Eagle

Looks a lot like this one, that I posted a pic of a couple of years ago. I found the photo on the internet, and I had no idea where the truck was or who owned it. Definitely custom.

I would rate the aluminum "Dana 44" below the Dana 35. My '88 Cherokee has over 287,000 miles on the Dana 35, and it has been wheeling at Paragon in PA, on some trails in Rhode Island, and several trips to the Mohawk Trail area if Massachusetts. My '99 Grand Cherokee had to have the rear differential rebuilt around 5,000 miles, and it was whining again when Chrysler bought the turd back from me before I had it a full year.

That's likely correct but, as none of my Renix-era vehicles have cruise, I don't have any first-hand experience or knowledge.

Does this mean you were able to change the needle orientation on yours? Have to checked it against a diagnostic tachometer to verify that it's reading correctly now?

You would have to shorten your drive shaft approximately 1 inch if you don't do a lift at the same time. Same applies if you do the Chrysler 8-1/4"

You can also use a speedometer from a late 87 thru 90, but you would need a new speedometer cable because the end that attaches to the speedo head is different. (Although in a 30-year old vehicle, a new speedo cable isn't a bad idea.)

Then what are you going to use for a shoulder belt? I assume you mean yank on the seat "belt." No, it's not locked if you yank on it -- it locks under crash conditions.

If both axles are open diffs, you can still flat tow without the true neutral transfer case. If either end (or worse, both ends) has a locker, then it gets a bit dicey. The real problem comes if trying to tow on a dolly with the rear wheels on the ground and the front wheels lashed down. For that, you absolutely need a true neutral ... or else you need to remove the front drive shaft.

Found this: https://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f12/true-neutral-plate-1076065/ So if the true neutral came in with the TJ, what year did the TJ replace the YJ? I'm pretty certain the YJ and TJ shared the same 231 transfer case that the XJ and MJ had in the same years.

The tenths roller works, and you didn't say the speedometer doesn't work so I assume that's okay. From your screen name I assume we're talking about an '86 MJ, so you have a mechanical speedometer. The fact that the tenths (and, I guess, the speedometer) works means the cable isn't the problem. So the problem is in the odometer mechanism itself. As far as I know, unless you work in a speedometer shop there are no how-to manuals for repairing an odometer. The Jeep factory service manuals certainly don't discuss it. You could pull the cluster out of the dashboard, remove the speedometer from the speedometer, and then remove the odometer from the speedometer and try to open it up to repair it. The closets I've come to doing that was swapping an odometer from one cluster to another to maintain the correct mileage on a vehicle that was getting a cluster replacement. The Jeep parts manual doesn't list the odometer as a separate part -- they list the complete speedometer head with the odometer. So the simplest answer is to just replace the complete speedometer. The '86 uses the old style speedo cable, so your direct replacement would be from a 1984 thru 1986 (or maybe early 1987) Cherokee or Comanche.

Replace

I see a LOT of XJs being towed behind mobile homes. IIRC, The early XJs didn't have a true neutral on the transfer case, but somewhere in the 90s they fixed that. Don't remember when. By "true neutral," what I mean is that (again, IIRC), putting the transfer case in neutral on the early ones disconnected it from the engine and transmission, but left the front and rear driveshafts locked together. That, of course, is not what you want when flat towing.

I put a 12.7:1 box in the 2001 XJ (which I have since sold). The only time I was aware of the difference from the original 14:1 box was in full-lock turns at low speed, such as when parking. It has about a quarter revolution less turn of the steering wheel to full lock. I didn't feel any difference when on the road. When I hit the lottery, I'm going to go for a 10:1 box.

Why?

Did you replace the flex hose when you replaced the slave cylinder? If not, replace that and report back.

Looks like a good deal at $2,000. Straight, has the full gauge cluster and the sport steering wheel. If I didn't already have three I'd be all over that at 2 grand.

As you have discovered, that approach won't work. You're going to have to open up both transmissions to make a "good" 4WD box that will mate to the transfer case.

Dealer choice what (if anything) they provided. The factory didn't provide anything.

12.7:1 for the Grand Cherokee box. It's considered an upgrade for street driving on stock tires because it gives you slightly quicker, more responsive steering. It isn't an upgrade in strength, only in driveability. Using a quick-ratio box with larger tires puts more stress on the internal parts of the steering box and is not recommended for off-road use. In fact, in the early years of the XJ the optional off-road suspension came with a slower ration steering box. (18:1 is what I remember, but I'm not sure of that.)

I don't see any way the original control arms could push a different XJ/MJ/TJ axle 1 to 2 inches farther forward than the old axle. Something is very wrong. How many shims are in the lower control arm frame pockets?

What did you use for control arms? Stock height or lifted?

12.7:1 ratio is faster than stock for the XJ/MJ, which use a 14:1 ratio. 12.7 is an improvement for street driving on standard-ish size tires, but for oversized, off-road tires the 14:1 is a better choice and is available from other vendors.

No hate, just people who have seen enough accidents to want to help other people avoid them. You wrote what you wrote, we read what you wrote and we responded. If what you wrote isn't what you meant, that's on you, not the readers. In my 74 years on this planet, I've been in two serious accidents, a few fender benders, and several near misses. At the age of fourteen there was a question if I would ever be able to live a normal life due to an accident (I was a passenger). I know -- first-hand and all too well -- how quickly something unexpected can happen. If it hasn't happened to you -- yet -- you are fortunate. Thank God for that. But that doesn't mean you're safe on the street without the sway bar, not even temporarily or for short distances. I'm off my soapbox. You're an adult. Make your own decision.