derf

I can say this because I are one... Engineers are the dumbest smart people you'll ever meet. Just because engineers designed it for sale doesn't mean that good decisions were made. Throw in the upper management and sales people (dumbest dumb people you'll ever meet) and add government regulations (don't get me started) and it's a wonder cars are as good as they are.

I get reluctance to modify, especially if you're never really going to use the truck in a way where the modifications are useful. I also get that a lot of people just like stock vehicles and they don't want to modify anything. And you really shouldn't feel the need to justify the decisions you make for your Jeep. But things like power steering coolers and all that other stuff isn't rocket surgery. Even upgrading the suspension and axles to handle monster tires is a well known quantity that no one should be afraid of. If you take some time and plan things out ahead of time, you can have a rig that's plenty reliable. Really built up rigs may not be your cup of tea but it's "easy" to build them up so they'll hold up to a lot of abuse and be plenty reliable. One other thing to remember. The engineers who originally designed the truck in the first place were many times plagued by cost constraints or office politics (i.e. Peugeot forcing the BA10/5 on AMC/Jeep). Stock vehicles in many cases are only reliable enough to mostly last until the warranty runs out. Chrysler transmissions are legendary for that trait. And that's just one example among so very many. Just because it's stock doesn't mean it's reliable.

Yep. All you need to do is make it not worth the effort. A determined thief can get through a lot. But the more annoying you make it the more likely the thief will move on.

Bigger axle means you can run bigger tires to compensate for the differential.

Also, when it comes to spacers, I prefer blue locktite on the lugs holding the spacer on. Taking the wheels off to check them introduces the chance that you will miss something putting them back on, not to mention needing to check them in 100 miles again.

I always torque my lug nuts with a torque wrench. And check them after 100 miles. Never had a problem with them coming loose. The only time I've had issues is when someone else worked on my vehicle. So any time any of them go to the shop I always reset the torque when I get home.

If you're looking mostly to have a truck that can work in the field and hold up, the most cost effective way to do it is to buy a different truck. Assuming you don't want to that, you'll need to build and fabricate upgrades based on parts from other vehicles. Upgraded axle housings are probably where you want to start. There are many options. Front Dana 44's can be sourced from 80's Jeep Grand Wagoneers and J-Trucks (70's has the differential on the wrong side). Also, with some exceptions, mid to late 70's Ford F150 and F250 trucks have the axles you want (80's they went to the TTB axles which are the reheaded step child of front axles). Rear Dana 44, Dana 60 and Ford 9" axles from the same donors will handle the weight. For even more strength, look to the big boys. F350's going back a long ways have front Dana 60 axles and Sterling 10.25/10.5 axles (with Dana 60 and 80 as options). Starting in 1999 the SuperDuty F250s went back to a solid axle (Dana 50 then Dana 60) with the same Sterling rear axles. There's enough support among the aftermarket to help swap any of these axles into an MJ. It's possible to bring the 3/4 or 1 ton steering from the donor axle to the MJ. You can also get kits to bolt 1 ton steering parts to factory axles. The MJ uses a steering gear box that was in everything from YJs to XJs to 1/2 and 3/4 ton Jeep trucks and Wagoneers so it's probably good as-is. Though there are a few upgrades to the mounting area that you want to look into. Big brake kits are available. Heavy duty axles come with bigger stronger brakes. The dual diaphragm brake booster from newer XJs is an easy upgrade. You can get hydroboost boosters from a number of companies if you start getting into bigger brakes. You can get stiffer springs (with overloads in the back if you want) to handle the heavier loads and hold up longer if you don't mind the stiffer ride. There are a few options for unibody frame stiffeners that will reinforce the subframe in the front all the way to the back frame section. The engine/transmission/transfer case is pretty well matched. The Peugeot 5 speed manual won't hold up to a lot of abuse but the AX-15 is a good upgrade. As long as you have gearing set up to match your tire size, you don't really need much in the way of upgraded drivetrain. An auxiliary transmission cooler for the AW4 automatic is always a good idea. If you do a V8 swap for more power, you'll want to bring along stronger transmission/transfer cases. Strength is just a matter of money and fabrication. How strong can you afford to make it?

I was up on Red Cone trail SW of Denver this weekend. The fires are a ways away but there was plenty of smoke.

I learned to drive in a 1978 Olds with the 5.7 diesel. 0-60 was pretty close to the 1/4 mile time. (19.8 0-60 with a 22.6 1/4 mile). Looking back, having a slow car like that probably saved my life.

There isn't as much room by the transfer case for the exhaust on the driver side. You have to make sure the drive shaft and transfer case clear the exhaust pipe. It can be done. But it's easier just to use factory style exhaust.

Forgive me, El Guapo. I know that I, Jefe, do not have your superior intellect and education. But could it be that once again, you are angry at something else, and are looking to take it out on me?

We had a sky blue 78 Olds when I was growing up. It's first 4 years were spent in Florida baking in the sun. Shortly after we moved, dad bumped the mail box with the rear fender and put a good scratch into it. He bought factory code paint to fix it. He did a great job feathering out the paint. You couldn't see the scratch at all and the new paint blended into the old with a gradual fade. But the new paint was many shades darker than the original paint so that part of the fender stuck out pretty badly. I suspect that's what I'll end up with over the years. But I'm fine with that. After all, it's a trail rig not a show car.

Now that's an idea. Farm implement paint is designed for exactly what I'm trying to do. Cheap and durable... Although, looking a bit more into it, I like the idea of Allis Chalmers orange. My grandfather was an Allis Chalmers dealer for decades.

One thing I'm looking at is picking a very common initial paint color that matches a factory color you can get in a touch up paint can at the parts store. Sure, they won't be a perfect match but they'll be pretty close. And close is good enough.

I'm going to be building a new bed. And I want to start with all the panels the same color, which they aren't right now. So I want to do an initial re-paint. Then I'll just do maintenance with a rattle can. Besides, given that I have access to many of the tools the supply costs for the initial paint will probably be lower than buying a couple cases of rattle cans.

Update. This one has been traded to a friend for parts I will be using in the build of my other MJ. He's working ideas on turning it into a trail rig. Not sure if he'll join up and post or not.

Looking for some advice from the paint gurus. I'm thinking about paint for my dedicated trail rig. I've got a mismatch of colors on the panels I'd like to make one consistent color. I'm also going to be building some new stuff that will need paint. I have the ability to use an HVLP setup in a makeshift paint booth so I'm planning on blasting the existing paint and doing the initial paint job that way. So the question goes to what kind/brand of paint should I start with. I know that there are different kinds of paint and different techniques for applying them. But I don't know much detail about what makes one better than the other for my particular intent. This truck will get scratched and probably see some rock rash. I want to be able to use rattle cans to cover up the exposed metal in a way that looks "decent" without all of the work of really blending the finish to look "perfect". That suggests to me that I'm looking for a simple paint that doesn't require clear coat so I can just sand the perimeter around the scratch and lay down a couple of quick coats from a parts store rattle can and I'm done. But I'm open to suggestions from people who actually know paint well. What advice can the experts give a paint noob?

Yeah, any time someone says Jeep and leak together in the same sentence, my brain immediately goes to oil leaks.

It's a Jeep. If there ain't no oil under em, there ain't no oil in em.

Meh. That's just details.

I glossed over that. There will be "some disassembly required" on any of the Ford donors if you use the truss kits. Some more than others. The cast in brackets on the 78-79 F150 are the most you'll have to cut off. Anyone seriously considering the Ford axle swap will probably continue to google after finding this thread. There's a lot of detail when it comes to how exactly you'll deal with everything. Steering, driveshafts, bump stops, etc.

Old thread, I know. But I wanted to put some information here in case someone finds this thread and is looking for swap info. Basically expanding on the axle donor choices for upgrades. The mid to late 1970's (76 to 79) Ford pickups are a good option for a donor. The front in the F150 and F250 is a driver side high pinion Dana 44. The F150 is a "standard" housing with a 5 on 5.5" bolt pattern. It has a 65.5" WMS (Wheel Mounting Surface) width, which makes it "a little bit wider" than a standard XJ/MJ front axle. It has 30 spline inner shafts and the 270x u-joints that the later XJ front axles upgraded to. It's stronger all the way around than a front Dana 30. So it will handle 35" or even 37" tires with no problem. The matching Ford 9" axle is a 31 spline unit that is about 65" WMS. It can accept 35 spline shafts easily and, with maybe a truss, is also good for 37's. The F250 uses a heavy duty version of the Dana 44. It has thicker wall tubes (same outside diameter) and the 8 on 6.5" hubs make the whole axle 2-3" wider than the 1/2 ton. Same guts (ring and pinion, differential, 30 spline axle shafts) as the F150 version. With some chromoly shafts and good joints, you can probably get away with 40's if you don't beat on it with a lot of power. The matching rear Dana 60 is a 30 spline full float version. I don't know the exact width but it's close to the front. The housing won't accept 35 spline shafts without modification. But the full float housing is good and strong and 30 spline shafts will hold up until you get above 40's or you put in big power. The F150 had radius arm suspension in the front and the brackets varied from year to year. The axle side brackets will need to be removed (possibly cut off). The F250 had leaf springs with the pad cast into the housing on the driver side. Rear axles were leaf spring pads and shock mounts. Right now, there are a couple of companies making truss kits that will work with one or both of the versions of the front axle. The trusses come with control arm and track bar mounts in the right location for MJ/XJ/TJ front suspension. So if you're looking for "a little wider" with "a little stronger", the Ford axles are the way to go. It's best to go with a matched set so that you get the same bolt pattern front and rear. Neither axle set will match the stock MJ bolt pattern.

No problems with pictures here.

You mention that you want an AX-15 and that you may possibly take out the Peugeot after it's in once you find one. You just can't find one for sale at a reasonable price right now, correct? The direction I would go would be to wait and do the swap later. Keep saving up cash, a little at a time, until you have the budget to buy the AX15 you want and do it right. In the mean time, put the Peugeot up for sale and get as much as you can for it to fund the AX15 budget. That requires some patience but in the end it'll be worth it. I've done more than one "hey this is a cheaper route but not really what I want" swaps in various projects. It never ended up being what I wanted and I ended up throwing a bunch of money away trying to make it right or scrapping it entirely and starting over. Or both. The Peugeot would work and scratch the itch for now. But you'll keep itching to do the AX15 swap. And it'll bug you until you get it done. If it was just a "I want a manual, don't care which" itch, the Peugeot would be fine for a stock or near stock build for driving around and not abusing. But since you say you want the AX15 long term, that's what I'd hold out for.