My $500(0) ZJ

I purchased the ZJ on a a whim (see the opening of my obsession). I paid $500 for it, as it needed a new engine. Knowing nothing more, I tore into getting the engine out. Actually, some friends and I did it. (pictographic essay) After two long days of learning how to do it on the fly, we finally got the engine out. Check out what it ended up looking like. Over the course of the next year I was schooled first hand by this machine as to how I was merely a shade tree mechanic.

After getting the engine out, I disassembled it myself. No real big deal there, as I couldn't really mess it up more than it already was. There was a rod that had suffered some structural integrity issues, and it was no longer firmly bolted around the crankshaft. I new it needed some machine work, so I carted the pieces off to my trusty mechanic's shop that included a machine shop. I told the man that'd be working on it that it was a project vehicle, and I wanted it reliable but would be flexible on the scheduling to get it done on the cheap.

Long story cut short, I got the engine back months later, it sat in the garage a couple of months more, and then I finally got to putting it back in. I broke the crankshaft position sensor hanging off the back. I got delayed more. I got a new one, and got my friends back together again, and we got it bolted into the engine bay. I spent the next three weeks bolting more stuff back onto the engine. One more day of the friends helping thrown in there, and finally on the 24th day of January, 2004, the engine fired.

I suppose I need some more pictures now...




Created
Tue Feb 3 21:03:17 CST 2004
by Stephen

Last Updated
Tue Feb 3 21:34:14 CST 2004