The '71 Wagoneer

[sierrablue]

Ok, so this weekend, I FINALLY got the oil pump to stop leaking oil. Took forever to get it, but I finally did.

I have a high volume pump on it, because when I first put it in ($200 used engine, was supposedly good but needed resealed, so it was in pieces. Came with Qjet/4-barrel manifold, short block, and the heads needed installed), it was sitting at JUST above 0 psi of oil pressure at idle. No knocking or anything, but it was so incredibly low. The high volume pump did fix that (I assume the bearings are just worn a bit)(but, since we have no idea on the mileage on the engine, and I'm sure the engine has never been rebuilt before (it's possible somebody upgraded the cam at some point, but I kind of doubt it), it's not totally unexpected. And it still has plenty of power and such, so why not run it as-is?

Anyway, after doing that, it always leaked. Like, badly. I tried resealing it so many times that the bolt holes in the timing cover got stripped, and I had to Heli-Coil them. And then it STILL leaked.

Finally this weekend, it was time for an oil change, and I decided to try it again. I got it all pulled apart, and was making sure that EVERY surface got totally cleaned (no pits, no gasket material, just bare, smooth, flat (watch the site scanner flag this as inappropriate ) surfaces. I still had the oil filter mount (bottom of the oil pump assembly, for those who don't know) from the other engine, and decided to look and see which was in better shape. Upon examining them, I determined that the one from the old engine was better, and got it all prepped. My dad came out and looked, and went "uh why is this one flat on the top?"

As it turns out, the plate/filter mount that I had on there before was resurfaced at one point (and frankly could stand to be again). Only they didn't resurface exclusively what they needed to--they went across the entire top section. This means that they made the top of the section the o-ring for the filter seals up against, flat, instead of round. I had just assumed it was right, but sure enough, the other one was round on top.

I also had a brand new booster plate (which is steel/iron) already, and because this one wasn't PERFECT, I decided to go ahead and put the plate in. A) It should last longer than the aluminum, and B) the aluminum had some very minor pits and things, so if I could get it to seal before that and not have oil potentially right up close to those pits, it would be less likely to leak.

I also resealed the oil pressure line (fittings in the block were leaking)(mechanical oil gauge; the circuit board is messed up where the light goes anyway), so that's not leaking anymore either. I'm sure the oil pan leaks a little, and maybe the rear main, but it is FAR better than it was. It was up to a quart every 2-3 days (~a quart a tank).

Next I've got to address the rear axle...looks to be spraying more and more oil around, which is a sign that the axle bearings are going out...

[sierrablue]

Alright, so I got some indoor/outdoor carpet to use for the cargo area--thinner and easier to keep clean than automotive carpet, and also cheaper. I ended up with carpet rather than a rubber mat because the mats are just too thick, and even the recycled ones aren't great for the planet (plus they're more likely to smell). It should also provide better insulation than the mats would. I plan to install that pretty soon here...and the wheel wells are going to be covered this time (maybe the tailgate too--I haven't decided yet).

Also got all of the stuff so I can rebuild the rear axle on it. I'm not going to mess with the gears (unless they're REALLY bad, then I might have to put the 3.31s we have in)(and then I won't be able to use 4x4)(lets just hope that it doesn't come to that). But the gear oil in there is NASTY, and the axle seals are leaking, so I have new seals, new bearings, and full synthetic gear oil to put in. I opted for the full synthetic because that's one less thing adding drag, and it SHOULD last longer/deal with temperature changes better.

I'm also going to replace the Ujoint straps on the rear Ujoint (on the rear axle), as ever since I replaced the joint, they've been coming loose and aren't in very good shape. And if I get REALLY ambitious, I'll replace the rear motor mount while I'm under there.

[sierrablue]

To start things off, I got my cargo area recovered. It is a huge upgrade over what I had previously, I'm very happy with it. I don't have to worry about scratching the tailgate or wheelwells anymore, it goes all of the way under the back seat, and is about 10 lbs lighter than the rubber mat I had before. Makes it nice and quiet too. (The one with the plane (English project, I read "Catch-22") is the only before picture I had.

Note:Tool kit, fire extinguisher, jack, jack handle, lug wrench, paper towels, and of course a snow shovel are all in the back. And I have a pillow and blanket in the back seat, and a tire inflater in the glovebox.

Oh, and the XJ was my mom's first car, it's an '84.

[sierrablue]

After I did the cargo covering, I pulled the rear axle shafts out and drained the pumpkin. I slowly got things done on that, and eventually got it all back together; bearings pressed on far more easily than I expected. Got it all back together the other day.

Looked up the part number on the gears and they're officially 3.54s. I knew they were around 3.50 but I didn't know for sure what the ratio was.

[sierrablue]

Also replaced a weird sticker that came on the Jeep with a new Sinclair sticker I got for Christmas.

[sierrablue]

So I decided on Thursday that since I'd gotten the Jeep back together and needed to go somewhere on Friday, I should take it for a test drive just to make sure.

Oh, forgot to mention that I got full synthetic diff fluid for it. I also stupidly pulled the brakes apart when I did the shafts, so I had to bleed them (did give me a shot to install my new braided stainless brake hose on tho), which was fine, they kind of needed it anyway.

So on my drive, I could tell right away that it wasn't right. It was pulling to the left oddly, and the hard to the right when I was on the brakes. It was really weird, and then when I was almost home (turned around right away), it started really smelling like brakes.

Got it in the garage, and the left front wheel was smoking. It was really weird, because I hadn't touched the front end. I checked right away, and the hub was cool to the touch still (so I didn't overheat the bearings), so that was definitely good. Got it all torn apart, and I couldn't retract the piston. It wasn't out far enough to be wedged, either, so it was bizarre. Got my dad to make sure I wasn't just weak, and it still wouldn't budge for anyone.

At that point, I called around until I found a place that had a caliper, and I went and picked it up (I did not take my Jeep). This caliper is awesome--it's the first new caliper that I've seen that came painted, and it came with 100% of the hardware. I got a new set of pads, too, and then got home and got it all bled (not perfect but so it was usable). Drove it yesterday and it didn't pull except under braking--then it pulled to the left REALLY hard.

Today I went through and changed the pads on the passenger's side, and it seems to be better, after a little bedding. The initial bite wants to go left, but after that it's straight when you're braking. I did some more bleeding on the brakes, and they're getting much better. I'd like to get them rock hard if I can, but they're good as they are. And you only use the first little bit of travel most of the time, which feels like power brakes honestly.

(By good I mean I hit them hard at 30 mph, on dry pavement, and it locked up all four tires)

[sierrablue]

The only other thing I did was tease myself with how the slots are going to look when I put those on. I like the look over the hubcaps I think, and I'm thinking I'll go for blackwall tires. They're less work and with the slots I won't need the whitewall--frankly the whitewall would probably make it too busy.

[sierrablue]

OK, I did some research on the paint/trim on the Jeep, from the factory. It was originally Island Blue (477), with Custom trim, and a Marlin Blue vinyl and cloth (I assume the cloth is carpet)(316).

The current color, Sierra Blue, was a Wagoneer color when they first came out, and was available on the CJs in 1971. So theoretically, in '71, it could have been custom ordered in Sierra Blue, and would have had the code 999.

[sierrablue]

Not sure why that first one is upside down, sorry. The last pic is the titles for the columns of the above color charts.

[sierrablue]

-20°F today, Jeep started on the second crank this morning, and after one revolution all the other times. Knowing the cold snap was coming, I washed it on Friday, because the roads are gonna be cleaner with the salt not really being effective at this temp. Between the bright blue, the chrome, and being clean and old, it was getting A LOT of attention on the road today.

I got an idle video but w/o a YouTube link I'm not sure I can upload it here.

[Yeller]

Really is a pretty truck, you've got a lot to be proud of!

[sierrablue]

Thanks Yeller!

[wimsurf]

those pictures are amazing! I love the detail with the Sled on the roof!

[sierrablue]

Thanks wimsurf!

Finally decided to put one pair (I got two pairs off Craig's List--they were a STEAL) of my early '70s NOS AMC "Splash Guards" (mud flaps, duh) on; the rear ones. I coated the back of the screws with POR-15, as soon as I drilled the holes. I didn't want to risk it rusting at all, although now where those screws go is pretty sheltered.

[sierrablue]

I also gave it a bath

A note to anybody who might ever try and install these mud flaps--if you want a more square look out of the flaps, and want them to be 100% behind the tire (as it sits it covers like 2/3 of the tire), you'll want to drill new lower holes, to allow it to tuck into the body line and everything a little better. I got the first one I did a little crooked, and knew if it was asymmetrical it would bug the crap out of me, so I very carefully measured and got the other one crooked exactly the same way

[Yeller]

Those look great on your waggy. I would thing the fronts would look just as good. And just to play with your brain, would make it symmetrical

[sierrablue]

Lol thanks Yeller! I think if/when I do the fronts, they line up more cleanly with the splash guards. Like I said, we'll see how I like these, and go from there.

[sierrablue]

Well, I got the wheels all polished up. I have one more on its way (matching spare!!!!!!!), but I don't think it will be as much work to get that one polished up. It looks like it's been better taken care of in its life. These ones were on a plow Cherokee that was just absolutely beat on. Also I'm going to run the stock center caps.

I'm thinking that I'm going to get another set of relatively cheap all seasons. I thought about it, and they're gonna be better than any bias-ply, which is what the Jeep was designed around. And for 99% of my driving, I shouldn't need any more than those anyway.

Before:

[sierrablue]

After:

[TheDarkLord]

Great job man, that's an awesome color!