715 Keeping it Jeep

I missed out on a clean 725 by a matter of hours... Luckily my buddy had a 715 for sale at the same time and I picked that up. Had a tornado, locked up missing parts but I didn't want to mess with the stock motor anyway. Pulled the stock motor trans and tcase out. running a dual master for the brakes all new copper nickel brake lines as well as fuel lines. Not sure of the history on the truck, for now I will be keeping the current color and lettering. Floors and rockers need to be replaced, frame & bed are mint.

https://i.ibb.co/fvsqJ7b/20200625-184939-result.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/9qH9QgH/20200622-180751-result.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/y8yqn9H/20200810-180206-result.jpg
Can you guess what motor is going in this?
https://i.ibb.co/tmpyN1W/20200904-185332-result.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/1fysDHL/20200913-102906-result.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/y01rhBz/20200913-102917-result.jpg


I'm keeping stock axles for now running the 9x16s
I'd like to get a larger tire to slow the motor a bit for highway use however 11x16s are hard to find around here.

I thought the pictures would resize automatically, they're huge! Could an admin possibly resize or allow me to reupload the pictures?

Hi, welcome.
You should be able to click on the edit button, and then delete the photos and paste new ones in their place.

Nice truck! Where in MA are you?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mikel

Nice truck! Where in MA are you?

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Southcoast Mass


I should update this post, lots has been done with lots left to be done. The 715 however runs and drives!

1994 Cherokee 4.0 HO - AX15 Dana 300 twin stick

I like pictures so here's a bunch of them


Getting the truck home
https://i.ibb.co/r33LvMN/Snapchat-19...pg-resized.jpg

Fits factory motor mounts with minimal shimming
https://i.ibb.co/vBTVm35/Snapchat-13...pg-resized.jpg
Fits the trans tunnel well, slight notching of the cab
https://i.ibb.co/vZZpbvm/20201004-18...pg-resized.jpg
I was able to use the XJ trans skid, however I flipped it upside down, notched it and reinforced it. I also had to cut out the original crossmember mounts

https://i.ibb.co/XFN6Ctn/20201004-18...pg-resized.jpg

59" Rear shaft from tom woods

https://i.ibb.co/XDw0b49/Snapchat-17...pg-resized.jpg

Front shaft is ~28-29 inches, currently I have a CJ shaft in there however with the clocking of the tcase and the pinion angle the u joints are close to binding at the tcase. I picked up a CV driveshaft from a 4cyl XJ which is the right length, I need to swap over a CV yoke from a 231 before I can use 4wd.

I'm still trying to identify this heater to see if I can find a suitable replacement 12v blower
https://i.ibb.co/2hb0QFQ/20201004-21...pg-resized.jpg

Cj radiator with CJ 4.2 radiator hoses works perfectly
Has headlights on a switch, taillights run through a hydraulic brake switch for now.
https://i.ibb.co/6Jm42pQ/Snapchat-11...pg-resized.jpg


Annnd the motor I got had a bad head gasket
https://i.ibb.co/M1FP2dN/FB-IMG-1604271758550.jpg
No big deal

https://i.ibb.co/fHMNycs/20201101-13...pg-resized.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/NZRrnWW/20201101-13...pg-resized.jpg

Quick videos of it driving (before headgasket)
https://youtu.be/7e8Lm2lVqEc
https://youtu.be/TIdAXNRnu74
https://youtu.be/1LAc8TrWc_s
And that's it for now, lots of work to do

I've always wanted to see a 4.0 high output motor in one of these. I loved it in my 94YJ.

It's great to catch up on this build. There are some cool things happening. Can I ask what Tom Woods charged you for the rear driveline? I am trying to find a shop for my truck. Your build is looking great.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kaiserjeeps

It's great to catch up on this build. There are some cool things happening. Can I ask what Tom Woods charged you for the rear driveline? I am trying to find a shop for my truck. Your build is looking great.

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$279, It's a "CJ" rear shaft with a 3" tube

Attachment 2091
Attachment 2092
Looking back at your heater question. I had two of them in my truck from the previous owner. One between the seats and the other under the dash. I have no idea if it is stock but it was bolted up very nicely under the dash. You’re welcome to have the one that still works. I put in an aftermarket one from Summit.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Quote:

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Originally Posted by TanJeep

$279, It's a "CJ" rear shaft with a 3" tube

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Great price. Thanks for that.

Trying to get a project like this done while trucking full time is difficult! I was finally able to get my truck out of the elements and into a shop (until its demolition in March).
Updates are as follows:
Mounted the 38s onto the stock wheels

Bought a bench seat that may or may not work, don't worry about the cloth I plan to reupholster them in military canvas
https://i.ibb.co/6nRTWgW/20211012-183544.jpg
Dealing with the rockers & floor supports
https://i.ibb.co/KzjYWws/20211012-171314.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/k0NYbV2/20211012-164050.jpg
It's really not good
We started on some 2x6 tube rockers, looks great I don't have any pictures of it yet though.
The windshield is almost ready for mounting glass, I also have a spare YJ windshield frame I'm gonna take the wipers out of. If you haven't realized already, for me YJ stuff is the easiest to come by and also seems to fit this Jeep very well.
With no cab mounts and moving the truck all around without it running, we managed to up the steering so I used that as an excuse to order the Borgeson power steering shaft from BJs, and I'm trying to source an 80+ J20 power steering box. I'm a little confused on the difference between the sawingaw boxes from a FSJ and a wrangler.

In earlier videos you can see me driving the jeep around. Subsequently I drove the jeep around forgetting that all the water had drained out of the jeep due to a leaking radiator. Did a solid 20 minute drive before it started smoking so badly, I finally realized my mistake. This engine had been through hell, and I knew it would have to be removed eventually. Given the proximity of the "shop" the truck is stored at to DeadJeep in Cumberland RI, and my relationship with those guys I was able to score a motor pretty cheap. While a motor swap without an engine hoist outside in 20 degree weather wasn't my ideal night, in a manic burst of crackhead energy my buddy and I decided we were gonna get the old motor out, bolt the new one up to the trans and tcase and shove it in the Jeep. All with a borrowed backhoe he had only driven twice before.

So basically instead of the much needed body work or the forever temperamental fuel/electrical system maintenance needed we took another step back and replaced the motor. This one looks like but is in much better condition internally.

Let me backup a second and recap what happened most of the year:
I'd be home trying to help my buddy with the welding on the truck, but every time we'd try and get it running which would turn into an all day affair, sometimes even a multiple day project. The first issue was no spark, turned out to be a tab in my ignition which had broke causing a poor connection. Rigged that up until I could get another connector. Spark was now constant, however fuel pressure wasn't happening. Fuel pump would run, then it wouldn't. I thought it was the ignition again so I messed with that, got it to run a couple times like that but when I would leave to go on the road, my buddy would tell me the next day that it wouldn't start again. We had the fuel pump on a switch and that worked, until it didn't. I tried swapping out the dash harness, since it was free and the first one had some aftermarket stuff spliced into the ignition causing all types of issues. This helped but didn't fix the problem. The engine harness was a 95 YJ 2.5 4cyl harness I had converted to be a 6cyl harness, and although it worked it was messy and a lot of the wires were spliced due to needing to be lengthened. I found a 6cyl harness on facebook for $100 which they somehow managed to break 80% of the plastic clips on, but otherwise uncut and works fine. With cleaner wiring I was able to do some more testing, no voltage to the fuel pump again. I brought the computer from my YJ since that was a suspect, but it wouldn't engage the fuel pump either. (Turns out that fuel pump had died, great). So basically after putting the fuel pump on a switch, verifying 40psi of fuel pressure at the rail and making sure I had spark I managed to get it to run, barely. Kind of.
When it "ran"
TLDR;
It was the Computer. It just so happens that 4.0 YJ ECUs are one of the most difficult things to get from DeadJeep. The computer I ran in the M715 was actually a 94 XJ Auto computer, which isn't a problem however I've had it for years, it came with a motor I bought in around 2017. Bad capacitors are an issue with these ECUs which is the problem I believe I've been having this whole time. I stole the computer from my YJ and it fires right up, and runs. Fuel pump is still on a switch, I'm not brave enough to try and wire it up properly yet. The real tip off was when I pulled the fuel rail and the injectors weren't even trying to fire despite having spark and fuel pressure. All symptoms of a bad ecu. I plugged in a YJ guage cluster and immediately the relays started clicking nonstop. Wiggling the ignition wires would eventually get the check engine to light up solid, and the fuel injectors would then fire. That was strange.
Guage issue
I tried hooking up the XJ ecu into my YJ, it wouldn't even try to start it would just backfire and pop. I ordered another XJ PCM off of ebay, since I want to see if I can incorporate the XJs Electric fan trigger from the PCM instead of something aftermarket.

Still has the XJ fuel tank in there, now has a Walboro 255 pump in it.

So after doing the same thing like 10 times I finally have the electrical system mostly dialed in. Did I mention the suburban tank? That's a whole thing.

I've long since decided to go the 42 gal suburban tank route, when I bought the tank I didn't really do all the research I should have and just started ordering . In 1995, Suburbans were still TBI. Oops. I ordered everything to fit a 1995 Suburban. I realized this too late looking at the fuel pump specs, I thought if I ordered a Walboro pump I could just throw it in there. Unfortunately the tbi sending unit is just different enough that I COULD modify it, but luckily 1996-97 uses the same tank, just has EFI. My dilemma, 98-99 has the plastic fuel bucket thing type sending unit with all the hoses
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/...FFrYL._AC_.jpg
I like that style on a Jeep because even if I'm offroading I should still have plenty of fuel on steep grades, and I'd imagine it keeps the fuel pump cooler.


Here are the different pumps & sending units
1998
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/...FFrYL._AC_.jpg
1996
https://www.rockauto.com/info/32/BRU...15_1__ra_p.jpg
1995
https://www.rockauto.com/info/32/BRU...02_1__ra_p.jpg

I guess I could ask the question here, which one would you use? Seems like the 1996 would be the simplest, but the 98 would be the best as long as I buy OEM I shouldn't have to worry about the fuel pump dying.

On the 98 the fuel tank is slightly different, same dimensions however the moved the vent from the sending unit to the tank. Drilling and installing a new vent isn't an issue

Basically for the install I will shamelessly be copying what this guy did creating a skid plate that mounts separately, probably.

All these words, not so much progress? Sorry. Here's a poorly thrown together video of the engine swap Note the frost on the tires

Expect to see an actual running and driving 715 with completed rockers and floors in the next couple months! I get a week off every two months so bear with me.