Backdraft

Crap! Had I have known she was going to use bubble wrap, they would have never made it there. You're welcome :thumbsup:

Cruiser - the motor mounts are a year old, but the trans mount is not. Didn't think about that one but thank you for pointing it out. I'll get under and check it. Mvusse - I'm leaning toward the track bar also. I like the RE stuff, but I've never cared for the way it attaches to the frame bracket. Jake - Best of luck on eliminating the noises with the swap. They are truly a pain to put up with!

OK guys, its time for me to break down and ask the pros for help on this one. I have, from the front end of my truck, a rattle and pop. The two are unrelated. So first, the rattle. Its a rattling noise coming from under the front of the truck., Axle area. It almost sounds like the brake pads, but I'm not certain. Its most present at low speed when coasting. Around 20mph or so. When I ease into the brake pedal, it seems to go away. I have new rotors, new calipers, new pads, and properly installed anti-rattle clips. The kicker is that you can not only hear it, but you can feel it in the floorboard as well. I had this front axle, sans new brake hardware, under an XJ with short arms and seem to recall having the same annoying rattle. And the pop. It usually happens as the truck turns a corner at low speed. Its a deep, heavy pop but very staccato and abrupt. It can be felt in the cab as well. Its also from the front end. All of the steering components are new. Drag link, tire rod, tie rod ends, steering stabilizer, and steering gear box. And all are V8 ZJ components. The track bar is a Rubicon Express HD adjustable. Recently the grade 8 bolt on said track bar sheared on the frame mount and has been replaced with another bolt and lock nut. I would like to point out that the joint on the frame end is a little odd looking. I can take a picture of it tomorrow and post if needed. The only thing in the front steering that is original is the pitman arm. The only things that have not been replaced on my D30 are the unit bearings, u-joint, and upper control arm bushings. It couldn't possibly be any one of these making this racket could it? I'm kind of at a loss and its bugging me pretty bad, so any help is greatly appreciated.

This thing is pimp-tacular! Congrats.

OK, I give. What are the Marfa lights?

113" and 119" wheelbase if I remember correctly.

Not a problem. And thanks dude :thumbsup:

Because Comanches are what real men drive. CoMANche. MJ = MANs jeep. Be a man, get a Comanche!

Hey Bob, was that the explanation I gave to Ryan on my build thread that you read?

Congrats dude! Its a nice feeling to hear the motor running for the first time after all that work.

Listen to Jay. I have heard his sound system in the ZJ. Very loud and crystal clear all at the same time.

Can't wait to see it!

I still have that light bar in my barn. It isn't factory though. I'm not sure what it was made for. When I got the truck, it was in the bed, but not bolted down. It looks like it had been bolted to the wheel wells at one time though. There were bolt holes and flat spots on the wheel wells that I've since repaired. The Mopar paint has held up great. It still has the same shade with no fading. Granted, its only been in there for a little over a year and a half. I prepped the panels by washing them down with soap and water to get them cleaned up. After that I sanded them down with 320 grit sandpaper to get them scuffed up. After sanding them, I washed them one more time to get the dust off them, then blew them dry with an air hose. Wiped them down with mineral spirits then went over them with a tack cloth and finally shot them with the paint. As for the cost. Well, I wasn't pleased at all. They are 5 oz cans and ran somewhere in the neighborhood of $13 per can. Fortunately each panel I painted in the truck got 3-4 coats from one can. I grumbled when I bought them just because I'm pretty cheap. But after I finished, I was pleased I spent the money.

Ben, I have a pair from the Phoenix donor if you want them. It will be a few days before I can get to them. PM me your info and they're yours.

As a purist, I have to say keep it Jeep.

Sorry, its not my design. It is a do it yourself kit from JCR Offroad. http://www.jcroffroad.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Store_Code=J&Screen=PROD&Category_Code=XJB&Product_Code=DIY-MJ-R

Use the stock Mopar 195F thermostat. And your transmission is the 4 speed automatic Aisin Warner AW4

Well guys. No pics, but the last couple days I've had an odd whine on deceleration at anything over 35mph. I put about 150 miles on it and the whining got progressively worse and louder. Got under the truck yesterday and looked around and wiggled everything from the transfer case on back. Put the truck on a jack and jackstands and rotated the tires. Something felt "off". I decided to change the gear oil (less than a year old) and inspect everything in there as the noise was coming from the rear. I couldn't find any odd wear patters. No shavings in the oil. Everything in place where it should be. So I dropped the drive shaft and went to wiggle the pinion to see how tight the bearing is. Bingo! Pinion was loose and the pinion nut had backed off about 2 to 3 turns. So much so that I could turn it by hand. So I promptly hunted down my 1 1/8 socket and cranked it back down to the required 220ft/lbs it needed. Put fresh oil back in and flushed and filled the t case while I was at it (oil was more brown than red), then set off for a test drive. I ran the truck up to 75 and let off the gas and coasted back down to 20. No noises. No whining. It was quiet as can be. I just wanted to share my experience with you guys in the event that any of you have a loud whine on deceleration only, it may be worth it to check the pinion nut for tightness before you lose the pinion bearing or chew the teeth up.

Mopar part number for agate interior paint it E82201399.

WTF?

Fear mongering bull$#!& like this is why cheaper than dirt is out of 90% of their stock of .223/5.56 ammo. As well as their 7.62 ammo. Oh wait. Can't find any 30 round mags on their site for those calibers either.

Thanks for the compliments guys! Here is the LEDs in action. Hope its enough light for the cops to leave me alone.

And more photos as promised. I don't see any undercut. I added LED mounting bolts to light up the plate. Not sure if you can see it clearly.

That sounds like a good idea bro, but I'd rather her be good looking in the sunlight and still make them jealous! Done, with more pics to come: