DesertRat1991

I'm down

Something doesn't add up. Lifting the truck with the stock track bar should pull the axle to the DRIVER's side. Extending the track bar would push it to the passenger side. Check your track bar axle bracket. Make sure the previous owner didn't drill an alternate mounting hole in the wrong spot. Either way, an adjustable track bar will help you get it dialed in however you like.

Welcome aboard. Some general thoughts... 1) Follow link to DIY instructions for checking ride height provided above. 2) Check ride height first. Out of curiosity, is the rear still SUA? Seems hard to believe that a single add-a-leaf in the rear would have given you more than 3.5" of lift. If you're rig is under 3.5" of lift then you probably don't need an adjustable track bar up front. 3) Inspect all your bushings. Yes, extended links are generally a good idea, but maybe you have excessive play because your bushings are rotten. 4) Since you are budget conscious, there is a very simple and cost effective method for alleviating tire rub on the control arms. All you need is a few 3/8" washers: INSTRUCTIONS HERE. But, before you go adjusting the steering stops, get your front end straightened out. Run to Home Depot and pick up two 0.98 cent yard sticks. Grab some duct tape, a bubble level, your wife, and a tape measure and check your alignment using this method: INSTRUCTIONS HERE. Adjust tie rods as necessary, then follow the instructions to straighten out your steering wheel. If your tires are still contacting the LCAs after inspecting your bushings and verifying the alignment then try adding the washers to the steering stops. 5) Hold off on firing the parts cannon until you know how much lift you're dealing with. And post pics.

Great progress so far. Have you considered running XJ shackles? Should be ~1.25" shorter than the stock MJ shackles. Good for at least a half inch drop in the rear. A steel bumper and a bed mounted spare will bring it down quite a bit too.

Unless I'm missing something, there doesn't seem to be a way for regular members to post replies to the MJOTM thread. On my mobile view, there is no reply box at the bottom of the page. Can anyone else confirm? Mods don't seem to be having the same issue.

Same here. The page seems to hang up after hitting save. Tried refreshing and didn't see my post. Had to log out and log back in before seeing that it posted 3 times. Using Chrome Version 59.0.3071.115 (Official Build) (64-bit)

One just got listed on ebay... http://www.ebay.com/itm/1984-1985-1986-Jeep-Cherokee-XJ-Comanche-NOS-8-spoke-rim-wheel-trim-ring-/322714003866?hash=item4b2340e99a:g:C84AAOSw241YmOzO&vxp=mtr

Separate. You don't have to run the glove box piece at all.

Can't post

The seller has a lot of money into that truck. It's priced right. That said, I personally wouldn't drop that much on a truck customized by someone else. That's no fun. But, even if I were to entertain the idea, the truck would need to built by a reputable 4x4 shop for the purpose of reselling. Too many opportunities for Backyard Bubba to screw things up otherwise. Drive train issues, electrical problems, etc. That could be a really nice truck though, if all the work was done right, and you trust the seller.

The rockers are in surprisingly good condition. I wonder how far north you have to get before they don't even bother trying to salt the roads anymore. I suppose at some point studded tires are the better option.

A bad camshaft position sensor in the distributor can cause this.

1) From the cab, a loose control arm does sound a lot like a blown shock mount. In my case, it turned out my LCA wasn't torqued tight enough at the axle so the eyelet was jostling around and knocking against the bolt. Diagnosed it by using my cellphone to film underneath the front end while I rocked the hell out of the truck from left to right. Try it. 2) Did you remember to re-tighten the clamps after making your adjustments?

I'd have a hard time paying more than $250 considering you can get a whole rust free bed for ~$500. IMO, being "NOS" doesn't add a whole lot of value to an unpainted metal panel. New or used, both will need quite a bit of work to fit up and paint.

Great pics!

Welcome aboard!

LoL, PA system and train horn... awesome. Congrats man!

You guys seen this? This could bode well for us! :thumbsup: Most interesting thing is that the prototype rear bumper they featured in the video has already been posted for sale on their website. Looks like the Crusader ships ready-made. Nice addition to their old DIY rear bumper.

Amazing how many people can't follow instructions... "EXAMPLE OF FULL DRIVER SIDE PHOTO (PLEASE UPLOAD THIS EXACT ANGLE - NOSE POINTING TO THE LEFT)" They even posted an example. Like 3/4 of the submissions are non-compliant. Should be an instant DQ.

Bumping to say THANKS! Found everything I needed to make an extended rod from Zoro.com for $22 shipped. You can do it for less if you can find a smaller pack of hex nuts. It worked out great. 1/4"-28 X 1' PLAIN 316 STAINLESS STEEL THREADED ROD: https://www.zoro.com/value-brand-threaded-rod-316-ss-14-28x1-ft-s601402801pldar/i/G3609837/ FEMALE STUD ROD END, RH, 1/4-28: https://www.zoro.com/qa1-female-stud-rod-end-rh-14-28-cfr4s/i/G5090626/ 1/4"-28 PLAIN FINISH 18-8 STAINLESS STEEL HEX NUTS, 50 PK: https://www.zoro.com/value-brand-hex-nut-14-28-gr-18-8-ss-plain-pk50-u511600250002/i/G5337805/

What's going on with the engine hoist in the first pic? Are you lifting the vehicle by the swaybar bushing bolts?? Are those your old UCA bushings on the ground in the 2nd pic? How'd you get them out in such good condition? I had to bore the rubber out with a 1/2" drill bit and mangle the outer metal sleeve with an air hammer. They were unrecognizable by the time it was all said and done.

You can reuse them, but after overhauling the rear suspension it really seemed like half-assing it to reuse the old fasteners. I bought new ones from Mopar Parts Giant: https://www.moparpartsgiant.com/parts/mopar-bolt-hex-flange-head~34202118.html

Holy cow, a 5+1 leaf pack?? Well, one thing is for sure, the springs you took off were not OEM leaf packs. Even metric tonne springs were only 3+2, and OEM springs are kind of rounded off at the ends. The overload leaf in pic 2 looks squared. I would agree that it looks like your new leafs are too short, but the cracks at the front mount are concerning. I hope someone didn't cut it off and try to re-weld it in a new spot to fit that bastard pack. Take a wider angle profile shot of the truck.

http://tinypic.com Upload pics. Paste the url here.