Incommando

I personally like the D44, too. I have had them under at least a dozen rigs, front and/or rear. They are plentiful, cheap, easy to upgrade, and strong enough for 90% of wheelers. If I was replacing a D35 I would probably go 8.8 w/discs or Pete's favorite isuzu D44 ( :D )just because the wheeling around here generally involves some time in mud and muddy drum brakes are no fun. I like my axles like I like my wimmins: cheap and leakin' a little grease.... :brows:

Great customer service on my order! Thanks Hellcreek!

I just placed an order through Hellcreek for a 4.5" kit. I have been following them for years on the FSj & Commando sites and I am aware of their good rep. Well, I believe it is well earned. I had some special circumstances to work around in the ordering process, and they were both patient & helpful in getting my order taken care of so it would work for me. I will definitely make them my first choice in the future.

So '86's and '87's aren't comanches? :D

Fighting a losing argument, but the FSJ's used M23's, not M20's. Full sized Waggy's did not use the 2-piece shafts of the M20. The widetrack versions are rumored to have thicker tubes but I have never personally cut one aprt to see. I have seen W/T D44's cut open and they have D44HD tubes. 8.8/9"/M23/D44/29spline 8.25 are arguably so close to each other, with each model having pluses and minuses, that to spend a dime to swap one for the other strictly for a perceived strength increase is probably spending money that should be spent elsewhere. D44 has a smallish pinion shaft: D44 pinion shafts failing are rarely an issue so that is just one of the thousands of "bragging rights" things with little real word application. If you are updating to get a cheap disc upgrade as well or something like that, it makes more sense. If starting from scratch, I'd pick the one I could get the best deal on and that had the most upgrades.

You can get steering stabilizer most anywhere

Unless you wanted to test fit some seats are something???? By the time you re-worked the axles to get them under there...and most of the drivetrain requires it all be tied to that ESP & other electronic CRAP to work properly without a ton of mods.... wheels were 5x5 and would have required adapters, anyway....

Around here, with a bad engine, I'd go $600-$700. IF they floors aren't rotted under the mats/carpet and the frame wasn't rusted out by the fuel tank. The quadratrac transfer in that was fine for its day, but is really an outdated pile that is hard to get parts for and keep running correctly, realistically. The quit using them in '79. The D44's are a LP pass. drop front, decent enough if you need a pass. drop. The plus is that MOST widetracks had the thicker axle tubes of the D44HD and a 77 would be disc, basically a Chevy set-up. The rear D44 ( basic 30-spline jobby) will be offset to the pass side as the quadratrac rear output is off-set, not centered. Some people run them in swaps without issues, but most report driveline issues without a custom driveshaft. The axles would be 6 lug and are about as good as a lp d44 front gets. 3.54 is the most likely gear ratio. Wide track axles ( found under the pickups and Cherokees with the factory fender flares) are about 64" wide while the narrow tracks were around 59". I have had several FSJ's: I traded a driveable '79 wide track with a 360/t18/D20 but major rust issues for the MJ. They are neat trucks and make great off-roaders, especially if equipped with a D20 or 208 transfer case. The 109" wheel base works well with 33-35" tires. You have to lift the crap out of the narrow tracks to get a decent size tire on them, or cut the fenders ( sound familiar?) You can honestly run a narrow 33" tire on the widetracks with NO lift: 33x10.5x 15 - 255/85/16 or even 285/75/16's work. I have done it. Most had no skids but if you see how far the drivetrain is tucked up into the frame rails, you will see that Jeep had the right idea there.

The factory limited slip diff (LSD) is iffy. The aptly-named trash-loc has a pretty low bias ( meaning that it doesn't take much to overcome the clutches and make it "open") and the clutches wear very quickly. Without frequent changing of the posi additive, i have read that most are almost ineffective but 50,000 miles. The problem is that, except for the D44 which has a no-slip brand drop in locker available for it, you can only get drop-in lockers for open diff carriers. So, you have to either replace your LSD carrier to go with a drop-in ( lunch box) locker or buy $$$ full case carrier like a Detroit. Now, the debate about where to put a locker if you only have one is in no way settled. You would be much better, IMHO, with a locker up front and a functioning LSD in the rear than you would be with an open front and a locked rear. Clear as mud?? lol

$8.99 each from www.4wd.com

thanks. the repair looks easy enough that even if I wind up doing it every couple of years the used may be the way to go....

Fingers crossed that you get good news soon

Are you using a front or rear regulator? The only new ones I could find are $180/each and I'll admit that I was hoping to not spend that much... :oops:

Anyone have a recommendation? Apparently they are harder to find than power.... :fs1: Can anyone verify that the rear regulator from an XJ will work in our doors if they are from the same side? Thanks in advance

If you are looking to assauge your quilt or justify your switch, you are the only one to be in a position to do that. You are upset about things like bald tires when I fail to see how you could not notice them when you got them. :no: Is that rust brand new or did you buy it that way? See? Why whine now? :dunno: Buyers remorse for a decision you made without considering the true condition of the vehicle YOU bought? Many vehicles have inherent deficiences, and Nissan has never had the rep, earned or hype, that Toy or Honda do.. If you think that imports do not have inherent issues, you are mistaken, and I predict that you will soon be on a 4runner forum posting "my 3.0 sucks oil like gas and has zero power.... P/O stuck me with bad birfields.." I'd suggest mucho research on both the vehcile in general and the specific vehicle you are looking at before any purchase. You will be happier in the long run. Although I do appreciate your validation that import supporters are the true haters in my experience...

Ever heard an earlier "upside down filter" 4.0 fire up after sitting for a bit and while using a fram filter? That is the sound of your bearings being eaten....

Thanks CW.... yes I was looking for a cheap lift boost

There is a set oif NIB V8 motor mounts for sale on naxja...

Can you give me any details on these?

You mean you remember when you didn't know enough about the real Mel to realize he wasn't cool.... :D

LOL....If you knew that guy....it could be anything

trailquest are good people, too. I have dealt with them for years. Decent prices + great service from a family business, not a corporation.

Got the floor pans fixed, seat mounted, header panel and everything else on the front mounted, gauges installed... And the MJ makes a guest appearance at the LostJeeps.com Ohio meet & greet yesterday. It was a hit.

I kinda like it like that

The KJ has the 3.7 from the Ram/Dakota line, not the JK 3.8 from the Caravan line. I am pretty sure that your 3.8 is just a typo. But yes, Liberties tow well. I have towed up to 12,000 #'s and haved towed 100,000's of miles in various trucks. Weight of the tow vehicle and, most importantly, wheel base, makes a huge difference in how easy it is to tow. I would rather have a SRW crew cab than a reg. cab dually ( i have used both) when towing a heavy trailer. A super long WB dually is best...