Pete M

you mean for gear ratios? same as the dana 35. ratios were usually dependent on the engine/trans combo.

patience my good man. contrary to appearances, we don't live in front of our computers. :D is the XJ an auto or a manual trans?

our MJs aren't as susceptible to severe driveshaft angles as XJs, but the sye is still a good upgrade. :thumbsup:

pretty sure he was joking. :yes:

sorry about the delay. :oops: [insert standard "I kept forgetting" response here]

I blew up a Dana 35 on 30" tires and pure street driving (truck was a 2wd DD). you can certainly try, but I would have a plan in motion for replacement. If you're going to invest money into your truck (regearing can cost 500 or more per axle), do it right the first time or you'll be doing it twice. A 97+ XJ 8.25, 95+ explorer 8.8, or MJ/XJ dana 44 would be a good place to put your money when it comes to the rear axle. 35" tire are not to be taken lightly if you need to depend on this vehicle. what are you doing for brakes? it ain't going to stop like it does now once you put massive rubber under it. a double-booster swap should be in your future.

the stock axles are not strong enough to survive very long with such an enormous tire. and if you have a 35 rear, regearing it is a complete waste of money. the 30 front can be upgraded with late model axle shafts (to get the bigger u-joints) and it should last a bit, but there's no guarantee since it can bend into a smile if you're harsh on it.

if you're installing an SYE, then it'll be a custom shaft. Tom Woods driveshafts seem to come highly recommended.

what axles will you be running?

yup :thumbsup:

not all places in the world that can make use of 4wd require high ground clearance. sand comes to mind. so does this thing we call winter. but this particular Jeep can only dream of being a mall crawler. :( it's currently under a car cover in a nondescript chrysler storage building buried among a hundred other special rides. :fs2: but I guess the good news is that it wasn't crushed. :D

use a big C-clamp to hold down the pressure, cut the bolt off with a grinder, and slowly release the leafs. you might need to whack it with a hammer to free up the bolt if the rust is bad. always buy new hardware! grade 8 cap head bolts are available at the hardware store. If you find some 2wd leafs (car-part.com might help ya out), Hell Creek sells what is essentially a new main leaf without the eyes as an AAL that doesn't add lift, but adds support. It comes with the hardware you'll need to put the leafs back together. I run them on my 90. :thumbsup:

my guess is that they are one-offs that Jeep copied later on.

the starter relay gets power from turning the key and then clicks and allows the main batt cable to send power through the big cable down to the stater.

that should be your starter relay. have someone turn the key and check if it's getting 12 volts. if so, it might need replacing. it should make a click sound (I bet you can feel it with your fingers) when the key is turned. also, you should probably clean out all the mud. :D

far as I know, the engine should crank and the lights should work even if the ecu was unplugged. :thumbsup:

...that the "introduce your comanche" thread has over ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND views? :eek:

finally was able to locate a copy of 4wd action that had the Thunderchief article in it! I've been hunting for years now. :ack: ever since I found out it existed. my apologies for the poor image quality. you guys will have to wait til I can get my hands on a scanner for better resolution.

what are you doing for gears and axles? brake upgrades? will this truck see any highway travel?

Hell Creek makes their springs. don't know where MO gets theirs. if you can find some 2wd MJ leafs in good shape, they should give you less lift when going SOA. I got about 5" outta mine. or you can keep your current MJ main leaf and put some XJ or Explorer leafs under it. both have less arch in their packs and you can mix and match them with MJ leafs to get the height you want. :thumbsup: just make sure all the leafs are properly supported. and I suggest cutting of the eyes of that XJ or explorer main leaf and inserting it in as your #2 leaf. it helps support the long MJ main and helps limit spring-wrap. My 2wd MJ leafs with a second MJ main leaf as the #2 leaf.

I picked up everything I needed at autozone. I did some other work at the same time, so I can't give a parts list. someone else might be able to help with that. be very careful with the brake wrench, as the years of corrosion might make it difficult to take things apart and the more you break, the more you'll need to replace.

in theory it'll add a bit more power to the rear. didn't really notice anything different in my 88. :dunno: if you did have an issue with the rears locking up, there are aftermarket prop valves out there you could use. they don't adjust with the little swing arm though. if there are any prop valves left, they are a dealership-only item. :(

they are easy enough to remove and bypass with a T-fitting. :thumbsup:

I bet he did it that way for better weight distribution. see, if he'd had them stick out the back, the front tires would probably be off the ground. :D

in case you didn't know, changing gears is more involved than just buying the parts and bolting them in. besides, with 35s, you should probably look into a more substantial upgrade in the axle department. what gears are you running now? what trans?