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1989 DD XJ Build

37K views 161 replies 21 participants last post by  Delux2769 
#1 ·
So here goes the build. It's going to be done in stages to prevent it from being down for long periods at a time, and money permitting. I had an older build thread that took a few different turns, and it was pretty much all for nothing as I still had an outstanding title issue. Now that it's squared away, I'm getting this thing on the right track.

The plan is for this to be a 3rd vehicle for us and the primary trail toy/parts runner/etc. I plan to be able to drive to the trail and back, however if it gets busted while there, it's not a huge issue. Overall it'll be a pretty mild build with the end result of being a capable and dependable vehicle.

As it sits now:
Lift is RE 4.5 with TF control arms and RK trackbar
35" BFGs
8.8 rear end
HP 30 front with CAD
4.0/AW4/231 w/AA SYE

Build plans:
Pull the motor and go through it
Redo the wiring. I'm thinking of going with an EZ Wiring kit.
OBA
New front axle (thinking of swapping a D44 and running spacers in the rear to match)
Interior improvements
Roll cage
Paint
And whatever else comes along

Land vehicle Vehicle Car Automotive exterior Bumper


Land vehicle Tire Car Automotive tire Vehicle


Land vehicle Vehicle Car Engine Auto part


Pretty much how the interior looks now except the dash is a little more put together.....although it's about to come back out to get rewired.

Land vehicle Vehicle Car Sedan Steering wheel
 
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#2 ·
Checked compression today. Ranged from 70-110. Time to start tearing it down. Should be in the machine shop by next weekend. Plan is for a stock rebuild. I'll only be replacing items that need to be replaced, aside from typical maintenance items and old sensors.
 
#3 ·
Pulled the wiring harness tonight.

Vehicle Car Automotive exterior Bumper Auto part


Pulled the battery tray. Rust has claimed part of the first layer. I'll be installing two batteries when it goes back together, likely relocated in the rear.

Rust


The entire engine wiring harness, labeled with tagged zip ties. Overall it's in pretty decent shape, but there are a few trouble areas.

Auto part


One of the harness connectors. This thing is like chalk at this point and will need to be replaced.



Another shot.

Electronics Light Technology Electrical wiring Wire


There are a few other connectors that will need to be replaced as well due to corrosion.
 
#4 · (Edited)
More problems with connectors.

Finger Ring Hand Miniature Nail


Not sure what is all on the relays here. Looks like a mix of corrosion and grease/oil.

Wire Electrical wiring Auto part Vehicle Suspension


The motor should be out later this week. Once that's done, I'll start addressing the interior and the wiring.
 
#5 ·
This is under the back seat on the passenger side. When I cut it out, I'm going to see if I can fit a battery there. If so I'll mount the second battery on the driver side.

Rust Soil Stain


Some more cancer in the rear wheel well.



I have no clue what happened here, this happened with the PO.

Bumper Automotive exterior Auto part Rust


Looks like it a fix was attempted, but the wheel well was completely neglected and the fender was fixed with some shitty bondo work.

Automotive lighting Automotive tail & brake light Light Automotive parking light Automotive side marker light


I'm not to concerned with the rear fender as I'll likely be adding in corner armor sometime in the future.
 
#6 · (Edited)
After stripping the wiring harness last night of tape and loom, I was impressed that it was in better shape than I had imagined. A little cleaning and a few small repairs to some connectors and splices, and it should be good to go. My main concern originally was the fuse block. Many of the fuse connections in the fuse block have broken connectors. I've done some searching around, but have not seen anything showing that the fuse block could be rebuilt. After looking around on waytek's website, I came across new female terminals. I think these will work just fine in the fuse block.

http://www.waytekwire.com/item/30038/PACK-CON-SERIES-III-FEMALE/



I'm hoping to have the dash pulled next week and I can get started on the wiring harness in there and rebuild the fuse block.
 
#7 ·
It's been hell trying to find time to work on this project. I managed to get some new connector covers ordered and replaced. Also started putting the wiring loom on it tonight and covering it with 3m 88 electrical tape. I can see now that it's not as nice as I'd hoped, but it will do for now. I may end up recovering it later down the line, but this is how it will stay for the time being.
Illustration Art Visual arts Wire Drawing



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#9 · (Edited)
Got some more work done on the jeep today. I started off looking at the second part of the wiring harness, and after replacing some duct tape and deciding that I need to replace a few wires, I moved onto the rear body. I need to order a few more things before the harness is done, wire, connectors, crimpers, etc. Until I get the rest of the things in I need, I'm going to hold off on working on the wiring as it just pisses me off every time I mess with it.

This is the hole I started with as pictured above. I'm still completely baffled as to what happened to make this hole.
Floor


Crumpled in rear column.
Floor Rust


My first attempt at any sort of body work.
Architecture Tire Automotive wheel system Automotive tire Automotive exterior


Finally said screw it!!
Land vehicle Tire Automotive tire Vehicle Car


Looks good. :D
Land vehicle Vehicle Car Automotive tire Tire


I'll be welding in a few patch panels soon and fabbing up a new rear bumper in the coming weeks.
 
#10 ·
The little man helping out.
Hood Vehicle Auto part Soldier Military


This is under the rear passenger side seat. Looks like I'm going to have to drop the exhaust and remove the panel that supports the seat to fix it.
Rust Machine Floor


More holes have started appearing as I begin removing the paint and rust.
Rust Tire Automotive wheel system Automotive tire Auto part


This is the rearmost column on the driver side where the hatch closes against. This was originally covered with the factory sealant, however after removing it, there was obviously some cancer beneath it.
Auto part


A little more attention with the wire wheel resulted in this. I was a pretty amazed as most of the other areas were rusted through from up top it seemed. I'll have to get beneath it to finish removing the rest of the rust.
 
#11 ·
Near the latch.
Metal


Most of the driver's side floor pan is rusted.
Rust Soil Metal


There is definitely a lot more rust than I was hoping for. Looks like some new floor pans will be in my near future.

Quick question for those of you with more body work experience. I understand that epoxy primer is what I need to be using to seal up the metal, but that's a two part spray system. What can I use short term from an aresol can that will provide rust protection from sections of the body that I have already worked on?
 
#12 ·
Well I've got a little progress made over the last week or two. I was hoping to have finished the rear floor pan, but just haven't had time other than an hour here and there to work on it.

Most of the rust has been removed on the drivers side. The top protion will likely be grounded down and coated. The portion that has been removed was getting pretty thin, especially near the filler neck where it was paper thin.
Auto part Vehicle Automotive exterior Bumper Car


Not sure how I'm going to go about replacing the sheet metal that attaches to the filler neck. I may just cut it back to the neck and call it good, or I may remove the neck completely and remake it.
Auto part Tire Automotive tire Vehicle Wheel


After having done all this work, it's getting tempting to just drop the tank in from the top, and build an enclosure around it, and build a skid to go beneath it. I'm just not convinced that I want to give up the room required to do it just yet, but we'll see.
 
#20 ·
Gotta love working from home. I was able to pull the dash on my lunch break. It feels like I'm constantly bouncing between projects with this, but I'm confident it will all come together.

I'm hoping this is as far as I'll be striping the interior, but you never know.
Engine Auto part Vehicle Car Automotive exterior


I'm going to attemp to repair the dash similar to how Green Truck showed in this thread: http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/toyota-truck-4runner/930717-cracked-dash.html

Wire Electrical wiring Cable Auto part Electrical supply


This is seriously about how the wiring looked when the dash was in the Jeep. I'll be rebuilding the fuse block and re-routing the wiring harness to make it more streamlined.
Electronics Wire Technology Electronic device Auto part
 
#21 ·
Still tearing into the rear end of the body.

Rust Auto part Vehicle


With the bondo from the previous repair attempt. Doesen't look remotely factory.
Tire Automotive wheel system Automotive tire Auto part Rim


The back side looks like wadded up tin foil.
Room Wood Rust


Driver's side. This is what I'm hoping the passenger side ends up looking like.
Vehicle door Automotive exterior Bumper Auto part Tire


Tire Automotive tire Synthetic rubber Tread Auto part

I hope to have everything cut out on the rear passenger corner next week and start fabbing up replacement panels.

I was looking at rebuilding the fuse block this week, but I can only find one size of replacement terminals shown above. I need at least 12ga and 16ga terminals to rebuild the block, plus I can't find the tool to crimp them onto the wires. I'm thinking about picking up one of these to begin rewiring the fuse block.

 
#23 ·
That's exactly what happened. I actually found a piece of the old tire when I started cutting into the inner fender a few days ago.

Unfortunately the budget is about $0 for at least the next month or two while my wife is doing her internship, so this will be painfully slow. On top of that the only experience in any sort of body work I have is sanding a CJ about 20 years ago. :laughing: I'm really not that concerned with the body, however I told my wife this would be a family wheeler, so that's why I'm putting the effort into it, in addition to it being a somewhat reliable, and limited, DD.
 
#24 ·
Before, sans body filler.



After






The spring hangers are surprisingly flimsy. These will be getting boxed while I'm rebuilding the corner.



Side view of the piece I cut out. This shows how bad of a repair job was done previously. This is exactly how the sheet metal looked once most of the primer was removed.



First template cut out. This is all I had time to do today. Removing sheetmetal when you can't see the spot welds is a huge pain in the ass. :shaking: I'm using the driver's side as a stencil for the templates.
 
#25 ·
Began putting the corner back together tonight. Just to be clear, I have never done body work, and I'm sure that if somebody on here has, they'll be screaming at these pictures :laughing:. That being said, I'm really not that concerned as this is primarily a play toy :flipoff2:

Vehicle Car


Tire Automotive tire Auto part Vehicle Bumper


Auto part Vehicle Tire Automotive tire Automotive exterior


Textile Auto part Glass Metal


Auto part
 
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