Twister Jeep Build

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Polarfire
Posts: 95
Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2012 2:02 pm
Location: Columbia, MO

Re: Twister Jeep Build

Post by Polarfire »

Great build! Any more updates?

Topic author
nstevic01
Posts: 38
Joined: Fri Feb 09, 2018 9:03 am

Re: Twister Jeep Build

Post by nstevic01 »

OK, so I’m a little late. But here is almost another 10 months of updates in a single post. It looks like I left off at the floor pan repairs, man so much has happened since then. Here we go!

January 2020

Well this sucks, I don’t have any pictures of the floor pan repairs, so you are just going to have to take my word for it. 😊
I do have the hole I cut in the floor, well one side anyway

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I also decided to seal up the firewall where the old heat and A/C passed through. Since I am using the vintage air system, I wont need these holes.

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My Stage 2 700R4 with a K case arrived from Novak!! This will give me the much needed overdrive for cruising at highway speeds.

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Coincidentally, I was able to sell my complete manual setup. Got it on a pallet and shipped out.

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February 2020


Cab is off now, if you look closely, you can see part of the floor pan repair. Surprisingly the cab was WAY lighter than the bed.

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The paint guy sent me a picture of him getting the bed straitened out.

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Also ended up selling my old block. Getting it on a pallet, you can see the boxed up pallet for the trans swap in the background.

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Frame is all naked, waiting on a repaint and some suspension work.

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Also settled on a color, had to ride up in 30 degree weather for 90 mins to look at the color samples against the bed. Final color choice is Chrysler Sunshine Yellow.

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Snagged a blurry picture of the bed repairs while I was there. Tailgate now sits flush with either side.

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Started working on correcting the paint job on the block. Its all about the details!

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While I was waiting for the paint to dry on the block. I decided to take off the front shocks, there was easily 2.5” of compression. It looks like they reused the stock height shocks when they did the SOA conversion. On the plus side, my front springs went right back to their curved self instead of being flattened out.

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Topic author
nstevic01
Posts: 38
Joined: Fri Feb 09, 2018 9:03 am

Re: Twister Jeep Build

Post by nstevic01 »

March 2020

First picture of the painted bed! Although, as you will see later, looks can be deceiving…

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Started working on relocating the makeshift swaybar end links. They had them mounted to the lower shock mount. The plan is to flip the spring plates to the correct orientation and have a stock setup. As you can see here, the bolt needs to be cut to even get the damn things out.

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Also removed this dangerous bit. Going to have to convert to a crossover steer setup.

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More pictures from the painter, another angle of the bed and one of the hood. Pictures are deceiving….

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And here we have what I will call “D Day”. At first glance, everything looks ok. But as you start going around and looking at all the areas, you will see what a BEEP job it is. I seriously lost all confidence in the painter at this point. The pictures literally speak for themselves. After bringing this up to him, I was assured everything would be fixed at the end after final assembly.

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Topic author
nstevic01
Posts: 38
Joined: Fri Feb 09, 2018 9:03 am

Re: Twister Jeep Build

Post by nstevic01 »

April 2020

On to replacing the shock towers. I ordered the set from BJs, but when installing them, they did not line up with the existing bolt holes. I ended up having to file out the hole to get the bolt in.

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Managed to get the plates flipped around. Debating if I really need to weld up the opening, the u joints don’t move at all when torqued down.

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May 2020


Got the valve covers on.

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“D Day” part 2 – Cab was delivered. Even more of a BEEP show. It looks like almost no prep work went into it. I guess he couldn’t be bothered with removing a foam piece prior to painting… granted some of this wont be visible, but he didn’t know that. Seriously, how hard is it to do a good job?!?

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Anyway…on to progress. Cab is back on the truck. I couldn’t find any pictures of the repainted frame, I had degreased it, pressure washed it, then did 3 coats of black tractor paint. Came out nice.

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Topic author
nstevic01
Posts: 38
Joined: Fri Feb 09, 2018 9:03 am

Re: Twister Jeep Build

Post by nstevic01 »

Got the bed back on as well. I had removed that 3” lift block that I showed a long time ago. Ride height looks way better and the truck no longer rakes forward.

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Cleaned up the steering shaft. I was almost tempted to clear coat it and keep it this way. At this point I was still looking for the lower shaft from a XJ.

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Literally a solid day of sandblasting on these, then another day to paint, and another to cure. The spots you see are just dust and dirt that blew on after curing.

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Started working on replacing the door pins. I noticed I was missing one of these spacers. Made up a new one out of plexi. Ugh…that second shot’s paintwork….

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And here she is on first assembly. A lot of this will be coming back off for one reason or another though. But she needs to be together for the paint guy.

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Rebuilding the hood latch.

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Hopefully this is the last time I take her to the paint guy.

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Time to get started on that dashboard. This would turn out to be a 3 day journey of wire wheel, sand blasting, hand sanding, priming sanding, painting.

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Welded in some new mounts for the dual post radio.

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Obligatory test fit…

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My Bulltear order arrives…finally. But sadly, it is incomplete, they forgot half the order.

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Wasting no time getting the timing cover painted and installed. Getting ready to put the new Flowkooler pump in. New fuel pump and motor mounts installed. Little did I know, something important was missing in this picture….

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Moving right along now, Sniper Hyperspark distributor installed, brackets, balancer and main pulley.

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Milodon pan in…I debated for a very long time whether I would spend the money on this thing vs. refinishing one of the two I had. I will say, I’m glad I did now.

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Dash paint is going on. I opted to go with a Satin black.

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In between coats, I test fit the Doug Thorley headers. Clearance was less than optimal on the driver side…

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Last edited by nstevic01 on Wed Nov 04, 2020 2:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Topic author
nstevic01
Posts: 38
Joined: Fri Feb 09, 2018 9:03 am

Re: Twister Jeep Build

Post by nstevic01 »

On top of the clearance issue, the locking header bolts I bought from BJs don’t fit the headers. Ill have to use washers on the final install.

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June 2020


Opted to go with heat resistant tape on the oil pan since the header is going to be so close.

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So the truck is back from the painter. He addressed most of the issues and created a new one. In the second picture you can see what looks like a rough texture on the doors. Im guessing its overspray. He said all I must do is take a sponge soaked in warm water to it and it will come right off. Less than ideal, but I am done dealing with this guy.

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Vintage Air Gen IV unit going in…this is pretty much the only spot it could go without taking up leg room, hitting the wiper arms, and allowing room for bends in the lines.

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So I found this bulkhead coupler online. On paper it looked good, but once you get the crimped ends on, they stick out WAY too far on the inside firewall to allow for an unkinked bend. I ended up ditching it.

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So back to the Thorely headers. I ended up having to bang the BEEP out of the driver side pipe to get good clearance on the pipe. Since banging it voids the warranty, I figured I would wrap the headers while I was at it.

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Almost time to drop her in…

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Novak adapt spacer, flywheel and collar in. Sadly I could not find a picture with the 700R4 mounted before dropping it in the truck.

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Due to clearance issues with the engine hoist and hood of the truck, I ended up having to take the headers off. PITA.

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I ended up having to move the trans crossmember to the back set of holes, other than that, she fits like a glove.

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So I was on the FSJ Facebook page one night and I saw a post about the oil slinger and its correct orientation. Turns out, the block I had, they put it in backwards. So naturally I installed it in the same orientation I found it. Well…I had to open everything back up and fix it. Its stupid things like this that set you back.

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Back to the steering. So to fix the previous owner’s attempt at a cheap lift, I opted to pick up a Reid Racing knuckle conversion so that I could go to a proper crossover steer setup.

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Topic author
nstevic01
Posts: 38
Joined: Fri Feb 09, 2018 9:03 am

Re: Twister Jeep Build

Post by nstevic01 »

Let me preface this next part with the fact that a Stage 2 700R4 plus the parts needed for the conversion cost a whopping $3500 from Novak. The conversion parts alone were $1212.21 of that. This is the inspection cover they send you… it being plastic doesn’t bother me, but the fact that it is nowhere close to fitting the opening does. For as much as you pay for this damn thing, there should have been a custom cover. I do hear though, that a 700r4 inspection cover from a truck will fit. eBay has those suckers at over $100 though.

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Yes, this is the actual gap that is left. It does not come close to even filling the space.

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Obviously this ear needs to be trimmed off…

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August 2020


Back to the engine bay, huge mess of A/C and coolant lines going in.

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The new method for running through the firewall. This gave me the clearance and flexibility to run the lines correctly.

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Finished running the A/C lines. Just need to get vacuum on it to test for leaks.

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Gen IV poking out from under the dash.

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September, October, November 2020


Wiring begins…I opted to go with 0-gauge welding cable for all the battery and grounds. The stuff is super easy to work with.

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Interior is a rats nest right now.

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This is the start of a custom fuse/relay block that will sit on top of it. I separated switched power from direct power. This will run into the various relays and fuse in the box that will power the Sniper, Light bar, brush guard, and any other accessories I add in.

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This is the Sniper mount that I fabbed up, fuse box is on the side. You can also see the RobMC surge tank setup in the middle.

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So I made this custom plate for the wires to run through the firewall. While it works, I’m debating on cleaning up the factory bulkhead connector and re-pinning it. It should work for now, but I don’t think it looks good at all.

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Got the transmission cooler mounted up, just need to run the lines.

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Started to cut the hole for the Cargo Lamp switch to mount. Still need to file it out a bit more before drilling the holes for the screws.

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Bilstein 5125s all the way around and new brake hard and soft lines.

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Hood padding waiting to be installed

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Topic author
nstevic01
Posts: 38
Joined: Fri Feb 09, 2018 9:03 am

Re: Twister Jeep Build

Post by nstevic01 »

Fuel tank carrier waiting to be put in

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Bunch of other parts that were sandblasted, painting, and waiting for install.

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So there we have it, about 9 months of updates in one day. See you on the next one!

bigun
Posts: 1250
Joined: Sat Jun 11, 2011 8:20 pm
Location: Mountainair, NM

Re: Twister Jeep Build

Post by bigun »

Looking good!
I don't understand why if you pay somebody to do a job, they don't do it to the best of their ability, of course in this case the painter may have

Cgray
Posts: 9
Joined: Sat Oct 17, 2020 3:42 pm

Re: Twister Jeep Build

Post by Cgray »

Your work, and that truck, is deserving of a far better paint job. But you already know that.

sirrus
Vendor
Posts: 717
Joined: Fri Sep 13, 2019 11:13 pm
Location: Hillsboro, OR

Re: Twister Jeep Build

Post by sirrus »

Awesome build!
nstevic01 wrote: Wed Nov 04, 2020 11:35 am You can also see the RobMC surge tank setup in the middle.

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Can you share a bit more details about mounting RobbMC tank? I'm planning to get one as a part of my fuel injection upgrade and trying to see where and how others are mounting surge tank. Thanks!
Sometimes we reinvent the wheel not to have more wheels but to have more inventors

1988 Grand Wagoneer - AMC 360 with ProFlo4 MPFI, TF727, NP229 FOR SALE
2021 JLU Willys EcoDiesel - new shiny toy

littleblackjeep
Posts: 98
Joined: Sun Apr 16, 2017 6:51 pm

Twister Jeep Build

Post by littleblackjeep »

Any details on the hood padding? Mine is in need as well. That is rough about the paint work. Still going to be an awesome truck.

Also, did you change up your batt tray or use stock?


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sirrus
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Twister Jeep Build

Post by sirrus »

Hood padding looks like what BJs sells. I have the same one, holds up good after a year
Sometimes we reinvent the wheel not to have more wheels but to have more inventors

1988 Grand Wagoneer - AMC 360 with ProFlo4 MPFI, TF727, NP229 FOR SALE
2021 JLU Willys EcoDiesel - new shiny toy

soonerck
Posts: 14
Joined: Tue Jun 05, 2018 10:48 am
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Re: Twister Jeep Build

Post by soonerck »

Last post from builder is August 2020. Anyone know how it turned out?

Topic author
nstevic01
Posts: 38
Joined: Fri Feb 09, 2018 9:03 am

Re: Twister Jeep Build

Post by nstevic01 »

Funny you should ask. These last few months have been insane. ImageImageImageImage

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bigun
Posts: 1250
Joined: Sat Jun 11, 2011 8:20 pm
Location: Mountainair, NM

Re: Twister Jeep Build

Post by bigun »

Purty, You should be proud of your work!

rocklaurence
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Posts: 2565
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Re: Twister Jeep Build

Post by rocklaurence »

Looks Great. You now have a new truck 1 of 1 built :D
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coolhand75
Posts: 178
Joined: Sat Mar 25, 2017 11:21 pm

Re: Twister Jeep Build

Post by coolhand75 »

Good job


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Topic author
nstevic01
Posts: 38
Joined: Fri Feb 09, 2018 9:03 am

Re: Twister Jeep Build

Post by nstevic01 »

Oh man....it has been a rollercoaster ride of events in the last year. Looks like the last update was back in November of last year. Since then, I found out that Wakita had move the date up from September to May, which cut ALOT of time out of my build. I had to start picking and choosing what got completed, prioritizing things that the truck needed vs. what I wanted to get done. The decreased timeline will also cause some issues down the line... Sadly I did not take nearly as many photos of the progress as I should (since I was more focused on finishing in time), but I do have some stuff.

I took most of the holidays off and didn’t get back into the build until about February, again, this will bite me in the ass later.



February 2021

Finally got the BJ’s hood liner installed. While black side out is better looking, it was really designed to be grey side out. This was made apparent by the way it was assembled, plus is feels less “solid” this way. The material moves a lot when touched.

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Ended up starting my sleeve of builds as well. Eventually hoping to add a JP Jeep and a BTTF Delorean down the road.

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Got all the main power and ground cables done. Used welding cable to make all the positive and negative connections. A worthwhile upgrade.

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I managed to track down not two, but FIVE of the screen accurate KC switches, 3 single position bezels and a dual position bezel. Mounted them up in the screen used location.

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Finally got the voltmeter upgrade done in the cluster.

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Cargo Lamp switch finally in.

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Our group of builders managed to find the screen accurate “mug hooks”. I can’t believe they still make this design.

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4wd switch mounted, but not connected. I figured I would leave the case locked in the 2wd Hi position until I could sort out all the vac stuff ....another thing that will haunt me down the line.

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So my plans with the vintage air was to always use the stock A/C ducting to maintain the original look, but have modern A/C. The next couple of pictures show how much I had to cut out of it in order to make it work. Bracing was also needed to support the CB and Scanner that mount to the bottom of the A/C.

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Front end put back on and oil cooler mounted up.

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March 2021

Replaced the taillight sockets

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Installed the new Tom Wood’s Driveshafts.

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Finished getting sounds deadener installed on the roof panel. I went with two layers like the firewall. One of the Noico 80mil, then topped with the Noico 315mil. It’s probably overkill, but it helps ALOT with the cabin noise on this beast.

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So back to the transmission inspection cover debacle. The cheap plastic one that doesn’t fit, that came with the Novak Adapt kit needed to go. I managed to track down a cover from a early 90’s blazer that fits the 700r4. What I quickly learned is that it needed ALOT of modification to make it work. I had to cut what seemed like half of it off.

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After

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Due to the location of the transmission cooling lines, I needed to fabricate a bracket to hold them in place. I also ended up covering them with a fire sleeve as well. (Yes I know that exhaust bolt is way too long, that was just for mock up)

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Topic author
nstevic01
Posts: 38
Joined: Fri Feb 09, 2018 9:03 am

Re: Twister Jeep Build

Post by nstevic01 »

April 2021 – One month to Wakita!

I had ordered a rear sway bar from Jegs a while back and it came in a reasonable amount of time. I decided I wanted to tackle getting this thing installed. While I was down there, nothing seemed to line up at all. I double checked the part numbers and what do you know, they sent me the wrong one. I had ordered a 319 bar and they sent me a 2319. Reasonably I was pissed, but, it has now been like 6 months since I ordered it. I reached out to their customer service, and surprisingly they understood and promised to exchange it for the correct one with the understanding that it was back ordered until June. That’s fine, I pack it back up in a new box since I lost the old one and ship it out.

Fast forward two weeks later, I get a shipping notification saying the new one was on the way. I was beyond ecstatic. The day it arrives, I notice that it is in a weird box. I opened it up and something looked familiar... it was the EXACT same bar. Literally the one I packed up, still had the hardware in the ziplock bag and the 2319 label taped to the bar. I was beyond pissed at this point. So I reached back out to their customer service, they of course apologized and promised it would not happen again. This time though, they ordered me a new one before returning the old one, only kicker was they are now back ordered until September. No biggie, I won't have it for Wakita.

Original Bar

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“Replacement Bar”

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Engine bay wiring is now complete.

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Dash starting to go back together.

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While in talks with the screen used truck owners, I managed to convince them to get me measurements of the bumper so that I could make one. I mocked it up in sketchup to see how much material I needed, and it was off to the metal supply store.

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Getting the pieces mocked up

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Welding (and LOTS of grinding) begins!

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Test fit

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Back to the Vintage Air retrofit. Since it uses three controls and the factory unit only uses 2, I had to make something up in Sketchup for 3d printing. Don’t mind the print resolution, this was just proof of concept and will be cleaned up for the final version.

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I had some spare time, so I decided to tackle a want item. I had purchased all of the power window components from a Wagoneer and attempted to retrofit them into the J10. Couple things I learned, 1. The brackets on the glass are completely different between manual and power windows and 2. None of the mounting holes were drilled in the door to mount the damn thing. So on the set I got, one was a flex track and the other was the worm gear. I started by mounting the flex track unit. It immediately broke, cause that is what flex tracks do. I ordered another one from BJ’s (those things are freaking $75!!) While I didn’t get photos of this failed process, I did get photos of a creative solution I came up with to at least hold the windows in place, and maybe even rig up temporary power windows.

After looking through the internet, I stumbled upon window regulators for a early model Grand Cherokee. They looked surprisingly a lot like the manual window regulators I had. I took a chance and ordered the motors off ebay, about $20 each. This was the result:

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And a video of it in action

https://photos.app.goo.gl/EeymAswFJbESPova6



I got them installed and they actually work. But since I ran out of time to wire them up, they will need to remain up for the time being.



Got the air cleaner blocked off and repainted. I opted to keep a “factory-ish” look, but got rid of all the unnecessary bits on it.

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Got the license plate lights all wired up.

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Bumper brackets welded in

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