derf

Feeling a little punk.

This is my 2001 XJ. It would be interesting to see what it left the factory with.

Yeah, it looks like they stuffed those under a rig sitting on it's tires. Then again... never underestimate people trying to be "clever".

Hydroboost is good when you don't have space for a vacuum booster. Chevy Astro vans have hydroboost that works with stock axles. It's also good when you're running one ton axles and huge tires. Cons for hydroboost are increasing the hydraulic plumbing complexity and you need an upgraded pump and cooler.

Welcome to the forum. This place is pretty active considering how few MJs were built and how long ago. Brakes are pretty straightforward to fix. First start by a good bleed of the whole system. Start with the back passenger side, then back driver side, then front passenger, finally front driver side. Make sure the fluid level in the reservoirs doesn't get low or you get to bleed the whole system over again. If you still have issues, my next step would be to replace old rubber lines. One in the back, two in the front. Naturally, you'll have to bleed the brakes again after installing them. If you're doing this, it wouldn't hurt to swap in fresh calipers in the front and wheel cylinders in the back "as long as you're in there". Parts are cheap and plentiful at Rock Auto. If that doesn't fix it, you probably want to replace or rebuild the master cylinder. And, of course, do round 3 of bleeding the whole system. Another "as long as you're in there" proposition is to replace/upgrade the vacuum booster. I don't remember the year they changed over but a newer XJ dual diaphragm booster bolts right in and works better than what the Comanche came with. Again, Rock Auto has a good selection of parts available. If you're going to replace the booster, one for a 2000 or 2001 Cherokee with a matching master cylinder would be the right choice. As far as the hose, I'd need a few pictures to help.

Tapatalk adds its own signature text to the post itself. It's not really a signature because the forum has separate signatures that are handled differently. I quoted your post here and your full signature showed up in the quote because it was a tapatalk signature that is part of the post.

I run heated Quadratec LED headlights. They're great all around.

If you think one Harbor Freight jack stand was bad, hold my beer...

Not around here. Rubicon axles carry a premium but non-rubicon axles aren't worth much, especially with no lockers.

I wouldn't give more than $500 for a set of built up non-Rubicon JK axles. If they were from a Rubicon, they might be worth a little bit more but not much. For completely stock axles, I wouldn't give more than $200 (junkyard prices)

Yep. We're getting a bit of snow today.

The garage had a few fluorescent fixtures in it but they weren't enough. 16 cheap Chinese LED fixtures are up and now I can see.

Exactly

Yeah, they started the Wagoneer in 1963 as a comfortable wagon that was more upscale than a traditional 4x4. They had independent suspension as an option, an automatic transmission (a first for a 4x4) and an optional single speed transfer case. The 70's saw one of the first AWD transfer cases in a traditional 4x4. These days, you almost can't get a part time 4WD case in any SUV. By the time the Grand Wagoneer was done in 1991 it was purely a luxury vehicle that happened to still have capable 4x4 creds. With all of the electronic do-dads and gizmos on the new one, it will do reasonably well off road by comparison while competing against Lincoln, Cadillac, and Land Rover. Sure, it will be targeted more at the high end on-road crowd but that's the demographic with the money to buy this thing, just like it was the demographic in the 80's.

That's about what I expected.

My XJ is my daily driver/mild trail rig. It has TrueTracs front and rear. It will almost never see a tire fully off the ground. For my rock crawling rig, the one that will see tires in the air on a quasi-regular basis, selectable lockers are the only answer for me. Automatic lockers and spools are preferred by others and they get the job done as well but they're not for me.

Yeah, I could see that as a unique tow pig for trips out to Moab. You wouldn't see a bunch of them out there, that's for sure...

Agreed. Shop around for a good used one.

Where I go, it's not as rare as you might think.

Yeah, my XJ with the TrashLoc from the factory was decent for the first couple of years. But by the time I trade it in it wasn't any better than an open differential. I had the same problem with an Auburn Gear ECTED (clutch type limited slip that has an electronic "locker" that doesn't actually lock the axles). They help a little when you have tires touching the ground with some weight. But start to lift a tire and the clutch type limited slip does nothing. In short order, you wear out the clutch packs and they don't limit slip at all. And I don't like the idea of having a diff full of grit from the clutch packs, or the idea that the differential is a wear item that needs to be serviced. I have TrueTracs front and rear in my XJ. They are great for on road manners and they do help on moderate trails with 4 tires on the loose ground better than any clutch type limited slip. Sure, they will let a tire spin when it's up off the ground just like any limited slip, but they are quite a bit better than the clutch type in all other respects.

I could have sworn it was different but you're right. So yeah, lump the ZJ in with the TJ.

I wouldn't take a ZJ (or WJ?) rear axle. It's a 5 on 5.5 bolt pattern so you have to deal with different rims front and rear. Well, unless you grab the front axle and swap it as well. If you're dead set on using a Dana 35, find a TJ (96-06 Wrangler). It at least has the same bolt pattern as the MJ. You'll have to build custom frame side mounts for the control arms to match the TJ donor. And weld up the coil spring bucket on the frame. But then you've done a lot of work to mount up a pretty weak axle. If you're not dead set on a Dana 35, there are so many better options out there to choose from. Fabrication effort is probably similar but you can have a better axle than a Dana 35 and that's never a bad thing.

FWIW, I have the Tom Woods SYE kit in my 242. If you don't mind spending the money for an easy button solution, I'd recommend them. The differential in the MJ Dana 44 is the same as any standard Dana 44. Just like the XJ, just like the Fords, GMs and Dodges. A standard Dana 44 TrueTrac works just fine in there.