mvusse

Rims are here! Next week or so I will (attempt to) mount the used 33x12.50s on them, install them on the truck, finish my lift (add 1.75" spacers in front, soa in back), play with the back until it sits nice (I got stock 4 leaf packs minus 3 broken leafs and 1 overload I sold to build whatever packs I need) and my drive shaft works (hopefully) and then have until June to play with bump stops and cut off wheel. I hope to have the whole kit and kaboodle working nicely together before then, though, so I can try the new combination out a little closer to home first. The only thing that worries me is the D35 out back. BTW anyone knows if an 87 Comanche D35 has C clips?

I got mine directly from Torq Masters, http://aussielocker.com/. They make them for the rear as well, at least the D44, D35, and 29 spline 8.25. Don't know about the Ford 8.8. Cost me a total of $262.99 shipped to my door. The reason I didn't get one for the rear is that I have no way of unlocking it. I can use the CAD to unlock the front even in 4wd. I drove a Suburban with a locked rear axle for more than 7 years, and turning a corner from a stop sign in the snow was always an adventure, pretty much guaranteeing a fish tail, no matter how easy you took it on the gas. After I upgrade my rear axle (D35) I will look into a selectable locker for it.

Welcome to the addiction.

According to the install instructions, if you can install brakes you can install a lunch box locker. The only special tools I needed that I didn't have were a set of feeler gauges to check clearances (needed for warranty claims) and an impact wrench to get the hub nut off on one side. Besides that, a good socket set, pry bar, punch to remove the spring pin holding the center shaft in (I made one out of a screw driver by cutting off the blade part) and reinstall it afterwards, torque wrench, RTV silicone (or differential cover gasket), hammer, jack and jack stands. Out of the 11 hour or so ordeal, the actual installation of the locker itself in the carrier was less than 2 hours. A lot of time was wasted by pondering my options after breaking the breaker bar and finding an impact wrench on a Sunday afternoon. Next time I see Murphy I swear I will kill him.

My Ford never could get up the hill to work in snow the first year I had it. Had to walk the last mile I don't know how many times. Got a set of Wintermark snow tires on it and I made it when 4x4s on all season tires couldn't. Snow tires help, but GOOD snow tires make a world of difference. This past winter with the same tires on my 4wd Comanche it was unstoppable by anything I tried to go through. The only thing that gave me a bit of trouble was a 4' pile of packed snow left by the snow plow, and eventually I went through it too. These tires: Don't be fooled by the fender emblem. I still have to switch them.

I have stock rims/tires if anything I might upgrade to 16" rims, but that's a long shot. It must be that HO motor you have in your 94. My shift points don't come close to yours. Now I need to see my RPM values if I were to drive like you.... test drive.... If I were to drive: 15mph in 3rd rpm 600 25-30 in 4th rpm 800-1200 35-40 in 5th rpm 800-1200 It may be do-able but in 3rd gear the engine would be lugging! Normally I drive: 1 gear to 12.5mph @ 2000rpm 2 gear to 25mph @ 2000rpm 3 gear to 38mph @ 2000rpm 4 gear to 50mph @ 2000rpm 5 gear to 62+mph @ 2000rpm Are you driving like that to save gas? My shift light comes on around 15, 25, 35, 50. But hey, I'm getting 17mpg around town. Once you're up to speed it doesn't take a lot of torque to maintain it.

Locker install pictures: Locker: Stacked together: Broken breaker bar: The (new) ultimate tool: Carrier ready to come out: Carrier out. Had to remove because the ring gear prevented the center shaft from coming out.: Back in the axle with the locker installed. Now just to put everything back together again:

I wouldn't want to deal with a gator, much less a drunk one. :D

At 6", you may be okay with your stock drive shaft if you drop the transfer case an inch and raise your pinion angle slightly (so they are still parallel). If you're going to get a new drive shaft you might as well get a SYE, but one is not necessary. With a new longer drive shaft but no SYE you want to be sure you don't end up with the opposite problem: your drive shaft going into the transfer case too far when you carry weight in the truck, damaging the transfer case. The cheapest solution might be to get a longer yoke off Ebay and cut it off at whatever length you need, keeping the rest of your stock shaft.

:agree: Going from your stated use of your truck I'd go with the 242.

I personally like "A", but with a square dot added for a decimal point.

With adjustable upper control arms you can tilt the axle forward so get the pinion angle closer to where it needs to be. Or get adjustable lower control arms and adjust them to the stock length to do the same thing. a 2" lift is not enough to need longer control arms. If you are going to lift higher than 3" (1.25" more than you have) I would look for a high pinion axle. If/when you find one you can probably unload the low pinion axle for about what you have in it.

That's already been done also. 89eliminator.

4WD does not let you slow down any faster than 2WD. If you can't stop for what you have to stop for you were going too fast for the road conditions.

I have 3.07's in my 94 XJ. Plenty of low end to light up the tires, plenty of high end to do 85 on the freeway with lots of pedal left. Unless I skip gears I go through 3 gears just to go from stand still to 15mph in the alleys. Cruise 25-30 in 4th, 35-40 in 5th, yet 3rd gear is tall enough to get up to 70 fast to merge into traffic. Shorter gears might be good with larger tires, but 3.07 is plenty with stock(ish).

It is quite possible the vehicle has had a higher lift in the past, along with lower control arms. In any case, those control arms are probably longer than stock. If the upper control arms are stock, that will turn the pinion angle down. 2 solutions: 1- install stock lower control arms 2- install aftermarket adjustable lower and/or upper control arms The stock arms are very weak compared to any after market ones I have seen. I would go for option 2, and if you plan on lifting the truck beyond the 1 3/4" it has now I'd get upper AND lower arms. If the newer axle you installes is a low pinion, that would compound the problem.

I got to remember this........the next time you need a left tail light :rotfl2: Nice score phenryiv :thumbsup: I gotta learn to watch what I type again now that Wildman is done working 80 hour weeks... :cheers:

Buy it.

Stock MJ shackle is 4.25" center to center on the bolt holes. If the front is lifted 6.5" and the rear is at stock height, the truck would sit a LOT lower in the back than in the front. Longer shackles won't lift the truck all that much. I'm running 7.25" shackles and they look LONG. As in "Holy long shackle Batman!" long. And they only lifted the rear about 1.25". Spring over axle flip usually nets about 6.5", but you say you're still axle over. Most likely the original leafs have been re-arched or you have after market lift leafs.

Welcome to the site. Can't wait to follow your build. I'm not sure the speedometer is original, though, as I didn't think 180km/h / 110mph speedometers were an option on MJs. ( XJ only?). Either way, seems like you know what you're doing. Good luck!

For $300 you can get scratched all to heck and cracked tail light lenses. Those almost like new ones must have cost you a fortune! :rotf: :laughin: :teehee:

:agree:

What part about this post is ignorant? Forgive me for being blunt, but I feel somewhat put-upon now.

Stay away from my area! I happen to like my old rusty 2 door Cherokee's front seats.

4H Rabbits here have 2 classes: Pet rabbits and Meat rabbits. Meat rabbits are usually groups of 3 or 4 New Zealand Whites, Pet rabbits are usually solo Mini Lops, Holland Lops or Netherland Dwarfs. At least here in NE Ohio.