I BOUGHT A JEEP DEATHTRAP 

Where do i start?............... Seriously

The motor is a high output 4.0l. It’s a tank and will last forever. Every Jeep in my area has over 200k-300k miles and run strong. Could last forever if you don’t beat the crap out of it. I’d add coil overs and long travel arms to her. You’ll never regret it. It’ll ride like she’s on a cloud. Did it to my 4runner. Congrats on the purchase excited to see this build!

from living in Pennsylvania I can say if you drive on route 8 and most of the smaller roads in PA they are much worse than the road you were just driving on

Those engines are BULLET PROOF I had 346,834 miles on my 96 before the transmission went and i scrapped it due to rot but engine purred like a kitten, as you know maintenance is key. Cant wait for this build and hey if you get ambitious bring it up to Barnyard allterrain in Livermore Falls Maine ive been racing a mud truck since i was 12 there and its an awesome weekend event!

It looks like you have a Dana 35 rear axle. That axle doesn't handle large tires very well. The axle shafts will break at the c clip. I have a 98 inline 6 with 223000 miles on it. If you can get a good deal on rims and tires from a brand new jeep Rubicon, you just need a wheel adapter that goes from 5 on 4.5 to 5 on 5. Rubicon tires are about 32". Good luck with the build. You can also do a slip yoke eliminator kit on your transfer case which will help with your driveline angle. That will require a new drive line as well.

Looks like a good project the garage is gonna look nice full of machines!

Can’t wait for this build!!

Inline 6 is bulletproof proof! The most common issue for the inline 6 is head gasket leaking. Please like this comment so he can see it

Looks a little trashed, but I think you have a solid platform to work with. Good luck 👌

Was about to go to sleep, but this is more important!!! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

So happy you finally got a Jeep. I have a 2015 wrangler and I love it. The 4.0 inline 6 is a great engine and can run forever if treated right.

If u have to replace the wireing harness go w/ painless wiring systems also if u change the lift spend a little bit more and go w/ metalcloak. That company is awesome and very reliable. Also my father has a Jeep lj that is in Jeep clubs all over the USA and he has that brand lift and it preforms amazing so it's worth the extra $ and if u want real 4wd go with arb airlockers they are worth it too. It will make it so that Jeep will go up things u can't walk up.

Just Empty Every Pocket

Wait, did I just see this right? No merch plug at the end of the video? WOW! :) Great video though!

First off I'm so excited to have a Jeep on the channel now! What it looks like you have is a low pinion Dana 30 in the front and a Dana 35 in the rear. Swap the front out with a high pinion Dana 30 from a Jeep Cherokee XJ, and swap the rear out with a Chrysler 8 in a quarter also, Cherokee XJ. You might be able to buy a whole Cherokee for a couple hundred bucks to rob the axles from , you will have to weld coil buckets to the rear axle if you do that swap, front should bolt in Jeep may not be running right cuz the O2 sensors aren't hooked up just a thought. My 4.0 Cherokee XJ has 250 thousand miles on it and still runs great with 35 inch tires

This is a really awesome project! Looks like the previous owner addressed the big rust spots on the body, the windshield corners, the rear corners..etc. The floor isn't that bad, the frame needs closer inspection but it didn't look too bad. I would certainly get an accurate drive angle for the drive shaft! Looks way to steep, you go through universals like crazy! And if you keep a steep drive angle I'd put driveshaft hoops on it, to protect the shaft from rocks etc, and to stop it from flopping around and beating the crap out of the under carriage if it drops out. Make sure the splines are long enough to have sufficient travel at the tranny and transfer case. It really sucks when the drive shaft drops out because the over all length is too short. Just a few things to consider, and check the steering knuckle also, a lift like that will put more pressure on it, as well as the larger tires. I would also consider slotted rotors and over sized brakes, to make sure you can stop! Looking forward to your plans for this project, should be a lot of fun.....

And in the next couple of days we will see. I got scammed ,shes totally destroy, its totalled, she finally runs, its broken again, the mods are here, someone is getting replace!.

Take a gander at the o2 sensor doesn’t sound like there’s any exhaust for and o2 sensor to be hooked too

It sounds like a BEAST

I can’t wait for this build!!!

Your engine will not stay running because the mass air flow sensor is not connected because the air box is missing

Jeepers Creepers!!!

Great choice Dalton, this will be a great series! I was waiting the whole time to find out if it had the 6 or 4. So happy to hear it has the 6. The 4.0L I6 usaully hits 250k-300k miles. My one friend lost it at 276k because piston broke.

Just what you need Dalton! Get the MERCH, JEEP MERCH MACHINE!

I'm at work right now 12:11 AM EST (NY Time) but this video takes precedence over everything else. #Machine

Look over that Jeep completely. The old owner was using cheep parts. And was proud of it. Rough Country stickers on the paint.

4.0 will last forever as long as it's well taken care of. The rear drive line angle can be reduced with a transfer case drop kit, I can't tell if it already has one, it looks like it has some kind of homemade looking transmission crossmember so that might not be helping. A slip yoke eliminator and a double cardan rear driveshaft will do it wonders. That rear diff is a Dana 35 and really can't handle much abuse. The front Dana 30 isn't much better, I wouldn't go with any more than a 35" tire on those axles. Finding a set of Dana 44s from a '03-'06 rubicon would be a direct bolt in and a huge upgrade. But no matter what it will be fun. Welcome to the jeep life!

best thing you have got for the channel so far! and make sure you wave at to other wranglers and xj's "its a jeep thing"

2:02 she's got a huge cam in her

4bt swap??

Its kinda funny that you got this Jeep because I literally just bought a 1996 jeep cherokee XJ with the exact same 4.0L straight 6 engine and I have been working my a** off the past 2 weeks on it because of how much work was needed and man I tell you I am having a blast with it!

I have an xj with an in-line 6 I have 104k on it now but I know a lot of people with xjs ranging from 86k-312k and no major problems with any of them, the 312k xj is my friends it’s a woods beater, we sunk it and though it was done but new plugs and an oil change and it fired right up, these are really the “tank” engines for a jeep.

buy a house

Nice vid

Looks like an awesome project. Some say those motors will run forever as long as you faithfully change the oil and take care of it. I do know some people who have had their 4.0's crap out on them with only 93,000 miles on them. The top end of the 4.0's have an issue with oil flow getting to the lifters, rockers and cam which can make it run hot. There are aftermarket parts to fix that issue that are really affordable. There are tons of aftermarket parts for the 4.0 to beef them up as well. As far as the axles, stock with no over sized tires, they are ok. Those Dana 35's are junk once you add larger tires and weight to them. My cousin and I ripped his Dana 35's out of his CJ-5 because they started to get stress cracks on the axle tubes towards the housing and in the housing itself. He only had 35's for tires at the time. We had to address this issue before we put in his nice 350 that he built to replace his AMC 258. We fabed up some Dana 60's that I pulled out of my old 78 Custom Deluxe that I put rockwell axles under. I can't remember the specific measurements off from the top of my head and how much of the axle tubing that we had to cut on each side of the front and rear diffs to true them up, but it turned out bad arse. You can probably find those measurements online. The Dana 60 swap is a pretty popular swap. Then he ordered some custom length 30 spline axles to fit the housing and did a c-clip eliminator. I talked my cousin into keeping the leaf perches on top of the axle housing instead of cutting them and running them under like jeeps did from the factory. He was glad I did cause it saved him money from having to purchase a new lift. He definitely did not need one after we mounted the axles, installed custom fabbed extended shackles that we made, wheels and tires. His 38 PJ's cleared quite nicely after we had everything put together.

Welcome to the Jeep Family.... Not a bad looking rig. I’m sure it has some rust issues as you pointed a few out. The I6 is a pretty good engine but not without its problems. Not knowing if its the original engine and proper miles as showing??? They can be a high mileage engine if taken care of but not like a Duramax for sure. But then they are not as expensive to replace or repair either. The driveshaft is another issue. The angle is way to steep.... one fix is to clock the rear diff a little. Good luck and looking forward to this build for sure.

Yo you are now part of the Jeep club

Timing?

hells yeah! im absolutely stoked about this build.

Nice purchase. Can't wait to watch ya fix it up. That thing will run forever

I wanna se the trailer build. One thing at the time:-)

GOOD

However Long it lasts depends on how hard you test it Bc u know 3Dmachines go hard

Nice! I use to have a 77 CJ5 with a 327 corvette engine and 3 speed manual. It was on 6” of lift with 35” tires. Wish I still had it!

Yo

We got 60,000 out of a reman straight six. And there was 46,000 on the original engine. They are complete shit Dalton. Also, the automatic transmissions are junk.

Dalton, a slip yoke eliminator will help with the rear drive shaft angle and if you are offroading will also help prevent the driveshaft from popping out and losing all the trans fluid. At about 150K miles you will probably want to do a rebuild on the engine but they are super easy to rebuild. You can just do a hone job, new rings, and then have the head rebuild and it will probably be good for another 150K

The inline 6 can easily get 250,000+ miles. As long as you take care of them, it should last you a long time. I also noticed a great deal of rust underneath your jeep including the frame. (Not something I'm used to seeing because I live in California and my 1999 TJ hardly has any rust.) Anyway, I think it would be a great idea to take the tub off the frame and sand/paint the frame and axles to prevent it from getting worse. Great video by the way!

Inline 6, best jeep engine ever made. Some have over 500k on them and still going strong. The problem your having is most likely the cps or the map sensor. The rear driveline angle is a bit extreme. If you have driveline vibrations once you get it running, you can shim the rear and put a slip yoke eliminator on it with a double cardan driveshaft. Best bed on cleaning all the rust up would be to take the tub off of the jeep so you can easily get to everything and get it done right. Looks like you have a solid start to a good project. 👍🏽

i currently live in bradford and you arent kidding about the roads. kinda neat to see you go through the hometown

To fix that driveshaft angle, there are companies that make a transfer case drop kit. As for it running and dying, bypass the fuel pump ballast resister to see if that's the issue. If not then go back to the pump and have a buddy turn the key on and see how much power you're getting back there with a multimeter or test light. I just bought a '91 Cherokee that had this issue and there was almost no power back to that pump, would hardly light up a test light. I went through fuse, relay, ground, ballast resister, etc with no luck so I ran it to a switch with a 4 pin relay wired in. Runs like a top now but have to remember to turn that switch off when you shut the jeep off.

YES! My dream came true. You finally joined the Jeeping community.

Nice TJ! little tlc and good to go. Glad to see you’re now a fellow Jeeper. Inline 6 is a bomber motor. And Bestop makes some good aftermarket seats if you don’t want to go Craigslist or salvage yard. Can’t wait for this series!

Can’t wait to see how this turns out, it’s going to be great

Good luck with your Jeep! I owned a 2005 Jeep Wrangler and loved it! They’re loads of fun! I would highly recommend getting halo headlights! I only ran my in-line 6 202,000 miles before someone hit and totaled her. The name I gave her was Savanna. It would be really cool to see that name go to another Jeep and live on. And the license plate was MTN MUTT.

When that engine gives out you should put a diesel 4bt engine in it. I have a 1980 cj5 that I'm currently working on and have to do a frame swap on it, so these videos will definitely keep me motivated to work on mine. This will make a great vehicle for you and you will enjoy it alot so good choice for a new project.

Mickey Thompson Baja claws are a damn good tire. I ran them on my 85 xj and on my 82 Chevy k20 mud drag truck. They grip in the mud and rock like no other.

yo Dalton you don brought a whole new set of viewers to your vlogs!! its a jeep thing!!

welcome to the jeep club ! the inline 6 is a solid motor. you could put some spacers in the skidplate to lessen the angle of that drive line. take off those rough country stickers tho....

I would check the cam position sensor on the passenger side by the oil filter. Those love to go bad and the 4.0 wont run without it. If you're gonna do any serious wheeling with it, that D35 rear won't last long with 35s. I'd go with a Ford 8.8 out of an Explorer if you can. Other than that she looks good for a northeastern rig. Good luck and have fun!

I have a 2003 Jeep Wrangler Sahara, to start I would say get the engine running smoothly, fix the brake situation then move to the drive terrain, do a slip yoke eliminator from advanced adapters if it’s not done, you have a Dana 35 in the rear which might be blown up or is blown up because it might not be built, the engine 4.0L amazing engine you can get over 300,000 out if you taken good care of it and more if you need it up, last thing is the lift a 7 inch lift is a lot the dented of gravity is super high and it has a higher chance of rolling you can cut fenders and run a 3-4 inch lift and still fit your 35” tires. Sorry if it’s a lot and not trying to command you just my thoughts after building a little Jeep to my rock crawler

Dude I’m so friggen exited for some Jeep videos

Start with the drivetrain and then more into the the Interior and for the interior i recommend patching the rust spots and then roll on Berliner the floor pan, and then you need a transfer case drop kit because if you don’t your going to break u-joints and snap the u-joint strap bolts or you will destroyer the driveline

my 96 4.0 HO has 300k on it, still DD it. Never had any major work done and is still a strong motor. uses about a quart of oil between changes. I would say your jeep is low mileage considering. Nice ride!

Awesome Jeep! Can’t wait to see the final product! Can you do an update about crush and maybe all your other dirt bikes, quads, and snowmobiles?

I am so excited for this build, couldn’t of wanted you to get anything else then a jeep

I work @autozone and every time a jeep with that motor comes to my store for parts they have well over 200k on the clock the only thing i would say to check on that motor is the number on the side of the head if it is casting number 7120 or 0630 those had a problem with blowing head gaskets, also i would recommend that you make some type of bracket for the coil pack because from the factory those 4.0 engines did not have enough support there and the vibrations from the motor along with other things could cause the coil pack to crack and not function. other than those your all froggy fresh with that motor!!

Sweet tj! Looking forward to this build

Welcome to the jeep nation sir

Machines for days

Check the compression, check for metal in the oil, oil in the radiator fluid... and maybe if you get some exhaust on it you can listen to see if any of the bearings are shot. Also check to make sure you did not jump a tooth on the timing belt. If all those check out the engine might be good for another 100,000. It does not look like he took good care of it though, so maybe you will get only 10,000 to 20,000. Old Jeeps with good frames and decent bodies though usually hold their value because people are willing to drop an engine in it and go 4 wheeling.

This is awesome I’ve been waiting for you to work on something like this

I have a 98 cherokee with the same 4.0 currently at 225k and my brother has a 92 cherokee that has just over 300k both still running strong, not going to say with no issues "it's a jeep thing" you will have some issues mostly wiring and sensors but the 4.0engine will run forever if properly maintained.... Where to start...? start with the anti-theft, if the jeep is equipped with it that's exactly how one will act, run for just a few seconds and die. if not check the tps with a multimeter there is a lot of videos on how to do that. Third check all the vacuum hoses especially the ones coming off the intake manifold.

Hey Dalton, I’ve been watching you’re videos for a while now and at first I thought it was cool that we had the same first name. Then I learned that you started off in school to be an engineer. Funny story, I’m currently trying to become an engineer. So I thought that was just coincidence until tonight when I saw your video. I’d been looking at jeeps for a couple months now and today the same day your video came out I went and picked up myself a Jeep!!! This is crazy how we have so many things in common! Anyways love the videos and always looking forward to the great content. Stay froggy fresh!!

I got 368,000 on our 95 4.0L then sold the jeep still running great. I personally would start with all the basics so it runs and drives properly. Brakes and engine.

Project rusty red underway... keep the vids coming dude 👊

Hey, you should do an update video of everything you still have or don’t, what’s is working or not of : -ski doo 800 -honda crf450 -your fourwheeler? -kx250f ? -ktm 250 2 stroke -duramax -camper -bmw ? -your road motorcycle

man I cant wait to see some more on this, looks like shes got some real potential!!

Those are stock fenders just painted black. I'm going to say the fuel pump is done. Most Jeep lift kits use a transfer case drop brackets to fix drive line angles. Your Jeep looks to have a hokie or homemade kit. Yes the windshield folds down after unbolting the rollcage from the inside, but with the bolts missing on the outside on that one side I wouldn't lower it until you replace them.

Hey Dalton I am a mechanic with the way your Jeep is running it is a timing issue. Just advance distributor and it should run beautifully

4.0 inline 6 has tons of power and lots of low end torque ,look into getting some ARB air lockers for it if you are really going to be seriously mudding.

My Jeep was having problems running and it turned out to be slight leak in a fuel line. Good luck on getting "Red Rover" running.

What’s up dalton

As you already have a tie up with maxxis I think a set of nice new trepadors would look awesome on the jeep 😃👍🏻

I'm from Kenosha, WI. There was a Chrysler plant here that made in line 4's and 6's for jeeps. The plant closed in 2008 I believe and since has been leveled, but good chance your motor could be from here.

Welcome to the Jeep family Dalton

those in line 6's Ive seen well over 300K on several when I was a mechanic. They also used this same engine on lots of other vehicles so parts are easy to get usually

My grandma has an in-line 6 mercery (Ford) standard 4 and it’s got 700,000 k on it and it runs good. And yes the in-line 6 is a very respectable engine, especially when it sounds that cool!

you should drop the lift down to 4-5" TJs get very tipsy with too much lift and will roll quite easily (whether on or off road) lowering the lift would also help with the driveshaft angles.

Welcome to the Jeep life!

I had a 4.0 xj jeep with 180k rear shackles were through the floor and the drivers seat was also through the floor. I used a 2x4 to hold the seat up for the dirt oval at a friends farm. It ran so good, but the body etc was just so rotted. By the looks of yours it ate muddy water at some point.

You need to remove the body lift, and swap the rough country kit with a bds or other brand long arm kit, but not rough country. Also, look into buying a slip yoke eliminator and cv drive shaft.

welcome to jeep family

My cherokee xj has almost 229,000 miles on it with the 4.0 6 cylinder with zero problems. Once you get it running good just maintain it and you should have a long lasting engine

last hight mileage 4.0L I had was 280k miles an it still had compression within spec in all cyclinders. BTW that charcoal cannisters next to ur brake booster goes in the back right fender by the fuel tank.

The 4.0 is an amazing engine. The only issue I had with mine was the oil filter housing o ring. You will have to weld two tools together to take it off. But you have that covered. I found your channel a little over a year ago from the stolen bike video. You handled it better than I would have. I would have given him a good ol Army A$$ woopin.

Welcome to the club! I've got a red JK myself. As far as names go, you can always stick with the soft drink names and go with Code Red or Red Bull. ;)

I saw that when you showed the camper you were on your way to Ridgeway. I live in Johnsonburg on the way to Ridgeway and by the looks of things you went through my home town. That is awesome

I was just looking at jeeps and stuff in my area before buying my truck. A lot of them had around 300k however the bodies were completly wrecked. Motors ran pretty well considering.

I have a jeep and a duramax as well, drive the jeep daily. It has 146 k bought it with 140 2 years ago runs like a top. I drive my duramax to haul, long road trips, and just for fun . My jeep has a 5 inch lift had to do some tranny work and lengthen the drive shaft to keep it in gear cause it’s a stick. I’ve always been told on a jeep anything over a 3 inch left causes binds in the transmission definitely did with mine. Mine also has 35s you are gonna need a after market power steering box or the stock will crack and leak. I love the jeep I’m a excavator so I’m always dirty and so are my boots, Hop in the jeep dirty don’t care keeps the duramax clean definitely the way to go dalton. It’s also cool on warm days to cruise with the top down. Smart move best of luck I’ll be watching to see how it turns out.