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My BA10 worked flawlessly for years in my YJ. Lots of off-roading during those years also. Oddly enough, when I swapped in the “upgraded” ax15 I had nothing but problems. The 2nd ax15 was fine though. Everyone at the time (different forum) made it seem like the ba10 was on borrowed time but it was actually a decent transmission. I’ve only ever had one though so maybe mine was the exception???

I think all of us that have run the General Spring ones have netted quite a bit of lift. I ended up giving away my general spring 4 leaf pack because it gave me at least a 2.5” lift on my soa setup even after setting for months and under load. I got a really nice used set from a California junkyard and had them shipped to me by boat. Once I received them I disassembled the pack, cleaned, painted and greased them. Threw in new bushings too. If you need replacements I’d recommend you do something similar. I’ve really been wanting to go to sua and get rid of this soa the previous owner did. If I did, I’d sell you my springs.

I’ve seen them used before and it should work great.

I am one of those people but on the pro audio side lol. The goal still needs to be a flat response from your drivers and a well dampened interior that does not add to or or take away from the original audio recording. This is the principle with which I approach every system I design and, to some degree I like to apply those same principles to car audio. To the OP, apologies for the spurious information. You can fit 4x6 speakers in back and they do help the overall soundstage. I recommend you buy a well built quality speaker and keep them all the same brand and preferably the same series. This should help timbre match the speakers and provide better sound quality. You can fit 5.25 speakers back there also but the corner position they are in greatly increases speaker reflection. So basically, just stick with 4x6 speakers and delete them as @Minuit suggests. One of these days, if I get the time and ambitions, I’ll work on installing a pair of 6.5 or 8” subs into the b pillars.

Most car audio systems I hear are not what I would consider quality and getting a system to sound good in a rattly, loud old Jeep is tough. It’s so much more than just the kind of speakers installed. The environment needs to be treated first. I’m also strongly against using any sort of EQ. If a speaker can’t keep a flat frequency response than it not a quality speaker. Car audio is tricky though and my background is integrated AV systems in commercial and residential theaters as well as restaurants and club environments so I approach car audio a bit differently than others may. Not saying it’s the right or wrong way but I know what I’m listening for. In my mj though, I haven’t spent to much time on the audio system aside from dynamatting the whole interior, replacing speakers and wiring as well as installing the head unit. I was prepping for it though. Installed a singer 240a car audio alternator.

Was a lot of work but well worth it. The backup cam is an awesome feature in a lifted truck especially when trying to hookup my boat trailer.

Don’t meen to disagree but that hasn’t been my experience. I’ve noticed a more encompassing sound stage. The frequency response of the cab is all relative to what’s in the cab anyways. If I have a bunch of stuff behind the seats though the sound gets lost and they become useless. I really think it would be a great location for a pair of 6.5 or 8” subs though! Also thought about putting a sub in the center console.

That being said, I currently run infinity reference 4x6s in back and 5 1/4 up front. Also installed a Sony double din touchscreen CarPlay head unit (that was a ton of work)

5 1/4 will fit with a bit of trimming. My though has been to put a pair of 6.5” or 8” subs back there behind the panels. It would be a nice custom setup

I’m about to pull out the oem ones I have in storage for that price lol

Holy cow, $86 and counting!

Also, the drum brake axles from 96-97 are 4.56 Dana 44’s. I built 2 of them. There was very bad information and too many rumors about these axles several years back so I went and bought a 95, (2) 97s and a 99 for comparison. Also had a JK 44 housing, a couple of TJ rubicon rear lockers and a Grand Wagoneer D44 front (very heavy 44 lol). Suffice it to say, I was able to check all the differences and variations at that time. It’s still my opinion that the 96,97 4.56 drum brake axle is one of the most straight forward overall swaps and a very stout axle (it’s the one I ended up keeping). Ebrake was a direct swap and the 10.5” drums are quite nice for towing (great parking brake when launching a boat). Swapped in a Detroit truetrac and wheeled the daylights out of it. Never gave any problems and had great clearance over the 8.8’s of which I have had 4.

+1 I run the 96+ configuration and it’s a much better tensioner design vs using the ps pump like the pre 96 design. Don’t worry, you’ll get used to all these “easy mods” and come to expect there are many other pieces involved most of the time lol.

I’ll add my $.02 Run SAE 30 weight conventional oil in your transfer case. I switched after running atf in np231’s for many years. Much quieter and seems to offer better lubrication.

I had a leak in the same place as your first picture. It was coming through the seal between the firewall and the blower motor. I drilled a 1/4” hole at the lower point below the blower motor opening on the engine side of the firewall. It prevents water from building up in that area even if there is a bit of debris there. I’ll see if I can snap a picture later if what I did. Hopefully it helps!

I used a plastic body plug from my YJ for that hole. Just make sure to add a drip loop in the antena cable just before it enters that grommet

Yeah very true. No need to run an sye unless you run a higher lift. I ran without an sye for quite some time on 6” soa rear. No driveline vibes or issues. I only went sye because I had to rebuild the t case and wanted a more solid setup.

Yep, they’re all thick cut gearsets just like the Isuzu. I’m the one who posted the write up

The 98+ is a super strong axle but is a bit wider (63” wms iirc). Dana 60 size pinion, larger axle bearings and 8.9” ring gear. You can swap one into an mj also just fine but will have to cutoff the coil bracketry to keep the leafs. It’s a very similar axle to the JKR 44.

Transfer case drops can cause a lot of other issues like linkage binding and bad driveshaft angles. I’d recommend and SYE from JB Conversions. Best I’ve ever used

Almost impossible to find a decent body shop anymore that actually takes pride in their work. Best bet is to have a good friend that works at one and can ensure qc all the way through.

Done!

Per @Pete M’s request, I’m posting this info for anyone who is contemplating upgrading their brakes: i often times read of someone who upgraded some part of their braking system (typically the booster/master and/or rear disks among others) with enormously successful results. The phrase “I can lockup x size tires while doing x speed” is heard far to often. It has been my personal experience though that more often than not, they replaced or coincidentally repaired a fault in their brake system while performing said mod. On the other hand, those with a good overall factory brake system try these “upgrades” only to find that they provide very little if any gain and sometimes even perform worse (eg swap to a larger master cylinder bore with stock brakes). So here is some information I’ve compiled over the years while running a wide variety of upgrades as well as thoroughly discussing this subject with others far more knowledgeable than myself. The key to getting the most out of your braking system is a good amount of boost assist to the master cylinder and the correct ratio of master cylinder piston surface area to caliper piston surface area. Vacuum boosters: first off make sure your engine vacuum is good. 18in+ of vacuum at idle is needed for a vacuum booster to give full power. Vacuum leaks, cam changes and many other factors can contribute to low idle vacuum. This needs to be checked before you consider a booster swap (unless your going with a hydroboost system). Also test your current booster by running your engine for a few seconds with your foot off the brake. Shutoff the engine and wait a minute or so, press on the brake pedal. You should have at least one full vacuum assisted pedal push before the pedal hardens up. If it fails that test then you have a leaky booster/check valve. You can also run an electric vacuum pump for your brakes which can significantly improve the vacuum assist in the event that your engine can not produce enough vacuum. Hydroboost is my personal favorite but is a costly swap and takes quite some time to setup right. The stopping power can be phenomenal though. I ran a custom unit from Talon hydraulics with a Wilwood MC Master cylinders: 15/16 is normally the best size for stock front calipers and either drum or disk rears. MC size should only increase when more fluid volume is needed (eg big brake/caliper upgrades). Running a larger MC with stock brakes will result in less fluid pressure and a harder pedal. Bleeding brakes: Always start by bench bleeding the MC and make sure you are absolutely positive it is air-free. Don’t let the MC run dry at all when bleeding the rest of the system or you’ll have to start over. Vacuum and gravity bleeding have been the most effective in my experience. Speed bleeders also really help if bleeding by yourself. Brake pads and rotors: Generally speaking, proper pad break in and selection is crucial. When you first get new pads they normally have a coating that embeds into the rotor upon first use. Softer pads wear quicker and create more dust but also generally stop better. Lifetime warranty pads are generally very poor performing since the compound is extremely hard. I recommend black magic brake pads with Centric posi-quiets being a distant second. Regarding rotors, drilled and slotted rotors have less contact area for the pad and therefore require more pressure to have the same braking force. They do offer many other cooling and cleaning benefits though in certain applications. Coated rotors are great to keep the rotors from rusting onto the wheel unit bearings. Rear disks: Generally they actually offer less braking than drums. Think of tractor trailers, most use drum brakes. Drums also typically have better parking/ebrakes. That being said, disk brakes are so much more convenient and still offer very good braking performance especially when wet or in muddy conditions. They cool much quicker also. Stop and go traffic, windy roads and aggressive driving all greatly benefit from disks. Prop valves: typically in a rear drum/front disk setup you need to lower the braking fluid pressure to the rear brakes since drums will lock up sooner especially with empty truck beds. Disk front and rear are generally 60/40 or even 50/50 pressure split. In other words, up your rear brake fluid pressure if you switch from drums to disks. 84-89 Dana 30’s have knuckles that can easily accept various big brake upgrades/kits. There are diy big brake options that use various off the shelf components or bolt on kits from Wilwood among others. DIY Big Brake Setup: http://jeepm62superchargerkit.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html?m=1 Wilwood: https://www.wilwood.com/BrakeKits/BrakeKitSearch?year=1997&make=Jeep&model=Wrangler&option=Req.+conversion+to+87-89+YJ+front+spindles 90 and later Dana 30’s have “wings” that hold the pads in place and have significantly fewer options than the earlier style “bolt-on caliper” knuckles. The knuckles can be swapped to the earlier style or one can run black magic pads and good rotors. With a decent MC and booster this combo can easily handle 33’s and perhaps slightly larger tires under regular driving. Stock brake upgrade parts: https://www.shop.blackmagicbrakes.com/Jeep-XJ-4WD-1990-1998_c48.htm 90 and later dana 35’s, Chrysler 8.25’s and TJ Dana 44’s can use the ZJ disks with almost zero mods: https://www.shop.blackmagicbrakes.com/Dana-44-Rear-Disc-Brake-Conversion-Kit-Dana-44-Rear-Disc-Conversion.htm Wilwood also started making a kit for these axles: https://www.wilwood.com/BrakeKits/BrakeKitSearch?year=1997&make=Jeep&model=Wrangler&option=Dana+35+Rear+w%2fo+ABS pre 90 Dana 35s have an early style Dana 44 mounting flange. They can still be upgraded to disks but it’s a bit more work. Stock they have 10” drums and no c clips. I actually like those little axles.

If one is going out than replace both.