Either way, not much else new, just been slammin the jeep through snow banks as much as they are around and slowly accumulating parts, not much else.

 Here is a quick list of what I worked on…

Interior

Sheet metal patching, door striker replacement, rebuilding door internals and locks, floor pan bracing for seats, custom driver seat relocation risers, dash removal and beginings of custom dash, new stereo, stereo wiring harness, running wires, new speakers, truck bed liner on full interior floor pans wheel wells and firewall.

Exterior

Sheet metal patching, fender rebuilding, rusted door frame rebuilding, reshaping of hood, rust removal, lots of grinding and sanding, windshield surround rust removal and build up, bondo, body shaping, primer, paint and clear coat all repairs, entire front clip, doors and bumpers.

I still have tons of ideas and all kinds of things that I want to do, so I am not sure exactly where it’s going to go from here.  My next immediate plans revolve around the backordered parts coming in so I can complete my dash and stereo, install satellite radio with dash, need a CB, fire extinguishers, tow points, skid plates, all the offroad essentials.  Also still need to install the body lift kit that I have and also need to paint the frame and underbody.  Alot to do.

 I took pics, but haven’t put them up yet, need to get them sorted named and up on server, they will follow.

 So today I cleaned out the whole inside, got it all vacuumed and got some of the dirt out.  I started on the sheet metal work, I cut out the old rusted out drivers floor pan.  I fitted in the “drop in” replacement floor pan.  I have to say this thing fit about as well as had I just gotten a sheet of plain sheet metal on my own.  I was not impressed with it.  I had to do a TON of cutting and fitting and trimming and shaping just to get it to a so-so fit.  I hammered it out as best I could and got it to what was a decent fit and decided as I was running out of light that would have to be the best it was gonna be. 

So I sanded down the whole area, and then cleaned it up.  After cleaning the pan and the tub floor I primered them both.  I will be letting them dry and then will be able to drop the pan in.  Once I am ready to attach it permanently I am going to cold weld it in cause I don’t have a welder.  So I am going to have to see how that all works out.

Well that is my update for today, hope to get more done tomorrow but not sure if I will be able to.

 Wheels I started up front, and they were a little tougher to deal with than a smaller car wheel, especially the 31s but it wasn’t too bad.  I figured I would do these then look at the brakes.  So front driver goes no problem, front passenger goes decent as well.  Then I get to the back, jack up the jeep, undo the lugs, and it won’t come off.  No problem, sometimes a little rust builds up back there, just got to give it a little convincing.  Well, this thing needed a whole lot of convincing.  I tried convincing with my feet, no good.  Tried with a mallet no good.  Tried a little brake parts cleaner, nothing doin.  Tried resting the weight back on the tire (with lugs on but loose, I ain’t crazy), no good.  Tried jacking it up and dropping it a little onto the tire, see if that helped, nothin.  Basically I spent about 30-40 minutes trying to get the thing off and it is rusted solid to the brake drum.  I had to leave that one of for now, tightened it back down and decided to check the other side, and that was rusted on too, only spent 2-3 minutes with that one knowing I wasn’t gonna get the other off probably wasn’t worth it.  SO…either leave 2 - 31s up front and the 2 - 225s in the back, or suck it up and put them all 4 back, which is what I did.  So after about an hour or more of fighting with the wheels and tires I have made it back to where I started.

 I decided to check the brakes, this turned out good and bad.  I figured out which brake line was blown but it was not the one I was hoping.  It was the front passenger, which meant a pretty long brake line to be replaced.  As I was running out of light and time I decided to do a temp fix.  So I clamped that line down before the leak.  This means I got no front right brake, but the other three work fine.  This is a big upgrade from no brakes at all and shooting brake fluid everywhere.  So a brake fix it is, once I get the time.  But at least I can move it around the parking lot now, which I did, cause I could.

On a side note, I got it registered and insured on Friday.  So I can drive it to a shop to get fixed now.  Sweet!

So this is what I need to do to get the thing road ready and winter ready.

Interior

- De-Rust and re-paint seat brackets so seats can be mounted

- Cut out old rusted out floorpans and cold-weld in new floor pans

- Cut out old rusted sheetmetal and cold-weld in new section of sheet metal in rear near tailgate hinge

- Replace driver door and tailgate strikers

- De-rust, minor repair and sanding of entire interior bed

- Prep and Herculine interior

- Reinstall seats and brackets

Mechanical

- Fix broken brake lines, bleed brakes, check pads, shoes, rotors, drums

- Seafoam engine, oil change, general check over

- Change trans and diff fluids

- General all over check through of everything

Exterior/Underbody

- Scrape/clean rust of all spots needed to prep for coating/painting needed to get by

- Possibly replace some sheet metal, looking for parts now

- Clean and prep underbody and rust areas for coating

- Coat underbody and trouble areas with POR-15 rust inhibitor

- Paint exposed POR-15 with UV protective paint

Additional

- Mount 31s and wheels

- Still shopping for small add-a-leaf or shackle lift for tire clearance

- Investigate what else rig needs to be trail ready

I am sure I am forgetting some stuff but there is alot here anyway.  So anyone want to help?

Usually warping in the rotors is due to first overheating and second eccessive clamping force.  It is commonly caused by riding brakes and holding them too hard at lights.  People will often ride brakes down hills rather than apply and let loose and reapply and let loose, instead just running down a long hill riding the brakes the whole time, thus heating them way up.  Also if you have to brake hard to aviod hitting someone, or make an abrupt stop at a light people often will not release all that pressure on the pads simply keeping their foot down to the floor.  But when you are at a light you should use as little brake force is necesarry to keep the car from rolling.  Also it is more common in autos as you have the engine always pushing some and you must keep from rolling on flat surfaces.

Well, I am very consious of all of this stuff, and I make sure not to ride brakes, always release pressure after a hard stop, and only use my brakes as I need them at a light.  This and a drive a stick, so to actually warp the rotors seems a bit odd to me.  Oh well.

So my rotors where warped and seemed to not be getting any better.  I had several options, live with it, but it is uncomfortable braking and you have a huge loss in braking performance, I don’t want to have decreased braking distance.  I then could have them turned down, but that usually just leads to them warping again cause the metal is thinner and weaker and less able to disperse heat.  Also I didn’t want to run uneven pads, cause that would again cause them to go bad again faster.  So really it was best to replace.

So I have to replace the fronts, and I figured while I am at it, do the rear, because I knew if I was going to pay money to replace them I may as well get really good ones, so I did, upgraded front and rear.  I went with Rotora slotted stock size rotors and Hawk HPS pads.  These have been recomended by other owners and seemed to be a nice upgrade in performance while still being able to use all the stock hardware.  So I order up the parts and wince as I look at the bill.

I put the new brakes on this past weekend and it is an immediate difference.  Stopping is much more linear and smooth and all around better.  As they are breaking in I can notice increased stopping power and with the slotted rotors and better pad material I notice that it does make a difference not only in being new, but better than I remember them being before my brakes went bad.  All in all I am pretty happy with the upgrade.

Only down side is while I was in there I noticed that my motor mount is being a little testy, they have an issue with the initial design that leads to the rubber portion of the mount shifting.  After talking to the company that makes them they say send it back and they will repair or replace the part with the new design that keeps that from happenning.  So I need to find time to do that, and once I do, I will be back in business.

 That’s it for now, but I think a tranny service with upgraded fluids may be just around the bend.

 I am thinking that it’s time for some serious brake work.  I am on original rotors and pads and being that they will need to be replaced soon anyway I may take this oppertunity to upgrade, but I am not sure.  I am thinking along the lines of near stock but better quality, got to go out and do some research on what the car really needs, but I think it needs something for sure.

 I will try and keep you updated.  oh, and since I could not get my ass out of town before winter looks like the girl is gonna get a set of winter rubbers, ribbed for driving pleasure.