Pete M

:D :D :D :D :D :D :D Jeep on! --Pete

Dang it. The Photo CD didn't come out right. I'll reburn it asap. Jeep on! --Pete

I don't see the pictures? :(

I know it was done once, but it is a very bad idea. Haven't clue if it can be done on any MJ or if it was a special case. Jeep on! --Pete

I swear that owning one makes you a magnet for other MJs. Or maybe it's just me. 8) Favorite incidents: Working on the 88 (back when it was 2wd) in the driveway and a guy pulls up in a white 86 MJ and asks if I knew anyone looking to buy a Comanche for cheap. Didn't take me long to snatch up my second MJ. Sitting at home. Knock on door. I answer door and there's a lady standing there. She asks if I was the one who owned all the Comanches (and I only had 2 at the time). Then she asked if I needed any parts off of hers 'cause she was donating it to charity. Sitting in my 88 (4wd now) at a Belle Tire waiting for my mom to finish picking up her car. Guy knocks on my window and asks if I wanted to buy a Comanche for 100 bucks. I didn't buy that one (still kicking myself for that) but I ended up buying his other for $300. Jeep on! --Pete

Duh! I should have been able to guess that if I had more experience with this crap. Worked like a charm! I gotta start getting ready for a meeting with GM for my senior design project, so I'll attack the smilies when I get back. I need to find someone loacal that can actually show me what all I can do and step me through doing it. I figure it's like trying to learn a foreign language all by yourself. :( Jeep on! --Pete

I'm almost finished making the copies. I've tried numerous things and I simply give up trying to improve the quiality of my Moab footage or to get the stupid VCR to stop flashing a date stamp on the screen at apparently random times. :evil: I should have everything wrapped up and in the mail by Wednesday (or maybe Thursday). The Moab stuff is a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy so you don't have to watch it all (although you'll miss some funny stuff), but after that I added some professionally produced 4wheelin' vids, so fast forward for that. :D Jeep on! --Pete

Ok, I found it. Now what?

Better flex AND less 'wrap? How bad are these Toy springs? Are they really short? Jeep on! --Pete

I didn't even know I *could* change it, let alone how to go about it. Heck, I'd be happy if I could figure out how to sucessfully upload some more smilies. :( Jeep on! --Pete

I don't know the specifics on the materials used, but both of those items you mentioned are reinforced, where-as on the XJ they are not. Every part of the body from the firewall back (except the doors of course) is a different design, so it's not like they even went through the same presses. Remember, you bought a *truck*, not a grocery-gettin' station wagon. :D Anyone know if the XJ frame is double-walled at all? Jeep on! --Pete

Sounds like a lot of work to fix a problem that hasn't even proven to be a problem yet. :( I kept my overload leaf and added a second main leaf to the pack (with the eyes cut off of course) and have had no issues with springwrap. Try running what you've got and then make changes if you have problems. Since it's probably thicker, maybe you could add the main Chevy leaf to the pack (with the eys cut off)? In my opinion the MJs leaf packs are the best ones ever invented. Seems a shame to drop to a lesser pack. Do you know why the Toys are using Chevy leafs? Jeep on! --Pete

I happen to have a shot of my truck during the period between rolling out of the garage and getting the 33s (due to one of my new rims arriving bent). Jeep on! --Pete

The reason I don't recommend locking a Dana 30 with 35s is longevity. When one of the spinning front tires catches something hard and stops rotating, a posi or open diff will transfer some or most of the engine power to the other side, reducing the shock load that is responsible for lots of broken shaft/joints. For traction purposes the locker is obviously better, but they are very abusive to axles being pushed to their limits. Jeep on! --Pete

looks like a 15x7, measure accross the rim to be sure. The steelies are usually 15x6. Jeep on! --Pete

$2000!!!!! I'm not *that* much of a rider. I bought a Mongoose Switchback many, many years ago and I thought it was dang expensive at a measly few hundred. It's positively archaic by today's standards, but somehow still gets me where I'm going. :D Jeep on! --Pete P.S. back to the topic at hand, When a project ever feels overwhelming to me, it generally means I haven't broken it down into small enough tasks. Being able to check things off of a list may sound corny now, but it'll become soooooo satisfying later on when you watch that list shrink. :D

I ain't got a bed! That's why I said "back", but I guess there's no "in" at the moment. :D Shouldn't be hard to fab up a holder of some kind. I might make one of my own someday when I get bored. Jeep on! --Pete

Toss a mountain bike in the back! That should cut your 3 day walk into a 1 day ride. :D Jeep on! --Pete

I think you need to better define what you want in the end. Do you want 37s or do you want something that is reliable? Even a brand new truck can fail in the middle of nowhere, don't start thinking that you're going to build a fail-proof rig just because you use tougher axles. Find yourself a wheelin' buddy by either introducing a friend to the hobby, or finding a local club and start making friends. For the time being, take a break and get yourself better organized. I could never have done my buildup without using a spreadsheet in excel to map out my plans and keep track of all the details. I recommend backing off the 37s and go with 33s or *maybe* 35s. I have 33s and have yet to wish I had 37s. Plenty of times I've wished for an engine in better condition, but not bigger tires. Driving skills, good armor and a buddy vehicle are all you truly need to get back home. An 8.8 will handle the 35s just fine, the Dana 30 can hold it's own if you get some late model XJ shafts with 297s, don't lock it (the posi is fine), and maybe brace it to insure it stays straight if you're really worried about it. I think you'll be quite surprised as to the strength of the Dana 30. What tire/gear combo do you have your experience with that 4.0? Mine felt tired as all heck with 30" tires and 3.07s. 3.55s perked it right up! Now I have 4.10s and 33s and I bet if I had 4.56s she wouldn't feel so inept. Jeep on! --Pete P.S. They unibody is a heck of a lot stronger than you seem to give it credit. That *ain't* a Cherokee. Repair what's broken, strengthen anything you want, but I wouldn't worry too much about it.

Ok, I've been able to peruse that link and couldn't find all the answers I was looking for. I *think* all I'm really looking for is a website builder and phpnuke seems to do a ton of things (half of which I don't understand). Jeep on! --Pete

Did you get to snap a photo? Jeep on! --Pete

My 86 Metric Tonne leafpacks have 5 leafs total. Jeep on! --Pete

advanceadapters.com sells all sorts of adapters. None of them are especially cheap. Consider stroking your 4.0L out to 4.6L. It bolts right in, produces v8 power, and isn't as hard to keep cool (as many v8 MJs/XJs have proven to be). Jeep on! --Pete

Sweet! Take LOTS of pics! :D Jeep on! --Pete

Oh, it could take out a lot more than that if the gears fuse together on the freeway. :( Most shop charge $150-$250 for labor so $75 is a screaming deal if he truly knows what he's doing. Not everyone that says he does gears is allowed to touch my truck. Warrantees are nice. Even the junkyard should have a warrantee on the new axles. Carrier break for the Dana 35 is 3.31/3.54, Dana 30 is 3.54/3.73 Check out the tech section at ring-pinion.com for more info than you can shake a stick at. Jeep on! --Pete