Eagle

Considering that parts for the Peugeot are efefctively not avauilable, and incredibly expensive if you can find them, I would be VERY skeptical of any claims that a Peugeot tranny was "rebuilt." If you pursue it, ask exactly what was done and ask to see receipts. No receipts = no rebuild. The BA 10/5 is a light duty transmission. If you don't hammer on it, it's fine for street driving. The one in my 88 XJ is at 275,000+ miles and it's still running. I run a molybdenum additive in the gear oil, and I don't abuse the tranny. I have taken it off-road, fairly extensively, but with a stock suspension and 30" tires. The things that usually go are the synchros, and the bearings. You save the synchros by not trying to speed shift it, and you save the bearings by not always keeping the accelerator pinned to the floorboards. There's no question you'd be better off with an AX-15.

When you run longer than stock shocks, you MUST calculate the minimum (collapsed) length for the shocks and adjust your bump stops to prevent the shocks from compressing that far. If you don't, the shock acts as a bump stop (which *most* shocks are not designed to do) and you'll destroy them rather quickly. The ideal way to calculate is to measure the length of the space available for the shock with the vehicle at rest, on the suspension. Pick a shock for which that length falls at approximately the mid-point between the fully extended length and the compressed length.

well there's your problem What's whose problem? This is not Pirates of the Rubicon. We don't like gratuitous insults and flaming of manufacturers or vendors unless you have some specific information to back up your opinion. Either be specific, or cool your jets.

The caster advice is VERY interesting, because it is exactly contrary to everything I have ever read -- which all said that MORE caster helps resist death wobble.

Yep. Looks a lot like a home-brewed AAL. I wonder if the extra leaf is an MJ main leaf or an XJ main leaf. When you had the springs apart, did the leaves all seem to have pretty much the same arch? I agree on taking it apart and smoothing out the upper edge where the AAL rubs the main leaf. You want that edge to be smooth and slightly beveled or rounded so it doesn't gouge the main leaf. As to asking better questions: I don't fault you. I fault the seller, for not being up front that these were not factory 5-leaf springs. If I were selling them, I would be very open about exactly what they were and how they got the way they are. There's a difference (IMHO) between an "MJ 5-leaf spring" and a "5-leaf spring I took out of an MJ."

What about filing/grinding the hole to be slightly oblong? Extent it up toward the top of the retainer arms just a small amount. That should allow you to get a bolt in and still have enough material to keep things together. I agree with the guess that there's an added leaf. I've looked at the stock 4-leaf springs with the idea of doing an AAL, and the stock ones I have here have a sleeve on the bolt, AND a gap between the sleeve and the top surface of the main leaf.

Wade - My dealer used to stock those cupholders that fit on the center of the console. For an MJ, with no brake lever, I think they are DAR superior to the one that hangs off the side and always gets whacked by the passenger's knees. Give a call to Todd or Tony at Bradshaw Jeep, 860-274-8834. I think Parts is extension 3

Have you checked the price of eggs in the stupid market recently?

Rule 1: Just like Mama said when you were a kid, "Never talk to strangers." Unfortunately, it seems today that everyone has an "agenda." I'm in a job where we watch what the newspapers report about the town, and what we have seen is that objective reporting (the old "Who, what, where, when and why?") is long dead. It has been replaced by "investigative journalism," which about 25 years ago was worth something but which has since devolved into nothing more than a euphemism for muckraking. Newspapers are losing readership to the Internet, so they need NEWS!!!! to sell papers. They don't want to pay real reporters a real salary to report real news, so they hire interns and give them an assignment to go dig up whatever they can about ___. Then they give it to some hack in the editorial room to churn out an article that they can slant however they think will be most controversial and attract the most readers. I've seen it happen. In fact, my boss was quoted in the morning paper today. It is exceptionally rare to find a newspaper quote that is (a) accurate, and (B) not taken out of context so badly that the way it appears is the exact opposite of what the speaker actually said. "No comment" is your friend. P.S. 25 years ago, reporters had enough integrity that "off the record" meant something. Today, you cannot make comments "off the record," because they're probably taping you while you're off the record (off the record used to mean the tape recorder got shut off and the news pad got closed), and whatever you say off the record will be in the article tomorrow.

Clayton's long arm kit is absolutely top drawer. Rock Krawler's kit is okay, too, I guess, but certainly no better than Clayton's. Once you suggest having the installation done by a professional, I don't see how the Rock Krawler kit could be any less work than Clayton's. The welding is the attachment of the new control arm mounts to the frame rails. The old control arm mounts have to be cut off, otherwise the new arms would hit them as the suspension works. The new mounts go on the section where the rear half and the front half of the uniframe rails nest together, so there's a double thickness of metal there to weld to. It's not a difficult weld, but you ARE dealing with the part that keeps the wheels under the Jeep, so you want it done by somebody who knows how to weld. This is not the project for learning how to use the new welder. Save that for a rear bumper, or mailbox post.

You realize, I hope, that the spacers will do nothing to relieve the rubbing against the lower control arms, and probably nothing about any rubbing at full stuff unless you also extend the bump stops.

I dunno what they used for the base tranny in 1990. I have an 86 2.5L 4-speed and an 88 2.5L 4-speed that both have 3.55 gears. 4.10s were with the 5-speed.

The primary "issue" to be aware of with the 2.8L to 3.4L swap is that the 2.8L is externally balanced. That means there is a weight on the outer edge of the flywheel or flexplate. The 3.4L is completely internally balanced -- no bobweight on the flywheel. If my recollection is correct, you have to use the Jeep flywheel, so you will have to take it to a machine shop and have it "neutral balanced" for use with the 3.4L engine.

Friends don't let friends buy from Rusty's.

30x9.50-15s are a good fit, with slight rubbing on the lower control arms. 31x10.50-15s will also fit (with NO lift) if you run OEM Jeep rims. They will rub the lower control arms on sharp turns. I didn't find it to be a problem, but there are work-arounds if it bothers you.

On another forum where I hang out, I am frequently reminded that "assume" means @$$-u-me. As Ronald Raygun once said, "Trust, but verify."

No signs of any accidents. Whoever made the plow frame designed it with the right plow light hanging at a 30-degree angle.

You can't. Not without getting the steering wheel off-center to the steering box.

The AX-5 bellhousing will not bolt up to the 4.0L block. If you manage to adapt it, you will have to drive very gently or you'll blow the tranny -- the 4.0L generates a lot more torque than the 4-cylinder the AX-5 was intended for. If you want a 4.0L s-speed with an external slave, look for a 1994 or newer XJ AX-15.

:cheers: "I love it when a plan comes together." (Colonel Hannibal Smith)

But if you do it that way the steering box will not be centered when the steering wheel is straight. That has two problems. First, you won't be able to turn all the way to one side, because you'll hit the internal stop in the box. Second, as was noted a few posts above, the worm-and-sector steering box is set up to have minimum lash at dead center and to be looser off-center. When you set the steering wheel out of synch with the box, you'll be driving with the box in a looser position when you're going straight. If you tighten the adjustment to "correct" that, you'll then cause binding when the box goes over the center point. Just ... don't do it.

You don't do this. It appears I misread what Pat wrote. However, the net result of moving the steering wheel on the shaft is the same as moving the pitman arm on the pitman shaft -- the steering box will no longer be centered when the steering wheel is straight. This is NOT an appropriate way to center the streering wheel. That's what the adjusting collar on the drag link is for.

There have been several threads discussing this. If it's not adjusted properly or not connected ... it's not working properly and there's a good chance you have NO rear brakes. I had one blow out on my '88 in a panic stop. Between that and the fact that adjusting it requires replacing a part that is no longer available ... I don't want it on my truck. My choice, which may not be right for everyone, was to eliminate it. That means I now have full braking power to the rear wheels at all times -- which can cause early rear wheel lockup, and a spinout. I'm willing to accept that because I'm older than dirt, so I grew up with vehicles that had no proportioning valves and all acted like that. To me it's no big deal. To some of you younger guys, it's a factor to consider. For you guys, I recommend eliminating the rear load-sensing valve and using a Wilwood manual adjustable proportioning valve in the line to the rear axle.

I've never figured out how to remove a rear window without trashing both the glass and the gasket, so I don't know. The tough part would seem to be the two sharp turns on the bottom corners. I wonder if you could take a pair of gaskets from the fixed side windows on an XJ and splice them together to make a gasket for the MJ rear window.

Have you checked the setting on the rear proportioning valve to see if your back brakes are even being used?