Pete M

Well, I've lined up some tools of destruction, but ran out of daylight so I'll just wait for tomorrow. I've got a hammer, rubber mallet, 3" diameter birch log, and I think I'll whip a baseball at it. :D

The gear ratios will likely suck. A lot. :(

Probably kept it because it wouldn't be under all that much shock load stress (since the race isn't abusive in the same way a drag race is). They take off nice and smooth and build up speed fairly gradually.

My 88 suffers from a distinct lack of power at freeway speeds. I haven't been able to dig into it yet, but my main suspects are a loose timing chain (I also suffer from horrific oil blow-by) and fuel delivery (possibly a failing pump or a bad fuel pressure regulator). Back in the day when the truck was a little 2wd DD and I was running 30s on 3.08 gears, the power was fine on the freeway but sucked taking off at stop signs.

Yeah, I seem to remember that problem a few years back when the state park I wanted to camp at in the middle of the week was still snowed in (6ft worth). :yes: Try sending them emails or PMs with a link to this post. That's how we got your attention for the last run. :D

Goodyear MTRs. :thumbsup: Not my favorite tire, but they look cool enough and were certainly cheap enough (picked them up used for under a hundred bucks). I might cut the difference and add an inch to the front of your truck. Also, keep in mind that any height change will alter your alignment.

My t-case skid attaches to angle iron that has 1/2" grade 8 bolts that go sideways through the frame.

Absolutely. As long as the difference is within like 1% or something like that. The reason one axle is 3.07 and another 3.08 (or 4.10 and 4.11 or 3.54 and 3.55) mostly has to do with larger axles having more teeth on the gears and so the manufacturers choose tooth counts that make it as close as possible. If I have these numbers right, the Dana 30 has 41 teeth on the ring gear and 10 teeth on the pinion gear to give a 4.10 ratio, whereas the Dana 44 will have 45 teeth on the ring gear and 11 on the pinion gear giving a 4.09 ratio.

I did that too, when I just had the one. :D

Yup. Sounds like a vacuum issue. The most common failure points in the system seems to be the vacuum lines as they enter the vacuum canister (which is located inside the front bumper on the passenger side). :thumbsup:

that stuff looks like it is impossible to scratch but will it chip if it is dented and does it come in flat green Well, I sprayed my old fender as practice before doing the truck. I think I'll go take a hammer to it and see what happens. :D colors: http://www.zolatoneaim.com/palette.php

I don't see why you'd have a problem. :dunno: I've got 30" tall tires on the rear of my Dakota R/T and I experience no ill effects (factory tires were 28-ish). :thumbsup: Offroad you may find that you don't need low range all that much, but experiment with it to see what works best for each situation..

Yeah, it's just the angle of the shot. They are just as uneven as any other unaltered MJ. :(

Very different axles. If fact, it's possible that everything is different. The big points are the JK is high-pinion, 4 " wider, and has 5on5" rim bolt pattern.

If you stick with factory Jeep rims, the rubbing will be limited to the lower control arms at full turn. Swapping in WJ lower control arms will fix that (or you can add a washer or two behind the steering stop bolts). If you go with aftermarket rims that stick out further, then the tires will start eating away at the flares and trimming will be necessary. 31s on 0" lift with WJ LCAs: WJ LCAs:

If you go with 4.10s and find a junkyard front Dana 30 with them already installed (2.5L/5spd), you'll be way ahead of the game. :thumbsup:

It's not a JK front is it? Cause there's no matching rear in the pictures and I gotta imagine you'd have snagged that too.

Depends on your definition of "personality". My 88 has as much personality as some pets. :D Personality comes from character, flaws, or habits, and those are generally only picked up by the ones that know them best. A perfectly working truck may not exude as much "personality", but my old truck has more quirks, gremlins, and character than you can shake a stick at. And, having owned it for a mind-boggling (to me at least) 12 years now, I've gotten to know all of them. Having changed/modded/altered/replaced almost everything in it now, no one knows my truck better than me. :D She's different than any other truck, and those differences give her personality (to me at least).

Not yet. Qui Gon has been, um, a bit "distracted" the past couple weeks (I'll let him fill in the story if he wants) and I never heard back on this particular topic. I'll remind him about it, but I'm sure it's on his to-do list once the storm blows over. :thumbsup:

Well above the legal limit. :D I've got 4.10s and 33s and while it's ok, I'd like to have a bit lower gear. 4.56 make for a good compromise. :thumbsup: Oh, and 4.88 is a lower gear ratio than 3.08. Higher number = lower ratio

I like to be different and went with Zolatone. Kinda hard to describe what it is, but it's sorta a cross between a paint and a bedliner and diamonds. :D I traded an axle for it, but I think it's a bit over $100 per gallon (I used a bit under 2 not including the mess I made on the floor). Use a pressurized sprayer. Preferably with disposable parts, as I don't know what dissolves it. :dunno:

In type, I refer to my trucks by year: 88,90,86, and the empty shell in Georgia gets to be an "89" (even though it's technically a 90). In speech I generally refer to them by color: the gray truck, the red truck, the white truck, etc. Not very creative, I know. It all started to help my family know which one I was talking about after I bought the 86 and suddenly had 2 MJs, a red one and a white one. It just stuck. Of course now I'm screwed. I painted the red one a tan color and still find myself referring to it as "the red truck". :shake: Maybe I should call it "the tan truck formally known as the red truck". :D

Meh. My Dak R/T had 28" tires and 3.92 gears from the factory and I never thought it was too much gear. :dunno: Overdrive is a necessity though. :thumbsup:

Bummer. Happens to the best of us sometimes. Let us know what they find. :thumbsup:

Which warning message were you getting?