reson46

This should give you some idea of what needs to be done. I don't think he needed to change the ball joints. He did need to create a spacer for the hubs. Willy

Went on a snow poker run Saturday. Actually turned out to be a beautiful day with some great views. We also came away with a couple of raffle prizes - a first aid kit and a tow hook receiver. :banana: Rest of the pics are here. Willy

Pull the pan straight down. Maybe twist it back and forth a little as I take it off. Unless Toyota T-4 ATF is the same as Mercon/Dexron, don't use it. Willy

It uses Mercon/Dexron. Do NOT use ATF+4, even if the idiots at the dealership tell you to. :shake: Yes, change the filter. It really isn't any more difficult than changing the filter in most other automatic transmissions. I actually think it is easier since the AW4 has a drain plug that most don't. Willy

Built the tail light box for the driver side. Any thoughts for light placement? I think I am leaning towards option #1. #1 #2 #3 Willy

The S/T/T and reverse lights arrived Saturday. :clapping: Even thought the seller listed these as not DOT approved, they have DOT numbers. :hmm: Willy

On my previous XJ I drove without the lower valance and bumper ends for over a year without any problems. Willy

Didn't really drive it much like that. Maybe a few hundred miles. But, there were no cooling issues. I don't see how removing that from below the bumper would result in any cooling issues. Since the radiator surface area is completely above the bumper I don't think the valance would deflect any more air through the radiator. Do you have concerns about removing it? Willy

Started on some tail light boxes. I'm not entirely happy with the shape right now, but it is getting there. Ordered two sets of 2.5" LED S/T/T lights and one set of 2" reverse lights. I plan to use one set of the S/T/T lights as side marker lights and one set as S/T/T lights. Hopefully that will be enough to stay legal. The 2.5" LEDs are not DOT approved, but I haven't had any luck finding out why. :dunno: Willy

Rock Ratz is a joke...they wanted $550 bucks for a POS tube bumper that looked like crap....plus they are no longer making them or anything for that matter Good to know they are no longer dealing those monstrosities. When I first saw them I couldn't believe they actually got people to buy them. :nuts: Willy

I've never seen RockRatz's rear MJ bumper, but I have seen their front MJ/XJ bumper. I was not impressed. The tubular style didn't fit well with the body style at all. If the rear MJ bumper is similar I would stay away from it. Willy

That's a 10 bolt, not a D44. Be careful around those jack stands. Personally I wouldn't think about getting underneath that as it is. There doesn't appear to be much preventing it from moving front to back. Willy

Lived there for 3 1/2 years in an Austin suburb. I was more than happy to leave. I loved the warm weather, but the politicians and backwards people drove me nuts. Traffic management is ridiculous in the entire state. Even something as simple as synchronized traffic lights is beyond that state's ability. I've only lived in a handful of areas, but the political corruption there is by far the worst. What was worse was that nobody seemed to care either. I couldn't stand that. I'm sure IL is more corrupt, but I can't say from personal experience. Willy

Anybody got any pictures of their gas tank skid plate? Also pics of how it attaches? I would eventually like to build one and am looking for ideas. ;) Thanks, Willy

What do you use for camper tie downs? Willy

What in the world happened here? :eek: Willy

I think we got somewhere around a foot of snow over the weekend too. I had to push a couple of cars with their racing tires out of the way yesterday just to get into the post office parking lot. I haven't seen this much snow since I lived in KS. It has been a blast to drive around and watch all the morons spin their tires. :rotf: Image Not Found Image Not Found Image Not Found Willy

:agree:

Finally got around to building the rock slider for the driver's side. Took a few more pictures this time. I had already cut most of the pieces when I built the passenger slider. Added the angle iron to the pinch seam and drilled a few holes. I made sure not to drill through any of the spot welds in the pinch seam. Chopped out a couple of sections of the angle iron and pinch seam for the square tube to fit in. The feet for the unirails. I trimmed the first one to clear the cab support. This is the backing plate behind the fuel filter for the middle unirail foot. The front and middle feet will be sleeved through the unirail. This is the rear foot that catches the eye bolt for the leaf spring. I added a second 1/2" bolt to the spring pocket. The angle iron that will be tied into the rear foot for vertical support. Clamped in place and started tacking everything together. Removed and moved to the bench for final welding. It is currently fully welded. Now I need to clean it up and start painting. :D Willy

Do you have any pics of the suspension installed? Willy

All you need are the two harnesses for the transmission. Nothing needs to be done to the engine wiring besides swapping out the TPS. Willy

What's the hassle in swapping an AW4? :hmm: It is almost completely self contained with its own computer and only needs input from the TPS. Get all the wiring and computer from the donor truck and it is probably about the easiest swap possible. Willy

Search for a '97 TJ. There was no '96 Wrangler. YJ - '87 to '95 TJ - '97 to '06 In the US, XJs/MJs were never offered with a front D44 from the factory. Willy

If your transfer case is stock, it is most likely a part time transfer case. Which means you should only use 4WD on low traction surfaces - gravel, mud, dirt, etc. If you are in 4WD on pavement it will cause binding and/or damage. I would not be surprised if this binding is causing your problems. Even if it is snowing or icy do not use part time 4WD on paved roads unless the road it completely covered with ice or snow. This will actually decrease your traction. On the dry pavement your drivetrain will bind. When you hit a patch of snow or ice your drivetrain will unbind and slip whichever tire or axle was bound up resulting in a loss of traction. Willy

Limited slip and locker are not the same type of differential unless it is a selectable locker that is a limited slip when off. Willy