Bought a 5 speed Classic XJ Jeep

[2000Silverbullet]

John you should buy one for the winter. It's a great vehicle for going anywhere and has lots of room in back. You could find a good one for $1,500. Real easy to maintain and rugged as heck. 25 mpg, goes like stink and can turn on a dime with the short wheelbase.

[JMH1950]

No thanks, Paul. One car, one bike, and one plane are all I can afford to insure. If the weather is bad enough that I need 4 wheel drive, I'll stay home.

[Blown93SSEi]

Thats something I need. a little SUV to drive during winter to deliver those pizzas in safely.

25 MPG? Is that mixed or highway?

[JMH1950]

Thats something I need. a little SUV to drive during winter to deliver those pizzas in safely.

25 MPG? Is that mixed or highway?

I'm betting it's highway. Plus it's CANADIAN gallons. Work it out in U.S. gallons and it won't be as impressive.

[00Beast]

I'd guess it would be 16 delivering Pizzas.

[2000Silverbullet]

Ya 17 in town and 25 on the highway with my 88 but this 5 speed 89 is geared lower and the revs are much lower in town so I expect better than I'm used to in my 88.

Hey I like those gold lace wheels .... reminds me of the Grizz, I miss that car.
They are a biach to clean though.

Made a real positive change today with the Magnaflow muffler and tip! Sounds good and looks great.....and I can feel the power increase!

Now I really have to do something with that rear bumper. It looks so ghetto! Not coming till next week.
I'm diving into the tie-rod ends tomorrow and will try and cut off the rusted bumper.

[2000Silverbullet]

Good day with the Jeep. Bad day with the Firebird. I still haven't been able to separate the intermediate bar from the idler arm. Hammered the heck out of the pickle fork but it won't pop free.

Managed to cut off the bumper bolts by using a concrete cutting blade on my skill saw to cut thru the bumper and into the bolts from above.
Looks much better without it now!




The drivers side rear spring is next. It sags a little over an inch in that corner with the broken leaf.
Another challenge breaking those bolts and I'll have to cut off the U-bolts.

I'm putting off the tie-rod ends since I have two vehicles off the road and rain is in the forecast all weekend.

[2000Silverbullet]

Dang, I have no clue as to how I'm going to be able to bolt in those top rear bumper bolts from under the bumper inside those brackets, particularly the right one over the new tail pipe.

[2000Silverbullet]

I know, I know, this is a Bonneville forum but I can't help modding and modding this cheap Jeep is much less expensive than the Bonneville that I haven't driven in a week and now that the wife will not be driving for months it won't be getting much air time at all.

So the Jeep was "sounding" pretty lame. It was feeling down cause of all the dissing about the gold lace wheels.




My other Jeep is about to go under the pickle fork for the tie-rod swap and was gloating about its more pristine condition with the "right" wheels.






It was no wonder the Cheap Jeep was crying so bad!
Look what I found in the doors! Accusound by Jensen.






So I went to Canadian Tire and found some marked down cheapies in the display case all for $100.

Huge difference in sound now. But the other Jeep still sounds better with the JL sub.

[99bonnieSE]

Nice speakers!

[*B2*]

That's a nice truck man. I think the laces look great on there. I wouldn't switch them.

[2000Silverbullet]

They're OK but only 5 1/4" so not much bass at all. Much cleaner tho and no frappy sound.

I drive the other Jeep if I want Bump.


Going out to attempt another go at breaking that rear spring front eye bolt. 1/2" breaker bar broke my 1/2 to 3/8 reducer. It's a 13/16" head. Guess I need to fork out for another socket.

[2000Silverbullet]

Thanks B2 I'm glad I'm not the only one who likes the gold wheels.

Oh darn.... the intermittent wipers don't work! Just mist, low and hi.
I can't have that!! Parts store on Monday......I'll check Rock Auto first.

Nix that idea. Too frikken expensive!!! I'll just manually pulse the mist or leave it on low.

[2000Silverbullet]

I've hit a roadblock in the leaf spring removal!

I did manage to break free the front eye bolt but it's so corroded that it has stuck inside the bushing eye and won't come out even though it is free of the threaded nut. The steel bushing inside the rubber eye bushing is turning so it won't thread itself out and is just spinning. I have cut off the u-bolts and removed the rear bushing bolt so this is all that's holding the old spring in place.

I tried prying at it with a crowbar but it won't grab well enough to get any real pull on it against a rather thin eye bracket.


Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[00Beast]

Looks like it's time to rent a slide-hammer.

[harofreak00]

Weld a pulling handle onto the bolt head?

[JMH1950]

Looks like it's time to rent a slide-hammer.

I'll second that.

[00Beast]

Andrew, I would've said something similar, but I know from a previous post he doesn't have a welder at home.


Still sticking with a slide hammer. The one at the shop I worked at even had the perfect hook for a situation like that.

[dpcookson]

On my S10 I ran into the same problem. I ended up cutting the two ends of the bolts as close as possible to the bracket then pried the bracket apart just enough to get the spring and remaining bolt out, then just went and bought a new bolt and nut. But in my case I was reusing the same springs so i had to press the old bolt out of the bushing ( I had to remove the springs to de-arc them).

[2000Silverbullet]

I thought about a slide hammer but how do you attach it to the head of a bolt?

I also thought about cutting off the head close to the bracket face but I can't get at the other end which is still slightly in the backside of the bracket.
I cant drill in thru the backside thru the frame because there are six small bore fuel lines running straight across.

I gave up and put everything back together with new ubolts finger tight and that front eye bolt still hanging half out of the bracket the way you see it in the picture.
I have to go into the shop on Thursday to have them bent the new tailpipe clear of the bumper bracket so I can actually reach up inside the bumper bracket with an air rachet to install the bumper bolt.
I still have a day before Thursday to try something to get that bolt out though...........

Now, a slide hammer has to thread into a hole or onto a bolt thread doesn't it?.. .....or is there some way to attach it to the head of a bolt without being able to remove the bolt to install it??