Eagle

Did you follow the factory procedure to bleed the system?

What makes you think it would run hot at idle with an OEM water pump? The weak point of the XJ/MJ cooling system isn't the water pump, it's the radiator. The size is marginal. If you increase the flow rate, all that does is push the coolant through the radiator faster, so it has LESS time to shed heat to the radiator. It'll have the opposite effect of what you want to accomplish. Back when I crewed on a stock car, a lot of the drivers cut down the impeller on their water pumps precisely to reduce the flow of coolant through the radiator so it would have time to shed the heat. If your system overheats at idle with a new radiator and a new water pump, you have other problems.

I won't "recommend" this, because it's probably illegal, but if it were my truck I would remove the height-sensing valve and eliminate that second hard line from front to rear. One less line to rust, one less potential leak/rupture to worry about. Actually, TWO less ruptures to worry about. I base this on my own experience. The height-sensing valve on my '88 MJ blew out when I had to make a panic stop. They aren't available, so I just eliminated it. In the process, I also plugged the outlet for the bypass line on the bottom of the front metering block, and replaced the entire hard line from the metering valve to the flex hose at the rear axle. The effect of this is that I now have 100 percent (unproportioned) braking to the rear wheels all the time. I know this is not ideal when the back isn't loaded, because it can allow the rear wheels to lock up early (the reason they have that valve there), but I grew up before they had such things as proportioning valves, so it doesn't bother me. I'm happier knowing that I have all the brakes available to me, and I'll take responsibility for driving such that I hopefully don't swap ends due to too much brakes in the back. If you frequently drive with the back loaded, eliminating the rear height-sensing valve is probably a good idea. Just remember to take it easy when the back isn't loaded.

You guys are both confused. The original Javelin and 2-seat AMX ran only from 1968 through 1970 and was available only with a V8. I owned several and always destroyed Mustangs in autocross. The early Javelins and AMXs didn't handle at all like Mustangs, the AMC iron handled far better than the Mustangs. The next generation was the "Javelin AMX," which is what we're seeing photos of in this thread. I believe that was also only available as a V8. But the Javelin was gone by 1979 and the "AMX" badge was stuck on a Hornet/Concord. IIRC those were only available as a 258 c.i.d. (4.2L) in-line 6. It was not the same body as the Eagle SX-4, it was the longer wheelbase Hornet/Concord coupe body. The Eagle SX-4 was on the shorter Gremlin chassis.

I absolutely agree, but you can buy PB Blaster about anywhere, and Kroil is a lot harder to find for most people.

Your oil pressure is within spec, if the 19 psi is at idle. Factory spec is 13 psi minimum at idle, 37 to 75 psi above 1600 RPM. Nonetheless, 19 is lower than most, and I believe new bearings would fix that. While the pan is off, you should also replace the rear main seal. Based on your startup oil pressure, it doesn't sound like you need an oil pump. As to the other vehicle -- recent oil change? Different brand of filter? FRAM filter, perhaps?

What you said is, bias the weight 60/40 on the front, "more is better." I repeat: More is NOT better. You want/need only enough forward bias to ensure positive downforce on the hitch ball. Beyond that, you risk overloading the hitch.

Clarification: Being able to rotate the tie rod between the ends is normal. If you CAN'T do that, the ends weren't adjusted correctly.

There's another thread here discussing this truck. A couple of people think it's an okay price, not because of the truck but because of the "extras." Others of us think it's priced WAAAAAY too high. I agree on the welded Dana 35 rear axle. Welded is not "locked" -- it's "welded." It doesn't act like a locker, it doesn't drive like a locker ... and it will self-destruct VERY quickly. Aside from that, I'm in the group that looks at the truck, not the "extras." I think this thing is priced at least $1,000 too high for the truck. I wouldn't touch it. But I also wouldn't heavily modify any MJ I got. There are so few of them, I think they should be preserved. There are plenty of XJs available cheap if you want to build a trail rig.

That is NOT a base Cherokee. It has full gauges, including tach, and the 3-spoke Sport steering wheel. It also isn't worth 6 thousand dollars.

I didn't say anything about your rig isn't functional. I don't know anything about your truck other than what you posted in this thread. I do know that you have asked for mutually exclusive criteria. I already explained why you cannot do a 5" lift for not a lot of money. But this is the Internet -- my advice is worth every cent you paid for it. Do as you wish.

No, more on the front is NOT better. You have to be sure not to exceed the tongue weight on the hitch. You want enough weight on the hitch that it won't pop off the ball, but you don't want anything more than that. 20 percent of 3,300 pounds is 660 pounds -- that may exceed the rating on your hitch right there. (Although pulling on four wheels with a tow bar that wouldn't be a consideration.)

Heh, heh -- Mine too, in fact. I had a base model 1968 Javelin that I set up first for autocross, then modified for road racing and hill climbs. I took a second set of stock Javelin springs, chopped the ends off all the leaves so they'd fall midway between the lengths of the original leaves, and put the two sets back together. Surprisingly, after all that I only needed a 3/4" lowering block to bring it back to stock height (or at least close enough to pass tech inspection for stock class). And it rode very acceptably on the street, too -- firm, but not "harsh." Couldn't find any passenger car shocks that would control the rear, though. I got hold of a Gabriel catalog and found a Gabriel adjust-o-matic for something like a 3/4-ton or 1-ton pickup that was the right length and had the right fittings on both ends. The shocks were HUGE, but on the soft setting they were perfect. Nice Javelin you have there. I agree with your son -- take it "cruizin'"

It's not polite to gloat.

Do you have the original, plastic valve cover, or do you have metal?

That's normal. The clunk you hear may be a lower control arm. Or a ball joint.

The wider offset (less backspacing) of aftermarket rims eliminates the rubbing on the lower control arms, but then 31x10.50 tires won't stuff inside the flares so you either have to trim or greatly extend the bump stops (which eliminates almost all suspension travel). The tires are also very likely to hit the lower trailing corner of the wheel well openings on sharp turns with less backspacing than factory rims. IMHO stock rims are the way to go, and if you can't tolerate the LCA rubbing then replace them with the WJ LCAs.

Yeah. I towed an XJ hulk (partially stripped) on an aluminum car hauler trailer from southern Massachusetts to southern Connecticut. Distance was maybe 50 or 60 miles by the route I took. The tow vehicle was my '88 MJ, 4.0L 5-speed with 3.73 gears. I believe I had the 31" tires on it at the time. BAD MOVE! Going up even gentle inclines meant I was holding up traffic. Anything more than a very gentle upgrade required dropping down to third and even second gear. Going DOWNhill was rather exciting, since the wiring on the trailer brakes didn't match up to my truck harness (I borrowed the trailer). In the space of about 2 miles from where I started I ran three red lights because I couldn't get the rig stopped. And then it started to rain. First time I touched the brakes, I jack-knifed it, because the MJ stopped, and the trailer just kept on pushing. And, of course, there was no weight on the rear wheels of the MJ ... I don't think the rig I was towing weighed 3,300 pounds, but it might have been close. 500 miles? I wouldn't do it.

If you want to go for a small budget, you don't want a 5" lift. Once you get that high, you're into the territory where you NEED adjustable upper and lower control arms, adjustable track bar, extended bump stops, sway bar drop kit and extended links, ... And that's just in the front. I respectfully think you need to define your priorities. IMHO, the goal should always be to lift as LITTLE as necessary to accomplish what you need to accomplish. Doing a 5" lift because it "looks kewl" doesn't strike me as a good approach to anything except throwing money at it ... which you apparently don't have a lot of to throw.

Well done, Sir! Good save. And you got a title! The one I saved from the crusher doesn't have a title. :grrrr:

Wanna bet? Many years ago, my mother's Hornet AMX lost a front fender to a hit-n-run. The only new replacement fender we could find at the time was a fiberglass unit. It was THICK, it weighed probably 50 percent more than the steel fender it replaced, and it didn't fit very well at all. But it never rusted again.

I had to use a pipe wrench when I took the lift out of my '88 MJ. The sleeve was rusted pretty solidly in place. Apply liberal quantities of PB Blaster daily for a week before you attempt to adjust. (And remember to loosen the clamps ... :doh:)

You can't block it off. The crankcase is a closed system, and it needs ventilation. The PCV is an outlet valve -- crankcase fumes are sucked up through the PCV and into the intake manifold, from where they go to the engine and get burned. The "makeup air" has to come from somewhere, and that's what the line you are referring to is -- the intake. It draws air through the air filter so you're not sucking dirt and dust into the crankcase.

:agree: The conversion makes sense if you have a 4.2L engine, because you need the manifolds to bolt up to the older head design. For anyone with a 4.0L engine, buying this kit doesn't make a lot of sense.

Ouch. Gotta watch them thar "adult beverages." I wish you a speedy recovery. (My wife's arm is in a cast, so I'm sure she can sympathize as well.)