Pete M

sigh... Tis the joy of owning an old truck. Sounds like a great opportunity to replace all the rusty brake lines (something we ALL should seriously contemplate whether we've popped one or not) and upgrade the rear to a 3.54 axle. :D Jeep on! --Pete

It's gotta be better than my stupid mini-spool. The automatic lockers are supposed to unlock when you aren't hard on the gas right? At the very least I recomend upgrading to some junkyard axle shafts and 297 Ujoints from an XJ. 94+ will have them, as well as earlier XJs with antilock brakes. They will have a one pice passenger side inner shaft too. If you insist on keeping the CAD, then that makes life harder. Rumor has it that 95 YJ shafts will they have the CAD and 297s. Don't know for sure but it's something to look into. Jeep on! --Pete

As far down as the stock bumper? :roll: It's the brackets themselves that would interfere and I'm sure there are plenty of ways around it. I had been contemplating ditching the tailgate for a prerunner tire mount and the frustration with the bumper bracket was the final straw. I love how my truck turned out and don't regret losing the 'gate at all. :D Of course, I rarely use my Jeep as a "pickup" much anymore and I have a reciever rack if I need it. Jeep on! --Pete I tucked the bumper up as high as it could go (for clearance offroad) without making a serious headache with the sheetmetal removal. As it turned out, my bumper was 1 inch too high for Michigan's bumper law. So I added 3" angle iron to keep it legal-ish. 8) For off-roading I unbolt it and leave it at camp.

I hear you about the seat mounts. I was contemplating building mounts that came up from the floor and are tied into..., well, I'm not sure what they tie into yet. As I understand it, the reason other rigs tie their seats into the cage is becase in the event of a harsh roll-over, the cab can separate from the frame (which is what the cage is attached to if they are smart). That can't possibly happen with our trucks, so I'm thinkin' we may just need to strengthen the mounts and tie them into the structure better. Oh and remember that XJ and MJ floors are very different behind the seats. Jeep on! --Pete

XJs and MJs share nothing out back, save for the axle. I made a template out of cardboard by placing the cardboard (already in the shape of my eventual bumper bracket) up against the frame and pushing a screwdriver through it where the holes were. Then I used a razor at each punch spot to cut a hole that would be larger than the bolt hole in the truck. Then I put the template back up on the truck and used a pencil to make crosshairs on the cardboard to indicate the exact center of each bolt hole. Then I laid the cardboard template on my steel and the crosshairs indicated the exact center of the bolt holes on the truck. My bracket was simple 4" wide 1/4" thick stock. Unfortunately, if you want to retain use of your tailgate you can't use the 4" stock precisely like I did. The MJ's frame is not inline with the bumper. :( I got a local steel shop to bend the brackets for a couple bucks and paid a porfessional welder to mate the brackets to the bumper. You could also bolt the bracket to the bumper, but paying $10 for the welding seemed a whole lot easier than drilling 20 holes myself. :D Jeep on! --Pete

For something as complex as a cage, I would find a local with a bender and go full custom. It seems a whole lot easier than trying to alter a kit. If a bar is off by an inch or a few degrees, it'll become a huge hassle to make it work. I sought out a local fab guy with a bender for my rollbar. It allowed me to create my own design to work around my needs. He even had a computer program that calculated all the bends and cuts he needed to make. I also recommend an external cage. It's infinitely easier than trying to weld inside of a small cab. I've seen plenty of ugly ones and my future cage will be much more subdued. Another benefit of the external cage is protection for the cab. An internal cage seems like such a waste of effort when a single slow motion off-camber collision with a tree can write off the entire truck in one fell swoop. To me, building a cage is about saving my baby as much as it is about saving my head. :D Jeep on! --Pete The top will be a simple hoop and the A-pillar down bars will be hidden behind the fenders. Just ignore the green lines, I haven't decided whether I truly want to do that. I'm lookint for a minimum of armor and the cab is the hardest thing to replace. Besides, a little damage looks cool. :D

Eagle was kind enough to cut one open to help answer the riddle of what on earth it does. Unfortunately, his unit has cropped up a couple questions that are more troubling. I'll let him tell you the story when he gets back. Jeep on! --Pete

Some people might consider it too much gear for 31s. I like too much gear! :D I've got 4.10s and 33s and wish for 4.88s. Jeep on! --Pete

No problem here. My shocks are behind the axle. :D Jeep on! --Pete

I have the photo CDs done again so I'll mail them out tomorrow. Jeep on! --Pete

I rotated the guards for the uniqueness of the look, the extra strength of the added weld bead and welds being in more than one plane, as well as it allowed me to tuck it up as close to the body as possible. Jeep on! --Pete

Pics! Pics! Pics! :D :D :D

You do know that swapping gears isn't as easy as bolting them in, right? Just checking. And while the TJ axle may technically be weaker, I've seen plenty of them survive just fine with 33s. I wouldn't go any bigger though, but that's just my opinion. Jeep on! --Pete

I have all of the above and have to say I use the Chiltons/Haynes manuals too. Sometimes the Factory manual seems to assume you know stuff. :? But the electrical diagrams and pictures in the FSM can not be beat. :D Jeep on! --Pete

Usually due to extensive rust but sometimes to reduce weight or to increase clearance on tight or rocky trails. Jeep on! --Pete

If you're looking for the toughest guards possible, I cut holes and put the connection bars *through* my frame and have force-spreading plates on both sides of the frame. There are no welds to pry apart, no screws to pull out, the only way for the bars to move is if the connection bar itself bends. :D It was a little tricky to do, but I like overkill. :D Jeep on! --Pete

Each one seems to be done a little bit differently. There is no "best" way, but there are plenty of wrong ways. The minimum you need to do is weld pads on top of your axle directly above your current ones, your rubber brake line needs to be longer (I believe it's a Dakota line that is usually used), and you'll need to work on shock mounts. I reused my factory mounts and stock shocks by slipping the mounts between the leafs and axle (with a bit of trimming to fit round the tube). I also added an extra leaf right below the main leaf to help combat springwrap. It's a main MJ leaf (with the eyes cut off) from another pack I got from the junkyard. Nows a great time to check your leafs for cracks. I found a cracked leaf in all four of the packs I had to put two good packs together. New ubolts and other hardware should be aquired. Also you should replace your driveshaft U-joints. Ujoints don't like changes in their operating angles and tend to vibrate. photos of my setup can be found at: picturetrail.com/petermontie What size tires are you shooting for and what gear ratio will you be using? Jeep on! --Pete

Custom. Rocker guards are easy to make (though not mine specifically). Take 2x2" 3/16" wall tube and cut your guards and the connections to the frame. Get your hands on some 3/16" plate (maybe 3x5" wide) to place between the 2x2 and the frame to spread out the forces. I did three connection bars per side. We have an extra foot of wheelbase over an XJ so I feel the third leg helps spread out the forces. Spreading out the forces is very important since our frames are made of sheetmetal. find yourself a skilled welder because welding thick metal to thin takes some experience. Some guys like the guards tucked up against the body, others prefer to be able to use the guards as a step when the truck is stuck in the mud or to keep tree trunks that much further from the paint. Also notice that I didn't mention bolting anythning to the pinch seam as many XJ guards do. I can't. There simply isn't any steel left. My rockers are held together with the bed liner I hit them with years ago. And even if I did have perfect rockers, I certainly wouldn't drill holes through them! :shock: Jeep on! --Pete

Not counting the transmission and transfercase (which I bought several years before the build), I actually *made* a little money on the build by parting out the 78 Bronco I had purchased for the axles. How's that for a budget-build? :D I've since passed that monetary mark with all the improvements I've made in the last year (rollbar, rocker guards, etc), but even then they were all built on a tight spending limit. Make friends with local welder owners and 4x4 enthusiasts, check out the classifieds on Jeep sites and ebay for used parts and tires, do extensive research (research is free :D ) on what parts you need to build the 4x4 you want ('cause the fastest way to waste money is to do something twice), have patience and stay focused. Most importantly, don't think that you need the absolute biggest tire you can find since costs go up practically exponentially with tire size. It's not always all about the lift, but rather bringing the truck back home under it's own power. Jeep on! --Pete

I think he meant "bolted on". Leaf pads have to be welded on no matter what axle you choose to go with. Jeep on! --Pete

Careful, they are addictive! :D Jeep on! --Pete

That IS weird! :shock: Jeep on! --Pete P.S. Do you mean you got the picture, or you got the MJ? :D

That helps immensly. Every once in a while it happens to somebody. Haven't a clue why. :( I reset you to "active" and changed the password to "comanche" when I saved it (since I can't see yours). Should work now and you can re-change the password again. Jeep on! --Pete

What user name did you sign up under? "josh" doesn't seem to exist. Jeep on! --Pete

I don't remember any of my dealership brochures mentioning the fastback, so I'm betting it's purely aftermarket (though it could be dealership-installed). Jeep on! --Pete