ThatJeepGuy

Soo we're back! Bottom leaf is the 3 leaf pack, middle leaf is what I believe to be the 1415 pack and the top is what I believe to be thr 1900 pack. Difference between the 1415 and 1900 4 leaf packs? The 1900 pack has dual clamps and also the arched overload vs the 1415 pack having 1 light duty clamp and a completely flat overload. Adapting sleeve for the front bushing Again this is the 3 leaf pack. Just under 34" to my bumper. This is purely a reference point Then at just under 35" we have the 1415 pack Lastly what i believe is the 1900 pack at just over 35". I'm going to stick with the 1900 leaf pack to start out, if they prove to be too stiff then I can bastardize the pack as needed with he other 2 sets.

The F150 leaf spring swap progress update This was the before. Take notice to the shackle angle... The pictured leaf spring on the right is a dorman factory replacement. On the left we have the f150 leaf spring. Small note - the front bolt in the Ford is an 18mm which is larger than our factory 9/16s bolt. I'm having a custom sleeve made to correct this but others may drill out their front mounting hole to compensate. Install is simple enough 1st thing and its not too surprising, it sits lower than the former dorman leafs did. Obviously lighter rated so i expected that, roughly 1-1.5" lower than previously- this being measured in my distance between bump stop(s). Also the shackle angle, which again this is to be expected because of the slightly longer length. I'm still going to keep my eye out for another set of the higher weight rated leafs before i call this over with soo until then - hope this helps others

Is the track bar mounting hole on your front beam axle still 11mm round? Any slop in this mounting hole can easily go un-noticed and be the cause of your deathwobble. Is the steering box spacer (factory is aluminum) still intact and the bolts all tight? Broken spacer and/or lose bolts can cause this. Are your track bar mounting bolts tight? Is your unibody or the unibody seams around your steering box/track bar mount cracked or the rosette welds broken free Causing the unibody to flex?

This isnt very detailed but I had an issue with my dash lights and sometimes radio staying on after keyed off. Dealt with this intermittently for years until while updating my headlights and doing the popular headlight harness relay kit I also installed a new headlight switch. Problem was gone after that, when the key is turned to off, everything is off. Perhaps there's some troubleshooting method to look into on the function of your headlight switch?

I've done a few of the explorer leaf sets over the years soo I'm well aware of their effectiveness. I did aquire a set of 3 leaf f150 leaf packs which are rated lower than the factory mj leafs (1180 iirc vs 1280) for a mere $40. I'm still gonna keep my eyes open for a set of the 1415lb or even 1900lb leafs though. All I can say is windrock TN had me getting a little wild with the throttle and aggressive ledges

Here we are again! took a trip down to Windrock TN for a weekend of thrills and it did NOT disappoint! The environment had me harnessed up nice and tight as it in no way compares to the flat lands of Michigan wheeling! absolutely phenomenal views and climbs! This however led me into a level of wheeling aggression i had not yet unlocked and with the welcomed Rev limiter and bump stop bouncing action i landed myself at the very end of the trip with a familiar sight An absolutely destroyed rear pinion yoke and yet again another set of over wrapped leaf springs. With this also came the realization of how unprepared i was for the trip, having forgotten my tree savers, bulk of actual trail tools and storage ability, i had to rely on my friends more than i had liked to. Some changes are in order! The immediate tasks are to fix my leaf springs, pinion yoke and unfortunately the brand new rear driveshaft needs a new 1350 slip end (the yoke destruction also came with the caps launching through the snap ring groves). Other items to address is actual storage space and the deteriorated rocker panels/rock sliders. for the sake of my want to doodle i'll update those last 2 items once i get some rough drafts drawn up. looking forward to some much needed fall/winter repairs and the updates will follow!

Can anyone elaborate to me the function and reasoning behind going with f150 leaf springs? Lots of hear say to do soo but no real install details. Is it availability? Weight capacity? Longevity? Do they offer any amount of lift? Does anyone have some before and after install notes of interest. Not soo much the hear say of the swap I'm looking for your experience if you've done the swap. I had a miss hap over the weekend and wrecked another set of MJ specific leaf springs and looking for a financially effective solution to my spring problem

Nicely done sir

You sir! Nicely done!! Making my LS engine bay all kinds of sweaty

On that hood meh, idk its vented pretty well and the pad is like a kilmat soo its stuck there and I'm not ambitious enough to remove it. I long swore against the mech shroud because most of mine would break and then fall into the fan and lock it up. However after installing brand new shrouds vs salvaging 30yr old ones, I wouldn't run one without it! 1st picture is not a running and driving vehicle - yet. Motor does run but there's no exhaust, cooling system or established fuel system. Otherwise yes the rest with engines are running and driving vehicles

Loom your custom wiring additions and get a factory shroud for your mechanical fan I surprised myself by finding a picture of everyone one of my vehicles engine bay besides 1...

I'm on your dreaded durango box, on my 3rd box now seemingly every 3 years they develop enough of a leak and its time for a rebuilt. 1st box was an all new unit from ACI, 2nd and now this 3rd unit i just swapped have been from the zone- autozone. I have a buddy who's been rebuilding them for years go through them each time and remove the spacers to get the full travel back. Also replace anything that's suspect. I've had fine luck with all of mine. 3 years on 39" stickies and locked 1 ton axles I think is fair. Your jeep on 32's, just stick to a factory box that has a warranty and also do as you plan with a steering box brace.

I don't think it really changes much having all the accesories on/off. Typically when I commit to removing an engine i just remove the manifolds. None of the other bits really get in the way of anything, motor mounts even stay in the hangers I just losen the through bolt and then remove the 2 fasteners holding it to the chassis mounts. The bigger headache is clearing the radiator support as you mention that would still be there. Get you lifting point anchored very low close to the valve cover and make sure your cherry picker (if thats your equipment) can go high enough to actually lift it out. I run a chain from the rear most driver side head stud, typically where the grounding strap is. Then secure the opposite end to one of the 2 AC mount bolts at the corner of the block. The chain is slung through an engine balancer as well.

Today didn't yield me too much progress to speak of... I did snag a cheap pair of XJ/MJ flip forward seats on the marketplace for $60. While trying to adapt them to a pair of 95+ xj sliders.... I believe i can stand to lose about 2" or more in height to really sink these seats to the floor. I'm 6' tall and even without the seats secured to the sliders yet my eyebrows are above the top of the glass in the door. I really should have taken before pictures but I ended up spending almost 2 hours removing all 3 of these cross supports and bending the seat frame back to "square". PO did some very poor weld and alignment work fixing the cracks in the mounts.... it was super frustrating... Good as used i suppose I farmed the intake tube out to my brother for tig work soo maybe more to show for progress on that soon

The traction bars on the rear (or what's visible of them atleast) is intriguing. Looks like a great start regardless the missing bits

If you can justify it and then also use it regularly, I don't see why not! Nice body color and that interior looks great!

Absolutely not, its just a light jab at those who may feel that $$ is wasted if its not restoring them. This truck looks like its going to be a lot of fun to drive. I sincerely dig what this truck is becoming

Just over $4600 for a 4cyl flatbed MJ, fuggin love this! Take a bite out of that purists

Can i ask what you paid for those axles and also is there mounting width difference?

I haven't done this myself - Yet but that seems to be the consensus, tell them its a 97+ XJ and no other details. I've approached 2 different glass suppliers on this - its an 87 but the 97+ xj glass will fit with the newer rubber seal. Both companies would nto even consider doing it though its clearly proven time and time again - it fits without issue.

Absolutely verify you have/ don't have spark before you start throwing ignition parts at the jeep.

Don't have the current photo to represent (old photo of this mj) but if you notice the green cross tube - ive already done exactly what your describing and would recommend it to anyone. Its really helped over the years

Exhaust get a redemption, it touched everything, floorboards and x members. Mostly 2.75" and I heat wrapped as much of it as I could a while ago. This time I stuck to mostly factory replacement parts (all 2.5")with some modifying and no wrap. Old setup with 2 straight through mufflers (2nd one got re used into current setup) Walker exhaust pieces 95xj down pipe longbed mj tailpipe the got cut down and angles changed Prior through muffler gets a little armor gusset to hopefully glide over objects if they become and issue Extra fuel gets a dedicated mount outside of the gas tank basket This lumpy rear driveshaft will need some attention as well

Love what this is turning into. What a killer crawler this could become, flatbed and all!

Did some tinkering with these turbo charge tubes. Rough pie cuts Rough filter placement Soo this is where i left it, the hood support ends up contacting the filter where I had it originally soo reaching a little deaper towards the firewall gets it out of the way. Will need to modify the tube again once I settle on the routing to accommodate a MAF into the system. The other option I see would be to open up the inner fender and and run the filter into the fender well. There would be some work to be done on making an enclosure to keep the road debris from kicking up into the filter itself though. In the mean time I'm going to see this configuration through a bit more before I start making big holes to then plug back up.