Dzimm

I have finally collected all the pieces I need to rebuild the leaf springs. I've got new XJ shackles, new bushings, new friction pads, new center bolts, new ubolts, and I'll be attempting to reuse the MJ spring clamps. If that fails I will make some because replacements are stupid expensive for what they are. Today I cleaned up the XJ leaves I'll be using, wire wheeled all the rust and dirt off and wiped them down with some mineral spirits. My plan is to swap the 2nd and 3rd leaves out of the MJ pack with these and I'll see where that gets me. These are in the house now to come up to temperature so I can eventually get them painted. I'm not sure yet when I will pull the packs out of the truck but hopefully it will be soon. As soon as I get the packs built and installed I will also throw on the new coils to get it nice and low.

Some of the injection molding equipment we use at work comes from companies overseas and we often come across some funny stuff. These are two warning labels on the resin dryers. I think for how much this equipment costs, they could do a little better at translating a warning label.

Of course your truck can drive around a track! With some fancy video editing work it'll even look fast.

I had this happen to me once (the staying running when the key was removed) when my battery was failing in my XJ. I was having weird electrical issues for a couple weeks and then for another week after until the battery died entirely.

Took these pictures 2 years ago. Couple of cars dumped in the creek out on the family farm. Not really sure who put them there or when but they've been there quite a long time as they are mostly buried now. I was able to track down what they were at the time but can't remember right now. I think the white one sitting upright on the bottom is a Ford Fairlane, the top one I can't remember at all. Really should go get some better pictures from the opposite side of the creek since there aren't leaves in the way right now. Would love to drag them out just for fun and yard ornaments but they are too far buried in the embankment and hard to get to.

Wow I bet that was a wild ride. Quite the recovery operation, how long did it take them?

It has to do with likes or views something like that. I vaguely remember hearing its related to Tapatalk.

Your alternator outputs 14.6v, that's normal. You've got a constant draw somewhere so you'll have to start searching.

Ahh long distances I haven't heard they were capable of but it makes sense. In the desert and such that could be a life saver. Looking at it that way if you use them a lot and depend on them working it'd be a given to get the expensive ones, even I suppose for an enthusiast that likes good quality lighting (thinking audiophile). I just personally couldn't justify the cost but then again I rarely ever use AUX lights and certainly wouldn't to the full potential of the high end ones.

I'm genuinely curious, what exactly is the draw for crazy expensive lights when a comparable light can be had for fractions of the price? I get regular headlights due to the less than ideal beam pattern in some of the cheap ones (blinding oncoming traffic) but for Aux lights for offroad use like these, you won't be shining them in anyone's face on the trail. I've also personally never had or seen any quality issues with cheap lights and have actually been impressed of the quality of some. Who was it on here (Krusty maybe?) That did the test a while back of a super expensive light bar compared to a cheapo eBay one and the results were pretty much the same as far as performance. Like I said, just genuinely curious about the reasoning behind it, not trying to start a massive debate on cheap vs expensive lights.

Any chance the zip up hoodies will come in 3XL in the future?

Yeah there seems to be quite a few people that say they reuse bolts with no issues and there is a lack of evidence in that being the cause of any issues. It's a peace of mind thing though to do so as something could happen, then again, something could happen with new bolts. I'll just reuse the nuts then (temporary anyway) assuming they come off easy. Just wanted to get some other points of view. Thanks!

So I know it's not acceptable to reuse u-bolts but is it okay to reuse the nuts? I'm asking because I need to remove the leaf springs on the truck to swap some of the leaves. I have new D35 u-bolts already but I cannot find just the nuts anywhere (possibly due to search terms), because of this I was looking at new u-bolts and came across a few that didn't come with nuts and the description said to reuse the nuts. This got me thinking. The reasons always given for not reusing the bolts is that it's torque to yield and that the nut has sharp threads that cut the rounded ones on the bolt. The bolt is what stretches when it's tightened and the bolt threads are what are damaged, so it seems that the nuts should be fine to reuse. What is your guys thoughts? Or can anyone point me to new nuts, preferably the tall ones, that don't cost as much as a whole new bolt kit?

I'd take it to where the work was done and have them give it a look. If it wasn't doing it before then it would be something that was installed or worked on more than likely.

Nice! Figured you wouldn't have a real problem fixing it if they did anyway. Lol

First unplug the trans computer and drive it like a manual to see what happens. If it still does it, then it's mechanical, if it doesnt do it, then it's electrical. If it's mechanical then do a fluid change and see what happens. If it's electrical, it could be anything. Start testing things. My 98 XJ had a slipping trans in 4th caused by an electrical issue, it turned out to be the CPS. As for the swap, I'd just change the fluid and throw it in. If it works it works. Be careful with the crossmember bolts, I've snapped them before and it sucked.

This would be awesome to have. A hot tub that can go anywhere, in the garage, tailgating, camping, to a friend's house. The possibilities are endless. Probably be a good idea to unweld the rear suspension for travel and instead install supports under it when filled up.

I will definitely do that. I need to make it safer before really jumping it hard again though, or really driving it... It's taken quite a bearing, it won't idle anymore, have to keep some revs to stay running. It also has no brakes, only handbrake. It's quite a sketchy rig right now. Need to devote some time to it.

I'd agree with Pete, use a floor jack and a 2x4 inside the cab to push it back out. I did that with my rolled Suzuki sidekick and it worked very well. You'd be surprised how much you can do yourself, no it won't be like it was before, but it will be perfectly useable. It's really not that bad for the way you flopped, it must have been relatively soft. If I was close, I'd come over and help you push it back out. As for the bedside, your taillight looks to be okay so bang out what you can for now. If you eventually want to fix it, find a cab to cut that section from and a new bedside at a later date. In reality with a little elbow grease you can have it useable again for the cost of a driver's side window and mirror. I'd recommend putting a real rollbar in it at some point though as it is going to be weaker than before, at least until you can get a cab to replace that section.

Yeah I was completely blown away by it. It feels like a sports car now.

Tint it. I finally tinted my old XJ (white 2dr like yours) and wished I had done it earlier. I didn't go too dark but it made a huge difference not only with the heat in the summer but headlights from the rear at night were much more tolerable. From the outside it looked a ton better as well. Wish I would have gone darker actually. Privacy is nice as well. Just make sure to follow the tint laws in your state. Mine was not tinted originally so I bought a cheapo precut kit on eBay. Had it on for a few years before I sold it and it didn't fade or peal at all. The quality has gone up in them and they don't turn purple like they used to *my experience* and if you apply it carefully it shouldn't peal. Have someone assist you and use baby shampoo mixed with water to apply it.

Installed the swaybar this morning. Unfortunately it is designed to be used with shocks that are just the metal piston, not ones with the metal housing. Since mine have a larger than normal metal housing, the upper brackets don't sit properly. They are slightly tilted toward the back causing the end links to not sit vertical and the bar to not sit perfectly parallel to the ground. It's close but not optimal. Judging by the length of the bar, I don't think the links would sit vertical unless the bar was completely under the axle. Once lowered, it appears the bar is long enough that I could move the upper brackets to the crossmember instead of the shock mount, which will be nice. I also need to get the spare tire out so I've got more room to work. I decided it has rained enough since they salted the roads that they were clean enough for a test drive. It was an absolute blast! I can't believe how much of a difference there is with the bar on it. The body roll is basically non-existent now and it handled so much better. I cannot wait to get the rest of the suspension done and get small tires on it. On recommendation from 70Barracuda, I ordered some ZJ rear coils to go on it. Once I get the last bits for the leaf spring rebuild, I'll get the front springs installed.

Ahh yes. Thanks Eagle! That's why I chose MT90, easiest to identify/obtain of the acceptable gear oil.

Definitely remove the fill plug first, I had a t-case with an immovable fill plug. That woulda sucked had I not checked it first. I used Redline MT90 in mine. Expensive but definitely felt better with new fluid. IIRC there is something to avoid do to the brass synchros, can someone comment on that at all?

We definitely care, it's just hard at times to give answers, especially when we are going to say don't do what you are thinking of doing. It took me reading your question a few times to come up with an answer that wasnt just don't do that. I definitely know your pain on finding parts locally, these trucks don't exist around here. Your best bet is to get under it and see how bad it is on the inside and go from there. The new bedside would be nice since the seams would be hidden and would replace it all in one shot but shipping wouldn't be cheap and could get damaged since it's so large. For my truck I used front XJ fenders for the wheel arches since they are suprisingly close to the correct arch and cut up a clothes dryer for the sheetmetal to rebuild half of a bedside piece by piece, it was the same thickness and galvanized so less prone to rusting. I'm not a body man though so it's not perfect but much better than holes everywhere. If yours is patches of rust, you may be able to just do small patches with some sheetmetal.