ghetdjc320

Definitely agree. I run the JCR built rear bumper and use a receiver hitch license plate adapter. Works great and my clearance is much better than most.

Checkout the painless 10111 harness. It used the same fuse panel and bulkhead connector and is very universal. Made for an 87-90 YJ

There are so many options here. For one, all you need to do is get the engine to run “stand alone”. There is very little from the original harness that will need to be connected to the new engine. You’ll want to connect the oil presssure gauge, water temp, and oil pressure. Other than that you just need 12vto the coil while in the crank and run positions and a fuel pump for low pressure. The fuel system will be a bit of work.

If using a stock style driveshaft, the pinion should be parallel to the transfer case output. If using a double cardan style aftermarket shaft it should be pointing 1-2* below the transfer case output. Read this for info: https://4xshaft.com/blogs/general-tech-info-articles/tail-shaft-conversion-kits

Your floor mats will fit better without the braces lol

Yep you got it. Those would work for the bottom of the tie rod/knuckles. You’ll need some safety misalignment spacers for the top though since the joint needs to flex quite a bit. I picked up the parts from ruff stuff and they’ve been perfect for 7 years now. Just make sure not to use additional hardware like extra washers or spacers where they aren’t needed. The ones in your pics are a bit cobbled together and the bolt length will put a lot of sheering force on it that could be greatly reduced with an appropriate shorter hardware stack like the diagram above.

For the safety misalignment spacers and related parts, look at the components in this kit: https://www.ruffstuffspecialties.com/34STEER-REPLACE.html there are Lin’s to the individual pieces. I would assume your are running 3/4” heims which would use a 5/8” bolt through the pitman arm and knuckles. 5/8 is the largest straight bore the stock knuckles can safely handle.

Interesting to see the drag link on top of the pitman arm. Probably done that way to keep it Parral el with the track bar. You can keep the drag link on top of the knuckle and the tie rod below like you have it in the picture but you need to add some safety washers to that setup. The safety washers will be a cone shaped washer that is about the same size as the heim OD. That way if the heim joint should fail, the steering linkage will still remain in place. I’d also use all new shorter grade 8 bolts with new grade 8 locking nuts and lock washers. Here is a simple diagram about how your combo would be setup:

I can always see the salt spray here 24x7 since I’m parked 50’ from the ocean.

Literally just above the wheel in the wheel well

Just found the large 3” plugs from keystone parts. Just need the other 1.5” ones

Changed the topic to “preventing rust”

All of them lol. The two large ones and the 1.5” ones are needed the most

Anyone have a source for all the different plugs? Need all the floor plugs except the metal ones.

I had never noticed the small plugs in the wheel wells just above the rear tires. I’m sure many of you know which ones I’m talking about but in case you don’t I attached a picture. Mine were covered in undercoating and had pretty much become almost unrecognizable but I was under the Jeep the last 2 days cleaning, wire brushing, painting, and replacing any plugs and seals under there (gas tank seals, hoses and vents). I noticed the 4 plugs at the base of the cab between the bed and the cab when I removed the gas tank. It seems like these little plugs were strategically placed to get to “rust areas” . I popped them all off and shot some rust killer into each of the holes and replaced them with a new plug. If only the previous owners would have know of these little plugs it’s possible that a lot of corrosion could have been prevented. It took a solid week of sheet metal work to get my bedsides over the wheel wells to turn out right... lots of rust when I first bought it. if you haven’t done so yet, pull these plugs and spray the inside with your favorite rust killer or preventer. I like to use spray on rust converter and rattle can clear for these little spots. Eastwood internal frame coating would be great too

Wonder if they’ll do new housings eventually too. Most housings are quite trashed though that can be cleaned up and repaired I suppose

3 left

Moral of the thread: Put the wrench down and walk away . Spend your time an money elsewhere. I’ve heard the argument before that leaf springs will keep you more stable while “side loaded” or crawling on the side of a hill. That may have some merit but there is simply no denying the comfort, flex and tune ability of a link setup.

Are you referring to just the knob on the end or some internal piece in the column? Upload a picture if possible.

Yep, that’s a good application. I use them in aluminum parts also. Even used one for a spark plug hole repair in an aluminum head once. The oil pan bolts are 1/4 with only a few being 5/16.

A helicoil gains you nothing in an iron block unless you need to keep the same original bolt size. Thread by hand as Pete mentioned and you won’t have a problem going forward.

Definitely! Any updates on rca pre-outs?

The reason I’d recommend going up one bolt size is because those oil pan bolts do strip very easily. A helicoil will still require you to tap and thread a larger hole. The oil pan as you know has two thread sizes and I’d be willing to bet that you stripped out one of the smaller threads. Don’t get me wrong, helicoils are very handy but I would normally use them on softer metals when I need a specific bolt size. They work great on aluminum parts. For iron, just drill and tap the appropriate size