Pete M

Looks like it's a done-deal.

Now I'm 99% sure I'm not going. Just too much to do. :(

The 8.25 is a chrysler axle and you're almost as likely to find it under that random XJ as the Dana 35. The 8.8 is the ford one found under Explorers.

Same guy? :D

I tried a big hammer. Didn't dent it. I even went as far as to haul my big bench vice down in an attempt to crush it down. No dice. I'm done for today. Tomorrow I might try using the balljoint press. Heck, it was strong enough to do the damage in the first place, right? :roll:

Autozone will loan out scanners. :brows:

No welder here capable of accomplishing that. :( That's the big dilemma. My best guess is to grind down the raised area and fab up a plate to be welded to the truck later when I drive it to get other items welded. sigh...

I hate rust. I hate rust. I hate rust. I hate rust. I hate rust. :rant: So my tried and true technique for getting the bolts out and freeing up the leaf springs has backfired today. For those who don't know, I like to use my balljoint tool and a press to push the bolts out that otherwise won't budge, even with the 3 pound sledge. It has worked great, until today. This time the rust was so bad, the bond between the sleeve and bolt was stronger than the sleeve and rubber bushing. Creating this oversized hole in the frame. Which I'm not certain how I'm going to fix. :(

I'm 90% sure that you can scratch my name from the list. I'm still tryin', but the last couple years of sitting have caused more issues than I had planned on. :( But I'm still pluggin' away at it. :D

You could always offer up the remains of the carcass for free and let someone else deal with the paperwork. :brows:

3.55 geared XJ axles are everywhere and can be cheaper than regearing, even if you do it yourself. I'd go for a 29 spline 8.25 axle from a 97-01 XJ if I could find a cheap one and then match that off with a Dana 30 from any year that came with the 297 joints. "If you're going to build it, build it right." :D

Technically you don't have to do any of that. You buy a metal cutting blade for your circular saw and a 10 inch blade for the sawzall and go to town on it. I made an entire 78 Bronco disappear that way. 8) I just cut it up into pieces that could be disposed of at the scrap yard without arising suspicion. And I'm halfway through making an 88 XJ vanish into the ether (the half-a-jeep I bought and brought across the border so I could get the drivetrain and wire harness).

:clapping: They look even prettier than my Florida leaf packs. :brows:

Nope. I just noticed your latest post wasn't in the truck's thread. :cheers:

Are you still having that issue with not being able to rely in threads?

"bolt right on" is a bit strong. Some aftermarket bumpers are the same between the 2 trucks, but I'm pretty sure the mounts are different. I'll take the camera and tape measure with me on my next trip to the junkyard and see what I come up with.

I don't recommend focusing too much on mpgs with an old Jeep. I fear you'll be setting yourself up for disappointment. :(

My towbar setup looks similar to what you have in mind. I had to go waaaay back in time to get some decent photos of the details. I put a lot of effort into getting it to mount upright only to realize that it blocked my view (and that would be technically illegal). I never solved that problem and when I drive the truck I just store the bar in the bed.

Also, if you just hotlink some random pic on the web, you have no control over how long it stays on the web. I hate coming across dead links and so I try not to let that happen with stuff I share.

The 242's AWD feature doesn't quite work that way. The t-case isn't an open diff that would allow full power to go either only front or only to the back. It has a limit of rotational difference (something like 47%-53%). It's close enough to 50-50 that I can feel the binding in the Libby when turning sharply in a parking lot. Think of it more like a 231 with a small amount of slip allowed. There are many different varieties of "AWD".

How often could you make use of fulltime 4wd?

It's not rare in Cherokees. Heck, it could outnumber the 231 for all I know. There's a lot of them out there. The big difference is that it allows the driver to use 4wd on dry pavement (the "fulltime" setting).

http://comancheclub.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1239 Welcome to the club! :wavey: Oh, and the questions should really be posted in the "tech" forum. The "Projects" forum is more of a place to show off your progress and let other member ask questions of you about your new truck. This makes it easier for future searching as well as it means more members will see your question (not everyone checks out the Projects forum as often as Tech) and there's a better chance of it getting answered. :cheers:

Yup. But I've heard that they can be tough to find.

Can we at least see pics of the pile of parts? :brows: