Akula69

" Please link some articles that show definitely that people get shot for driving slow in front of ricers. (1) No, it is not true at least in in any statistically measurable way. (2) No, I have never seen it despite being a retired cop from a s(*&hole city that is generally on the "20 most dangerous cities in America" list. Please document the time you saw it because, you know, if we have all seen it that would include you as, as well. Even actual "road rage" shootings are so rare, like real stranger child abductions, that when one happens anywhere in the country it is news everywhere. Therefore people think ( or more accurately don't think) that such things are (1) far more common than they are (2) something new. Now it is more likely, but still extremely rare, if the encounter keeps escalating over a period of time and distance but that scenario is not what is referenced in either comment. I know I know....someone read it on the internet.... :banana: Be sure not to flash your headlights at oncoming cars with their brights on as that will get you shot as a gang initiation. It most be true as it was on the internet, as well :doh: But if you forward this post to 47 people within 18 seconds the mythological being of your choice will grant you" Well, I won't link articles, 'cause you are correct...if you go by what's on the internet you will almost always be a victim of exaggerations. I base what I say here on years of being a LEO (17 now, to be counting) and having actually worked some of the cases. We have a subset of idiots here, and live just 35 miles from the murder capitol of the country. (well, if you count the bodies found dead with "...numerous holes caused by unknown factors...."). If you are retired LEO, then I'm surprised you never worked a road rage case. They are not rare, at least not from the UCR data for the area. However, if you wanna take the chance on forwarding this post to 47 folks in 18 seconds....it won't get you anything but a few confused looks..... :yes:

Good way to get shot (or shot at) in today's society. Edit: Don't get your panties in a knot about my comment either because: (1) You know its true, and (2) you know I've seen it. Now we wait for the first fool to say "Oh well, I'd shoot back...."

Glad to see it worked out for you with the Ins company...great job on the parts too. HF spot weld cutting bits get my vote as well...we used 4 of them to cut the entire floor pan and supports free from Ryan's truck.

Saw this gem whilst browsing at lunch today: http://money.msn.com/auto-insurance/the-least-expensive-2014-cars-to-insure One point that made me laugh: "According to Karl Brauer, senior analyst for Irvine, Calif.-based Kelley Blue Book, owners of Jeeps tend to be single or married women under age 45, who display prudent driving behavior." I guess old Karl has never heard of this forum...lol

Only thing that really matters is that you are OK. Cars we can fix....back and neck problems...ehhh...not so much so. The XJ is repairable....looks better then the last one I worked on. Like Jim said - get a reputable shop to do the work. Edit: Just for grins and giggles: the one we worked on had a small wrinkle at the cowling just like yours, but it had sprung the seals in the wiper assembly area and was causing a water leak in the cab. I ended up having to patch it with lead (I know - old school) to make it stop. We all know by now that insurance companies are not in the business to insure you...they are in the business to make money. I understand you want to keep the XJ, and I agree you should. However, as heartless as it seems, when negotiating with them you have to 'forget' about how you feel and look at it from their point-of-view. What will save them the most money and keep them out of court? BUT Beware of this "new" ploy they insurance companies are using: The last time my son had an accident, he was hit in the rear by a driver that was not paying attention (who had a bad driving record). The company was nice at first but then tried to say it was partially Ryan's fault for just being there in the roadway at the time of the accident and wanted us to assume 50% of the blame. We refused, they fought and they filed against our insurance company (who promptly denied the claim)....and then they filed for arbitration. I told them "Go for it...you can't win!" Well, when it went to arbitration, (One insurance rep from my company, one from theirs, and a third not associated with anyone) we lost...and our policy states '..the results of arbitration are binding on all parties and not subject to appeal....' We got $600.00 from them; State Farm had to pay $4000.00 for the other d!ckhead's truck. Bottom line - Don't agree to arbitration. Hire a lawyer.

Well, if you wanna do old school - Norma Jean: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piVKYMb4nzM Have a great one Jim!

Your gonna miss sunny Louisiana! However, if you decide to change yer plans drop me a line. Besides, you might wanna put in an app at my department!

How do people find this stuff?!? Do they just 'wander into a closed dealership' and start prospecting? I want to do that!

My Heavens - I was just hitting my stride @ 20....LOL

I am not doubting you, (as you obviously know more about aligning front ends with your dad's experiences and your own)...but please explain what problems are inherent in the board method I used? It did provide a fairly accurate toe setting... or.... were we just lucky?

Actually Don, Ryan did just that but used two 8 foot 2x6's down the side of the truck. Measured behind the rear tires from board edge to board edge, then measured at the front before and after the tire.. By the lack of marks on the new drag link it appears the shop didn't have to move it at all! :thumbsup: Thanks for all your comments!

No. With the ends turned all the way in, the total length center-to-center was 2 inches longer. However - the total length with the new ends is identical to the bar on the 87MJ. The mystery here is where the old (original) ends came from, as they do not seem to match any vendor's stock. Ryan went to O'Reilly's and purchased the new MOOG drag link sleeve today and it does measure 34.68 inches long. When he installed the MOOG tie rod ends into it and put it on the truck, the toe changed to IN by 3.0 inches (total)!!!? Help me with the math: First, we had a 36.0 inch sleeve with the tie rod ends turned in all the way, and it was toe OUT by (total) 2.75 inches. Second we have a 34.68 inch sleeve with the tie rods turned all the way in and its toe IN by (total) 3.0 inches. We reduced overall length by (approximately) 1.25 inches, and received an overall angle (horizontal plane) change of 5.75 inches?!? I am stumped, but at least they can now get a straight alignment on the front end.....

Got a question for the suspension experts here in the forum: As you may know, my son recently converted his 89 MJ by performing the 99 conversion. In that conversion we swapped a Dana 30 into his front end from the 99 XJ. As we ran short of time rebuilding the axle was placed on hold...we changed the fluid, greased the ball joints and tie rod ends and had it aligned. As he is home from college for a week, we ripped it apart and replaced the following: Ball joints Sway bar links Track bar Hubs U joints Steering link (from Pitman arm to passenger knuckle) Tie rod ends Steering dampner We used all MOOG parts. Now the problem: When we took the truck for alignment, the front tires are both toed out - about 1.75 inches on the passenger and 1 inch on the drivers side. The tie rod ends are completely turned in without any more threads available. We thought Rock Auto sent the wrong tie rod ends at first, but my son went to two different parts stores and measured the ones we have against their stock - all were identical in length (we even tried the ones from WJ's and Wranglers...the lengths are all the same with only small differences in diameter). When I retrieved the old ones from the scrap pile - they are both 1.5 inches shorter in overall length but the thread end length is still the same length @ 2.5 inches - meaning the neck of the ball joints are different. We can find NONE that are the length of the old parts. Then, we checked the 87 MJ's setup. The tie rod sleeve is 36" on both axles, and the tie rod ends are the same part number as the ones we received for the 99! That vehicle still has about .5 of threads available for adjustments. How can this be? The knuckles are identical on both trucks... the ONLY difference is the axle on the 87 is 2WD and the 99 is 4WD...the hub is different but that is it (we had already rebuilt the axle on the 87...I went back and checked part numbers - they are all the same but the hubs). We finally found a tie rod sleeve at O'Reilly's for (no specific year) Jeep XJ that measures 34 inches long but the salesperson could not explain why that exists as all the others we have are 36 inches... Has anyone had a problem such as this? There are no marks or part numbers whatsoever on the old tie rod ends to identify them. :hmm:

If interested: PM me about an rebuilt 4.0 I have in my garage. It has about 13K on it since the rebuild. and..... I'm in Louisiana!

Why does he have a wire grounded to the compressor body? There should only be a lead attached to the clutch - its grounded through the block....

Funny how those old posts come back....I had forgotten all about that sender repair thread! I'm glad it solved your problem, but if it did not I have some refurbished senders available for sale.

http://www.lobucrod.com On the 97-01 XJ they have an aluminum shield that is riveted onto the bottom of the floor pan on the passenger side to lessen the heat from the cat and muffler. Its easily removed if you find one in the JY. You could (in theory) rig a similar "shield" for the trans hump but fastening it would be a bear unless you dropped the transmission. Most folks put heat shield on the inside, but it usually would need some type of protection (such as carpet). I used some from the company (link above) and it works really great (and reduces road noise as well).

I know this is for hooking up a trailer plug, but it also explains the tail light harness wire codes. http://comancheclub.com/topic/19339-trailer-wiring-for-4-wire-and-6-pole-receiver/ Good Luck!

I agree with 87Warrior, I shop the price and if its within 10% of the local stores the shipping always kills the deal. They do ship from multiple locations so I always try to combine items from the same warehouse to hold down the cost as well. I usually buy my axle parts from them : the ball joints, tire rod ends, sway and track bars and bushings, steering dampener, and so on. They have my favorite brand (MOOG) and they are all at one warehouse.... But - they also offer what they call "Manufacturer Close-Outs" which can be a good deal if you find them. Seems the only difference is the part comes in a retail box (as compared to a plain cardboard one), and they want to get rid of them quick.

Thanks for adding pictures - I'm all about it for the visual folks in the crowd. I had actually composed the write-up after I wired mine...and didn't feel like separating all the connectors to take pictures.

I have a complete dash, including all the harnesses, sensors, boxes, full gauge set, gadgets and clock, HVAC box and H block out of an 89. It is blue-grey in color and is in like-new condition. I also have the matching tilt column with keys and the engine bay harnesses. PM me if interested, but it would probably hurt a bit to ship it that far. For just the dash and related parts figure a box that would be 60"Lx 32"Wx32"T (think water heater sized) and weigh about 55 lbs from 70433.

Yes. Wait till some butt-hurt person announces "I PAY YOUR SALARY!!!!" and proceeds to let you know you have to do what they want due to that fact. When I hear that, my usual response is "Yes you do. And, when you are ready to work for what I make you can certainly make those decisions. Sign here and have a nice day. Press hard - you are making 4 copies"

Comes with a convenient carrying handle too. What a bargain!

My advice: check the ignition switch unit down near the end of the steering column at the firewall. It is known to melt as it gets old, and the circuit for the radio passes it's current through one of the contacts.

One of the few times I have heard of a deserving person having the ability to utilize a warranty. Most times when it happens to me it just past the warranty expiration. Good on ya mate!