phenryiv1

Most "real" police package XJs also had the UpCountry suspension. This featured about 1-1.5" of lift over stock, and HD shock absorbers. This was basiaally the "HD" spring packs that quadratec and other sites sell, plus what amounted to ZJ V8 springs in the front. If you search the monroe shock catalog, you will see an entry just for police package vehicles. They are listed as "severe duty," IIRC.

Looks great. I figured that the worst that I woud have to do would be washers as spacers to fill a mounting gap or to file something down to get it flush. I used to have a grille guard similar to that on my XJ. I loved it!

I know that I need to remove the metal upper and lower tracks on the 88 to accommodate the integrated tracks on the 91+ grill and headlight doors, but what else might I need to do? Obviously, the 88 headlight doors will have to go, as will the metal trim that goes behind them. It looks like the turn signal screws will be fine, though I may have to pre-drill some holes. What else do I need to do? (I searched)

Now on to Tuesday, February 10. I had to take my dog to the vet, so I took the whole day off to replace the interior in the truck and to hit the junkyard looking for some additional stuff. I got the interior back in and took her for a spin to check the shock install andto see whether the new trackbar fixed the shaking problem. IT DID! I was as happy as I could be, knowing that I had finally fixed the dangerous steering situation. I took it on the interstate from one exit to another (about a mile) and at 50-55, I was scared for my life. Yesterday, the truck tracked great on the interstate, even up to 70-75. Having 30s on it REALLY makes a difference in accelleration, but I really like them. With the new suspension and steering parts finally installed, this was the first time that I have driven her with the new tires. Now all that I have to do is to install my lift and get an alignment! On to the junkyard run: JACKPOT! I found a whole list of things that I was looking for...I wanted a few minor interior and trim parts, but when I got there, I got way more than I had hoped to find. The list: XJ footwell lights Factory fog light control switch (with full pigtail) 97+ front door weatherstripping FULL SET of window weatherstripping, including inner and outer window wipes (!!!) T-case trim (the little peice with the bristles) Black window cranks Black door handle surrounds (where the window switches would go) Smooth (93?+) XJ dash facia Grey driver's side Huskyliner. I never found the passenger one, but they had the rears as well. Weird... The best part? $20 for ALL OF IT!!! I threw all of this in a bucket and got out of there, as it was raining. They also have some brand-new S10 leaf packs, some 97+ 2-door buckets, and a good pair of MJ taillights. I did not have a Torx screwdriver with me, so I left them. I plan to go back Saturday to grab at least the taillights. Image Not Found Image Not Found I went on to a second yard, this one not a pick-and-pull, where I found a complete black grille and headlight surrounds (headlight doors) from a 90. I knwo that I will have to remove my upper and lower trim to make them work, but I think it will be worth the time, as my grille and both parts of the passenger side surround are currently broken. I could not wait to install some of the minor parts. I really think that the new handle trim and window cranks look better then the old chrome ones and the grey cranks: Before: After:

It has been a long and productive few days for the MJ. First off, I was able to do the POR-15 repair on the floor. I embedded fibrerglaass mesh between the coats of POR-15 (per recommendation from the POR-15 tech support) and I was very impressed with the strength in the end. I also did some fiberglass mesh and POR15 on the underside. I still have one more coat to do on the bottom, and I need to do the undercoating to have it finished. While I let those coats dry, I got a few other things done. The least of these was changing my air filter and cleaning the box while I had it out to do the shock install (below) and trackbar mount replacement (also below). I prepped and painted my tailgate handle, which looked like crap but was structurally sound. After masking it all off, I sanded it and cleaned up the surface rust and painted it well. I think it looks pretty good, now. Additionally, I was able to replace my trackbar and bracket with a set off of a 97 XJ. I have had trouble with loose and shaky steering on this truck since long before I bought it. It has had problems for as long as I can remember, and last week I was able to isolate it (I believed) to the trackbar and/or bracket. Rather than leave it to chance, I replaced them both, and it turns out that it was not the bracket (where I thought that I had elongated the hole for the trackbar) but actually the trackbar itself. The grease was gone, and the joint was so loose that the end just flopped around in the socket. Because the interior was out and the POR15 was drying, I could not test it to see if it was fixed, but I had high hopes. My last project over the weekend was to install the new shocks. My old ones were toast and I am preparing to do a small lift, so I went with the longer shocks from an UC ZJ V8 and a Toyota SR5 T100 4WD. All of those went in without issue.

No, he is still doing a full replacement pack, so I still have the option of taking his. :cheers: I have a 4-leaf pack, so I should be fine with the Rancho part. However, I may end up doing the long AAL in the rear. The MOR one is only about 20" in length. I need to compare the curvature, but if it is not going to hold up, I may sell it and go with an S10 or dakota main leaf, or I might do the long AAL. Edit: Holy crap- the best price I could find on those AALs was $82! (end Edit) After talking to Marty from Rock Lizard (the guy who wrote that how-to) on Friday, I ordered new springs that he says gave a consistant 2" on XJs. It is a MOOG progressive spring (Part # cc784) and they only ran my $77. I will just sell my ZJ V8 springs. I might sell them on an XJ forum with the AALs as a package. On a positive note, I got my shocks installed yesterday. Now I just need the lift to match!

IF (and this is a fairly big IF) you already have a compressor, buying a cheap/moderate spray gun and a line filter (for moisture) can really result in a great finish for not a whole lot more (in the grand scheme of things). I just priced paint, hardener, and clearcoat for my truck and it came out to $130. Is that more than $30? Yes. But that is for metallic red (my factory color) and includes a clearcoat over the base coat. I have a sprayer, but one can be bought from somewhere like harbor freight for about $50, and the inline filter is under $20. For about a $200 investment (assuming that you already have air), you can have a good paint job with some longevity AND gloss to it. Of course, for $30, that paint job above looks REALLY good. If I was not trying to do a partial restoration, I would be out there with a case of spray cans in a heartbeat!

Dunno. It depends on what you hope to accomplish. I don't think it will generate much lift, but I am not certain because I haven't done mine yet. If lift is your goal, I think a good, full-length AAL or a pair of cut-off MJ or Dakota main leaves will be more appropriate. If you want to increase the capacity, the XJ leaves would seem to be a good choice. Keep in mind that if you get your boss's XJ springs, you're not limited to using just the main leaves. You could also add in the second leaf to get some more lift. I remember one of the guys in NAXJA from California was running something like 9-leaf springs in his trail XJ, and he said it flexed great. Well, at some point my lift in the rear will outpace my front, which will be in the 1-2" range. Going any higher and I get into shock problems, as I already bought my shocks and would have to go through a huge process to return them, figure out the proper replacements, etc. In the end, I want to fit 30s (they fit at stock height) and just give me a little more height than stock. I really like the look of comanchekid's blue MJ, which I think runs the MOR budget boost at 1.5". That is high enough to not look stock without getting into any major drivetrain issues. I just want to do the same with flexible parts, as much as possible, and I want to keep it reasonable. For my springs ($40 shipped for ZJ coils; $40 shipped for the MOR AALs) and my shocks ($100 shipped for 4 Monroe shocks: ZJ UpCountry fronts and Toyota T100 SR5 rears), plus my bushings, Ubolts, clamps, etc., I will have about $250 in a 1.5-2" lift that is all flex and no hardparts, plus lifetime warranty on my shocks. Really, the only reason that I am lifting at all is because my shocks are TOAST and I need to replace them, and I figure if the cost is the same for stock height or taller shocks, I might as well get the longer ones and move up an inch or so. Also, now that you mentioned the XJ leafs should be close to flat under load, my boss may not replace his packs. He might just add an additional XJ main leaf or the MOR AAL (which he already has) and run his set of ZJ V8 springs in the front. That is good for him but bad for me, I suppose.

From the 3rd page:

Great info, and a really good explaination of the situation. So is the take-home message that I should stick with the AAL and don't worry with the extra Cherokee leaf?

See last post for an update and some revised questions! My head has been spinning as I have researched an inexpensive all-spring lift. I selected my goal height to be about 1.5-2" F&R. I used this XJ How-to as a general guide: http://www.rocklizardfabrications.com/h ... _boost.htm For the fronts, I went with ZJ V8 coils, with the option of adding another 5/8" from a second set of coil isolators (okay, so technically NOT all-spring!). For the rear, I ordered a set of 2" Motion OffRoad AALs, which they said should give me between 1-1.5" on the rear, most likely. (2" was for an XJ.) As I researched it and shot the breeze with my boss, he decided to put more air under his 2000 XJ. Being my boss and all, he has more money, plus his XJ is driven 2-3 times a week for his daily 65-mile commute, while my MJ will rarely leave my town. That being the case, he is going with a full replacement pack (stock) with an additional leaf, or with a 2.5" pack such as this one: http://www.rocklizardfabrications.com/l ... t_kits.htm (The $399 kit.) At any rate, he will be trashing his ~100K stock pack, meaning I can have if for the bargain price of "free." With my existing stock pack, My MJ sits like this: My springs still have pretty good arch for a 20 year-old truck: So my question is, if I use his stock leaf and cut off the eyes (and place it in my pack accordingly), will I gain anything over the MOR AAL? Should I use that instead of the AAL? Should I use both? Note: The word "cherokee" is too common to use in a search. I tried.

I don't think that the extra Gambler is justified at this time. While I would like to have it, I have 9 spare Jeep rims, one of which is my current full-size spare. Even with just a 235/75/15, it will get me home (and it is free!). I appreciate your offer, but I cannot justify it at this time, given all of the other stuff that I have had to buy (steering stabilizer, track bar, POR-15, undersoating, shocks) and the parts that I opted to buy (lift parts). Again, I appreciate the offer, and if things change and you still have it, we can talk then. I still have a paint job to pay for! :doh:

That si what I thought. Actually, once I read the POR website (and I still plan to call them), it appears that they have a kit that inclused mesh but no resin or hardener, implying that they might just recommend that you put down a coat of the por 15 around the hole (to hold the mesh in place) and lay the mesh on/over the hole then go back over the mesh with more POR-15. It may be that the POR-15 dries hard enough with the mesh integrated with the coating to form itself into a quasi-fiberglass patch. But I will call for sure.

Bump from page 2 about the post above...please.

I am 90% finished assembling my lift kit for my MJ, and I just need the hardware. Some of the XJ How-tos discuss buying them at "your local automotive spring shop." Huh? I don't have anyplace that specialized in my area. So where do I buy these parts at a good price? To me, to spend more on my U bolts than I do on a pair of shocks is crazy. Not that they are not important, but that seems like a lot for U-bolts. Thoughts?

Another update: Today, I got home from work and found a nice little box of goodies on the garage stoop: (2) pint cans of POR-15 in grey ($40), (2) 8 oz bottles of marine clean, and (1) 8 oz bottle of metal ready Scheduled for delivery tomorrow is a gallon of brush- or roll-on undercoating for the bottom of the truck, after the repairs are made. So now it is time to do the fix. After going at the floor again with the wire wheels and a small hammer, nothing else broke loose or flaked off. It really looks like the majority of the metal is actually pretty good. So my new plan is to use fiberglass patch to cover the holes. The whole floor will be cleaned and prepped and POR'd. Do I use the POR-15, then the fiberglass, then more POR-15, or do I fiberglass first and then use the POR over it? In what order should I use the products that I have?

Just ordered a TON of stuff: POR-15 1 Gallon of Undercoating Monroe Shocks (F&R): Front: ZJ UpCountry Monroe Sensatrac shocks (37193). 13.375" compressed and 24.250" extended Rear: 1993 Toyota T100 4x4 SR5 V6 Monroe Monro-Matic Plus (32270). 15.125" compressed and 25" extended Motion OffRoad AAL ZJ V8 front coils Edit: based on info from Marty from Rock Lizard, I ordered a MOOG model CC784 progressive coil spring, which is listed in their catalog as a HD spring for the XJ/MJ. In a side-by-side comparison with the ZJ V8 spring, this was wounde tighter top and bottom, and has coils of a similar thickness. At rest, it is also longer than a ZJ V8 coil. KYB Steering Stabilizer Edit: Was out of stock. Switched it to a Rough Country model. Trackbar and Frame bracket/mount from a 97 XJ part-out

Those are my symptoms, 100%.

If that picture is what they are selling...it is not what you are wanting. After looking at other brackets (such as drop brackets for aftermarket bars), I agree- there is no way that the part is the right one. I am not positive, but I know that there is a TON of side-shift when the steering wheel is moved from side-to-side. I assume that the post on page one about the elongation of the hole is accurate, as this has been loose and has been getting worse, indicating that it is quite possible that the initial motion has caused a worsening of the condition due to warping of the stock hole in the bracket. I won't know for sure until I pull it apart, but once I do that, I don't want to install a new bar in the ragged old hole, or vice versa.

I just got off of the phone with quadratec and they told me that the bracket below would be a bolt-in factory replacement. They recommended replacing the track-bar at the same time. Seems like a good idea. http://www.quadratec.com/products/16301_4465.htm I just don't see how it would work, if the picture is accurate. I called and they said it was the right one, however. :dunno:

I took a better picture...

Is there a way to drill it out and to put in a new tapered insert in place of the elongated hole? I don't mint buying a new trackbar ($60-80, from what I see) and doing that, but I cannot find a non-OEM bracket unless I step up to something a lot more expensive. Is there an insert that I can buy and press into the frame bracket? If not, it looks like I will tighten it down for now and just hope that it holds until I get a better setup or until I can get to a JY to pull a set from a newer XJ/MJ.

Now that I think about it, this is probably true. I called the dealership (just to check) and they want $270 for just the bracket. For that much, I can get a new trackbar AND HD bracket.

I will be lifting (ZJ V8 coils, only, up front) in the next couple of weeks. The truck will see only occasional duty in the near future, and is not my daily driver. It will not be a trail rig, but I will drive it alot on weekends, mostly just around town.

Who sells a decent one? I cannot replace a trackbar bushing? Rockauto lists them as a seperate part...