Jeep #2 AKA.. the Jurassic Jeep.
When the first Jeep you buy is looking like a real money pit… Then you just go get a different one ! Just make sure you pay less… then you have more to spend and you feel better. But it’s more than that.
What do I mean MORE. Well let’s see… I drove it home 178 kms on the highway (not towed). You learn a lot from that. And it did great ! I like to drive automatics.. Really ! Clutches and 5 speeds are over rated. And another thing that’s a big part of the “Jeep” experience is the open air… so a soft top is a huge bonus.
“Unmodified” .. I don’t want to repair or remove someones bad ideas. This one still sports the “jeep” rims, steering wheel and mirrors. Even those ugly “bumperetes ” are there… bent but there. Same with the front bumper.. bent but there !
Even the interior looks like it’s 30 years old(seats for sure). And we are talking a cassette player ! Wow so 90’s. And what’s with the blue light? That has to go bye bye.. Those are A/C ducts under the dash, Factory ! You don’t see that in many old Jeeps. And look the jacking tools were still in the holder under the hood.
And I had some time with not much going on SOOO…
I made these look “newish”
You know there is the “good stuff” too. still got the good inline 4.0 L six motor. And it runs great. There’s factory A/C if I can figure out how it works. I like the half doors better than the full doors.. and these don’t need work. There is one very good modification the manual pull ( red button) to lock in the 4×4. Deleting the vacuum operated one that is prone to failure just when you need it. The hinges on all three doors are good and NOT loose. I attribute that to the half doors. They weigh less than the full doors. The spare tire carrier is ready for the spare. The fender flairs and running boards are NOT painted and in great condition. The tires are new, and the proper size. The top is only three years old and in great condition. The cost of the top and the tires add up to what I paid for the whole Jeep. These are the pluses. What about the bad things ? Well let’s have a look first. I’m sure more will be found by the mechanic on it’s soon to be visit. But what are the things I’m know about. Leaking transmission ( somewhere). Leaks in rear diff ( input and axles). A vibration at 70 km/h ? ( don’t know where). Right side front window hinge is seized. Lots of small things to tinker with. Like some of the gauges not working. All fixable, and worth fixing.
This was the window that came with this Jeep.. now painted back. See the post about the windows HERE. I had to learn how the soft top goes down and back up. in order to remove and replace the front window. Not hard at all. I also (as part of the window thing) had to fix the roll bar pieces that go above the doors and hook up to the window. Today I was washing our vehicles .. so I decided it’s time to remove the “crispy” bra on the front of the Jeep.
Looks better now. Boy that bent bumper bugs me ! I want to build a new one. Then I gave the motor compartment it’s much needed bath. Here’s a before photo (yes I remembered).
I’ve seen worse.. the idea was to get rid of the caked on dirt and oil on the engine. Here’s the after….
Again it’s not a profound difference. And overall things are looking good under the hood ! Ready for it’s date with the shop..
Okay… now I know what’s needs fixing from a professional. Lets go from front to back. So first on the list is new ball joints for the right side. Then there is a main rear seal on the motor. A leaking seal on the transmission. And the trans needs a service. now here’s a big one. The whole rear axle needs replacing. Too many issues to list. And finally the welded patches on the rear most of the frame for the spring hangers need to be re- done. So what now ? A welder is going to have a look if he could fix the rear spring mounts. So we will see about that. I could swap out the rear axle from the 95 (if the ratio is the same) . I could pull the trans and take it to a transmission shop. and then I can change the rear motor seal. I would get the shop to replace the ball joints because I don’t have the tools for that. The debate still goes on about which is the better jeep to spend the money and time on.. I like the 92 my Son likes the 95.
Here is the frame problem.. What a mess with the welding ! This is the rear of the frame and that is the rear spring hanger. And this is a common place for the rust to happen.. They make new (weld in ) frame sections for here. So a fix is possible.. and good.
I just solved one of the big problems. I found a used but good rear axle that’s a perfect match. Only a leaking pinion seal.. I can do that..
No other leaks. Came from a jeep that had a bad frame.
Here’s a new video I just made..
Well due to a problem switching the windows the 92 Jeep is now the one in the shop. Had to remove the dash to get to the backside of the hinges. So I guess I’ll be working on the dash and things behind it.
Five thousand screws later I have the dash apart. Now is a good time to start a new post cause things are going to get serious !