ghetdjc320

The slave cylinder that comes with that kit is plastic and lacks a decent bleed screw. There is a metal version that has a good bleed system but I forget who makes it. You can keep your Wilwood master provided it’s the right size bore (ran one before on my YJ). Grab a used oem bellhousing. They will often come with the fork and pivot ball if you grab one on eBay. A good National/timken/koyo throw out bearing and maybe a clutch kit if you need one. You’ll need the slave cylinder and bearing retainer and that’s it. Cheaper than the kit and better quality. You’ll sacrifice some time though to source the parts but they are easy to find, eBay and rock auto will have all you need minus maybe the -3an to slave fitting. If you switch back to an oem Renix style master, you’ll need a 7/16 inverted flare to -3an. And remember that your pilot tip on older ax15’s is slightly smaller so you’ll need to order the pilot for your year tranny and engine if you decide to change that.

The new holes were drilled because it is a new transmission. Most new AX15’s will have the standard “wrangler” tcase clocking. The XJ and MJ clock the tcase down a few degrees further. If you are reusing your original ax15 tranny you will not need to do this step. If you buy a new ax15, you will notice that the mounting flange has some extra material counter clockwise of the existing tcase holes. That extra material is a provision for the XJ/MJ mounting patterns but would have to be drilled. The front input seal is located in the bearing retainer plate. When you switch to an external slave setup, you will need a traditional style throw out beating. That bearing needs to ride on a shaft to keep it centered with the clutch pressure plate. The shaft in this case is let of the “bearing retainer snout”. This part is available new from aisin for under $100 and typically includes the front seal already installed but apparently the advance adapters unit did not have it. No clocking ring is needed. They can be used in certain applications where you want to “clock” the transfer case one way or another to tuck it closer to the body or drop it down to clear some other modification. It should be noted that you can also piece together what you need vs buying the kit. Also, although you can go with a new ax15, you can also go with companies like Marlin Crawler who can build an HD unit with upgraded thrust bearing for 1st gear and upgraded shift forks for the hole unit. They run some serious power in Baja races with their built trannies. The AX15 is very similar to the Toyota R151 truck/suv tranny.

Funny, I’ve never seen the pivot ball retaining clip for the fork. Never had any issues. It can’t come out of alignment due to the pressure plate/slave cylinder/pivot ball combo. Easy enough to realign through the slave cylinder hole though if it does.

It’s a fun project for sure. Hopefully will be making some serious progress these next few weeks.

Thanks for the comments, much appreciated

Sounds good, thanks

I’ve come across a few of these XJ splash guards from the 97+. Any thoughts on fitment for an MJ? I’m assuming a slightly different flare profile.

Cab getting prepped. Windshield removed

After some polishing…

Raptor lining completed. Will still line the tailgate but that will be a stand alone project. I lined the tailgate jamb as it always seems to get dinged and scratched and I didn’t want to waste paint on a area that will need touch up over and over.

Yep, they are in the parts bag due for cleanup

That’s one of the pinch welds for the frame. Each one of the bed support “risers” have a drain under them that can easily get clogged up and trap water. That may be what happened in your case. Unless you’re looking to restore or really dig into it, I’d just hit it with a wire brush, throughly clean it out then brush on some POR15. You can get that stuff down into the rust very well on those seams. That will probably stop it for a good while.

Those are the captured nut. The bolt goes through the regulator and screw into those. You may still need a plastic washer between the regulator and glass. The part you bought will go on the back side.

These areas will be raptor lined. I’ve had paint in those spots before but it’s too frequently damaged when using the gate it seems.

This is what I was looking for. Never seen the bed caps soo straight. Looking forward ti the cut and buff. Had a couple of light clear runs as the fine settings weren’t perfect when shooting.

Sealer, base and 1 coat of clear so far.

Primer has all been blocked. One final 600 grit sanding, sealer then base and clear going on.

Much appreciated!

I’d ditch weatherstripping in favor of trim. Should be pretty easy to fab some aluminum or similar trim. That original rubber surrounding the rear window wasn’t really a seal. It was only successful in trapping some moisture between the glass an channel. Aftermarket rear windows do not use the rubber trim and instead use a metal frame that “trims” the glass opening.

That’s it! Wonder if the mirrors themselves are also amp connectors.

No worries. Although I could use all the mirror wiring, I really just need the connector or pigtail and can build my own.

I seem to be in an area void of an power mirror cherokees

Any chance you could spare that part of the harness?

Looks right. Just need the other side of it

Looking for a connector that plugs in to the back of the power mirror switch. Looks like some kind of molex connector. Here is a picture of where it plugs in. Also, any sort of wiring diagram would be most excellent as I will be building the harness for the mirrors. Tagging @Minuit @eaglescout526