thecodemonk

Perch angle is definitely the key...get the straight edge and level out! It's not too hard...even I managed to tack them in place and then dragged the thing down to a buddy who is good at welding to do the finish work. I actually found tacking the shock mounts in place harder than the perches.

One of each is awesome! Got different plans for each?

It depends on what you prefer. The AW4 is a great automatic transmission and there's lots of mods for it. Ultimately, it just needs to keep the fluid cool (get a good trans cooler on it) and it's pretty stout. The AX-15 is a great manual transmission and one of the best available for easy bolting up to the 4.0L. A lot of us like the manual transmission because of the extra control...but really, I suspect it's more due to the fact that we like old things and manual transmissions are "old tech".

Had to get past the green and white one, but this one seems to have the rails on it on page 3.

Nice! You are collecting all sorts of great toppers. If you do, let me know! Tacoma isn't too far a drive for me and I think I could talk the wife into it...she loved truck topper camping when I had a full sized truck. So...tally is that you have two MJ's now? A SWB and a LWB?

This one?

Wow, those doors look amazing! Definitely inspiration as a much better look than tube doors on our rigs. Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

Computers adjust to a certain level, but you might be running beyond how much adjustment it has. I would think you'd need a tune after all of that. Do you have any way to check your own air fuel ratio? That would probably tell you what's up. (Have you had those injectors bench tested?) The fact that it mostly happens when you try and suddenly accelerate makes me think it might be a bit lean and the sudden intake of air leans it out a lot farther before it catches up. Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

Speaking of functionality mods...what's the rail system you got in the bed there?

...wait, where in WA? and how in the world do you find these things?! ...also, do you already have plans for that long bed topper? >.>

This is mostly true. The uniframe rails are a little thicker and the fuel lines run a little different (something I found when putting long arms on). XJ stuff for the front is mostly the same...but I'd double check with a search on here after you find XJ info for any other minor differences.

Trimming the front fender to be even with the grille (like the 97+ fenders are). Some of the pics above this one seem to have already done it and it looks WAY better than the old front air dam (at least one anything that's not still stock or lowered). Cheap appearance improvement.

On bang for the buck, gears definitely are the best. For just straight speed, I think adding cubic inches in the form of a stroker or a V8 probably adds the most actual get up and go (though it tends to be a lot of $$$ or time...or both)

Not sure it's necessarily a "mod" but adding the toolbox in the bed was definitely the biggest thing that made the truck useful for me. Lockable and covered storage is huge for daily use.

A driving truck is better than a non-driving truck any day. I'm excited to see that this is back on the road regularly! :)

Hah, you're right! I'll probably just correct that when I get it back home. For now, here's a few more details from last week's visit: The overall engine bay is starting to clean up. The old ECU wires are all still there, but the old ECU is no longer connected to anything and it seems like everything is looking good. We'll cut them out after we are able to take it for a test drive and verify that there's no significant systems that aren't working, which will clean up the engine bay a lot more. Speaking of clean, they got the relays all mounted nicely on the passenger side of the firewall. I need to go in there and make sure it's all labelled for what each one does, but I like the setup. Lastly, it looks like we'll have to clearance the center support in the hood to clear the DBW actuator...it technically fits, but it's a bit close for comfort. Something that wouldn't be as much of an issue for the drive-by-cable guys. Also, the hood release mechanism sits on the intake tube and pushes down on it. Again, it technically works (hood closes and latches), but I think it would wear through later on, so we'll see if it's easy to move and modify. If not, I'll have to look at some hood pins. Maybe aerocatch? or the pushbutton ones like bleepinjeep sells? I'm not sure which one I like better yet. For now, it's scheduled to go in and get exhaust put together today or tomorrow (which will get the O2 sensors in and allow for running it longer to test everything). We're also waiting for the modified driveshafts to come in so it can get some test drives in (shortened front, lengthened rear).

Radiator hose Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

LCA? Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

Stopped by the shop today and got a treat...will upload more info tomorrow, but for now...just a sound clip of it started with open headers (it's so close I can't hardly contain myself!) Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

Stopped by the shop after work yesterday to check status and see what's been done (and see if there's anything else I need to grab or that I missed). They got the battery wired up and in the bed, so we're getting closer! With the battery in the bed, they got some posts for jumpstarting up under the hood (and will use that to connect to the future winch). They also got a custom tube for the transmission dipstick and made a simple (but pretty) mount for it (since the OEM one didn't sit as easily with where everything ended up) Also, wiring for the dash is making progress. If the left side of the dash computer looks a bit bare, that's because it is! Most of the data will be coming in from the ODBII port and the GM ECU, which saves us a bunch of wiring and having to run dual sensors on everything (the Dakota Digital ones and the ones used by the ECU). Another week down, and another week closer to driving the truck again.

Continual small bits of progress...I stopped by the shop last week and they have it outside of the shop right now, but still working on it (that shop is always super busy). ECU is wired up and mocked into the planned location Also, the fuel filter/pressure regulator with its own return line is here, by the computer...not too hard to get to, and a bit easier for plumbing to the fuel rails. This part is originally for a 99 Corvette. The rest of the work was getting wiring run into the cab...not as many sexy pictures, but it's still progress. Also, the MJ is famous! My friend sent me the video below when he spotted the MJ. It's in the background in a lot of the shop pictures, but does get a few minutes of spotlight at around 10:50 into the video.

Aw, I'm flattered. I'm not sure how epic it is as LS swaps become more commonplace, though. I'm enjoying documenting the whole process in the hopes that some of the info will help save time for others in the future. :) No big updates this past week...still working on plumbing and I didn't get a chance to chat with the techs yet. More updates next week on fuel and piping

Update time! Pulling back the accessories to corvette spacing definitely bought the room needed to plumb the radiator and the intake tube. It just clears the PS reservoir too. Whew! Also, they reworked the truck box at my request to fit the battery in the back. (It used to be at a slope, but I think it's more usable this way anyways). I measured and I should be able to fit a pair of Group 31 batteries (one on each side of the bed) in the future! I'll stick with the stock Group 24 battery for now and will upgrade later. Planning for the future!

Well done! In my experience, once a seal starts leaking...if it's not due to improper seating, then it probably got damaged (it's amazing how little it takes to damage some of those seals). Glad it's working now!

Anytime I see a snap ring, I assume it's there to keep things from sliding off, so those little things are always essential. It should sit in a groove too, so that it, too, doesn't slide off. Once in place, you should be able to turn it in the groove, but only with some pressure. If it's as loose as you describe, it won't hold in the groove (probably the source of your leaks). Your local NAPA or any of those parts stores should be able to help find the right part number for it. Just tell them it's for the rear output shaft of the transfer case on a 96 cherokee.