From owner-fsj-digest-at-digest.net Sat Mar 10 18:23:11 2007 From: fsj-digest fsj-digest Sunday, March 11 2007 Volume 01 : Number 2805 Forum for Discussion of Full Sized SJ Series Jeeps Brian Colucci Digest Coordinator Contents: fsj: adventures in popcorn... fsj: Safety Alert fsj: a link for WVO stuff fsj: thinking XJ, pass the popcorn fsj: xj: the '00 xj (fwd) fsj: Re: [db] the '00 xj fsj: Re: [db] the '00 xj FSJ Digest Home Page: http://www.digest.net/jeeps/fsj/ Send submissions to fsj-digest-at-digest.net Send administrative requests to fsj-digest-request-at-digest.net To unsubscribe, include the word unsubscribe by itself in the body of the message, unless you are sending the request from a different address than the one that appears on the list. Include the word help in a message to fsj-digest-request to get a list of other majordomo commands. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 9 Mar 2007 17:48:39 -0800 (PST) From: john Subject: fsj: adventures in popcorn... driving in today (in the 300D) got to thinking about how nice it would be to have my J10 with that 6.2L Diesel... but then I started thinking about how nice Omega (the '91 GW) is... and about how nice that 2001 XJ limited might be... but the XJ and Omega are gas (for now)... then I thought, hmmm... having the J10 and the WJ and maybe the '48 CJ-2A, without the rest of the herd would be good too... could sell the trailer even. Life would be simple... (but for how long asks the crowd as they munch on the popcorn...) But then I realize that my J10 has fallen into a very deep black hole 100 miles south of here... calls aren't returned, emails are answered days later, if at all, it's like a slow motion delayed connection... a time warp... and SuperDawg been six years in many, many pieces... but I am still amazed at how quickly he came apart, not even two weeks and it was completely and utterly dismantled and carefully sorted into piles... then moved around and stored for a long time... :) slowly it's been getting some attention, the frame has been detailed and painted, the bed had been lined top and bottom... the cab has been bedlined under and inside... but the progress has been painfully slow... painfully... So I'm wondering, hey, I've got a nice FSJ here... why shouldn't I just fix up Omega and go that route... I've got it here. I can see it. I can touch it. Thinking, go for it, keep the J10 trailer, and just go gonzo on the '91 GW... makes more sense, except for my fear of that stupid tailgate window... would be nice if we could make barn doors for that thing... :) Anyway, it's here, it's mostly in one piece (still haven't sorted out whether the alarm or the starter relay is the villian. ;). Omega needs a few things... mainly to run and drive smooth... and I need the time to fix him... or I could hire out the work... then sell off the rest of the fleet... the 4 door sunroof equipped Grand Wagoneer with a Diesel doesn't sound too bad... If I put a Diesel in Omega with the dual tank setup I could part with shadowfax... so really my dilema is, popcorn ready?... * ** ** * * should I invest the effort into the 1991 Grand Wagoneer (aka Omega), finish the bodywork/paint, put in WJ seats, a nice Diesel driveline, decent tires and call it good... OR should I continue to wait until very warm places freeze over and I see SuperDawg again (remember, that '83 J10 stepside that was dismantled in April 2001)? * ** ** * * the J10 stepside is without a doubt the cooler looking of the two vehicles... but the '91 GW is more practical and has a nice factory sunroof and four doors... more leg room, so I can install reclining seats, even carry the same load... only problem is I haven't really warmed up to Omega... the few issues bug me... I miss SuperDawg... Just wish he was in one piece and up here, I would have had this swap done in six months if I had done it myself... now it's six years and very little hope of seeing it completed any time soon. ----- - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Snohomish, Washington -o|||||o- where Jeeps don't rust, they mold http://freegift.com ** http://wagoneers.com ** - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 10 Mar 2007 10:31:03 -0600 From: JeepNut Subject: fsj: Safety Alert Hi all. I had a seatbelt latch go bad on my GWag. So I pulled the latching belt out of RezRunner and didn't realize until installation that the dadgum things are different widths. So I had to go back to the RezRunner and pull ALL the belts out of the front of it so that everything would match. I'm anal that way. In the process, I discovered a VERY disturbing thing. ALL of the threads in the '88's belt were gone. My theory is that the plastic cover on those belts holds dirt, sand, etc. and with the age of our rides ... that cotton thread just didn't stand a chance here 20+ years later. Where the belt is pushed through the mounting tab it is folded back over upon itself and sewn in a pattern. The way my drivers seat belt was worn, in an accident, with the huge forces generated, it would have easily pulled straight out of the mounting tab and provided little if no protection. Not to mention a roll-over offroad or maybe just some rough trail riding would have pulled this thing completely free. Even more amazing? I'm guessing that the RezRunner had no "plastic covers" on it's belts as it was an 81 Wagoneer, not a Grand Wagoneer ... I'm thinking it wasn't such a GRAND idea to add them, as the belts on the Rez Runner SEEM to be very secure still, with little or no fraying of the fabrics..... interesting..... Vince, if your still out there monitoring, thanks again for the Rez Runner. The belt length of the 81's interestingly is a little shorter than the '88 belt, but it's good incentive for me to NOT grow in girth any more.... lol... I have pictures so you can see how dangerously worn the belts were stored here: http://usera.imagecave.com/JeepNut/ I just signed up for this thing so I could post photos of these and various other things as time goes by.... Let me know if it doesn't work. BE SAFE everybody and have fun! JeepNut ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 10 Mar 2007 11:26:30 -0800 (PST) From: john Subject: fsj: a link for WVO stuff checked the Willys Tech list digest and one of the guys had a link to this: http://stores.ebay.com/MyaScape-Enterprises anyone familar with these kits? looks like Jason's idea: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Pre-Assembled-Hose-In-Hose-System_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ6763QQitemZ270048822574 Jason's idea: http://wagoneers.com/DieselBenz/TECH/WVO/heater/ BTW, popcorn ready? I'm thinking of going forward with the Grand Wagoneer and giving up on SuperDawg... Well, not really giving up, but facing the cold hard reality of having lost it to a procrastinator with good intentions. So, to recover, I'll just use the driveline out of the '91 GW and put in the J10. The 360 V8 would be fun in the stepside and enhance it's resale value greatly. It's becoming quite clear that curtis doesn't really give a flying rip if he ever finishes my truck and has plenty of excuses and "life experiences". Six flippin' years is totally ludicrous. Just want my truck reassembled, maybe even with the original bad 4.2l/t-5 and np208 so I can deal with it... amazing how it could come apart in less than two weeks, but even six years later it's not together or even close... The best I can hope for is that curtis will put the J10 back together, maybe even paint it all one color and then I can haul it home and finish it myself. It's really irritating that even if I drive the 200+ miles to retrieve it, I wouldn't be able to gather up all the pieces in one trip. I just don't have the time and basically my truck is being held hostage by a world class procrastinator. >From a practical standpoint the GW makes more sense anyway. Too bad this '91 has so many little annoyances... it would be easier if it was smooth and 100%. But then again, are any FSJs ever really 100%? :) All it'll take is time and money. I hate the tailgate setup, but there is some hope of panel doors... Thinking about it I may retrieve my '67 J100 panel and have the doors replicated. The original deal was that curtis was going to buy it for a bargain after helping with the swap, but there are six years worth of broken promises. I don't care to keep the panel, just want to have the doors reproduced then I'd sell it or work something out with curtis so he could have it back, since I know his wife loves that thing. All I want are the same kind of doors on my '91 GW. All I really want is one nice Diesel 4x4 that isn't the size of a small freight train. The extended cab Diesel trucks are all massive. The smaller Diesels are too small, or too expensive. The J10 idea is sort of ok, but the cab is too small... So, if I reassemble the J10, maybe with a V8, and clean up the panel, replicate the doors... then I could sell both of them and the 300D and cover the costs of making the '91 GW a nice Diesel powered daily driver/interstate cruiser... All I know is I'm frustrated, p'od and want to get things squared away. Just went out and looked at the GW, it doesn't need much, but it does have needs... and I have no time... Well, enough of this, homework now... john ----- - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Snohomish, Washington -o|||||o- where Jeeps don't rust, they mold http://freegift.com ** http://wagoneers.com ** - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 10 Mar 2007 14:32:44 -0800 (PST) From: john Subject: fsj: thinking XJ, pass the popcorn popcorn ready? :) Between experimental battery life data gathering and homework, I'm thinking about the fleet... :) Tired of driving a car and/or junk. Tired of waiting to have time or get help to create my own dream vehicle... So, I'm thinking about getting a 2000 XJ classic, found a really, really nice looking silverish one for about $6300. Hopefully it's still available... :) Only thing is it has cloth seats, 131K on the odo. I've also found a 2001 XJ limited, front end damage, probably about $3k worth of repairs... but leather heated seats... also a negative is it's black. Don't like dark colors, shows dirt and scratches. So I'm sitting here thinking that I'd just sell all my FSJs, Diesel Benz and buy one nice XJ cherokee, keep my cj-2a, WJ and trailer and call it good. Tired of trying to get a Diesel Jeep setup and built, especially with older AMC quality rigs. The Benz is the best car I've ever owned, but it's still a car. It's a Jeep thing, some folks wouldn't understand... :) Going to run some numbers on economy to see just how painful it'll be giving up 28-30 mpg on Diesel to go with 16 to 18 mpg in an XJ... Only drive about 24 miles a day round trip... just over 10 miles there and back... Diesels are great, would love to have one in the Jeep of my choice, but reality really stinks sometimes. Can't count on others to help make dreams happen. Don't have the time, and in some cases, the skills, to make it happen on my own. Hey, any tricks to tweak more mileage out of a 4.0? (other than a light foot? ;) Maybe some day I'd be able to drop a nice Mercedes Turbo Diesel into a nice clean XJ... or not. :) Love Diesel, but it's not looking good for a practical daily driver capable of towing something... Hey, if the listmom for the XJ and FSJ lists can give up his FSJ, his XJ and his Navigator for a TJ, I guess I can give up my fleet for an XJ. ;) Today, (munch, munch), thinking '99 WJ, '00 XJ, '48 CJ and the '75 J10 trailer, sell the rest... dang, will have four engines, four Jeeps and a benz to sell if I do this... :) Soon as this round of batteries die, will call the guy with the 2000 XJ and set up a meeting for tomorrow... :) come on Linux, finish this battery, I need to deal with that last cup of coffee... dang, 4 hours and 20 minutes on one battery can be painful.. :) KEEP: -o|||||o- 1948 Willys CJ-2A 2.0L/T90/Spicer 18 (Alpha) 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo (WJ) 4.7L V8/45RFE/NV247 (no name, wife's jeep) --- eventually obtain 2000 XJ 1975 Jeep J10 long bed (SJ) hydraulic dump trailer, heavy but cool. - ---------------------------- SELL: 1991 Jeep Grand Wagoneer (SJ) 5.9/727/np229 (Omega) 1983 Jeep J10 Stepside (SJ) 4.2/T-5/NP208 (SuperDawg) 1991 Mercedes 300D (124) 2.5L Turbo Diesel/AT (Shadowfax) 1967 Jeep J100 (SJ)Panel 232/T-85/D20 (Rambo) -o|||||o- - ---------------------------- BUY: 2000 XJ Classic - swap in leather seats 2001 XJ Limited - get seats & trim, fix, paint and sell - ---------------------------- enjoy the popcorn kids... later, john http://wagoneers.com/johns-vehicles.html ----- - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Snohomish, Washington -o|||||o- where Jeeps don't rust, they mold http://freegift.com ** http://wagoneers.com ** - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 10 Mar 2007 16:26:33 -0800 (PST) From: john Subject: fsj: xj: the '00 xj (fwd) http://www.wagoneers.com/tmp/XJ-2000/ALL.html is this worth trading or selling my '91 300D for? :) have two folks interested in the '91 GW... could just cash out... that'd leave superdawg in the black hole to get the 6.2L Diesel... might work... surely can't sell the J10 right now. this would set me up with a fleet like: '99WJ '00 XJ '83 j10 '48 cj-2a and the '75 j10 trailer depending on how the J10 turns out would determine if I kept the xj, j10 and/or the cj. ----- - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Snohomish, Washington -o|||||o- where Jeeps don't rust, they mold http://freegift.com ** http://wagoneers.com ** - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 10 Mar 2007 16:28:22 -0800 (PST) From: john Subject: fsj: Re: [db] the '00 xj On Sun, 11 Mar 2007, jasonbassett-at-juno.com wrote: >-->WHOA! MAJOR POPCORN SHORTAGE AHEAD!!!! >-->John.....give up on DIESEL? Over what...some batteries??? >-->This could get really, really weird...... >-->Stay TUNED! >-->Jason yeah, one nice daily driver that will go anywhere... shadowfax is a nice car, but it's a car... what to do with 350 gallons of veggie oil if I part with my Diesel. :) maybe the J10 will eventually get assembled and I could run it for free for decades to come... :) >-->-- john wrote: >-->http://www.wagoneers.com/tmp/XJ-2000/ALL.html >--> >-->is this worth trading or selling my '91 300D for? >-->:) ----- - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Snohomish, Washington -o|||||o- where Jeeps don't rust, they mold http://freegift.com ** http://wagoneers.com ** - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 10 Mar 2007 18:21:55 -0800 (PST) From: john Subject: fsj: Re: [db] the '00 xj On Sun, 11 Mar 2007, jasonbassett-at-juno.com wrote: >-->Sounds like you need to find a way to put some pressure on the >-->procrastinator. Maybe park Rambo on the edge of a cliff, and threaten >-->to put it in neutral and jump out???? >--> >-->Jason I don't think that would hurt it... :) and it would only improve it's appearance... I think my buddy knows that my wife has forbidden that thing from my driveway... so I don't have many options here... my J10 is in a bazillion pieces, my wife won't let me bring Rambo home... I'm between a lifted jeep and a hard place. :) Trading my Benz for that nice XJ, buying the other XJ for the heated leather seats, fixing it and selling it, selling the '91 GW, waiting for the J10 to get it's 6.2L and hope it's this year, and then living happily ever after is starting to sound good... we'll see... options are limited when your resources are in little piles 105 miles south of you. :( john >--> >-->-- john wrote: >-->On Sat, 10 Mar 2007, Edward Pomeroy wrote: >--> >-->> -->Keep the 'old military jeep, keep the Benz, buy the silver XJ get >-->rid of the >-->> -->rest, kick back with a mint julep..... >-->> -->My 2c and pass a bowl of popcorn someone! >-->> -->Edward in balmy (40 degrees today - snow almost gone!) Michigan. >--> >-->let's see if I get this right... >--> >-->keep the cj (no problem), the 300D, (maybe), XJ (ok), what about the >-->WJ? >--> >-->see, I don't like this already... this is how I lost out on the WJ. My >-->wife will grab the XJ and I'll be stuck with the car again... I don't >-->want >-->to drive a car, I WANT to drive a JEEP. >--> >-->I'm in a short sleeve shirt.. been walking around outside... must be >-->in the '50s >-->at least... yep... >--> >-->Sure wish we had Diesel powered XJs in the states... Kind of miss >-->my '85 XJ with the 2.1L TD, although that engine was junk... expensive, >-->french, troublesome junk, still liked it when it ran though. :) >--> >-->john >--> >--> ----- >-->---------------------------------------------------------------------- >--> Snohomish, Washington -o|||||o- where Jeeps don't rust, they mold >--> http://freegift.com ** http://wagoneers.com ** >-->---------------------------------------------------------------------- >--> ----- - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Snohomish, Washington -o|||||o- where Jeeps don't rust, they mold http://freegift.com ** http://wagoneers.com ** - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ End of fsj-digest V1 #2805 **************************