Cooter

Just wait 'till the first time you try to change your diff lube... :twisted:

As long as it is a non c-clip D35, you can swap your entire drum brake assembly to the D44- backing plates and all. The XJ/MJ D44 uses the same axle tube bolt pattern as the same year D35.

An 8.8 shouldn't cost $500, even with 4.10s. I ask around $385 for them with 4.10 and a limited slip, and about $300 with 3.73s. I have an XJ D44 that I have list for $375, and ask the same for the MJ D44s when I find them...

Like mentioned above, you can swap 297xs, etc, from a TJ in and save a lot of money. I run 35" Bogger/36 TSLs, on my TJ for 4 years now, and I am still using the original axles and original ujoints. You don't need to upgrade the spline count on the axles to get the bigger u-joint.

Travel will stay the same, all else being equal. FWIW- almost all suspensions I have seen have been limited by shock length/bumpstops, not the shackle position. Shackle length, on the other hand...

..also, SRSs are real hard on the frame of a CJ- it was never meant to have the spring mounted solid to the front frame horns. Putting a tire up on an obstacle will be more difficult as stated above, you will have more bump steer, and in addition to the possibility of separating the driveshaft, the greater concern is what happens when the shaft bottoms out- it has been known to break 231s in half on YJs...

The Brute is a ripoff of an something Jeep already produced- the CJ10 Who is taking hints from whom? Or would you rather have an H3?

Paid $800, but since the Down East flip kit aqnd D300 were worth more than that by them selves, I got the 350, SM465, propane setup, and rest of the MJ for free :twisted:

A Lock Right in the front will be just fine- I have run them in everything from a Trailduster on 35s to my Scrambler on 34x9.50s to my TJ on Q78s. Keep in mind that the disco D30 bends pretty easy, and if it does, your lockers won't work very well. (It took 3 rollovers for mine to start intermittantly working on the passenger side) :roll:

My MJ was setup that way when I bought it. It will bolt in, but I wouldn't suggest doing it.

There's plenty of solutions for running an AW4 stand alone, so that shouldn't hold you up, however, you aren't going to bolt up a Big Three FI engine without major fab work. As for the NP/NV231- I'm eating up t-case chains in my '02 231 right now, and my 4.0 is stone stock. A good HD SYE is $200+, while a D300 tops out at around $150 here. All AMC straight 6s and V8s use a common bellhousing bolt pattern, so swaps are real easy between the two. Howevwer, the AMC V8 is far from a modern engine, and performance parts aren't cheap- FI injection for one is more than double what a good Ford, Chevy or MoPar FI engine complete with harness would cost you. (Don't even get me started on 401 prices) Get a modern engine, use the trans that goes with it, and go with a good, gear drive t-case.

Toss it together and use it- most of your money is already spent. You are just punishing yourself for things you think aren't stout enough, but what are you doing with your MJ now?? Sure, you will never break it, but at this rate, you will never use it. Don't fall for magazine and "My Manhood is Bigger Than You" buildups. The part that makes any rig the most capable is the driver, and the only way to upgrade that part is by seat time.....

DITTO. 3/4 ton or even a one ton full size for something that big. Towing it with an MJ is a sure fire recipe for Instadeath. Recipe feeds: Everyone in your path.

$195 per pack??? Sounds a little salty to me...

If you're going through the trouble to swap a V8 in, just swap the tranny and t-case as well. The 231 won't live well with V8 power in stock condition.

My main issue with any beadliner is the same I have with powdercoating- once rust gets under it, it spreads without you knowing it until it has done incredible damage to the metal. I have seen this happen numerous times, and it isn't pretty when you're welding a patch panel in, and the liner material keeps catching fire no matter how far you try to grind it back away from the repair. (that is pretty messy, as well) Now, this is usually in an instance where the floor of a rig is coated, but I have seen this in truck beds, as well. The difference is that most trucks are lined while they are new, and the isn't any corrosion already starting like there is in a 15 year old rig. (even though you may not see it, there is a better than even chance it has started)

...and your information reads like it came off the side of the bottle :roll: I won't even get into what graphite is used for and what it does, or the history of it being used in engines over the years. The bottom line is this- Snake Oil won't make your cylinder walls round and scratch free, and won't bring tension back to your rings. Oil additives damage your catilytic converters, get trapeed in your filter, which then goes to bypass, which means taht your now are pumping unfiltered oil through your bearings, so not only is your top end bad, but so is the lower end. Rebuilds don't come in a can...

I just bought the MJ in June, and it still needs a real rear end, a Cooter Cage, some dialing in of the propane, and a little more lift in the front. I'm sure that after I take it out the first time, I'll next need to do something about Axlewrap Of Death :wink:

Wheeling sanely and taking access roads are far from the same thing... But maybe my 10-20 trips a year aren't enough to be hard on the unit bearings, since I'm not testing my rigs' limits :roll: I wasn't assuming anything about how "hardcore" you were- it's pretty silly for you to tell me what kind of wheelin' I do without knowing me...

What maintenance can be done? Wow, I missed that line. Big tires, and big offset will prematurely wear out unit bearings, but it can be somewhat controlled if you keep the offset to a minimum, keep the wheel/tire weight down and wheel sanely. I have no idea how to maintain a unit bearing- I have always heard of them being called "Maintenance Free Unit Bearings" In fact, unless you have a press and the special Miller tool, you can't repack them, and the only ones you could repack in any case were the early ones from the '80s.

First off- spray down all of your fittings with PB Blaster ASAP. If you break off the fitting on the throwout bearing side, you will either have to pull the tranny or use your mAd sKiLlZ at reflaring the line. Now, that looks like a simple union for a flare fitting. If you have something else to drive, take the line off, and take it to your parts store. (Go to one of the smaller, non chain style ones, unless you have a guy you trust at one of the chains) I don't have any links right now to AX15 or BA Hydro release bearing hoses, but even if I did, your best bet would be to match it up to one before you buy it.

I get about 3 years on the unit bearings on my TJ (35x14.50 Boggers or Q78 TSLs, depending on my mood) It will take me a long time to make up the $900 that the Warn kit will cost me...

Depends if he truly has a slave cylinder or just a hydraulic throwout bearing...

Basically there is graphite in it, it is an old trick that has been used for years. The problem is it tends to clog the minor passages in your oil filter. Here's a little light reading for anyone thinking about miricle additives- Clicky

Won't even take you an hour :wink: