Eagle

Rob, what you're saying is flat out impossible. The brakes cannot function without those starwheel spreaders in there to keep the lower ends of the shoes apart. If they aren't in there, you may be driving around but, if so, you're only using the front brakes. Here's a pic of how they should go together:

Remember that the brakes are mirror image. Those adjusters spin in opposite directions -- one is a left-hand thread, the other's a right hand thread. If you weren't paying attention and put them on the wrong sides, the self-adjusting action will be loosening them rather than tightening them. To get back to the original question -- you can't drive without star wheels, but you can certainly leave out the self adjusting cable and doohickie. Cars had drum brakes for about 50 years (or more) before Detroit started making them self adjusting. I don't recall just when that began, some time in the 70s IIRC. Dunno how many cars I went through that didn't have self-adjusting brakes before they finally arrived. They work worth patooties anyway, so it's not a great loss if you ditch 'em. Just remember to check your brake adjustment as part of each oil change. Got a photo of how you have your brakes set up now? Can you just pop a drum off over the weekend and get a decent photo of one side?

Your gauges will work if you use the sending units for your year, not for the engine. Chrysler reversed the polarity on the gauges in 1991. Try to treat it as a stand-alone engine conversion, and leave the vehicle parts of the harness stock. Remember, Chrysler sells (or did, they may have dropped it by now) a multi-port fuel injection conversion for the carburetted 4.2L Wranglers. That conversion was basically the MPI from a 95 injected Wrangler with the 4.0L engine. The 2.5L MPI is basically the same system. If it can be used as a stand-alone to convert a 6-cylinder, there's no reason you can't do the same thing with a 4-cylinder. He's only going to give you the engine harness anyway, because he'll need the chassis harness with his engine swap, so you should be getting what you need, and not a lot more.

If it's a shortbed, it's not a Metric Tonne. That option was available only on the longbeds. If it has a 5-speed, the transfer case is an NP231. And I don't believe it has a Dana 30 with a Trac-Lok, because as far as I know Dana doesn't make a Trac-Lok for the D30 axle. This one's a tough one to call. People who throw money into their toys always think that everything they've done "adds value" and that they should get it all back when they sell. It doesn't work that way. In general, getting back 25 to 35 cents on the dollar for mods is doing well. Personally, I won't buy a modded vehicle. You simply can't trust anyone else to have done it right, or to have done it the way you want it. I broke that rule when I bought my '88 MJ. I fugured at $500 I couldn't go TOOOOO wrong. Boy was I wrong! That $500 truck was up to around $3000 just to get it registered and streetable. I've got probably close to $5000 in it at this point, and it's worth maybe $2000 ... to the right buyer. The truck you describe has some nice equipment in it, but it does not sound like a thousand dollar truck. $500 maybe. For parts. I like the suggestion to buy it for the drive train, then swap everything into a solid 2WD chassis.

I have never heard of anyone doing this swap who needed to move a wire to make the fuel gauge work. All you need is a new temp sender and a new oil pressure sender.

Either you were given the wrong parts or you put them together wrong. Is it possible you put the adjusters on the wrong way, so that the self-adjuster is loosening them rather than tightening them?

Well, now that you've given away the scret, I'll 'fess up. I have a factory Dana 44 under my '87 shortbed -- and the Metric Tonne package only came on the longbeds. I didn't even know it when I bought the truck. I didn't expect it in a SWB so I never looked for it. My buddy spotted it when he came over to see what followed me home. It's like in the XJs -- you really have to look at each truck to see what it has. A couple of years ago I spotted an AMC Model 20 under an MJ at a nearby gas station. Turned out to be a 4-cylinder! Betcha he'll never blow the rear axle.

Anybody out there know their way around inside a computer box? I have a problem. My version of AutoCAD LT is out of date -- to the point that I can no longer exchange files with a client. Gotta bite the bullet and upgrade to AutoCAD LT 2007. But ... ... my hardware isn't up to the task. I have two choices: An aging Dell Dimension L600r, that's currently sitting in the attic because my wife swears it has a problem. Or a somewhat aging Dell Dimension XPS600r that was kindly given to me by a fellow MJer. The L600r has two memory slots and the info I can find says I shouldn't use more than 512MB total. The XPS600r has three slots and the same web site says it'll accept a maximum of 768MB. AutoCAD LT 2007 requires a minimum of 512MB, and they recommend 2GB. The XPS600r currently has two 128MB DIMMs in place. I can add one more to get to 512, but to get to the 768 recommended max I would need to scrap the two 128s in there and buy three new DIMMs. If I have to do that, it would make more sense to buy one or two with a higher capacity. But ... why do these memory web sites say that I can't use anything bigger than 256MB DIMMs in these boxes? What would happen if I threw in a 1GB module? Would it not see it? Would it blow up? Any knowledgeable advice will be appreciated. It's been more than ten years since I did any tinkering inside a computer, and I am obviously hopelessly out of date at this point. TIA.

Pete's on vacation. Try Quadratec. The printed Cherokee catalog doesn't show them, but I'll bet they have them for the YJ Wrangler, and the headlights are the same in the YJ, XJ and MJ.

Don't remember the brand name. I used to be able to buy it through JC Whitney, but they no longer carry it. Last two times I bought it from a local speed shop -- they always have it in stock. You could also try Summit Racing; I'd bet they have it. Yes, it is pricey, but the advantages make it well worth the extra cost (to me).

Never heard of using mineral oil, and I wonder about compatibility with the rubber parts. I use DOT-5 silicone brake fluid in both the brakes and the clutch. It's non-hygroscopic (doesn't attract moisture) and has a much higher boiling point than either DOT-3 or DOT-4 glycol-based brake fluids. I've been using it since my '88 XJ was new and I wouldn't willingly use anything else.

????? What's a "concentric bearing"?

It's at $510 now. I wouldn't go any higher than that. It's a base model truck. It has the 15x6 steel rims, and you can see that the speedo doesn't have a trip meter, so it's going to have idiot lights and the ugly "station wagon" steering wheel. With the amount of rust you can see on the surface, there's going to be a lot more to fix once you start grinding offf paint and looking for solid steel. The "Buy-It-Now" price is a joke. That truck isn't worth anywhere near a grand. And if was donated as a charitable deduction, this guy probably paid a bout $100 for it.

You're dating yourself, Mate. I thought I was the only one here old enough to remember those jacks.

Merry Christmas everyone!

A guy in one of the other clubs around here was killed by his hi-lift. The ratchet slipped as he was jacking the vehicle up, the handle flew up and hit him square in the face. Busted up the facial bones and did enough brain damage that he died in the hospital. What was it somebody wrote earlier in this thread about keeping the hi-lift oiled? Good advice! Also, always be absolutely, 110% certain that you are NEVER within range of the hi-lift handle when there's any load on the jack. NEVER!

Same thing happened to a friend of mine in NAXJA -- except he happened to be under the vehicle when it started rolling down the hill. Fortunately for him, it had on large tires that were aired down and he was on moderately soft dirt rather than pavement. Miraculously, nothing broken but several bruises (aside from the one to his ego!). Note to self: parking brakes don't help when wheels are off the ground.

The 29-spline version was introduced either mid-year 1996 or with the 1997 models. It is fairly close to the Dana 44 in strength, but it is a c-clip axle. If you want to stuff one under an MJ, it's probably not a bad swap. Heck, the Ford 8.8 is a c-clip axle, too.

Oh, yeah ... I forgot you already have a 3" lift. If it still has the stock track bar, your front axle is off-center about a half inch toward the driver's side. You'll need an adjustable track bar to center up the axle on the chassis before you can really address the issue.

I don't know what "attaboybob"s truck looks like. Steel rims have the size stamped into them right next to the valve stem. Take a close look, it'll be stamped either 15x6 or 15x7

Gents: (1) 235/75-15 was not an optional tire size for the Comanche. 225/75-15 was the largest, IIRC. Nonetheless, 235s should clear ... unless the track bar has been replaced with one from the wrong group of years. They are a tiny fraction of an inch different in length, and that can cause rubbing. My '88 MJ with an aftermarket track bar doesn't rub with 235s. My '88 XJ has a '93 track bar in it, and since the replacement it rubs when I turn all the way to one side. Don't recall which way it is, but it basically means the axle is slightly off center. (2) More lift will NOT eliminate the rubbing, because the interference is when the inner shoulder of the tire hits the lower control arm. More lift won't radically alter that relationship. The "fix" is to shim the steering stop, but you do lose turning radius by doing that.

Thanks to a judicious mix of old and new ... that isn't an issue in the Eagle's nest. (a) I wear gloves, so my tender skin never contacts the yucky grease (until the gloves tear, about 37.29 seconds into the job; and (B) I'm old enough that I have a bearing packer station, left over from the days when people actually knew that wheel bearings should be greased periodically. Even with cleaning up, repacking a couple of front bearings is a LOT less work than swapping out an entire axle assembly. There is no way the times would be even close to comparable.

To confirm what Twisted said ... unless your rims are the stock, base model steel rims they are 15x7. The stock backspacing is 5-1/4" and there are NO aftermarket rims that match that. Most will be either 4" or 4-1/2" backspacing. That's NOT a good idea, because they won't allow the tires to fit inside the fenders when the suspension compresses. You'll be banging the tires into the flares. The stock rims have enough backspacing that they stuff the tires inside the fenders.

An early member of NAXJA who used to post as ComancheGuy said his father was a cap dealer. He reported that early S-10 caps fit. I have an S-10 shortie cap on one of my MJs right now. It's a perfect fit. ComancheGuy said the height was slightly off, but the one I have is a commercial/utility type that's about 6" or 8" taller than the cab anyway, so it isn't an issue.

No way! Not if he has the style 2WD with a conventional spindle and inner and outer bearings. Shouldn't take more than 15 minutes per side, and that's if he's never done it before.