isn't anything left anymore that hasn't been gone through or replaced except the axles and the wiring harness at this point. I will try and post up some pics as soon as I can. The unfortunate part is that the beast is sitting in NC waiting for me to pick it up....so there is a road trip in my future for this weekend!!

There are two quater sized surface rust spots that will need to be taken care of before they spread and the wood grain vinyl panels are beginning to fade a little, so I am probably going to replace those as well (although the "naturally patina is kinda cool to me). I am also going to need to change out the 4wd vacuum motor ($50) to get the 4wd working again. Other than that, though, it is spot on.

This is going to be my daily driver and I have to pay my bank account back...so it looks like the Rubicon is going to be up for sale in the next few weeks. I will also have a boat load of spare Wrangler/Rubicon parts up for grabs once the Rubi is sold. Just matters on what the new owner will want to take with them. Keep an eye out in the For Sale section in the next few weeks for some parts and the Rubi!

 ::woot::

[Moolenaar begins petition drive opposing proposed changes to Huron-Manistee forest use management plan]

Moolenaar begins petition drive opposing proposed changes to Huron-Manistee forest use management plan
Friday, February 04, 2011

LANSING – State Sen. John Moolenaar said today that he opposes a proposed land and resource management plan that would ban firearm and snowmobile use within certain areas of the Huron-Manistee National Forests.

"Communities throughout this region have come to rely upon the existing recreational attractions offered within the forests," said Moolenaar, R-Midland.  "Any limitations or restrictions would greatly impact area residents, tourists and local economies at a time when Michigan cannot afford to restrain growth and development opportunities."

Moolenaar is collecting signatures for an online petition to oppose the plan being considered by the Huron-Manistee National Forests.  To sign the petition, please go to http://www.SenatorJohnMoolenaar.com.

"My office has been inundated with calls, e-mails and letters from concerned residents that oppose the changes," Moolenaar said.  "Hundreds of people have attended area meetings and have expressed their disagreement with this concept.

"These forests have served as a staple for countless rural communities in the 36th Senate District by providing the means for commerce and tourism. I join with community leaders and local residents in standing against this unnecessary change."



Here is the letter between John Moolenaar and Huron Manistee National Forests:
//www.senate.michigan.gov/gop/senators/moolenaar/20110203_Moolenaar_HuronManisteeLetter.pdf

And here is the petition if you would like to sign up:
//www.senate.michigan.gov/gop/senators/moolenaar/petition.asp

So, long story short, I have come to the inevitable conclusion that I need a new front driveshaft. I am getting ready to order one and I went out to the garage this morning to pull my current one and to take measurements. Figured since I was ordering a new one, why not just go ahead and pull the old one off while I was out there before I end up with serious issues if the current shaft just fails completely, right? WRONG!

The bolts at the axle, although blue Loctite-ed, came off without a problem. I had a good angle at them and they were easy to get to. 2 minutes and they were off. The bolts at the transfer case were a new issue altogether. After bending myself into some interesting circus contortionist positions, I was able to get a nice little 5/16" socket onto the first bolt behind the CV joint and with a little doing, finally broke it loose and got it out....3 more to go. I examined the bolt for any thread mishaps and noticed yellow Loctite....great! After messing with the next 3 bolts for 2 hours and not getting them to budge what-so-ever, I managed to strip two of the heads, so they're nice and round now, and I bent a 5/16" box end wrench to a 90 degree angle (literally).  ::trout::  After continuing to try and come up with ideas of how to get these Loctited bolts out without being able to see what I am doing, not being able to get much pressure on them because of the confined space, and not being able to get a wrench or socket to bite on them anymore, I finally gave up and put the 5 bolts that I managed to get out back in.  :evil:

So my big questions follow:

1) Why is the Jeep manufacturing plant so obsessed with using Loctite on everything?? Seriously...are they personally trying to piss me off?

2) How much do the Jeep design engineers make to come up with goofy ideas like putting the bolts for the front driveshaft back behind the CV joint in the most impossible place to get to and in such a confined area that you can hardly even fit a wrench in there...let alone get a big enough wrench on the bolts for enough torque to break free yellow Loctited 5/16" bolts.

3) Should I sue for a new 5/16" combination wrench?

4) Does anyone have an amazing idea on how I can get these rounded bolts out now? I've tried smaller combo wrenches and sockets, tried some vise grips, etc. without any luck.

5) Does anyone feel brave enough to give me a hand in getting these bolts out and getting the new driveshaft installed once it arrives?

I am so frustrated at this point that I am considering just taking it to a shop once the new shaft arrives and letting them deal with it. I just hate when things like this beat me.  :evil:

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 ::ouch::

Since I high-jacked RallyKid's posting, I thought I would post the pics of my broken bumper in a new topic....here you go Neil (and anyone else who cares):

Here's the unbroken side:


And then a series of the broken part:

So, as some of you had noticed and chimed in on, I was looking for a new front driveshaft for my Rubi. After a visit to the mounds and then a visit soon after to Silver Lake, I was getting an obnoxious rattling sound coming from the front of the Jeep. After a bit of diagnosis between myself and Mumbly's Offroad, we narrowed the issue down to the spline shaft within the front driveshaft. Thinking I was going to have to replace the entire shaft and fretting about the prices of even used driveshafts these days, I started looking online to find out if there was any type of replacement or rebuild kit type thingy for the inner spline shaft. Not so much! But I did find that this is a fairly common problem and actually has a name....Angry Sparrows. I guess, as it turns out this spline shaft is greaseable (although there are no actual grease fittings) and it really doesn't come greased very well from the factory. So I cut the rings on the dust boot and moved it the best I could (it gives about 1.5 inches on each end when you slide the boot), shoved my grease gun inside the boot and gave it a VERY healty dose of waterproof grease...being very careful not to rip or tear the boot itself (I did plan on using black gasket maker to repair any tears in the boot that I may have caused, but it turned out to be pretty durable when I started moving it around). Once the spline shaft was all greased up, I put the boot back in place and secured it with two zip ties on each end. And whaddya know....no more angry sparrows...well at least so far so good!!

So I thought I would post this up in case anyone else runs into this issue. Personally over the 14 years I have owned Jeeps, I had never heard of the Angry Sparrows, nor had I ever given that spline shaft and/or dust boot on the front driveshaft much thought. From what I understand, this is a non-serviceable part at the dealership and is easily remedied....and much cheaper than buying a new (or used) front driveshaft.

 ::Jeep::

I am looking for a functional front drive shaft (stock is fine) for a 2004 Rubicon (4.0 litre). If any has one lying around let me know....mine has about bit the dust!

Thanks!

I haven't really heard anything...when is the September meeting going to take place? This weekend is Labor Day and the following weekend (I think) is Drummond Island, right? Just wondering.

Thanks!

 ::Jeep::

So I was on my way to work this morning, and all of a sudden there was a huge bang in the rear of the Jeep. So I pulled over, looked underneath and guess what....the driveshaft wasn't there! I looked down the road and there it was, laying on the shoulder.

I managed to get the Jeep home in 4wd and crawled under it. From what I can tell the CV Joint broke. I have the 1350 CV Joint from Tom Woods, which is supposedly "The 1350 series universal joint is suggested if your intended usage would be the most aggressive "hard core" type of four wheeling". HA!!

So here is the list of carnage:
Broken CV Joint
Broken U Joint (both ends sheared right off)
Sheared bolt at the rear pumpkin
And who knows what else that I haven't found yet.

I currently have the bolts (that are holding whats left of the CV Joint on the Jeep) soaking in some 40 and a call into Tom Woods (they don't open for another hour). I am a little agitated to say the least, considering I spent $500 on this thing and it blew up for no apparent reason....I haven't been wheeling since the last time I went to the Mounds with Phitte and the crew....before Thanksgiving I think?

Anywho....I am on a "work from home" day, so if anyone is in the Richmond area and wants to stop by to see the carnage in person, feel free! I will try to post up some pics as soon as I get all this garbage worked out. I will also update throughout the day, if anyone wants to keep up on the saga....I am a bit curious to find out what Tom Woods is going to do about this.

If anyone is interested, I have all the pieces to my old Rubicon suspension (stock) and a 2" RE Budget Boost that I will let go with it. I think the only thing missing is a set of shocks and the longer bolts for the BB.

If anyone wants it and has the motivation to drive to Richmond to pick it up....make me an (realistic  :mrgreen:) offer!

Thanks!

I have a lead for a set of tow hooks for my wife's Liberty, but they are off a 2003....does anyone know if they will fit a 2005??

Thanks!

 ::Jeep::

I am posting this up for someone that I work with. She is looking to sell her 2wd Liberty ( :roll: ). It's actually in good shape, if anybody is looking for one. Here are the specs:

2002 2wd Jeep Liberty Limited (Red) - pretty well loaded
3.7L 6cyl
Automatic
Somewhere around 35,000 - 40,000 miles
I think she is looking to get around $9,000-$10,000 for it, but I will double check on that.

She bought it in FL and then got posted in Michigan, so she wants something 4wd...go figure, right? The Lib is in really good shape and I really haven't seen a flaw to it, in all honestly. This would make a good third vehicle, daily driver, or vehicle for a sondaughter turning 16...or well anything else really for that matter.

If anyone is interested, shoot me a PM and I will get you in touch with her. Right now she lives in the Mt Clemens area near Selfridge, but for a "motivated" buyer, I am sure she could meet half way or something.

Thanks!

Chris  ::Jeep::

Cost me $120, but at least all the dust from Africa is out of all the cracks and crevaces! It really does look 120% better than it did before. Heck...I can even tell the top is black now (as opposed to that redish-clay color from all the dirt!)

Of course...I spent all that money and they are calling for rain all week....figures.  :roll:

I finally got the Jeep back last night, but not without more drama, of course. Come to find out that the port in NY had left all the hazmat stickers on it, so when the driver was cruising down the road somewhere in Ohio....our good friends at the DOT pulled him over. Yep....and delayed him for about 3 hours or so until they did a thorough search of my Jeep and his truck....lovely! So, my Jeep that was SUPPOSED to be delivered around lunch time didn't show up until after 7pm. By the time I was finished with the inspection and the paperwork, it took me until 11pm to get it all back together and ready to drive to work this morning. But, hey...at least it is back finally!!  ::woot::

Now....for those of you interested....the shipment of the Jeep didn't come without a price. There were several issues with it that I am still discovering. I posted up in the tech section about the ones I have found so far. Feel free to check it out and/or post up any ideas:

//www.whatliesbeyond.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1450

Thanks!

Chris
 ::Jeep::

Well...I did finally get the Jeep back last night and worked on it until 11 pm getting it put back together to drive to work this morning.

So...when it arrived, it looks like they strapped it down in the container wrong and LITERALLY rubbed the rubber off all 4 tires in places, right down to the threads! They are still holding air, but are kind of untrustworthy to me....so it looks like I have to replace all 4 of my 35" Dunlops. I can guarantee that someone is going to get a bill for that!! Also....they managed to blow out one of my rear shocks. That one is easily remedied, though and I already placed the order on 4wd.com.

But here is the real kicker....The steering is REALLY squirrelly on the road. The Jeep kind of feels like it has a mind of its own and I am fighting it to stay in the lane at times. And lane changes on the hwy are really a harrowing experience! It just sort of wanders between the lines and when I try to straighten it out, it feels like the Jeep (or steering) is overcompensating....even with the slightest nudge to the wheel. And then it pitches a little back and forth until it straightens itself out. It wasn't like this AT ALL when I left it to ship, so I have no clue what it could be at this point. I don't think it is the tires, but I guess it is possible.

I really had no idea about this steering issue until I was already on my way to work, so I am going to crawl under it tonight and see what I see, but I am also going to give 2 Track Minds a call as soon as they open this morning, with the hope that they can fit me in on Saturday morning. In the meantime, though....does anyone have any ideas what could have caused this goofey steering/tracking issue?

Thanks!

Chris

 ::Jeep::

I didn't want to say anything until all the odds and ends were finalized, but it is official...I got a job and start on Monday!!!  ::woot::

I will be working for a DoD contractor down at Selfridge ANGB as their Senior Systems Engineer. It's a bit of a haul, but I can deal for a while...gotta do what ya gotta do, ya know? Melissa and I are already looking for houses, so it looks like we will moving in the next few months as well. Don't worry, I am going to remain a member of WLB....I just may not make it to as many meetings as I would like. I will still be at the BBQ on Saturday and the meeting on Sunday, though.

 ::woot::  ::woot::  ::woot::

So....

As many of you know, I just got back, in January, from a 2 year posting in Rwanda at the U.S. Embassy. I ended up not selling my Jeep (2004 Rubicon with a WHOLE LOT of work and parts) so I sent it back to the States.

Fast Forward to this past Friday:

On the 5 month anniversary of my leaving Rwanda, I still hadn't heard ANYTHING about the Jeep...and I mean I heard NOTHING through all that time. I had been begging for info, but no one had been forthcoming with anything.

Seeing that I was the Senior IT person at the Embassy there, I know all the email address naming conventions throughout the Department of State...especially in Rwanda. So I decided to start emailing choice people in the Embassy about where my Jeep was. I cc'd the U.S. Ambassador to Rwanda (thought he might like to know how well his employees perform when it comes to other people's property  :evil: ) and an entire line of Americans and Rwandans that have anything to do with shipping. Let's just say that the email that I wrote and sent all through the Embassy was not the nicest email I have ever sent...to say the least  :twisted:
 
So, the email that I sent was basically begging for ANY information at all. ANYTHING! Up til this point, I was still expecting it in my driveway (it should have already arrived, to be honest). So since I hadn't heard anything at all...I decided to inquire. The emails started to fly Friday morning (EST) and I received a response that basically stated it was in Belgium (the DoS storage facility where they transition personal property between the U.S. and any place to the East) since March 30th! Yep...as of Friday....the Embassy had left it sitting in Belgium for 45 days without doing a thing other than sending a periodic email, of which they received no response and didn't bother following up. So...another....nastier email was sent to EVERYONE again with a closing paragraph that stated:

"I am incredibly disappointed in the manner that the U.S. Embassy in Kigali handles employees' (former or not) personal property. I hope that this issue gets resolved in the VERY near future and I would appreciate any information that anyone can provide as it transpires. I have not taken any formal action concerning this, but if these types of unprofessional delays continue, I feel I will have no choice."

Let's just say that the rest of the email was nowhere near as nice  :twisted: .

Fast forward to this morning....

I had also included a few choice people in Washington on the email sent on Friday, to include my ex-father-in-law, who is the former head of the storage facility in ELSO. Come to find out, the Embassy never notified Belgium that the Jeep was shipped from Rwanda to Michigan, via Belgium.

Yep....they never told Belgium that a $30,000 Jeep with $20,000 worth of mods was even heading their direction. So...Belgium all of a sudden ends up with a Jeep on March 30th and they have no idea why it is there. Nice, huh? Well...I also got about 4 emails from 4 different people this morning that have ALL stated that my Jeep is NOW scheduled to depart Belgium and arrive in Baltimore on June 11th. It should have already been here, but at least something is happening, so I am a little more calm now.

As I stated in one of my nasty grams to the Embassy (with the Ambassador cc'd):

"Once again, I have had to take matters into my own hands to solve this issue. I do not understand why I am able to work on this all the way from Michigan, but the people in the position to do this efficiently are "feeling useless". If a former IMS in Michigan can end up solving this issue with NOWHERE NEAR the resources of the General Services Section in Kigali...."

And the funny thing is....not only did I solve this without the resources that the shipping department in the Embassy in Rwanda has....I managed to do it in less than 1.5 working days.  

And people wonder why I left my cushy job as a Diplomat.  :roll:

My old TJ SoftTop and Frame is free to anyone who wants to come to Saginaw to pick it up.

Before everyone gets excited about this....let me tell you why it is free....

The Good:
It is off my 2004 Rubicon and its that goofy rare color....I think they call it Sierra or Slate or something...sort of a cross between Gray and Kakhi. It has all the tinted windows and such as well. And the top itself is in tolerable shape...no rips or tears that I am aware of, at least, and the "plastic tuck-under" pieces are all there.

The Bad:
The back window is in good shape, but the zippers are all chewed up. The top fabric is pretty dirty (authentic Rwandan road dust) and would DEFINITELY need a good cleaning.

The Ugly:
The frame is broken in two spots (from my roll-over in Brazil), but could be used for parts, I suppose. I pretty much used my old top and frame as scavenger parts in Rwanda for any Jeeps  in town (there were actually 2 or 3 in the country that would periodically show up at my house looking for parts) that needed zippers and such, so there is a lot of zipper heads missing.

For the most part, I think the top and frame could be used for spare parts or something creative...I dunno. If anyone is interested, the first one to Saginaw can have it!

P.S. It is from a full Hard Door/SoftTop combo.

Thanks!

 ::Jeep::

Gone!!! My cousin and I hauled the railing to the dump on Saturday.

Thanks!!

Chris

 ::Jeep::

Is anyone planning to go to Jeep Blessing on Saturday or Sunday (May 2nd & 3rd) in Mesick? Melissa and I are seriously considering trying to pull it off combined with a trip up north...she is really interested in trying to be in the Guiness Record setting for the longest Jeep parade. Here is the info link:

//cadillacjeepers.com/