Eagle

Does Fastenall sell in end-user quantities? I thought they were wholesale only. There's a Fastenall not too far from me, but I buy from a small shop called The Nutty Company. If there's a fastener they don't have and can't get, it probably hasn't been made for the last 75 years. And I can walk in and buy ONE of something I need.

This has to be the greatest oxymoron of all time. You want to make the '86 "legal" by performing the ILlegal act of swapping the VIN number plates? My advice to you is to stop typing, ask Pete to completely delete this thread, and do whatcha gotta do. Good Lord!

You're looking at some fab work however you approach it. The location of the latch in the door edge is different on the new style than on the old style (higher, I believe), so you have to relocate the strike on the door post. As long as you have to relocate it anyway, what's a little thing like changing the type of strike? :cheers:

Sorry. I missed the part about "guts" They are completely different.

Read the tech forum. Andy in PA asked the same question in there and someone posted a link to the NAXJA write-up on doing the swap.

Rear. Front should be 17-1/2

????? It's a 2WD, right? Normally when we talk about 21-spline or 23-spline we're referring to the interface with the transfer case. You don't have one. Are you asking about the spline count on the tranny input shaft, that the clutch disk rides on?

Center of hub to lower edge of flare should be about 20-1/2" to 21" for a factory suspension. If you don't have flares, get back to me and I'll look in the FSM for the axle-to-frame dimension specified by the factory.

Nope. '87 thru '90 was AMC/Renix. OBD was initiated in the 1991 model year. Your ECU is (or should be) located in a large-ish flat, silver box under the dashboard, tucked up high above the driver's right foot.

I haven't done that but I've seen it done, and it is reported to work just fine. Keep in mind, though, that it reduces cooling system capacity by about a quart. The plastic bottle on the firewall gets filled to the halfway level when cold. That allows the system to expand (building pressure) as it gets hot, without losing coolant. When you eliminate the bottle, you have to leave some air in the system, somewhere, to allow for expansion. Or -- you use a radiator cap with venting and attach an overflow catch/recovery bottle to the add-in filler neck, if it has a place to attach same. I chose a more expensive route, but I'm VERY happy with it. I use a Moroso aluminum racing surge tank in place of the plastic bottle. It takes a conventional radiator cap, plus it has provision to attach a small tube to an overflow/recovery bottle. So I can run the standard "closed" type radiator and not have to worry about adapting a sender for the auxiliary fan, I actually get MORE capacity in my system because I used the 1-1/2 quart tank and it gets filled completely, and I have no worries about the bottle splitting because the plastic got old. Summit sells the tanks. They aren't cheap, but you'll only buy it once.

Very nice. I'd probably keep the color just as it is -- but you gotta lose those wheels. :ack:

Pressure is pressure, and remains constant throughout any hydraulic circuit. The problem won't be pressure, it'll be volume. You're only replacing the short lines from the master cylinder to the combination valve block, correct? Probably won't make much difference. I'm turning my brain into a pretzel trying to figure if it'll mean more peddle travel, or less. It's too late, and I'm fried. Let us know how it works.

Do you use salt on the roads in your part of the rust belt? If there is even one SPEC of rust anywhere visible on that heap, put it on a lift somewhere and go over the frame with a magnifying glass, a small hammer, and a pick. Seriously. I used to have a full-size Cherokee, a few years older than what you're looking at. Awesome machine, but the frames have a regrettable tendency to disappear without notice. Going back maybe three years or so, I stopped at my Jeep dealer to pick up some parts, and I was somewhat surprised to see a flatbed wrecker in the shop parking lot, loading a gorgeous Grand Wagoneer ONTO the truck. That was odd -- usually the wreckers drop vehicles off at the shop. So while chatting with the parts guys, I asked what was the deal on the Grand Waggy and the flatbed. The answer was that it was brought in for a muffler, and when they put it on the lift it started to bend amidships. Closer inspection revealed that there was virtually no frame left. They were sending it to a specialty shop to weld in frame patches, but it was so far gone that the shop wasn't willing to assume the risk of driving it, nor would they assume the risk of allowing the owner to drive it off their property. CHECK THE FRAME. CAREFULLY.

What problem? Are you saying that it won't crank, or that it cranks but won't start?

Cruise control? Buy a flare tool and reuse the larger fitting from the old brake line. Buy a length of new line, cut off the end, remove the fitting, slide on the larger fitting from the old line, and do a TWO-STAGE (double) flare. Be sure you do a double flare ... a single flare does not work on brakes, and may result in the line cracking and losing your brakes.

TIME ... OUT! This is in your 1987 Comanche? You don't have an "overflow." That plastic bottle on the passenger side of the firewall is NOT a coolant overflow recovery bottle. That bottle is part of the pressurized cooling system. If coolant is bubbling out of it, the bottle and/or the cap is most likely the problem. You can buy new ones (cap and bottle together, don't bother trying just the cap 'cause it probably won't seal to an old bottle) from Quadratec for around $20 or $25.

not sure if this is relavant, but i unplugged the vaccume hoses from the back of the transfer case, and lost fuel pressure. plugged them back in, and i had pressure. Okay, ya got me. Vacuum does control more than the axle disconnect. But -- nothing inside the transfer case, so a vacuum problem could not result in the t-case staying in 4WD. That's what I was trying to say.

The best info will be a factory service manual. You will need the tranny, the tranny computer, the tranny mount (the cross member is the same, but the mount is different), and the tranny shift linkage. If you have an AX-15 you should have a 23-spline output, so your transfer case should bolt up to most AW4s unless you get a very early one. Obviously, you'll need a flex plate (flywheel). Be sure you get the right one for your year electronics. The ones from the Chrysler years won't trigger the Renix CPS properly, and vice versa. I'm not certain, but I believe you'll have to adjust the length of your rear drive shaft.

They didn't. The XJ used the AW4 right up to the bitter end.

Vacuum controls ONLY the axle disconnect. If the transfer case is in 4WD when the lever says 2WD, either the linkage isn't adjusted correctly or there are problems inside the t-case. Given that the seller apparently knew there was a problem and lied about the driveshaft to cover it up, I think you are safe to bet the problem is inside that transfer case.

Actually, neither is a Chrysler tranny. They are both the Aisin-Warner AW4 and they will interchange. Get the tranny computer with the replacement. Shouldn't make a difference, but there may be minor firmware differences.

Previous owners can be SUCH losers! That sounds like the Cherokee I refurbished for my ex-GF a couple of years ago. That was an automatic, but the same deal -- missing bolts, messed up flywheel (flex plate), messed up rear main seal (even though he had had the pan off -- he replaced it using blue Permatex rather than spring for a gasket :grrrr: :headpop: :mad: It turned out to be a really decent XJ, though, and she still has it and uses it regularly. Hang in there -- it'll be worth it. As much as I like my XJs, I LOVE my MJs.

I am SOOOO envious of people who can do body work -- and have a shop in which to do it.

How much of a hurry are you in? I have an '88 with a rubber mat. When I get it on the road in the spring I plan to install carpet. Where are you located?

Should be the same. Pretty much all the AMC XJs and MJs used 10" x 1.75" rear brakes, except the D44 axles had 10" x 2.5" drums. I've had one guy swear his '89 XJ came from the factory with a D35 and 10" x 2.5" brakes ... but he bought it used, so I don't know how he's so sure that setup was "factory."