benjy_26

Oh, btw, on my MR2 ( which does have air ducts for thr brakes), I do indeed run the shields, along with dimpled and slotted rotors, braided lines, high temp fluid, and very aggressive pads (EBC USR rotors and Yellow Stuff pads). That thing has below average to average braking when cold, but it gets downright violent once the tires and brakes have gotten up to temp.

Wouldn't leaving the shield on lead to better heat retention? What with less air flow and all?. Well.... It depends on what school of thought you follow. During high speed road racing with lots of corners and the appropriate wheels and body work, the shields help push air into the the brake assembly, across/ through the rotor (if vented), and out of am open face wheel. This is augmented many times by cooling air ducts built into the air dam of the vehicle, in effect giving.you a ram-air effect. In my case, I don't push my brakes THAT hard, even while perfoeming chase/support duties. With my vehicle having relatively small, closed face wheels on it most of the time (Canyons taken off of a TJ), and the brakes relying solely on the movement of undirected air across them for cooling, I get a decent balance of cooling and bite by running without the shields. Besides, I live and wheel in the desert, so heat retention is hardly ever an issue. :). One thing to keep in mind, though, if you operate in muddy conditions, it may be best to leave the shields on. No senae in making your pads wipe the mud off the rotors before they can brake.

I think it has to do with the Manche looking like the proverbial "old man's" truck. I get pulled in front of, cut off, and people constantly riding my rear bumper even when I'm doing 5-10mph OVER the limit on the slow lane. None of this happens in my other vehicles.

If you can find (and fund) OME coils for the front, I highly suggest you do so. They're some of the smoothest riding coils out there that still have plenty of capacity to work when loaded down and flex as well as any other spring out there.

Ditto. I take em off. I run slotted rotors with aggressive pads anyway. I NEED my brakes to get a bit hotter for them to work their best.

Couple of coats of Rust Tough Primer for good measure. Note the XJ in the background with a ridiculous amount of lift. Throwing in the Duplicolor liner. It was actually VERY easy to coat, and i like the results. It's been 2 weeks since I finished coating the floor and it's still curing. I'll keep you guiys updated on it.

Random ZJ shot. Cuz race car. :peek:

Rust Reformer cured:

Passenger side floor after being cleaned and hit with a bit of rust reforming spray. Not too bad: The, uh, driver side "floor"

Interesting finds while JY picking.... EVERYBODY loves Wankels! CLEAN 280Z on the stock 14x8 mags. SWEEET!

This is the exhaust set up the PO had. It was surprisingly loud AND restrictive.

Magnaflow 2.5" glasspack installed....ummm... AFTER the cat. :brows: Sounds great, and is actually pretty quiet on the highway.

Here it is, "flexing":

I took measurements today following the instructions posted in the DIY sections of the forum, and it appears that I'm between 1.25-1.5" over a stock 4x4 in the front.

So.. I followed the diagram...and I'm sitting 1.25-1.5" taller than a stock 4x4 in the front and 1.5" taller in the back! I haven't done anything back there, and the leaves look to be old.... maybe the PO swapped something in back there.

If your heart is set on going SBC on your Jeep, throw the 305 in there. Externally, it's the same as a 350, so you'll have all the mods done by the time you get the 350.

Lol not at all. The ZJ has actually pulled service as a support/chase vehicle during a couple of races. Dust does not phase it, and the body is far from cherry. I do cleanbit VERY well onba semi regular basis and I'm quite surprised with the uni-body's toughness andbdurability. The hatch still opens and closes without scrapingband the dash sits tight on the firewall, despite all the high speed bumps and jumps it's soaked up...

Thanks, man! Oh yeah.... I've done quite a bit since that last pic. lol

Here it is sitting on 31's. I may go a bit higher in the front, as I get slight rubbing on the front and rear of the fender liner. If I had used a set of Canyons like the ones I have on the ZJ, this would have been avoided, but I couldn't pass up those MB's at their clearance price. :brows:

Here it is sitting next to my ZJ on 32's. The MJ is still on 235's at this stage, but the clearance is much improved, as is the ride and handling (even without a sway bar).

My brother and I proceeded to install the Upcountry coils along with an Energy Suspensions Coil Isolator kit (about a 1-1.5" poly puck) on the front as well as swapping in a new Moog track bar intended for a 1988 4wd XJ, and all new tie rod ends. We also installed a set of Skyjacker Hydro shocks. Overall. it rides very well, if a bit firm, and it soaks up bumps well without unsettling the chassis.

ZJ Upcountry coil on the right, stock, beat to crap 2wd coil on the left.