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That sucks. I got to help put in a new head on my buddy's other CRD Liberty. We did the ARP head studs while we were at it.

Is it just me or does it look like the illegitimate child of a DeLorian and a Pontiac Aztec?

Maybe good for the tow rig but useless for a rock crawler.

Yeah, that certainly is out of date at best. I doubt they've updated many of their articles in years. And yes, you never want to fully trust a company that has a vested interest in selling you something. Always check multiple sources. What would be a better resource for things like that?

Can you give an example or two?

I found Novak to be very helpful when I was doing the 700R4 swap onto the 401 in my J10. They helped me get the flex plate issues figured out. The issue was with mixing up 360 measurements with the 401 when making the flex plate they source which put the starter ring out of position. A few emails and we had everything worked out. And when I did the LS in my old CJ, the Novak mounts were one of the few trouble free parts of that install. I have heard a few people say bad things about Novak but I can't find any real actual examples of their parts being crap. I'd be interested in seeing some real world examples.

The timing marks on the timing gears really are only there to help you put it together quickly and easily. There's nothing magical about the marks. They are only there to make it easy for the installer. You can ignore the marks altogether as long as you make sure the cam and crank are in the right position and everything bolts together. Of course, some engines have specific alignment pins, keyways, or bolt patterns that force you to only put it on one way and that forces the marks to line up. But it's not a huge deal as long as the cam and crank are in time with each other.

Not much of a change. But really, 80-90% of your braking comes from the front brakes, especially on a pickup truck with a light rear end. When you're braking going into a corner, almost all of the weight transfers to the front and that's where brake upgrades really help. Going with bigger rotors and calipers make a huge difference in the front. In the rear, there's only so much you can do before you lock up the rear tires.

Disks will help a lot with fade so in a race truck they would be a good upgrade.

KJ axles have a bunch of bracketry to support their triangulated 3 link with coil springs. You'd have to cut it all off, which isn't difficult with a torch. Having done a disk brake swap, I have to say that the braking performance is a wash at best. Sure, swapping pads is a ton easier than doing drums and for that, I'm happy I did the swap. But how often do you really swap pads on the rear axle anyway? Keep in mind also that if you change the gear ratio in the back, you need to also swap gears in the front to match. So if you go with a 3.73 KJ axle, you need to drop 3.73's in your front.

Custom exhaust, probably headers unless you can find manifolds that actually fit. Radiator input/output is backwards between the 4.0 and LS. There are Chevy conversion radiators out there that bolt right in. Different versions of the LS (Corvette, GTO, Camaro, truck) have different accessory positions and intake manifolds that affect what is easy and what is difficult to swap. The narrow frame rails of the XJ mean the truck accessories and intake manifolds aren't as easy to swap. But the engines are cheaper. You'll want to grab everything from the donor that you can. You'll need to reflash the computer, at least to get rid of the anti-theft cut out. Beyond that, there's tons of write ups on swapping LS engines into almost everything. Google is your friend.

A friend of mine recently encountered death wobble. The upper track bar bolt came loose and she had a ton of play. Tightened it back up and her death wobble went away completely. The tires were balanced fine. The rest of the suspension was fine. The ball joints aren't new but they aren't worn out. We would have replaced them except for the fact that the DSPO (Dip "Stick" Previous Owner) welded them in... /facepalm. I've experienced death wobble twice myself and had two different solutions required, replacing various worn suspension and/or steering components. What I've learned over the years is that there are many causes and manifestations of death wobble. The entire steering and suspension system is just that. A whole system. Anything that allows a feedback loop will lead to death wobble in one way or another. It can appear as a side to side shimmy. It can also show up as a bouncing up and down rhythm where the axle "flexes" back and forth. I got to watch a buddy in my rear view mirror as his death wobble kicked in. The whole front axle was bouncing as if on a pivot. As one side came up, the other side tire hit the ground and bounced, causing it to come up and the other side coming down and hitting. Back and forth, back and forth. It was pretty impressive. Bottom line is that if you have death wobble, you need to check everything. Ball joints, control arm bushings, tie rod and drag link ends, track bar bushings, swaybar links, tire balance. Check all of it. If anything is worn or out of spec, fix it. Then when you fixed your death wobble, you can pay attention to the steering stabilizer.

I had the same issue with my J10 pickup and a couple of Grand Wagoneers. The key sets are all stock GM parts. Though it is possible that there is more than 1 "standard" GM door and/or ignition lock so a "standard" GM lock may not fit if it's the wrong standard.

Do what you need to do and take care of yourself. We can wait as long as it takes.

Start with the first one. Then keep posting more.

It probably can. But I'd assume that getting the adjusting sleeve away from the passenger side means it's not likely to hit anything else while turning and flexing.

The steering knuckles turn on an angle so it does look "a little weird" the first time you pay attention. And the inverted Y link will change a little from lock to lock. These are normal behaviors for stock steering components. But if it's acting really weird and moving around a ton, you may have worn out steering components that need to be replaced.

You do make a good point here.

Yeah, there are a few old groups I used to frequent. But when I got the notice, I went back to look and they had been ghost towns for years. I'm honestly surprised they weren't shut down years before.

Maybe a typo?

Here's a somewhat incomplete list. It's important to note that many of these transmissions (mostly the automatics but at least one manual) had an integrated AMC specific bellhousing that will bolt up to the 4.0 without adapters. If you get one with a different bellhousing, it won't bolt up. The manuals mostly have removable bellhousings that are AMC specific As long as you can find the right bellhousing, any donor should bolt up. Stock XJ: Aisin AW4 - 4 speed automatic (Best option for "easy" bolt up to a 4.0 in an XJ) Peugeot BA10/5 - 5 speed manual (weak transmission, not worth the effort to swap in) Aisin AX15 - 5 speed manual (good solid trans, best overall candidate for a manual transmission swap) NVG3550 - 5 speed manual (good trans that replaced the AX15 late in the XJ production) TJ and YJ (Wrangler) with the 4.0 (4 cylinder transmissions are different and not good candidates behind a 4.0): Chrysler 32RE/32RH - 3 speed automatic "E" is electronically controlled, "H" is hydraulic (no need for computers) Chrysler 42RLE - 4 speed automatic. Not a great transmission and the computer will make it difficult to swap in. Peugeot BA10/5 - same piece of junk as the XJ. Aisin AX15 - same as XJ NVG3550 - same as XJ NSG370 - 6 speed manual trans in the last 2 or 3 years. Weaker than the AX15 and NVG3550. Not the best swap candidate. ZJ (Grand Cherokee) with the 4.0 (V8 has different bellhousing): Chrysler 42RE - not the same as the TJ. The computer makes it difficult to swap. AX15 - same as XJ, but very rare. Going back further to the 258 (pre-4.0) version of the engine, you get a bunch of options from early YJs, CJs, Full Size Jeeps and AMC cars. All of the automatics listed below will be fully hydraulic (i.e. no computer). Most of these do not have overdrive. Most of these will be difficult to swap into an XJ. Borg Warner T5 (AMC cars and CJs) - light duty 5 speed manual with overdrive. (not the best option behind a 4.0) Chrysler 904 (became the 30RH), 998/999 (became the 32RH) - medium duty 3 speed automatics (bigger number is stronger) Chrysler 727 (mostly in full size jeeps 1980-1991) - heavy duty 3 speed automatic GM TH400 (mostly in Jeep CJ and full size Jeeps) - heavy duty 3 speed automatic Tremec T176/177/178 - medium duty 4 speed manual in CJs and full size Jeeps Tremec T150 - medium duty 3 speed manual Warner T14 - medium duty 3 speed manual Warmer T15 - medium duty 3 speed manual Warner T18 - medium duty close ratio 4 speed manual Warner T18a - medium duty wide ratio (i.e. first gear is a granny low) 4 speed manual. For transmissions that can be adapted to the 4.0, see http://www.novak-adapt.com/ and https://www.advanceadapters.com/

Given the lack of aftermarket support for the MOPAR, especially when compared to the Chevy V8, I would have a hard time convincing myself to do that swap. However, being different and doing something that isn't the same as everyone else does have its own appeal.

Bummer. Every time I get in a hurry to just finish it so I don't have to f with it any more, I always make mistakes like that.

Coolant has changed a lot in the last 10 years. There's at least 3 or 4 new types of coolant on the market. Some only lasted a few years before being replaced by something else. For a few of them, mixing is a "bad thing" so don't do it. For my XJ and MJs, I stick to the old fashioned green coolant that's been around forever. Though I have seen some "mix with anything" replacement coolant at the parts store.

Why not use a mild build 350? It would be cheaper since you're not adding all of the expensive speed parts.