Hello,
Is this a long wheelbase Jeep? Or is it just the camera angle?
From the looks of it, it appears to be a pre-Fiat example. Is it?
Just curious.
Juan
Builds Over the Hills, and Far Away
- Thread starter Sundowner
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Hello,
Is this a long wheelbase Jeep? Or is it just the camera angle?
From the looks of it, it appears to be a pre-Fiat example. Is it?
Just curious.
Juan
- Thread starter
- #302
It's a TJ Unlimited, more popularly known as an LJ. 104" wheelbase, with most of that length added ahead of the rear tire. Thus, the wheelbase is about 10.5" more than the standard TJ, at 93.5".
Correct, by five years or so. Fiat began their purchase in 2009.
She needs a bath - badly - so when I have that done I'll post a better picture.
Hello,
It is always nice to have extra space.
Pre-Fiat means it is possible to work on it. It could even make a good daily driver.
Regarding the bath, a clean lady is an interesting lady...
Juan
- Thread starter
- #304
The extra interior space is welcome, but the real strength of the LJ comes in the overall wheelbase gain; climbing performance - especially when you're playing on ledges - goes way up, with very little loss of departure angle. When built correctly, they're extremely capable. They also do well for light overland work.
TJs are starting to be a niche vehicle, these days; the majority of the parts that are now available - aftermarket or OEM - are for the Fiat-and-ever-after chassis. JK, JL, JT... they're all more recent and more publicly supported; that said, the TJ is massively simpler to repair and modify, and in the US, parts are still everywhere and they're inexpensive. I can even borrow certain parts from Cherokees, Grand Cherokees, etc. and do a lot of mixing and matching to suit my needs. That axle housing that I posted is actually from a '96 Cherokee, and it's a bolt-in swap; I could pull literally everything except the ring and pinion gear from my '04 stock front axle and shove it into that housing, and it would work perfectly. Of course, I'm not going to do that because I make bad decisions, but I could if I wanted to.
Regarding daily-driver potential: it already is one. The girl in question happens to love driving that Jeep so much that we had it moved 3,000 miles instead of selling it back on the East Coast and getting her something here. We also already owned it, so this was literally the cheapest way we could think of to get her a daily that we know she would be okay with.
The extra interior space is welcome, but the real strength of the LJ comes in the overall wheelbase gain; climbing performance - especially when you're playing on ledges - goes way up, with very little loss of departure angle. When built correctly, they're extremely capable. They also do well for light overland work.
TJs are starting to be a niche vehicle, these days; the majority of the parts that are now available - aftermarket or OEM - are for the Fiat-and-ever-after chassis. JK, JL, JT... they're all more recent and more publicly supported; that said, the TJ is massively simpler to repair and modify, and in the US, parts are still everywhere and they're inexpensive. I can even borrow certain parts from Cherokees, Grand Cherokees, etc. and do a lot of mixing and matching to suit my needs. That axle housing that I posted is actually from a '96 Cherokee, and it's a bolt-in swap; I could pull literally everything except the ring and pinion gear from my '04 stock front axle and shove it into that housing, and it would work perfectly. Of course, I'm not going to do that because I make bad decisions, but I could if I wanted to.
Regarding daily-driver potential: it already is one. The girl in question happens to love driving that Jeep so much that we had it moved 3,000 miles instead of selling it back on the East Coast and getting her something here. We also already owned it, so this was literally the cheapest way we could think of to get her a daily that we know she would be okay with.
Hello,
The extra wheelbase always comes in handy, on- or off-road. I do not see many of these in my neck of the woods.
Pre-Fiat Jeeps benefit from an abundance of part sources, especially in the US. More parts mean more choices, even bad ones. But human nature is what it is.
Apparently, the Jeep's sentimental value has started to weigh in.
Juan
- Thread starter
- #306
Sure, that kind of thing always plays a part...but in this case it was more about the overall comfort; for whatever reason, the seats in the LJ don't aggravate her back injury, and that's a very rare commodity. It cost us about $1300 to ship it, but that's a lot less than what a newer car would cost, and this is a known commodity for her comfort. And yeah, she loves the old thing...so that's a win-win.
Also, my knowledge of the TJ platform exists in inverse proportion to my knowledge of the 7x series...so, this is something I can work on without any difficulty. I've turned a lot of wrenches on these things, over the years.
Hello,
It is better to keep the comfort you know than to spend time and effort looking for a replacement.
Regarding knowledge, they say that a Land Rover (or a Jeep) is the right 4WD for you if you like to perform major maintenance (i. e., rebuilding every system and replacing every component) every 5000 km or 3000 mi. No offense intended.
70 Series Land Cruisers are much less demanding maintenance-wise. In a nutshell, they were designed to operate reliably under severe conditions. They were also designed to be repaired with a few tools. Your TJ expertise will come in handy. Quite likely, you know this already.
By the way, a lumbar support cushion in a 70 Series' seat is very good for back injuries. You may want to give it a try.
Juan
- Thread starter
- #308
100% agreement, there.
I've worked on Land Rovers; having done so, I wouldn't own one. They're simply not built well.
No offense taken regarding Jeeps, because that particular bit of hearsay isn't accurate. I've experienced very few failures over the years, none of which were surprising at all, and I've owned somewhere around a dozen of them. There are definitely things that I don't like about each and every one of them, but on the whole: the core systems are robust and reliable. Even the common wear items - ball joints, clutches, radiators, etc. - almost always exceed their service life. The majority of the "failures" that occur are simply age-related wear. TJs are 18 to 27 years old, now; they need upkeep.
It's transferable, for sure, but I'd argue that the maintenance is about the same. Thirty years will level the playing field on reliability quite a bit, and although I'll absolutely agree that the 70's are more robust in factory-fresh trim, that's a much longer road to completion than the TJs require. But here's the thing: they're not analogous vehicles, so any comparison is always going to be something of a skewed argument.
Both of my front seats have it, but that's not the problem; the seats simply don't fit her. Even at their most vertical position, they lay back too far and put a lot of pressure on the lower back. I feel it with my back injury as well, but it doesn't cause me the same amount of grief.
On another topic: I need to get a proper oil drain container. I used an open pan last time because that's what I had on hand, and it was terrible. So. Much. Mess..
Hello,
I find it interesting that TJ components are reliable. Thank you for your explanation.
Regarding 70 Series and age, as a general rule, components start to fail (mostly because of wear and tear) after 20 years, depending on the abuse the truck endured. Thankfully, systems/subsystems are repairable, and parts are available. If you are lucky, the truck will enter the shop and will experience a multiple system failure of sorts, all of a sudden. This may also happen in your driveway.
About your oil pan, there is a machine (complete with a bowl, a pump and a tank) that gets every drop of oil. It makes the transfer to another container very easy. However, it is bulky and requires an elevator. This is why I leave oil changes to my mechanic: he has one of these devices. On the other hand, oil spills can be a serious offense in my neck of the woods, and I have enough problems already.
Juan
- Thread starter
- #310
Most OEM stuff from the modern era is of good quality, with a few notable and well-known exceptions. Most of the bad press comes from incidental or anecdotal experiences, and a great deal of the rest is nothing more than unsubstantiated brand loyalty. I hate to sound cynical, but that's honestly the truth of it: most cars last a long time, given proper maintenance. As of 2024, the average lifespan of a car in the United States is between 150,000 and 200,000 miles, and it's still on the rise: that speaks volumes regarding the quality of construction in the modern era.
True, but also true of many other chassis/platforms.
That doesn't sound very fortunate, but as long as it happens in the driveway I'm okay with it.
I've seen evacuation systems; they're pretty trick, but I have no room or budget for one... especially not when I have two fundamental forces at my disposal: time and gravity. I don't usually spill anything when I do a change...but I also use lots of paper towels and a secondary drip tray.
Also, I'm now stocking Motorcraft parts, because Bad Life Choices.
Pictured: Better people have been fired for lesser crimes.
I know what you're thinking, and it's "Did that chimp buy a Ford?" And the answer to that is "No; the chimp sold one...and that was stupid because it was a good truck." As for why I'm stocking Ford filters: they're the same price and of equivalent quality to Mopar filters, and they're usually more readily available...and they happen to fit the Jeep 4.0 that lives under the hood of the Wrong LJ. And that's also why I'm now keeping 10w-30 in the chemicals cabinet.
Pictured: It's the only thing in my shop that's actually organized.
Making room for another vehicle is a pain; I'm glad that we only have the two. I've had to do a lot of reorganizing and reprioritizing in order to figure out how best to accommodate two completely different chassis in my plans and within the small physical space that I have...but I've been mostly successful, so I'm almost ready to get started finishing off that seat bracket and a few other things.
Also: in case anyone happens to have one, I'm looking for an HVAC assembly/blower that'll fit my 73. I'm pretty sure that I only need the interior door from it, but I'll likely have to get the entire thing...so if you happen to have one, let me know!
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Most OEM stuff from the modern era is of good quality, with a few notable and well-known exceptions. Most of the bad press comes from incidental or anecdotal experiences, and a great deal of the rest is nothing more than unsubstantiated brand loyalty. I hate to sound cynical, but that's honestly the truth of it: most cars last a long time, given proper maintenance. As of 2024, the average lifespan of a car in the United States is between 150,000 and 200,000 miles, and it's still on the rise: that speaks volumes regarding the quality of construction in the modern era.
True, but also true of many other chassis/platforms.
That doesn't sound very fortunate, but as long as it happens in the driveway I'm okay with it.
I've seen evacuation systems; they're pretty trick, but I have no room or budget for one... especially not when I have two fundamental forces at my disposal: time and gravity. I don't usually spill anything when I do a change...but I also use lots of paper towels and a secondary drip tray.
Also, I'm now stocking Motorcraft parts, because Bad Life Choices.
Pictured: Better people have been fired for lesser crimes.
I know what you're thinking, and it's "Did that chimp buy a Ford?" And the answer to that is "No; the chimp sold one...and that was stupid because it was a good truck." As for why I'm stocking Ford filters: they're the same price and of equivalent quality to Mopar filters, and they're usually more readily available...and they happen to fit the Jeep 4.0 that lives under the hood of the Wrong LJ. And that's also why I'm now keeping 10w-30 in the chemicals cabinet.
Pictured: It's the only thing in my shop that's actually organized.
Making room for another vehicle is a pain; I'm glad that we only have the two. I've had to do a lot of reorganizing and reprioritizing in order to figure out how best to accommodate two completely different chassis in my plans and within the small physical space that I have...but I've been mostly successful, so I'm almost ready to get started finishing off that seat bracket and a few other things.
Also: in case anyone happens to have one, I'm looking for an HVAC assembly/blower that'll fit my 73. I'm pretty sure that I only need the interior door from it, but I'll likely have to get the entire thing...so if you happen to have one, let me know!
Hello,
I agree. Most OEM stuff and cars from the modern era are reliable, save for some manufacturers. However, ever since our society decided that being ignorant (and choosing to remain ignorant) was acceptable, things took a turn for the worse. This is especially true when it comes to dealing with facts and reality. Yes, modern cars last for over 100,000 miles, but there is always that person who says it is not true because "they do not make like they used to" and insists about it despite arguments and evidence. You are not cynical; you just noticed a fact, understood it and got on with it.
In my last visit to the hardware store, I noticed oil pans deep enough to fit under an engine without an elevator. For some reason, oil pans do not have wheels like creepers do. I should be far easier to slide the pan, drain the oil and pull it back instead of lifting/dragging it into and out of place. Either no one is interested, or there is more money to make from evacuation systems.
Regarding Motorcraft, a friend of mine drives a Ford Explorer. During one scheduled maintenance, a number of parts, including the battery, needed replacement. They were all from Motorcraft. Some were not in stock and had a waiting period. The mechanic suggested using another brand, and my friend accepted. Within six months, many of the replacements, the battery among them, failed. Back to Motorcraft. I chose not to suggest waiting, despite me being rather obsessive about using the parts that the manufacturer recommends -mostly because of a number of nasty equipment failures because of no name brand spare parts, but that is another story.
Your chemicals cabinet looks neat. If I may say so, you are far more organized than you are willing to admit. Understatement, I reckon.
Regarding the HVAC blower, it may still be available.
Juan
- Thread starter
- #312
In many ways, we don't build things like we used to...but that's not necessarily a bad thing: if we consistently built things like we used to, society wouldn't really have advanced at all.
Wheels on a drain pan rapidly become a losing cost/benefit proposition. Most people use an oil drain pan about four times a year - if they use one at all - and that's not enough to warrant adding an expensive set of casters that will mostly just make the pan heavier and harder to store for the 361 days out of the year that it isn't needed.
That being said: I like wheels on pretty much anything I slide under a car, if it weighs more than a pound or so. You could always just set the drain pain on a small utility dolly if you wanted to roll it around.
It's the same case with Mopar. People seem to have this idea that the aftermarket is always better...but I see many more failures with aftermarket/budget parts than I do their OEM equivalents.
Despite the unintended and hilarious photo bomb in that picture, it really is the only part of my shop that's regularly organized. I'm chaotic and messy when working, so I have to over-enforce organization, lest my workspace turn into the Trash Heap from Fraggle Rock.
That's a negative, Ghost Rider...at least according to what I'm finding. NLA/discontinued, and when I tried to buy one last year I had three separate vendors assure me of availability, accept my payment, and then never ship anything. I had to file a chargeback with one of them, and immediately after all of those episodes, they deleted the part from their inventory list. Same problem I had with Megazip and Amayama; they'll take payment on something they don't have, and then it's up to the consumer to figure out why their parts aren't arriving.
On another topic: I'm going to try to give the car a bath today, because she really needs one. And I'm also going to try to figure out how tall the factory gas tank is... because I really don't want to spend several hundred dollars on a larger tank if I can't actually use it, and it seems like height might be an issue. Also, if anyone already knows that data - factory tank height - please pass it along.
Hello,
There should be a balance between past and present: keep the good things, and set aside the ones that are not.
Thank you for the suggestion regarding the dolly.
I think we agree on the use of OEM parts whenever possible.
They say that a clean desk is a clean mind, but this is not entirely correct. Work needs, or implies, a messy environment until it is done. It is important, however, to keep the mess under control.
Regarding HVAC, I hoped some 24V parts were still available. I was wrong. 24V 70 Series Land Cruisers were discontinued ages ago. Maybe -a big maybe- a wrecker or a donor rig in Canada or New Zealand.
Is the tank the one from your 73 Series?
Juan
- Thread starter
- #314
Yep. I'm trying to figure out if @ddub's tank will fit mine. Rather, we're both trying to figure that out; I called dibs on it until I either buy it, or we figure out that it isn't going to work...so he's running down some info from the manufacturer, and I'm working on this end of things. I just don't want to drop my stock tank unless I have to, because it's my daily driver.
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- #315
Random Question: does anyone happen to know the thread pitch of the stock oil pressure sending unit on the 1HZ?
Should be 1/8 BSPT, if I recall correctly.
- Thread starter
- #317
British Standard Pipe Taper?!?! That's some Land Rover s***, right there...and that means it's just gonna have to go.
To explain why I'm asking: after talking with @Guyute and @Metto a few days back at the meetup in Oly, I started thinking about the oil pressure gauge. Specifically, I was thinking about the dead spot in said gauge, which is approximately the size of Saturn. Before that discussion I had just assumed it to be a bit inaccurate - like, maybe the size of Venus or something - but after getting their input on it and doing a bit of digging, it seems that there's less accuracy to be had from that gauge than I suspected. So, I started thinking about a way to fix it, and I came up with four solutions. In ascending order of preference, they are:
- Stop worrying; it'll probably be fine.
- Install an aftermarket gauge and sensor.
- Drive a different car.
- Fix whatever causes the dead spot.
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- #318
It's too nice of an evening to be worrying about oil pressure...or much of anything else, for that matter.
Pictured: Just don't overcook them.
Pictured: Just don't overcook them.
- Thread starter
- #319
...and then we went through six weeks of everyone in the house being sick. Two rounds of Covid, two influenzas, a chest cold, something that looked suspiciously like rotavirus, a dog that decided she loves raisins, and even a bunny with a tummyache because I have evidently offended all of the Old Gods.
But, we're all finally on the mend...so that's probably why the parking brake light came on and stayed on in the 73 today. And it's also probably why the AC compressor is coming on and kicking my RPM up by about 150 or so, which it's never really done before. Because of course that's what would happen.
But, we're all finally on the mend...so that's probably why the parking brake light came on and stayed on in the 73 today. And it's also probably why the AC compressor is coming on and kicking my RPM up by about 150 or so, which it's never really done before. Because of course that's what would happen.
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