AZJeff

I think a LOT of how well a used engine performs has to do with the junkyard in question. The really good junkyards pull good engines from low-mileage vehicles and store them indoors. The lesser bone yards let the potential buyer find the engine out in the vehicle, exposed to the elements, and let him take a chance...

I agree with Dzimm. There is a real good possibility to obtain a very decent engine from a junkyard, in which case, rebuilding your old engine becomes unnecessary, or at the very least, a low priority. Many junkyards will offer some level of warranty on a used engine, which would increase the confidence in buying used.

You are probably right. I am being anal retentive about wanting to get the caster angles back to as close to OEM as possible, and smaller spacers help me do that. i could leave it as is, and I can "live" with it. I guess I am sweating the small stuff here.

The actual vertical load imposed on the hub assembly "should" be carrried by the shoulder of the hub that fits inside the bore of the steering knuckle. The bolts that attached the hub to the knuckle are primarily there to keep that shoulder inside the bore, and "probably" don't carry much of the load of the vehicle down into the front wheel. That means a clearance cut made in the edge of the hub (away from the bolting tabs) probably won't affect the integrity of the hub. I have attached a sketch of what I am thinking of doing, and the dark semi-circular line on the edge of the hub represents the cut I would make. Anyone want to comment about this idea? Hub.pdf

I was wondering about the idea of cutting (via an end mill) a clearance cut on the "fixed" portion of the hub in one location that would allow the old studs to be pressed out, and new longer studs pressed in. So you think that is feasible without trashing the hub integrity, huh?

I have the shop manual for the 1988 XJ, which would cover a large part of what is the MJ. If you want that, I can burn a CD and send it to you via snail mail. (It's a 26mB file)

I assume you mean are my existing 1 inch spacers hub-centric, and the answer is yes, the center on the hub portion that extends above the plane onto which the wheel normally seats.

Dzimm found photos of my situation. The spacers that are installed now have the integral lug studs, and are 1 inch thick, like the first picture. What I want to do is to go to something like what he shows in the second picture, where I can use the existing lug studs (lengthened as needed).

My MJ currently has one inch wheel spacers on the front hubs, which were put on sometime in its past. My current tires only need no more than 1/2" of spacer, but with that much added, I would need longer lug studs. The only problem is that I don't see how to install any longer studs into the OEM type hub bearing assemblies. does anyone have any suggestions, or do I have to live with the oversized one inch spacers?

Side bar--from my XJ days, I was unaware of any way to do a "bolt in" alternator relocation by removing the AC compressor. Anything you do would be "custom engineering"

Yup. I was thinking the same thing. And also do do the oil filter adapter o-rings while u r at it.

I am a fan of Hella E-code lamps with their separate bulbs and the focused lens.

That assembly is called the "equalizer" The two wheel cables attach to a cross-bar that has a hole for the pedal cable between them. Into to that hole goes a slightly dished washer, plus a nut and a flat washer, all on the rear side. The threaded rod from the pedal cable goes in through the front side. I 'think' the rod is SAE/imperial/"English" thread. The nut would be self-locking, but two conventional nuts jammed together would work just fine. The dished washer can be replaced by a couple of ordinary washers or a short steel spacer.

If Cruiser54 is correct, the pulley diameter (and hence maximum speed) of the alternator will be about the same as what the OP is proposing. Find what brand/size of bearing is used in the alternator, and you would be good to go.

Just because the bearing is made in PRC isn't automatically mean it's crap. NSK is a worldwide brand (just like Timken, Toyo, Fafnir, etc.) NSK probably has factories worldwide, and they all build to the same corporate standards. The much-vaunted Timken front hub bearings for the MJ/XJ are made nowadays in the Czech Republic, and meet the same standards as the old US-made hubs.

That is probably the most cost effective solution if you don't want to deal with a major electrical upgrade.

Thats pretty amazing. I always assumed the taill light lenses were made from ABS for the rear (reflector) half, and acrylic for the lens portion. Neither of those plastic resins like to be exposed to pure acetone. I wonder if the nail polish remover isn't really much acetone in the mix. There is another possible choice for the OP: ice blasting. Ice blasting uses tiny ice particles to remove paint on soft/sensitive surfaces. It's used to remove paint on the exterior of aircraft. OP might try finding a paint shop at an airfield that does ice blasting.

Agreed. OEM lights/bulbs are nothing to write home about. Even LED bulbs are at best a modest improvement. doing anything than lessens the luminosity seems counter productive

You must be a lot stronger than I am. There was no way I could push on my carpet and manage to poke thru it in the seat studs.

I used this source for my new carpeting in my MJ. I had a bigger challenge than most, in that the prevous owner had welded in the "hat sections" that are used to attached XJ seats. That meant I had to purchase an XJ molded carpet, and then cut/trim/shape the area where it ends by the box secttion that runs across the back floor of the cab. It took QUITE a while to fit everything. I started by using the molded in features for those "hat sections" I mentioned above as my baseline for locating the carpet on the floor. After that, I cut and trimmed the front first, and then worked around the floor shift and transfer case. Since I have an XJ handbrake, and an airbag module from an XJ, those also had to be cut in. For the areas around stuff like the seat belt holes, seat mounting bolts, and other small features, I used a tailor's chalk to mark those spots, and then used a "hot knife" tip on my gun-type soldering iron, It cut small and precise holes for all the stuff without a chance of slipping and having an "OOPS". The final trimming was done on the door sills.

If you want it "perfect" (as in just like it left the factory), it CAN be done by a body shop. Based on the pictures you provided, those folded areas of the corner could be cut apart, straightened, and then rewelded back into the original shape. Of course, this type of work requires a HIGHLY skilled sheet metal guy who can use heat, slide hammers, and other techniques that tend to be expensive. (Think the kind of repairs that are done when classic cars get body damage.) If you are willing to fork out the bucks, you will need to search for a shop with those kind of skills. Your average collision repair joint won't generally have employees with those skills, but you never can tell. Check around and find the best body shops in your area, and then interview the guys who will do the work to see if they have the skillset you are looking for.

The inner and outer pads have different anti-rattle springs riveted to them.

True, but I also did my fair share of wrenching in Illinois, were I lived for 40 years. I am, unfortunately, VERY familiar with what happens to flare fittings (and lots of other bolted joints) that spend much time in the "rust belt"

So when you say you deleted the block, I assume you then take the front axle output from the MC, and "tee" that output to sent it to each front wheel. (The rear, of course, is "tee-d" on the rear axle.) The only thing you loose doing this is the brake imbalance warning light function. If you are diligent about vehicle maintenance and care, that is of dubious value.

I normally use flare wrenches to loosen older brake tube fittings. If they don't want to cooperate without excessive force, I always break out the propane torch and heat the fitting a bit. It never fails to get it apart. Heat is your friend on frozen threaded joints.