mvusse

Went to Advance to put down a $170 deposit for a a loan-a-tool ball joint press kit and went to town on my passenger front wheel. Got to the point of removing the knuckle, and got stuck until I spent another $13 deposit for a pickle fork. Got the knuckle off, and lower ball joint is bad. Upper seems okay. With a 4 foot pipe on my breaker bar popping the old joint out and reinstalling a new one was fairly easy, but I have no ball joint spanner wrench to install the new split ring in the knuckle. Am tempted to just leave the old one it. Will finish that up tomorrow, hopefully fixing my "not quite dw" shaking. With all that taken apart, I think now would be a good time to finally install a u-joint in my single piece 297 front axle to replace the two piece 260 one, and the tie rod end on the end of the drag link (part of the drag link itself, not threaded on) is in pretty bad shape. Might be time to think about a steering upgrade.

I tried XJ shackles with stock springs after a SOA conversion and I strongly advice against it. When the axle is hanging at full droop, like after hitting a bump too fast, the shackle will be pointed 45 degrees forward. At that point if you put weight on it again, the shackle will flip up in the forward position instead of swinging back. An XJ shackle is simply too short for the length variance in MJ leafs between loaded and unloaded. I would do a SOA conversion using the stock MJ shackles, get a pair of 4.5" coils, and if you need to go up more in the front, put the 1.75" spacers back on. But, lifting the front 4.5" or more, at the very least you need a control arm drop kit or longer lower control arms, as well as a longer track bar. Also longer shocks and brake lines. I would suggest longer upper control arms and longer sway bar links/quick disconnect as well. You could technically run without a front sway bar, but it's not safe. The stock links will not work at 4.5" or more lift.

I just filled up at $2.53. Two gas stations in town are $2.53, the third is $2.54. 6 miles north is $2.69, 4 miles south is $2.65.

If you cut up a perfectly god bed, I will personally hunt you down and smack you upside the head! Fabricate a dual shock set up for the rear axle and using stiff shocks might fix the bumper problem.

Would this happen to be related to Pat's smiling axle? Either way, I hope it heals well. Rib injuries can be very painful and take a long time to heal.

2.55. Has been steadily dropping since it hit 2.85. Be expecting a hike real soon now because of the 4th coming up.

Congrats on the new job, whichever one you take.

Two Cherokees, a Grand Cherokee, an S10 Blazer a YJ and a Comanche (me) from JeepSkool will try to make it to Badlands August 15. Plan is to drive there Friday (14), wheel Saturday, go home Sunday. So far one Cherokee is a definite go, everyone else is maybe. I'm going to do my best to go. If the truck is broke I may just take my (bone stock) Cherokee. If money isn't there, though, then it's a no go as my looks alone won't by me gas there and back, or anything else for that matter. Anyone wanting to join? The more the merrier!

Actually, since the axle doesn't mount on the middle of the spring pack, but rather approx. 40/60 split, to lift 3" you need a shackle 8" longer than stock :eek: Get a pair of used stock shackles if they are rusted to the point of being unsafe, and a set of 3" lift springs, some longer shocks and a brake hose from a 95 Dakota.

Did Wade find a hole?

How much air did Pat get? I should have gone with you guys. The Cardinals won and all I got is seagull poop on my shirt and a lousy Shin-Soo Choo bobble head. We did stick around after the game to watch "Major League" on the jumbotron.

Do we know this truck?

I know for a fact the Renix 4.0l pumps are the same for the Cherokee and the Comanche. I have replaced the pump in my 87 Comanche, I have replaced the pump in my buddy's 90 Cherokee. Original Bosch pump was the same, new replacement Airtex pump was the same with the same part number. The sender/pump assembly is different, but the same pump mounts to both.

I used to wheel without a tailgate to get rid of any unnecessary weight out back. Last few times I have had the tailgate on so when I pick up some trash on the trail I can just toss it in the bed and not lose it somewhere else. No noticeable difference. And unlike many other brand old trucks out there, my rusted/rotted, dented, abused bed is still sturdy.

As stated earlier, the read top ones are designed to deliver high amps on demand, like for starting a vehicle. Blue top are deep cycle marine batteries that can be run down without damage. Yellow top is a "best of both worlds" in between the two. But the main thing about Optima batteries is that they are spill proof. They contain no free sulphuric acid, but rather a gel. You vehicle goes over and lands on it's roof, the battery will be fine, instead of draining out the acid (dangerous!), damaging the battery in the process. Since they are spill proof, they can be mounted in just about any position if there is no room in the rig to mount it right side up. You can hang it off the firewall upside down if you like. Some custom built rigs hang them sideways under the dash. And their warranty terms are among the best out there.

At dusk Saturday they are blowing and/or shooting up a Cherokee. Wheeling all day Fri, Sat, Sun. Camping is free for non electric, or $10 per nigh for electric. They have trails and obstacles for everything from a stock grocery getter to custom build rigs on monster tires.

At dusk Saturday they are blowing and/or shooting up a Cherokee. Wheeling all day Fri, Sat, Sun. Camping is free for non electric, or $10 per nigh for electric. They have trails and obstacles for everything from a stock grocery getter to custom build rigs on monster tires.

The Wrangler on 39.5 Iroks is a staff member. While we went looking for another way out (that area has no trails, and he never tried to go out the back way) he tried to go back the way we came so he could winch us through the ditch to get back. He had to winch himself out first, though. We did find the back way out eventually, after being stopped by a sink hole the first 3 attempts. The FJ Cruiser and 2 door Cherokee were warned, but don't know how to listen. The hole the FJ cruiser is stuck in is getting bigger every month, and I may not be able to skirt it any more next month if it continues. No name yet, but deserving of one. The 2 door Cherokee is stuck in Jeep Swallow. A stock Blazer went through it last September. A lot has changed since then. The 39.5 Iroks can't make it, a 6wd deuce-and-a-half couldn't make it, and a truggy based on a K5 Blazer frame with locked 44s couldn't make it. So the Cherokee tries it with stock street tires :nuts: As for me? Well, I made it through there last month. But the ruts weren't deep enough to hit maximum articulation then. Nobody else made it either. Actually, after seeing me stuck and flexed out nobody else tried. They all took the bypass.

I have wheeled with Wade, and looking at the truck in the camp ground it looks like a mall crawler. Way too nice to wheel. But he does.

I've had my D30 Aussie for a few months now. With 3.55 gears you will need to pull the carrier and remove the ring gear. Don't know about other ratios. I could hear mine ratched in corners for a week or so, then it quieted down and I can't hear it any more. It works awesome off road, have not had a chance to try snow or ice. Be aware that in low traction environments like ice and possibly snow, there will not be enough force on the wheels to force the outside wheel to overrun the locker in turns. this means that you will lose half your front traction in turns when in 4wd, which could easily be enough to cause problems and put you in a ditch or another car. In 2wd the locker is invisible. After I get my 8.25" in, it will be locked also, probably over xmas.

The XJ fuel pump assembly does not fit in an MJ tank. The MJ tank has a pan inside it welded to the bottom. The XJ sending unit float goes the wrong direction and interferes with the side of the pan. Some after market tanks do not have the pan. In those tanks an XJ assembly *might* work. And I repeat, an XJ pump is the same as an MJ pump. The only difference between the pumps is 2.5l/4.0l and Renix (86-90) versus Chrysler (91-92).

I can't afford the tires i need badly for the Comanche, yet some people can use up a set of tires in 5 minutes of video. Bit it's some bad @$$ 5 minutes of video

Let it loose on some LEGAL trails on 1500 acres of private property. Got stuck in mud twice, clearanced driver side front fender a bit with the tire, but didn't break anything (that I know of so far).

Comanche pump and Cherokee pump are identical. The sender/pump assembly is different between the two, and not interchangeable. Problem is nobody makes Comanche ones any more, and the manufactures (and therefore store) insists they are the same and will work; which they don't.

I have mine custom made to order locally. Price varies with the length and diameter rod it is made from, but usually ~$5 per bolt, plus a bit for nuts and washers.