Pete M

Somewhere along the line Jeep switched to a sealed rear output. 96 or 97 I think. :dunno:

If you ever notice oil pressure problems, swap out the orange can o' death. :thumbsup:

I don't recommend Rhino liner. The complicated process by which it is applied does not lend itself to items such as rockers. I didn't know any better and had Rhino put on my rockers. I regret it. :( Go with a more traditional spray like Line-X or a self-applied product like Hurc. Bith will allow more control during application and should produce a better looking result. :thumbsup:

I don't trust the factory guages.

Awesome! Welcome to the club. :wavey:

Does that price include gearing and stronger axles?

If you want to be unique, there's always the Ford radius arms. :D

With that much lift, I would probably bite the bullet and get the SYE and new slip driveshaft. TJ/XJs should seriously consider the SYE after 3". Comanches should seriously consider them after 6". Are you still using the stock driveshaft?

Yup. That's what you're looking for. You may be able to get the proper size one off of a Ranger/Crownvic/Aerostar in the junkyards. Be careful though, plenty of those vehicles came with the lesser 7.5 axle. You need a U-joint adapter from an 8.8 (and not an 8.8 under an F150, as they use a bigger U-joint). The special bolts you need are available at the Ford dealership (or if you get the part off of a junkyard car you can use those bolts.). Do not get bolts from the hardware store. They are super strong and a metric thread. I've yet to see anything like them in a hardware store. If I remember right, they need a 12 point socket/wrench to remove (I forget what size).

Both the 350 and the 4.0 will require that you replace maybe 90% of your truck's guts (though they differ a little in which parts will get thrown out) The easiest job is to swap in another 2.8, followed closely by the 3.4 (which is probably the best plan).

You guys are all copying these updates into your build threads, yes?

Huge difference between the two. 78-79 are fullwidth, high-pinion and have cast-in radius arm mounts (which won't lend themselves to leaf springs). 77 and earlier are narrower, low pinion, have small U-joints, and I seem to remember something about smaller bearings. The F-150s are a bit different. The 78-79 are just like the Bronco, but 77 and earlier are fullwidth with welded-on radius arm mounts. What I recommend looking for are the 8-lug axles from a 77-79 3/4 ton Ford truck (some of the newer years will also work, but a lot of the in-between years have TTB craziness). They are already leaf sprung, the front is a high pinion Dana 44 and the rear will be a Dana 60. Lots of years of fords, chevys and dodges used similar dana 60 rear axles so you don't necessarily need to find a matched pair.

Find a 3.4L block from a camaro/firebird. The block is essentially the same as the 2.8, only with much better innards. This link will give you the run down on what's involved: http://jeep.off-road.com/jeep/article/a ... ?id=277008 http://www.lunghd.com/Tech_Articles/Pro ... ect_XJ.htm

Nice writeup here: http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=921205

It'll look nice, but might be undriveable. Which transmission do you have? 4spd manual? 5spd manual? or auto? Can you read the little metal tags attached to the axle differential cover bolts?

Tight budgets and big tires don't generally go together. What are you doing for gearing? Or for axle strength?

Which year Bronco axles?

I have no idea what "brand" that is. :???: In fact, I'm inclined to guess that it's not aftermarket at all. It almost looks like a "hack-n-tap" using the original yoke. Which I guess would make it just a "tap" since the output shaft doesn't look trimmed.

I've read that 245/70/16 is the biggest without trimming.

I can only get them in a single color. Maybe you can get a local window tint company to do a strip of tinting across the top?

What are you doing for gearing? What type of wheeling do you like? How much sheetmetal are you willing to sacrifice?

I can only dream about doing that (both the "driving" and the "working" parts) :shake:

The kit in the link is at least reasonably complete. I give it 3 out of 4 thumbs up. :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: I'd also get some new YJ front brake lines and a 95 Dakota rear brake line and use this opportunity to eliminate the rear prop valve. Don't bother with the t-case drop, but you will need a slightly longer rear driveshaft. If your truck is an 4.0/auto, you can get an extra inch of driveshaft length with a 4.0/5-spd rear driveshaft (if you can find one). Or get your driveshaft re-tubed to the proper length or find a longer one and get it cut down. Building for mud is not too dissimilar from trail or rock building. You still need most all the same components.

Got a link to it?

For a single sub, I doubt you'll need a cap. Just be sure to use ample size power cable wire. :thumbsup: