boxyjeep

Please don't. These things never work well. Upgrade your stock housings or bulbs. I installed full LED bulbs in mine (with resistors) and new Key Parts lenses and it looks amazing.

7 foot bed is the longest they came. I also see you posted the same thing 2 years ago. I'd suggest cleaning it up as best you can (replace that dented end cap) and putting it on Bring-a-Trailer with No Reserve. It looks super clean and the mileage is really low. You should get a pretty penny if the rest of it is as clean as that one pic.

Reserved

I searched quite a bit to see if anyone had attempted this and came up empty so I thought it would be a good idea to share my experience. I'm in the middle of a SOA conversion and have my rear Dana 44 axle pulled and thought this would be a good time to upgrade the rear brakes. Up front I'm running WJ knuckles w/ WJ unit bearings/brakes as well as 5-on-5" bolt pattern JK-style wheels. I'd like to avoid the use of bolt pattern adapters in the rear--I know this is an area of debate, but they are just something I'd prefer not to run. Adapters also result in a wider rear track width than the front. Not ideal. I explored ZJ, KJ, and WJ rear disc swaps and really despised the need for the integrated drums and their backing plates that would need to be re-drilled for the Dana 44. Many folks building larger custom axles will go with the mythical '79-85 Eldorado calipers with integrated parking brake. Here's an example of a kit you can buy for a Ford 9". I decided I would try to see if this was feasible. My end goal was to run 5-on-5" bolt pattern axle shafts, WJ 12" front discs, Eldorado calipers, and some type of bracketry to tie it all together. The first task was to re-drill my axle shafts to 5-on-5" bolt pattern. This is a challenge for two reason: 1) there is an access hole that would need to be plugged, and 2) the flange diameter is too small to safely re-drill to the larger pattern. To solve this I ordered a set of stock replacement axles from Dutchman customized with WJ flanges. It may be possible to re-drill with TJ shafts or perhaps some years had larger flanges with more material, but that was not the case for me. The second task was figuring out the bracketry. Ruffstuff sells a few brackets for axles ranging in diameter from 2.75" to 3.5". While the MJ/XJ D44 is 2.75" diameter, it steps up to 3.375" at the end of the tube. When looking at the alignment of the caliper on the disc, it aligns most closely to the largest part of the flange: The full-size axle kits are also made for 12.5" Chevy front disc brakes. Since the WJ front discs are 12", that moves the caliper inward .25". Based on these measurements, I ordered the 3.25" diameter Ruffstuff brackets. I may need to shave these down a bit depending on fitment. The next challenge is the preload on the seal and bearing. Since the drum backing plates have been removed, that space needs to be filled. I designed a basic spacer and will be using that to make up the approximate .14" thickness. I suppose you could also cut out the center section of your drum backing plates. I don't have the brackets in hand yet, but my goal is to attempt to align them with axle tube flange and weld them to the tube. One potential challenge is ensuring that the tube doesn't distort around the bearing race. I'll update this thread as the project progresses and will include all relevant part numbers and details.

Unless you are hell bent on building your own engine, I would just find a different (working) used engine to swap in.

Even with the connections swapped, there is a good chance it will still run (albeit somewhat poorly). What injectors did you swap in and why did you do the swap?

I'm 37. 1990 Jeep Cherokee Laredo 4.0L/5 speed in mint condition. First car. Unfortunately destroyed offroading as a young driver and junked. 1993 Jeep Cherokee Sport 4.0L/2-door/5 speed. Put in a new engine, axles, lift and 33" tires. Loved it but parted out. 1987 Jeep Wrangler 4.2L/5-speed. Offroad toy with no top and 36" tires. Sold it for nothing after I blew the clutch. 1995 Jeep Cherokee Sport 4.0L/auto/4wd. Lifted 3" and installed 31" tires. Ran great and was in great condition. Flipped it and then junked. 1989 Chevy K1500 Pickup. 350 V8 ran really well, but was terrible commuter. Sold for nothing after 3rd gear went out. 2006 Dodge Charger 5.7L Hemi. First new car. Spent way too much, drove too fast, kept for 10 years and sold for a decent amount. 1988 Jeep Comanche. First full-on project which lead me here. Still a work in progress (build thread in signature). 2021 Tesla Model 3. Commuter car. Loved the acceleration, Autopilot, and fuel mileage. Hated the software bugs, range anxiety, and Elon's BS. Sold. 2020 Jeep Wrangler JL 2-door. Great around town vehicle that I share with my spouse.

Yeah, that's about $2k overpriced.

Looks like Filthy Addictions Offroad in SoCal also can make them. I reached out and am looking to see time and cost. They will do the "SuperSlider" style with straight supports.

I used a 97+ PDC and fully rewired my Renix to be super clean and minimalistic. If I could do it again, I would just get an aftermarket fuse/relay center like this one. As much as the factory look is nice, many parts of the plastic housing are brittle and might break if you try to pull any of the connectors out. It's also impossible to find new terminals.

Another thing to mention--I've disassembled and cleaned the rear leaf springs. I'll be installing new spring pads and bushings, and also painting them. It's insane how rusty these things got...

I forgot to mention that I've also gone down the rabbit hole on rear brakes. I'm running full WJ outers up front (without adapters) and would like to also eliminate adapters in the rear. I was planning to re-drill my axle shafts to 5-on-5", but discovered that the hub doesn't have enough material and there is also the access hole that would need to be welded up. I started looking into a set of custom shafts, but then realized that the larger flange may be too big to fit inside standard ZJ discs. Then I had the bright idea of simply adapting WJ rear disc brakes and ordered the parts I'd need and then realized that there may be issues with offset or width (as WJ axles are 5" wider IIRC). Luckily I canceled the order before it shipped. My next plan is to go to the local pick-n-pull and grab a set of ZJ or Crown Vic backing plates, measure the ID of the rotor, and see if I can order a set of custom MJ Dana 44 5-on-5" shafts that will fit inside. To top it all off, it looks like my wheel bearing races are floating around in the housing. Hopefully this can be fixed :-) IMG_0958.MOV

I've been making incremental progress on the truck. I got the rear axle flipped into SOA orientation, but didn't like how much lift I was getting with the 5" shackles and new spring perches (~1" above axle tube)". I ended up pulling out the overload leaf, swapping in XJ shackles, and building my own "low-profile" perches with 2.5" 1/4" wall square tube. Here's how it sat: "Homemade" spring perches (top) vs. the typical ones you get from popular vendors (bottom). I may trim the top ones to have an angled lip. Notice the decreased height above the axle tube: Then got the axle pulled out and prepped for new perches and paint: I've also pulled out the rear driveshaft and exhaust. I'll be cleaning up the frame and getting the underside of the truck fully painted before installing the new axle. With this rear spring configuration, it measures about 23.25" from center of axle to bottom of flare. I'll be swapping in RE 4.5" coils with an extra isolator to hopefully achieve about 22.75" up front. This should result in a very minor rake. I also plan to throw in the overload leaf or longer shackles if the rear sags at all. You may also be wondering why I'm spending so much time with fine-tuning the ride height. I feel like there is a delicate balance between too low (where you need to trim fenders--something I won't be doing), versus something too high that ultimately looks a bit dumb. My goal with this truck is to be in that perfect middle ground.

I'm digging the painted license plate.

My truck is finally making progress towards being off-road worthy and I'd like to get some protection before bashing up my freshly-painted rockers. I bought a set of sliders from JCR a few years ago but couldn't believe how bad the fitment was around the pinch seam, so I returned them. From what I can see now, it looks like only Dirtbound and RockyRoad (also resold through 12 Degree North) are the only options out there. I prefer the look of the RockyRoad Super Sliders (rectangular tube under rocker, with angled round tube sticking out). Anyone running these? How did you like the mount? Any pics you can share?

Wow they came out pretty good :-)

Drove Cherokee's when I was 16 to about 21 years old, then got newer dependable cars in college and beyond. About a decade later, I wanted an offroad rig to explore southern California after originally being from the northeast. I also wanted something with a truck bed and was debating between a Tacoma or a Comanche. Ended up looking for decent ones on Craiglist for a few years, until I found mine. A rust-free desert truck from Bakersfield area. It checked all my boxes like SWB, 4.0L, auto, 4x4, and Dana 44, minus being a HO engine. Over the last 5 years, I've rebuilt it from the ground up and replaced or refurbished almost every part of it (transmission and transfer case are the only things I haven't touched yet).

Yep, that's the boat I was in. My truck had a decent tailgate, but it had a slight bend and the inside half was beat to hell. Prior to paint, I got the one pictured above. Ended up coming out pretty good...

Dom Stacks has a collection of 20-30 tailgates up in Michigan. Some accuse him of parts hoarding... I bought my current tailgate of a CJ enthusiast that got it in a trade somehow. It was on Long Island NY in 2021 for $600. Mint condition from a 91+. I kept my beat up original as a garage ornament.

Those tires are a the level of ridiculousness that I enjoy.

Nice! I'll check it. Regarding the stickers, shoot me a DM or go to my site (link in signature).

Whoa, is there a thread for the old Cherokee?

I bought one in late 2021 for $600 in mint condition in Long Island, NY. $500 for that is insane.

I vote for the chrome.

Make sure to post to some of the local Jeep Facebook pages. SoCal, AZ, and Tijuana. Tons of people and visibility there.