Category: Jeep

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Trailer Loading Dock

Trailer Loading Dock

For a long time I have wanted a loading dock near my barn so that I don’t have to wrestle with heavy ramps every time I load and unload a Jeep there. I just could not figure out an easy way to build a big hump of dirt.

However, I noticed that with all the rain we have had lately that the place where I normally keep my trailer was getting kinda rutted and the rear deck was getting closer to the ground. That gave me an idea.

Instead of building a dirt ramp, I could make a hole like many of the truck loading docks at old stores in downtown. That way the load would be a ground level and the trailer bed would be tilted just like my little trailer.

At first I thought I would need to dig a big hole. Then I realized only the wheels need to go down. And they really don’t have to go down very far because the overhang behind the wheels is pretty long. I figured out if I dug two slots for the wheels then I would have my dock. I could use the dirt from the holes to make a small ramp as well.

I cleared a few small trees form one side of the driveway and made a couple of holes.

Here is how it ended up:

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Fabricating a Rear Bumper for a Jeep Cherokee

Fabricating a Rear Bumper for the Jeep Cherokee

Old and new bumpers

My old rear bumper had gotten pretty mangled. In fact, it was so bent that it was difficult to open the hatch. Every time I dropped into a ditch or V notch, the bumper was always dragging. I wanted something slimmer and stronger. But I did not want to spend any money.

The whole concept of Scuffy II has been to build a reliable and capable off road vehicle with minimum investment. Sometimes I have had to sacrifice appearance for functionality. I decided I could do the same with the rear bumper and build one out of whatever scrap I had lying around.

I started with a piece of two inch conduit. It seemed strong enough and light enough. But since the back of the Jeep is curved slightly a straight pipe did not look right or provide protection. I wanted to be able to back into a tree and not break the hatch or a tail light housing.

I solved that problem by using my pipe bender and putting a slight curve in the pipe. I then decided to fabricate brackets to mount the pipe so that it stuck out about half the pipe past the hatch and tail lights. That should keep it from dragging when coming up out of holes.

I wanted to use the stock mounting points so I looked around and found a piece of I beam that had holes that looked like they were the right spacing already. I simply cut the beam in half and had my two brackets. I just had to ream the holes a bit to make them match the holes it the Jeep. I made a few notches to get them to clear the hatch and other flanges at the rear of the Cherokee.

I then made half moon cuts to hold the pipe. I used vise grips to line up the pipe in the brackets and then tack welded it into place. I then pulled the assembly off and moved it to the welding table to finish welding it up.

I had purposely cut the pipe long because I was not sure what I wanted to do with the ends. I had thought about making bends to match the front bumper but I could not make a tight enough radius with my bender to do hat I wanted and still protect the bottom of the tail lights.

I eventually decided to make angled cut on the ends to somewhat match the lines of the Cherokee. I set up my band saw at the angle I wanted to cut both ends the same. I liked the look but not the sharp edge it left. Also, there was a gap between the body and the pipe where I could easily hang a small tree.

I decided to make end caps that covered the end of the pipe and extended forward to fill the gap. I searched the scrap pile again and came up with a piece of 3x3x1/4 angle that I cut into two plates. I welded them to the ends of the pipe and smoothed the corners.

I painted the whole thing flat black and bolted it to the back of the Jeep. The rear tow hook is much more accessible now. I can open the hatch easily now. I will have to give it a test drive to see how it handles dragging the mud.

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How to Change the oil in a Jeep Cherokee

How to Change the oil in a Jeep Cherokee

It seems the Jeep designers had the home mechanic in mind when they designed the XJ for oil changes. Most of the work is done from the top unlike most cars where most of the work is done from below.

For most owners who are doing the job in their driveway, there may not even be a need to jack up the vehicle. The stock Jeep sits high enough to access the oil pan drain. And lifted Jeeps provide even more clearance.

Note that the 4.0 inline six engine holds six quarts of oil. Be sure to buy enough to refill before you drain the old oil out. Also, make sure your catch pan will hold six quarts. Most engines just hold five quarts so oil is often sold in five quart containers.

To drain the oil, remove the drain plug form the oil pan. Various sized plugs have been used over the years but most are SAE rather than metric.

If the engine is warm the oil coming out will be hot, so use care when removing the plug. Try not to drop it in the catch pan a well. Once the oil has drained out, replace the plug. Be careful to get it snug but not overly tight. Inspect the copper washer while the plug is out to make sure it will seal back.

Working from under the hood, remove the oil filter. On the early models where the oil filter stands up, it is easiest to use a filter wrench that fits over the end of the filter. However a band style wrench works also. Use care working around the oil pressure sender. It can be damaged if it is hit by the wrench. On the later models where the filter lays flat, the band style wrench is easy to use. You will have to remove the wire from the oil pressure sender to remove the filter form the engine bay.

Inspect the old oil filter to make sure the gasket came out with the filter. If it is missing, inspect the surface of the oil filter adapter and remove the stuck gasket. If you try to use two gaskets you will pump six quarts of oil on the floor making a huge mess.

Coat the gasket of the new filter with a few drops of oil and rub it around with your finger. Old oil or new oil can be used. Screw the filter in place and tighten it down by hand. Try not to use a wrench to tighten the filter as it will be very hard to get it back off once the gasket swells.

Remove the filler cap from the valve cover. The older style is a cam and requires just a quarter turn. The later one screws in and can get stuck with heat.

Most funnels will not fit the holes so I like to use half an oil bottle. I take a quart bottle and cut it in half with a knife. Then place the top in the hole and pour oil in the cut open bottom. Add six quarts.

I like to also add a bottle of Market America Friction Free to the oil when I change it. Sometimes the active ingredients of the Friction Free will settle out in the bottle so I use some engine oil to wash out the bottle and then pour that into the funnel.

Start the engine and check for leaks. Shut it off and check the oil level. The dip stick should have clean oil and read near the full mark.

Inspect the old oil for any metal flakes or water before recycling. If you find any contaminants in the oil, try to determine their source for possible other repairs that are needed.

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Renting an inflatable water slide

Renting an inflatable water slide for a kid’s birthday party.

Water slide

This year for her kid’s birthday party, Jennifer decided to do something different. Since her two boys have birthdays just a few days apart, she always has one party and makes it a big event. In the past she has rented a recreation center with a swimming pool. However; keeping track of a bunch of kids at a public pool gets to be a big chore.

She put out a call for inflatable toys and found one of my friends had an inflatable water slide for rent. I really did not know what to expect when I offered to help pick it up and set it up in her mom’s back yard. I was kind of expecting a little backyard toy.

I have known Dave for years but I had never been to his house. I just see him a few times a year at various sports car events. We found his house on the side of Fort Mountain after only one turn around. We made it up his steep winding drive way to the site of a former amusement park called Frontier land. His workshop now occupies the concrete slab where the old dance hall was located.

He had to move his Bulldog Mack fire truck from in front of the door so I could back up and get the water slide. He has a lot of cool big boy toys.

When I saw, the size of the package, I was glad we had brought the Suburban and not the Jeep. It took three of us to work the heavy roll of fabric and vinyl into the back of the truck. Then we had to find places for the blower, water hose, power cord and stakes needed to make it work.

We made it down off the mountain at dark and I decided to store the slide in the Suburban overnight and set it up the next day. Dave had told us it would take about 45 minutes to set up. I decide to allow a couple of hours.

We got to the site a couple of house before the party was to begin. I found I could not back the Suburban all the way to where the slide was to be set up. Jennifer’s step father however did have a large wheel barrow that was strong enough to carry the slide. We slid it out of the truck and onto the cart.

It took a while to unroll the huge slide. I was amazed at how big it actually was. Once we had it rolled out and power cords run to it, I fired up the blower. The structure soon towered over the yard. I then realized we needed to install the steps which Velcro in place. Dave had explained the procedure but without having seen the device, I did not really comprehend what he had said. I am pretty sure we should have installed the steps before we aired it up. It turned out the piece was not just the steps but the sliding surface as well. We eventually worked it into position but we could never really secure the Velcro properly.

We also learned that the plastic got very hot in the sun very quickly. We hooked up the water spray and the slide cooled right off.

The kids started playing on it right away not waiting for the official start of the party. They did not care if the pool at the end was not full or that the steps still needed to be adjusted. I eventually had to run the kids off to reattach the steps and slide surface. I switched off the blower and let it sag so I could get the parts to line up better. However since the yard was not exactly level, we lost most of the water from the pool when I shut of the blower.

The kids loved it anyway. “Best Birthday party ever!” was the cry repeated over and over as they climbed and slid tirelessly. The only way to get the off the slide nearly an hour after the party was over was to shut off the blower and let it collapse under them.

I elected to let it drain and dry overnight before picking it back up. Thankfully Dave offer to come and help pick it up. He dropped his pickup near my house and we took my little red trailer to load it.

We were able to work the trailer back through the flower garden near the site of the slide. Dave showed the proper way to fold and roll up the slide and with three of us working together we got it collected pretty quickly. I am sure without his help it would have taken much longer and not been in nearly as nice a roll when we got done. That thing is heavy.

We loaded it on the tilt bed trailer and I was able to back my Jeep through the maze and hook to it. We loaded all the parts on the trailer and took it back to his waiting pickup.

It was easy to back the trailer up to his tailgate and flip the roll over into the truck bed. That was much easier than trying to slide the roll into the back of the Suburban.

I was sure glad that I had my little trailer back and with new tires to carry the load. It really saved the day.

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Weird Jeep Vette hot rod

I like Jeep rods. They are usually something a bit different. I like the ones with traditional hot rod front suspensions and T bucket styling.

Even better, I like the ones that retain four wheel drive and clearance to actually go in the dirt even if not to the rock gardens.

This one however has none of those qualities. It is different but not in a good way for me. It simply qualifies as weird. But it is for sale, if it strikes your fancy.

Jeep Vette Hot Rod