Eagle

Correct, it can only go on one way. I am aware of the potential for future cracking with a welded solution but, if we can't find new replacements that have the CPS teeth in the right location, ya gotta do something. My view is that it's an old vehicle, I'm not going to be hammering the throttle pedal, so any solution that gets it back on the road is better than leaving it up on blocks with no transmission in it. If I were going it, I think I would go for redundancy -- I'd have the flex plate crack(s) welded up and ground smooth, and then I'd have an oversized ring made up and weld that to the flex plate. I would prefer to use a new flex plate, and the only one I've repaired (a 1988 XJ) was done long enough ago that I was able to buy a new replacement from my local Jeep dealer. In retrospect I now wish that I had saved the old flex plate, but I can't turn the clock back by 15 years and retrieve it out of the trash. Lesson learned -- the auto makers don't produce parts for discontinued models forever, and the aftermarket is a crap shoot insofar as quality and functionality ar concerned.

Considering the widespread problem with the aftermarket flex plates, I periodically wonder if the cracked originals could be saved by TIG welding. In the case of one such as in the photos in this thread, the center section is badly cracked but hasn't fallen out yet. Could a good welder run a bead long the length of the crack (perhaps on both sides), then grind it down flush with the surface? Or: weld the reinforcing ring to the flex plate. Maybe even have a new reinforcing ring made up, slightly wider so it overlaps the cracked area, and then weld that to the flex plate?

Check previous discussions of this. Apparently what most of the parts stores sell as a Renix flex plate doesn't work. Compare the new one closely to your old one before you install it and button everything up. I think the issue is (going from memory) that the teeth on the perimeter that trigger the CPS are positioned and/or spaced incorrectly.

But you have custom lower shock mounts, so you have no idea how those compare to any other Comanche with the same amount of lift. You NEED to crawl under your truck and measure the distance between the upper and lower shock mounts when the vehicle is unloaded and parked on level ground.

Agreed. It will be people who think they want a Jeep, without knowing or understanding what Jeep is all about. Sort of like Fiat executives ... Yeah, the parking lot cowboys who need the lift so they can park on the grass islands at the local mall parking lot.

So what engine, what transmission, and what year?

Flywheel (flex plate) to crankshaft, or torque converter to flex plate?

'68 Javelin.

Keep in mind that the WJ used a different wheel lug pattern, so to run WJ front hubs you'll need adapters. Also, I believe the calipers are too large to fit behind 15" XJ/MJ wheels. I've done a lot of autocross in my time -- twice runner-up in the state in my class, one time state champion in my class. IMHO you don't need to change your front brakes. Maybe swap to the newer, double-diaphragm booster, but I think the late model XJ would be an easier swap than the WJ booster ... and I don't really think you need to replace the booster at all. Do a disk brake conversion for the rear, then pick a good set or semi-metallic pads and have fun. I'd recommend an adjustable proportioning valve for the rear if you convert to rear disks.

I've tried phone dash cam apps. Two that came highly recommended were AutoBoy Blackbox, and AutoGuard Blackbox. AutoBoy looked good -- except that when you play back the video clip, the speed and location data are AWOL. Which makes it useless. AutoGuard defaults to assuming you want to upload your videos to Youtube. When I tried to run it, it hit me with a screen demanding the log-in for my Youtube account. I don't (and probably won't) have a Youtube account, so I had nothing to enter -- and I couldn't get beyond that screen without providing the requested log-in. So ... AutoGuard was also useless. Considering this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OTZWJE2/ref=ask_ql_qh_dp_hza

Will wonders never cease? I complained to Bloomberg's editors about the way Mr. Stock had twisted my words to convey exactly the opposite impression from what I actually said. I received an e-mail from Bloomberg informing me that the article has been revised to more accurately reflect my thoughts. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-25/jeep-s-new-gladiator-wants-to-conquer-the-pickup-truck-market

Maybe Boeing wrote the software for the ECU (or is it a PCM {power train control module} on the ZJ?).

But that's what it is, because that's who Jeep sold them to.

As I commented above, without knowing the compressed and extended length, travel length tells you nothing about whether or not a particular shock will fit. Here's a link to Monroe's fitment section on their web site. Notice how you can find shocks of similar length with greatly different travel, and you acn find shocks with similar travel but greatly different extended and/or compressed length. You can't just buy a shock based on travel distance without first knowing the distance between your upper and lower mounts. http://www.monroe.com/downloads/install-instructions-guides/MonroeMountingLengthSpecifications.pdf Swampy: Yes, a longer shackle or an AAL will change the distance between your shock mounts. It's a lift -- the reason you would do a shackle or an AAL is to get more lift, right? So if you intend to do one of those modifications, wait until you have made the suspension change and then buy your shocks to fit the modified suspension.

Yes, that's exactly what he did. I did write to him that “Nobody but Jeep had ever conceived of a vehicle like this.” The problem is, I very clearly said that about the Comanche, NOT about the new "Gladiator." He didn't misquote me, but this is an egregious example of taking a quote completely out of context.

In fact, a Cherokee kit won't work for a Comanche. When I removed the 4" lift from my '88 MJ Chief, I had a good set of XJ shocks I wanted to use. The fronts. of course, went right in. For the rear, I foolishly assumed that I could just remove the bar pins from the XJ shocks and bolt them into the MJ. So I removed the bar pins -- only to find that when fully extended the rear shocks were a half inch too short to go into the MJ. So I then had a perfectly good pair of shocks that didn't fit an MJ, and which could no longer be used in an XJ because I had removed the bar pins. Not ... smart. Shock travel was immaterial, since they wouldn't even go into the vehicle.

What engine, transmission, and transfer case are in your Grand Cherokee? (There is no such thing as a 1999 Grand Wagoneer.)

WOW! Well, he didn't portray us as a bunch of mouth-breathing neckbeards, but he sure comes across as an avid cheerleader for Fiat. I sent him a lengthy e-mail explaining why I think the new "Gladiator" is a mistake, and something that no true Jeeper would want anything to do with. He managed to make it sound like I think the new "Gladiator" is the greatest thing since sliced bread. He used something I said about the Comanche and made it seem that I said that about the 'Gladiator." This article is basically just an advertisement for the "Gladiator." https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-25/jeep-s-new-gladiator-wants-to-conquer-the-pickup-truck-market A guy I once worked for used to say, "Everything you see in print is true ... unless you have first-hand knowledge of the facts." Quod erat demonstandum.

You're looking at the wrong specification. You need to measure the distance from your lower shock mount to the upper shock mount, then choose a shock that will put that dimension approximately at the mid-point of the shock's travel.

How's the residue on the upper side of the head?

Nope.

Plug the oil gallery return holes with pieces of rag, and clean out as much gunk as you can manually. Then spray liberally with carb cleaner or brake cleaner and sop up as much of the remaining gunk as you can with soft rags. THEN remove the plugs, replace the valve cover, and run it with a can of Seafoam. IMHO you don't want to just start running Seafoam. Think about it -- the Seafoam will dissolve or dislodge a bunch of ugly stuff. Where's that stuff going to go?

The only way it was resolved "in my favor" was that they didn't total my baby. I was nonetheless automatically considered to have been at fault because I rear ended the other vehicle, and I had no way of proving that she cut me off. So my insurance paid to repair my Cherokee and the other driver's car. That meant that my premiums went up, and will remain elevated for two more years.

Okay, with respect to phone apps: There are a metric boatload of free speedometer apps for Android. Enough to thoroughly confuse an old dinosaur like me. From the descriptions, many of them will record the highest speed for a trip, but that's not much help. Suppose in one trip I have a leg on a highway with a 65 MPH speed limit and I drive that leg at 65. After leaving the highway, I travel on a 2-lane state road with a 40 MPH speed limit and a cop pulls me over and claims I was going 52 MPH. I know I wasn't going more than 42 MPH. I need an app that will keep a log of speed vs. time -- not elapsed time, but clock time. Does anyone know of any Android apps that will do this? Has anyone played with this app: https://appcrawlr.com/android/speedview-gps-speedometer Or this one: https://appcrawlr.com/android/aa-gps-hud-speedometer-plus#authors-description

An OBD-2 recorder could be helpful, but the advantage of a dash cam with speed recording is that if a cop pulls you over, you can play it back for him/her on the spot and possibly avoid a ticket rather than having to go to court and attempt to have the ticket thrown out. I'll have to look into phone apps. I have a "burner" cell phone I bought just to experiment with apps. If there is something that will do the job, I can finally put my "burner" phone to good use.