Pete M

Well, technically I didn't have to do either. :D Jeep on! --Pete

Oh, so it's just coincidence that the PowWow is in 3 weeks? Jeep on! --Pete

Yup, I believe you've got a YJ/TJ tranny there. I had to invent a few parts in order to adapt my 99 AX-15. It's tight to the floor, but there's about a half inch of clearance and to date it hasn't hit the sheetmetal. I built my own crossmember and used the TJ trans mount so I had a flat underbelly. I haven't a clue how it would turn out with an MJ mount and stock crossmember. The crossmember is a simple U-channel that I bolted to that funky bracket that MJ crossmembers bolt to (XJs don't have them). I think the TJ trans mount is lower profile that XJs, but I'm not positive on that. The T-case linkage was pieced together from the TJ parts and the linkage I swiped from my 86. A simple bar of steel functions as the tranny-side mounting point. I'm unfamiliar with the NP-242 linkage though. It was certainly a bit more work than an MJ/XJ tranny, but I feel I got a better truck in the end. It's hard to argue with great ground clearance. :D Do you have any pictures of what you've got? Jeep on! --Pete

An overwhelming desire to buy a new price-friendly 4 door Jeep, but there isn't anything else that fits the bill? Overall it's not that bad of a vehicle, it's just that we all wish it was something else. Jeep on! --Pete

I don't know precisely where the break is, but chances are the 44 will be 3.07 or 3.54 so I'm going to say you'll most likely need a new carrier. Perfect time to buy a locker or LS that replaces the carrier. :-) Jeep on! --Pete

I had a similar occurance back when I first bought the 88 and it had those bald Parelli tires. I think the trucks can sense when they need new rubber. :D Sorta like the timer that tells us when the O2 sensor is old. Jeep on! --Pete

A Dana 44 behind a 2.5L/auto? Just a weeeeee bit of overkill. :D Jeep on! --Pete

I would have grabbed it. It's worth a bit more than you'll be paying for it! :D Jeep on! --Pete

Having the whole XJ will definitely make life easier, but 3 weeks? Dang that seems ambitious. Or maybe it just seems that way to me because my build up took months. :D Jeep on! --Pete

Yeah I kinda figured the MJ tires had something to do with it. I have a couple of junkyard 31s I'll be mounting on the front of the MJ and those 33s will be in the back of the Durango for extra weight. That should help a bit with the wandering. I imagine the toe is fine, as there wasn't any funny wear on the trip out to Moab (other then the wear induced by the Moab terrain :D ). It doesn't really much matter in my particular case though, as the toe isn't exactly adjustible anymore. I don't dare disturb the rusty threads on the tierod. I'll be leaving it as Ford intended until I can upgrade. Jeep on! --Pete

Between the 2 piece shafts on the CJs and the heavy weight of an SJ on the relatively thin tubes, the AMC 20 have gotten a very bad wrap. Under an MJ, it is a fine axle. We have neither the stupid CJ shafts, nor the weight of the SJ. The tubes have been known to spin in the housing too, but a stock MJ engine probably doesn't have the torque necessary to do it. Jeep on! --Pete

That's an interesting thought... I'll have to look into sponsering an MJ once I find that winning lotto ticket on the sidewalk. (I figure I have about the same chance of winning and I don't have to waste my money on tickets) I usually just root for whoever's in second place at the time. :D Jeep on! --Pete

Yup, longbed driveshafts are about 6 inches longer than shortbeds (which are about a foot longer than an XJ's). I needed a new shaft for my 88's 4wd conversion and ended up getting the 2wd shaft cut down. If you can't find a longbed/4.0l/stick rear shaft, 2wd shafts are much longer than 4wds so I'm betting you can get a 2wd shaft (shortbed or longbed) from the junkyard to have it cut down. I've heard from a couple people that the MJ shafts don't take to lengthening very well so grabbing another one and shortening it is preferable. Or there's always a new custom shaft, but that's like $300. I should probably mention that it's usually much simpler/cheaper to sell your current MJ and buy one with a stick. But if you're like me, you couldn't bear to part with the ol' girl and don't want to hear any of that. :D Jeep on! --Pete

You aren't the first to notice that. Jeep decided to make a more 'cute' Jeep to compete with the other small SUVs. As with minivans, if guys can get past their reservations, they will discover a fine vehicle (especially with that diesel). Too bad about the IFS, but I guess everything has moved that way now-a-days so I can hardly blame Jeep for eventually following suit. Jeep on! --Pete

When I worked at DuPont, it was sorta required to be a Gordon fan. Or maybe it was just because we all got free Tshirts and hats. :D Jeep on! --Pete

They bolt to the engine and t-case just fine. I believe your transfercase is 23 spline input and the 89-90 AX-15s were 21 output, but I could have those numbers wrong. The later models are all 23 spline. After 94 the AX-15 went to an external slave cylinder type and they are more desireable (because if there is a problem or leak, you don't have to drop the entire drivetrain to fix it). The earlier trannys will bolt up to the later model bellhousings so for example, if you can get your hands on a 98 bellhousing and a 93 trans, they will bolt together and to the engine. There was a change in the master cylinder mount somewhere through the years and the later ones require some adaptation to bolt to the earlier Jeeps. You'll need the proper transmission mount along with all the other manual trans stuff. I think you may need to alter the driveshafts too (or get junkyard ones). I think the automatic is a tad longer then the manual trannys. Since they stopped making the MJ in 92, all this stuff will probably be coming from an XJ. The front driveshafts (given identical drivetrains) are the same as MJs, but the MJ has a much longer rear driveshaft. Try to avoid the trannys found in YJs and TJs as they are slightly different and can quickly complicate matters (I've got a 99 TJ trans in my 88 so it is possible, just a pain). I have to run to class so if I think of anything else later on, I'll let you know. Jeep on! --Pete P.S. If any of my ramblings don't make sense, just ask and I'll try to restructure the info or explain what I meant. The most important thing is to ask once you have specifics, like if you found the trans you want.

Well, we all survived the weekend. Had a horrible mystery noise early on Saturday and went through a lot of effort to try and track it down, but it fixed itself before I could figure it out. Sorta sounded like a bunch of bolts in a coffee can coming from the back of the engine or front of the tranny. It's the worst kind of "fix" cause I don't know what happened and so don't know when it might come back. :( Anyway, the towing when just fine. We averaged between 12 and 13 mpg. I've never flat towed anything before and it felt weird when the MJ would make the back end of the Durango wiggle on the freeway. Could have been due to wind or maybe the wide tires were following grooves in the concrete. I'm fairly certain this is due in part to the lack of any tongue weight, so for the trip to The Badlands I'll be putting more of the MJ's stuff in the back of the Durango to shift the weight distribution. Had a couple of "newbie" errors in that one gas station. I didn't give it quite enough room for the turn around and the back tire of the MJ went up a curb (slowly 'cause I was watching it the whole time) and then on the way out we discovered that our "train" couldn't do tight 'S' curves because the front tires of the MJ wouldn't keep up with the back-and-forth movement. D'oh! Mike jumped out and turned the wheel of the MJ to straighten it out. It was definitely a learning experience and we used more gasoline than the MJ would have alone, but as soon as that noise popped up, it seemed all worth while. :D Jeep on! --Pete

The AX-15 was used from 89 till like 99, then the NV-3500 came around. Both are good trannys, but the nv3500 is better (it's newer after all, so it should be). What year is your Comanche? Jeep on! --Pete

Behold the power of admin! :D Anyway, my sis has had a Libby for over a year now and she likes it a lot. Never offroaded it though. This past weekend I wheeled with a ton of Jeepers and many of the Libby owners are absolute diehards about defending their vehicular choice. Oh, and when my dad's car is up next year, he's getting a diesel Libby. 300 ft-lbs, baby!! :D Jeep on! --Pete

Midwest Comanche Club PowWow at The Badlands Offroad Park (Indiana) on October 22nd. www.badlandsoffroad.com Who can make it? Who's contemplating attending, but not sure? Who is cursing at us for picking that weekend? Jeep on! --Pete

Ambitious! I love it! :D Jeep on! --Pete

Check out: http://www.jeeptech.com/convtrans/ax15swap.html and www.advanceadapters.com for v8 swap parts. Careful with the YJ/TJ trannys, as they will rotate the t-case up a bit and the shifting bracket holes and such can be very different. This can all be a good thing or a bad thing depending on what your looking for. I have a TJ ax-15 in my 88. Jeep on! --Pete

I bought the 78 Bronco for the drivetrain, so getting the carcass to the scrapyard was a challenge to say the least. I ended up deciding to cut the body and frame up into pieces small enough to haul away. It was actually kinda fun seeing how that rust-bucket was put together. :D Jeep on! --Pete

I'm no die-hard, but I'll certainly watch a race if I come across it. I got to go to a local race this past summer at M.I.S. Man was it LOUD!! We went to the top row and conversation was impossible if a car was anywhere nearby (lucky us we were at the exit of the pits :roll: ). It wasn't a sunday race, but we got to see the trucks and the big name cars practice a bit before the "minor league" race. It was pretty darn cool if you ask me. :D Jeep on! --Pete

Have you tried car-part.com yet? Obviously "rockers" aren't in the list, but sometimes searching for other MJ-specific parts can give you leads. Rusty rockersw are a common problem though and chancess are any you find will not be much better. jcw.com might have the repair panels. Jeep on! --Pete