Watch this space. aka Kirks day of FSJ hunting. (pic heavy)

[kirk]

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As I magically turn this fist fulla dollars into my very own FSJ! (Betcha didnt know there was a magician in your midst, huh?) Been on the road since 430, here's hoping I like this project as much in person as I did from the pics!

[rstep]

Not much magical about a fist full of dollars when it comes to FSJ's they make my dollars disappear all the time.
Good luck

[Stuka]

Congrats and safe journey!

And yeah, you wont have a fist full of dollar again, enjoy it while its there

[lindel]

FSJ is the ground version of a boat...a hole in the mud/dust/dirt/gravel/sand that you throw money into...

[MT1]

First thing I would buy would be a big deep drip pan for the driveway. That way the FSJ would feel right at home when you drag it in. 2nd thing would be a nice new thick maintenance manual. Enjoy and have fun... that is what the money is really buying.

[kirk]

Well aren't you guys just cheerful! Hahaha it came with a Haynes. Is there a better manual?

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1353004127.747494.jpg

[lindel]

The original shop manual. Should be available at http://stores.zmjeeps.com/StoreFront.bok or www.bjsoffroad.com

[ClovisMan]

Well aren't you guys just cheerful! Hahaha it came with a Haynes. Is there a better manual?

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1353004127.747494.jpg

Awesome, where did ya pluck that one from?


Edit, And a have a factory front bumper from my 88 that you can pull that missing bumperette from. Also, it looks like your rear window is busted. I have a rear glass, but it is of the non-heated variety.

[The PIG Smith]

Is there a better manual?

This is better than a Haynes Manual

[kirk]

Okay. Well, I'm tired for one, but a good tired. Like that, I just bought a project home and I'm stoked, but my back hurts, gimme a beer kinda tired. So Imma post this up and find a hot shower and a soft bed. In that order.

My buddy knows I was looking for a Wagoneer project, and has been helping me locate one. He found one during his many travels doing hotshotting, and let me know the woman was eager for her husband to be done with it. (apparently he has no vote? dunno.) So he sends me pics, and I decide to take cash and take a look. Even better is, he was gonna be 19 miles north of the location with an empty trailer this morning anyway. Sounds great, lets go. I hop outta bed super early, cause its a long ride, and hit the road. I meet him 3 hours north of me in a pretty damn remote area. Remote like banjos and meth lab remote. Did I mention the streets not paved? Anywhoo, he calls the woman, and she comes meets us at the head of the road. 3.7 miles later, we pull up at the house. She directs us to the back yard and:



Wait. Two? Did they multiply? My buddy seems as astonished as I did. She says the one on the right is a parts car that if I'm interested in, we can work into the price of the one on the left. So I have the potiential to go from owning no Jeeps, to two jeeps in one swoop? Well if its anything like Volkswagens, you can always use spares, so maybe. I take a look at the '87 on the left. Some superfical body damage in the rear corners, front corner, some small swipes, etc. Looks to have been repainted once. I ask her why its parked, and she states that they drove it to meet their son at the airport an hour and a half away, it quit, and wouldnt restart. They had it towed home and began to trouble shoot it. By trouble shoot, she went on to say, they bought and installed the following:

*Alternator
*Starter
*Fuel Pump
*Fuel Filter
*Air Filter
*Belts
*Battery
*Ignition Switch
*Coil

And still couldnt get it to start. They then had it looked at by a mechanic, who assumed it was electrical, and told them he would "diagnose it" for $35 an hour. They declined his offer, and brought it home. It had been sitting a month before I came across it. They said they were tired of dealing with it, needed a reliable second car, and it was for sale. Well alrighty!



The parts FSJ was just that, for parts. Pre break down, they swapped its seats over, (better shape) and were swapping the door panels over as well as other small parts as needed when the primary broke down. Now they decided they wanted both gone. First pics up? Parts FSJ.








She claimed they bought it unrunning, and knew nothing of its running history. It has nearly new tires under it.

[kirk]

The previous daily driver:






It has nearly new tires on the rear, and decent tires on the front.




So we haggled around a bit, and I bought the one I came after. Seemed like a solid project, was running (werent they all?!) now not, lots of new parts, very little rust. Im in.

[kirk]

That left the little old parts wagon.




It looks cleaner than the one I bought, but its really not, its not got a title, and no keys and has been picked on already. She was fairly insistent, so in the sake of all thats awesome, I bought it too. I couldnt fit it on my trailer, Ill have to go back for it, but hell, why not? Ill take what I need, and pass the wheels/tires/engine/trans/axles/ect off to someone else. So if someone could be so kind as to tell me what stuff to pull before I share the carcass with the vultures, I would appreciate it. I was thinking the rest of the interior parts I need, maybe power window motors or switches or something? Guess I can cross that bridge when I come to it. Yes Constant Reader, I now own two jeeps.



Engine shots:
Coolant puddled in these two shots:



Overall - i know its hard, but point out any glaring bad things you see.

[kirk]

Next chapter - "Someone threatens to kill Kirk" and "They say it wont run, but WILL IT?!?" (cue dramatic music)

[Stuka]

Never seen one with the strips that go around the wood, but without the wood

Funny, the two things that are the commonly at fault are two things they did not replace.

First thing, check for spark. I would bet it does not have any. And I would bet it could either be the ignition module failed, or the pickup coil in the distributer. You can have the ignition module tested at an autoparts store for free. Distributer you cannot test unfortunately.

Either way, good score! The second one looks like it could be made to run if you wanted to.

[MT1]

Sweet Score and looks like fun already... Keep a good photo build thread here on the Network, You will enjoy looking at the progress in the next few months and years.

[pyro]

congrats...I wish I had room for a parts truck.

[jaber]

Never seen one with the strips that go around the wood, but without the wood

I like it. I could live with that look...

[Mars]

So when you bought the jeep, did you say "Ah La Peanut Butter Sandwiches!"

[whsii]

Is there a better manual?

This is better than a Haynes Manual

PigSmith...

First you bust on Brow's, and now the beloved Hayes manual...

I am distraught...

At least you are keeping up with your image!


(We are even now, I like the brow's, and the later versions, and I dislike Hayes manuals! LOLOL.)

[Blinkinlights]

First things first - if your state emissions requirements allow it, get rid of all that pollution crap. Clean up all those vacuum lines.
Second - Do the TFI upgrade. That was possibly the best upgrade for the buck that I've done on my old Waggy. You can get ignition modules, coils and the plastice distributor adaptor from the old full sized Fords and Ford trucks, but I would recommend buying new plug wires and distributor cap.
Think about changing over to an electric fuel pump instead of the mechanical one. It'll save you a lot of heartaches with vapor lock.
On the old parts Jeep, take the rear window motor and glass because sooner or later the rear window motor will fail. Also grab the front small vent windows as they are getting tougher to source.
One last thing - get ahold of a proper Technical Service Manual - worth their weight in gold.

Have fun

Greg