Megadan

if you want to do it on a budget you can always hit up the junkyard. Ford E250 and 350 Vans came with big stacked plate style oil coolers. I picked up a couple the last time I was at the pick and pull for $11 a pop in good shape. I just filled them with B12 (or seafoam or mineral spirits) and rinsed them out really good.

If you find that the rod for the load sensing valve is missing here is a writeup from the tech section on how to make your own adjustable unit. http://comancheclub.com/topic/16955-adjustable-mj-load-sensing-valve/

We get well into the 90's in the summer with high humidity to boot. Not sure on the HO heat soak issues because I have a Renix.

The lower dash panel and ashtray can come from any 96 and older XJ as well. Plenty of those pop up around here so I can definitely grab one if you can't find one locally. That 2.5L head on the other hand will be really hard to find around here. Not many 4 pots end up in the yards around me

I've been running mine without one for almost 3 years now unwittingly. Never knew I was supposed to have one. I've never had a problem so far, but I do have a ceramic coated header. Still radiates heat some. If you are worried about it's ability to reflect heat, then line the bottom of it with this. Yes, it's kind of pricey. a 24" by 12" roll is $31.49, but I've used it before and it does work extremely well. https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/productdetails.asp?RecID=11221

Definitely a fixer upper, but it's nice to see a member relatively close by working on one of these. I'm trying to build up a little bit of a network for guys in this region, as there aren't a whole lot of us. Mainly for parts and the like. If you are looking for anything in particular let me know and I can keep an eye out at the local junkyards for you. I usually make my rounds every 2-3 weeks.

My trans tunnel could get hot enough to slowly burn your leg if you had it resting against it. Now it just gets warm. Never really measured the heat, but quite a difference.

I ran Mobile synthetic 10w-40 during the first few thousand miles on my rebuilt AX-15. I switched to Redline MT-90 after that. The difference between the two is very noticeable. The motor oil works, but compared to the MT-90 it made the transmission louder, clunkier (harder to shift), and the heat through the trans tunnel (bare metal, no insulation) was more noticeable. MT-90 is worth the money if you can spend it. I won't run anything else.

I've been considering installing my little Cobra 25LTD Classic that I ran in my truck back in my OTR days. Had a CB Shop do a little tweaking to it and I still have my firesticks sitting around. Trying to figure out a place to install it has been the biggest challenge. I've been thinking about making a bracket to mount it where the ash tray sits. The 25 is small enough it may actually fit ok in that area.

Have a backup ride handy for trips to the hardware store. Soak those nuts and bolts like mentioned above. If you can, have a torch handy (MAP or Propane is fine) in case you need to heat up a bolt or nut to get it loose. Lining up axles with control arms can be a pain in the butt sometimes, I always find it handy to have a ratchet strap around to pull on the axle a bit to get some of the holes lined up.

So much hate on the Renix years. I don't get why :hmm:

Sorry about all the dumb questions guys but just wanna learn a lil about my engine...so i did a compression test on mine i have 150psi on all cylinders except number 3 where it had around 145 psi..what does that say about my engine? and Noriyori_Kudo how can he solve that oil getting into the box issue for less than $5? 150 across all cyl and one at 145. Sounds good to me. All cylinders are within less than 5% of one another. I wish mine was so even.

What I would love to see or find is a direct comparison between the 16 and 23 gal sending units. I hate having a 16gal capacity. It just feels like I am filling up every other day.

They do give a lot, even my factory replacement springs will give a lot even with my just climbing in the bed.

Yea, that's a helper spring. Should be 1 per side. I'd remove it and call it a day. Those leaves look like they have flattened a little, but still have some life left in them. If you do want to replace them with new ones, I went with the 1280, which are factory replacement. the 1700lb springs are Metric Ton replacements. They also have another spring option with a military wrap on the front eye that is designed to give 1 1/2" lift over stock springs (new or factory ride height). A bit more expensive. http://www.generalspringkc.com/product_p/gsc-571.htm

General Springs stock replacements. It's what I have under my truck for 2 years now and they sit exactly at stock ride height measures now that they have settled some.

Well, this thread and question just became more poignant after doing a diff oil change today. Front was fine, but the rear is now number 1 on my priority list. The fluid came out with some glitter to it, and when I wiped out the housing the rag looked like I just wiped up small confetti. It's not making any noises yet, but i now know it's only a matter of time. Hopefully the Redline 75w-90 Synthetic I pumped in there will buy it a little more life, but if I don't hear back from this guy soon I am going to go pick up whatever I can find that suits my needs.

If it's just a mall crawler, it will be ok as it is. Triangulation would definitely give it a bit more lateral stability/strength. Turned out looking nice in any case. Have plans to make one for your truck next?

If you can't get under the carpet, crawl under the truck just behind the front wheel and look at the areas on each side of the frame rail right before the firewall. If it's got holes in the floor, you should see them from underneat (and the back side of the carpet). Check the frame rail sections just behind the cab under the bed if you can as well, this is another spot for bad rust. Otherwise, I would do the same as with any used vehicle.

The weight of the oil you run will make a difference too. If I run 10w-30 in the summer my oil pressure sits at about 15psi at idle once it's all good and hot. with 10w-40 it sits right at 20 at idle. I actually have a more interesting issue of my oil pressure reading dropping as I drive at constant speed long enough to get the oil good at hot. 40-50, but will go down as low as 35. Idle pressure still sits at 15-20 range though.

Don't know about Cub Cadet, but straight off of Briggs and Stratons web site: "Our engines are designed to run on conventional oil, full synthetic, or synthetic blends. It’s an owner’s personal decision if the extra cost is worth the additional benefits synthetic oils offer. When a customer calls the Answer Center, we recommend the synthetic as it offers the premium protections we talked about earlier."

I look forward to seeing your creation!

Pics or it didn't happen! :D

I've talked to and read a lot of articles where people have left it off, even when it is in good shape. AFAIK the XJ's don't even have that rail cap piece. Nobody has reported a single problem not running it, and IMHO I would rather not have it in place. It makes it possible to coat the entire floor instead of having a potential in-road to more rust. I figure I will leave mine off, weld it more than factory, and call it good. I feel more comfortable with doing this since the C2C pans I ordered are a thicker steel as well. Now I just need the chance to replace them...

The part I am interested in is the more forward position. The RE Drop brackets I have move them more down by almost 2 inches, and only a little bit forward. These seem to go down a little but more forward, which I like better for clearance reasons.