ghetdjc320

Why not spray raptor on those parts? Raptor holds up very well on bumpers and other parts exposed to UV. Whatever you do, epoxy primer is an extremely good and durable base to build on. Even if you have others paint the color portion. Maybe grab a gallon of epoxy primer and hardener and shoot what you feel comfortable with??? Raptor liner and most any other finish sticks to it very well so long as you follow the appropriate drying and recoat time tables

Don’t use self-etching primer with base/clear. Grab some epoxy primer and shoot everything with it. Reading the technical data sheet (TDS) of each product your applying and following it will give the best results. If you have bare metal, body filler and factory paint in different areas, the epoxy can seal up all of that and provide a good uniform base that the paint will adhere to. Personally, I shoot 4 coats of base and 6 coats of clear but this depends on the coverage of the paint being used and the quality and thickness of each layer of the clear coat (you don’t want to have any sagging). The goal is to have a good looking end product you can then cut and buff a couple of layers off of to achieve a perfect end product. That being said, I’d shoot down one more coat of base after I achieve a uniform color over the entire truck followed by at least 3 coats of clear. ps, don’t wet sand anything before your apply paint. That is a recipe for trapping moisture and rusting down the road. The TDS will recommend what grit to sand to before applying the product. It is good practice to shoot epoxy primer down on all bar metal BEFORE doing any fillers. The chemical reaction from the filler causes it to warm up and condensation can form. Many fillers also absorb water very easily. Mineral spirits is your friend for wiping down things before paint. Tach or cheese cloth to remove any tiny debris once the base layer is dry. The primer, base and clear all go on within specific time frames and will typically involve a long marathon day of mixing and spraying.

Most 1k air dry paints don’t form a good chemical bond with clear coat. Why not just grab some base coat and clear from your local paint dealer? If you just want white, it can be found pretty much anywhere at very reasonable costs. If you’ve already spent the time and effort to do body work, put on a product thats worth it. Almost anything looks good when it’s first applied, but only the correct paint looks good years after

Thanks! I don’t have a dial caliper with me at the moment so this is super helpful.

I would dare to say that the ball joints will be a bolt in swap provided the old ones are extracted properly. I’ve never had to use a knurled or alternative design to the Dana 76944x joints. I’ve only done about (5) d30 axles’ ball joints but they were from a wide range of years (88-05) and the spicer part number fit them all without issues. But I can’t emphasize enough proper extraction with the right tool. You may be able to rent a similar tool from your local auto parts store.

I'm needing the rear spring eye outside diameter (shackle side) in MM if possible.

If you’re not upgrading the tie rod to the ZJ version then this is what you need (see pic). The parts below don’t replace the drag link which has a tie rod end integrated for the passenger wheel. If you need to replace that too than add Moog part number DS1238. Spray your ball joints with some PB blaster or similar a couple of times a few days before you’re planning to remove them (or have them removed by a mechanic). If you’re going to remove them, you’ll need a good quality ball joint press (OTC makes a great one) and the appropriate Jeep adapter cup. It can be done using other methods/tools but I’ve never had any damage to the inner C using the above tools and new stock replacement ball joints went right in place without issue.

Post the part number or link. Probably the same thing

The flowkooler with the billet impeller is a great unit. There are other “high flow” pumps though that use a stamped impeller. You have the right combo though. The mishimoto has a greater capacity than stock. Mishimoto, cold case, Novak and the old Griffith have multiple cores with large passageways and higher overall capacity. I’m sure some other radiators do as well but there are also many that don’t. When you start getting a radiator with small passageways and/or low capacity, the high flow pump can work against you. As stated above, the 4.0 is designed to run warm. But it should hold a relatively steady temp once it gets to normal operating range. Even an inaccurate temp gauge shouldn’t keep skyrocketing into the red given that the gauge sweep is exponential and not linear. It should hold steady at some point with a functional cooling system. But to the OP, I would suggest an IR temp meter as well. If you check the thermostat housing, just know that will typically read a few degrees above the gauge temp.

Interesting. What radiator did you use? The high flow pumps have given problems in the XJ/MJ platform. The high flow pumps coupled with certain “upgraded” radiators can move water too quickly for heat dissipation. Many upgrade radiators actual have lower fluid capacity (often a result of multiple thin cores). Coupled with a higher flow water pump, the relatively smaller amount of coolant is moved faster which is a recipe for over heating. There are some but not many improvements to be had in an MJ/XJ stock cooling system.

Was wondering if there was a way to have more storage space for videos. Could we possibly even have a DIY videos thread? Currently, I can only upload a tiny video clip.

The 97+ console still looks and functions very well with the 96- interior. They seem to be a better design overall with functional cup holders. Try running it and see if the gap is even a concern. I didn't even really notice it after a while.

There used to be a guy on the XJ forums who was making a custom "filler piece" that looked very nice and cleaned up the transition but he's been out of business for some time now. Wondering if @Dzimm may have something in the works.

Once you line up your case and transmission shifter bezels, you will notice a decent gap up front. It would be nice if the console could slide forward a but more but the gap is primarily a height gap. The 96- console flips up at the end to meet the lower dash trim. the 97+ stays pretty low in that area.

I just had a chance to look through some of your thread. Nice work! I feel your pain on those worthless rebuilt steering boxes. I should have learned my lesson on my Yj when I went through 3 "rebuilt" Durango boxes before buying a new one. Same for my current MJ, went with RedHead steering box as it seemed like they really knew their stuff. Same problem, bad valve circuit . PSC keeps taking the win For a paint preserver/appearance helper, I had really good success with Flood Penetrol for old paint. It doesn't leave behind a residue once it dries (about 24hrs). It also comes off easy enough if you repaint down the road. I was really stoked with the results on my 97 TJ. I would apply it about every 6 months and that is with there tropical sun and heavy rain/salt spray. Worked really well under the chassis as well. For A/C lines, Cold Hose will build you about anything you need if you provide the specs. Vintage air also has sections of pre-flared aluminum tubing in different lengths that can be bent as needed and added to an AC hose like a reduced barrier setup for a custom line.

You just need the rear bracket. No trimming needed but there will be a gap where the console meets the lower dash.

Lots of factors at play in that decision. Driving style, wheeling areas, tire size you want to run. Generally speaking, If you’re going 37’s -39’s, probably a high pinion Dana 44 like JK style axles. 40’s or larger may call for a D60

I’m wondering about the design/quality of the timken unit. It’s much higher in price than the others even on rock auto. Also curious why it’s not showing up for a 1990 but it does show up for a 91??

This may sound basic, but have you opened the radiator cap and checked your coolant level recently? Is your radiator getting hot on both sides?

What water pump did you install? Iirc, there is a reverse rotation and standard rotation for the 4.0. Both fit but installing the wrong one can cause flow issues

I’ve heard of that but hadn’t seen any of his work. Seen a lot of air bag work from Texas metal though. Will have to lookup what he’s done. Ultimately, I’d love to have some links installed along with airbags in the correct location to act as a complete suspension system, but I think that may be something I plan a ways down the road.

Will do! If they don’t have a kit I’ll go with an airbag setup. I may fabricate an upper bracket to replace the bump stop as I really don’t like the J bracket that the airlift kit uses. Been looking at ridetech systems. I also just don’t want to loose the flex and on handling of the current system by slapping on some thick rigid springs.

Engineering is real I may still go air suspension but like the idea of what this company came up with. GS spring design is just not what I’d want to run again.

It certainly has a lot of good reviews. The principle seems sound but I’m curious how it works in the long term.

So I've been looking for something to help level the load when hauling without an add a leaf or new springs. I really like current ride quality with my bastardized 5 leaf pack but I don't have enough spring rate for hauling or towing. Ive been looking at doing an air helper spring and still like the idea but I do notice that it can severely limit travel as most bags only have about 6" of total travel. Then I came accross these guys: https://activesuspension.com I reached out and they said they didn't have anything that fits a Comanche but they agreed to let me send them all the specs of what I'm working with and see if they had a kit that might work from another application. Still not 100% sure if they have something that may work but I should know soon. My spring brackets are quite a bit different from the stock layout. Anyways, any thoughts on this system design from RAS?