Eagle

Parts for a 4.0L with internal slave cost me (IIRC) about $250 a couple of years ago. That included the clutch (disc and pressure plate), new factory slave cylinder and new factory master cylinder. The price you're being quoted sounds rather on the high side, but remember that dropping the tranns and tranfer case out of a 4x4 is a lot more work than doing a clutch in a simple 2WD automobile.

How are the outer axle bearings? I would try repacking the bearings, replacing the gear oil with 75W140 synthetic, and adding some moly additive (Google "Mr. Moly") and just drive it. 31s shouldn't kill it.

With an automatic, it could well have been 3.73s

Nice.

Bad choice. There is a LOT of collective experience in the XJ/MJ community that for clutch hydraulic parts the aftermarket stuff simply doesn't hold up. Typically, you'll get maybe six months. This is one place where the only safe choice is genuine factory parts.

The Renix system is already a high-energy system. Why waste money on aftermarket stuff that's at best a marginal improvement? If you want high-performance wires, they are available through the Mopar Performance Catalog. BLHTAZ can probably hook you up, and the Mopar stuff is far less expensive than the "name" stuff. (And just as good.)

man thats ancient..... still better then mechanical drawing though.. thats prehistoric these days.. I still prefer to think of it as "Descriptive Geometry." And if you can't do it manually, you probably can't REALLY do it in AutoCAD. Between my consulting architect practice and my part-time gig as a building inspector, you'd be surprised (or maybe you wouldn't) at some of the stuff I see on plans ... stuff that absolutely, positively could not be built the way it's drawn no matter how long somebody tried to fight with it. And I've watched some of the drafters produce that dreck -- try to point out politely that it can't be done that way, and they get huffy and tell you they're not being paid to think, they're only being paid to put lines in the screen. I kid you not.

Oh, God! I feel SOOOOOO old now ... I remember taking adult ed classes for AutoCAD Release 10 -- for MS-DOS. With a tablet and puck. Thanks, Pete. You'll pay for this.

So, for a 265/75/15 tire the calculation for the diameter is: 10.43 X 0.75 = 7.82 (side wall height) 15 + (2 X 7.82) = 30.64" diameter, right? That's pretty close to the 30.5 that I measured for my nominal 31" tire. Or am I screwing up my calculations somewhere? Nope, you're not screwing it up. That's how you figure it. Keep in mind, that's the unloaded profile. The best measurement is the "static radius" taken from the manufacturer's specs, or the revolutions-per-mile. Different tires have different sidewall stiffness, which affects how much a given weight will defect the sidewall. Several years ago, Cooper Tire offered the original Discoverer radial in a P-rated, passenger car version and in an LT light truck version. Same tread, same sizes. The static radius and revolutions per mile were different for the two tires in, for example, a 235/75R15. But, for a spare, getting something that's within a quarter inch of the tire diameter will probably be as close as you're going to get.

265 / 25.4 = 10.43 That's not much of a difference. Try an 85-series tire.

Isn't it a form of blasphemy to use Honda parts on a Jeep?

Ayup. Starting the engine and getting the truck rolling. I understand that clutch use is optional after that, and can be worked around even to get started if you like replacing starter motors and synchronizers. Ya gotta remember -- synchromesh trannies were still sort of a new thing when I learned to drive. In fact, one of my first cars (1939 Hudson coupe) didn't have synchro on any gear. That sorta made the clutch less optional.

Weight isn't a problem as long as your winch is healthy. I had my 31 on a factory steel rim and it stayed up just fine. But I've seen some of those assemblies where the "tee" part that fits through the center hole of the wheel was virtually a memory. Being in California, you may not need to worry about that. Just using an alloy rim will save a few pounds. And the idea of a narrower tire is also a good one. You may be able to find a passenger car tire in an 85-profile that's pretty close in diameter. Otherwise, just inspect your winch and carry the 31.

Keep in mind that they don't come in "pairs." Each flare requires three retainers -- all different part numbers.

Power shifting in a vehicle with a long throw, truck transmission is very much not recommended. Unless, of course, you enjoy rebuilding or replacing transmissions.

Gotta be specific. The earliest XJ Wagoneers had conventional headlights, same as the XJ Cherokee, and that Waggy grille does fit right into a Comanche.

Auto Zone used to sell noid lights. One of them (a GM, IIRC) fits the early Jeep injectors, so it should fit the HO as well.

I carried a 31. Be sure to inspect the condition of the winch cable and the hanger. A 31x10.50, especially on a steel rim, is heavy.

I'm strictly low-tech. My first CB was a Radio Shack compact model and I ran it in the XJ using a Radio Shack gutter-mount, fold-down antenna (steel). I had that in the Jeep on a cross-country trip, and in open, flat terrain in the mid-west I was getting out 10+ miles and receiving from close to 20 miles. It worked well on trails because if I saw a low branch ahead I could just reach out the window, flop the stick down parallel to the gutter, and motor on through. Naturally, Radio Shack discontinued that antenna. The one I ran on the MJ was a short, steel magnetic mount I picked up at a truck stop from the CB wall rack. Sorry, I don't recall the brand. It works well, but it is prone to being knocked off the roof by low branches. There is no single answer. Much of the decision has to take into account the terrain you expect to see. You can run a long, upright whip all week at Moab and never have a problem. Take the same thing into the woods in New England and you're thrashing tree branches every few feet.

Looks good. Can't wait to see the finished pics. That's a 2000 XJ nose? Are you running the new front fenders, too, or did you take the cheater's route and grind down the upper/outer corners of the header to fair it into the original fenders? What kind of paint?

1988 is also considered to be the last year of the AMC Jeeps. The AMC Owners Group recognizes through 1988 for Jeep vehicles to exhibit in their shows and competitions.

It'll put you back close to "stock." I ran 31s with 3.73 gears. In terms of RPM-to-MPH, the final drive ratio in 5th gear was exactly the same as my wife's stock XJ with auto and 3.55 gears on stock tires. You'll see an improvement over 3.07s, but 3.73s or even 4.10s would be a far better choice IMHO.

Well, word on the street around here is that the crooks are in too much of a hurry to mess with locking gas caps. They just take a screwdriver or an ice pick, punch holes in your tank, and catch the juice as it runs out. Better get that camera set up.

Here's my dream car: Except the two I had were both British Racing Green, and that's what I would want if possible. But ... beggars can't be choosers. But it's gotta be a 390 4-speed.

Wal-Mart sells those automatic cameras for taking pictures of game animals. I saw them in the sporting goods department last week. It wouldn't be hard to set one up to stand watch over your vehicle. I think they are motion activated (infra red?).