Taped up and ready to paint

I taped my Jeep tonight. Tomorrow I will spray them. Nothing big here, just thought I'd post my progress.

A-Pillars

Before I install the visor and deflector I need to paint the inside of the windshield frame. So tonight I sanded down the area I will paint black.

Sun Visor Mounted

I finished the visor today. I cut it out and mounted it on the windshield frame with 1/4 bolts. I still need to run round bar on the bottom to stiffen it up. Looks good!!

Bolt Bin

With so many things going on during this build I decided to install a cheap bolt bin setup. It will have 6 sizes of 8 different bolts, locknuts and washers. 1/4" up to 3/4". I know I haven't labeled it all the way or filled it up. That part will be quite expensive. Anyway it stands 6ft. tall and looks as if it will function nicely.

Sun Visor and Wind Deflector

The building process for the sun visor and wind deflector has begun. I decided to use posterboard as I usually do. Since the visor and deflector are both going inside the windshield frame I decided to use the glass as a template for the exact shape.



Trace underneath and 6" up each side, as the sun visor will hang 6" down from the roof.



Then I took this thing and locked it down to 6" and traced the outside curve of the glass to get the bottom line of the visor.



This gave me the same shape top and bottom.



Trace that pattern on to 22ga. metal and cut.

Dynamat is done

With all the help Josh gave me today the dynamat is finally pulled up. The glue this left behind is like roofing tar. So we soaked it with paint remover, covered it with a tarp and let the chemicals do their thing. Wow! The glue has a hard time sticking if there is no paint. Josh found a technique with the pressure washer that literally rolled the glue off. Go Josh! My side wasn't as good as his. Fail Dean. Anyway here is a picture of what I'd like to consider the last I will have seen of dynamat.



Now what? We gonna paint the interior with truck bed liner. It will seal it and give you some traction. Plus it's the "in" thing to do. Whatever. My final goal is to be able to wash the interior and have drain holes to deal with the water. We got plenty of drain holes...so on with the liner. I think that's next, so that I can finish wiring the thing and finally start the motor.

Hood dimples

Josh and I and Trey did some work on the hood this morning. Last night we laid out the pattern for the holes. Some in the front to cool it at higher speeds, some in the rear for crawling around.



Then we used a hole saw to cut the hood.





Put in under the 40 tone press and use the dimple dyes to flare each hole out.



Trey keep it straight.



Final product. Still needs to filed and painted.

Novak NP231 Shift Kit

The stock linkage is designed to prevent you from accidentally putting it in four wheel drive when you didn't want to. The Z-gate linkage is anything but easy. So Novak dumbed down the linkage and gives you great knob options. I think Josh firgured it to be over 248 possible adjustments. Anyway, I think it looks great and more importantly shifts straight back and it is closer to the seat so you don't have to reach.

Hood color and punchouts

I'm taking the hood over to Josh's house. We're going to paint parts of the top black and the underside too. But first I have to punch out the holes.

What's next?

So what's next? I still have the body panels to mount. The inside needs to be painted with truck bed liner. The electrical wiring soon after that.

But what about a sun visor and wind deflector? Here is me and Josh's mock up last night. Obviously we took the windshield out. The wipers, motor and all its linkage as well. Now I need to cover up the cowl. So I figure I'll do all the this out of sheet metal and paint it black.

Hood complete

Punching the first hole. Pin popping through. Measure twice, cut once.



Then put the poly collar on and drill the mounting holes.



Windlace trim across the back. I had to grind the fold off, it was preventing it from sitting flat.



There it is. I still have some adjustments to make. 20+ hours to convert this from factory latch system.

Front hood pins


Rear hood pin mount


Rear body panels.

First Ave. Rocks

The grand opening is just around the corner. I've already put in 5 sessions and love it. It's a great feeling to have a gym in Birmingham. Great owners, amazing bouldering, professional enviroment. It's all there!! I think the official grand opening is Aug. 1st.

More skinning..

Well this weekend was busy. UFC fights for one. I'm so glad to see Brock win. I was fearful of Mir's constant submission attempts. Anyway.

Josh and Ben both helped me skin my doors this weekend. Long process continues. Sawzaw down the side of the door. Through hinge plates, up and over glass rails. Ahh! It's pretty much done though. I just have to trim them into shape with the snips and put black trim around them.



This is the pile I have to take to the dump. Which does not include the full tailgate. Also the glass I removed so far. 6 large pieces. It will be a full truck load.

Body Panels

I started the long process of skinning my doors and hood. I want to remount them as panels with quick release fasteners. The hood will go on with Autofab's poly hood pins kit. Good looking and tough. So the hood is complete. Josh and I peeled it away from its support. I had to remove all the dynamat first to get a sawzaw under the supports.





I haven't taken a picture of the skin removed, but its done. I think I'm going with stamped louvers for that classic look.



Now this weekend on to the doors. So I already gutted them and removed the glass. I also removed the logo and the black strip installed by the factory to prevent door dings. It hides the Cherokee's beautiful body lines.

Recent work on the Cherok-beast

Josh and I have been doing alot of work on the Cherokee recently. This is the list of what we have completed or what will be done in the very near future.
-Removed interior. Dash, carpet, dynamat.
-Picked through factory wire harness removing ALL unnecessary clips and wire.
-Moved batteries to rear cargo area.
-Rebuilt custom air intake.
-Moved breathers for front axle, t.c., transmission.
-Removed useless air conditioning compressor.
-Removed quarter panel glass
-Mounted MSD box inside.
-Re-wire all electrics.
-6pt. interior cage.
-Install Novak adapters 231 linkage.

I'm sure I forgot some things. Here are a few pictures of what has been done so far.

Come get some more!

Come Get Some!!

Sparta

I'm heading to Sparta, Tn this weekend to ride at Golden Mtn. Offroad park. I'll post pics Monday.

Fez-book

Can't stand it anymore!

In addition this site has changed. No longer are comments accepted,
because I am unavailable for comment and so is yours.

No one here gets out alive

With warmer temperatures come more seat time. Time behind the wheel. Puddles begin to dry and the trails tighten up with the new growth of the year. Spider webs cross the trails and at 45 mph it's difficult if not impossible to dodge them. Downed trees everywhere from recent wind storms. But this year it's different. I'm ready. I've found my niche', better yet it found me. Lightened up the Cherok-beast in more ways than one. So then I guess it begins now. Yeah yeah, I like rocks, flexing your arms like a T-rex. Then you chunk again and again. But RzD is what I do. So I do what I do. Search for those lines between the trees.

This weekend Josh and I are PERSONALLY invited for like the ump-teeth time to Gray ORV for a ride. Not an open ride, a private ride, but we the private-kind-of-people. Except this time we get to ride through the mine roads. Hmm. I meant this time we get to cause all kind of hell across 2800 acres of offroad racing roads. Extremely fast through trees close enough to reach in and grab you. Down hills steeper than you've ever experienced. Through creeks, rivers and on top roads sliding sideways at 50mph. Mind blowing, adrenaline pumping, hyper focusing driving. Lets hope we make it out alive.