Eagle

One of the joys of dealing with any of the parts chains is that they can't look up ANYTHING without entering the number of cylinders and whether it's 2WD or 4WD. Taillight bulb? Fuse? Windshield wiper refill? "Can't look it up if you don't tell me whether it's a 4-cylinder or a V-6" Ummm ... right ...

Do NOT use sandpaper, and do NOT use clearcoat. There are specific products out there for polishing plastic lenses. That's what you need. See the write-up in DIY.

Never had typing class in high school. Mea culpa -- but, although I may not be able to type "2001," I can say "two thousand one."

There's a difference between "clear and "pretty much clear." If there was a line of snow between the two worn-down tire tracks in either lane (or a row of snow between the two lanes, it was probably slushy, wet, and heavy. As you switched lanes, running a tire into that line of slush is like slamming on the brakes -- on one wheel. The heavy, mushy snaow grabs the wheel and makes the front end try to slew around.

Yes, but would you trust a used one? Those can be bought anywhere.

More proof that I got screwed on the 2011 XJ I bought for my daughter: Ball joints replaced, TREs and long sleeve replaced (can now adjust toe-in ... YAY!), and the steering is still vague and there are significant clunks emanating from under my feet as I drive it. Not much left -- obviously needs control arms. Called the local dealer to order up a pair of Crowns, which I have bought from them before for the '87 MJ. Parts guy says "No listing." I'd like to support a small, family-owned dealership, but I'm not paying the price for factory parts. So I went away and did some shopping around and found a few sources, but it kept bugging me that Crown would have discontinued a part for the Cherokee (since the same exact part also fits the MJ and the ZJ, and I think even the TJ). I noticed that some of the on-line places list one LCA for the Cherokee from 1984 thru 2001. Other places only list it up to 1996. Odd. So yesterday I called back and asked the guy to see if Crown still has the LCA listed for the '88 MJ. Sure enough, they do. Then he checked the Chrysler listing, and the factory shows the same part for all years, 1984 through 2001. So I ordered a pair. Another lesson in Jeep parts buying. You have to know the vehicle, and don't necessarily blame it on the pothead behind the counter if he can't find a listing for you. It seems some of these aftermarket suppliers don't even know what their parts fit.

Skill had little to do with it. I'm just obstinate. (Ask my wife :) )

Not possible. Your brake line blew because of 25 years of rust.

1987 was during the AMC years. The fasteners are a maddening mix of metric, US coarse and SAE fine threads. Go to Harbor Freight Tools and get two of their 40-piece tap & die sets ... one in metric and one in standard.

You lost traction and fishtailed. Good job catching it before it became a complete spin-out, but in slippery conditions what you do NOT do (not ever) is punch it into passing gear. You drive like there's a raw egg (in its shell) between your right foot and the accelerator peddle. To answer your question about death wobble: It feels like a demented djini has grabbed hold of the front end of your vehicle and is doing his best to fling it and you off the road into the nearest ditch. It is absolutely uncontrollable, and the only way to stop the insane dance the front wheels are doing is to slow down to very nearly a complete stop. It is called "death wobble" because it feels like you ARE going to die ... right then and there.

I'm seriously considering the same upgrade for an '88 MJ 4-banger I have sitting in the yard. Just need to decide how much I value my marriage ...

No it doesn't. Been there -- done that. XJ and MJ.

Pete, you missed the part where he said he's a restoration guy. I appreciate that ... we try to do everything as close to original as possible.

Yep. Buy a 25-foot coil of brake line and some fittings, and make up all new lines to the rear. IMHO, this is the time to eliminate the rear height-sensing valve, which also eliminates one of the two lines to the rear, but some people don't agree with me when I describe it as a ticking time bomb. Your choice. The brake lines are one piece, front to rear. You can cut out the bad section and use couplings to insert a short length. I did that on my '88 Cherokee, then while bleeding after the repair the remaining existing line blew out 6 inches ahead of my new section. However, I will admit that snaking a full-length line into place is a PITA, and there are advantages from an installation perspective to using pre-cut lengths to make up the new run.

A SOA conversion will lift your chassis between 5-1/2" and 6-1/2". Yes, with stock tires (or even 30s or 31s) it will look totally retarded. Plus then you'll be looking for stuff to lift the front to even it out, and you'll be throwing some real money at it because a 6" lift results in all sorts of issues that need to be addressed.

Shackles won't add any strength, and they'll make what's left of your springs get worse faster. Get thee to a junkyard and find a set of springs from an older Dakota or S10 ... one set up with the springs under the axle, like the MJ. Take those springs apart and use either the second leaf from each as an AAL or cut the eyes off the main leaves and use those. I'd start with the main leaves and, if that doesn't give you enough lift, then add another leaf on each side. Being long leaves, tis will not make the ride significantly harsh. It's the short, stiff AAL kits that ride like ... "a truck."

Very few Cherokees came with a 4-cylinder and the AW4 -- maybe none. So finding a 4WD 4-cylinder auto tranny and transfer case combo shouldn't be all that difficult ... but it won't be an AW4. For a wheeling rig that's not a major concern. Overdrive isn't used much in low range on trails. www.car-part.com In fact, I have a Wranger 4-banger block with a 904 behind it. No transfer case, but I picked up a tailhousing adapter to mate up with a transfer case. The tranny was free, and the adapter cost me $25. If you want it, it's yours for $25 plus shipping from 06583.

$75 later, I can adjust the toe-in on the "new" (to me) 2001 Cherokee. Tie rod adjusting sleeve was so badly rusted to the TREs that I put the longest pipe wrench I have on it, stood on it with my current 240 pounds and bounced ... and it wouldn't move. Finally did a preemptive strike. Replaced both TRE's and the long sleeve, and I can finally adjust the toe-in. It's nice to be able to steer again.

There's a reason why "barrier islands" are so named ... and Long Island is a barrier island. You'd think people would have learned not to build in places that Mother Nature designed to be trashed in storms, but ... Noooooooooo. To complete the proof of societal insanity, they'll rebuild Long Island, just like they rebuilt New Orleans and Galvaston.

This is a commonly perpetuated myth, but it is untrue. My '88 XJ has the Peugeot tranny. I have 287,000 miles on it, and the tranny is fine. It has been wheeled all over new England, at paragon in Pennsylvania, and in Arizona & New Mexico. However, I will agree that if you drive it "like you stole it," it will break. So will the AX-15, and so will the NVG3500. These are truck transmissions, intended to be shifted by people who know how to drive a standard transmission. If they are treated like drag race transmissions and slam shifted, the synchronizers will NOT survive.

I am aware of both and I have read about people using the SKS for hunting deer, but I have no personal experience with either. I have fired an 8mm Mauser, and the recoil was "healthy." The 7.62x54R Mosin-Nagant round is reported to have significantly more recoil than either the 8mm Mauser or the .30-06. It would certainly take a deer ... if you can hit a deer with it. Buying one today off the mil-surp market is VERY "iffy" as to what you'll get. You might get one with a decent barrel, but more likely you'll get one that has a corroded barrel in need of a counter-bore or recrowning. It has been argued that the good old .30-30 has taken more deer than any other cartridge in North America. The 7.62x39 carries less muzzle energy than a .30-30. The 7.62x39 (in the typical mil-surp loadings) has around 1500 foot-pounds of muzzle energy. The .30-30 generally has 1800 to 1900 foot-pounds. Why not look for a used Winchester, Marlin, or Rossi lever action carbine in .30-30? They are out there. I picked up a Winchester Model 94 a few years ago for $90 because the finish was bad. Bore was perfect.

Well, MY wife, on the other hand, has a very novel approach to driving standard transmissions. As nearly as I can figure out, the first four gears are used when starting first thing in the morning from a cold start. For the rest of the day, all conditions are addressed by varying degrees of destroying slipping the clutch. The only blessing is that she hates driving a manual, so she has never EVER asked to use one of my 5-speed XJs. (It helps that her 2000 XJ Classic is the nicest vehicle we own.)

Assuming the stock tires might have been 215/75R15s (they were more likely 205s. but I don't have data for that size), so 60 MPH road speed with a 5-speed tranny should be just about 2320 RPM.

Sorry -- mised it.

... and then there's high centered: http://www.thesmokinggun.com/buster/mexico/jeep-stuck-atop-border-fence-765490