500 MJ

The rims have the painted center section and the outer rim is just clearcoated, they came off of a '98 TJ. I got the 5 with 31" BFG AT's (80%) mounted for $550 at a swap meet, couldnt let them pass when the guy pulled up and parked next to me. About 5 people asked if they were for sale when I had them sitting in the back of my truck. ;)

Yep, You got me, Never crossed my mind... Started off with the floors - here is the "better" passenger side Both rockers needed work too Drivers side floor - or lack thereof After patching Removed the 2wd front axle and popped in a Junkyard D30 with 3.55 gears. And the matching XJ junkyard C 8.25 in the rear After some sandblasting and paintwork this is what I ended up with. I also installed a 4 inch lift when I swapped the axles in. - Front was done with Rubicon Express lift coils and rear was done with Rusty's lift springs

Cardomain: http://www.cardomain.com/id/BudsRide

When I was pulling parts off of mine while taking it apart I went to winch the spare down and the cable broke clean off at the plate that holds the tire up. That was the end of it, my questions were answered when I threw the whole winch assy in the scrap pile at the yard.

Gotta ask the stupid question: What advantage do these arms have over the stock ones?

It all depends on the amount of rust, but from where I come from, just by looking at the pics, I'd say its a $1000 truck (4wd, a 4.0L and Shortbed seem to be sought after). Its a nice ride, don't get me wrong, but remember its 20 years old.

I bought the new 4" spring packs they offer for the rear of MJs. I had no problem with them bolting up, but damn they sat tall, way taller than 4". When I was done I looked at the thing and the truck sat way high in the back. So I took out the bottom leaf from the packs and it helped things out some, also loosened the leafs up, got a lot more flex out of them. I still couldnt get the 4-5" shocks they sent me to fit on the stock mounts though, an issue I still have to resolve. There is something to be said about the springs sagging though over time...

:bowdown: Thanks a bunch, I'm get to it and get 'er in before the snow flies.

Awesome, I'd prefer to get a polished one because I have plans on getting a chrome front for mine. What would be sweet would be to get a stainless one rather than polished aluminum but I haven't seen any out there yet... :brows:

Let me know what brand it is ASAP, I'm the kind of guy that likes to only buy things once.

Anyone have experience with good ones and bad ones? I've never bought one and don't know if you buy them to fit your truck or just look for the right dimensions you want. Do they make these in stainless steel rather than aluminum?

Hey Everyone, Just thought I would introduce myself and my MJ. The start of my project was this '88 2wd 4.0L that needed lots of attention. A few more pics can be seen here: http://www.greatlakes4x4.com/showthread.php?t=21367 EDIT: I've gone through and cleaned up my entire Build thread so that its easier to navigate and has more pictures. (6-12-08 )

I just ordered one from mopar, its gonna run ~ $40 but it should outlast the Jeep...

Looking for a speedo cable for my '88 Mj. Its 4wd and has an AX-15/231 out of an '89 Yj. No parts stores around here seem to carry them, any ideas?

Yah, its still coming, if its not put in place, its bolted in and still needs to be finalized. The front end is basically done, as well as the tranny/t-case. Still fidgiting with the rearend and such though, but progress is being made.

Yah, I played around with it this weekend and got one to work. I made one that mounted right onto the tranny, its pretty slick. Thanks Anyway.

See, the beauty of this whole thing is that I havent welded my spring perches yet, its all just bolted together. So I'll have no problem getting my pinion back down to paralell and burning those suckers in. I have my new U-joints and the old 2wd driveshaft to hack up. I originally planned to just shorten the driveshaft and then a bunch of people warned me of the vibrations. All I needed to hear from you guys is that they won't be a problem and I'm sold. It made sense to me anyway from the get go because the driveshaft is so much longer to begin with than an XJ's.

Pete, did you get my email about those measurements for the bracket you made for your T-case linkage?

So I'm looking to run an SYE in my MJ. Friends have told me to put the CV shaft in and one thing led to another and its basically a do it now or do it 3 months down the road when vibrations beat the crap out of me and i can't take it anymore kinda deal... I'd like to put a hack and tap in, just cause it looks easier and is cheaper. But I am willing to run with the whole shaft replacement kit if need be. (I have this fear of ripping a good t-case apart, I have only replaced the chain in one before and that was scary and frustrating enough) The best deal I could find for the whole shaft was from Offroad Overstock http://www.offroadoverstock.com/store.c ... cfm&cartac tion=none&thisrow=2&action=search&criteria=slip%20 yoke%20eliminator&startrow=1&mystartrow=1&maxrows= 10&cat=&man=&stay=&afid=&searchcat_id=&itemprice=& searchfield=&searchman_id=&boolean=OR&var1=&var2=& var3=&return_product_id=&makeid=&modelid=&modelyea r= Does anyone have info on a great place to buy a hack and tap, I can only find RE kits on the web. I am also going to have to come up with a CV driveshaft. I am running an 8.25 in the rear with whatever the stock yoke for it is... should I be able to find my shaft in a junkyard's bus full of shafts? Can I buy just a CV joint and weld it to the 2wd shaft I have... Any thoughts? Anyone have good or bad ratings on companies? Thanks

Thanks Much, Brent

Ok, that was me, I just forgot to login...

So, I got the AX-15 that we discussed above mated to the 231 from the guy in St Ignace. The axles are cleaning up great and I am going to bolt on the front as soon as i get my new springs. Still working on patching up the floorboards and I am realizing that the hole i have in the drivers side might come in handy when i bolt up that new trans/t-case... Just an update, things are going nicely... TTYL, Brent

i guess that they both came from that '89

ok, so clocking is the rotation of the t-case relevant to the engine and the concern with it is having enough room for the 231 to fit under the hump in the MJ floor...? Looking at your pics now...

They are mostly body (floor) modifications and maybe moding the crossmember somehow correct, or will there be a mod to the engine/bellhousing..(sorry I'm asking questions, first time on all this and gotta learn somehow) Thanks Peter, what is clocking?