1990 Cherokee XJ Build

I built a few new parametric generators into my little hobby site: ihatethiscar.com

(I also own jeepcherokee.net (!!!) and ****box.ai)

Heater/vacuum hose bends, step-downs, tees, plugs, etc. Gonna have it do those wrap-around templates for pipe coping, should be easy and AI will understand the math just fine.
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love the tube notcher templates. really like the full slip so it slides over easier. :beer:

i made a template for cutting miters on round. worked as i intended it too.
 
chaplinfj60 said:
love the tube notcher templates. really like the full slip so it slides over easier. :beer:

i made a template for cutting miters on round. worked as i intended it too.
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Check this **** out...

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I'll put a custom Packout plate generator on the site, but I'm also gonna upload a bunch to the "CAD Library" here, which I didn't know was a thing until now.
 
Mittnz said:
This thing really isn’t in bad shape. There’s no rust on it at all (except for where a battery must have leaked,
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…why do I say this **** out loud and invite God to laugh in my face regularly?

I mean, I have seen way worse, and I can get that side floorpans for like $150, but, god damnit.

Also I’m fairly certain it’s the heater core leaking.
 

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Mittnz said:
…why do I say this **** out loud and invite God to laugh in my face regularly?

I mean, I have seen way worse, and I can get that side floorpans for like $150, but, god damnit.

Also I’m fairly certain it’s the heater core leaking.
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Damn, that battery really leaked all over the place.

Your comment is still in line.:flipoff2:
 
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Before I get carried away cutting **** here, should I wait for the new floor pan pieces and then trace them?

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I got some nice looking "made in USA" floor pan sections, and they weren't super cheap (compared to the other options) so I hope they are decent.

But, some parts are really trashed, and those parts I will cut out completely, but the parts that aren't, should I keep those intact and use them to tie into the new floor pan? Or, should I put the new floor pans in, trace around them completely, and then cut maybe 1/2" inside of the trace, and use that lip to weld/panel seam glue the new pans in?

I think I'm gonna get some thin weld wire and try to weld it, I feel like I can probably at least get some decent spot welds or shorter butt welds, without blowing through it too bad, but we'll see. I also have some 3M panel bonding adhesive, which I have read is better (or just as good) as welding? Got some seam sealer too, so I can do a bead of sealer all around the new pan, like caulking a bathtub I guess.
 
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We are maybe a quarter of the way through the hood and she says she hates sanding and it's not for her.

I did get a different DA sander that doesn't **** your hands up so bad that they get numb though. So far she has been having a great time taking this **** apart though. I know I need to keep things moving or she'll lose interest if it sits for too long.

In other news, I have 3" rear lift leaf springs on the way (current are blown out stock leafs on lift blocks) and have some leftover shock mounts that I can weld on, because for some reason the PO cut the rear shock mounts off completely?
I also bought a power steering pump from the 01-04 V8 Grand Cherokee, I had the same swap done in my XJ before I bought a PSC pump, and unfortunately gave the old one away. So, will put that in.

This thing started without a key by the way... (I know, I know, but I have the ***le and it matches the VIN in multiple places, I ran a Carfax on it too before we bought it.). So I got what I thought was the correct lock cylinder (it's not) and now have the steering column halfway taken apart. But, now I have the right cylinder on the way so that is a quick drop in.

The steering wheel on that XJ was all ****ed, so needs a new one for sure, but, IMO the stock Cherokee wheels are so ugly, also they are huge, like driving a god damn school bus... Think I'll get something like this:
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She for sure won't let me do any fancy quick release ****, so it's gotta be somewhat classic styled.
 
The eastwood surface contour tool or harbor freight Bauer knock off is well worth the money for stripping paint and body filler to metal if that's what you're working on.
 
Opiebennett said:
The eastwood surface contour tool or harbor freight Bauer knock off is well worth the money for stripping paint and body filler to metal if that's what you're working on.
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I pulled mine out of storage last night!

I don’t want to take it down to bare metal, too much work and I don’t really know what I’m doing as far as auto paint, for it to be worth it. Basically my plan was just to sand off all the clear, down to the basecoat/primer and then I will epoxy primer over the whole thing. The parts that we have taken down to bare metal so far are either chips that went that deep, or just straight up accidents.
 
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Here’s another thing I am overthinking.

The roof panel has separated from these cross beams/pillars. I am thinking I will scrape the old dried foam/adhesive off, and run a nice new bead of seam sealant.
I can’t really clamp that area, but I figured I could use 4-6 rivets across each beam, more to hold it together until the sealant dries, than anything.

I got these nice stainless steel closed end rivets from McMaster Carr.

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I used a few to fix the glove box hinge. These things are beefy.

This should be fine, right? Is the roof gonna leak? Am I forgetting something?
 
Mittnz said:
You joke but she would be super into this.

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She said “I LOVE the license plate frame that is already on it, it’s like the tramp stamp of accessories.”
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I thought this was two long haired girls kissing at first. It would match the steering wheel.


Also, I enjoy the stock steering wheel. 3 1/2 turns instead of 8 turns so making a left hand turn doesn't require I do a 540 with my wrist.


Some bottle jacks under those 2x4s could help keep things tight or perhaps a full roll cage is in order.
 
RunningProblem said:
I thought this was two long haired girls kissing at first. It would match the steering wheel.


Also, I enjoy the stock steering wheel. 3 1/2 turns instead of 8 turns so making a left hand turn doesn't require I do a 540 with my wrist.


Some bottle jacks under those 2x4s could help keep things tight or perhaps a full roll cage is in order.
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… are you thinking that a smaller or larger steering wheel requires more revolutions to go lock to lock?
 
Powder coated some U-Bolt eliminators from Barnes.

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And then uhhh, I’m calling these “Blue Dog Motor Mounts”

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3” rear leafs came in.

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She has been in the kitchen going “breaker breaker” on every channel for 45 mins now. We did go over channels 9 and 19 lol.
 

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Mittnz said:
… are you thinking that a smaller or larger steering wheel requires more revolutions to go lock to lock?
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Larger wheel = less revolutions
Smaller wheel = more revolutions


I'm willing to accept I'm wrong, and I also don't mind the stock sized steering wheel.
 
BDK said:
Larger wheel also means more leverage
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I think this is the answer.
More vs less leverage. Old manual steering box trucks needed larger steering wheels.
The steering gear/box determines how many turns lock-to-lock.
 
Yes, larger wheel means more leverage, but the number of revolutions stays the same guys…

Close your eyes, think about driving with a 6” diameter steering wheel, you want to make a left-hand turn at an intersection, how far do you turn the wheel?

Now do the same, think about driving with a gigantic 20” wide wheel, making the same left hand turn, how far do you turn the wheel?

Or more importantly think about the actual splined shaft/hub in your steering column, one revolution is one revolution, it doesn’t matter how large the wheel is.

Gumbybronco is correct, the gear box (and really, I think it’s partially the number and size of the bearing balls inside of that) determines the number of turns lock to lock, because that’s where actual gear ratios come into play. The wheel itself is just turning one end of the “gears” and so the diameter doesn’t change anything (except leverage, yes)
 
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I was like 1/8” off on the through-hole there on the right, for the bolt to go through. But I can just bore it out or drill from the bottom. It was 3AM and I had the whole engine precariously balanced on a piece of tube steel held up by a floor jack. So, I got that long bolt in there and called it a night.
 
Anyone want to buy a couple of pain in the ass vintage bikes that belong to my in-laws?

1960-something Honda Dream CA72
And a 1963 C105T

I told them to just get newer bikes, like the new Honda Trail 125 is still “vintage” looking, and the Honda Monkey, but instead they bought these and they live an hour from the nearest Autozone, let alone an actual Honda dealer or powersports parts place.

We are visiting this weekend and every time I am here there is something wrong with at least one of these bikes (this time, pinched tube on the Trail 55, and some electrical short on the Dream.) I think they finally are understanding how unrealistic it is to keep these running, and how nice it would be to have reliable bikes…
 

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Gumbybronco said:
I think this is the answer.
More vs less leverage. Old manual steering box trucks needed larger steering wheels.
The steering gear/box determines how many turns lock-to-lock.
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using the same stock XJ/Durango box using a 16" wheel and an 8" wheel you're going to get a different number of turns lock to lock, right?

Mittnz
Wouldn't both play a factor? ****...at this point I can't remember geometry or how the diameter of a circle would change the number of revolutions when it increases. Maybe it's so slightly different no one really notices.



Mittnz sounds like an excellent reason to avoid visits to the in-laws. Just tell them 'I can't figure it out. Might want to call the dealership or someone who specializes in 60 year old motorcycles with no cheap replacement parts. 'every single time they have an error.

Nospartsnow.com/honda/ca72/?page=5
A tail light is $200.
A starter solenoid is $350.
Nostalgic attachment isn't cheap, and they should know it up front.
 
RunningProblem said:
using the same stock XJ/Durango box using a 16" wheel and an 8" wheel you're going to get a different number of turns lock to lock, right?

No. You’ll be turning the same amount. Larger circle will be less effort and the smaller circle will be more. The steering shaft connected to either steering wheel will turn the same amount.
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RunningProblem said:
Maybe it's so slightly different no one really notices.
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It’s not different, haha.

All you’re doing with a steering wheel is turning the splined shaft it’s connected to, right?

Imagine you have a pair of vice grips locked on the steering shaft, and you use that to steer. It doesn’t matter how long the vice grips are. Long ones would give you more leverage, but they aren’t turning it any faster/slower. (And therefore, doesn’t matter how big the wheel is).

There’s no advanced math or geometry required, I swear!

Minor updates.

I got the broken rusty bolt out of the thermostat housing hole in the head, finally. Had to put a helicoil in, but, it’s all good now.

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Remembered I had 6 pairs of these laying around. I got them on super sale from Ruff Stuff, they are for holding those plastic totes from Home Depot off the ground, on shelves or your ceiling etc. I’m thinking I might actually be able to use them as frame stiffeners. They aren’t super thick, but, if I double them up they are a little more than 3/16” thick…



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Got a lot of the passenger side pan cut out and removed, rough test fitting of the new rear pan piece. I also got a few 6x8” pieces of 18 gauge that I can use to patch other random little spots.
 

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Or, think about a volume knob on a stereo. A bigger knob doesn’t have to turn more times to change the volume.

Animated concept:


 
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Mittnz said:
I pulled mine out of storage last night!

I don’t want to take it down to bare metal, too much work and I don’t really know what I’m doing as far as auto paint, for it to be worth it. Basically my plan was just to sand off all the clear, down to the basecoat/primer and then I will epoxy primer over the whole thing. The parts that we have taken down to bare metal so far are either chips that went that deep, or just straight up accidents.
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If you're to bare metal anywhere, and already starting to rebuild with epoxy, you've done all the decisions you need to be clean slate in that whole area.

Bare metal, clean, epoxy, scuff, body filler, epoxy again or sealer, base, clear.
 
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