Got the bumper installed today after I took care of welding the back of the shackle mounts. Winch will be on tomorrow but probably not wired up till later.

NICE WORk the thing I want to know/ see is how you mounted the bumper to the kick.

NICE WORk the thing I want to know/ see is how you mounted the bumper to the kick.

I used 3 3" long x 1/2" grade8 bolts through the welded on extention for the body mounts. I templated and cut more 3/16" plate and welded inside the bumper for both sides of the rail. 2 bolts through the end of the rail and one through back further between where the body mount brackers run vertical.

I also used the little 12mm head bolts on top of the end of the rails but they were more used for mock up.

could I see some pictures?

could I see some pictures?

I'll have to get pics tomorrow if I remember.



Went down a "road" that is often closed due to flooding with some friends (a Cherokee 3" lift on 31x10.5 and a Pathfinder on 33s) . Saw this rock off the side and insisted I needed a picture. They all stopped like 1/4 mile prior on the trail from a few mud/water crossings but the Tracker made it on BFG A/T tires... frikkin sissies. I did barely make it up the rock tho, had to get a small start in the water at the bottom prior to it so the tires were wet and had a bit of mud in the tread.

This Saturday like 5 of us are going up to Raush Creek. I guess a Jeep forum is going to be up there, I'm taking the Tracker for one last 4x4 fling prior to tearing down the bottom end due to poor compression (90, 92, 75, 107) cause the rings are shot at only 113k miles.

Getting a spare tire tomorrow. Saturday I'm going up to Rausch Creek with some friends! Wish my winch worked, previous owner(s) tampered with the wiring some so I'm trying to find a diagram but apparentlly it's a very old model 5000. Going to an autorized dealer tomorrow, hopefully they can help and possibly get me some parts (solenoids to start, they arent even clicking).

Pic from yesterday night when I got home. Messed around in a mud pit leaving another place last night. Buddy also kicked up dirt into my front end on the driver side (hence the larger clumps on the front/left of hood) on the way out.

I have diagrams for that winch; pm me an emaill addy and I'll send you 2 pdf's; there were two 5k configurations.

Ha ha ha - Love the "MOVE" sticker upfront.  Great touch to a really well done bumper!  Love the mud accents as well!!!

This Saturday like 5 of us are going up to Raush Creek. I guess a Jeep forum is going to be up there, I'm taking the Tracker for one last 4x4 fling prior to tearing down the bottom end due to poor compression (90, 92, 75, 107) cause the rings are shot at only 113k miles.

Are you going to work on the Turbo at the same time since you'll basically have a fresh engine?
It looks great.  GREAT job on the bumper.  And I like the "MOVE" too, nice touch 

I got a spare tire from a used/new tire place. Has a few light cracks between some of the tread but for $37 mounted and balanced I can't complain. Let alone the fact you need a full size spare to offroad at Rausch.

I have diagrams for that winch; pm me an emaill addy and I'll send you 2 pdf's; there were two 5k configurations.

Warn got back to me today, basically from what I gathered it's one of the real old model 5000s. It has the 3" motor with only 2 terminals and the 3 solenoid control. Lukily the solenoids are all good after cleaning the contacts, they are $58 through Warn and I even had AutoZone cross reference them and they couldn't get them for under $67!

I redid all the wiring from the plug to the solenoids, fresh supply wiring, cleaned and scuffed all the contact points, cleaned and scuffed the copper jumpers from solenoid to solenoid, and new ends on the ground wire. Total invested... $260 (with the purchase of the winch for $250). I can't complain for the 2-3 hrs it took troubleshooting and fixing everything to get a 5000lb winch for $260!

Are you going to work on the Turbo at the same time since you'll basically have a fresh engine?

The bottom end (rings and possibly pistons and maybe rods? alone with hone or slight overbore if I get new pistons) will be first, then I'll break that all in on stock "tuning". In the mean time I still have my trashed head so I'll build a turbo mani off that outside of the Tracker and collect parts. I'm hoping to have the turbo on mid/late summer if possible.

WELL, I developed a squeak in the rear after Rausch Creek this past Saturday (which was a blast, place is WAY bigger then I thought and we only drove like 3/4 of the perimeter trails of the "older" side. SO much not explored.

The "Mud Pit" aka "5 foot pit". It was kinda dry, only 3.5-4 feet or so deep





Radiator got clogged up and I almost overheated... Oil got so hot I suppose that the oil light was coming on at idle and has been since. Going to replace the oil cause its real thin on the dipstick. 5w30 Castrol GTX high mileage... only 900 miles on it. I'll never use it again. Had to stop for a little to let it cool then go to a car wash and spray out the radiator and electric fans which are still going.





Come to find out the crossmember that the front of the tank bolts to and the shocks are mounted to finally gave way from all the jarring offroading. I knew it was a matter of time... The tank was held up by the 2 zipties I used on the gas filter and the 3/8" breather tube for the differential (which came off the diff at some point so I need to change the fluid).

I got 4 feet of 1 5/16" 4130 cause they didn't have standard DOM in the size and sanded it clean and greased it up and hammered it in after cleaning the remainder of the tubing out and cutting ~2" from the rails.


Oops




The huge piece missing.




The REALLY bad crossmember (whats left of it).




4130 in.




Found some more rot in the rear... be replacing this with some 1.75" .120 wall DOM I have here tomorrow.

makes me wounder how rusty the rest of the rig is.

The REALLY bad crossmember (whats left of it).

Really bad... that is one way of putting it. 

makes me wounder how rusty the rest of the rig is.

It's not bad sheet metal wise. There's a spot about the size of a dime rusted through under the coolant reservoir. The body mounts just infront of the rear tires have some splitting from rust, then those 2 crossmembers is all I've seen. The rails seem to be nice and solid.

Really bad... that is one way of putting it.  

Almost non existent? LOL

Cut out the rear crossmember today. The end sections were fine so I wire brushed them out, blew them out and cut a piece of tubing I had to join the 2. Not a big deal that the center mounts aren't there anymore for the bumper reinforcement, making a steel bumper in a few weeks. Hammered the chromoly in further up front and cut off the excess and welded the tank brackets on after wire brushing and blasting the rust off.

Another coat of paint tomorrow and the tank goes back on. The skid plate will be on but only 3 of the 4 brackets remain from the rust. After the 2" body lift, coming soon, I'll make a skid plate after I relocate the tank up higher.