ghetdjc320

It’s nice to have a “fuse” in the axle. U joints can hopefully be that fuse before more serious damage occurs. If you know that LP axle is 100% then maybe that’s best option. I would never “downgrade” something that’s already on the truck though.

Installed my rebuilt e brake unit today. Even the brake light in the dash now works lol. Took out all the trim and seat from the drivers side and pulled the carpet to give a thorough cleaning. Everything cleaned up very well but I’m going to replace my floor pans in the next few weeks. I seriously want everything perfect which is almost impossible on a 30yo Jeep but I’m doing my best. Welded in a new seat stud as well that had been stripped out a long time ago.

Here are some pics of the unit. I can keep the welder, grinder, consumables, helmet and accessories in one sealed storage box. Love the portability. Welded some 1/4” today with ease on a single pass.

I now have a good supply of cores and should be able to start producing a prototype shortly. Will try to update everyone in a week or so.

Just wanted to post up about a little welder I picked up recently. I have a full Lincoln welding rig I left at my folks place but needed some small welder I could use for smaller repairs and fab work. Picked up a Century flux mig welder from Home Depot and it is awesome. It’s made by Lincoln but probably not in the US I imagine (all my literature says Lincoln in Georgia but not sure if that’s where it was made). It weighs just a few pounds and is upper compact. You can see where they saved money especially with the spool holder but man does it have it where it counts. Never seen such a nice bead and weld penetration on such an economical machine. Has a full electrical and mechanical diagram as well as part numbers for any replacement pieces so it’s really put together like a mini professional unit. Only down side is no provision for shielding gas but since i have no indoor area to weld here, flux core is all I can use anyways. Just thought I’d share.

Quite true

Had one of those for about 8 years. Loved it but off-roading with big tires can load up and shock your axles much more than even spirited daily driving would. However, the OP already has an HP D30. Can’t see swapping in a LP axle just to change gears especially if it’s going to be a weekend warrior. A reverse rotation front axle has significantly superior gear engagement.

Agreed. I eventually bought my own tools to do it myself after building several axles but had a shop fo it for 4 axles and it was about $250/axle. That was about 4 years ago

Fun project there!

I know it’s been some time but are you mostly finished up with the build yet?

For future reference, when you have a parking brake that tries to smash your fingers when releasing it, you are missing the bumper that acts as a stop. Unless you find the replacement part, you’ll need a bumper approx 1” in diameter and 1/2” thick. I used a plastic spacer and button head 5/16 bolt for this but will track down the correct bumper eventually.

I’d suggest a body hammer and dolly and work slowly.

It’s not the clearance that makes the lp 30 a weaker axle. It’s how the pinion engages the ring gear. By having a high pinion front and low pinion rear you are effectively engaging the strongest part of the ring gear. That plus the HP doesn’t use a crush sleeve which makes future jobs like pinion seals much easier imho. i have seen plenty of TJs with big tires on lp Dana 30’s. If that’s what came in your rig then why not wheel what you have. Heck, i run a super Dana 35 after having run 8.8’s and 44’s over the years. But if your Jeep already has a Dana 30 HP then going to a LP is a step backwards. I understand not wanting to mess with gears but a used axle of unknown condition is already going to need bearings refreshed at some point. Plus 4.10’s aren’t that ideal for 33’s (not to bad though). It seems everyone tries to avoid a regear nowadays. As for the lift, soa will net you about 5.5” of lift minimum in the rear which will vary a bit depending on the axle and leaf springs used. The SD truck springs 5 leaf springs will met you about 2.5-3” setup as spring under axle. Hells creek still makes an MJ leaf pack I believe for a 4.5” lift spring under. Depending on if you are running the stock fender flares or if your wanting to open up the wheel well a bit with different flares, you can fit 33’s in nicely with 4.5” of lift. With aftermarket flares you could probably get away with even less lift. Keep in mind also that the rubicon express front coils don’t always show the correct lift for an XJ. Most show the rated lift for a TJ amd in fine print say it raises XJ’s about an inch less. My 5.5” RE coils raised the truck about 4.5-4.75”. A small coil spacer evened up the lift though.

Finished my parking brake rebuild today. Pretty crappy design if I do say. So many design issue with the unit. The pawl and sprocket were both stamped out with a not so sharp blad which caused some rounded off edges. A lot of welding and reshaping needed here.

Saw a neat build on Texas Metal one time for a unibody C4 corvette. It was very impressive work but gives a good idea what is involved. It was very ekstensive (pun intended)

First thing I’ll mention here is I’d recommend chucking that TJ axle. They are a low pinion Dana 30 and not up to big tires. The high pinion Dana 30 was found in XJs, MJs and YJs. I know you didn’t ask about it but try to find another axle. The 8.25 is a great axle too. Are you swapping it just to change gear ratios? Regarding the control arm drop brackets, although they can technically be used with that lift height it’s definitely not necessary and quite a bit of work. The RE 4.5” springs net about an inch less on the mj. I run their 5.5” springs and get about 4.5. Soa will give you about 5.5” but can vary depending on the leaf pack you use. What I’d recommend is let us know what you are wanting out of your truck. What size tires are you wanting to run and what engine and transmission are you running now.

Do you recall if all mj years had the same firewall pattern for the booster? I know the one on my 91 is 3 3/8” square. Only thing I know that changed was the booster to pedal connection and brake light switch on the pre HO’s.

The Wilwood kit is a nice setup (planning on running myself soon) but not needed unless your running 33”+ tires or are towing or racing. Being you have an 86 do you know what rear axle you have? There are rear disk kits available for all the different models but there are some differences. Try to identify both the axle model and year. The master cylinder will need to be selected AFTER your braking system is selected since you need to leverag the right hydraulic ratio. You caliper piston sizes and count will determine what size MC is needed. 9 times out of 10 you’ll keep the stock size or be within a 1/16” of the stock bore unless upgrading to larger axles/brakes. Check out the DIY section regarding brake mods. There are several helpful posts there that can shed some light and help you get started

Here is a link to that thread: https://comancheclub.com/topic/48463-cruisers-mostly-renix-tips/

Pull all your turn and tail light bulbs and carefully inspect the bulbs and sockets. This is a very frequent issue and you will find several tips in the diy section. You’ll also find tips regarding the pre HO (91) model MJs under @cruiser54’s signature.

What year knuckle? The pre 90’s are completely different

The door jamb switches are a ground trigger.

Looking good. Only thing that looks off to me is the reverse light. I notice some red peaking though in that area. @Dzimm I see an opportunity for the housings to be reproduced!

The outer retainer for the locking ring is welded to the tank but the sending unit is not welded to the tank. If it is welded to the tank then an utter moron did that. As @Dzimm mentioned, it’s more likely that your mechanic didn’t notice the actual locking ring. Another common area for gas leaks is around that locking ring and seal. Especially if it only leaks badly when full or over 1/2 tank.