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Ouch. So my free extra front axle wasn’t much of a bonus after all. Oh well, live and learn.
Should I think about converting the disco to non disco? Would I be farther ahead with less money spent? Could I use the axle from the donor? Or will I end up with Frankenstein under my jeep? I want to do it right.
Re-located the CB antenna to the swing out instead of the tail light bracket.
Took a grinder to the raptor liner under the bracket, then took a grounding strap from the swing out to the body next to the tail light, also grinding away the liner and paint... bare metal.
Getting decent SWR across the channels at about 1.6:1... I know it’s not perfect, but I think it’s acceptable for a 3’ fire stick in that location.
I spent the past two weeks trying to get an estimate of what the value of my 88 Jeep Laredo may be. At first it was up for bids on Ebay with a high reserve, the auction ended at $10,000, then Hagerty insurance was contacted and they put a guaranteed value of $10,000 on it so I signed up with them. Replaced the Z link shift with threaded rod and Hemi joints for a positive shift into 4 wheel drive.
I had a blast! I cleaned up the rear swing out wheel / tire carrier I built in preparing it for paint. What a mess!
Perfect timing on this picture! I'm thinking of setting up my own sandblasting area. As far as I can find, there is only one guy in my area that sandblasts. And I found him through a friend that does powdercoating. The guy doesn't promote himself at all. I'm taking delivery of a compressor in a couple weeks and if it's big enough, I thought I would offer the services. Your set up looks pretty good. Can you give me suggestions on the "tent" you are using, the sandblasting rig, any thing really that could help steer me in the right direction?
I disassembled my HP D30 this weekend, getting it ready for the sandblaster and subsequent rebuild and then I will swap out the CAD diff with this one.
Last edited by Old Man Minimalist; 04-12-2022 at 07:03 PM.
I spent the past two weeks trying to get an estimate of what the value of my 88 Jeep Laredo may be. At first it was up for bids on Ebay with a high reserve, the auction ended at $10,000, then Hagerty insurance was contacted and they put a guaranteed value of $10,000 on it so I signed up with them.
Replaced the Z link shift with threaded rod and Hemi joints for a positive shift into 4 wheel drive.
I used Haggerty for my '56 and the insurance was set so I could not use as a driver. Had to be going to a show or event for coverage on the road. Nice looking jeep.
Perfect timing on this picture! I'm thinking of setting up my own sandblasting area. As far as I can find, there is only one guy in my area that sandblasts. And I found him through a friend that does powdercoating. The guy doesn't promote himself at all. I'm taking delivery of a compressor in a couple weeks and if it's big enough, I thought I would offer the services. Your set up looks pretty good. Can you give me suggestions on the "tent" you are using, the sandblasting rig, any thing really that could help steer me in the right direction?
I used a spray shelter from Busy Bee Buy Large Spray Shelter at Busy Bee Tools The link says it's a Wagner product but what they sell is from HomeRight (it's the same). I've used it when painting fenders, doors, etc. as well as for blasting. Even with the shelter it's good to do it on a day that's not windy. A tarp on the ground is also needed. You can recover some of the media by sifting it before putting it back in the pot but it's a pain. At about $12 for a 50 lb. bag it' sometimes not worth doing.
I use a siphon fed blast gun for my cabinet in the garage but for larger items and for blasting outside I use the pressure pot blaster shown in the pic. I got mine from Princess Auto (Canada) about 30 years ago. I imagine you can get one from places like Harbor Freight. Pressure pot blasters are basically, bigger, faster, stronger, etc. I tried it in my cabinet once. Big mistake! For the job on the weekend I used 30-60 grit glass beads with a 1/8" dia orifice ceramic nozzle. It was basically for metal etching prior to painting vs. rust removal. That grit and nozzle would be fine for the axle in your pic though. The pressure maintained at the pot was about 40-50 psi. My compressor is a 6.5 hp with a 60 gal. tank and delivers 11.7 cfm @ 40 psi. It's nothing fancy and keeps up just fine.
I used Haggerty for my '56 and the insurance was set so I could not use as a driver. Had to be going to a show or event for coverage on the road. Nice looking jeep.
. It may be due to its age, did you tell them you drive it regularly?? They asked me if mine was a daily driver, I said it would be if I had to drive into work everyday. Hagerty put a 1500 mile limit on mine and my actual milage is between 1000 - 1100 per year. I would call them back and see why they limited the milage, they may have classified it as an antique.
I have a Renix era XJ and today I replaced the plastic football tank in the coolant system. I put an aluminum tank with a real radiator cap. Still have to find a hose for the neck overflow.
Could you post a picture of it and where you bought it from?
Last edited by t88itsagpthing; 04-06-2022 at 08:11 AM.
So for the past few months I've been incredibly busy as I manage a restaurant and this is our busy season, but here's what I accomplished here or there since the first of the year...
I finally got tired of not having a reliable heater core or AC evaporator so I did the smart thing and...paid a lot of money for my NAPA mechanic to fix it right. There was no way I was going to have the time to do this myself; this is my DD after all and I work 80 hours a week. It was expensive, but I now have air so cold it makes my nose run in 90 degree heat, so I consider that money well spent. I had to source and replace the entire HVAC box because a piece of plastic on the old box broke off, causing me to think I needed a new blend door. Replaced the AC line with the orfice, the condenser had a hole in it, the dryer/accumulator, and the blower motor. Side note, it is amazing how much glycol I must have been breathing in every time I tried to run the heater. I saw the OEM parts and they were nasty with corrosion. I am breathing a LOT easier and I'll be damned if my vision hasn't improved
Next project I'll have to tackle soon is my leaking output tranny bushing. Aerodynamics are picking up the leak and slinging it all over my rear tailgate. I was hoping it was just the seal, but alas. I got a kit on Ebay for it but I'm dreading having to take my cross member apart, tranny mounts, etc. to get to the darned thing. It must be like everything else on this rig before I started wrenching, and that is factory parts with 260K miles on them.
Been researching using diesel oil (with zinc?) for a few weeks now. Bit the bullet and did an oil change last week. And just like that, I have a real oil pressure reading at idle.
Hat tip to D&E in the Garage.
03-29-2022, 08:13 AM
