thecodemonk

Blinkers and brake switch...when I had this issue, I had something wrong with my hazzard lights switch which caused it to act wonky (blinkers don't work like you'd expect if your hazzards are considered "on" but not working, for example). I would check into that as well. When I fixed my hazzards, my blinkers and brake lights worked as expected.

Cheapest option would probably be to take a compatible GM t-case from a junkyard, freshen it up a bit, and throw it on there...bolt it up and go (I'm assuming the clocking is fine...I've never done it, so I'm not 100% sure). If adapting the np231 from the XJ or MJ: - Novak's kit replaces the output shaft in your trans (requires disassembly of the trans...not for the faint of heart) - AA's kit replaces the input shaft in your np231 (requires opening up the t-case, bleeping jeep has some videos that can help with guidance on this...it's pretty easy) Of the two "adapt" options above, I can tell you that modifying the t-case is way easier than cracking and messing around with the internals of any automatic trans. I went with the AA kit and it works great and fit easily.

Double checked my old email receipts...yup. Boostwerks is the one I had (before I went to a cable shifter with the current powertrain setup)

Looking good...not that I'm biased about the blue or anything :)

As was stated, this is primarily in newer cars. A lot of newer jeeps (primarily wranglers, but some others might have this too) also purposefully left it so you could use the starter in 4 low while in gear as a feature so that if you stalled in a tricky obstacle, you could start it in gear to help you crawl without having to do crazy stuff with your clutch and potentially get you in a worse situation.

Huh...I got one from somewhere else and I seem to recall adjustment was done in 4 low in the instructions I used.

Main advantage is reliability. The CAD mechanism is prone to failure and is needlessly complex (while providing questionable mpg benefit, which was the reason they did it). Locking it in place helps, but it's still more parts to fail...one piece shaft is reliable and simple (and a lot easier to work on if you need to swap a shaft). ...that said, I'm still running CAD in the front of mine because I'm too lazy to get around to installing the seal (especially in the cold).

Oh...L33's are not as easy to find (that's one of the reasons a lot of us went the LM7/L59 route). The LS-swap route isn't a cheap one but it's well worth it in the grins every time we drive the rigs. :)

Whew! What a journey! I'm excited to see what happens next! Beautiful truck :)

That's awesome! That bed doesn't seem like it'd be too hard to fab up either...all simple angles and standard square tubing. Hmmm

Man, I'm bad about updating this thing...more details to come, but this is a thing that happened recently.

I can't wait for this! The more options we have for our beds, the better!

So...how'd it all end up looking? :)

Dude...I'm in the same boat right now. I'm talking with the wife about fabbing up something to make the middle seat more kid-seat friendly. Hopefully I'll be able to get started on it soon and add it to the build thread. :)

Gorgeous MJ! Man, there's so much that's amazing about this jeep!

Honestly, that should be perfect and more than enough for any RTT. 120 wall is what I'll be trying when I get around to building a rack again so if it works great for you, let me know so I know for sure!

The bed rack is actually really simple, but were I to do it again, I'd use something thinner as, while strong, it was stupid heavy (all 0.25" 2x4 square tube cut and welded together and then attached to 0.125" angle iron). I ended up drilling holes into the inside of the bed and just bolting it on with some grade 8 bolts and washers. I built it by making the hoops to match the roofline (one at each end...at this point I found out that the bed is a different width in the back compared to the front, but was too far into it to change it). Then I just put a long beam front to back with a couple of cross beams in between. This was my main tool for cutting and how I got everything lined up to be even...it's sketchy but it worked (this was back when we just got the shop built, so it's nice and empty) It was level enough to support the heavy beam without moving, so it worked. I would definitely recommend one of these band saws...it makes nice clean cuts really easily and really helped in getting everything on the correct angles. After the first few cuts, I went and measured again... and again and again until I had a mini mockup to make sure I was on the right path. From there, I knew I had the angles right and made my first hoop...then test fit it on the MJ to make sure it matched the roofline (I had some help holding it up while I stepped back to eyeball it) I tacked the first hoop onto angle iron that I cut to length for the bed rails. Then, I made another identical hoop for the back. The back of the bed is narrower than the front of the bed but it was close enough that I just went with it (and was short on time before a trip that needed this done for). After that, it was simple. I measured and cut some north/south beams to connect the hoops: Then measured and cut some east/west beams to add to the structure: I welded it all up as best as I could and jumped on it a while to make sure it wouldn't fall apart. Then set out on the trip...I ran out of time to paint it so it gathered a bit of surface rust as I went but it worked. Since I built it all on the truck, I didn't realize how heavy it was until I had to take it off. It takes three strong adults all of their strength to get it on and off the truck and easily weighs 400+ lbs. Definitely overkill, but it looked great. I do want to make it again, but use thinner steel next time (and correct the rear hoop width). From my notes when I built it: (I may have had to invert some of the numbers when I went to the saw (180-x)...I can't remember now, but when you do it, it'll be obvious to you) Each leg I cut: - Bottom of leg at ~17 degrees - Top of leg at ~36 degrees - Outside length of the leg was 21" long (top to bottom) For the angle iron: - Bed Ledge is approx 1" wide - Length of ledge is 89-90" - Length of inside bed is 87.5 (got to cut some room on the inner side of the angle iron so it fits around the front of the bed and the tailgate stop at the back) Top beam for the hoop is - 48.5" / 45.5" lengths (top/bottom) - Cut top at angle of ~37 degrees

Looks like a solid list and plan! Don't forget "check floorpans for rust" and "refresh all grounds ala Cruiser's tips" Also, doesn't JCR's rock sliders only fit a short bed? It looks like you have a long bed on there, so you might be better off checking out Dirtbound Offroad or Krustyballer's (or fabbing up your own)

Yeah it is! His MJ looks just as gorgeous in person as in the pictures. :) The canopy really does work well on the MJ...I'm liking it so far. It does sit a little farther back compared to how it probably should due to the rear tailgate having a bit of a bow in it (which means the rear glass won't close without the canopy sitting back a little). The canopy does cut down on wind noise on the highway too, which is a nice benefit. For people who may have wondered, heat isn't an issue so far while driving around town or on the highway...I mean, it's cold out still, but even going up hill on the highway, the max temps I saw for the engine was 200 degrees and the max temp for the trans was 135, but usually sat around 120. In town, it stays closer to 125-130 most of the time, once warmed up (warmer in town since TC lockup isn't as common and no TC lockup = more heat).

Yoink, grabbed it :) Sent from my Pixel 4 using Tapatalk

Mostly daily driving it right now, but this happened recently (with@Ls2xjcomanche )... Canopy time!! Sent from my Pixel 4 using Tapatalk

210 is within normal operating range. You may have had a lower temp thermostat in there previously that started cooling earlier. It doesn't always work (usually just means it takes longer to get "up to stabilized temperature"). My 01 XJ and the 91 MJ (pre-LS) both ran between 195-210ish pretty consistently without issues. I'd only worry if it started to get up to 220-230 range consistently.

Sweet! Congrats on passing smog! Looks like a good base for a project...though what happened to the front bumper?

I had some similar weirdness and when I finally took it into an electrical shop, they mentioned that there was an issue with the hazzard switch and wiring that caused weird behaviors. Maybe just double check that to start?

This was exactly my thoughts. That said, that's the segment he's going after with it...those who tow as well as those who want the appearance of those who tow, more than the rock crawler.