So a couple years ago I bought a '97 TJ from a dude who totally neglected it. He never put the top up, it had a blown rear end, the interior looked like the bottom of a pond that's been drained of all its water, and it needed a ton of work to pass smog. I paid him his asking price, which was something like $3,000 and called it "Project Steal-J". People lost their minds. I got called every name in the book for "taking" this poor chump with a plush computer job that paid probably three times more than I make a year. Whatever people; it's a fact of life that the strong will eat the weak and that good deals will go to smart buyers while dumb sellers will get fleeced.
And to prove my point, here's the '89 YJ I bought from a single mother of two for $500. Hate me? No? Well, how about if I tell you that the Jeep was one of the only things she asked for when she divorced her ex? Still nothing? Then I'll tell you how she and her girls loved the little red Jeep and one day wanted to paint it "sparkly pink" just like Barbie's. And that she almost cried when I loaded it on my trailer. Ah, now I can feel the hate flowing.
But I guess I should back up a bit. I had been searching for a new winter project that could seat my wife and two boys since most of my trail Jeeps are 2-seaters. I came across this ad for an '89 YJ that read like a scam. It said something like "Cute Jeep, good condition, needs clutch and some work, may need battery, $1000 obo." I e-mailed several times over the next couple weeks with no reply. Finally I e-mailed "Have cash and am serious - just wondering if this is a scam so I can move on." That finally got a reply from the girl. I phoned her and she told me she only stopped driving the Jeep because one morning she got in it to go to work and when she stepped on the clutch her foot went straight to the floor. She assumed it needed a complete clutch job or maybe even a transmission, so she parked it in the back of the house she was renting and ignored it for over two years. Then she decided to move out of state, so she needed the Jeep gone in a hurry. Some 48 hours before she was supposed to have it off the property I offered $500, loaded it on my trailer and made off with it.
What lies ahead for the Jeep saved from a sparkly pink nightmare? I've got plans I think most Jeep nuts will appreciate and parts are already ordered and arriving. Until the true buildup begins, check out how to bring a neglected Jeep back to life. Next time I'll tap the 4Wheel Drive Hardware catalog for some replacement parts to get the Jeep safe and reliable. Then the fun can begin.
There's something satisfying,...
There's something satisfying, if not comical about going through a vehicle and finding hidden treasures and (sometimes) scary modifications. In this case, the YJ had a newer Bestop Supertop with optional sliding glass uppers. Since it also came with the standard zip-up door uppers, I sold the sliding ones for $200 bringing the purchase price down to $300.
This is easily the filthiest...
This is easily the filthiest vehicle I've ever purchased. Old food, spilled Starbuck's foamy sugar coffees, melted and congealed makeup, dog and human hair; if it makes you say "yuck" it was in there. Day one would involve nothing more than cleaning sconge and killing vermin.
In the back, a previous owner...
In the back, a previous owner had added some decent 6x9 speaker pods to the rollbar as well as some 12 volt household lights affixed to a sweet piece of '70s wood paneling. A partially delaminated Firestone tire thrown in the back seat stymies the action in Disco Stu's electric get-down chamber.
It's only a Sanyo, but a free...
It's only a Sanyo, but a free stereo amp is a free stereo amp. Too bad a thief had ripped the head unit forcefully from the dash. Still, the wiring is done and the amp is installed, so I'll keep it providing it works when I throw a marine head unit in. Note the dog hair-encrusted Berber carpet in the cargo area. I unceremoniously ripped it out and shot for the trash can.
Despite looking like it had...
Despite looking like it had never been wiped down, the interior was actually in fairly good shape. The original seats had been covered most of their life, so they were only dusty. The driver seat isn't even crushed or ripped. The carpet had seen better days.
In an effort to avoid scabies...
In an effort to avoid scabies or any other nasty contaminants I ripped off the seat covers, carpet, center console, and anything else that couldn't be scrubbed clean. Then I pulled the drain plugs from the floor and gave the factory vinyl seats, rollbar padding, and floor a thorough scouring with automotive-strength detergent and a garden hose.
I don't know where the chick...
I don't know where the chick had this thing parked, but the entire undercarriage and under hood was one mass of cobwebs. I liberally sprayed down everything under the sheetmetal with insecticide and then waited 24 hours before proceeding to make sure I wouldn't wind up in the ER for a Black Widow bite.
The next day I got around...
The next day I got around to making the Jeep run. I had a good idea why the clutch pedal went to the floor for the previous owner and sure enough, the clutch master cylinder was bone dry. I topped off the master and then gently pumped the pedal a couple times with the cover off until the bubbles stopped coming to the surface.
The internal hydraulic throw...
The internal hydraulic throw out bearing bleeder screw is on the passenger-side of the tranny. I hooked up a homemade one-man bleeder made from a Coke bottle, some hose, and some brake fluid and then bled the rest of the air to get the clutch working perfectly. With no noticeable fluid dripping from the bellhousing area, chances are the bearing barely weeps. I'll check the fluid level at every other fuel fill up to monitor it.
The battery that came with...
The battery that came with the Jeep was not only dead, it was totally corroded. It's an old trick, but submerging corroded battery terminals in a solution of baking soda and water is the best cleaning method. The base pH of the baking soda reacts with the acidic pH of the corrosion and neutralizes it, bubbling off all the nasties.
Popping off the radiator cap...
Popping off the radiator cap revealed no visible fluid. The radiator was nearly empty thanks to a split in what looked like the original upper radiator hose. I topped off the radiator and then yanked the cruddy, dead battery.
There's a screen around the...
There's a screen around the body of the injector to keep chunks of debris out, which I cleaned with throttle body spray. What little fuel was inside the injector smelled like sweetened varnish, so the fuel in the tank was way skunked. I dumped 5 gallons of fresh fuel in the tank to help it out, used a dental pick to clear some varnished gunk from the injector nozzle, and put it all back together. It would now fire, but the engine ran rough and sputtered.
Finally, I popped off the...
Finally, I popped off the cap and rotor. The rotor was corroded, so I hit it with Emory cloth to clean it up. The aluminum cap terminals were also corroded so I gave them a redneck polishing with a flathead screwdriver. The low-buck tune up did its job 'cause the engine now purrs like a kitten. At $0.98 a piece for plugs, $16.45 for the fuel, and minus $200 for the Bestop sliders I have a running YJ for $320.37. Next month I'll show you how get the sludge out of the oiling system as well as give the vehicle a proper going over to get it road worthy.
With the clutch, battery,...
With the clutch, battery, and coolant squared away I couldn't get the Jeep to fire. Popping off the throttle body air intake cover revealed no fuel was coming out of the injector. I could hear the pump priming when the ignition was turned on, so I popped out the throttle body injector and sprayed cleaner into all the bores to dislodge any gummed up varnish. Priming the pump without the throttle body caused fuel to shoot out the bore, so I knew the pump was good.
Moving to the ignition, the...
Moving to the ignition, the plug gaps were 0.060-inch rather than 0.035-inch and the electrodes were pretty carboned up. I had some Autolite plugs in the garage for a small-block Chevy which were close enough to work in the 2.5L.