derf

You'd be surprised at how fast scamming a bunch of people for just a couple hundred bucks can add up.

Stock JK rims come with something like 6.5" backspacing. Makes it easy to get a wheel adapter to go from 5 x 4.5 to 5 x 5 and not have it stick way out.

If you get an AX-15 from a newer 4.0 Cherokee or Comanche, it's pretty straightforward. The gearing will depend on exactly which transmission you get as well as the size of the tires you want to run. Bigger tires = higher number gears. If you go to http://www.grimmjeeper.com/gears.html you can just pick the transmission and transfer case (NP231) from the drop down menus and plug in tire size. Then play with gear ratios depending on what size tires you pick.

These days, it's a crap shoot. A NAPA starter has a better chance of being good than one from Autozone. Find a decent one and swap it. Chances are it will be good for a long time. If not, you just have to swap it out again.

Yep. That's a sure sign of a starter on it's last legs. Plan on a swap. Soon.

If that's the case, I should get mine done while I can. I have two cores myself. Would you want one or both of them in the deal?

1991 SWB 2WD Comanche 2.5 / AX5 / no t-case / 2wd front axle / Dana 35 / SWB Build date: Unknown (I didn't look yet) Current Location: Denver area Status: Non-running. It's been sitting for years. It's had at least one roll over accident in its life and it has a few other notable indications of damage (rear passenger side bed side, front driver's door, bumper and bed, etc.) Notes: Looks to still be pretty stock. Current owner: Me Plans: Going to get my other MJ trail worthy and then do something with this one. Or I might see if I can just get it running and sell it to someone who wants a project.

1987 Comanche SWB 2WD 4.0 / Peugeot BA10/5 / no t-case / 2wd front axle / D35 rear / Short Build date: Unknown. Sticker was removed or painted over Current Location: Denver area Status: Sitting for years, unknown running condition. Looks to be stock drivetrain. Notes: No notes yet really. The bed is pretty well beat up. Still straight-ish but it definitely took more than one hit and looks worse the closer you get. Collision damage reported in 2012, it's probably been sitting for that long. Current owner: Me. Plans: 4WD conversion. Switch over to AW4, Atlas transfer case, front Dana 44, rear Ford 9", front long arm kit, rear spring over, fenders cut and bump stops to fit 37's.

Looking good. I just helped a buddy do a water pump replacement (the arm up to the viscous heater broke off) and we did all of the rockers and a new timing belt since it was about that time anyway. That's an "interesting" motor to work on.

Yeah, I figure that bed is good for a trail rig. I'll pull the fender flares before I cut the openings for the tires. Someone will want them.

Why does there have to be a point to it?

I'm probably going to end up with a set of aftermarket wheels. Still probably 15" rims because big wheels on old trucks just look... weird. We'll see. I'll probably change my mind a dozen times before I get a chance to get started.

I was looking at 275s for the rear. That seems like a popular width. Thanks everyone for the info.

So I'm running some ideas through my head about building up my 2WD as a fun sporty truck to run around in. To support a V8 swap or other power increase option, I want to have some good size tires in the rear. But how wide can I go before I start sticking out of the wheel well? I know I can tub the rear and put in some pretty massive tires but I don't want to do that much work. And I don't care about actually going to a track and competing. But it would be nice to make some use of the power on the street. So if I pick the right wheel with the right offset to get the rear tire very close to the frame/spring on the inside, how wide can I go before I get out from under the fender flare? Assume for the sake of argument that the tire diameter will stay close to stock. The only change would be the width. Front tires will probably stay at or near stock size because they fit and work just fine. And I'm not trying to turn this into a race truck in any way.

Mountain Off Road makes conversion brackets. https://mountainoffroad.com/collections/wrangler-tj/products/4-0l-straight-6-motor-mounts-97-06-jeep-tj You do have to cut off the original frame horns and weld these new ones on. But it's not difficult work.

That may be true. But a bad steering stabilizer will not cause death wobble. A good one won't fix it. FCA issued a TSB that basically indicated the fix for complaints of death wobble was to replace the steering stabilizer. https://autorepairdenvercolorado.com/repsponse-to-chrysler-fiat-tech-bulletin-on-jeep-death-wobble/

I've been researching this swap for my 87 2wd. There were a couple of changes to the AW4 over the years. 87-90 the AW4 came with a deeper overdrive (0.705:1) but it has a 21 spline output shaft. 91-96 is plug and play compatible. But the overdrive dropped to 0.75:1. The up side is that they went to a stronger 23 spline output shaft. The output speed sensor for 87-96 is the same so it will plug into the computer and work the same. For all intents and purposes the 87-96 are easy to interchange as long as you get the transfer case with the right input spline count to match the transmission. 1997 is a crossover year. They changed the plug on the transmission itself. It is otherwise compatible with the earlier 87-96. Swapping one in is just a matter of splicing a couple of wires to change the plug over. 98-01 they changed the output speed sensor (4 pulses per revolution instead of 1) and added an input speed sensor. The computer was changed to account for this. For any swap, you'll need to hook up the computer. Fortunately, all that entails is swapping the engine bay wiring harness, including the part that fishes through the firewall and plugs into the transmission computer that lives under the dash. My plan, that I'm working on getting parts for this week, involves an engine bay harness from a Renix equipped automatic 4x4 XJ, along with the throttle body and computers. I'm also looking at an AW4 out of a 95 so I get the stronger tail shaft. I'll need to make sure I get the right TV cable (from the throttle body to the transmission) to match my Renix throttle body. And I'm sure I'll need a couple of pieces/parts that I haven't thought of. I could take advantage of the opportunity to swap over to HO fuel injection and just get a 91-95 donor (or deal with OBD2 with a 96-01) and it would still work. But I can keep my costs down if I don't swap much on the engine. And besides, Renix makes plenty of torque where I use it. I don't need a slight boost of top end horsepower that the HO gives me.

I've had death wobble in my JK twice. First was worn ball joints and tie rod ends. Second time was control arm and track bar bushings. Each time I upgraded to better components. I find it laughable that FCA claims a steering stabilizer will fix it. There's a good chance you'll experience death wobble again if you experienced it once. The steering wheel adjustment could have contributed. But it wouldn't be the cause. There are several other things that are probably marginal and they will only get worse over time. The track bar bolt is notorious for hogging out the hole on the axle side bracket. Ball joints are always a contributor, as are tie rod ends.

I've been looking at the R2.8 for a while. I can't do it in my XJ because it's only smog legal through 1999 and my XJ is a 2001. I had looked into it for my J10 pickup but with only just over 300 ft-lbs, it's not enough for what I'm going to do with it. Being based on the ISF series engines, there is a 3.8 liter in the family that would be much better for my J10 as it would be over 400 ft-lbs where I want it. But I haven't heard diddly about Cummins releasing an R3.8. Axis Industries has a bunch of parts available to support the 2.8 swap, especially in Jeeps. They have an adapter that makes it an AMC bolt pattern so your AX-15 or NV3550 will bolt right to it, complete with OEM flywheel (I think). You can bolt an AW4 to it but you have to figure out a way to control it. You have to figure out how to make the throttle by wire work with the mechanical throttle position cable that attaches to the transmission. The CAN bus has all the data you need to control the shift solenoids but I'm not aware of anyone who has programmed a controller to do the work. Yet. They also have brackets to deal with narrow frames like you find in Jeeps and the impact that has on accessory placement. The intercooler, to me, seems like one of the biggest hurdles for the swap. With the wide and short grille on the XJ/MJ, routing the hoses is "difficult". The air box and battery are both in the way. One alternative is an air-to-water intercooler. You can put the radiator out in front but still behind the grille and then run hoses to a heat exchanger under the hood, along with the pump to cycle the antifreeze. With 2 fewer cylinders, you probably have room to fit it somewhere. I'm not sure about the inlet/outlet for the water pump but between the Jeep setup and the available Chevy swap radiators that switch sides, you're probably covered. And you're likely going to work in dual electric fans, probably just have two stock fans side by side. I believe the engine controller can run them just fine (with a relay). I haven't ruled out a 2.8 swap in my MJ project but with all of the other things I want to do, I may just stick with a 4.0 until I have it out on the trails for a while. Conservatively, I estimate that a 2.8 swap with all of the extra stuff you need can't be done for less than $15,000. A $20,000 budget is probably more reasonable. And that's if you keep your AX-15/NV3550.

True. But hood vents or maybe some side vents on the fenders (or both) would be needed. I have several months to plan.

I'm pretty much convinced the silver one will become the trail rig. I had a thought about maybe dropping an LS with a manual transmission into the red one and making it into a fun run-around truck. In the short term though, they will probably sit for most of the winter without anything happening to them.

The red one has a couple of issues with the bed as well. It has been bumped at least once. The bumper is tweaked. The tail light bucket has seen better days. The bed side has been nudged. The driver's rocker panel has been pushed. But at least the dash is intact with a sweet aftermarket cassette player with bass boost!

More pictures to share about what I'm starting with. First off, the silver one. It has very obviously been repainted. There is overspray in a few places and some of the top coat is coming off. Further evidence of a respray is that the tail has had some pretty thick bondo work. That work got exposed after it got hit again. The driver side tail light bucket is not without it's own damage from the last hit as well. The back of the bed has been mushed a bit The tailgate didn't really survive the hit very well either. It's probably something one could fix if they really wanted to but they would have to be very motivated. Chances are I'm just going to keep this bed given the damage and my intended use of the Jeep. I will have to see about finding a good replacement dash pad. It's been chewed on a little... Still in all, it's mostly in decent shape besides these issues. So it's a good starter for a project.

I like the idea of having actual bed sides. I'm not opposed to trading the bed to someone who wants to fix it up in exchange for one in worse shape. Although a stake bed may be an interesting option.

Yep. I picked them up yesterday. Both of the beds have damage. The grey one took a hit that took out the tailgate and both tail lights. Probably the bumper as well because it's gone. The red one has one damaged tail light bucket and the tailgate is nowhere to be found. And, as you can see in the pictures, the bumper is tweaked. They both have been sitting for a very long time without running. I may try to get them up and running but I most likely will have to drop the gas tanks and do a thorough clean of the fuel system to really get them in working shape. They're both pretty base models and they do have lots of signs of neglect. The interior of the grey one apparently had a dog that liked to chew on things... The bones are solid though. Almost no rust anywhere. I did start a build thread on these.