Pete M

Does the fan work only on the high setting?

I'm laid back like a dead fly. :D (old rap lyric)

I saw diesel as low as $2.66 on my trip.

I finally got the new ones in and I should have them all in the mail on Monday. :cheers:

As in rip out the whole board? I hope you plan to replace it with something, 'cause when the sun hits the roof you're going to bake. :(

No doubt, go with the 4.56s :D

Yes, you can lift a 2wd just the same as a 4wd. For that much lift, I highly recommend replacing the U-joints in the rear d-shaft. U-joints are very sensitive about changes in their operating angles and old ones can cause vibrations regardless of the angle you set.

The engine in said GC might be important. V8s have a different higher spring rate than the I6 models. Either one should still give some lift to a 2wd MJ though, as 2wds are an inch shorter than 4wd MJs.

My trans/t-case crossmember is bolted up. :D I'll snap a pic next chance I get. I used a TJ AX-15 mount, but I imagine there's a way to get the same result with other mounts. :dunno: For the custom crossmembers, I just looked up steel shops in the phone book and found one that both sold steel and would do some simple fab work. They cut the steel to my specs and then folded up the sides at a 90*. Nice and simple and reasonably cheap. :D As to welding, I own a $65 stick welder that's running through a 15 amp circuit. It'll blow the breaker if I go longer than 5 seconds at a time. :( And it's not powerful enough to truly weld either. But these limitations didn't stop me from getting the job done. I use what I call the "bubble gum method". I stick the weld material to one piece, then the other, and I make a small bridge between them. Make enough of these bridges and the part is strong enough to be removed and taken to a pro.:D I would never trust my welding skills with my life, even if I had a 220v welder. I found a local welding shop in the phone book and he did the welding on my bumpers and suspension crossmember. The majority of the rest of the welding on my truck was done by a semi-local semi-pro that does fab work on the side for fun. Since he's not insured, I did a thorough job of talking with previous customers and checking out his handywork for myself. He did the rollbar and rocker guards. Ask around and don't hesitate to use the ol' phone book (or yellowpages.com). :cheers:

My crossmembers (one for the suspension, one for the tranny, and one for the t-case skid) are all made from 1/4" thick sheet that I had a local shop bend up the edges into a shallow C-channel. I see it as a personal challenge to see if I can hurt it. :D Here's a scrap piece: No wait. I take that back. The t-case and suspension ones were custom, the trans/t-case one was a scrap piece of shelving. Still 1/4" thick and a shallow C-channel, just a bit narrower and I used that extra brace that MJ have (the one that mounts on the inside of the frame and the stock crossmember bolts on) to hold it up.

Ummm, none I think. At least no one I can remember. With an extra foot of wheelbase, MJs don't have the driveshaft angles that the XJ has at that height.

I would hesitate before pressure washing the engine bay. There are a LOT of things in there that do not like to get wet and even more things that don't like the force of the watter hitting them. Plenty of people have caused headaches by spraying the wrong thing (me included).

I would recommend a 4.5" lift kit and some 32" tires.

What size/brand tires were you looking to run?

Buy used! :D

As God as my witness... :D

If you have any accident beyond a mild fender bender and it's against the law to have a homebrew suspension, they will likely look into it. :D If the cops don't, then the other guy's insurance will for sure. I don't worry about getting pulled over, I worry about the impending lawsuit from the other guy and then my insurance company denying my claim due to the fact I never told them I've heavily modified my truck. :(

I would rather answer a simple question a hundred times than to just tell someone they should use the search. Every case is different and there's no telling whether or not the person asking has the knowledge to differentiate how their situation is different from another owner's. I prefer to handle each problem on an individual basis. But I admit in the past I have given a partial response and then mentioned that a similar topic was discussed recently. As long as it's done in a friendly tone. I CAN'T STAND it when someone just says "learn to use the search feature you noob!" or something to that effect. That ain't nice and that certainly ain't friendly. :headpop: But do be careful about the bashing of NAXJA. For every bad apple there are a whole bunch of good ones. :D

It's close enough to be tech. :D XJ rear flares are a bit smaller than MJ rear flares. Does that make the choice any easier?

Technically an MJ crossmember is held up by 8 bolts. :D Just another reason the MJ is better than an XJ. When I built my custom crossmember, I was concerned about strength even with four 1/2" grade 8 bolts going through the frame. The "frame" is just sheetmetal after all. So later on I had it welded up. That's lasted fine so far (I tend to be a slow drivin' wheeler), but now I'm concerned about rust slowly eating away at my frame in that area. So the next stage is to weld up a crossbar to connect my crossmember to my rocker guards (that run through the frame). You can never have too much strength in the attachment point between the suspension and the body. I'm going to have to side with the needs-more-support crowd, but it might be my cautious side talking there. It's not only your butt on the line if the suspension breaks and you have an accident on the street, but also those driving around you. And if you are the cause of the accident, you are the liable one. That's why I pretty much stopped driving my 88 on the street. At this point in time it's waaay stronger than factory, but it's not my opinion that matters after an accident. Just something to consider. Oh, also, in Michigan it's a law that all suspension parts must have been built in a factory. Not sure what Georgia has in that regard.

I don't need impressive mpg as much as I need to smile every time I get into the drivers seat. :D I just don't think an Escort would do the same thing. Although, maybe if it were a stick... I imagine that'd be kinda fun. But then I'd totally destroy the fuel economy having all that fun. :brows:

That's why we have rule #1. :cheers: http://comancheclub.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1239

The first ratchet wrench I bought was an angled 7mm/8mm for the front driveshaft bolts (there was a conflict with the custom crossmember and that wrench was the only thing that could work). Now I have a full set of them plus a set of stubby metrics and I can't imagine life without them.

Also, the perches are different between the Dana 44 and 35. The rocky road flip kit would simply require too much effort to modify to work on a 44. Rumor had it they were working on a 44 flip kit but I haven't heard anything for months.

Good eyes! Yup, that'd be the 242 that's in my 90 MJ. :D