Tex06

A weak slave cylinder will not let a stopped vehicle shift into 1st or will be very difficult to shift into if synchronized. I would suggest bleeding again (several times probably) and if that's not it, then pull the transmission and see if the clutch is aligned correctly (usually misalignment causes chatter, but can also cause hard shifting). Agreed here. Buy a $125 Harbor Freight 12ton press and the rest really isn't too bad if you're careful and take your time. If you have any experience with motors, rear ends, or other mechanical assemblies, it's not bad at all. There's plenty of videos and other resources to follow.

Factory water shield also keeps wind out of the cabin and makes a big difference with AC efficiency.

I thought 96 was the OBD I/II crossover year? That's probably the 2nd most common year I see after '01 (locally). And yeah, I knew about the head issue.

Is the 97+ different than the earlier years? I.E. should I look for 97+ from Rockauto?

The S10 Blazer had a trailblazer package I think (haven't seen one in person but have read about them online)....but that's like the Silverado package on a C/K10 or the Ranger package on the old F100. Not the vehicle I'm talking about. The 4.3L was as common as bellybuttons in those things. Both were only in production together for 1 year (2001). From what I've read the cracked head was an early design flaw that was fixed in later years (one of the reasons I'm lookin at 06-09 mainly). I'll be looking for 2wd vehicles only (cheaper and I don't need another 4x4, I've already got 2). Rust is common on XJ/MJs as well (doesn't someone's tag here say "Pull your carpet and check your floorpans before it's too late!"?) so any vehicle I look at I'll be crawling under and over to look for potential corrosion problems. Good info on the instrument cluster and fan clutch. The trailblazer also sold a lot more per year than the XJ around the same time. So even if they had the same number of issues, you'd see a lot more of them come in. Production Numbers Number of XJ's built in given year (all countries): 1997 - 258,958 1998 - 182,845 1999 - 186,116 2000 - 165,590 2001 - 120,454 Trailblazer Calendar Year Total American sales 2001[11] 115,103 2002 249,568 2003 261,334 2004[12] 283,484 2005 244,150 2006[13] 178,493 2007 151,985 2008[14] 119,905 2009 22,287 Why specifically the 98-99? I see quite a few '01 XJs around so I've been looking at those mostly. Agree on the resale point but I'm only planning on having this thing for a year or so. Still leaning towards the XJ....mostly due to familiarity with the platform.

The trailblazer never came with the 4.3 V6. Yeah, I wouldn't expect the GM interior to be very good.....but then again I drive a Jeep and it's not very good either I feel like the same is said about XJs quite a bit. Anything in particular I should look out for? Reading online reviews there's electrical gremlins and some tranny issues with the 4L60E.....again, I drive a Jeep, electrical issues and tranny problems are familiar faces.

The Cummins 2.8L is not a cheap motor....you should be aware of that. It will have plenty of power and return great fuel mileage. There's a race series (can't remember the name for the life of me) that they run 200-500 miles a day offroad across the states for a week or two at a time, many of these super buggys have 2.8L Cummins powerplants due to the reliability and fuel economy. Expect to spend around 15-20k for a swap if you do it yourself, lots of custom pieces and parts, the motor isn't available in a JY so you'll have to shell out ~9k to Cummins for a new one, plus a lot of fab time. This being said, if money and time weren't an issue, this would be my motor of choice. Tons of torque where ya need it, they tow very well. LS....they're cheap, plentiful, and the sky is the limit on power. They can be purchased and swapped in a week or less, swap kit so everything is nearly bolt-together are available, you can pretty much pull one on Monday from a JY and have it running in your jeep by Saturday. Fuel system stays the same since it's all gas. Parts are readily available. Either one will work, it's all about what kind of money and time do you have. A word to the wise....towing a 5k lbs trailer with the Comanche isn't going to be fun, no matter what motor you have. The truck only weighs in around 3300 lbs and a trailer like that will be a bear to stop and keep on the road. I've pulled an XJ behind mine and it was definitely pushing the limits at anything above in-town speeds. Just my $0.02

Yeah, now that we have a pic with the tailgate down I can see that. Pretty nifty idea although I don't think it would be very practical for "truck" uses.

Bringing this back from the dead, but man this is a cool camper! Do you still get much use out of it?

Looks like an LS setup....and he's still running the 4wd setup. I think this is in Columbia based on the ads. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4MqZ1Mv3jA&t=4s

Am I the only one interested in how they did the wood bed?

Like the title says, I'm looking at 2 different SUVs for a temporary dog-hauler. MJ is gonna have to go down for some service (axles and dash at the very least) which is going to leave me without a way to haul my pup for at least a month or two as I only have weekends to work on it. Looking at a late model XJ (98-01) or a late model trailblazer (06-09). Probably 2wd for each just so I don't get any ideas about keeping either one. Familiar with the XJ platform obviously, the trailblazer would be to test out the 4.2L Vortec and see if it would be a viable motor to swap into the MJ at a later date. Thoughts?

Personal opinion: Wire wheel the outside after changing the fluid and run as-is. Unless the axles have been leaking fluid already chances are really good the seals and bearings are fine. If you introduce sand to the equation, you have to make damn sure you get it all out....which is easiest when there's no cracks/crevices like bearings and races to hide in. Basically, if you think the axles may be good, change fluid, wire wheel, and paint. If you think they're suspect, full teardown, sandblast (protect any machined surfaces), redo your gears, and new bearings/seals, then paint. Rebuilding either of these axles isn't that bad, but it will cost more in both time and money....and if the axles are fine as they currently are, you're not really gaining much other than peace of mind.

Personally, I'd leave the rear open and put a lunchbox up front. You're gonna be in 2wd most of the time and will rarely need the rear end to lock. A lunchbox locker at the rear can be tricky to drive on slick surfaces (you don't have your location but I assume it either rains/snows/ice/all of the above where you are, lunchbox style lockers can lock/unlock in turns with little warning) but with it only in the front, if you need traction, it's there when you shift into 4wd. Just my $0.02. I picked up a used Aussie locker for $125 and put it in my Dana 30 up front. A brand new one is $249 from http://rwkhaussupply.com/

Damn that does look good. What setup are you using to spray? I know POR is pretty thin as-is, can you just spray it thru an HVLP gun or does it need to be thinned first?

Best bet would be your local u-pull-it. Call and see if they have any manual Cherokees from the 90s

-Buy the slave/master pre-bled set new off Amazon or Rockauto....don't try to use junkyard parts (ask me how I know). -AX15 isn't hard to get, they can be found in junkyards for about $350 if they pull and send to you....or you can go to a pick and pull and possibly spend 2 hours on your back pulling a nasty greasy tranny and save $150-$200 -Wherever you get the tranny, snag the crossmember with it. -Rubber mount. They're cheap and don't transmit vibrations like solid or poly will. You can always "upgrade" later if you so desire but for daily use rubber is best. -Yeah, verify. I forget the cutoff but if you get your transmission from a '94 XJ (I did), just get everything to match that (clutch, slave/master cylinder setup, etc) -Flywheel, not sure on this. I bought a new '92 one and still have a little chatter on engage. Doesn't bother me. -M/S - already covered -Pedals....ask Pete. I delivered a set to him a few months back from Louisiana. I believe they're the same from Renix and H.O. years -Jump NSS....no idea, didn't have this issue -Wire in reverse switch- again didn't have to do but I think the wire is already there and just connects on the tranny.....I think. Both auto and manual transmission have them so it would make sense if the wire worked for both.

Not that I'm aware of. I didn't have cruise in my MJ originally and adding it was simply buying a GM stalk and pulling a cruise actuator from an XJ. Stupid simple install, took almost 15 minutes the first time (took about 3 hours the second b/c I decided to run the wire from the stalk down the column, which is a PITA...but it looks factory.)

Hell no. I've got 2 spare sets. One good, and one meh. Plan to eventually redo the meh set....if they don't turn out well, I'll put the good ones on after the repaint.

I may have a spare 91-92 manual computer in my parts pile. If you're interested I can dig thru and see if I can find it. It would have come from an XJ but they're interchangeable.

x2 on using a Harbor Freight body shim set. https://www.harborfreight.com/144-piece-body-shim-assortment-67585.html Or look on Amazon for something similar.

There's currently 3 I saw on fleabay.....1 drivers for $170, 1 passenger for $180, and another driver in really nice shape for $350.

x2 on eBay. Expect to pay somewhere around $200/side for good quality tails.

Yeah, I agree. That's why I point people in the direction of research instead of just saying "Trust me, I'm an engineer!"