5 Wires and Hoses
This is the part of the build that I've been dreading. 17 trips to get hose fittings, 27 trips to find wire connectors. Hours of research on how to wire a whole car.
[pics of boring hoses and wires here]
I couldn't find a way to T the return lines from the hydroboost and power steering from 3/8 to 5/8 cleanly, so I made a Y adapter. Not too difficult to fabricate, but a PITA to test for leaks. I was planning on buying more hose to complete the return, but the hose shop was closing in 2 min. Instead I found out that I have drop 5/8" SS tube and I could bend it in my angle rolls. I also found some compression unions that we don't use anymore at work and voila! a section of stainless hardline return for no reason.
The turbo oil feed/drain kit I bought looks fancy, but didn't have the right flanges on either end so I modified the parts I had and made them work. Not too excited about the braided line with hose clamps, but it works, and I don't think anyone will see it (except you seeing it here on my blog). The stock one went from 1/2 tube to 3/4" tube; I don't know why. I'm hoping keeping 1/2" tube the whole distance will work fine. Building the filler tube and vent took FOREVER. I had to build an adapter from 2" on the tank to 1.75" for the stock filler tube. I tried for hours to get a 1/2 hose on a 3/4 fitting for the vent, and finally drove back to the hose shop for a 3/4" tube to make it easier.
When I built the fuel tank, I built a sump area with an internal diptube going into the bottom of the sump. The two ports up high were supposed to be the diptube and an open return. Then later I added a low drain that drains out of the sump. My diptube had several cuts and tube welds and I never tested my welds for leaks. After I sealed up the tank, I realized that if that diptube has pinhole leaks, the fuel pump is going to suck air in and could screw with fueling. So I decided to use the diptube port as the return, and use the drain as my main fuel supply. It leaves a little exposed external piping, but I know I won't get any air in the lines. Now the return is on the diptube, flooding the sump in the tank, which will also help low level fuel supply. Too many words; click on the lower left pic to see a bigger image.
I had to take apart one of the brake line unions for the FR caliper because it threads around the engine. When I did that, I noticed that the flange was a single flange. If you click on the pic, you can even see where it's cracked out on the flange. That's why brake lines are double flanged. It takes one more step with the flange tool using double flanging buttons. When I saw this, I removed all the brake lines on the Jeep and every time one end was terminated, there was a single flange. At least now I know they're all solid.
I don't want to cut corners anywhere on this build, but sometimes I will. Like body repair under the rig. But brakes I want solid. I was rinsing out the caliper with brake fluid and I noticed a lot of rust coming out. So I popped the piston out and found this. This prompted me removing all the calipers, getting new seals, and cleaning them all out. The cylinders aren't as important as the pistons and the seals as long as they slide freely but tight in the bore. Luckily all the pistons were perfect after a little cleaning. Another killer find from the PO was these soft lines for the front brakes. I was having a hard time finding the right ones online to buy, but while I was scouring the shelves for brake clips, I found two lines in the box. OK, they're not stainless braided lines, but they're brand new, and will do the job fine for the next 15 years.
A couple items I couldn't find in the mass of boxes I have was the glove box button and the ignition key bezel. I posted a "wanted" ad on ifsja.org and a guy named Derek just 2 hours from me had the parts. Not only that, but he has a whole 72 Waggy that he bought as a parts vehicle for his 70 restoration.
In my infinite wisdom, I thought buying a 2000 Wrangler fuse box with harness on eBay for $70 would save me time/money because it already has a bunch of fuses, relays, wire, and a cool box that would be better than any aftermarket or homemade solution I could come up with. Well, its just adding to the complexity to a daunting task. I've abandoned the idea of keeping any color coding consistency. I have Isuzu colors, Old Jeep colors, PO design colors, and now New Jeep colors. I think my wiring diagram will be black and white. Instead I bought a $30 labeler at Home Depot. Hopefully the tags will last.
Update March 29, 2018
I removed all the wires, fuses, and relays from the fuse box, and wired up just the Fuel Cut-off realy, and the starter relay.
No coolant, no transfer case oil, no rear end oil. I did check the engine oil, and topped off the transmission.
I put 5 gallons of diesel in the tank and attempted to use the plunger to bring fuel to the lift pump (it's on the motor). After 1000+ pumps I still was getting no fuel from the tank. I went under the truck to see if I had pinched a line or something; all looked good. Another 800 pumps and I went under the truck again. Oh, I put a valve on the fuel outlet... That should be open. Finally got fuel smart guy.
Update March 30, 2018
Filled the diff, transfer case, transmission. Tied up all the cables hanging down, and took her for a test drive!
Update April 4, 2018 - Back to wiring
I personally think it's poor form to put LED bulbs in a reflector type OEM housing. The reflector wasn't designed for it, and the "pure white" looks douchey. When I talk about D-bag moves, I'm talking about stickers with Calvin peeing on something, stack exhaust on a diesel, and "stance" cars.
Now that I've offended everyone. I found some lights that are LED and not douche-bag approved.
I bought these (2) HELLA headlight housings for $44.69/ea.: (which included Halogen bulbs)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002M9QK6
And these LED bulbs for $44.99/set (2):
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07798BGQ8
For my scientific study, I took pictures of the lights with my camera locked on one exposure setting. I used jumpers directly from my battery and hand held the lamps and tried to direct them to the same white paint area with the lights off in my Jeep work area.
Lights used in my little study:
LO - Sealed Beam - HI
LO - HELLA with Halogen 55/60w - HI
LO - HELLA with LED 25w - HI
The HELLA lenses are a lot less round than the Sealed GE lights.
My conclusions:
What surprised me is that there's not a drastic difference in the brightness on the wall from light to light, bulb to bulb. Most of the time digital pictures, especially posted online with someone using a cell phone, look the same brightness even when the surveyor claims that one is significantly brighter in person. Usually it's because they don't understand how a cell phone camera adjusts the exposure, essentially making them the same brightness. But in this case, I used a set exposure and I can confirm that they are really about the same brightness on camera as well as in person.
What I really like:
1. The LED lights use about 1/3 the power to get the same resulting light.
2. The HELLA housings/reflectors look vintage stock, but if you really pay attention, you can tell that they're special.
3. These LEDs in particular have a 4300K LO light, which is very close to the same color as an electrified filament (halogen or sealed beam).
The HI bulb on the LEDs is a 6000K "pure white" color, which I wanted to avoid, but it's only in the HI position, and I can live with it. Might be better light when I need more light.
My multimeter has a limit of 10 amps so I didn't power both HI and LO at the same time with the filament bulbs, but I did with the LED. I don't understand why the amp draw was less. I didn't notice any less power or brightness, but the 4300k and 6000K colors together do cover more area on the wall, and look very different. Might even be cool.
Another aspect I kind of expected was a discrepancy between the rated wattage and the actual watts. I'm not an electrician by any means, but I think Amps x Volts = Watts. The sealed beams are old and I don't know what they're rated at (maybe 40/60w?), but the Halogens (55/60W) were higher (by about 3.5w) than rated, while the LEDs were rated at 25W and only used 21.6w.
-Kevin
Update 4-27-18
Things that work: Starter, Fuel cut-off, Alternator Charging, Headlights, running lights, brake lights, turn signals.
The headlights have a nice "understated" presence.
I'm trying to get as much of the easy stuff done while I wait for the adapter cord so I can connect my laptop to the tranny controller. Then I should have more than 2nd gear.
Adapter cord arrived back in May. It took me 25 different settings with my apparently outdated 2011 PC laptop, and many calls to the software company and advice from the forums, but it works now.
I needed to drive it faster than I could go in my parking lot at work and I needed to get fuel, so I drove next door to the truck stop. I put 15 gallons in the tank and then decided to run it down the road just a couple blocks to see if I could get it into 4th gear. No hood. No windshield. No plates, insurance, registration, shocks, bumpers, etc. I get 3 blocks down the road and there's 3-4 police cars on the corner and they have someone on the ground. I try to act normal and drive by. Now I can't turn around, I go for a 2-3 mile detour around Delta park and through a business center to get back to the shop.
Back window isn't wired up yet, so there's a good amount of headwind through the cab. I'm a mile away and I start smelling coolant. 1/4 mile later I can taste coolant; there's a slight mist blowing in my face. Turns out its not my head gasket, just the thermostat housing gasket. Easy fix.
I decided before I do any more test drives, I need a windshield. I got 5 different referrals to put it in and while I was waiting for quotes I used the internet to learn what's involved and how to do it. No shops wanted to do it so I bought the glass, gasket, and sealant and planned to do it myself. First step would be to glue the front of the headliner up. Did that. While I was admiring my work, I could hear a mouse running around up there. I tried to scare him out by tapping on the headliner and I could hear his turds bouncing around. That's when the urine smell became rather strong.
The headliner is beautiful. Great shape, not a single tear, not even a stain anywhere. I sat there fuming for 4 minutes while I accepted the facts of what needed to be done.