1974CJ5

:agree: In my experience with shorts things tend to get hot, and you get dark places on fuses (or caps melted off) but often the fuse doesn't blow. IMO it's probably a faulty switch. I have to find the short in my MJ the weekend that is making my backup lights not work, and my signals work intermittently :wall: . So perhaps we can keep each other in our prayers... :rotfl2:

Perhaps I should have said power outlet, I didn't mean the coil that heats up with a handle on it. My TJ and my Miata both lack the pop out and literally light a cigarette part, but they both have power outlets (The TJ has two). It just seems very odd, that the AMC factory would go ahead and put the wires in the dash, but hold out on the outlet for a couple more bucks in options.

Yeah I just assumed it had one when I bought the truck, and went to plug up my sat. radio, and realized that I didn't have one, after a long time of searching thinking it may be hidden in the ash tray or some other obscure location, until a friend of mine said "hey, man, it is right here on Cherokees." It took me a while to believe that a semi modern vehicle wouldn't have a cigarette ligher. Heck! my '74 CJ5 has a cigarette lighter for God's sake!

Thanks guys for all the info, and piece of mind. I believe I will start the search for an xj with most of the parts I want. I agree and would want the donor vehicle sitting right next to my MJ when I do the swap. I am intrigued about the chevy swap, especially since some of you guys have them, probably ultimately more trouble than the 4.0 right? Is there any particular year 4.0's that are more or less compatible, I am assuming I should shy away from OBDII engines. I have no hate for the 2.5 at all. Anymore when I come across a 4cyl with a timing chain rather than a belt, I am impressed. This little motor is currently doing everything my 2wd drive train is asking of it. I mean no disrespect to this engine. Just out of curiosity: Did you get dyno tested before and after your bore up? I would just be cool to know.

BLHTAZ I think I missed something: what does the "(non-disconect)" refer to the D30? The one that doesn't use vacuum motor correct? I had forgotten all about that, how will I know which is which? Is the motor housing pretty evident just looking at it?

Mostly daily driving, but probably 30% off road use. OX locker in the back, auto locker in the front w/ lockout conversion front axle is what I would like. I would probably lift it up enough to clear 31's-33's but I don't know about drive shaft angels :???: so that is probably a battle for another day. My off road plans for it would be fairly mild, just trail riding. I don't have the nerve to break stuff just to breaking it, or risk a rollover. I am not a very power hungry guy. Most of my wheelin' has been done in a 2.4 wrangler, and it has done everything I have wanted it to do, I have very rarely wished for more power, but have often been glad that I didn't have more power. When you do something stupid with very little power, you realize how bad it could have been if you had lots. Most of my want to go 4.0 stems from the fact that the 2.5 in my MJ feels like it has alot less power that my 2.4 in my tj (and it does). I would be happy if the truck felt like my 2.4 tj with an nsg370 and 3.73 gears. Since the early 4.0's made only marginally more power than 2.4 that is in my TJ, I felt that would be a good comparison. I have been under the impression that the aw4/5 trannys probably aren't strong enough for a locked rear end, but I would value countering opinions.

are there aftermarket heavy duty spring perches for this application, or would I have retain the factory ones? I am not optimistic about finding a D44, would a ford 8.8 be okay if I was unable to find a later model 8.25?

My MJ lacked a cigarette lighter well, so I couldn't use my satellite radio. It was however already wired for a lighter well. I went to the good ol' pull a part and found an 88 (I am sure any year with a similar dash would work) xj and pulled the lighter well plate out of it, I cut the wires about 8 inches out so as to make sure I knew how everything plugged up, make sure you don't cut before the plug for the ring light. Pull the dash off, take the three screws around the lighter well delete plate out, plug up the lighter well plate, replace the three screws and put the dash back in, and you are done. Most everyone probably knew this already, but just in case they didn't here you go.

I currently have a 87 comanche "sport truck" w/ a 2.5, ax4, 3.55 gears. I love this truck, and it is really good shape. So I would like to retain it, but would also like it to be 4x4. I would like to go 4.0, since my truck is an 87 I should have enough engine bay correct? Should I stay with the 2.5 and just bore and stroke it? I would really like to have an ax15 tranny if I go 4.0. I believe these started in 1988 would this be compatible with my under body openings? I would like to have a an np231 transfer case as well any problem with that? Would the chrysler 8.25 rear end out of an XJ be suitable for an MJ? The donor vehicle for all of the above parts would be an XJ most likely. Any info that would prepare me for the job would be appreciated, or any suggestions for alternatives to these would be great. The whole drivetrain out of a 4.3 chevy blazer would be awesome but, am I to understand that the 4.3 is a little too tall for the engine bay? I am very sorry if the answers to all these questions have been answered but the search field kept telling me that it couldn't return any results. Thanks in advance.