jpnjim

X2 on Black/Metallic Charcoal, something to really bring the chrome even more. :yes:

I hate to sidetrack this thread even further..... but I was looking at my MJ today wondering how 'E L I M I N A T O R' would look in the late model Cherokee script/font (someone has already done the 'COMANCHE' in it). You KNOW that, if by some miracle Jeep had continued to make Comanche's after the 97' redesign, they would have still offered the Eliminator package, I'm just wondering how it would have looked. :brows: I'm picturing either similar to the older style placement ('ELIMINATOR' in the new font, above the body crease of the bed), or die cut out of a bumble bee stripe behind the back wheels. Any other idea's on what a 2001 Eliminator would have looked like?

Found some pics: Spot worked well for me, since I wasn't using the bed for regular pickup duties (red tanks sun faded to a pretty pink :D ) with the cooler in place, it was dead space anyway: Originally I had tried these tanks under the back of the bed, but they hung down too low.

I put mine inside the bed, next to the drivers side wheel well, and mounted a big cooler directly over them, on top of the inner wheel well (that way it was just dead space underneath). I'm not sure that's the best place, but I can tell you the best place for the air chuck. I drilled a hole for it next to the fuel fill, behind the fuel door. It NEVER once got mud stuck in the end of it, or had it get knocked around off road. Plus it's easier to pop the fuel door to fill a tire, than to pop your hood (where some put theirs). I hard mounted it so I could make & break the connections with one hand, and there was plenty of room to spare. I mounted a Tee to the back side of the quick connector, one side going to the compressor, the other side to the air tanks. I also mounted a valve between the quick connect Tee, and the tanks, so if I needed air in a hurry (without filling the tanks first) I could close the valve, and get air ONLY at the quick connector. FWIW, for air tanks, I waited till K-mark, Target, whatever had those portable fill 5 gallon air tanks on sale/clearance, and used those instead of buying a specific on board air tank for more $$.

My lifestyle stays the same if I make $0 or 80K+. So what if my daily driver is older than what I had when I was 16. (21 year old Jeep now, vs a 12 year old Merc then :rotfl2: ). Meh, living cheap is it's own reward. ;)

Nice! :thumbsup: How are those fenders at taking a hit? Do they give a little, or are they more likely to crack & split from contacting a tree/rock/whatever? How do they fit? (typical fiberglass fitment issues?) Can't wait to see it with the rack & gear out back.

FSJ trucks & Wide Wheel FSJ Cherokee's axles are full width (65-66") FSJ Waggy's & narrow track FSJ Cherokee's are narrow (60.5" wide fronts, 57-58" wide rears)

They should've launched them all. :yes: ;)

4.10's are better if: you're ever going to go past 31's you're trying to find a ft axle to swap in (and not buy/swap gears). - XJ 3.73 geared HP D30's are tough to find you don't mind trading a small amount of highway RPM for a small amount of more power off the line you do a lot of technical 'work' when wheeling, and could use the extra control of 4.10/1st gear/low range vs 3.73/1st gear/low range. 3.73's are better if: you rack up miles, and could stand to drop some cruise RPM 30-31's are all you're looking for (I didn't mind it with 32's either, but if you 'need' 33's, you'd probably 'need' 4.10-4.56+'s then too) you have 3.73 axles handy (that's why I originally swapped them in) once I tried it, I realized how much perfect they were for me in a 4.0L/5spd XJ.

Not trying to change your mind, but the 4.0L/5spd/3.73/31" combo was the absolute best daily driver XJ setup I ever had. (87' XJ Laredo with swapped in 3.73's on old smooth riding-thin sidewall 31" GY MT's :thumbsup: :banana: ) I usually drive pretty fast on the highway, and the 3.73's/31's were a nice combo to do that with, plus it lowered 1st gear enough to return the power off the line to where it should have been (vs' using the stock 3.07's with 31's :shake: ). Opinions vary, so I understand Eagle suggesting 4.10's instead, but I loved the 4.0L/5spd/3.73/31's combo in this Jeep for daily driving. A couple years later I ran 4.10's in a 2wd MJ (89' 4.0L/5spd MJ pioneer with a swapped in YJ 4.10 rear & 31" Yoko MT's), and it was pretty similar but I remember at the time preferring the 3.73 geared XJ for long trips (I had them both at the same time). A few years after that I dropped the trail-MJ down, and daily drove it on 31's, (4.0L/5spd/4.56/31" combo). Honestly, I hated it on the street. At a stoplight I'd have to shift into second gear before I even cleared the other side of the intersection, and it was buzzier than I like at highway+ speeds. I never wheeled it with 4.56's/31's (that I can remember anyway), but I can't imagine the trade off would be worth daily driving on 4.56/31's. Again, this is just my opinion, I prefer the tradeoff of a little less gear off the line, for lower RPM cruising on the highway. Maybe that's because before XJ's my previous two daily drivers were: (73 J4000 360/4spd) 4.10s' & 31's w/o overdrive (71 Javelin 360/4spd) 3.91's & 27's w/o overdrive both combo's = bring earplugs, and leave early.

I've had two bad experiences with alternators in MJ/XJ's: First on was on The Mohawk Jeep Jamboree ~1994. After a week of HEAVY rain, no one pre-ran the trail (the now closed 'Catamount' Trail). My XJ was only on 31" TSL's back then, and even the guys on 34 & 36's had to winch in spots. Some pics from earlier in the day (when there was still some daylight): My alternator had started making noise just as we turned off the road to get on the trail, guess I should've listened. Long-long-long story short: park rangers delayed us getting on the trail till someone could go get the permission paperwork (that was weird) so the start time was delayed about an hour. Every inch of the trail was mush, and borderline unpassable/bottomless in spots. We probably hit the 1/2 way point just as it was getting dark (another bad sign) then spent few more hours winching EVERYONE in the first half of the group up a huge mud trench of a hill. At that point, it was so late, the front 1/2 of our group split off, and left the rear half to finish on their own. Couple more hours later the second half cleared the hill/mountain, and that's about when my alternator SEIZED, belt melted off, and I was without: the alternator (duh) power steering and water pump, at the top of a frickin mountain. :thumbsup: :rotfl2: :rotf: Oh, and FWIW, it was after 11pm by now. (ever hear of a Jeep Jamboree out after 11pm?, yeah, me neither :rotfl2: ). I wasn't carrying a spare alternator, or belt, so I finished the (mostly downhill) part of the trail with my buddy pushing me up to speed from behind with his CJ-7, then navigating most of the obstacles with no power steering, no engine power, no headlights, and only using the wipers sparingly (did I mention it wa POURING RAINING the whole time?). :doh: :doh: :doh: I did start the engine, and power over a few of the obstacles, but without a waterpump, to cool the engine, or an alternator to charge the battery after starting & running the engine, I only did that when absolutely necessary. Eventually we all got off the trail. I got yanked back by to base camp by our 'back up' trail leader (official trail leader had left hours ago), The 'back up' trail leader had a huge (for the times) V8 Scrambler on 36's, and didn't mind taking the tiny side streets at 40-50-60 mph, with me behind on a tow strap, to the point where we actually lost my buddy's CJ-7 (he couldn't keep up) My buddy's CJ7 had a 258/5spd with 2.73 gears & 32's, so there was no real option to have him tow me instead. We made it back to the Jamboree base after Midnight, and they had our hot meal waiting for us. :cheers: I spent the next day swapping the alternator & belt, laying in a puddle, under a tarp (yep, torrential downpours the whole next day too). The 2nd story was worse, but I'll save that one for now (already gone way past my daily typing limits with the first story ;) ).

What type of Jav do you have? I have a '73... Looks nice man, I like the full vinyl tops. :thumbsup: I'm also digging the silver paint on your headlight surrounds. don't think I've ever seen that done before. Really makes the headlights pop. :cheers: Mine is a Humpster too, 71 Javelin/AMX. P-code 360/4bbl (ignore the 401 bagdes ;) ). Cowl hood, Go-Package, 3.91/Twin Grip (71's still used the old style Power-Lok, instead of the later Trac-loc's) V-code 4spd (close ratio 2.23, 1.77, 1.35 & 1:1 gears). I've owned it for almost 20 years (Sept 92 pic:) It was originally Green/Green: I swapped a complete 71' black interior w/leather buckets in when my little brother painted it for his Senior Project in high school. Car has 99k miles on it, current engine is a slightly built 360, +.030, forged pistons, 9:1ish, General Dynamics cam, Torker, 780 Holley, cheap blackjack headers & 2" duels. I really want to swap the 3.91's out, and start driving it again, but it doesn't look like I'll be putting it on the road this year. Do you drive yours, or is it just a parking spot place holder like mine?

You guys looking for an apprentice? No pro experience as an electrician, but I read the 93 NEC cover to cover by the time I was 16, still have a decent amount of the code memorized, know black/red from white, can tell wire gauge by sight, etc. Right now, I'm a post-silicon validation engineer doing Itanium product line systems test/validation for Intel. On the side, I do property maintenance / repair for my landlord, friends, and family, and assorted vehicle repair and construction for my friends and family. I'm also certified to dispose of beer, explosives, and flammable substances via the most suitable applicable methods... :thumbsup: That resume alone makes you more qualified than I am. ;) If you were serious, I'm a Union Electrician so even if this company was hiring (they're not, there's only 5 of us here, and it looks like we're going to stay small), you'd have to be in the program first. Boston has not taken any apprentices in for the last 2 years, but normally there's a general knowledge test, and XX number of applicants with the highest scores are brought into the training program. If you were really interested, since you're in Worcester, (that's a different 'local' from Boston) you'd have to apply there. I REALLY don't want to turn this into a Union vs Non-Union thread but I will say construction Unions are not like most other Union jobs, there's no protection, no seniority, no tenure, no pay while out of work, no scheduled call backs, etc etc etc. I've been laid off 6, or 7 times in the 23 years I've been in, I never knew it was coming till I got my check, and the company is free to keep, or lay off who ever they like. They could hire someone new today, and lay off a 20 year employee tomorrow. I tell that last part to people that think they know everything about Unions, and they either look at me like I'm crazy, or call me a liar. :rotf:

100% Jeep below: :D

I know I'm the only one here that cares about these O/D Toploaders, but this guy in Ohio has a pile of them for $200 each (2wd): http://northeastoh.ebayclassifieds.com/ ... ad=3247319

Electrician

Waggy (narrow) rears aren't the best MJ axles, since they're only around 58" wide (60" would be better). D44 vs M20, D44 has 10 ring gear bolts, M20 has 8 (but they are larger bolts) D44 = 8.50" ring gear, M20 = 8.875" ring gear. D44 has smaller pinion gear, D44 = same size pinion as D30, M20 = same size pinion as D60 (can't think of sizes right now, but I'm thinking it's 1.376" vs 1.626" stems.) D44 has 30sp 1.30" axles, M20 has 29sp 1.25" shafts In Waggy's, both D44 & M20 have 1-piece axle shafts from the factory, the 44 housing is probably stronger (typical M20 housings are thin), but I never pulled apart a Waggy M20 to see. It's pretty much a wash, but I'd probably take the 44 over an M20 just for parts availability.

Wow, tough to find info on these overdrive Toploaders (usually called the 3spd O/D, or RUG trans for it's serial numbers). It's probably not a good swap, but interesting to dig info up on anyway: thin cut, non-performance gears, Cast iron 'truck' version: Ratio: 3.29 1st, 1.84 2nd, 1.00 3rd, .81 4th, and 3.29 Rev. Aluminum 'car' version: Ratio #1: 3.29 1st, 1.84 2nd, 1.00 3rd, 0.81 4th, and 3.29 Rev. Ratio #2: 3.07 1st, 1.72 2nd, 1.00 3rd, 0.70 4th, and 3.07 Rev. and another truck version identical to Jeep T-170 series (but with O/D gears) Ratio #1: 3.01 1st, 1.78 2nd, 1.00 3rd, 0.79 4th and 3.01 Rev. Ratio #2: 3.25 1st, 1.92 2nd, 1.00 3rd, 0.78 4th and 3.25 Rev. http://www.5speeds.com/toploader.html other links: http://www.motivegear.com/tech_info/tra ... guide.html http://www.davidkeetoploaders.com/imposters.htm If it would hold up, I'd actually like one of these for the Javelin. :yes:

I've had 4 Peugeot's (yeah, glutton for punishment :wavey: ), and all have had either 4:1(ish), or 3.80:1(ish) first gears. The two 87's had the lower 4:1's, and the 88 & 89's were slightly taller (ratio measured by marking input & output shafts, and counting rotations, with the trans removed from the Jeep). Maybe someone here has actually measured a BA10-5's first gear ratio at the 3.39:1 ratio I always see listed/published, but I think it was a mistake/misprint, or different application (Peugeot car maybe?) that somehow still lives on in almost every 4x4 Magazine, and website I've looked at. :dunno: To the OP, most of the jeep 5spds have that very similar gear spacing. The 6 spd has an even lower first. Closest overdrive I can think of to what you want is they used a Ford Toploader 4spd overdrive trans in some 1980's Ford F150's. 4th became the overdrive, and I'm pretty sure first was taller than the typical 4:1. It bolts to a 4.0L with a Tremec/Jeep bellhousing (T-176/T-150), but doesn't have the window for our CPS.

It just has the cleanest, most natural lines of the three. I thought it was funny a few years ago when I was checking them all out on Chrysler/Jeep's web site. The Caliber was the cheapest of the three, but the other two had A/C standard. By the time you added A/C to a base Caliber, it cost more than the Jeeps. :huh???: I'm thinking the Caliber had a crappier base engine too.

I really did think they'd grow on me, the Patriot seemed boxy & utilitarian enough to *****maybe***** be an XJ replacement with better gas mileage, once they're old & cheap. But they're lines translate better in pics than they do in person, after noticing 1-2 a day over the last couple months, :shake: not for me. I'll give you that the Compass looks cleaner, but I'd still take the original (Dodge Caliber) over either.

Winnar /thread I've been seeing these 'baby-jeep twins' in traffic a lot lately, and the more I see them, the uglier they get. :ack: I actually thought the Patriot would grow on me, but those steel wheel arches, and tiny tires... :doh: FAIL.

After reading a little more into that thread, I'll say their customer service has ALWAYS been HORRIBLE (nothing new there), and their sway disco's were never any good (I have no idea if they're better now, but the old ones were crap).

Could be a recent thing, most of my RE stuff is pretty old, (I'm still using a set of their original style, nickel plated, heim jointed LCA's from 1996 :D ) I've had nothing but great experiences with their coil & leaf springs, trac-bars, upper & lca's, etc etc. Hope this is just a fluke.

Just a heads up, I've seen a few threads on other boards of HF presses failing. I think the press plates failed on the last thread I saw :dunno: I'll see if I can find it. (not to spoil your fun, just keep those safety glasses on, and watch your fingers. :yes: )