OldSch88L

Yes, and that's what I did. But, there is two holes on the cam to put the dowel pin in, which dictates the position of the cam gear. I'm wondering if the pin is in the wrong hole, I.E. 180 degrees off.

Ok, but is it normal then that the engine ran fine with the cam 180 off? It idled fine, although a bit lazy on acceleration, but I attributed that to chain slack since the tensionner's plstic block was almost worn through....

I'm in the middle of a timing chain job on my 2.5L. Before tearing if apart, I made sure my crank pulley was at 0 degrees (keyway pointing at 12 o'clock) and took the dstributor cap off to confirm it was pointing at cylinder #1. Didn't move anything during disassembly, and when I went to put my new gears and chain on, I noticed that the dowel pin on the cam was 180 degrees off, like if the dowel (which in my case is a roll pin, is it stock???) was in the wrong hole. If I put the cam gear as is, and properly align the dots on the gears, the distributor points at #4. The new gears are identical to the old ones. I'm confused, so I stopped working and decided to sleep on it. What am I missing here???

Whoa, dang. Sorry about that. I didn't realize until now how old this thread was. May he rest in peace.

Just came back from measuring, I'm pretty much at 10" even from the top of the axle tube to the frame rail. The stock UCAs are at 15", and seem halfway through their travel at the body-side mount as the truck sits. The aftermarket LCAs measure in at 16.25".

Jeez! Your truck is pretty much the official mascot for factory MJ accessories!!! Lookin' good!!!

Always been more partial to the 10 slot myself! @HOrnBrod are those Hellas 450 or 550 on your bumper?

Are they really the same lenght eye to eye? Some people said the uppers where like .25" shorter IIRC, helping them correct caster? Also, does that mean that the lift VS control arms length chart only apply to aftermarket adjustable arms?

So I had 265/75-15 tires on 15x7 Cherokee wheel, and they would rub the LCAs on full lock. I now have my new 31x10.5 on 15x8 Ravines, and it still rubs. The truck came with what looks like a RC 3" lift because it had silver shocks and springs, and tubular lower arms like in the photo. The uppers are stock. When I got it aligned, the guy told me I had too much caster (didn't say positive or negative) and said that at least it will track better at highway speeds. Well, I don't do highways because the steering is somewhat numb on center and I constantly have to correct. All joints and moving parts are either new or top shape. So I decided to order WJ LCAs to solve the rubbing issue, started doing research on different forums, and seemed simple enough. The WJ UCAs is where it gets blurry; some people say they hit before full droop, others say no problems. Some say it works fine in a MJ, but not an XJ, and finally that it works fine with stock up to 2" kift, but not on 3" or over. Can somebody shed light on the subject? Also, people said it helped correct caster on lifted vehicles; anybody have real numbers to share? Thanks!!!!

Here's my truck with chrome window trim, drip rails and mirrors, and the truck I got it from at the junkyard...

Finally got some new shoes!!!! Firestone Destination MT2s in 31X10.5-15. I was hesitating between these and some Goodyear Duratracs; I was getting tired (no pun intended) of always seeing the Goodyears everywhere, but never seen some Destinations on an XJ or MJ so I was unsure about the look. Turns out it's exactly what I wanted! They even ride better than my Winterforce snow tires, like they have a softer sidewall or someting. I love 'em!!! Got them mounted on my freshly painted Ravine wheels, in DupliColor Anthracite. Had some paint left over, so I painted the grille the way it was supposed to be according to the VIN, and turns out the color is pretty close. Now to finish restoring the sport bar to send it to the powdercoater, find some 5x7 KC HiLites, and I should be happy with the look!

I did my motor mounts and transmission mount all at once also with rockauto parts, and yes, it was harsh afterwards. Just give it some time; after a few months, it settled down for me, but I drive like 5 minutes to go to work, so I don't rack up a lot of miles. It may settle down faster in your case.

You also need to get rid of any spark source; usually a paint booth has sealed neon boxes. Also take a moment to think about your fan setup, as the fumes can be flammable/explosive. Try to find something that doesn't have the motor directly in the airflow, or something brushless, or at least put a filter before your exhaust fan. Also, light switches in a booth are a big no-no.

Thanks! I'll add more pics in a couple of weeks when my new tires arrive and get them on the truck!

Well,gotta love marketplace... I was the first to reply that I wanted them and the seller sold them before I could get there... However, I did stumble upon these; I think they give a similar retro vibe as the Marchals... What do you guys think?

What kind of product is that? Don't know yet, still waiting on more info from the seller.

I just saw these for sale for a steal on my local Jeep Club FB page, I'm really interested but the condition of the covers suck... Anyone knows of a way or product that could work on restoring them and making them white again? The only trick I know is water sanding and buffing, but I don't want to mess up the logos...Thanks!

So I haven't been around here that much in the last couple of months. I've been keeping pretty busy. With summer at the door business is booming at work. Being helping a kid from work fix his death trap Ranger. After an outer tie rod end came undone, he asked for my help; turns out every moving part in the front was trash and about to break off any second. It had different lenght shocks from left to right, so at ride height, one shock was almost bottoming out. It had working brakes on one front wheel, the 3 other ones were seized. And finally a rotten driver's floorpan with a rusted off seat belt anchor. All the mechanical work is done, just need to put the floorpan in. I've also been refurbishing part time a set of Ravine wheel that I bought his winter. Had a good deal at 120CAD$ for a set of 5, the fifth one being a spare, has an unused Goodyear tire still on it. Downside was that they were covered in stupid plasti-dip. That trash wouldn't come off with any of the products I could think of, so ended up stripping them. Well, turns out aircraft stripper is also trash nowadays, being twice as expensive and 4 times less effective. Spent a lot of time on these but I'm rather satisfied for a rattle can, out in the open job even if it has dust specs in it; looks good but will eventually get beat up when I'll go trail riding. Still letting the clear cure before a wet sanding and buff. And lastly, I scored this week-end. I've been watching marketplace for an old school roll bar for so long, but man, do these things sell fast! I saw one in the middle of nowhere, about a 3 hour drive. The shape was familiar, and after looking at it in person, it turned out to be a SWB Comanche sport bar! But sadly, it got modifed over time to fit other vehicles; the kickers where cut and rewelded so that the plates land on top of who-knows-what-vehicle's fender wells. Also has a rust hole and one or two dents to fix, so that's my next restoration project before I get it powdercoated. The guy kept saying it was a factory Bronco or Blazer bar before he put it in his Colorado; you better beleive I kept my mouth shut hahaha! Didn't want him to jack up the price!!! Paid 200 Canukistan dollars, which is pretty good I think? Also, do these all stand out that much over the roof in real life? Didn't seem that way in pictures? Time for pics!

I gave a once-over to my front suspension and steering and replaced any loose parts. I also rebuilt my steering box since it leaked a lot. Still, I still had steering wheel play while going straight reminescent of an old '60s- '70s cheesy movie driving scene. I finally adjusted the steering box via the hex screw and it's finally top notch!!! Just remember that this adjustment screw is your absolute last resort; make sure everything is tip-top before messing with this.

I have a 242 with an AX5 and it does the same thing; will switch to CV axles eventually.

Wow man, you really went to town with those! Good job!!!

Dang, that sucks! Looks like they do great work, but in my book, being professional starts with how you handle your customers. Doesn't fare well in their case...

Will it also work for canadian dealers?

What would be your opinion on that and flux core welding for a guy that would mostly do bodywork? I'm shopping for a small inexpensive MIG, but in autobody school, I learned MIG welding (gas) on a Lincoln 180, and all the places I've worked after that all had that same gas Lincoln 180. I never had a chance to try any other brands, nor did I try flux core. I'd use it for sheetmetal, and the thickest I'd go would be like 3/16 for frame stiffeners, so nothing too crazy. Also would you recommend a 110V welder? I don't have a 220V outlet at home :S

I found this company on the net and watched a couple of videos of the work they do, and I thought they looked like a reputable and professional company to get a dash pad restored. I sent them a quote request a couple weeks ago and still not a word. Anybody here ever contacted them or know somebody who did? Trying to get a ballpark idea of the price for a dashpad restoration. http://www.justdashes.com/