Pete M

There are 4 things I would gladly pay a pro to do for me: rebuild an automatic, machining on an engine block, welding on items with which my life is at stake, and setting up gears in an axle. The best advise I can give is shop around as much as you can for prices, experience and warranties. If the gears are set up wrong it can be disastrous. Make sure you use someone that will stand by their work. Oh, and if you're going to regear, don't skimp out on the ratio. Deeper is better. :D

You're going to do all that work and then not swap in the front axle? That doesn't make any sense to me. :dunno:

Yes, they should be 3.55 gears.

She just needs more practice, that's all. :D

So I went to the store to place the order and we discussed exactly how it'll look. Then he told me that the hat company will send him a proof. :brows: I didn't realize that I'd get a chance to examine anything before they were made, so the perfectionist in me is really geeked. I should find out in the next couple days as to when the proof will get here. I'll keep y'all posted.

I just heard that too. :D I'm not entirely happy that it isn't based on the Wrangler, but I'm holding final thoughts until I see it.

Got it. Well, if you're just looking for a front axle, I personally wouldn't buy that particular Jeep. The gear ratio is only 3.55 if it's an auto and 3.07 if it's a stick. I'd keep looking for a 4.10 gear set if the 2.5L is to be retained.

How much of a project are you looking for? You can't swap much in the way of individual parts in the drivetrain (2.5 and 4.0 don't share trannys and the t-cases should have different input spline counts), but you could swap over the entire thing including engine wiring harness and dash.

What engines/transmissions are we talking about here with the 2 Jeeps? Year of your truck?

Being poor and having no place of my own to store them didn't stop me from my 3rd MJ, but it has apparently delayed purchasing a 4th. We'll see how long that lasts. :roll:

:eek: :rotfl2:

4.5 coils... plus new shocks, and a sway bar fix, and new control arms, and a new trac bar, and new brake lines, etc... Please don't get the impression that lifting an MJ only requires new springs.

We've got a pretty basic forums software here (it was free after all). Maybe that feature will come with the next upgrade?

Hmmm. Now there's some food for thought. :brows:

A lift block won't lift the rear of a stock MJ. It would lower it since our leafs are under the axle. Lift blocks will lift an XJ though, since XJs have their leafs above the axle.

Haven't yet decided precisely which parts I'll be using, but at this time I have no plans to adapt any sort of parking brake. But then again that might change if I find a good write-up from someone that has. These are a couple write-ups I've found so far. There are other vehicles in the world that use the 5on5.5 pattern so I plan to try every one of their rotors when the time comes. :D I'm not real keen on copying either one directly. I think I can do better. http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=229934 http://fordfuelinjection.com/bronco/brakes.html This is my current parking brake. Hasn't let me down yet. :D

With the internal drum emergency brakes like a ZJ or 8.8 or without? I plan on going without. After a heavy mud trip I'll still have to clean the vents in all 4 rotors thou. Oh, it'll all still have to be cleaned of course, but I can clean most all of the mud out of my front disks with a garden hose at the 4x4park or in town at the DIY carwash. What I should have clarified that better and said that I won't have to pull off the drums before hitting the road.

XJs and MJs are identical in that respect. But sometimes I've found myself saying "Cherokee" because the guy on the other side of the counter didn't know what a "Comanche" was. :(

You weren't the only one that hated them. I've heard that from a couple others. One guy was complaining of a weak sidewall and another thought they were impossible to balance. I love mine though. :D I drove on a set of 33s out to Moab (3k miles of highway) and wheeled on the Utah slickrock plus lots of mud in Colorado and Illinois. They have proven themselves in sand and snow too. They are very sensitive to funny wear though. Just rotate them with your oil changes and you'll be fine. 5k mile interval at the longest.

Do you believe in magic? :roll: When it comes to computers? You bet. :D

I've got no idea how you guys are putting in the larger-than-normal pics. I set limitations in the forum software. :dunno:

Anything that pulls air from the engine compartment isn't "cold". In fact, the air under the hood of my 88 is downright hot. :(

I'll eventually being putting disks on my 88's 9" purely to eliminate having to clean out the mud. No other reason. I hate pulling off the tires and drums when the entire vehicle is wet and muddy. :(

What are you trying to do?

For sharp rocks (and no mud) I'd go with the MTR. :D