phenryiv1

There is not much left of it, whatever it is. The bar comes from the far hub assemble and looks somethat like a "?" on its side or a shepherd's crook. I don't see how to disassemble this joint to replace the bushing, either. Any help there? I have a TON of slop in that junction, and I am now 90% sure that that is the cause of my crappy steering. Everything else seems tight.

Sorry, I have been spending my "spare" time trying to sort out my lift, including the right shocks, plus I have ordered a POR-15 kit (wow, that stuff is not cheap!!!). Until I calculate the cost of my shocks, the spare gambler is on hold. Sorry for the delay in responding.

Icons also came in silver on 00-01 XJ Limiteds. The 00-01 Classics all featured Gunmetal Icons. Gamblers are 5 on 4.5 and 15 x 8 in size, but I don't know the BS. They cam on YJ Renegades and some TJs. Pic: Installed on an MJ:

So I called up Motion Offroad and Rebecca set me up with an AAL for a temporary fix. This will be paired with the V8 ZJ front coils, which I hope will net 1-1.5" (not including ~1/2" from an optional second coil isolator). I am hoping it settles between 1-2" in the rear. I want to go with something that I can buy locally- gabriels at autozone or monroes at advance auto. That will limit my cost, AND allow me to get the truck back on the road for at or under $200 with another 1-2" under her. So I went to both places and called both manufacturers and got nowhere as far as finding the right lengths for my proposed length. Does anyone know a vehicle cross-reference that I can use for the right lift? Part numbers? Both the AALs and the coils are cheap enough to toss if I want more, or the ZJ coils can be supplemented with coil spacers.What I want is a shock that is long enough to accomodate the lift and short enough to not hit the bump stops upon compression. I just want to grab something that WORKS and stop obsessing over the options.

I just ordered (2) pint cans in grey ($40) and an 8 oz bottle each of marine clean and metal ready. Total shipped was $58.50. I might call back first thing in the morning and double the marine clean order, just to be safe.

I am looking at the "sample" kit for $20, then supplementing it with more of the actual product (no more cleaner or prep stuff). The marine clean that is included with the kit can be cut to be enough to clean the whole floor (per the POR-15 website), but there is no info about the metal prep. So can I go with the starter kit and add another pint (or even quart) of the actual POR-15 paint? I need to do the regular areas- front floorpan areas. Also, I see that some coupon codes exist online, btu all of them come up invalid. Does anyone have a valid code for the 10% off?

I don't know that I will ever want to go up as high as even 3" on the lift. If I have no way to do it right without doing a 3" full replacement, then the lift will just have to wait. BUT, I need shocks now, (BADLY), so I will be wasting ~$120-150 on shocks now that will be useless when I actually lift it, unless I buy shocks that are too long for stock height that will be "right" when I get a 3" lift on there. What I want is 1.5" in the end, but there are not replacement packs that do 1.5" for the MJ. I have plans to do the ZJ V8 coils (like my boss' 00 XJ) and add an additional isolator if I need a bit more. It is the rear that has me stumped. I have lowered a lot of cars- a LOT of cars- but this is my first time lifting anything. I see pictures of the lift thatI like (and is practical) and 1.5-2" is fine with me. I woud love to be able to support a forum member, so if there is a way to do that and keep my budget boost at a reasonable cost, count me in.

I have some 235/75/15s that I could hang onto as spares, so I would just need the wheel. Plus, it is ia lot cheaper to ship that way. Could it be stored in the factory location, or is the 15x8 too thick? ZIP is 25403

Could possibly, dependig on price.

My boss has an 00 XJ and wants to replicate an "Up Country" lift. He wants to use a Rough Country AAL on the rear (ZJ coils up front). Is a Rough Country a short or long AAL?

I plan to do ZJ V8 front coils up front, which should give me 1-1.5" if lift, then I would like to add a leaf without the eyes, or to use a normal AAL. I can always do a shackle, I suppose. I saw that you are selling aimsee some leafs, and I would not mind having a main leaf to cut the eyes off of, but you are too far to drive to and not far enough to make shipping seem worthwhile.

My grandfather used to haul firewood. I'll bet that is why he had them. The heaviest thing I will carry will be mulch or dirt, and only for short distances (a mile or less). Thanks for the help!

Not that it would be an issue NOT to leave it on there, but could I leave the helper on there and still add an extra eye-less main leaf?

I agree, that is NOT stock!! Not a huge deal really. Someone was likely hauling something heavy and thought that they needed them. CW Interesting. I agree with your assessment, after really looking at them, but I have receipts for EVERYTHING- light bulbs, wiper blades, oil changes...no mention of any springs anywhere. Maybe the dealer added it before delivery. Would this change anything about how I lift the truck? I want to add just 1-2" to help with looks (vanity, sorry!).

Pictures:

Um, both of those shots show leaf packs I custom built from multiple packs. :D Neither is stock. And yes, a picture would help immensely. :thumbsup: I knew that there was little chance that those pictures were of stock packs, but I was using them to illustrate that what I have has more then the normal shape of a leaf pack. Pics tonight! I promise! Thanks to all for the help so far. I love this forum!

I bought it from my father, who had purchased it from my grandfather. I asked my father, who had definately not done anything to the suspension. Unfortunately, there is no way to ask my grandfather, because he passed away last month. Like I said, I have complete service records, and there is not indication of anything about suspension- not even new shock in the 94,000 miles since 1998. It could have been added at delivery, as the only thing missing is the window sticker and delivery agreement.

That description sounds like some kind of aftermarket helper spring. Maybe something like this from Hellwig?? Close- more like this: http://auto.sears.com/LEAF-SPRING-HELPE ... Id=2005985 I will take actual pictures tonight.

It looks different from these shots: (not sure whose pics those are) The spring is a "D"-shaped spring that is (IIRC) attached near the center pin and then close to the rear eye. I will try to get pics tonight.

I have been spending some quality time with my MJ lately, and I noticed what look like helper springs on the rear. They have a hard plastic isolator between the end of them and the bottom leaf, and they apper to be the same age as the main leaf pack. The truck has been in my family since it was brand new. I don't remember them being added after delivery, and I have receipts for every service done to the car since 1998. There is no mention of anything like adding overload/helper springs. Were any MJs shipped from the factory with any sort of overload spring? The truck has a long bed, so it makes sense that if any trim or package had them, it would be the LB, but I am 90% sure that I have a D35 rear as opposed to the D44 from a metric ton package. Any thoughts from the all-knowing comanche club?

Any write-up? no need. just get a TJ handle, remove your old handle, and drop the TJ one in place. then hook up the connections. TJ shifters aren't set up for 242's though so it only really works with an np231 I can dig up a pic of it when I get a chance. Sounds straightforward enough. Thanks.

Any write-up?

January 25, 2009 update about the floor: I attacked the floor with a wire wheel for about 15-20 minutes today. With great pressure, I knocked loose a little bit more metal, but I mainly just removed a good deal of surfact rust. Where the edges look rough, I will be using a wire ball on the end of my drill to get back to solid metal, but I could not do any more with my wire wheels. Also, there is nothing but perfect paint under the rubber/foam flap behind the pedals. This may be better than I had feared.

I got the Fey/Westin diamond tread bumber installed. Despite being told that I needed the mounting kit, I actually re-used the factory brackets, as they seemed a LOT more solid than the $30 Fey kit. It did require that I drill an additional hole in the bumper (on the mounting flange) to line up with the stock holes, but I could have just as easily drilled the factory mount to line up with the existing holes on the bumper bracket. Either way, the mounting kit was a waste, btu JC Whitney only sells it with the kit. I should have ordered it frm Amazon for $99.99 with free shipping. Edit: JCWhitney refunded my money for the whole bumper, then re-charged me only $99 for the bumper itself, matcing the Amazon Price. They sent a return label. I have had a great time dealing with them. I used the refunded money to order some more goodies. :cheers: End Edit Pictures:

Can the 97-01 center console fit in the MJ with a bucket conversion? Since the seats from 84-96 are similar in size to those from 97-01, the center console SHOULD be about the same width. I don't know the mounting points for the 97+ consoles, but if we have to add them for the 84-96 console, it should not be too much harder to add them for the 97+ console. Also, can the T-case handle be swapped over? Do the handle locations line up? I searched and made it back 9 pages of results. I cannot use the years as part of the search string.