Pete M

Then you'll need to buy new unit-bearing assemblies. Or try your luck with used ones.

Eek! :eek: Sounds like something that you may want to investigate. At least to figure out what the problem is.

Trailer? Heck, I'm planning on driving mine down. :D How dangerous can yours be?

Make friends with someone that does. :D Or look into local shops. Repair shops, muffler shops, etc. all have welders. At least six different people have done welding on my 88. Possibly going on 7 since I can't seem to get a hold of the guy who did my rollbar and sliders. But back to the real issue at hand, what size tire are you looking to get and which rear axle are you using? Is the truck going to be a wheeler, or just a daily driver?

I didn't say it was a lot, only that I wasn't expecting this much required effort. I had forgotten about the exhaust and the fender and the trackbar, and on top of it all now I have to figure out why the alt isn't charging the battery (or this is going to be one very short drive). :( Oh, and the radio blew a puff of smoke at me last time I fired up the engine. Guess I should add "remove the radio before it burns my down truck" to the list.

Flash rust inside. I would treat it as if it was a junkyard engine and tear it open to see what's up inside. Also make sure that the paperwork matches the engine serial numbers.

All I'm saying is that I wouldn't wait. Especially if a 400 mile trip and wheeling was coming up. Heck, I'm replacing the leafs in my truck and it's simply due to the rampant rust. No broken leafs yet. http://www.mars-atp.com/ in Mogadore claims to have a pair in grade A condition. http://www.giantautoparts.net/ in Akron claims to have a pair in grade C condition Try to make sure they are 4wd leafs, but just about any leaf is better than a broken one.

I already own my dream car, er, truck. It just needs a few more goodies to be perfect. :D (albeit expensive goodies, like a Richmond 6 speed and a shaker hood)

I've finally cleaned out a space in the garage and limped the truck over to the driveway. Due to the fact that I'm driving on one front tire and the track bar bracket has issues the drive was a bit disconcerting. But anyway... To do: :wrench: -Figure out why the alternator isn't getting power to the battery. -Fix track bar bracket (new specialty bolt has been ordered) -Fix exhaust hangers (broken due to rust) -Fix fender -Install new shocks (rears require new upper and lower mounts) -Assemble and install new leaf packs (from 2wd MJ and Explorer packs) -Replace front minispool with locker (dang I hate that minispool) -Figure out what to do with rear axle situation (go all out with new axle? Install good center section into old axle?) -Get the extra braces welded to the rocker guards Some random pictures: The hole in the axle bracket is just cast steel and the hole becomes oval in time. I'll be taking the main Explorer leaf and sandwiching it under the 2wd MJ main leaf and using the rest of the MJ pack. Essentially making a rust-free version of what's under the truck right now. My new-to-me rear axle has disks installed, but the guy never fixed the issue of slop around the lugs. This isn't good if I'm to drive the MJ to Indiana. Maybe Lowes has some spacers I could use. :hmm: Need to grind off the perches and get them welded on in the right spot. If I have time, I should probably do something about this if I'm to drive it on the road.

I recommend rectifying it asap. Before another leaf breaks. :eek: Have you tried searching car-part.com yet?

The conversion is essentially the same, you just need to stick with drivetrain parts from a 2.5L or 2.8L Cherokee or Comanche. You should have 4.10 gears in your rear axle (best to double check), so you'll need to get an axle with a matching gears up front.

Could be 3.55 or 4.10. As far as I can tell, 4.56 wasn't an option in 86. Jack up one of the rear tires and put the truck in neutral. Spin the free tire around twice and carefully count the revolutions of the driveshaft. If it goes around three and a half times, it's 3.55. If it goes around just a bit more the four times, it's 4.10. If it's something else, let us know. :D

Yup, those 2 need to be removed or drilled out or something.

Looks like Motion carries them now too. Also, it wasn't hellscreek, it was Rocky Road outfitters. I changed my original post.

That's sweet!! But I found out they don't include the USPS priority mail flat-rate box. $13 to ship this trans mount clear across the country instead of $26 :dunno:

There's only one that I know of and that's through Hell creek suspensions. Any particular reason you need bolt-on? You're not contemplating combining a Dana 35 axle with really big tires are you? :eek:

I remember when autocad 14 came out. :D I was pretty geeked about it. I can only imagine what they have now. :brows:

Good point. I'll swing by HF first. I've been hesitant to use the sawzall. Something in the back of my head tells me that weld material is generally harder than the base metal. I have no idea if that's true or where that came from. Yes? No? I do have plans for a brace (not cause I need it, just cause I already have a 2x6 tube of steel sitting around doing nothing). 8) But that isn't necessary for the Badlands so it's on the long term to-do list.

My thin wheels are actually a smaller diameter than the grinding wheels. :roll: Looks like tomorrow I'll be running to Lowes and see what they have.

I should probably mention that they are aftermarket perches and taller and longer than most. That's the big reason I've been struggling. The grinder just doesn't quite get to all of it. Neither does the circular saw. :headpop: Likely I'll just keep fighting with it until I hurt myself somehow. :roll:

...to have someone move the perches on this 9"? My new-to-me axle is set up for a YJ and I need them moved over. I've become very frustrated with removing the first one and am prepared to pay to have both the removal and re-attachment done by someone else. :mad: Or if anyone has any tips for perch removal?

Try deleting everything in that line after the ".jpg" so it looks like this:

That's low. :mad: Although I have contemplated taking some of the gas out of my trucks to put into the van. There's probably a hundred and fifty dollars of gas in their combined tanks! Maybe I'll just hold onto it for when gas reaches $8. :roll:

Because they can be dangerous when they hit tree branches and flop around.

Shift boot? yes. Console? no. I just pop the shift boot and it's plastic trim out of the console and feed it down through the console as I lift the console up. No biggie. :D