Pete M

I assume you're talking about the front section of the frame. I got to put my rocker bars anywhere I wanted so I could avoid the complication. What doe Rusty advise? I know they've done it before so they must have some sort of solution, right? :roll: Jeep on! --Pete

So you need to go completely through, yes? My hole saws have a hex end to them but I don't own a big enough chuck to accomodate them. My solution was to use a socket and driver bit. It allows me to use my current drill, but also to add ratchet extensions as needed. I cut all my holes for the rocker guards that way. Six 2-1/8" holes completely through the frame and I didn't have to cut from underneath the truck at all. :D That would have been a TON of work moving the exhaust, gas tank, etc. Jeep on! --Pete

What are you cutting?

Get some aftermarket perches. Stock perches are crap. Jeep on! --Pete

Close, except that from my research the 30 and 35 are the same width and the 8.8 is one inch narrower (.5 per side). Jeep on! --Pete

Ease of machining probably. If I had a Dana 30 in my '88, I would have trussed it, even for my smaller tires. Strengthening the Dana 30 is NEVER a bad idea. Have you considered 33s? Does your 30 at least have the bigger U-joints? Normally an inch of width difference hardly justifies the cost of spacers, but the rear body of a Comanche is already wider than the front so it may look worse. Have you put everything together and checked it out? My rear axle is one inch norrower than the front and with the body difference, the front tires needed about 2" more coverage with the flare extensions to match the rear. Personally, I think it looks fine the way it turned out, but I dare not have all that rubber running exposed on the street. The easiest way to get out of a ticket is to not get pulled over in the first place. :D So I added the door flashing to the front and called it a day. Jeep on! --Pete

The wheel bearings and balljoints in the Dana 30 won't like it too much, but that little of backspacing has been done before. Specifically where do you foresee the tire clearance problems? Jeep on! --Pete

Do you have any pics of your mirrors? Jeep on! --Pete

The store is long since closed for the night so I guess I'll be seeing what it looks like in the daylight. This is the mirror I was thinking of reproducing: I'm going for sort of a 'military' look without going overboard. It'll all come together when I finally get around to repainting the truck a desert tan scheme (don't know when that'll be happening though). Maybe I can fab my own set-up. Jeep on! --Pete

I can't stand the stock mirrors on my MJ. They are dinky and in a bad location for usage on the trail. I saw some CJ5 mirrors in a catalog and they seemed to be a good option. The picture showed a 5" round mirror on a straight adjustible stalk. Because I wanted to just try them out, I ordered them through a local parts store (returning them is easier that way) to see how they'd work on my truck. What I got was a late model CJ mirror. 7x7 with the bent, non-adjustible (but still swinging) stalk. They are most certainly larger than I was expecting. Are they too big? I certainly want to avoid the "Dumbo" look that my Dakota had with the 6x9 mirrors (not on that truck any more). Jeep on! --Pete

Your current rear axle should have 4.10 gears (again, the only way to know for sure is to check) which is better for bigger tires. Personally, I would sell the XJ axles off (maybe to someone looking to upgrade the lousy 3.07 gears in their 4.0L/manual) and buy another 4 banger front axle to get 4.10 gears. Or you could regear. It all depends on what you want in the end. Jeep on! --Pete

Are you swapping in the h.o. 4.0l too?

Thanks everybody! I felt the same way when I first found tha Yahoo group years ago. :D Jeep on! --Pete

What year XJ? The XJ and MJ have different distances between the pads, so welding new pads on is required. Leafs are very different too. The MJ has longer ones and a ton more arch in them. Taking your current SUA setup and going SOA will net 5-6 inches of lift. The vast majority of 4.0L/auto Jeeps have 3.54 gears, but the only way to know for sure which gears you have is to pull the covers off and read what's stamped on the ring gear. It's a great opportunity to put fresh fluid in and check the overall condition of the axle. Jeep on! --Pete

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

I won't pay a penny over tirerack for locally purchased tires (and that includes mounting/balancing) because I've found that most tire places will compete for your dollars. Take a quote from one place to another and they should try to beat it. Keep doing that until you're happy enough with the results. Based on what I've paid and what tires are listed for in advertisements like tirerack, I'm certain that the markup on tires is incredible. Jeep on! --Pete

Technically this is a "test" for a replacement to the MJ yahoo group, but everything has worked out so far. I'm quite pleased. :D Next up is developing the ComancheClub.com website into something worth while. Everytime I think I'll get an opportunity to do so, something comes up and steals away my free time. :( Jeep on! --Pete

Hmmm. I'm hardly an expert on this but I don't ever remember hearing of a difference between 84 and 89. Jim seems to know stuff like this, hopefully he'll see this. How much of a smoking deal are you getting? If it's cheap enough, it might be something I would consider buying and if it doesn't work out, re-sell them. Jeep on! --Pete

Yup, that'd be me. :D Jeep on! --Pete

I absolutely LOVED my 88 in the winter back when it was a lowly 2wd/stick. Used to stay up late or wake up early to go out and play before the plows came by. :D A good set of tires and some secured weight in the back (and at least half a brain to keep your speeds under control) and you'll be fine. The snow here in southeast Michigan rarely approaches 4wd-needing depths. I recommend taking the truck to Belle Tire and having them do a free inspection. And changing a stud does NOT take an hour. Jeep on! --Pete

I found a site where a guy used a ZJ prop valve to accomodate rear disks: http://gojeep.willyshotrod.com/HowtoZJvalve.htm Jeep on! --Pete

Yup, sounds like death wobble. Check the condition of the track bar, control arm bushings, steering linkage ends, ball joints, just about everything up front. Sometimes it's a single cause, sometimes it's a combination of slightly worn parts. Jeep on! --Pete

You guys realize Jeep sold more 2wd MJs than 4wd, right? Have you driven a 2wd/4.0l/stick? Shedding a couple hundred pounds makes it pretty darn quick. You *WILL* see me driving a 2wd with a stroker 4.7 someday. And Comanches absolutely DOMINATED the scca-type races in the late 80s. 2.5Ls no less. Don't hide from your history, especially if it includes a lot of butt-kicking. :D For the life of me I can't remember where I got the pics from, but I do remember the owner rebuilt it into a buggy, sans roof and bed. Jeep on! --Pete

To each his own. Jeep made the little sportster in 87 and called it the "Street Comanche". Here's one with the stock suspension. The ground effects are all Jeep. :D Jeep on! --Pete

I don't see it. :( I've got soooooo many MJ pics. Here's a few I already had uploaded to my site. Jeep on! --Pete