Eagle

Good news. Thanks for the follow-up.

The 8.8 you have has already been converted and set up for your MJ, correct? Why would you want to go through all that again? Buy the rebuild kit, for sure.

Buy it. Convert it to an XJ floor shifter. Win.

Yeah. TJ coils give LESS lift when used in XJs and MJs. I would have guess 2" rather than 3".

Right. The aluminum wheels are 7" wide, the steels only 6", so that will limit the maximum width of the tire you can run. But you shouldn't have an issue putting 235 widths on a 6" wheel. Actually, most of the factory steel wheels are also 15x7. The absolute base wheel (the one with nine rectangular slots, as shown in post #8) were 15x6 -- everything else was 15x7.

Jeep did the same thing with the early Cherokees -- the base models came with a smaller capacity tank, to lower the curb weight and help boost the fuel economy a fraction of a MPG. The difference was an internal baffle - the tanks looked the same externally.

Your synchros aren't bad, so put those fears to rest. If the synchros were bad, you'd be hearing a symphony of scary-sounding noises when shifting, and shifts would be very harsh and "notchy." I'm pretty certain that what's happening is that the clutch isn't fully releasing. I would try bleeding it again. You could also try changing tranny juice. The factory spec for that transmission was 75-90 GL-5 gear lube, but I think the factory later backed off of that because of the sulpher compounds in GL-5 lubes. However, that's more of an issue with the AX-15 transmissions, it may not be as big an issue with the Peugeot BA 10/5. The next time I service mine, I'm going to use Pennzoil Synchromesh transmission oil. It was formulated specifically for newer transmissions like the NP3500/3550, but I've read reports that it performs favorably in the BA 10/5 as well. In my '88 Cherokee, I've also been running a molybdenum additive. It's no longer available from the source where I bought mine, but there used to be an on-line place called, (IIRC) "Mr. Moly" that should have it. Or -- go to an on-line vendor of firearms reloading components and buy micro-fine molybdenum powder and mix your own. That's what I'll be doing the next time. Moly powder is super slippery, plus it has an affinity for metals so it sort of plates the parts ir comes into contact with, and greatly reduces friction.

Does it grind shifting into 1st and 2nd? Does it pop out of gear when coasting/decelerating? If "no" to those questions, the problem likely isn't the synchros, it's probably that the clutch isn't fully disengaging. Try bleeding it again and see if that makes a difference. Also, what are you using for transmission lube? I have an '88 Cherokee 4.0L. Despite the BA 10/5's bad reputation, mine has lasted 287,000+ miles and stil shifts well. It IS hard to shift into 2nd gear, especially when cold, but otherwise it works fine. A couple of tricks I've picked up, which may or may not work for you: if it doesn't want to shift into 1st from a stop, shift into reverse and then into 1st. Going from 1st to 2nd, either "granny" shift it (like only rn it up to about 1200 RPM in 1st before shifting) or shift at exactly 2000 RPM. And don't rush the shift -- it's not a drag race transmission.

Heck, there are LOT's of Cherokees in junk yards, and it's really not all that difficult (for a body man who knows his trade) to remove the bent uniframe "ears" and inner fenders, and weld in replacements from a donor vehicle.

Be careful with General springs. Several members here have reported that their "stock" springs sit significantly higher than OEM stock ride height.

Pretty much the bare minimum lift from a SOA conversion, if you don't change either the axles or the springs, is 5-1/2 inches. If you already have a 4" lift and you keep those springs, you would be looking at a total of 9-1/2 inches. There's no way around that other than doing something about the springs. SOA is really best suited for stock springs.

There is no difference in the amount of lift, if you don't change the springs.

Custom dial decal?

Keep it. You don't need a selectable locker in the front. An option you haven't mentioned is to either leave it with no air (meaning it's an open diff -- which is the way ALL XJs and MJs came from the factory). Yet another option would be to just replace the carrier with a Tru-Trac. However, that would cost more than the $210 you have projected to get air to the Rubicon diff. No other options on the air? How much pressure does it need -- could you run it with an inexpensive, 12-volt universal air compressor?

How do you define "up" with a double cardan joint?

You had the glass installed? By a shop? Take it back and have them do it again. That rubber gasket is only trim. The glass is glued in, same as the front windshield. If it leaks, the installer screwed up the job.

My immediate thought was that I'd easily pay $5,000 in a heartbeat for a low-mileage MJ with no rust. Look at ads for newer trucks like Rangers that have similar mileage, and you'll quickly realize that even $6,500 is a good deal. A few years ago I paid $6,500 for an XJ that had more miles and a LOT of rust underneath. (Granted, it was 4WD, but it also needed a lot of work.)

Correction -- the LATE Renix tachs had the adjustable potentiometer. The early Renix tachs were 4-cyl or 6-cyl specific, without the adjustable pot.. A friend of mine swapped a later tach into an '84 XJ 4-cylinder. He reported that calibration was easy -- all the way in one direction for 6-cylinder and all the way the other direction for 4-cylinder. If he's correct, then it can't be adjusted for an 8-cylinder.

With a double cardan at the transfer case end, the pinion angle should be zero at the differential yoke.

Nice setup! What did you use for the front Dana 44, an axle out of a Wrangler Rubicon?

When you add the SYE, will you be adding a double cardan joint at the transfer carse output (like the front driveshaft), or are you going to stay with a single u-joint at each end of the driveshaft?

They are 6.25 inches from the base plate to the perch eye. Exactly the same spacing as the D35. The Dana 35 uses 1-3/4" brakes, the Chryco 8-1/4 uses 2-1/2" brakes ... but the wheel-mating-surface to wheel-mating-surface dimension is the same. That means the 8-1/4" backing plates are farther inboard than those on the D35. If you measure the center-to-center distance of your perches, I'll bet it isn't the same on the "new" axle as on the old D35.

IMHO longer brake lines are necessary with that much lift.

Neither have I, and I also can't recall ever hearing/reading any negative comments about them. My dealer sells Crown all the time, especially for parts Jeep no longer provides.

I just read this again and realized what the thread title says. If it's an '86 you do not have a Dana 44, because Jeep didn't use the Dana 44 in the '86 Comanche. The optional, heavy-duty axle for 1986 was the AMC Model 20. You can recognize that easily because the rear diff is comparatively large, and the diff cover is perfectly round. The much more common Dana 35 has an oval diff cover. Dana 35: Dana 44: AMC Model 20: