OP
Mr. Roboto
Well-known member
That’s a great tip thanks! That’s one thing I was really struggling with. I do still have some work to do in the front, and the rear cargo area, so I’ll definitely be giving that a shot.
Between 705 & 1200 SQ/FT Roboto's Garage
- Thread starter Mr. Roboto
- Start date
Workspaces between 705 and 1200 squarefeet.
That’s a great tip thanks! That’s one thing I was really struggling with. I do still have some work to do in the front, and the rear cargo area, so I’ll definitely be giving that a shot.
Finallygotit
ALLIANCE MEMBER
OP
Mr. Roboto
Well-known member
Just came in from finally installing the rear carpet in the 99. The carpet has been one of those jobs that’s been annoying to do, but rewarding when complete. Just need to get the rear seats in now. Also, I ditched the passenger power seat base for now. I will probably revisit that again in the future, but for now, I mounted the leather seat back to the manual seat base.
Also… the silver 2001 is ready to sell. I took the listing photos Friday night. I think it came out great, if I do say so myself. I’ll probably post it for sale this week sometime, and prepare to deal with the incredible annoyance that is selling a car private party these days. I think (hope) it should make someone a happy XJ owner!
Also… the silver 2001 is ready to sell. I took the listing photos Friday night. I think it came out great, if I do say so myself. I’ll probably post it for sale this week sometime, and prepare to deal with the incredible annoyance that is selling a car private party these days. I think (hope) it should make someone a happy XJ owner!
Finallygotit
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Anyone who purchases that vehicle will be a happy camper.
OP
Mr. Roboto
Well-known member
Anyone who purchases that vehicle will be a happy camper.
Thanks guys, I appreciate that! I went to move it out of the garage today, and it would not start. Acted like the battery was dead.... turns out, the battery terminals were horrendous. I never noticed, but both the + and - wires were barely attached to the factory terminals. I swapped them out with a set of those universal ones from the parts store. All good! It had to hit me for another $10 before it left me haha.
Also, I finished up the interior on the 99. Got the back seat in. Interior is complete! A nice upgrade from the old cloth "sport" seats it came with:
I also installed a new phone mount. I came across one that attaches to the bolt that holds the seat bracket to the floor, which would have worked OK in this application, but it interfered with my weathertech floor mats. It came with a universal mounting bracket too, so I drilled 2 small holes to the seat riser and bolted it there. Yes, the 2 mismatched and excessively long bolds are triggering my OCD..... I'll pick up some proper hardware next time I'm at the hardware store:
It's surprisingly well made, and is very sturdy. I think I will like it.
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
The interior on the '99 turned out looking nearly like new.
The '01 doesn't look bad either, whoever buys that will be getting a nicely prepped XJ. Excellent work and I hope the sale goes well on the Silver '01. I don't envy you there as I HATE listing and selling things.
The '01 doesn't look bad either, whoever buys that will be getting a nicely prepped XJ. Excellent work and I hope the sale goes well on the Silver '01. I don't envy you there as I HATE listing and selling things.
nicholam77
Well-known member
Wow, the '99 interior is looking clean!!
OP
Mr. Roboto
Well-known member
Thanks everyone! I listed the 01 Tuesday. Got a bunch of messages ranging rom people offering me half of my asking price, to people from across the country wanting to purchase it sight unseen and ship it. Not super interested in that at this point, with all the scams these days. I have a bunch of people who want to come and see it today and into the weekend, so we’ll see what happens. Hopefully I can sell it locally over the next few days
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
I ran into the same **** when I was selling my Harley a couple of months ago. Low-baller assholes or scammers seemed to be the norm rather than people just generally interested. Made me realize that is probably why I hold onto things so long as I hate dealing with people when it comes time to sell.
Best of luck on the sale and I hope you are able to sell it locally.
OP
Mr. Roboto
Well-known member
The first guy came Friday evening to look at the Jeep, and he bought it! He asked me to deliver it to him since I had it registered, so I dropped it off last night an he handed me a pile of cash. Another successful flip in the books!
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Good for you. I wish I could get that lucky when selling things.
OP
Mr. Roboto
Well-known member
I got lucky twice! My mother asked me to sell her 2003 4 runner for her as well. This was a tough one. It was purchased new in 2003 by my grandfather, and passed down to my mom after he passed. She thought she’d have it forever, but despite the fact that it only had 99k miles and being garage kept it’s whole life and rarely driven in the snow, the frame was starting to show its age. These 4th gens were prone to frame issues, unfortunately, but this one was still far better than most, especially in New England.
She had it detailed and brought it over for some for sale photos:
Since it was so clean, into the garage it went. First time I’ve tried to store 4 cars in there in a LONG time, but glad to see I can still fit 4 in here with just a little effort:
I heavily contemplated buying it, since it’s so nice and had a lot of sentimental value, but ultimately listed it. It sold within a day to a 4th gen enthusiast with a full disclosure of the potential frame issues. I feel like a bit of a car dealer lately haha!
Happy thanksgiving everyone
enjoy the day!
OP
Mr. Roboto
Well-known member
Thank you! Hope you had a good one!
So I did a little Black Friday shopping this year. Most notable purchase was this front bumper I’ve been eyeing for a while for the black XJ. JCR was running a 15% off sale. Lead time is 30+ business days, so it will be a while until it arrives, but I am pretty excited to see how it looks.
It accepts 3” led light pods, so I chose these to install in it. They have a “Halo” DRL function, as well as a full spot pattern.
A few tool related purchases as well. A gearwrench 77 piece tap and die set:
And a pair of Tekton torque wrenches:
Figured I’d treat myself to a few things with some of the profits from the silver XJ flip!
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
That bumper looks sweet on XJ's.
Nice score on the tool purchases, those should provide years of service.
Nice score on the tool purchases, those should provide years of service.
slik560
Well-known member
I've become a real Tekton fan. My rewards points balance reflects that. 
Very nice bumper upgrade.
Very nice bumper upgrade.
OP
Mr. Roboto
Well-known member
The bumper came in very quick! The uniframe tie in kit took longer, but everything was here in time for this weekend.
Part of the uniframe kit involves unbolting the steering box to swap out the weak factory spacer. The stock one is cast aluminum, and prone to breaking. Mine was surprisingly still in one piece. The replacement is pictured below it.
Brackets in place. Some of the hardware *****. It came with nice zinc plated grade 8 bolts for the steering box, but the washers are junk. They bent when tightened to the factory spec of 70 ft-lbs as you can see. I’ll replace these with proper grade 8 washers:
Here’s the end result of the bumper. I really like the look:
I then attempted to install the 3” led pods I bought. I could not for the life of me get the passenger side pod installed. It just wouldn’t fit, and it was hard to see why. So… I pulled the bumper back off.
Here is the drivers side light tab, this one fits no problem:
And here is the passenger:
It’s welded on at a very sharp angle, and the light hits the top of the underside of the bumper. For the money and reputation JCR has (made in the USA, pride of craftsmanship etc), I’m 0/2 on their products fitting. The roof rack I got from them required me to modify it to fit. Their customer service is good, though, so we’ll see what they say.
Part of the uniframe kit involves unbolting the steering box to swap out the weak factory spacer. The stock one is cast aluminum, and prone to breaking. Mine was surprisingly still in one piece. The replacement is pictured below it.
Brackets in place. Some of the hardware *****. It came with nice zinc plated grade 8 bolts for the steering box, but the washers are junk. They bent when tightened to the factory spec of 70 ft-lbs as you can see. I’ll replace these with proper grade 8 washers:
Here’s the end result of the bumper. I really like the look:
I then attempted to install the 3” led pods I bought. I could not for the life of me get the passenger side pod installed. It just wouldn’t fit, and it was hard to see why. So… I pulled the bumper back off.
Here is the drivers side light tab, this one fits no problem:
And here is the passenger:
It’s welded on at a very sharp angle, and the light hits the top of the underside of the bumper. For the money and reputation JCR has (made in the USA, pride of craftsmanship etc), I’m 0/2 on their products fitting. The roof rack I got from them required me to modify it to fit. Their customer service is good, though, so we’ll see what they say.
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Upgrading the cast aluminum steering box spacer is a well planned modification for sure.
That bumper added a great touch to the appearance of the XJ. Nice and tight and clean lines, too bad they couldn't weld the light bracket on correctly. In the picture it appears to be off by quite a bit. That's shoddy workmanship and rushing through something at it finest. Unfortunately I've been seeing more and more products fitting this same description these days. It's sad actually that we as a society demand more money for wages because Americans feel they "deserve" these higher wages, yet their workmanship suggests just the opposite.
That bumper added a great touch to the appearance of the XJ. Nice and tight and clean lines, too bad they couldn't weld the light bracket on correctly. In the picture it appears to be off by quite a bit. That's shoddy workmanship and rushing through something at it finest. Unfortunately I've been seeing more and more products fitting this same description these days. It's sad actually that we as a society demand more money for wages because Americans feel they "deserve" these higher wages, yet their workmanship suggests just the opposite.
OP
Mr. Roboto
Well-known member
Thank you! Yes, it is a shame. You’re 100% right. This bumper is also now $150+ more than it cost 2 years ago as a result of what you’ve described. Prices are up, quality is down, and we suffer as the consumer.
MadeByMiller
Well-known member
The bumper is looking very nice on your Jeep! I was thinking about your thread just yesterday when I came across a surprisingly clean and rust free XJ for a fair price locally. On the light pod mounting bracket, is it just floating with the single fillet weld on the frame mounting bracket? If so, I'd think it would be possible to bend the bracket down into place fairly easily by using a clamp and pulling it down.
As far as the disappointment in the product and workmanship guys, I can actually speak to this with a lot of experience in this exact realm of aftermarket bumpers, as I've built more than I can count both as an employee and as a self employed contractor. I think you'd be surprised as to how much of the assembly of these is "eyeballed" and how little is actually fixtured for repeatability. Right or wrong (I'd lean on the side of wrong) so many manufacturers don't invest in fixturing. Think about how many different bumpers that company makes, and then consider how many options there are for each model of bumper. It's easy to overlook things like fixturing when you're building the first prototypes, because you're taking care to make sure everything is spot on. When the product is released and in production though, the monkey's assembling them often aren't as keen to the details and what seems like a big deal to you (the light pod mount angle) is simply overlooked by the guy that is building dozens of them a week.
As a production welder/fabricator, I always took great pride in every aspect of the product I was building, but there are things that the guys on the shop floor are not in control of. In every production job I ever had, I would be very annoyed with having to manually tweak parts to fit correctly that could have been avoided with better or improved design. As a designer now, I put a lot of effort into creating self-fixturing weldments that only can go together one way (the correct, accurate way). This eliminates the need for a massive collection of external fixtures and creates a better overall product. I also highly encourage my customers to pay close attention during assembly and give me feedback for anything that could use adjustment. If a part needs more bend or could be longer or shorter to create a better weld joint, it's so easy to change in CAD rather than force the guys in the shop to make it work.
Anyways, sorry for the ramble. Seeing your post really brought me back to my days in production. To be honest, I'm much more offended with those low effort welds than I am with the angled bracket. I agree with you guys that boasting USA made is worse than worthless and in my opinion offensive if you aren't going to produce a product with pride and craftsmanship in every regard. A piece of junk made in the USA is worse than a piece of junk made in China.
As far as the disappointment in the product and workmanship guys, I can actually speak to this with a lot of experience in this exact realm of aftermarket bumpers, as I've built more than I can count both as an employee and as a self employed contractor. I think you'd be surprised as to how much of the assembly of these is "eyeballed" and how little is actually fixtured for repeatability. Right or wrong (I'd lean on the side of wrong) so many manufacturers don't invest in fixturing. Think about how many different bumpers that company makes, and then consider how many options there are for each model of bumper. It's easy to overlook things like fixturing when you're building the first prototypes, because you're taking care to make sure everything is spot on. When the product is released and in production though, the monkey's assembling them often aren't as keen to the details and what seems like a big deal to you (the light pod mount angle) is simply overlooked by the guy that is building dozens of them a week.
As a production welder/fabricator, I always took great pride in every aspect of the product I was building, but there are things that the guys on the shop floor are not in control of. In every production job I ever had, I would be very annoyed with having to manually tweak parts to fit correctly that could have been avoided with better or improved design. As a designer now, I put a lot of effort into creating self-fixturing weldments that only can go together one way (the correct, accurate way). This eliminates the need for a massive collection of external fixtures and creates a better overall product. I also highly encourage my customers to pay close attention during assembly and give me feedback for anything that could use adjustment. If a part needs more bend or could be longer or shorter to create a better weld joint, it's so easy to change in CAD rather than force the guys in the shop to make it work.
Anyways, sorry for the ramble. Seeing your post really brought me back to my days in production. To be honest, I'm much more offended with those low effort welds than I am with the angled bracket. I agree with you guys that boasting USA made is worse than worthless and in my opinion offensive if you aren't going to produce a product with pride and craftsmanship in every regard. A piece of junk made in the USA is worse than a piece of junk made in China.
OP
Mr. Roboto
Well-known member
I wish. There is a second fat weld right in the center of the bracket where it meets the front of the bumper, under the center of the light opening. This weld would have to be completely ground away so it could be bent down, and it’s a pretty hard one to get to. I’ll see what JCR says first before I start trying to hack it up myself.
I hear where you’re coming from, and thanks for taking the time to provide your unique perspective. I’m also in design/manufacturing but for government/DoD. Anything that can be potentially messed up, we have to completely idiot-proof with either a process control, fixture, inspection step, go/no-go gauge etc. Granted that a bumper for a Jeep is in a whole other league, but a lot of companies fail to realize the ROI they get fairly quickly from implementing some of these process controls. It also goes a long way in maintaining their reputation.
I’ll keep you guys posted on what their response is!
OP
Mr. Roboto
Well-known member
I’ve had this sitting on my bench for months, and I finally got to it last night. The “Big 7” upgrade kit from JeepCables.com.
Just a higher quality heavier gauge cable than factory, which are known to degrade over time. Also new heavy duty battery terminals. Got to start off using one of my new favorite tools, to remove the old stubborn terminals. Lisle battery terminal/wiper arm puller.
Not really much to look at, since it’s just new wires, but all of the negative wires get replaced, and the positive to the PDC, alternator, and starter. I kind of made a mess of the new wires while running them, since the old ones were in a bunch of dirt/oil soaked wiring loams that I had to take though to remove, but oh well. This is still kind of a rats nest for my taste, so I’ll probably clean it up some more tonight. It was getting late.
I don’t drive this once winter hits due to what the road salt does to vehicles here, but I pulled it out to get it over onto the bay with the lift, and thought it looked cool in my driveway with the light dusting of snow we just got.
Just a higher quality heavier gauge cable than factory, which are known to degrade over time. Also new heavy duty battery terminals. Got to start off using one of my new favorite tools, to remove the old stubborn terminals. Lisle battery terminal/wiper arm puller.
Not really much to look at, since it’s just new wires, but all of the negative wires get replaced, and the positive to the PDC, alternator, and starter. I kind of made a mess of the new wires while running them, since the old ones were in a bunch of dirt/oil soaked wiring loams that I had to take though to remove, but oh well. This is still kind of a rats nest for my taste, so I’ll probably clean it up some more tonight. It was getting late.
I don’t drive this once winter hits due to what the road salt does to vehicles here, but I pulled it out to get it over onto the bay with the lift, and thought it looked cool in my driveway with the light dusting of snow we just got.
nicholam77
Well-known member
Love the new bumper!
Shame 'cause I bet it's a beast in the snow. Totally understand, though.
Nice tool pick ups. I have the larger Tekton torque wrench and I'm happy with it. Been meaning to get the lil' guy. I've got no complaints about my Tekton open ended wrench sets, either.
Shame 'cause I bet it's a beast in the snow. Totally understand, though.
Nice tool pick ups. I have the larger Tekton torque wrench and I'm happy with it. Been meaning to get the lil' guy. I've got no complaints about my Tekton open ended wrench sets, either.
OP
Mr. Roboto
Well-known member
Love the new bumper!
Shame 'cause I bet it's a beast in the snow. Totally understand, though.
Nice tool pick ups. I have the larger Tekton torque wrench and I'm happy with it. Been meaning to get the lil' guy. I've got no complaints about my Tekton open ended wrench sets, either.
Thanks! And you’re right, it should go pretty darn well in the snow. This photo is from 12+ years ago, but my old mostly stock 98 was unbelievable in the snow. 5 speed, no ABS, traction control or anything, and it just trudged right along. Can’t tell you how many times I had that Jeep loaded with 5 people and a trunk/roof full of ski gear. It always got us to the mountains and back 2-3 hours each way in my college days.
My daughter has been spending more time out in the garage with me lately too. I just had one of these stools out there, but she keeps almost falling off of it since there is no back and her feet can’t reach the support.
So I found these brand new in the box on Facebook marketplace for $20 each.
All assembled and in place!
Also, an update on the bumper. JCR originally wanted me to mail the bumper back to them so they could repair the issue on it. I had already tossed the shipping box though, so they’re just going to send me a new one. They don’t have any built up at the moment, so it may be a while, but that’s ok. I’d rather get a new one anyways than have this one repaired and re powder coated.
pejourdan
Member
Just finished the entire thread!! WOW!!
Amazing job with the house, the garage and the cars!
Did press the like button on several posts, but felt that commenting on 3 year old posts seemed a bit creepy
Keep up the good work and happy holidays!
Greetings from Norway!
Amazing job with the house, the garage and the cars!
Did press the like button on several posts, but felt that commenting on 3 year old posts seemed a bit creepy
Keep up the good work and happy holidays!
Greetings from Norway!
OP
Mr. Roboto
Well-known member
Just finished the entire thread!! WOW!!
Amazing job with the house, the garage and the cars!
Did press the like button on several posts, but felt that commenting on 3 year old posts seemed a bit creepy
Keep up the good work and happy holidays!
Greetings from Norway!
Thank you very much for making it through it all! I saw the likes trickling in day by day hahaha. Always love to see when someone discovers this thread and sticks around to make it though all of my rambling!
jeepnatv4life
Well-known member
How is it with Car seats in the Cherokee... I have a 6y/o and 3y/o fixing up an 01 and goin from a grand cherokee with the 4.7 to an XJ but shew space looks tight with the large car seats
OP
Mr. Roboto
Well-known member
Not bad. You’ll have no issues with your 6 year old in a booster. If your 3 year old is forward facing, that won’t be bad either. It’s the rear facing seats that really kill the space. Luckily my wife is short and doesn’t really mind her seat pushed up, with our rear facing one year old. But we really haven’t gone out the 4 of us in the Jeep much at all yet. Just a few short ice cream runs. Looking to change that big time in the spring though!
Random update from this morning. Had a bad rain/wind storm come through overnight. Been without power since 6am. Finally got to test out the generator tent I bought about a year ago. It’s really nice! The company is actually based in NH about 30 minutes away from me, where they also manufacture them. Super happy with it so far!
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
That generator tent is pretty slick. I work around a lot of generators and didn't even know such a thing existed. I may have to look into those for our work gennys.
Thanks for sharing.
Hope you and your family have a very Merry Christmas.
Thanks for sharing.
Hope you and your family have a very Merry Christmas.
racer-john
Well-known member
Best of the season to All.
bigsteve2011
Well-known member
I have been seeing those tents places and wondered how good they were. When it's stored it acts as a cover for the generator too? I feel like mine just gathers all the garage project dust and dirt and have to clean it off every couple months.
OP
Mr. Roboto
Well-known member
We had rain blowing sideways yesterday, with 40mph wind gusts. Top half of the generator was bone dry when I lifted the access flap up to add gas! We were out for 8 hours total. The gas cap is recessed into the tank a bit on my genset. Same with the fuel gauge. Water used to pool there, and I was always afraid of it getting into the tank.
Thank you, same to you and yours!!!
Thank you, have a great holiday!!
You could use it in that manner, but it really makes the generator much bigger and harder to store. I bought the storage case they offer, and store it removed. It deploys very quickly. But if you have the space you could certainly do it! I throw a moving blanket over the generator when I store it, as I used to have the same dust issue.
Despite having no power, I made the best of being home and the kids being at school/daycare. Been putting off painting this area a lighter color forever, but I knocked it out. The ladder setup was a bit sketchy (especially when I had to stand on both at the same time) but it felt good to get this over with.
Also… hoping to replace that front door of mine this spring.
OP
Mr. Roboto
Well-known member
Made a new addition to the garage this week. I picked up a 20T shop press from Harbor Freight. I’ve had a need for one a few times in the past, and have a few future needs as well. I’ve been looking for a used one for months without any luck, but this one is currently $30 off with a coupon so I jumped on it.
I also did a full brake job on my daily. 55k miles on it. The pads still had good life, but the front brakes were warped and it was driving me nuts. Replaced all 4 cornered with a set of fully coated powerstop pads and rotors.
And that’s about it. Happy new years everyone!
Also fun fact, today is the day I brought my XJ home 2 years ago. Been going strong on it ever since.
I also did a full brake job on my daily. 55k miles on it. The pads still had good life, but the front brakes were warped and it was driving me nuts. Replaced all 4 cornered with a set of fully coated powerstop pads and rotors.
And that’s about it. Happy new years everyone!
Also fun fact, today is the day I brought my XJ home 2 years ago. Been going strong on it ever since.
jeepnatv4life
Well-known member
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Nice score on the press. They're invaluable when the need arises.
OP
Mr. Roboto
Well-known member
It does just fit around the base of the lift, but I don’t think I’ll keep it there. I’m either going to clear some space along a wall somewhere, or I’m also considering putting it in my basement.
And thanks! I’ll search out some of that modifying info.
For sure! Pressed out a wheel bearing on my fiends escape. I quickly learned that I need to get myself an assortment of steel blocks and plates to have to be able to support what im Pressing (any recommendations on what I should Look for? The distance between the beams wasnt great enough to be able to press the hub out first. Stacked up some 4x6 blocks to elevate it, which was super sketchy.
I also bought this for the eventual re-gear of the XJ, which I’m both very nervous and very excited for!
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
In my experience bushing drivers are a mixed bag. Early in my career as an Industrial Maintenance Mechanic we drove many a bearing or bushing out of about anything you can imagine. I purchased two kits over the first couple years in my career.
A Snap-on small bushing driver set was my first purchase.
Then shortly after I purchased a set from MAC that had slightly larger driver assortments.
Then for the most part throughout I had collected bits and pieces from various projects that consisted of drops of either plate or thick-walled tubing as well as motorcycle/snowmobile piston wrist pins that make excellent drivers. I don't have a picture but I'll have to snap one of the various ones that sit beside my hydraulic press that I keep within easy reach. I would say 60% of the time when using the hydraulic press I can find something on that small shelf that will work to either drive or receive. The other times I will walk to one of the above kits for small items or my newer ATM(Arizona Transmission & Machine) driver set below. I purchased this about 5 years ago after completing the new shop as I had been eyeing it for some time. It is not inexpensive and probably more drivers than I need but I have used the snot out of this thing over the past 5+ years now and love it, especially for rear end work and transmission work but I've found a few other projects that it has been helpful with as well.
Obviously the cheapest option is to collect bits and pieces over the years but this is quite a slow process and not always netting the exact results you are looking for in terms of exact fitment on critical items such as bearings where you have a narrow inner race that you are trying to push on and nothing else. That is where the above ATM kit really shines in the fact there are so many options for sizes. I have not had to press a bearing yet since having that kit that I have not been able to find the exact driver to push exactly on the bearing where I want to. However, it is not an inexpensive option.
Unfortunately, these are the best two pictures I currently have of my press driver shelf sitting next to the hydraulic press.
I hope that information is helpful, sorry the pictures of the shop made and collected drivers are not better.