'94 Sahara YJ

Mcasares32

Mcasares32

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Joined
Feb 13, 2022
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5
Location
Edinburg, TX
Bought a '94 Sahara YJ recently and planned to restore it. I absolutely love the seats so hopefully they can be brought back to life. This jeep seems to have spent it's life in Texas and when purchased it was in deep south Texas so frame and body look great. So far every nut and bolt has come out with ease except those pesky torx bolts securing the roll bar. For months I've been collecting parts and now since I'm laid off from work I've finally had time to work on it. Here are some photos

https://photos.app.goo.gl/RGj2GoeqixWDBMqn6
 
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Sweet, it is worn out for sure but the important stuff is still there that it can be a good project and turn out with great results.

For the roll bar bolts, they are always trouble. Personally I angle ground flats into the bolt head sides and then used a crescent wrench. Worked on every bolt. I lucked out that my two rear roll bar bolts on the exterior side came out with the bit. Those are so close to the tub wall, it would have been really tough to do my trick to them. Replaced with new grade 8 hex bolts and washers. That project was way back in 2015 and has held up since.

Looking forward to the progress on this one.
 
ytradio said:
Sure wish mine was that rust free, half that, no one quarter that rust free even.
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machoheadgames said:
Sweet, it is worn out for sure but the important stuff is still there that it can be a good project and turn out with great results.

For the roll bar bolts, they are always trouble. Personally I angle ground flats into the bolt head sides and then used a crescent wrench. Worked on every bolt. I lucked out that my two rear roll bar bolts on the exterior side came out with the bit. Those are so close to the tub wall, it would have been really tough to do my trick to them. Replaced with new grade 8 hex bolts and washers. That project was way back in 2015 and has held up since.

Looking forward to the progress on this one.
Click to expand...
That's a great piece of advice, thank you. Knew this was the right place to come post this project.

So the engine was coated in a thick oil and dirt film after 28 yrs and 233,000 miles. So far I've got the valve cover gasket, oil pan gasket, front and rear main seals, expansion plugs, exhaust manifold gasket, water pump + fan clutch, and thermostat + housing. Is there anything I'm missing that I should replace now that I have easy access to?
 
Mcasares32 said:
That's a great piece of advice, thank you. Knew this was the right place to come post this project.

So the engine was coated in a thick oil and dirt film after 28 yrs and 233,000 miles. So far I've got the valve cover gasket, oil pan gasket, front and rear main seals, expansion plugs, exhaust manifold gasket, water pump + fan clutch, and thermostat + housing. Is there anything I'm missing that I should replace now that I have easy access to?
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That seems like about it to me. New oil pressure sending unit possibly? Possibly new timing chain set and the little rubber slack piece that goes in there? Not much else on the engine. Might want to get some new motor mounts. I'd recommend Mopars from a TJ or beefy aftermarkets depending on your needs and vibe tolerances. The parts store motor mounts have been very vibey for me.

I run the MORE rubber mounts and they are stiffer than stock and vibey a bit but manageable knowing the engine is held so strongly. I had problems with soft Mopar style mounts breaking exhaust manifolds. The mopars sure are great for vibes though.
 
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machoheadgames said:
That seems like about it to me. New oil pressure sending unit possibly? Possibly new timing chain set and the little rubber slack piece that goes in there? Not much else on the engine. Might want to get some new motor mounts. I'd recommend Mopars from a TJ or beefy aftermarkets depending on your needs and vibe tolerances. The parts store motor mounts have been very vibey for me.

I run the MORE rubber mounts and they are stiffer than stock and vibey a bit but manageable knowing the engine is held so strongly. I had problems with soft Mopar style mounts breaking exhaust manifolds. The mopars sure are great for vibes though.
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Whoops forgot to mention the motor mounts. Went with brown dog 1" motor mount lift in polyurethane. Was stuck between that material and rubber. We'll see how it feels, should hold up very well though. I guess I'll have to pop open the timing chain cover and have a look see, may just replace it to have peace of mind. Thanks 👍🏼
 
Gotcha, I ran those a while, vibes were about the same from their poly to the rubber. Not horrible, but definitely noticeable. They will hold up fine, they are plenty sturdy and even the "wear parts" aka the bushings, don't really wear out. The one issue I did have with them is the rubber would shrink and when I pulled the motor mounts to install the MORE, the rubber bushings would fall right out. I don't recall the poly doing that. Not sure why that happened and it doesn't really matter because the bushings aren't going anywhere with a bolt through them, but it was weird anyways.

You don't necessarily have to touch the timing cover, it could very well be fine but it's pretty cheap to add on while you're doing everything else.
 
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