Pete M

just a point of clarification, are you looking to rebuild a newer block and reuse your trucks wiring? or are you looking to swap over everything from a newer XJ?

how much backspacing is a standard JK rim? also, be sure to put your truck specs in your signature.

when all is said and done it looks like you will have eliminated all the usual failure points and be driving it for many years to come.

so apparently this is... a thing. how have I never heard of it? and of course, the pickup version?

so what's the plan from here?

well, no I'm not. BUT I happen to have a truck that (so far) only has one name on the title. (later this year we'll be figuring out the paperwork and getting it registered)

so the discussion has popped up on faceybooky about the front 44 controversy and someone has replied with this link from Venezuela full of words I don't understand: http://zona-xj.activoforo.com/t625-dana-44

bummer. is it at least a sealed box?

if you can't get above 55, then something is definitely wrong. What about a 2-prong attack? both fixing the truck, and then also buying a 2nd 2.5L engine and rebuild it for an eventual swap?

those look pretty stock, so that rules out the weak feel of the engine as a result of big tires. next up is to make sure the engine is running at its full potential. new plugs, wires, fuel filter, check sensors, check injector performance, etc. Plus I would run a compression check to make sure it's not just plain wore out. oh, and I would double check the gear ratio in teh axle just to make sure it wasn't swapped out at some point. it's super easy to do, just put the trans in neutral, jack up one of the rear tires, mark the driveshaft in some way and then spin the tire around exactly twice while counting the rotations of the shaft. if it rotates 3 and a half times, then it's 3.55. If it rotates a tick over 4 times, then it's 4.10s. the 2.5L/5spd should have 4.10s but a lot can happen in 30 years so it's good to check. the 2.5L is a great little engine. It clearly isn't a powerhouse, but it's no complete wuss either. plenty of guys are running them still. If you want the 4.0 power, the XJ stuff is almost a bolt-in procedure, but you'll need most everything from an HO 4.0 XJ.

well, lets start with the basics. what size tires do you have now?

you will need pretty much an entire donor XJ.

good eye!

I also regularly use it to blow the rust dust off the driveway after working on a Jeep.

the cranks are both there, they just blend in with the door because they are crappy photos.

since I haven't actually filed all the paperwork for my newest truck, does that mean it's still a one-owner?

of course the answer is yes. I'd love to know what a hop-up camshaft goes for.

winter is com... oh wait, I see it's here already... dang. did you get as far as you were hoping on the barn?

yeah... I want my Dakota back. oh well. guess I'll just need to jump ont he bandwagon and LS my extra MJ

monday and weds are MK days.

good for more than blowing leaves around the yard. turns out it works great at drying under your snap-together flooring. (had a pipe blow out on me in the master bathroom). best part was that the entire floor lifted up from the pressure. it was a neat physics trick. I also once used it to clean the drywall dust out of a room in which I had just completed my final sanding (after drywalling the walls and ceiling). I put a big box fan in the window blowing out and kept pushing the cloud towards it. (I swept up the majority of the dust first)

raisin' 'em right

Uncle Pete loves kids. The next Dizzy trip is the week of Nov 17th.