Megadan

This^^ as mentioned before by a couple people, jump em straight off the battery and see how they light up.

If you notice I mentioned CAD and my Cable (aka Posi-Lok). cable means I already removed CAD. :doh: Also, you may have noticed I said the front driveshaft freewheels when 4wd engaged, and that I can grab and turn said shaft by hand while in 4wd and the rear driveshaft chugging away. Not trying to be a jerk here, but I included all of the information in my first post that should be relevant.

That thing just screams off-road buggy project. Decent score for the price though. Have fun with that project.

I've been stewing on this one for a while trying to figure it out, but short of going and getting another transfer case from the yard, of which there are 2 good ones I can pull for 90 bucks. When I had all 4 wheels off the ground last weekend I decided to test and see if my 4wd actually worked, because this winter it never felt right. Sure enough, the front axle and driveshaft just sit there doing nothing. I even risked my hand and turned the front shaft by hand and it just spins freely while the rear wheels turn away. Before you say to adjust the linkage, which seems to be everybodies go-to reponse, the truck engages 4hi and 4lo perfectly, just in 2wd mode. Thought it was the CAD, but my cable is engaging the outer passenger axle stub. Only thing I can figure is something internal let go. Doesn't make a single noise. Checked the fluid for metal, found nothing. Checked inside the case as best I could. Chain is not visually slack, and when I prod it with my finger through the fill hole it feels pretty tight. The only thing I can figure is some sort of shift fork, or pin, broke in such a way that it didn't cause any catastrophic failure, but won't let me engage the front driveshaft. Another T-case is cheap and easy enough to get, and I may go that route anyway. Then I can build myself a heavy duty case with the current one with a wide chain and 6 pinion setup. Just seeing if anybody has any other ideas or things to check for.

I buy shrink tubing by the roll. Especially the smaller 4-5mm size used on 20-18awg wires commonly found in a lot of cars. I like buying in excess. I never run out lol

I wouldn't be intimidated by soldering, it's a straight forward process. For electronics you want to use Rosin Core solder. Get a weller soldering gun. Get some scrap wires from the junkyard, and practice a little. It's worth the money to get a wire stripper/crimping tool. Most parts stores have a set for around 15-20 bucks, and it makes clearing the insulation off the end of the wire a breeze. Watch some youtube vids and practice a bit and you will be fine. It's super easy. This kind of soldering gun would be good. Decent price too. you can also get something similar at a local hardware store. http://www.amazon.com/D550PK-120-volt-200-watt-Professional-Soldering/dp/B00002N7S1

Thread hi-jack....were did you get your flares? Most likely Napier flares. Good stuff. I plan on getting a set soon http://www.napierprecisionproducts.com/V2-Jeep-Comanche-MJ-Cherokee-XJ-2-Door-Fender-Flares-Black-V2-B-2DR.htm

Eliminating the C101 is worth doing, especially when you have odd running issues that you can't track down and you have replaced, tested, poked, and prodded everything else on the entire truck. If you are nervous about soldering you could easily buy some Deutsch or weatherpacks, a bunch of male and female pins, and a crimping tool, and make your own connectors. Would get kinda pricey doing it that way though.

Get a ford 8.8 and do a SUA swap with it. Plenty of them around, wide variety of stock ratios from 3.07 to 4.10 with factory limited slipsm close to the right width, and considered to be just a bit stronger than the Dana 44. A little bit of easy fab work for the spring perches is all that would be needed, and if you can't do it yourself, most off road or hot rod shops could do the setup work and welding for not too much money.

I have a 2" Budget lift up front and new leaf springs from General Spring, which actually gave about 1" more lift than OEM springs according to the factory ride height measuring methods. Currently I have 235/75-15 tires, and short of a set of lift shackles to raise the rear 1" to restore some rake, I am quite happy with my current ride height. It sits nearly level front to rear with just the slightest bit of rake. Now I wish I had larger tires, but it doesn't look bad. I think with 31x10.5-15 tires it would be perfect. Forgive the picture quality, but this should give you an idea.

I will still use Rockauto for some things. Mainly I keep an eye out for clearance stuff. I will also price compare, because even if the part is 20 bucks cheaper than the local parts store, by the time you pay shipping the difference may only be 5 bucks, and you get the ease of purchase and usually a warranty. Not everything on Rockauto is cheap chinese crap either. It just depends on their inventory.

Oh, yea I remember that. My foot pedal actually works fine. I just dislike pedal style parking brakes

Probably not, but I will search for it lol

I was just thinking about hitting up my pick a part to grab an XJ hand brake mechanism. I really dislike foot style ones to begin with, and I would rather use that space to make or install a dead pedal for more comfortable driving. The main thing I am wondering about is the cable to go between said handle style parking brake and the junction to the rear cables, and if the XJ unit would work. I might pick up the center console from said XJ as well, just because.

Final installment. Marshmallow GONE! After bedding in the brakes and letting them cool off I decided to bleed the rears again trying Cruisers idea with the sensing valve tied up almost vertical. Got a big ol' air bubble out of it. Holy brake force batman. I love my truck again. :D Thanks guys for the ideas and insights. Definitely helped! :cheers:

Took it for a drive with the load valve in the correct position. My brakes are still marshmallowy, but My truck definitely stops far better. Still can't lock em up, but close.

Nothing to report at this moment unfortunately. Once I get a Fey bumper ordered for the rear I have a plan to improve my reverse lighting situation by flush mounting a pair of these in the bumper http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01AXP65Y6?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_sfl_title_3&smid=AIBUGCLTNYU69. If not those lights, then the more square shaped ones. Then my plan was to create an overly complex switch circuit that would have them tied to the reverse lights. This way I can actually SEE when I back up in dark areas. As far as the switch, I want to be able to kill the power to them so they don't have to always function, and then another switch function to have them on independently to function as sort of a rear work light. That wiring should be a joy to figure out.

And that bottom picture is exactly how it is currently setup. That pretty much confirms its wrong. Thanks for the pictures! Here's a tip. Just use a zip tie to adjust it and do some test stops. This is where I have mine set so the front brakes don't lock up like mad in the winter on slippery roads. I just leave it like that year round and it definitely helped with braking. When I bought the truck the lever was at the 6 o'clock position, bad. Just fix it up and live with it, I beg you. I see too many guys think theirs don't work or they just plain don't understand it so they rip it out. It really is a good idea when operating correctly. Some people just get confused by two lines going to the rear and some mystery valve/rod but it's really simple. I never haul loads so I'm OK with mine being fixed at that level. I was going to use zip tiies just to test it and see if it makes a difference, and if so, put it back the way it should be. I want this valve to function as I do haul loads, and tow a trailer. Sounds like the self adjusters were installed on the wrong side. If that is the case, I'd also check that the shoes were correctly installed. There is a difference. Primary shoe should be towards the front of the truck, secondary shoe on the rear. Secondary shoe has more brake lining on it. Shoes are referred to as "leading" and "trailing" in this diagram. Same as primary and secondary, which you will see in most automotive brake theory: http://www.lunghd.com/Tech_Articles/Suspension_Steering_Axles_and_Brakes/Drum_Brake_Service/Drum_Brake_Hardware_10_small.jpg I think it was installed wrong on the passenger side. Or at the very least the last person to touch the drums didn't pay attention, because the cable for the adjuster was pinched under the guide instead of resting in it. The drivers side was setup correctly, but not adjusted very well. I replaced the shoes with new ones, and used new hardware. As far as one shoe having more lining, I did not see this on my new shoes. All 4 had the same part number and thickness. In the diagram's instance I think they use leading and trailing as names to identify position. In that case, mine are setup exactly as that diagram shows. I even took the time to install my new parking brake cables that I have had sitting around for over 2 years lol

You, sir, have far more patience than I do. I hate wiring. Awesome progress though, and I am anticipating the final result.

Re-visiting this after making a potential breakthrough in why my brakes act so strange. While doing my lift I noticed my front pads were pretty thin, so I decided it was time to go over the rest of the brake hardware. While doing the rear drums, which were all sorts of adjusted horribly, way too tight on the passenger and the drivers side drum nearly fell off in my hands, I realized for the first time that my load sensing valve is completely in the wrong position. The rod is still there, but after some reading earlier this week I remember seeing something saying that the rod should be around the 3 o'clock position at ride height. Mine is currently at the 7:30 position, and as the suspension compresses it pushes it in the wrong direction. Easy enough to fix, but it also has me wondering if the valve even works. I'm going to remove the rod and tie it up in maybe a 4 or 5 o'clock position and see if it changes how the brakes feel. If I feel safe with that, I will connect the rod in the right direction. I can only assume the same genius that did the brakes the last time on this truck (that means it was all done rather poorly and I had to fix a lot of stuff) also messed with the valve. I will report back with my findings for closure on this issue. As a post script, in other news when it rains it pours. Found my passenger side hub and bearing assembly is on its way out, it has about the same amount of resistance as a properly adjusted drum brake without any brakes on it. I also discovered the U joint on the axle shaft on that side is starting to make clicking noise and looks pretty dry. At least I can do one while doing the other. Already have front bearings on order.

Try to look on the bright side, at least it wasn't an M715. Hope you heal quick.

I really want a set of these, but I can't decide if I want the step or not. After seeing Outlaws picture, it looks like it sticks out super far. Maybe it's just an optical illusion thing going on with the angle?

This is typical for any LED without a good projection system. A ton of light real close, but it depletes quickly. I'd love to get some JW Speaker LED headlamps for my truck, but holy cow they are expensive. I've wanted the Trucklite headlights since they came out, but at $180 each, a bit too rich for my blood.

This what you are looking for? http://www.ebay.com/itm/91-96-Dodge-Dakota-Pickup-Truck-OEM-22-Gallon-Plastic-Gas-Fuel-Tank-52018415-/191826512208?fits=Make%3ADodge%7CModel%3ADakota&hash=item2ca9c04950:g:icMAAOSwPc9WvlDj&vxp=mtr

My drivers seat has a lean to it thanks to a large driver in it's past. Not saying that I'm a small guy at 6'4 and 270, but it's rather annoying.