Eagle

The tires offered by the local shop (in the correct size) are: Michelin LTX Kumho KR-21 Cooper Starline Discount club has Michelin LT/2. Their price will be almost exactly the same as the local guy wants for the LTXs.

Simple. All it would take is one "Pinto Kid" to cost Jeep gazillions of bucks. If the aftermarket hitches pose a danger of puncturing the gas tank and starting a fire (or causing an explosion), the downside for Chrysler/Jeep is almost infinite. The cost of replacing a few trailer hitches will be peanuts compared to what one Pinto Kid lawsuit would cost them. Homework assignment: http://users.wfu.edu/palmitar/Law&Valuation/Papers/1999/Leggett-pinto.html http://philosophia.uncg.edu/phi361-metivier/module-2-why-does-business-need-ethics/case-the-ford-pinto/ There will be a quiz on Friday ...

I think it's disgraceful. The French have managed to give each of them TWO medals already, and as far as I can tell nobody in Washington is even talking about giving them medals. What's that saying again? Oh, yeah: "I love my country, but I hate my government."

I want to keep it original, and not have to mess with the speedometer gear. And don't forget it's 16-inch wheels. The 15-inch equivalent is 225/75-15 -- I have plenty of 15" Jeep rims around, but ... I want to keep it original.

Doing some brake work on my late wife's 2000 XJ Classic and I discovered to my dismay that the sidewalls of the tires are all deteriorated with a network of micro-cracks. The tires gotta go. It couldn't happen at a worse time -- my daughter (who is -- or was -- attending college in Chile) just tried to commit suicide -- again -- so I'm paying for institutions and shrinks, on top of losing her tuition for the uncompleted year of study. I'm looking for decent tires that will be good for mostly pavement driving, including snow. No hard-core off-roading -- I still have my '88 for that. Money is definitely an object, and I'm not finding a lot in my shopping around. To make it worse, I need five tires, because the Classic with tow package came with a full-size spare. Well-respected local tire shop offered me Michelin LTX, Kumho something-or-other, and a Cooper I've never heard of. Prices weren't outrageous, but for me at the moment they were sobering. Local warehouse club also has the Michelin LTX, along with another Michelin (LT/2, I think?), and a BFG Long Trail Touring. The BFG's are the most affordable of the bunch, but I haven't heard or read anything about them. And then Wal-Mart has a tire I've never heard of (and can't remember the name of) in the right size for about $99 per tire. One reason the selection is so limited is that the 2000 XJ Classic takes a 226/70R16 tire. A lot of manufacturers don't offer that size, either not at all or not in any of the tires I'd be interested in. Has anyone had any experience with the Michelin or the Kumho, or the BFG Long Trail? I need to find out if the local dealer can get them, but one that interests me is the Cooper Discoverer H/T. It's available in the size I need. Has anyone had any experience with that one?

As former military, I DO find it offensive. I think your intentions are good, but what you are discussing is improper in the extreme. I suggest you Google up the U.S. Flag Code and read it.

True Trac is best, but it's about 50% more expensive than a Dana Trac-Lok, which is what the factory used for limited slips. Since most of your driving is on pavement, a lunchbox locker is not the optimal solution. If you can afford the True Trac, go for it. I have one and it's excellent. I also have Trac-Loks in three XJs and an MJ and it gets the job done, too.

The one I posted awhile back didn't have any notes. It was a different photo of the same MJ distribution block that's shown in the new photo.

You don't need a build sheet -- you have it all right there. Here's something for you to play with: Being a desert vehicle with no rust, the problem with your paint is that the clear coat has burned. Underneath that white-ish mess, the color coat is probably completely intact. Since otherwise you would probably be repainting it anyway in a restoration, pick a panel and try wet sanding it to remove the deteriorated clear coat but leave the color. Then apply a new coat of clear.

Agreed. As for caster angle: 1. It's almost impossible for MORE positive caster to cause death wobble. Increasing caster (within specs) usually helps. 2. Adding a 4" lift would decrease caster, not increase it. If you had 9 degrees after the lift, your caster was probably already out of spec before the lift.

THAT would have rated an STND* * Small ThermoNuclear Device

General rule of thumb when working on any vehicle that has been out of production for more than twenty years -- don't scrap or trash ANYTHING. Many years ago a couple of friends and I found a back-country junkyard (really a farmer's back field) that had a couple of Hudsons in it. We were all active with Hudsons at the time, so we took a road trip up to see what he had. A few early 50s sedans, nothing special and nothing there we wanted or needed. Then he mentioned that he had recently chopped up a '46 Hudson pickup. YIKES! Most people didn't know Hudson even made pickups, and they only made them for two years after WW2: 1946 and 1947. (And they made one 1948 prototype, in the new "step-down" body style.) You think MJs are rare? Try Hudson pickups. So after telling us (as if he'd done a good thing) that he had scrapped a Hudson pickup, he proudly announced, "But I saved the rear axle." :doh: The rear axle of a 1946/47 Hudson is just about the ONLY part that nobody other than an absolute purist would ever want. The trucks were overbuilt and very strong, but the rear axles were (to be charitable) junk.

Yes, that's what we're saying. Please post your mailing address so I'll know where to send the letter bomb you have just earned.

Dakota tails look similar, but they aren't even close in any dimension. Making them fit would be as much or more work as fitting '00 Cherokee tails. Here are Pete's photos to prove it: http://comancheclub.com/topic/46115-dakota-replacement-taillights/

Personally, I'd return it to where I got it. It's obviously the wrong part.

Actually, all you need to clear 31s is to put 31s on the truck. I've run 31x10.50s-15s on my '88 MJ after removing the lift, and I currently have 31x10.50-15s on the '88 Cherokee -- at stock height.

I have no idea what the ride height would be in an MJ. Would you mount them as spring under? I don't think they're a good choice for a pickup. I used to have a '78 full-size Cherokee. I bought it used, and the rear springs were sagged so badly that if I used a jack under the rear axle, I couldn't take a tire off without also jacking the body away from the axle to make clearance. I put in a Rancho full-length AAL that was supposed to generate 2 inches of lift -- that got it basically to where it should have sat for stock ride height.

If I remember correctly, the Grand Wagoneers were spring over, like the XJ. That would mean the Waggy springs start out with a LOT less arch.

I don't think the Ranger springs can be flipped. It would have to be checked, but usually the leaf tip spacing is tight at the front end and pretty wide at the tail. Reversing a spring like that would result in some potentially strange ride and handling characteristics.

The centering pins for the MJ springs are not centered on the length of the main leaf, they're off by something like four inches. How does that compare with the Ford springs?

The 2000 XJ doesn't have spindles. It has hub/bearing units. Did you get the steering knuckles from the 2000? If not, the other parts aren't going to help you because the calipers won't be centered on the discs.

What happens when you run tires on rims that are wider than recommended is that the tread tends to arch up (away from the pavement) in the center of the tread. The result is rapid wear on the outer edges and the shoulders. To counteract that, you have to run the tires at higher pressures to get a flat contact patch. But ... that pressure may be higher than the maximum recommended for the tire.

I finally found ONE Cooper tire that's still offered in 15-inch sizes. For the 225/75-15 size they list the approved rim width as 6" to 7".

You are still creating a lot of confusion by continuing to use the term "cranking" for when you mean "starting" or "firing up." "Cranking" is what happens when you turn the key and the starter motor turns the engine until the engine fires up and runs by itself. An internal combustion engine can "crank" all day (until the battery runs down) without ever starting.

Do you know what the stock rear height from fender to center wheel in inches??? I just installed 2" rear shackles and just curious where I'm at now in the rear. Use the method in Hornbrod's link: http://comancheclub.com/topic/11098-how-to-measure-ride-hight/?hl=height I think the hub-to-flare measurement or a stock MJ is around 20-1/2 to 21, but I've never verified that.