87Warrior

I installed a '98 8.8 under my '86. I removed the height sensing valve in the rear and removed the unnecessary extra brake line, so I have a 50/50 bias. I am also using the factory '86 booster and master. The truck stops phenomenally and better than my TJ with the Vanco big brake kit. If you decide you don't like the 50/50 bias, you can easily install an aftermarket proportion valve. I do not know anything about said mysterious o-ring. My assumption is it may be part of the XJ proportion valve, which is irrelevant as the MJ is plumbed different.

Correct. The Chevy drop shackles will net about 2" of lift on an MJ. Here is a comparison of the stock MJ shackle and the Chevy drop shackle.

I agree. Do the front coils then the AAL. See how the truck sits. If you want a boost in the rear, new shackles are easy to install after all is said and done.

Those are Chevy drop shackles. You can usually find them on the shelf at your local parts store.

I have a cowl intake on my TJ and would not recommend it if you daily drive your vehicle. The noise is quite noticeable, even with a loose soft top. I can't say if I had any improvements power wise or mileage wise but according to my OBD scan tool, the intake temperature dropped substantially. I really did it to simply relocate the intake and move it out from behind the headlight. I haven't noticed any more dirt or dust in my air filter to warrant changing the filter more than once a year (my standard for all of my vehicles). After all, the cowl is where the HVAC system draws its fresh air from. I wanted to move the intake from behind my headlight on the '86 MJ. You see, I have this fear of dunking the front end under water and hydrolocking the motor. I decided to give the cheap Amazon snorkel a try since I didn't want listen to intake noise from a cowl intake. I assume the snorkel could be considered a cold air intake since it draws air in from the top of the windshield. Only time will tell if this was the right move for me.

Come spring time I plan to re-install the topper on my 86 then outfit it with a solar array and power bank with camp lights interior and exterior. I am hoping this thread will provide some useful information to help design a sleeping platform and storage.

Hey man, the truck can wait. You have to take care of #1 first :thumbsup:

Its time for an update. My overall goal for this truck has slowly been transforming from a basic daily driver to a test mule. Test mule for what? Overland/adventure gear I will eventually incorporate into my '92 build for a cross country trip, when the time comes. This will primarily consist of solar/power equipment, bed storage, skids and recovery gear. My goal is to iron out any wrinkles in my gear prior to installing it on the '92. Since I will try and push my gear beyond my intended use on the '92, I have to get this truck up to snuff. First step, snorkel. http://amzn.com/B00B90NGBK Since I am building this truck on the cheap, I opted to give the China made Amazon snorkel a try. My first step was to clean up a HO 4.0 air box to use in the truck. I opted to use the HO air box since the filters are easily found at the parts stores (unlike the 86 air filters) and it eliminates the vacuum doors in the air box. I fastened the snorkel adapter to the front of the air box with button head bolts with lock washers and sealer. First 3" hole drilled into the truck after test fitting the air box. Measure, measure, measure. Then drill! My measurements were vastly different than the template provided. You have to elongate the the 3" hole towards the back to allow the curved snorkel tube to fit through. Test fit the snorkel body, crossing your fingers that you measured correctly. Not pictured is the a-pillar bracket riveted to the windshield frame. I used my own stainless rivets not the provided rivets. HO air box plumbed in to the 2.5 TBI unit. I am not crazy about the twist in the intake tube, but I highly doubt it will affect the 2.5's performance. Installed and ready for action.

I too am running with the bias valve removed. 50/50 split with the stock master, booster, distribution block and explorer discs. I absolutely love the brakes. According to me 'seat of the pants' caliper, the rears lock up right after the fronts... but not for long since the truck is quickly coming to a stop. Dang truck could stop on a dime.

nope. in some of the vid angles, you can see how terrifyingly close that loose wheel came to hitting people (like 5-6 feet) And not one of them seemed to notice in the picture lol And I still stand by my statement the photo is a photoshop. You can see the poor editing at the differential housing/suspension linkage. My guess is the picture was created to draw attention to the video on websites. Man, I remember when Travis Pastrana put the backflip on a MX bike into the mainstream. Now it seems like every motorsport is attempting to perfect the backflip.

I have always had good luck posting pictures using the code from the photobucket app and pasting them in Tapatalk. Most of my '86 build thread was done this way.

I actually noticed I have a shift light on my 86 2.5 the other night. Apparently some previous owner covered the light with something and enough had worn off I could see the glow in the dark. Now my question is what triggers the light? The dang light would glow when going up hill when, in fact, I needed to down shift. I know my TJ has an up shift light, but after 11 years I don't see it anymore.

Easily the best post of 2015!

This had me a bit puzzled as I was swapping axles and springs around a few months back. I found exactly what you have. Two 91's and a 92 had the bulge and no reinforcement plate while the 86 was flat with reinforcement plate.

Oh man! ...although the pic is clearly a photoshop

That was my theory behind doing it this way. I have also read of folks mixing Slip Plate or graphite powder with enamels when painting their springs. Regardless of how you approach the spring paint, any graphite will eventually wear off. When my '92 was in the body shop the painter and myself talked about POR15 quite a bit. He said when using POR15 he likes to get his primer on before the POR15 hardens up because POR15 does not take a top coat once it has hardened very well.

I've put over 50K miles on 4 Spidertrax spacers on my TJ and have never had an issue with them. If a quality spacer is installed correctly, they are perfectly safe.

Make sure your anti friction pads are not worn out. Make sure your new AAL has anti friction pads at each end. I coated the leaves in POR15 then applied Slip Plate before the POR15 was dry. My local farm supply store had the Slip Plate near the tractor repair parts.

I built my own spring clamps using 3/16 steel plate, a flat hex bolt and nut, and finished off with a roll pin bolted in place at the top. All parts were found in the hardware section at my local True Value. They are just there to keep the leaves in line.

Even though I have never run the BFG KO's on a MJ, I have on a YJ and an XJ. I feel the AT3 is a little more versatile than the KO with improvements in mud, snow, less noise on the road and an improved rubber compound that doesn't get rock hard in the cold. My experience with tires is relatively miniscule, so I'll let the Overland Journal crew do a much more in depth review for you. http://expeditionportal.com/where-the-rubber-meets-the-road/

To clean the XJ drivetrain I pulled, I simply lifted it in the air, taped off breathers/intake/etc, soaked in degreaser, and hosed off. If you can haul it to a car wash, the hot soap does wonders. For the motor and t-case, I have used felpro and timken gaskets and seals. I let the transmission shop replace the transmission seals when they did work to it.

I went with a metric equivalent on my 86 (265/75/15). Love the AT3's. Perfect tire for the Jeep that spends more time than it would like to admit on the road, but performs well in the dirt.

Looks like a clean MX5 you've got there. Nice work. :thumbsup: I had a '97 that I sold to fund my Comanche. They are fun little cars.

My last rough calculation for my $200 '86 was $2000. I won't even start to think what I've got tied up in the '92...... I could get the total on both trucks very close to the actual dollar since I catalog and save every receipt.

IIRC, the part APN sold was a Sherman. It was a complete replacement rocker panel, not a cover that some folks claim. My body shop man loved the rocker and spoke highly of its fit and finish. That means a lot to me since I know how particular he is and what level of work he does in his shop.