Pete M

touching a bar of soap to the belt while the engine is running is a good way to tame some types of squeaks :D but it might be a bearing going south. :(

yup, most any vehicle will run purely on the alternator. now, if it has a completely dead battery still installed, that's a whole 'nother issue. for example we were having an heck of a time getting my buddy's bronco to keep running and it turned out the battery had died mid-drive. once we separated it and got it jumped, we drove on the rest of the way home no problemo. :D

last sentance in #4: http://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(bfr5oylm0pbut5ifgsav51fv))/mileg.aspx?page=GetObject&objectname=mcl-257-710c

yup, it's not the $50 fine I worry about, it's the $200,000 lawsuit after an accident. :( plus it's not just the law that's in play here. Some insurance companies don't allow modifications, period. it is wise to check ahead of time. :thumbsup:

a thing to keep in mind, in michigan at least, it's illegal to fab your own suspension components for street vehicles.

huh. well, I give them props for the cleaver idea, but I'd also be ok with a drone strike. :fs1:

only MJ axles will have perches in the exact right spot. but imo getting welding done is easier than getting gears setup. any muffler shop can do it. :thumbsup: plenty of examples of swaps in the DIY or project forums.

the block can be swapped with any MJ/XJ/wrangler 2.5L 84-2000 something. can't remember the actual cutoff. car-part.com can help with prices and searches. you might need to search for various years since the search engine only knows part numbers and I'm sure that changed over the years.

there's a chart in the DIY forum (see link in my sig) for stock driveshaft lengths. but I'm not sure how the newer t-case changes things. :dunno:

welcome to the addiction! :waving:

the XJ 8.25 and Explo 8.8 are the same strength as the MJ/XJ 44 and much easier to come by. :thumbsup: those are the big three when it comes to upgrades that will retain your wheel bolt pattern and width. 3.55 are a good upgrade for stockish size tires. after my dana 35 grenaded I went from 3.07s to 3.55s and it was definitely something you can feel in your butt. :D I had 30" tires at the time.

used gears don't always work without noise and they will need to be set up properly, not simply installed. pleeease don't spend money on a dana 35. invest in an axle that will last. :thumbsup: XJ 8.25s and even the explorer 8.8 can be had in 3.07 and LSD. try car-part.com and look for 98 version of each (the site searches by part number and 98 should cover all the appropriate years) (if it was me I'd be looking at ditching the 3.07s entirely for a better ratio, but I can understand not wanting that level of project)

stock MJ rims have a 5.25" backspacing. others that share that include the KJ, TJ, ZJ, YJ, XJ, and more.

still more progress than any of my projects. :D keep the momentum going!

awesome! :bowdown:

absolutely! like most companies, they exist to make money and they *will* try to do that.

found a link to a discussion at the CC http://comancheclub.com/topic/45236-control-arm-drop-bracket-choices-rcx-vs-rce-vs-rro/

only one I could find but you've probably seen it already

I dunno... kinda looks like an XJ with a raised roof. :hmm: house is sweet though :yes:

keep fighting the good fight :thumbsup:

could be a bad batch of steel I guess :(

years ago the Lions destroyed that part of my soul that cared about pro football teams, but I still love football so I'll watch the game. :D and since it's hard to cheer for a team that's just always good and always has a chance to win...blah, blah, blah...boring! Go Falcons! :popcorn:

corrosion at the coil? I guess it could always be a bad tach. :(

general rule of thumb is that 31s will fit well with that combo. 32s are likely to rub the fenders, especially with less backspacing.

I lost all my oil pressure (2006 I think) and changing out the Fram filter cured it. (less than 100 miles on it at the time it went)