Full Size Jeep Network

az chip wrote: ↑Fri May 13, 2022 1:46 pm Nice. You are going to be asked, what headlights are those?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/333113289504

I just figured I try them, I hooked them up to a battery real quick and the light pattern looks good, I'll try both of them in the garage soon to get an idea of the light output.

hi @wimsurf ... hope your build is making good progress. Hope to see some updates soon. cheers.

Hey @laredo Matt,
I'll shoot some pictures again this week:

• I got hold of a Jeep XJ steering column which I wanted because it has the more modern stalk controls for the wipers and the headlights (high beam) and it does not have the column shift on there. fixed all the bearings, the tilt mechanism, and painted it int he right SEM interior color that should match my leather.

• it is installed already (had to only grind off the boot that bolts it to the firewall and then re-use the one from the old steering column.

• other than that, got my BJ's offroad aluminum radiator in, fan and shroud on. looks killer.

• I'm working on the wiring. decided to replace all the wiring except the loom that goes from left to right across the firewall on the inside of the car (door to door)

• Using the evenings to prep parts that I can do at home, so polishing the roof rack, bumpers and grille. It is all anodized aluminum, so I have stripped the anodisation using drain cleaner, then sand with 400 / 1000 / 3000 grid, then polish using a flannel disc with polishing compound and then treat with aluminum polishing paste. It should all end up with a mirror shine but a ton of work..

Keep updates coming.

Have an '84 here too just getting started with

The difference after a full sand and polish treatment.
I tested a couple different approaches.
best result seems to be to wetsand with wd40 instead of water, apply pressure and do not overheat ( aluminum turns black) and increment if grid from 400 a 1000- 3000 final finish with a polish compound on a cloth disc.
I can see myself in the headlight surrounds now.

The before is just cleaned anodisation still on.


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What year XJ did the column come from? I've heard some years are better than others. You mentioned the firewall mount. The length and rag joint were ok?

I modded the heck out of my 84's to get rid of the auto trans junk but I'm not sure how it will look. The shifter shroud thingy is now upside down but haven't tried it yet with the 60's dash. I think I'm going to just get the XJ part.

The polishing looks great. Clear coating them?

The 84 to 95 pre-airbag colums should all work.
The xj has a 1” shaft no splines, I have eliminated rag joint with a HD steering shaft. Just need to adapt the top half of the cv joint on the steering shaft to accommodate the 1” shaft instead of the splined one

The wiring has started…
Not my strongest point and I want to use as little of the sticky mess that Jeep had as original wiring as possible, so this will not go fast.

Managed to hook up the ignition switch, the light and signal switches on the column, got the fusebox of the ez wiring kit in the right spot and pulled the headlight wiring to the front where I installed some fresh headlight relays


Started grouping the right wires to go into the vehicle, go to the back, fuel tank, ignition etc


Sorry for the fuzzy photo, but you can see the new steering column on its final place, real happy with that!

And a front view of the bj’s aluminum radiator. It really is a direct drop in. Looks like real solid quality.

Hopefully my driveshafts will be ready soon, so I can hook those up, finish the cooling plumbing, and start her up for the first time!


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nice progress. I like how you mounted the relays, clean. All that prep and polishing of the aluminum looks like it paid off too :-

I decided a while back that I did want to use the boobie grill. The razor is nice but I see it on so many jeeps around and I fell in love with it when I saw the “jerrari” in the auto museum in Reno. ( look it up, great story).
The grille was pitted and the anodizing was milky. To get that worn layer off, What I did was create a tub out of cardboard and plastic and filled it with a mix of water and drain cleaner. Then soak the grille for half an hour and let the etching do its work.
Grille came out clean, now try to polish it is next. But first, straighten it.
Most is straight except for a small part on the passenger side .

To straighten that I made 2 pieces of wood, one sanded to the inside shape of the part that is crooked, and one with the negative shape for the other side.
Pressed the wood on there and carefully tap it with a mallet until the sound of the tapping changes. I choose to do it so carefully because aluminum is prone to crack, especially 40 something year old aluminum. Also made sure to carefully heat it prior to forming it.


Result is pretty good! Some small pits that I need to tap with some hardwood hammer carefully but the profile is correct and it is straight!

So the next step is a lot of polishing, or.. I might try and see what it looks like with some chrome wrapping foil. If it does not work I can always polish.

Like my granddad said: start with low effort and work your way up.

Next: dashboard!


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Ok, did not take pictures from before but the color was nutmeg. (Which is more orange than brown and therefore had to go)




I actually wanted to have the dash pad covered in leather but the upholstery shop only has time to do so in October..
The dash needs to go in before I can fit the windscreen and is needed to finish the car altogether so I had to do something, paint it.

Was advised to go with SEM paint and prep materials, so went with the Santa Fe color. It is like a light sand from the later years wagoneer. Fits great with the dark blue.

Steam cleaned the pad, then prepped it with vinyl adhesive promotor and then a number of thin coats.
I was sceptic but it sticks on there very well.
I tried scratching it with my nails and pressing real hard on a soft spot but it stays flexible. This is amazing!
Also prepped the metal part, primed it, and found that the vinyl paint has an exact match that works with metal, which I could buy locally at the paint shop.

Mounted the pad back onto the dash and the result is above.

Next on the list is creating the custom parts like the panel above the glovebox and the gauge panel.

Nice work on the grille and dash! SEM products are great and amazingly durable when you prep according to their directions. That light color will look great in yours!

Nice job

I have Nutmeg dash on mine too, but truck not running yet, so will see when I actually spend time with it if it will need to be changed!

devildog80 wrote: ↑Tue Jun 28, 2022 8:47 am Nice job

I have Nutmeg dash on mine too, but truck not running yet, so will see when I actually spend time with it if it will need to be changed!

This is what it was, the color of the dash was not so bad, but accessories like carpet, seatbelts, and plastic elements were more like a terracotta orange to me, so I decided to go for an interior color change (stupid crazy decision and a ton of work)

Not stupid crazy at all as you made it the way you want it.

On my dash, that left end that drops down by the door, is warped a bit and sticks out a little, from sitting closed up in AZ desert heat for 18 years.

The rest of the dash is workable, but how do I reform that edge back like it should be?

Or is it even possible?

Not a show truck, but one of those things!

In what pics I have so far, in the second pic you can see light coming through behind it, where it sticks out.

20220410_134258 by Scott Weckerly, on Flickr

20220515_160957 by Scott Weckerly, on Flickr

devildog80 wrote: ↑Tue Jun 28, 2022 9:14 am Not stupid crazy at all as you made it the way you want it.

On my dash, that left end that drops down by the door, is warped a bit and sticks out a little, from sitting closed up in AZ desert heat for 18 years.

It looks from the picture you are missing the very bottom part there that has the last stud that keeps it nice and tucked to the dash.

Sounds reasonable

Is there a way to soften it up, so it is more pliable and won't crack, if I put pressure on it getting it back in place?

Or it might crack later being held in where it is supposed to be?

devildog80 wrote: ↑Tue Jun 28, 2022 11:43 am Sounds reasonable

Is there a way to soften it up, so it is more pliable and won't crack, if I put pressure on it getting it back in place?

Or it might crack later being held in where it is supposed to be?

Not sure, the surface seems to crack or tear easily. Belie that vinyl layer is just on a foam backing, the foam deteriorates and cannot support the hardening vinyl which in turn cracks. I think that in due time covering it with new vinyl or leather is the only way to go.

That is probably what I will need to do, get it back in place where it should be and try to get it back to form, then recover.

I have watched a couple videos, where dash crack repairs were made with fiberglass bondo, then recovered.

Forming it was the easy part :/

Thanks for the tips

I'm curious how much modification is needed to use those headlights. Ebay says they are 4.3 inches deep. What did you use to keep ability to adjust their aim?