Pete M

What about a lifted Explorer pack? If a stock packs lowers by X amount, then a lift pack of the same amount should be stock for us right? I can't say for certain about the lift pack, but a stock Explorer main leaf pushes an MJ rear axle forward by 1/2" and the eyes are just a bit different. I would probably recommend using the MJ main leaf if it's in good shape and put the Exp pack underneath it.

Yup, me too. I dug out an old extension that didn't stay on the ratchet anymore and ground down 2 sides. Make sure you only take off a little at a time, as it's really easy to end up with a 7mm and round out the hole. Don't ask me how I know. :oops:

My only experience with a 4.0 rear main was horrible. The first try I accidentally put a small nick in the seal when installing it. But I kept on going anyways and sure enough, it leaked worse than before. So I did it again. And once again it leaked. So I did some more research and noticed that the repair manual called for RTV in certain places around the seal. I'm not sure why I didn't notice that the first time, but I tried again with the silicone. It STILL leaked. Now I was getting pissed but figured that I didn't leave enough time for the RTV to cure. So I did it one more time, used lots of RTV (be careful, as you don't want chunks to break off and get into the engine), and waited overnight. That apparently did it for me and I haven't had any issues since. :D Well, with the rear main at least. Later on I fixed the valve cover, but I still haven't bothered with the oil filter adapter's seals. They leak pretty bad.

What color were they? lift? tires? I know they weren't mine (since none of mine work), but maybe we could recognize them.

Oh the humanity!! :headpop:

Hell no. I'm using whatever cheap crap happens to be in the garage. :D

Aren't the bushwackers like 6" wide? Should be easy enough to measure your truck (minus the stock flares) and add 12". :D I think Bushwacker even has an MJ of their own. You might be able to ask them directly. XJs are the same up front too.

These 2 MJs have the same engine, yes?

An SOA will deliver about 5-6". It varies depending on the leafs used, how saggy they are, and how tall the spring perch is.

:yes: :teehee: Couple questions. Does that one sign say that they have a wishing well? And what's with the ?Bigfoot? sign? :hmm:

It's not as helpful as you might think. I'd hold off to find a later one. 89+ are the best in my mind.

Go buy a hoist. I got my folding one from harborfreight.com (don't misspell it, using "frieght" brings up a bogus site). Although I picked mine up from a local store. They go on sale every so often too. Same with the jackstands. There is no excuse to not have quality stands. I love having a cherry picker hoist. It comes in handy for all sorts of chores. :D

I went to the Jeep dealership to get some GL-3 for my 90's AX-15 and found that they don't carry it any more. But that's not the important part, apparently the replacement is 10W-30 oil. :eek: I swung by the Dodge dealership and they confirmed it. 10W-30 is now the recommended oil for the AX-15 and it claims "improved shift quality" or something like that. I volunteer to be the guinea pig on this one since I have a high mileage trans to experiment with. You may have to wait for results though, as I don't yet have a floor... or brakes... :oops: But we'll see what happens.

This is copied directly from my project page, so if you read that, you won't need to read this. The Explorer leaf springs use a larger retention bolt (7/16") for the leafs and I decided to use that and drill out the MJ leafs to match. (bigger is better, right?) Of course, I didn't think about the fact that the heads of the larger socket cap bolts would not fit in the spring pad, nor will the nut pass through the shock pad. So instead of grinding down the grade 5 (strongest 7/16" I could find) socket head bolt and worrying about strength of what little would be left of the head, I grabbed some grade 8 hex heads and just nipped off the corners. Fits perfect! (I didn't even need to grab the head of the bolt when I installed it. Friction with the leaf held it just fine while I tightened the nut) But this still didn't fix the fact that I didn't have any drill bits wider than 1/2". so instead of widening the shock pad hole, I just used a grade 8 washer and bolted the shock mount directly to the leafs. Also, be aware that not all drill bits are capable of drilling through the tempered steel of a leaf spring. I used a regular ol' high speed steel bit (with cutting lubricant) and it went through the main leaf just fine, but it would not even make a scratch in the lower leaf (yes, I did grind away the rust first). So out came the expensive set (the ones I very rarely use, for fear of hurting them) and it handled the lower leaf without any drama. :D Also note that I nipped the edges of the washer so that lower bolt plate thingy would fit up nice and snug. Here are the leafs installed. Got 20.75" from bottom of flare to center of hub. The pack, as it sits now --MJ main --Exp main --Exp #2 --MJ # 3 --Exp overload

The Explorer leaf springs use a larger retention bolt (7/16") for the leafs and I decided to use that and drill out the MJ leafs to match. (bigger is better, right?) Of course, I didn't think about the fact that the heads of the larger socket cap bolts would not fit in the spring pad, nor will the nut pass through the shock pad. So instead of grinding down the grade 5 (strongest 7/16" I could find) socket head bolt and worrying about strength of what little would be left of the head, I grabbed some grade 8 hex heads and just nipped off the corners. Fits perfect! (I didn't even need to grab the head of the bolt when I installed it. Friction with the leaf held it just fine while I tightened the nut) But this still didn't fix the fact that I didn't have any drill bits wider than 1/2". so instead of widening the shock pad hole, I just used a grade 8 washer and bolted the shock mount directly to the leafs. Also, be aware that not all drill bits are capable of drilling through the tempered steel of a leaf spring. I used a regular ol' high speed steel bit (with cutting lubricant) and it went through the main leaf just fine, but it would not even make a scratch in the lower leaf (yes, I did grind away the rust first). So out came the expensive set (the ones I very rarely use, for fear of hurting them) and it handled the lower leaf without any drama. :D Also note that I nipped the edges of the washer so that lower bolt plate thingy would fit up nice and snug. Here are the leafs installed. Got 20.75" from bottom of flare to center of hub. The pack, as it sits now --MJ main --Exp main --Exp #2 --MJ # 3 --Exp overload Just a couple pics of what rust/time does to MJ main leafs where the bolt passes over them. I hate that this happens. I've got leafs, yes I do... I almost forgot to post this one up. The bolts were so rusted in the MJ leafs that they might as well have been welded in. I used my balljoint/Ujoint press again, but the bushing was just flexing without the bolt moving. So I dug around in my boxes-O-stuff and found the gold-colored spacer you see. The rusty bolt is seen on the right. On the left is the pusher bolt I used to push the rusty bolt all the way out (yes, I had to push hard the entire way). Pneumatic impact drivers rule!

They always take longer than we expect. :D

:clapping: :agree: Stay safe and chime in with some updates if you get any free internet time over there. With pics if you can! :D Jeep on! --Pete

$200 for setting up gears in 2 axles is a great deal! Frequently it's that much for only one axle. :D Higher gears are actually lower numbers, and lower/deeper gears are higher numbers. And when I say that I'd go deeper, I'm talkin' about 5.38 or 5.86 gears or whatever it is that maxes out my axles, but then I have a Dana 44 front and a 9" rear so that allows me more choice than the Dana 30. Yup, the Dana 30 only goes to 4.88. Personally though, if I was building a driver on 33s with a tight budget, I'd go hunt down a Dana 30 and Ford 8.8 with 4.10s in them already. If you're patient, you should be able to find good condition ones for cheaper than trying to reuse the axles you've got. Plus then you can sell what you have and re-coup a few bucks. If we think about your current axles as free, then $400 for gears and install kits + $200 for installation = $600. Not all areas of the country are created equal, but with some patience I can get a pair of 4.10 axles (30 and 8.8) for under $250. Are there any pull-your-parts in Iowa? car-part.com may help with the regular 'yards. If I was paying for a gear install, I would go lower than what is available in the junkyards. Plus I have 4.10s and 33s right now and wish it was just a hair deeper on the street. It's going to be quite a while before I can get lower than what I have now, as I'm also going with a Hi-9 rear third member, selectible lockers, etc. at the same time. To take this hext step will cost more than I have in all 3 of my MJs. :(

Angle grinder with a cut-off wheel here. :D

If you're paying for gears for both axles, I'd get 4.56 to go with 33s (well, actually, I'd go much deeper, but that's me and the truck won't see a lot of highway commuting). Don't forget to upgrade the shafts/joints in the front axle. Gear ratios should be stamped in the side of the ring gear.

fuselage Looks like the tail area: Definitely the tail in this one: Engine damage: Looks like the wing here: And... Ok, so that last one was merely disassembled for transport... :D

Sooooo, nobody else wants a Canadian one? :hmm: :teehee:

I'm sure some of you have seen this pic before (I have), but I happened across it again yesterday and just had to share. :D

Welcome! :waving: What do you mean by "stronger"?

The latch was moved from the middle (like a normal car) to the corners so they could fit the long 4.0L and the bigger radiator it needed.