Alexia

It says my donor XJ is pretty damn clean except for the accident right before I bought it. My LJ's history is fairly boring and matches the mountain of paperwork showing every little transfer between owners. I love it when dealerships leave their all access reports accidentally open to the public.

Measure from common points and also try securing it to the aluminum support bracket to see where it natural wants to sit. The whole mounting process is not exactly specific and more about having a good eye for alignment. I set the aluminum bracket in there and refitted it several times before drilling any holes. I actually did not use any of the sheet metal from the 1997 XJ for the mounting. The upper bolts in mine go through into the cowl area and are sealed. Installing the 1997+ XJ brake pedal assembly will give a good base for lining up the support bracket since they bolt to each other.

I believe I have around $2,500 into my 4.7L stroker which includes all supporting changes such as bigger throttle body, 1999+ intake manifold, injectors, and some other items. A bare long block from Golen is $3,800. Hesco bare long blocks start at $4,795 and they do not even indicate what is included in that price. A simple 4.5L stroker can be really cheap if the crankshaft and connecting rods can be found for a good price. Get used crankshafts cleaned and polished then install new journal bearings all over.

The 4.2 crankshaft is what makes it the stroker in the first place. To make a 4.5 stroker use a 4.2 crankshaft and the shorter 4.2 connecting rods. If you want to go higher than that there are many options available. The Keith Black IC944 pistons allow the longer 4.0 connecting rods to be used since they have a higher wrist pin height. Mini-strokers are cheap to build. To go past that it requires a $500 minimum investment in either Keith Black pistons or a combination of other parts to get it correct. Gas mileage will be dependent on how the new setup is tuned.

The only issue that would difficult to fix is the hole for the newer AW4 shifter cable.

Federal Mogul = Fel-Pro = Sealed Power The Sealed Power set has Fel-Pro branded gaskets and Sealed Power gaskets which are just Fel-Pro gaskets with a different name.

That is exactly what I bought. Not only it is a complete kit, but it covers ALL 4.0L engines from 1984 to 2006! There will be left over gaskets for different types of water pumps and thermostat housings. My only issue with the kit is the cheap paper gasket for the water pump has started to leak already.

All my left over MJ parts from my build are going to be thrown out soon. I can not even get people to come and take these doors or fenders for free. Dropping them off at the recycling yard on the way to work will be more worth my time than people insisting I deliver free parts with no willingness to cover gas either.

All ridiculously priced NOS tail lights are posted here first. :P http://comancheclub.com/topic/38236-jeep-comanche-nos-mopar-original-tail-light-passengers-side/

Yeah, but would you Alex? I had to leave vehicles behind several times during deployments for six months up to a year and it's not much trouble to do it right. Yes, I would. However, I would likely disconnect the batteries since all my Jeeps use power even when off.

My parents leave some vehicles sitting for over six months at a time. They always start up just fine. Never really any problems with the batteries either.

The Harbor Freight cargo carrier is about the dimensions as that roof rack and can usually be bought on sale for less than $50.

Grab the wiring rear light wiring harness for a XJ and cut the connector off. Additional wires will have to be ran and the switches rewired.

Unfortunately I injured both my wrists the same weekend of working on removing the bed. I doing better now, but I have made little progress on my Jeep. I installed longer rear bump stops, custom bent new lines for the rear brakes, and installed the speedometer gear.

The entire system has to be there for it to function. The bulb being on is defeated by removing the bulb. Replace the module? Probably not, but definitely have a dealership check if it needs reset.

Magic! Which means you did not notice me nuke the spammer from the April Comanche of the month topic within a minute of the post appearing. :P

It is really that simple to swap out. Just do not shut the hood until you are finished. :P

This one? http://www.barrett-jackson.com/application/onlinesubmission/lotdetails.aspx?ln=357&aid=467

A write up I made for this: http://www.naxja.org/forum/showpost.php?p=245343932&postcount=18 Lets be realistic here. If you are swapping the VIN plate to keep it matching the vehicle and being honest about it without the intent to deceive then there is really nothing wrong with it. Legally the law says ANY tampering would be illegal. That is unrealistically restrictive to people trying to repair their vehicles. Some good background legal knowledge if you are curious. http://www.boss302.com/legal.htm

I have shoved in three different Spectra Premium radiators in some Jeeps. Plastic tanks, aluminum single core, and they have never leaked in about three years of service. They are a budget aluminum radiator at roughly $80.

Yes, the odometer can be easily changed on clusters up to 1990. 1991+ the odometer assembly is plastic welded together so changing it to match the current mileage is difficult. The other option is to just swap the speedometer/odometer assembly with the correct mileage into the new cluster. http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=76857 There is no oil temperature gauge or sensor. Only a new coolant temperature sensor and oil pressure sensor should be needed. The coolant sensor that needs changed is the one on the back of the cylinder head.

If you are planning on pulling from a junk yard you will need to swap the entire axle to avoid doing a gear setup process. Gear setup is unique to each axle. Swapping the front D30 for a different D30 with 3.55 gears from the local LKQ would be $150. Much cheaper than the $500~ for parts and regearing cost.

Yep, ARB bumpers are crash rated which means exactly that. They will bent when hitting things hard enough.

1.) If you could find axles with a 3.55 ratio that would be liveable with 31" tires. 2.) The Dana carriers are different and change sizes at different gear ratio points. 3.) Just a different carrier for limited slip. It would be bolted to the new gear ring. 4.) Depends on your worth it. Spending $500+ on specialty tools(Bearing puller, case spreader, expensive torque wrenches) and spending one week of nights learning the process to get it right. $600 at the high end for parts if you need all new carriers for bigger gears. $200 to $400 per axle to regear. http://www.pirate4x4.com/articles/tech/billavista/Gear_Setup 5.) Check out the second chart on this page. 4.11 would be in a decent range for what you want and would give you room to upgrade all the way to 33" tires later. http://www.experimentalinsanity.com/vehicle/resources/gearratios.php

They always have 5% off.