Pete M

Well, since with my design you're only asking for about 20 minutes of work... :D The key is to have them do ONLY the things you cannot do yourself. The guys that did mine charged by the foot, no matter the complexity (but he might have to hang on to the rig for a while since this was his "other" job). Might not sound fair when you look at how un-complex the bending on mine was, but he was also doing all the welding too. I did the painting and all the prep work to the truck.

Like this: With mounts like this:

Keep it simple and the costs should be reasonable. Your main rollbar can consist of 2 bends and 2 notches. Adding a diagonal would add 2 more notches. How much can that possibly cost? Have you even talked to the local guys about that? Or are you just assuming it's a billion-dollar job? It's not like we're talking about a complex in-the-cab cage. I made (found actually) my own mounts, you can do the same. They're just rectangle tube sections with an adaptere plate to spread out the load. Do everything so all they need to do is bend/notch/weld-to-your-mounts. Then take it home and paint it yourself. Protection is not the place to start being creative with materials. HREW would also be acceptible, just be sure the weld seam is on the inside of the bend.

You'll need to move the leaf perches. Yes, the early 8.25 is better, just not by a whole lot. The later (97+ I think) 8.25 is an excellent upgrade. An XJ/MJ dana 44 is even better, though can be harder to find and older (probably needs seals and stuff). A ford 8.8 from an Explorer is a significant upgrade and 96+ have disks.

My 2cents: -DOM tube and triangulation are your friends. -You can probably get away with a single triangulation bar instead of the X. -Plenty of people run 297s with 35s. Bring your 260s with you as spares. If there's any left over, you can keep the change. :D

I would hesitate rebuilding a toasted Dana 35. After my 35 started spitting teeth, it was discovered that the axle was tweaked. No idea if one problem caused the other or if they were independant. Personally I'd search out 3.55 geared XJ axles. Oh wait, I did! :D

From what I've read from XJ owners online, anywhere from $200 to $500 and sometimes more. They seem to vary wildly.

Ouch! :eek: I'm not looking for lift, nor am I looking for no lift. I merely want to help support the main and reduce spring-wrap and whatever happens, happens. Let us know how your swap goes. Finding XJ leafs can be a heck of a lot easier than tracking down a decent set of MJ leafs.

Bumpstops are there to save your springs, shocks, tires, fenders or anything else back there that isn't designed to get smashed when the axle somes up to meet the frame. :D Extending them can be as easy as unbolting them and adding some steel between them and the frame. But watch for rust. The bolts on my 88 just snapped off and I ended up bolting the bumpstops to the axle.

Coud it be a cookie issue in your computer? :dunno:

Ask if their 2x2 "hitch" is actually rated for anything. I would hesitate towing anything with an unrated attachment point. There's a huge difference between extraction from the mud and hauling 4000# down the interstate.

3.07s do NOT equate to better gas mileage unless you're running little tiny donut tires. 3.07s just SUCK. 3.55s will give you better performance and, in doing so, better gas mileage because the engine is no longer struggling to overcome the crappy gears. I PROMISE!!! I went through all that when my 88 was a lowly 2wd daily driver running 30" tires. After the 3.07 Dana 35 blew up I swapped in a 3.55 geared Dana 44 and the truck improved in both power and gas mileage.

Don't worry, every MJ I've purchased practically had one foot in the junkyard already and the next one might literally come from the 'yards. Unless you're in the habit of seeking out run-down rusted-out hulks here in Michigan, I think we'll get along just fine. :D Again, I don't care about the offset pinion!! I'd be adding the spacer purely for asthetic reasons to push the rear tires back out to their current location. If I could do that with a pair of 1"ers I would, but spacers are 1.5-2" thick. It has yet to be proven that I can buy a single spacer (though I don't see why not), but since I just happen to have 2 other 8.8s that I'm selling, maybe one of their future owners will split a pair up with me. :brows:

ebay.com will have all sorts of brochures from back in the day listed.

Yup, the width difference is a common design element for larger trucks, done for handling purposes they say. My 88 has about an inch of width difference in the 78 Ford axles. But the rear end of an MJ is wider than the front, and this leads to the tires sticking out up front and hiding under the flares in the rear. I have no desire to exagerate that if I can help it. I'll be using the stock steelies and 31s you see on it right now. Even with the stock offset rims, there shouldn't be any rubbing without the spacer, so I guess you could say that the spacer would be purely an experiment.

It's amazing what Microsoft Paint can do. Just wait till I get a real welder! :D

That's my dual exhaust I bought from another MJ owner. :D Forgot to add that to the list.

The sway bar is still attached to the axle, links and all, so it was just a thought. It is a daily driver after all, and I've been known to take my corners a little fast. :D As to the spacer, the Ford axle is off by like an inch and a half, so the thought is that if I add a spacer to the passenger side and then center tha axle and burn the perches, the axle would be the exact right width and the pinion would be a little more centered (not that I'm at all worried about that particular aspect).

And if you've got a manual trans, you'll need to upgrade it too so you don't destroy it. And that will require that you get a matching 23 spline t-case. It's the snowballing of expenses and swapping that makes this hobby so darn expensive. :cry:

-rocker guards, rocker guards, rocker guards -solid recovery points front and rear -better rear axle -gears (I assume this is already in the plans since you're getting full carrier lockers) -high flow cat if you need it

Anything else I'm missing for my sweet new daily driver? 1990 MJ with lots o' rust and no fear of parking lot dings :D -4.0L (tired, but still kicking hard for having 210k miles) -External slave added to the old AX-15 -NP-242 for all wheel drive -31" all-terrain tires on cheap steelies (seen in the photo) -Extra main leaf added under the current main to help control spring wrap -1" spacer to balance out that extra leaf -'98 XJ Dana 30 with 297 joints and 3.55 gears -95 XJ dual-diaphram booster, MC, and prop valve -Dual exhaust (post-muffler, not "true" dual) -And I'm still debating this one because I have an extra 3.55 MJ Dana 44 that would just bolt in, but: '99 Explorer 8.8 with disks, open diff, maybe the anti-sway bar and a single 2" wheel spacer put on one side before the pads are welded on. Coming soon to a garage near me. :banana: I have all the main componants, it just needs to get in line behind my other projects. As she sits right now:

I mean this from the bottom of my heart: Do yourself a bog favor and stop looking for a 3.07 and start looking for a pair of 3.55 or better. 3.55 are the most common XJ axles out there and all you need is to weld on perches to the rear axle. car-part.com might be able to help you out in your search.

With a 101" wheelbase! :eek:

Fixed it for ya. :D

Uh, yup. That's generally when the snow/ice hits. :D