87Warrior

I would do it black, since that would be the much cheaper option. BUT.... next I would choose a gunmetal color. It would look very sharp and look as if I came from the factory with a rare paint job. Its not black...its not silver... Silver looks good too, but for some reason it seems a bit "Look at me" on an MJ to me. Maybe I am just used to my TJ which is about 1/2 silver and 1/2 black. I am glad to chose to eliminate red though... We don't need two of us on the forum ;)

That is cool! I am sure you will run a few more studies with different forces. I think forward and backward forces would more realistic. None the less, I figured the weak point would be where the brackets meet the square tubing. That demonstration proved me wrong!

I wouldn't trust any ol' rock to keep my rig on Black Bear! It is a fun trail. Not nearly as terrifying as folks make it out to be. Just make sure your brakes are in good shape for the switch backs. Stoney Pass is my favorite out there.

Head over to JeepStrokers. You can learn a lot just by understanding what parts are out there for the 4.0. I have done a lot of research over there for engine advise and I am not doing a stroker. I selected the 321 cam as it is highly recomended by the stroker crew for a higher output 4.0. My plan: Comp Cam 321 Sealed Power Pistons 0.030 over Zero Deck cleanance 0.052 Quench with factory size head gasket The Sealed Power pistons are a little shorter than stock with a larger dish. (they are as close to factory as you can get) This is why I am opting for 0.00" deck clearance. It should yeild a static compession ratio of about 9.7:1 (just a shade over stock, not really important) and a dynamic compession ratio of 8.9:1. (going from memory, my CR numbers may be wrong) Should be able to run it on pump gas without issue.

I could not find a one piece pan for the MJ. So I went with C2C. The C2C front pan comes back to about the front seat mounts. The rear pan is designed for a Cherokee but is pretty close for the MJ. There are a few differences in the floor, like the dip for the seat belt mount isn't formed. Buy several of the spot weld drilling tools. Trust me. Those center braces are a pain to remove. The rockers are just a rocker skin. Seems like they will fit about perfect. I am having my body shop guy do the install. Hopefully he will be ready sooner than later!

Those are great firework pictures. Have never made it for the 4th of July celebration because we show up around Aug 1. Looking forward to this August since I haven't been out that way in a couple years.

:dunno: This is certainly Pub worthy.

I actually took another look at your build before I sunk the winch into the cross member. I couldn't really tell from the pictures, but did you just run a chunk of steel from the bottom to each frame rail? How did you decide what the best way to reinforce the frame would be? As you can see I added some bracing behind the cross remaining member. Is that even necessary with the winch plate tying both frame rails together? To access the clutch lever, with either design really, I had planned on using some sort of detachable T-handle. One design I came across used an old socket welded to the cut lever. Then he used an old extension with a handle attched to the top. When its time to flip the clutch lever he pulls out the extension T-handle and clips the extension into the socket which was welded to the clutch lever. It seemed like a very clean and effective way to go about it. It might still be a challenge with the winch almost completely under the radiator.

I have a suspicion Jim speaks from experience. The hitch you modeled is the short bed with shackle bolt version, correct? Looks good, if you have a sort bed :help:

I am using the XRC8 as a base guide since it is an average size. About 6.5" x 6.5" x 21". This evening I tried a more integrated design approach after reading several topics on NAXJA about removing the front cross member. Seems to me that a solid bumper or winch plate can take place of the cross member if you extend plating down the frame rails. It is still pretty rough, but might be a good talking point I have also included bumper mounting points instead of using the existing bumper brackets. I noticed Detours Fabrication did a similar thing with their backbone system. By doing this I would add steel the to back side of the factory bumper to prove lateral strength for the D-Ring mounts and provide a mounting location for the roller fairlead. The bumper should only be pushed out 1" from the factory location.

That looks great. I am shocked they have not come up with a tag mount solution. For a premium price the bumper looks to be premium, but its incomplete. The picture of the backside of the reciever is a bit dark, I am unable to see if there are chain attachment points back there or not. Is there? Thanks for posting the pictures. Makes me want one even more.

I'm not familiar with you and the mentioned situation, but I think it is universally understood MJers need to stick together. :waving:

I certainly don't have the ability to make and sell. All I could do is share the plans. I will be adding holes for drainage in the winch plate its self. This will happen once I start marking the location for the winch mounts. Thanks for pointing out the need for additional drainage. You are correct. To get the basic design of the front frame rails I used those basic dimensions in the FSM. Once I knew the location of some of the major points on the frame I scaled several images with the perspective removed and followed the outline. I know it is not perfect, but it should be good enough for illustration. I plan on throwing a piece of tracing paper on the frame this weekend, as well as get actual dimensions. Then tweak the drawing accordingly (or start a new one depending on the level of alterations needed).

Another Trial: - D-Ring mounts - Gussets for lateral strength with D-Rings - Pulled back the bumper bracket relocation mounts 1" (total of 3" extended now) - Pulling the bumper mounts back also brought the side plate back an 1". - Winch plate has less material in the front corners now. 4" of contact between winch plate and side plate on each side. (this is still more than my TJ's winch plate) - Bracing around winch feet - Removable fairlead mount is nearly the width of the winch and spaced away from the winch plate for drainage - Nut Straps for bumper bolts Hoping to cut out some physical models out of 1/4 foam board to build a mock up... and to see how close I got following the FSM dimensions. With no XJ or MJ with me it feels more like a guessing game.

I borrowed an idea I saw on the JCR bracket and utilized the hole that runs through the frame on both sides. IIRC it is about 12" from the front of the frame rails. This give you 4 mounting holes on the passenger side and seems to be widely accepted by the XJ winch bumper manufactures. I suspect you could follow $500MJ's idea and drill an additional hole on the passenger side between the front and rear bumper mounts and 'play hold the nut with needle nose pliers and hope it sticks.'

Some lift for the look. Some lift for large tires. Others, like myself, lift to gain ground clearance for the frame, front and rear bumpers, and the transmission/T-case. When I wheeled my TJ stock I always got hung up on the center skid plate, rarely the axles. A lot of times lifting involves re working the suspension system, not just throwing spacers on. The new geometry can yeild improved articulation and handling characteristics. Custom tuning your suspension to your specific needs can make your rig unstoppable.

There is a guy in the Kansas City area giving away his SWB topper. Look for it in the classifieds.

My truck won't be a hardcore wheeler by any means. My use for the winch would be utilitarian purposes and security when out camping in the woods. This is important to note. Mounting the winch on a vertical surface would save space space and make mounting easier, but a winch designed for such mounting can not be found Looks like I have some more research to do!!! I borrowed the plating design from JCR. I believe their tie-in brackets include extended bolts for the steering box. For the under frame strap, it would simply just move the swaybar mounts down 1/4". I doubt that would alter the links. I will have adjustable JKS discos on the truck so it shouldn't be an issue. HA. Thought about this today in almost the exact same fashion 500 built his :yes: Mounting is the issue. Using a new style winch that needs to be mounted feet down on the factory hidden winch design,feet to the side, can cause winch failure. Wow. Thank you for the offer. I may have to take you up on that eventually. That would be a such a time saver!

Rob did it again. Last week he posted something I just must have on my truck. However, I am not quite the purist he is and have been doing some idea sketching. So I have been doing some research on the factory Hidden Winch option. From what I gather, it was just a simple set of brackets that held a winch plate in front of the cross member, held the bumper 3" out from the body and had the cable coming through a hole cut in the factory bumper. For those of you who are lost: Needless to say, I want something of the same sort on my Comanche. For starters, I have never found a winch bumper I liked for the XJ that did not cost $700. Since the Hidden Winch options are no longer available and are nearly impossible to find, to the drawing board I went. Then to SketchUp I went... I pulled up the FSM and used the frame/body dimensions to build the frame rails and cross member. It is FAR from perfect, but good enough for illustrative purposes. I have designed everything using 1/4" steel, the recommended thickness for a solid winch plate from my understanding. The Winch Plate Brackets/Unibody Braces extend 14" down the frame for additional strength (this is typical for the high end winch bumper set ups I found). They will even brace the steering box. An additional set of Under Frame Straps utilize the the same design front mounted hitches use by tapping into the swaybar mount for more sheer strength. The winch plate is weld to the Winch Plate Brackets/Unibody Braces and Under Frame Straps, and has 1/4" plate wrapped around the plate for vertical strength with 3 drain slots in the rear. Please critique, question and constructively criticize my design here. This is the first time I have tried to design anything to this magnitude and felt that I might actually get to implement it. I have scads of, poor design sketches. I plan to cut the metal myself and have a buddy with a 220v welder put it together.

Be aware of: Fuel tank and pump/ sending unit Firewall modifications Dash adaptation Adapting XJ interior harness to MJ bed harness Rust (its an MJ thing) Lots of discussion regarding this swap lately. Your best bet is to search and read the following builds: 1990 Rebirth Onyx Utilitarian MJ Mine, link in sig Everybody does it a little different, so there is no 'right' way to do it.

Rob, in light of this thread and recent thoughts about the actual use of my build, I have begun modeling a hidden winch design for my truck. Finding any good information about the set up is nearly impossible since most threads online date back to 2004. I have my ideas how it should look/mount, but I am basing the design off of a few pictures floating around and various winch bumper mounts. Any high quality pictures of all sides (with tape measure in the pic) would be much appreciated.

I think we can all respect your decision. Good luck getting your health back on track. Be sure to stick around, don't become a stranger. You'll be back to the dark side soon :yes:

Do you just need the shift leaver, shift gate and linkage? I have one for a 231 in my donor. I will end up using a 242 gate and linkage in my truck and. Have no use for the 231 assembly. I will try and pull it this weekend to verify it is in good shape.

I am jealous. Partially in part of the truck, but mostly due to the trip. Looks like it was a blast. Congrats on the purchase! If you PM me I will send you the copy of the build I have saved.

You need to resize your picture (make it small in size), then upload the a site like photobucket. Just copy and paste the code and paste in your signature box.