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That’s a good call. Was going to post the link for the clevite part you need for .001 undersized but your method will ensure the best result as there can be slight variations between each journal.

would be nice to just fast forward through body work, I’d like to see it when it’s all done and it’s my least favorite part of the build for the final skim coats I am switching to Evercoat Rage Ultra Extra. Gives me a realistic 15 minutes of work time which is enough to get it nicely leveled .

Mic’ing the crank is the best policy. Using plastigauge or similar also yields great results to get what you need and ensure the best clearance.

Was going through withdrawal lol

Clevite 77 or King bearings are my go to for engine builds

More body work…

Given the scarce activity on the site recently, my guess is that most can’t access it due to the expired certificate. Tagging @Pete M

Same here. Tagging @Pete M

Progress continues with body work. Getting close to being ready for the final skim coat. Getting all the lines perfect after welding in new metal is quite a chore. Worth it though for sure. 30 years of abuse is finally being undone. Fibertech filler used over an weld joints and Rage Ultra to smooth out any imperfections. The final skim will be done with Rage Ultra Extra as it gives you “extra” time to work large panels before curing. Block sanding followed by another coat of epoxy primer, block sanding again then epoxy sealer.

I had the thor unit. It ditches the factory intake box so you do get some extra space there. Cab noise was a bit obnoxious. Maybe a slight power gain but it did seem to pickup maybe an extra mile per gallon. That was on a bored 4.0 though with cam, exhaust and aluminum head.

If you go with ECGS try to grab the “Dana 489” axle. It has the later larger ring and pinion in a 44 housing.

Project name updated

What are these?

Greetings! Where about in Arkansas are you located? I’m in the northwest corner for the time being

i bought nos maybe 18 months ago for about $30/set. All the hardware, original bag even. They sold with the truck. I do prefer the fit though of the XJ rears on the MJ.

Awesome build! What is you engine angle going to be relative to the ground?

I’d say the design fits the truck, go for it

Thanks! I used 3m panel bond which needs clean metal but everywhere that didn’t get panel bonder got epoxied and/or POR15’d. The factory pinch welds and seam sealers were a terrible design in certain areas imo. The water gets trapped in the seam and slowly starts the oxidation process. The rockers, floors, rear cab bulkhead and bed wheel arches are great examples of this

My outside rocker was rusted through but the inside was in good shape. Odd product to bring to market ahead of other items

@thecodemonk pretty much summed it up. It’s all the little stuff that adds up, my engine alone was much more than what you have listed. Mine is more of a turnkey swap but even so I needed a lot of extra parts. AC was a bit of a headache, a few sensor adapters, oil pan and stick swap, upgraded dampener, roller rockers and lifter trays to upgrade know failure points, fuel system upgrades and plumbing… the list goes on. Not super complicated but you’ll need a lot of extra nickels and dimes lol

Well, I’ve been down to many stroker roads to ever do one again. The cost to power trade off just isn’t there. As @neohic stated, it’s a very dated platform to begin with. I’m neck deep in the LS swap and as @Limeyjeeper said, it’s going to run you 10k plus to do a decent ls swap if you want a clean install. i wouldn’t use very much from novak aside from their radiator and motor mounts. They are very helpful but their products are lacking in thoughtful engineering imho. Id stick with just freshening up the 4.0 and probably gears or save up significantly more for an ls swap. Keep in mind that there are many GM engines that get labeled as an “LS” so there will be wildly varying results with the end product depending in what you use. I went the LS6 route as i don’t fell an ax15 can handle much more. But for a 4wd tranny, there isn’t a great alternative that has the closer gearing and compact size of the ax15. If you want to build an extra strong ax15, get a new unit from Aisin and send it to Marlin Crawler for their R151 upgrades. Even stock though, the ax15 can handle quite a bit of TQ and HP.

I’ve had bar style and t handle style flaring tools. OTC make a decent bar style flaring tool. The t handle one from titan works significantly better at producing quality flares consistently. None work as well as that K-tool unit in Limeys link. If you haven’t used one, you don’t know what your missing. Speed, quality and consistency are most excellent.

Not sure, haven’t driven it yet. Sits nicely though. Keep in mind that tubular control arms without flex joints really limit suspension flex and but a lot of stress on your bracketry. The stock stamped stew design was actually well thought out. The WJ arms are also designed to have flex at the joints but shortening the sleeve negates that design somewhat. That necessary modification is what kept me from going the WJ control arm route along with some “up country” front coils and some slightly longer shackles.

So do you want ones that look like the small pics or the larger one? Or do you want the larger one to just say Jeep instead of amx?

Is the 43mm portion removable? Maybe with a razor blade? If so, the design is very similar to the ones I’m making for the turbines. Is the lettering silver or chrome?