Pete M

Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!!! :rotfl2: laughin :clapping: :yes: :rotf: Oh wait, you're being serious! Um, well, let's just say that it's not an easy task by any stretch of the imagination. I tried taking my blown up one apart using the factory shop manual and after a couple days I eventually gave up and started using a cutoff wheel and sledge hammer. And it was still a major pain in the butt! :mad: It's a super-complex and stupid-fragile piece of crappy french engineering. I'm not saying it isn't possible, I'm just saying that there's a chance that your trans won't be going back together. And parts are expensive and hard to get. My advice is to top off the oil in your trans and start saving up for an AX-15 swap. I'm very very serious.

sigh... I wish I had those things available to me. :cry: I foresee aluminum panels beat with a hammer, a couple tubes of construction adhesive, lots and lots of rivets/screws and then Hurculiner to top it off. It won't be pretty, but it's not like this is the only problem area in the truck. I just need to stick with my mantra: just a beater truck, just a beater truck, just a beater truck...

Plus they are 15+ years old.

Wow! That's quite a list! :eek:

Unfortunately no. I did it all at once while the truck was still on the stands. But I may be able to help you out a little in the near future. While my 90 MJ is on stands, I plan to swap the 88 leaf packs into it, then build a new set for the 88 using the rustfree leafs I got in Florida. That's the plan anyways. It won't be a perfect experiment though, mostly because the 88's packs have been thoroughly used in the last couple years and they are made from 2wd MJ packs, but we'll see what happens. Wait a minute, are you really fretting over a lousy inch? :nuts: Just do it! :fool:

The hardest part of finding a cheap but decent-body MJ (to strip down and replace just about everything in the driveline) is that no owner wants to pay for advertising a $200 junker (that probably doesn't run), they just drop it off at the junkyard. And once it's in a junkyard, it's hard to get them to sell it to you whole and really hard to get a proper title for it so you can drive it to the wheeling spots. If I don't accidentily come across it with a for-sale sign, I can't ever get it. :cry:

Chances are that's what mine will look like.

Ford 9"

Are you thinking of H2 rims?

Any color that you can't see your reflection in. Like glossy black. Don't use glossy black. I hate glossy black.

You could always revert back to SUA and buy custom springs later. As long as your current leafs are in good shape, going SOA only involves the cost of weding perches on.

I'd do it. You may want to think about converting the front to leafs. :needpics:

The tires are 33s and the springs are stock MJ with an extra leaf throw in. My front stuff is all custom to adapt the Ford axle so it's of little use to anyone else, but if you go to the rubiconexpress.com site, you'll see what all is required to lift the front properly. Don't forget about gearing.

I went SOA and added a second main MJ leaf (with the eyes cut off) righ below the main leaf. No problems with springwrap and the packs still flex right up to the bumpstops (they'll go even further, but the bumpstops are there for a reason). As soon as I get the new longer shocks in I'll get even more. :D I do carry a fair bit of weight around with me though. :roll:

There comes a point of diminishing returns. If you take the engine out of it's ideal powerband, then it has to work extra hard to maintain the speed and then fuel economy suffers.

Need pics!!!

Some of us would beg to differ, but regardless, that pic shows that Jeeps can beat the snot out of the competition in 2wd or 4wd. :D

There are plenty of 4-6" kits out there, keep looking. As to welding, it's only the rear axle leaf mounts. It's super easy so just about any guy with a welder can do it.

The rust perpetuates like that because there are a dozen ways for water to get under the carpet, but no way for it to leave. Water + steel = rust This truck is just a beater to get me around town this fall/winter so I'm not "restoring" it as much as trying to keep the gravel/snow from hitting my feet. I've decided that the important parts are solid (frame rails and seatbelt mounts) so I'll go forward with the buildup. But I'm holding off on repairing the floor since it provides great access to the top of the rusty crossmember bolts. :D

Is it really as clean as it looks?! Where the heck did you find it?

Mostly because it had already fallen away from the truck. To the guys that bought actual MJ replacement panels, how well did they fit? I swear I saw a pic of one of the panels here, but I cannot find it anywhere. I seem to remember that the side didn't come up high enough to help the trans tunnel. I think tomorrow I'll go to the store and see what they have in the way of aluminum. I can't weld anything in, so I don't need to limit myself to steel. I bought a 3lb dead-blow hammer a couple weeks ago and am itching to try it out. :D

Vise grips are over-rated for getting at stuck bolts/nuts. I use my pipe wrench a lot. :wrench: Yeah, I know he's not holding a pipe wrench, but I wanted to use the smilie somewhere.

All I'd want is an improvement in that dang turbo lag.

The extra MJ support structure is awesome when using the stock arm mounts, but is such a pain in the butt if you have to remove it. :grrrr: