jpnjim

They STARTED cutting them in half (they're unibody BTW, I don't know if anyone mentioned that in the thread so far) to sell for scrap, when everyone, and their brother was welding them back together, they started cutting them into quads. And people STILL welded them back together. :rotf: :rotf: "Hey, these things are as unsafe as hell, so let me weld one that's been cut into 4 pieces back together, so I can drive it on the street" :doh: They did redesign the swing axles at one point, so they would flip less easily, (they still flipped). I guess the government did not want to admit it''s mistake, and go back to solid axles, so they spec'd the MUTT's replacements continue using IFS/IRS, but be twice as wide, and 4 times as heavy (Hummers). The government is funny like that.

Why, it'll never roll over, the tires weigh more than the Jeep. :rotf: & quoted, because this is too good to lose when he pulls the ad. :clapping:

When I did my D30 I bought an extra set of carrier bearings, so I could hone them out for a slip fit. I bought everything separate from the local parts house (2 sets of MATCHING, same brand carrier bearings, pinion bearings & shims). That was 12, or 13 years ago, so those brain cells are less than reliable now, but I used the number stamped on the head of the pinion to determine pinion depth (they explain it in the FSM), since you're using factory gears, both the old & new pinion's should have the reference number engraved on them. As far as used gears go, when I'm swapping a carrier, I like to check backlash before I pull it, and try to get them as close as possible to where they were before. I don't know that it's absolutely necessary to match the old backlash (as long as it's in spec), but it makes me feel better. :D

Maybe I'm :nuts: , but I run those Mopar perches on my MJ's rear axle, and never gave the slop a second thought. :dunno: To take it even further, when I had to drill new holes to alter the wheelbase, I went slightly bigger than the Mopar holes, to get the pins in/out easier. (previous bad experience trying to get a tight pin in & pop rust-welded pins out). My thoughts on this have always been: 1)The U-bolts hold the axle in place, the pin is just for location 2)My trail junk is usually so beat, even if there was a combined 1/4" of slop on both sides (there's not), the axle will still probably be the straightest thing on the whole Jeep. :yes: I'm not saying one way is right, or wrong (yours is obviously more precise then mine :yes: ) just weighing in from the opposite side of the curve. :dunce:

:cheers: this pleases me. :yes: I wonder if this is something they have a certain number of left over, or something that is still currently being made by them/or for them. They mention rockers, floors, etc etc for other trucks on the web page, if you didn't mind, could you ask what else they have available for us :wavey: A source for 'factory style' rockers would be a huge plus. :banana: Pics of factory style MJ & XJ rockers vs cheep versions: viewtopic.php?f=26&t=21448

Mine should be here tomorrow. Since you got the right ones, hopefully mine will be right as well. Thanks for the update. :cheers:

edit: Key Parts makes bed flare patch panels. buy 2 pass sides unless your truck needs that cutout that the drivers side has. https://www.ebay.com/itm/175015215219?_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item28bfb84073%3Ag%3AhIcAAOSwnXhhipRU&amdata=enc%3AAQAGAAAA4BDBGN4NTpuDYElg9bxZ7iaElKqTT2Evg%2Bd27cYxnnTDLD%2FiFOEMUb9J5ZMI2NE1FdTAiN4E1b2IKIbk3H6WiRsmEqgo7V0ds3I7uOBGQ%2BHWvXAQp%2BSzx5BZTovi%2FmeRMwfxv1lN9eKE3BJqi9TyKpH4VFB2exZYKOmB%2FJwxTLOiGRiMaVmXmMqKRpLqoQJ%2FR6T85XKy67WEevlQfICLPmNHNsVm7CboxPeLFXoEfFVLB4LvFyhCf%2BzyXoL7YyqSgQN9R%2FC%2FUJXgnYhSz3znoerh7sMpA%2B7gwgc3oAsIYny2|tkp%3ABFBMwp-shZBg&LH_ItemCondition=3 Looks like someone may be selling MJ patch panels after all: http://stores.zmjeeps.com/StoreFront.bok They're not on the web site, but 'Zack' says he has them if you want them PM's from NEOW: Hi Jeff, There was a post on Comanche Club about this recently, other than a couple guys who somehow lucked into finding complete factory bedsides, everyone else has had to cut them off a donor, or have a body shop duplicate the bends. A couple of guys said they used the wheel edges from front fenders, but either way, no one is making off the shelf aftermarket patch panels for them. Good luck, Jimmy Hey Jim, Just fyi, Zack at http://stores.zmjeeps.com/StoreFront.bok does sell them. He doesn't show them on his site but he does have them. Might want to pass the info along on the MJ site. Thanks again -Jeff I'm not looking for them right now, but if anyone calls for them, be sure to post back what's available, and how much. :cheers: ZMJeeps info:

I'd like to say I'm 100% sure on MJ's = 5/16" (especially since I'm running XJ leafs below my MJ main leaf right now), but I've had more important stuff than this slip my mind, so :dunno: I can remember drilling out a set of leafs for a 3/8" pin (it actually went through allot easier than I thought it would), but I can't remember why I did it. :dunno:

Newp. CJ's use D44 style inner knuckles, so the outers won't bolt to our XJ/MJ/TJ/ZJ/WJ style inner knuckles. Even if they did work, you'd then have to use CJ stub axle shafts (to use the CJ hubs), and those only came from the factory in the weak 260 sized joints. edit: I should mention that people have taken CJ inner knuckles, and welded them onto XJ/MJ ft axles (since the CJ tube size is the same as XJ axles), so they could use D44 outer knuckles, stub shafts & hubs, but that's alot of work for what you end up with. :dunno: You can now buy D44 style outers (that take traditional D44 spindles, brakes, hubs, etc) that will bolt onto our XJ style inner knuckles, but they are not cheap.

I've always used ground down 5/16" bolts (spin a nut up tight to the bolt head, then grind them both till they're round, like the pin), so I'd say 5/16" :D

There was a very nice one in this thread, but no one wanted it (original description & pic deleted by seller, but you can still read the responses) http://forum.neow.net/index.php?showtopic=90651 It had been parked for a couple years & had a wiring issue, but looked awesome in the pics. He went as low as $2k for it, then ended up pulling the ad. :dunno:

Just buy one of these: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... K:MEWAX:IT (auction is ended, just linked it to show details) I popped a 2gig memory card into mine (it'll take up to a 32g card if you need to take every song ever written with you :ack: ), and loaded a couple dozen albums on it. I have factory Jeep radio's in both the MJ's now, and this thing plays great through either.

:cheers: Reminisce away Jim. :yes: Most of us will never know what it's like to drive a brand new 1970 J-truck off the lot, so to your story. :popcorn: I scanned the 1973 pickup factory brochure, tho most of the pic's scanned horribly. Chrysler obviously went back in time, and added some super secret anti-scanning imagery to the photos in their old brochures to protect them from copyright thieves once computer technology progressed to the point it is today. :smart: edit: rescanned the last pic @100% for clarity

I remember the ZR2 getting the 8.5", and them making a big deal about it at the time, I also looked around before my second post, and saw some people in other threads referencing the 4.3L getting 8.5's too, so I put it down to :dunno: What is wearing out in the axles you're rebuilding? carrier bearings, pinion bearings, gearsets?

In the pic it looks to me like it says '360', though I certainly could be misreading '350' instead. Tho that would mean it was a 1970, or older, and the 73+ bed was swapped on. They used both a 'V8', and a '360V8' Badge in 1973: (see where it points to the badge, and says 'V8', and then '360-V8' underneath that) 'Somewhere' here I have all 4 (brandy new :brows: ) badges of the set: the white "360V8", and the white "JEEP" badge that slots right next to it. (this thread is making me want to dig that stuff out :yes: I realy need another J-truck) The buddy I bought the J4000 from worked at the Jeep dealership (parts department), and threw the emblems into the deal. :cheers:

It came out of my old 1987 Cherokee Laredo. I always liked this style better, probably because that's what my first XJ had. Glad you like it. :cheers: FWIW, I got the Temp & Oil gauges to work.... and the fuel gauge stopped working. :doh:

What shocks are you using? My opinion: stiffish springs + mildly valved shocks = best overall balance & ride. :yes:

:huh???: soa gives you 5-6" lift out back. other downside is axle wrap, that would be the only drawback. i haven't heard of many people using antiwrap devises either on these, ladder bar etc.... i'm considering soa in the future, i'm sure thats still an issue on an mj, anyone got any input on that? My SOA experiences: Pulling the bottom overload leaf out helps keep the lift height down. (you're still looking at ~5.5") Spring wrap hasn't been that bad, at first (see below) Stock MJ leafs flex like crazy in SOA (W/O the overload leaf), they also wear out alot faster like this, If you let them wear out & get flat, you're looking at more axle wrap, bottoming out, and the leafs will start to negative arch after that. I've had stock packs last years in SOA, but I also had what I thought was a good set of 2wd leafs turn to junk after one hard weekend of wheeling (a couple states away, so I was carrying a bunch of weight). I 'rebuilt' that set with YJ leafs (it's all I had with a decent arch). The YJ's were pretty short, but brought the arch back, and lasted a couple more wheeling seasons. There are better options out there to rebuild the packs with now, like Durango leafs, so I wouldn't bother using YJ's, unless that was all you had. The idea setup would be a dedicated SOA leaf pack for MJ's: maybe with a little less arch than stock, or even reversed spring eyes to drop them another inch, or so, but built with lots of thin leafs for weight carrying ability AND flexibility. But I'm not buying a custom built leaf pack ($$$$) anytime soon, so I'll have to make due with junkyard rebuilds. :yes:

One way SOA works with a 3.5" ft is if you rebuild the leaf packs to be completely flat. I haven't measured my trail MJ lately, but it's still SOA in the rear, and looks to be ~3" at the moment (tires are 33x10ish): I'm using the MJ top leaf, and the rest of the pack are all flat XJ leafs. This is just a short term setup for me, the XJ leafs are pretty thin & light duty, once it's registered & inspected I'll probably stiffen up the pack for more durability & a couple more inches. FWIW, if you're thinking of SOA since the XJ axle is already SOA, the perches are spaced differently from MJ to XJ, so you have force the MJ leafs over to reach the XJ perches (= not the best setup). Also, one of the XJ shock mounts is on the wrong side for MJ's, so you'd still have to flip the shock mount around to make it work.

The ZR2's defiantly got the good 8.5" 10 bolt (it's wider too), but yeah, my understanding is the majority of S-10's got the 7.5 & 7.6" axles. Someone said the 'Extreem' S-10's got 8.5's too, but I'm far from a Chevy guy, so :dunno: There is also a width issue, since I'm thinking S10 axles are even narrower than the 59ish Ford 8.8's. (other than the ZR2's)

You'll have to change the wheel pattern from the Chevy 5 on 4.75" to our 5 on 4.5". If you have the 7.5-7.6" axle, it's about as strong as the D35, and not worth it. If you have the 8.5", it's about s strong as a D44, but with C-clips. I don't push the 8.8" swap (especially in an MJ, because of the width), but I'd much rather swap an 8.8" in than even the larger of the two Chevy 10 bolts.

That's hardcore. :yes: Hopefully anyone doing this has: 1) a very good memory (= never leave the switch on accidentally) 2) a spare fuse with them where ever they go (incase #1 fails, or someone does try to steal it) 3) Friends, family members, and significant others who might end up driving it who also have #1 & #2 above. It's good because you don't have to worry about a remote mounted kill switch carrying current to the fuel pump (as in a typical kill switch setup) failing over time, The 'dead short' switch is electrically irrelevant, until you close it. Just make sure no one hits the "conveniently mounted switch" while you're cruising down the road, or you'll be to coasting over to a stop popping the kick panel to dig out the hidden fuseholder locating your spare fuse and changing it right there (hopefully not while other cars are wizzing by, inches away @ 80mph :eek: ).

Found here: http://brackmann.org/berkeley/Jeep/miscinfo.htm

If you wanted full width, the rear wouldn't be bad, but you can do lot better than the closed knuckle 44 ft, plus it's passenger side drop, so it wouldn't work with any stock MJ transfercase. That 60 rear uses two different length axle shafts, if you got another one of the short sides, you could cut the housing down, and end up with a 60-ish wide 35 spline 5 on 5.5" D60 rear, using all factory Jeep parts. :chillin: Like I said tho, the biggest downfall to this axle is the unique, hard to find, expensive axle bearings. If you cut it down to 60" wide, it would be a good match to a 1980-91 Waggy ft end, converted to 5 on 5.5" (or a Ford HP 44 cut down to Waggy width). Tho I'd rather see you make the old J truck into a driver. :yes:

Couple more pics for inspiration ;) I ended up adding a whole bunch of Waggy goodies, and the Rhino grille Those are 32x12.5 old school Mickey's on 10" wheels, borrowed of a buddy's CJ for a while (hey, they were cool in 1994 :chillin: ) Tho it looked like the Sanford & Son truck most of the time I owned it: