500 MJ

I know it looks goofy, but its to compensate for once I get some weight in the back of the truck. It sags pretty good as it is now with as little as 100 lbs in the back. I usually haul the wood for campfires on the trail, and I scrape my inner fenders as it is over bumps :mad: It'll look good once its all done I guarantee it.

Here is another pic of just how far forward the axle sat with them almost bottomed out. I have the stage 4 JCR Offroad XJ bumper on order so cutting the fronts of the fenders off is in the plans of things to happen soon. http://www.jcroffroad.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=1XJFST4&Category_Code=XJB

I havent tried it yet. To put them in, I took out the old LCA's and UCA's and let the springs determine where they wanted the axle to sit. I figured this way would be the best because it would put the least amount of stress on the springs in the back and forth direction. I guess I can try and put the axle farther forward but I am also worried about my front driveshaft length, I'm still running the stock one...

I recently purchased a used 8" Clayton LA setup that I am now putting in my Comanche. I have about 6" of lift instead of the 8" and because of this my main arms in the kit are too long. I can make them work if I take out the jam nuts. Is this a good idea or not? I'd rather not cut the setup up just to shorten it and I don't want to lift the Jeep any more (at this point in time). Here in the pic you can see the adjustment in the arms is down to nothing, I have a few twists in them from them being bottomed out for now. Also, for those that have done this before on an Cherokee or Comanche, should I completely cut out the old LCA buckets or cut just what I need for clearance and leave the rest for structural support? Thanks, Brent

I've got a one piece that you can have cheap! I was gonna sell it to another guy on here but the deal fell through. So its all boxed and ready to go. I built a plywood box for it and padded it really well, I doubt it breaks in transit with how well the box is built. I had a glass shop guy take it out of my truck and he was able to keep the gasket in good shape too. (the glass itself is glued in, but it has a gasket around the outside) Its yours if you want it, just pay the shipping plus $10. my zip is 49677 if you want to figure the shipping costs. Since I'm giving it to you cheap I think its fair that I'll send the box off once I get your $$$? Let me know what you think, Thanks, Brent

Ricky Bobbay!

Mitch, I saw that pic as I was scrolling down and thought it was a cougar!

2-1 I hear there is something magical about those numbers... :hmm:

My Bro has a YJ and it had a few cracks in the fiberglass of the top when we got it. He and my Dad were able to patch it up just fine by gouging out the cracked areas really well and then filling them with new fiberglass cloth and resin. They were able to then sand those down and spatter it with some rustproofing before repainting the whole top semigloss black.

My families beagles do this. While I am at college, I have "dog withdrawls" from not seeing them for so long. Now you made me think of them and the bloodhound we have and I'm missing them already. :roll: Anyway, yes they do sniff the vents. My Dad and I took his old 2wd Toyota out rabbit hunting back when I was younger and all I can remember was having two dogs in my lap that were either smudging up the windows right before we got to the hunting brush or very content sniffing all the air coming from the vents. The only thing we could figure was that all of the smells from outside were getting blown in and it was "easy smelling" for them to do. Here are the dogs I spoke of above. We were given Oak a few years ago from a co-worker of my Dad's after we lost Cruise's mother. Cruise is from a bloodline we have bred in the past and she is the last of them, the 3rd generation. And Abby is my "Mom's dog" cause neither my Dad, Brother or I wanted a Bloodhound, but she has grown on us since and we all love her just the same. All female and Pure breds. "Oak" "Cruise" "Abby" Can't wait to see them next week after college.

can't you just get new shafts with the 5 x 4.5 patterns and sell the 6 bolt ones you have?

Lol, yah I don't like to leave them on either. Never liked the look of em on anyway. They look great when they are off and thrown in the corner...

So I remember a long time ago when you called this your "DD." Alot of things have been done to it since then and I'm wondering if you still do drive it daily? I'm getting to the point that I want to build mine even farther now, but keeping it as a DD is the only thing holding me back. I guess I like driving it everyday too much.

For how I wheel, they work just great. I'm not a riproaring mud flinging kinda guy and so I am usually whining the Jeep out in 4 Lo and keeping constant traction. That "drainage ditch" is the first time I've been stuck with them, but I havent really been out much this spring with school and all. And yes, they are awesome for the daily commute. Not too loud but still noticable to hear a nice low hum when you roll down the windows. The wheels are working out great as well. Got my Clayton Long Arm Kit Installed Rather than building one like I thought I would, I came across this one from a friend. It was used so I had to clean it up but I got it pretty cheap. Lucked out.

Went wheeling last weekend. And I got stuck here in this seasonal drainage ditch not far off the trail cause I was dumb and tried to get across it and then... Here come the law to ruin all the fun. They don't like it when you mix Comanches and running water I guess. I paid the ticket today, it ran me $100 and a lesson learned the hard way. After we got me out...

JY's use a guitar string to cut them out

Get a big old peice of pipe and let the leverage help you get the Spline nut off. Then when you put it all back on Ive heard that you need to buy a new nut because its a crush nut. People locktite them on as well. A few days before you are ready to do it, soak it with penetrating oil.

I don't see this helping the structural integrity of the pig though...

Well, since it is somewhat related to "lucky", I'll tell you the story of how unlucky I was today when I went wheelin. Some friends and I were out near some powerlines and within the train of vehicles ahead of me, someone had gotten stuck. I was sick of waiting around, so I did the dumbest thing Ive ever done in my MJ and tried to make my own trail through a nearby stream and come back around to get ahead of all the action. Well, needless to say I got stuck in the streambed and because we werent too far off the beaten path, got spotted by a MI DNR Conservation Officer and got my first offroading ticket for "operating ORV (Truck) in stream, wetland" (I didnt need an ORV sticker because I wasnt on State Land) Talk about unlucky... I have no idea how much it will be (people tell me upwards of $300), I'll find out on Monday. We got the truck out after about an hour and a half worths of work and then got the hell outta there. I'll probably never go back to that trail ever... :headpop:

If you don't own a torch up here, you break alot of bolts off that shouldnt be an issue for breaking, plain as that. Also, you learn to put anti-seize on everything when you put it back together. I :headpop: SALT!

I broke one off on my sway bar and there was no way it was gonna come out. So I cut the section of unibody out and drilled and tapped a new piece of steel that I rewelded back in. It is working just fine and I have done the same thing before for broken off XJ rear shock bolts on the unibody. just make sure you use thick enough steel. I used 3/16 and its working just fine. edit: Looking at those pics again, I feel your pain and its oh so familiar. :roll:

Oh man. I'm lovin how that sounds and looks. I think we have a winner! How much do you have into it and do you know the PN on the muffler?

Well, the time has come for me to start thinking about how I am going to replace my hacked together exhaust system that got me through the winter but has now started to literally rust away. I noticed the other day that the tailpipe broke off of one of the hangers and was hitting my shackle. Not too bad for a system that I put together by welding pieces of junk 2" pipe from area exhaust shops that I picked up for free! But enough is enough and there is no way I am going to patch it together again. :hateputers: So I will be putting on a complete system this summer and I would like to have it done at a shop that will custom bend the pipe for me. I want a nice muffler and if they forget to put a cat on there I guess I could deal with their mistake. :brows: I have been watching people's build threads and listening to sound clips on how their mufflers sound (CWLONGSHOT, JohnQ and others) and am just asking for what price you all paid for the setups you currently have. If anyone out there has done a COMPLETE exhuast makeover, their info would really help me out. Also, when a shop bends the pipe custom, is it more prone to rust or can it still be aluminized and custom bent?

Go for it Patrick, just make sure you have the funding, tools and space to see it through... My Dad doesnt like it when I take up his garage space for extended periods of time :mad:

Thanks Guys. I havent gotten around to doing things yet for this. I will probably just get the hitch deal and call it good. I can set the weight on the roll bar once I get that in and then the hitch will work out great for stabilizing it once I get it on the truck, still gonna use a bunch of rope to tie it all in though.