Jeepers Creepers where'd ya get them peepers?

[packinnova]

Yeah I know...strange title. Anywhoo... Jeeps are fun this we know. Replacing the suspension on an older rusty one not so much fun.

I bought an OME 2.5" suspension lift(with the heavier duty coils to account for the new rear bumper, front bumper and winch, etc...) for my '97 TJ a few months back. I finally got around to getting it done this past weekend. Of course, as my luck would have it, Murphy followed my every move.

I started off with the front end. I got everything jacked up and sitting on stands and then started stripping stuff out. I got to the steering stabilizer and just about pulled my hair out. My goodness. I tried everything to get that darn thing off the tie rod and it just wouldn't budge. I got the nut off, the darn bolt just wouldn't back out of the hole. I even tried hitting it with a map gas torch for a while and then wailing away on it with a 5lb hammer. Eventually I gave up and took a trip to the nearest auto parts shop and got a pitman arm puller on loan.

It didn't really fit and wasn't meant for this exact job, but it worked! It was like a shotgun when that darn thing finally released and the bolt popped out. The rest of the front end was a non issue. Everything came out and went back in as expected.

The rear end was a different story. What's worse than shearing off a bolt head in the frame? Shearing off a bolt head in the frame with about 5" of working space and 3" from the gas tank! There goes the torching it out idea... So after shearing off one of the rear shock mount bolts I spent HOURS drilling out what was left of the original bolt. Darned hardened steel!

So basically that one bolt turned my 2 day job into a 3 day job. What a PITA. All said and done now and couldn't be happier.

Here's the Before(day 1 purchased)
20120915_122536_sm.jpg

and the After
20130115_115231_sm.jpg

I still have a front bumper winch plate and winch and a rear bumper in the basement. Hopefully I can get to those over the next 2 weekends.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[OldVet]

Both Jeeps I owned were mechanical disasters. Good luck!

[kerberos]

Both Jeeps I owned were mechanical disasters. Good luck!

I love Jeeps!

I make a very decent living repairing them.

I feel your pain...

[OD*]

Turned out nice.

[msgt/ret]

Looks good, older vehicles can be a challenge to work on. I have a ’72 Z torch, PB Blaster and impact tools are required quite frequently.

[thephanatik]

Looks good!

I feel your pain about the snapped bolt. I had two of those a couple weeks back.

I think I need to invest in an impact wrench...

The first side I dulled 4 bits and struggled all the way through. The second side I got smart and kept a whetstone right next to me and frequently sharpened the tip. That helped a TON.

[packinnova]

Both Jeeps I owned were mechanical disasters. Good luck!

I dont think it's so much a mechanical disaster as much as it's old and some parts are rusty and we all know metal doesn't perform as designed when full of rust. I happen to like Jeeps and I've only actually owned one since spring. I like the interchangeability between them for sure. The idea that I can go to the scrapyard or wherever and I have a good 6 year period where I can pick and choose parts from and they'll fit and work properly is BEAUTIFUL! Nevermind the simplicity of design of most of the thing.

[MrBuckwheat]

was kinda funny looking with those little tires!

did you get that gun safe bolted in yet? You know the important stuff.

[GraySkies]

I'm on my third jeep (a '66) and I'm rebuilding it from the ground up. Next time you're going to do something like this, get a can of "Kroil" penetrating oil. It works better than anything else out there. PB blaster is pretty good too, but not as good as Kroil (I repair ocean-going vessels for a living. Trust me on this).

Just put some on each day for the 4 or 5 days before you actually do the job, and it usually makes life much more tolerable.

Post more pictures as you do more stuff to your jeep.

[Arborigine]

I only have 4 jeeps on the property, sold my M38A-1 a few weeks ago. I miss it.

[packinnova]

I'm on my third jeep (a '66) and I'm rebuilding it from the ground up. Next time you're going to do something like this, get a can of "Kroil" penetrating oil. It works better than anything else out there. PB blaster is pretty good too, but not as good as Kroil (I repair ocean-going vessels for a living. Trust me on this).

Just put some on each day for the 4 or 5 days before you actually do the job, and it usually makes life much more tolerable.

Post more pictures as you do more stuff to your jeep.

Heh... I tried that with PB. The whole thing smelled like a rolling PB can for a few days before and still smells like it a week later.

[packinnova]

Oh yeah...anyone else with a jeep with regular zipper windows... You want Upper Sliders.

[Hopyard]

Yeah I know...strange title. Anywhoo... Jeeps are fun this we know. Replacing the suspension on an older rusty one not so much fun.

I bought an OME 2.5" suspension lift(with the heavier duty coils to account for the new rear bumper, front bumper and winch, etc...) for my '97 TJ a few months back. I finally got around to getting it done this past weekend. Of course, as my luck would have it, Murphy followed my every move.

I started off with the front end. I got everything jacked up and sitting on stands and then started stripping stuff out. I got to the steering stabilizer and just about pulled my hair out. My goodness. I tried everything to get that darn thing off the tie rod and it just wouldn't budge. I got the nut off, the darn bolt just wouldn't back out of the hole. I even tried hitting it with a map gas torch for a while and then wailing away on it with a 5lb hammer. Eventually I gave up and took a trip to the nearest auto parts shop and got a pitman arm puller on loan.

It didn't really fit and wasn't meant for this exact job, but it worked! It was like a shotgun when that darn thing finally released and the bolt popped out. The rest of the front end was a non issue. Everything came out and went back in as expected.

The rear end was a different story. What's worse than shearing off a bolt head in the frame? Shearing off a bolt head in the frame with about 5" of working space and 3" from the gas tank! There goes the torching it out idea... So after shearing off one of the rear shock mount bolts I spent HOURS drilling out what was left of the original bolt. Darned hardened steel!

So basically that one bolt turned my 2 day job into a 3 day job. What a PITA. All said and done now and couldn't be happier.

Here's the Before(day 1 purchased)
20120915_122536_sm.jpg

and the After
20130115_115231_sm.jpg

I still have a front bumper winch plate and winch and a rear bumper in the basement. Hopefully I can get to those over the next 2 weekends.

You learned a valuable lesson. There's no such thing as a quick and easy job, and Murphy was right.