1995 Sahara project

[Plastic Fury]

So, a little back story...........this is technically my 2nd YJ that I have owned. The first being a 1991 S 4.0 that although I thought I had researched plenty before diving in, I wound up making an emotional purchase and that was certainly an expensive lesson. After A few years and deciding that '91 wasn't worth putting any more time or money into (lots of well hidden rust and butchered wiring, rigged everything), I began the search for another Jeep. Had to be a YJ as I have wanted one since I was in high school. I spent about 6 months looking and came close on a couple but after my first experience, I was a lot more educated on what to purchase next. I've built other cars in the past but had never owned a Jeep prior to the '91.

A Sahara was always my favorite trim but I was willing to go for any decent 4.0 YJ with a manual trans. I finally came across this one that was a 95 and seemed to be in good shape overall. I went to see it and it was in good shape for the areas I was most concerned. The tub and frame had no rust more than a little surface stuff here and there. Both were solid which was amazing considering this had been a mud Jeep for quite some time, I must have sprayed about 20lbs of mud out it when I got it home. The paint is in fair condition and the engine and drivetrain looked like it hadn't had any maintenance in many years. Perfect for what I wanted, a good driver that just needed some attention. I really wanted a manual trans but after looking for so long, I decided to grab this Sahara and just swap out the auto for a manual.

Pics of the day I bought it.

 

[Plastic Fury]

I trailered my new Sahara to the house and began going through it. With the amount of dirt and mud crammed all throughout the frame, tub and engine I figured I'd try to get rid of most of it before getting it apart in the garage. I yanked the soft top (that I won't be using anyway) and pulled it out into the driveway to pressure wash it and get a better inspection of everything. It was pretty complete overall, the carpets were in good shape as the previous owner removed them and just kept them stored. I plan to do the same as again, I just want a fun driver and I'll keep them for the future, if I ever decide to put carpet back in it. It also came with the oem center console, faded and broken but just about complete. The seats were in good physical shape, slightly faded but they cleaned up nicely. The door panels were faded almost white in some spots and parts of the dash panels were damaged.

After the initial first cleaning and inspection

 

[Plastic Fury]

First thing I wanted to tackle was getting the axles swapped between the Jeeps. I knew the rear diff spider gears had been welded on the 95 and the front Dana 30 and been rigged to have it permanently locked. The axles under my old 91 were in decent shape and would work for the immediate future (I have a Ford 8.8 to swap in down the road). Right now, I wanted to get all the usable parts either swapped over or off the old Jeep so that I could get it out of the garage and sold to make more working space.

Besides both axles being permanently locked, the 95 had a spring over conversion that was a bit sketchy with horrible shackles. So between that and the welded rear diff, I knew I would just swap them out. I had a brand new Rubicon Express 2.5" lift on my old 91 along with some MORE boomerang shackles and decided to remove them as complete units and roll the axles out from under one Jeep and to the other. This actually worked out pretty well in my garage doing it by myself.

Axles are now swapped. It was a little cramped moving all of it around but I managed to make it work.

Now with more room to work, I can get started on the rest of it

 

[dieselearl]

you have a very nice looking wrangler, i like the teal seats. i purchased a 1995 sahara, new off the floor in 95 with teal seats. i still driving it, only change i made i went to 235 tire and is serviced regular. they last along time if taken care of. good luck with your changes.

 

[Plastic Fury]

you have a very nice looking wrangler, i like the teal seats. i purchased a 1995 sahara, new off the floor in 95 with teal seats. i still driving it, only change i made i went to 235 tire and is serviced regular. they last along time if taken care of. good luck with your changes.

Thanks, it's coming along for sure. I always love the Sahara trims. That would be awesome being the original owner of a 1995, you know everything it's ever done.

 

[Plastic Fury]

The Jeep only has 61k on it and the engine was running and sounded pretty good but was leaking oil all over. I started to go through the engine, the valve cover bolts were all finger loose and two were missing in the back. This whole thing turned into "while you are in there" pretty fast. I had already been planning to replace the valve cover and oil pan gaskets, most likely the rear main, water pump, thermostat, all the usual stuff when no maintenance has been done. The engine mounts were shot and I swapped in the Brown Dog mounts I had in my previous YJ (should have waited to do that a little later lol).

I started tearing all the accessories off the engine. It was one caked, oily mess.

While I was cleaning all up the block/head I was gently using a wire brush on the core plugs

The next morning I had a little puddle on the garage floor. I realized the plugs must be pretty rusty on the inside. Great. I drained the coolant and found that the PO had been using tap water for coolant. I flushed it several times to try and get the crappy, rust water out.

Yeah, just what I wanted to see.......

I was actually glad that it leaked through one of the plugs, I may not have realized how bad they were until I had put everything back together. Much easier to replace them with it torn down.

 

[Plastic Fury]

With all of the engine accessories removed, I started to remove the drivetrain. I had already gathered all the parts to do the AX15 swap, so next up was removing the 32RH and the corresponding brackets that hold the auto column shift linkage from the block and tub.

While I had the transfer case out, I decided it was a good time to rebuild it. I was adding an SYE anyway so I had to open it up regardless. When I drained the fluid, it had water mixed in so I figured a rebuild was a no brainer since I had it apart on the bench already. When I tried to remove the rear drive shaft, I could NOT get the yoke out of the transfer case. I yanked the hell out of that thing, even attached a chain and tried to pull it with my Accord, wound up dragging the Jeep almost out of the damn garage. It definitely took some work to get it out and thankfully I was doing the SYE anyway so cutting up the rear cone wasn't going to cost me anything.

The rest of the rebuild and install went as it should. I used a rebuild kit from Novak and the SYE was Advanced Adapters. Luckily since I am using a new Novak AX15, it's the later version and I didn't have to worry about the longer input shaft on the transfer case so that was one less thing I had to swap out.

After rebuilding the transfer case, I discovered that the t-case shifter I had from my 91 YJ wasn't going to work as it didn't mount up to the newer style AX15. I didn't realize the transmission case had a re-design for the 92+. Here is a pic of the auto t-case shifter, earlier style manual and the later style 92-95+ manual.

 

[dieselearl]

you could probably be a college prof, you are tearching us a great deal about jeeps with your photos and information. that what i like about the forum. keep up the good work and good luck .

 

[TRevs]

Welcome to the forum and the Sahara club! I got my ‘95 Sahara a year and a half ago, same color, Lt Pearlstone. You could buy the stripes/decals from Phoenix graphics if you’re interested.

Phoenix Graphix 1992-95 Jeep® Wrangler Sahara Edition Decal Kit

Phoenix Graphix 1992-95 Jeep® Wrangler Sahara Edition Decal Kit

www.phoenixgraphix.com

You’ve already done a lot of major work; I wish I had that much knowledge. Those shackles look scary!

 

[machoheadgames]

Luckily since I am using a new Novak AX15, it's the later version and I didn't have to worry about the longer input shaft on the transfer case so that was one less thing I had to swap out

Nice thread and good progress. Good to see people supporting purchasing the brand new AX15s, we need those to stay on the market.

As for the t-case input, I don’t think any of the AX15s from any year actually have an issue with the input being the long version from the automatic. I have no way to prove that, but I know that Jeep used the long input on 98+ AX15s and I am not aware of any changes made to the transmission at that time to support that. Novak says the long version could put pressure on the transmission internals, but I think that is just an assumption on their part, not an actual issue they or anyone else had. Not that any of this matters anyways since yours is new, just thought I’d chime in on the topic.

Looking forward to the rest of the progress.

 

[Plastic Fury]

Welcome to the forum and the Sahara club! I got my ‘95 Sahara a year and a half ago, same color, Lt Pearlstone. You could buy the stripes/decals from Phoenix graphics if you’re interested.

Phoenix Graphix 1992-95 Jeep® Wrangler Sahara Edition Decal Kit

Phoenix Graphix 1992-95 Jeep® Wrangler Sahara Edition Decal Kit

www.phoenixgraphix.com

You’ve already done a lot of major work; I wish I had that much knowledge. Those shackles look scary!

Yeah man, thanks. Always wanted a Sahara and was stoked to finally get one. I actually ordered the graphics from Phoenix a few days back. It's funny, I never cared for pin stripes on cars. The PO removed them from this Jeep and for some reason, I want to put them back on. Plus the Sahara logos are faded pretty bad and the Jeep logos are in bad shape too. So it will be good to get the graphics looking better again.

I appreciate the compliment.

 

[Plastic Fury]

Nice thread and good progress. Good to see people supporting purchasing the brand new AX15s, we need those to stay on the market.

As for the t-case input, I don’t think any of the AX15s from any year actually have an issue with the input being the long version from the automatic. I have no way to prove that, but I know that Jeep used the long input on 98+ AX15s and I am not aware of any changes made to the transmission at that time to support that. Novak says the long version could put pressure on the transmission internals, but I think that is just an assumption on their part, not an actual issue they or anyone else had. Not that any of this matters anyways since yours is new, just thought I’d chime in on the topic.

Looking forward to the rest of the progress.

I appreciate it. Your info on the manual swap was very helpful and made wiring up the pigtail a breeze. Not to mention other info you have helped me with, I do appreciate it. I had another AX15 here from the old 91 but it didn't shift the greatest and was probably not in the best shape. I figured I was going to have ONE component that I could count on being in great shape from day one. So I decided to buy the new Novak AX and Redline MT90 right from the get go. It shifts great.

 

[machoheadgames]

I appreciate it. Your info on the manual swap was very helpful and made wiring up the pigtail a breeze. Not to mention other info you have helped me with, I do appreciate it. I had another AX15 here from the old 91 but it didn't shift the greatest and was probably not in the best shape. I figured I was going to have ONE component that I could count on being in great shape from day one. So I decided to buy the new Novak AX and Redline MT90 right from the get go. It shifts great.

Good deal, glad my wiring stuff worked. That means @SirDoopYJ should be successful as well then. He is mid swap and if I recall, done underneath and now working on the in-cab components of the swap.

My 94 AX15 was always super notchy. In it I ran whatever was in it when I got it, and then MT90. MT90 helped for sure but it was still pretty bad. My new trans started life on MT90, but has also run MTL and it now has in it Driven 80W90 conventional GL4 for me to try. No real complaints with the redline, but on my trucks I’ve found I like conventional better than redline (Tacoma with Aisin trans) so I’m going to try it on the jeep too. Hopefully only a few weeks from startup so once I start driving it I can relay how that fluid worked compared to how I remember redline. Either way you’ll be good with redline and a new trans, no doubt.

 

[Plastic Fury]

Good deal, glad my wiring stuff worked. That means @SirDoopYJ should be successful as well then. He is mid swap and if I recall, done underneath and now working on the in-cab components of the swap.

My 94 AX15 was always super notchy. In it I ran whatever was in it when I got it, and then MT90. MT90 helped for sure but it was still pretty bad. My new trans started life on MT90, but has also run MTL and it now has in it Driven 80W90 conventional GL4 for me to try. No real complaints with the redline, but on my trucks I’ve found I like conventional better than redline (Tacoma with Aisin trans) so I’m going to try it on the jeep too. Hopefully only a few weeks from startup so once I start driving it I can relay how that fluid worked compared to how I remember redline. Either way you’ll be good with redline and a new trans, no doubt.

Yeah, I have actually had the Jeep on the road for the past 9 days now. Put a plate on it and took it for it's shakedown run on the 18th. I had not intended to do a build thread when I picked it up as I found this forum just afterward but I did take some pics along the way. I thought it would be cool to document what I have and maybe some could be helpful to others. The pigtail worked great along with the killswitch that I made using the old ground from the park/neutral wire.

 

[Plastic Fury]

Back to it..............

I still wanted to replace the core plugs at the back of the block, especially after seeing how rusted the 5 were on the side. You can reach the two at the back of the block but the one at the back of the cylinder head is pretty much impossible as it's too close to the firewall to reach. As I laid under the Jeep looking at the engine with the transmission removed, I kept thinking that I would be a fool to not just pull the motor at this point and do it right. Considering I had all the accessories removed and the trans gone, once I got the hoist out it would take about 10 minutes to pull it. Easy decision.

I am damn glad I made that choice, even with all the engine flushing I did, I had NO idea how much sludge and rusted crap was still sitting in the block, especially to the back.


Pulling it out

I pulled the two remaining core plugs on the back of the block and the plug at the back of the cylinder head.

And as expected, they were pretty damn corroded and nasty. I then stuck my finger down into the back of the block and discovered about an inch thick of sludge and crap.

I decided to hoist it up and just start blasting the hose through it. Then i began wondering how truly bad it was between the cylinder walls. So apparently, I like doing things twice and I banged out the new brass plugs I had just previously installed down the side of the block. It was worth the extra work as I was really able to blast out buckets of crappy water and sludge from the block and head that I wasn't able to get from just flushing water through the block while the engine was in the Jeep.

The block probably should have been hot tanked at this point but I was going to roll with it, hoping that after running some real coolant and distilled water for some time, then a good flush, it would be in much better shape. Time will tell.

While the motor was out, did a good inspection of the bay just looking for any other potential issues to fix while it's out.

I used compressed air to dry the block/head and reinstalled all new core plugs. Did some more clean up of the block and head and tossed it back into the Jeep.

 

[Plastic Fury]

Once the engine was back in, I got back to some more "while you are in there" and replaced the timing, the chain was a little slack but still within spec but why not do it now? I also replaced the rear main along with the oil pan gasket. Cleaned up the oil pan and gave it some new paint as it was a little rusty.

Time to begin installing the AX15 swap. I had gathered pretty much all the parts I needed to get it done.

I got lucky a few months back and found a tilt manual steering column at the local junkyard for 60 bucks. I gave it a full rebuild and addressed the common GM loose tilt issue while it was apart. Went through it completely and painted the plastic parts Spice (SEM Camel) to better match the dash and interior. I got lucky on the external slave bellhousing when I purchased another Dana 30 (4.10 for the future swap to match the 4.10 Ford 8.8 I have) he happened to have the bellhousing and gave it to me along with a set of pedals.

Time to mate up the bellhousing to the shiny new AX15.

I had the plate that goes between the trans and engine block (not sure what the proper name is, the starter mounts to it) from my manual 91 as it's different from the two-piece plate that was with the automatic transmission. Also of note, the bolts were a slightly different length for two of the block to trans locations. So I reused the slightly shorter manual bolts from my other Jeep. I got the new pilot bushing from Novak to properly fit the output shaft into the crank and installed it.

New LUK clutch and flywheel going in

Yes, I cleaned the surfaces before installing the clutch lol

The newly assembled transmission going in

 

[Plastic Fury]

The engine harness is the same for both the automatic and manual YJ's except for a small jumper that is just above the transmission. Thanks to Machoheadgames help, I made a new jumper that allows the manual trans to activate the reverse lights and start the vehicle. I forgot to take a picture of the new harness I made, unfortunately but it was relatively simple using a new 2 wire weather pack connector to use the reverse lights on the AX15. I wanted to install a kill switch anyway and when I realized that I need to ground one of the other wires from the harness (that allows the auto trans to only start in Park or Neutral), I used that to a hidden toggle switch and it works great.

Moving back to the engine, it was time to begin re-installing all the accessories, starting with a new Banks header.

When I was cleaning all the old oil residue off of EVERYTHING, I pressure washed the intake manifold inside and out. I also installed a set of new K-suspension 4-hole injectors.

Then the usual stuff, new water pump, thermostat, thermostat housing, spark plugs, wires, etc..

The throttle body was just as bad and so I gave it a clean and slight polishing.

I then started to mock up the exhaust. I wanted to go a different route and use the TJ style mid pipe that goes around and in front of the oil pan, instead of behind it. I picked up a JBA mid pipe which worked well with the Banks header. I did have a couple of fitment issues on the JBA that required me to cut and move the hanger forward about 3 inches as well as giving the pipe a little "clearance" with a hammer as it was just about touching where the bellhousing meets the engine block. After that, it fit and cleared just fine.

For now, I am going to run it with no cat since I am in Florida and it's not a concern. I can always add one in later if I decide to. I picked up a Walker quiet flow stainless muffler and tail pipe.

It all fit well and with some exhaust band clamps, so far it's holding strong and sealed well. Has a good sound with the combination of the Banks, JBA and the Walker quiet flow and no cat. A nice rumble but not too loud or droning at speed.

Coming along pretty well at this point. I inspected the coil and found the points were worn and corroded so I picked up a new cap and rotor with brass points.

 

[Plastic Fury]

Given the condition of the "coolant" that was in this engine and how much sludge and rust I found in the block, I knew the whole coolant system was in need of replacement. The rubber hoses were coated with rust, when you squeezed them, they crunched. I figured the heater core was going to be trashed as well. It was damn heavy when I removed it, it must have been full of sediment.

I ordered a TYC heater core replacement but it was lacking the bracket of the OEM, so I yanked it off and glued it to the new replacement to better keep it mounted properly using the OEM screws.

Comparison of the new TYC replacement vs the OEM after I had attached the bracket to the new one.

At this point, installed the new radiator and new coolant and heater hoses and I was all set for the first start up.

After priming, I was pleasantly surprised that she fired up on the first try. Sounded good, idled good, etc.

With the arrival of my Tom Woods driveshafts, I was finally able to complete the drivetrain. I knew I had to order a custom rear as the automatic transmission driveshaft is a different length that what is needed for the manual transmission. My front driveshaft was rusted solid, I tried to free the telescoping end with PB blaster, heat and a big ass hammer to no avail. I decided to just order both front and rear, have them new and know they are balanced, etc.

I have to say with the installation of the SYE and both of these shafts, I have a 2.5" lift, 5/8 shackle lift and 1" motor mount lift and this Jeep has zero vibrations up through 65mph (fastest I've had it so far lol). Well worth it.

 

[Plastic Fury]

Thankfully the wiring on this Jeep had been basically untouched save for the radio harness. Pretty common of course. My previous YJ had an absolutely butchered harness with wire nuts and whatnot. It was a real mess. This one is the opposite of that one for sure. This jeep came with an old Panasonic CD radio that was no longer working, looked like it had been exposed to a lot of water and mud. I decided to go with a basic JVC marine radio with bluetooth. I almost hard wired it but then decided to just repair the harness so it would be basically like OEM and plug and play again.

High quality wiring by the PO, always love seeing twisted wires and tape........

I found a thread here that showed a great wiring diagram which made it easy to repair the harness to it's OEM setup.

It also gives me more piece of mind regarding possible fire, knowing there are not any hot leads laying exposed. The PO hacked up the dash a bit for the previous radio but I have since trimmed it out and added the little trim frame from the new radio and it looks pretty decent.

With the radio completed and the new speakers installed (I didn't take any pics of that, installed new Polk speakers in the dash along with picking up a TJ sound bar and installing Polk speakers in that as well. I am very happy with the results), I decided to move on to the hard top project.

I had previously picked up this hard top for $100 as the back of it was damaged, looked like it had been dropped. The rear glass was gone and it was pretty smashed. I wound up removing the OEM side tinted windows from it and sold them for $100 so I really got the top for free. I wanted to make a hard bikini top, so I was planning to cut the rear of the top off anyway. I started the project with my old Jeep, it was just in need of some fiberglass repair and then paint.

I used the SEM Camel to match the other dash and door cards that I have already used SEM Camel on. The dash pad and metal dash frame are still original finish so it's such a good match for the Spice color. I was pleased with how the top came out for being a rattle can job. The SEM cans lay out very nicely. I used a Rustoleum primer and Rustoleum matte clear for the hard top. I love this top much better than a standard bikini top. No flapping in the wind when driving, no concern of water pooling on it and having to run a pvc pipe across, etc..

 

[dieselearl]

that is some workmanship. if you needed a second job, you should go into business of rebuilding wranglers.