Pete M

preperation is key.

can you hear the pump running?

it all depends on what kind of project you're looking for. did I have to swap in those ford axles? did I need the headaches of adapting the radius arm suspension? inventing my own parts? hell no. my truck is not significantly tougher than a stock MJ with a 44 rear and upgraded front U-joints. but I wanted a project (and lord knows I got it :D )

great info. :bowdown: When I can finally get around to picking up the cause again, I've got a ton of food for thought. plans keep morphing, but it looks like dad will be coming back up here for a bit in December. it'll make my decision making process soooo much easier to actually have him here. :D (I keep having to remind myself that this is his saw, not mine.)

even por-15 won't stop our trucks from rotting from the inside-out.

a complete running 4.0 equipped XJ or MJ donor. just about everything has to go, from the wire harness, to the dash components, to the drivetrain. pretty much everything but the seats and axles.

and when they say "regearing", they mean swapping in an axle with better gearing. it can cost 600 to regear an axle and you should never ever sink that much money into a Dana 35. 3.55 gears are found behind the most common XJ package out there; 4.0L+auto. also make sure your air filter and your cat are not clogged.

"cleaned" the o2 sensor?

I found a couple nagging leaks in my trucks using baby powder. sprinkle it around in the suspect areas and the water will make little tracks through it. then you just follow the tracks backwards to help narrow down the location. :thumbsup:

new bearings? knocking is generally a very bad thing. but even then, the 4.0 has been known to keep on truckin' for many, many miles. :bowdown:

if you can get it to run good, then that is all that's important. :thumbsup:

yup, pretty sure it's the 88-07 :thumbsup:

are those stock springs?

put the trans in neutral or pull the rear driveshaft, then you can rotate the axleshaft (once if both axleshafts spin together in the same direction, twice if one axle shaft turns and the other is stopped) and count the number of times the yoke spins around. 3 and a half times around equals 3.55, a bit over 4 times is 4.10, etc.

bypass the alternator? guess it'll just be for short drives then. daytime only. :D

looks like I was barking up the wrong tree. when I finally was able to get the belt off, it was clear that the alternator was frozen solid. :dunno:

photo? is the bottom of the differential housing flat from side to side?

A: feeler posts are not allowed. B. we have a classifieds section if you would like to sell things. :cheers:

who's up for a google challenge? :brows: I have in my possession an old 2 foot level, made of lightweight cast metal with the word "magnesium" cast into it and "Mayes Bros. Tool MFG. CO." and "Port Austin Mich." printed around the bubbles. The only thing I've found is someone that said on a tool forum that they were in Port Austin back in 1926 and moved to Tenn, but he didn't know when. The company still exists and, before I call them, can anyone find info on this level? I pride myself on being pretty good at searches, but using the terms "level" or "magnesium" keep bringing back results that have to do with chemistry and I'm becoming frustrated. :typing:

when I pulled the latches out, that removed the springs that pop the hood up that first inch so I needed something to do that job (better than a screwdriver). :D

asides from wiring splices, the latch mechanism and sticker are different and the sticker will need to be fabbed into your B-pillar.

the color rubbed off, or the product itself rubbed off?

safety chain = bad. check. :D I don't need the easy start, but I want to check it out. all of my experience is with other people's saws (I own an electric chainsaw) and the joys of struggling to get them going. some of them made me pine for the ol' 2-person hand saws I used up at scout camp. :ack: but my dad is always meticulous when it comes to upkeep on his tools/toys and so my fear may be for naught and whatever saw he gets will probably always start fine. I foresee him needing to fell a big tree maybe once a year, probably 24" diameter at the biggest and then just little stuff here and there.

it hides rust (but doesn't stop anything from just rotting away beneath it), it peels, it grabs hold of rocks/trees instead of sliding by, it's expensive, it has an insanely complicated spray procedure making it impossible to fix application mistakes (once the product starts flowing out the gun, you can't stop it without it spontaneously curing inside the nozzle), and, I'm sure there are some other reasons why I hate that stuff. I had it applied to the rockers on my truck and regret it. when it came time to paint my 88, I came across an old product called Zolotone. It's kinda a hybrid between paint and a true liner and has it's own set of complications. It still only hides rust, has a semi-complicated application procedure (but I was able to spray it myself), and is not dissolved by anything meaning the gun you use needs to be considered sacrificial just in case you don't get it all out. but I'm much happier with it. :D It's rock hard with a textured surface. I'd suggest finding a place near you that knows how to apply it. ranges from 40 to 50 bucks a gallon.

it burned up while the truck was sitting?