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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

True. I’ve never had one unload on me though and I ran them on all 4 corners on some pretty serious trails. Being able to let the axle droop more though is really not helpful unless there is weight on the low wheel. That being said though, nothing beats a good 4 link setup.

They work for suspension droop but that’s about it. Plus you’ll need extended shocks to allow for full droop. Alcan has a product called “orbit eyes” that’s like a Johnny joint for your leaf springs that also works for linear spring twisting.

The length of the MJ leaf springs is a pretty good design for flex. I used to run treadles revolver shackles on my YJ and they make them for MJ’s/XJ’s too.

Yep, either Helicoils or size up one bolt size and tap the threads. Both require about the same amount of work

As a general rule of thumb, these brands do not have a stellar reputation with Jeeper’s who actually use their vehicles for off-roading: Rough Country Pro-Comp Tough Country IMHO I would also add: Rugged Ridge The only “budget” lift company that I’ve had good success with is Zone off-road who is affiliated with BDS suspension. The brands that tend to get the most positive reports: Currie Metal Cloak Savvy Iron Rock Off-road Old Man Emu Rubicon express kind of falls in the middle both in terms of price and quality. Also heard good things about Hell Creek springs for MJ’s. Alcan and National of course are up there if you just need leaf springs or coils but they are pricey. There are faults with all brands and probably some positive things too but the above has held true from what I’ve run and seen on the trails. Probably forgetting some other too

That unit bearing looks pretty rough and by the time you do get it separated, that shaft and unit bearing will likely be trashed.

The JCR one has been around a good while and their stuff is really top notch. The DBO bumper is very similar in design and it looks like many aspects were copied from the JCR. I like the license plate area for the DBO one but there is a big difference in the D ring tabs on those two. The JCR ones are much thicker. The JCR also does a great job of protecting the corners. The DBO has those little add on corner armor pieces but the bumper itself doesn’t wrap around the corner. I’ll take some pics of mine in a bit

I run that rear bumper and also the JCR vanguard front bumper. Front bumpers are practically limitless since they are just an XJ bumper and oem styles as well as tons of aftermarket options are available. The JCR bumper fits really nice and I do use mine for towing. I’ve towed about 2500lbs with it no problem. It’s just not “rated” for towing. You won’t find many aftermarket bumpers that are unless they went through the process of certifying them.

I'm sure the Dakota lights are an option but since Key Parts is bringing new oem tail lights to market, an adapter that fits an oem Dakota light may not be as marketable as something that could fit the newer 97+ XJ style given all the aftermarket options and styles. The adapter bracket would likely just be a thin frame that would adapt the mounting points from an MJ and creates an XJ light opening.