So some of you may be familiar with “The Keeper” ‘92 YJ I have owned for about three years. The Keeper was aptly named by my amazing girlfriend, whom every one of my friends and family also aptly named The Keeper.
I have been implored a few times to do a build thread (most recently by moderator “Blue Baby Sound”... thanks for the kind words about the old YJ Jeff!), and so I am going to kick it off slowly, and add to it as I find all the pics. I am also going to start a build thread in the CJ forum, for the ‘78 CJ-7 I am doing a frame off resto-mod for a good friend, so both of the threads will be added to as time permits.
I have owned numerous Jeep vehicles over the years, beginning when I was 15 (40 years ago) with an early CJ, with the love of Jeeps and 4WD vehicles starting long before that during our many camping forays into the California deserts and mountains when I was growing up.
Of the 11-12 YJ’s I have owned over the years, this is only the second that could be termed a keeper. I originally bought this one to do what I had done many times before... turn it and make a couple bucks.
When I first laid eyes on this one, it had been sitting untouched in a garage for nine years. Nine years of drying up and rotting, one day at a time. It had so much dust on it, you could only tell it was blue by wiping off the fenders and hood. The original white top was folded up and laying inside the interior, which was even dustier than the interior.
I was initially told it was a 4 cyl. (Which, I later learned, was believed to be correct due to the ‘4.0’ on the rear of the tub), it appeared to be leaking every conceivable fluid it once held, and was just a complete mess up close. There were selling points though... it was non-oped, which for everyone from California knows, is hugely important; the owner was only the second, it was originally sold, and lived the majority of its life in California, it was in all actuality a 4.0/AX-15, and, the best part of all: 46k on the clock with Mopar service records to validate.
So.... I trailered it home and started taking stock. The ENTIRE Jeep was covered in dirt and dust, in, out, and under. It leaked coolant, oil, ATF from the transfer case, brake fluid from the master cylinder, rear wheel cylinders, and clutch master, as well as gear oil from both diffs. The lock assemblies (including the ignition tumbler) were so full of crap the key wouldn’t work.
Even with a fresh battery nothing worked electrically. When I finally got some of the bugs worked out and got it to crank, the fuel pump wouldn’t run. I was in for a treat.
So, for starters... just a couple pics of it sitting in the garage where I got it in May of 2016 (after we had moved the drywall surrounding it, aired up the tires, and knocked the dust off of the windshield frame and cowl as I looked for rust, and the grille and fenders to actually see what the paint looked like), and of the fuel pump (which looked like it had been immersed in salt water for the nine years it sat). It was pretty indicative of the way things were going to go for the next several months.
More to come!
I have been implored a few times to do a build thread (most recently by moderator “Blue Baby Sound”... thanks for the kind words about the old YJ Jeff!), and so I am going to kick it off slowly, and add to it as I find all the pics. I am also going to start a build thread in the CJ forum, for the ‘78 CJ-7 I am doing a frame off resto-mod for a good friend, so both of the threads will be added to as time permits.
I have owned numerous Jeep vehicles over the years, beginning when I was 15 (40 years ago) with an early CJ, with the love of Jeeps and 4WD vehicles starting long before that during our many camping forays into the California deserts and mountains when I was growing up.
Of the 11-12 YJ’s I have owned over the years, this is only the second that could be termed a keeper. I originally bought this one to do what I had done many times before... turn it and make a couple bucks.
When I first laid eyes on this one, it had been sitting untouched in a garage for nine years. Nine years of drying up and rotting, one day at a time. It had so much dust on it, you could only tell it was blue by wiping off the fenders and hood. The original white top was folded up and laying inside the interior, which was even dustier than the interior.
I was initially told it was a 4 cyl. (Which, I later learned, was believed to be correct due to the ‘4.0’ on the rear of the tub), it appeared to be leaking every conceivable fluid it once held, and was just a complete mess up close. There were selling points though... it was non-oped, which for everyone from California knows, is hugely important; the owner was only the second, it was originally sold, and lived the majority of its life in California, it was in all actuality a 4.0/AX-15, and, the best part of all: 46k on the clock with Mopar service records to validate.
So.... I trailered it home and started taking stock. The ENTIRE Jeep was covered in dirt and dust, in, out, and under. It leaked coolant, oil, ATF from the transfer case, brake fluid from the master cylinder, rear wheel cylinders, and clutch master, as well as gear oil from both diffs. The lock assemblies (including the ignition tumbler) were so full of crap the key wouldn’t work.
Even with a fresh battery nothing worked electrically. When I finally got some of the bugs worked out and got it to crank, the fuel pump wouldn’t run. I was in for a treat.
So, for starters... just a couple pics of it sitting in the garage where I got it in May of 2016 (after we had moved the drywall surrounding it, aired up the tires, and knocked the dust off of the windshield frame and cowl as I looked for rust, and the grille and fenders to actually see what the paint looked like), and of the fuel pump (which looked like it had been immersed in salt water for the nine years it sat). It was pretty indicative of the way things were going to go for the next several months.
More to come!