Incommando

Image Not Found Image Not Found Image Not Found Image Not Found Image Not Found Image Not Found I cannot find a flaw in it. Most of the body panels I have purchased over the years needed some work, but this doesn't. Of ocurse I have always bought aftermarket.

I have no idea of its value. I helped the the part's dept dude dig it out of the rafters at the dealership. It has been up there since January 1995 and was apparently written out of inventory in 1997. They were moving parts/cleaning up and they found it. Upon further review I agree cutting this up would be a serious mistake. If it was the pass. side I would just use the thing. I will research it and post it up in for sale. I can tell you I was as excited as a little kid on Christmas morning when I got to the dealer. This bedside is like a time capsule it is so nice. I would rather have found a little old lady selling her late husband's loaded '92 10,000 mile 4x4 that has been in a climate controlled garage for 17 years after his death for $1,000, but next to that unpossibilty this is a surprising find/story. I will take pics with an actual camera tonight and post them up.

I have 2 29 spline 8.25's in my garage and my new spring perches came in the mail today....

Yep...sometimes those rumors are true. I found a complete inner/outer factory driver's side bedside at a local dealer while tracking down a rumor. It has the factory part # and stamp date and it is perfect! I only had a brief moment to snap pics due to a prior commitment but it resides safely in my garage now. Sadly, I may use it for patch panels. If someone is really interested in it and is close enough to Dayton OH to pick it up.... :brows: a pm might be in order? Image Not Found

2.75" for the XK/MJ factory D44...but many 1/2 to 3/4 ton D44's used a 3" diameter tube....

I decided to install 4 rear TJ flares on my MJ to gain a little clearance and to cover the wheel well rust on the bed. It was very easy ( even though I screwed them up..see below). I like the look of the rear flares on the front as they do not have the holes for marker lights that the front TJ flares do and they fit the MJ lines well. You will need to trim the inner lip of of the flares to get them to fit flush. This is pretty obvious when you look at the flare. I used tin snips for this. I also trimmed up the mounting surface to remove the excess material below the mounting holes on the flares to give myself the option of making the opening on the body as large as possible. I covered all four wheel arches with blue masking tape to get a surface to mark on. I then made a template of the R and L flares and taped them to the location I wanted them after centering them, etc... I marked the mounting holes and drilled them out. I also traced the inner edge that I had just trimmed off per paragraph 1 as well. Using a 4.5" angle grinder with a metal cutting disc I then trimmed each rear wheel well up to the line I just traced. My bed was very rusty and this was necessary to remove most of the rust. Before I started: Flare mocked up and hung on protruding rust: after initial trim using tin snips (not recommmended..I re-did it with the angle grinder :roll: ) : On the front I just trimmed the part of the arch the extends out, leaving a flush cut on the fender. You could use any number of tools for the cutting (sawzall, jig saw, whatever...) but the angle grinder worked well and it is what I had laying around. Rear: I used large black zipties to mount the actual flares. This may give them a chance to get ripped off and survive should I rub a tree or something off road where I think bolting them on would be more likely to damage the flare and/or the body. You can get the zip ties to snug down very nicely. To give you an idea on the clearance increase from this mod, those are 265/70/16's on stock KJ 16x7" 5.25" BS rims. The tires are roughly 31x10.5. The suspension is stock 4x2. This is a simple mod. It took maybe 2 hours and that includes the flare trimming and template tracing. It is well worth it IMHO. With a little less backspacing (like 4") aftermarket rims or some spacers this should make fitting 31x10.5x15's on an unlifted 4x4 pretty easy. Someone with more skill and being more careful could make a real clean install of this.

I think there is a reason that TSL's have been selling well with no changes for decades. In the element they were design for the are excellent. Got a few minutes today so I re-drilled the mounting holes to flip the messed up flares side to side. They still look like poop but I think they will look a little better until I get some new ones on there: BTW: I saw a trick somewhere where the guy mounted his flares using large zip ties. That way the flare just tears away, possibly unharmed, if you rub a tree or something where solid mounting them would probably tear the flare or the body. It worked very well.

Thanks for the responses. I will probably try cleaning up the edge so that it does not damage the tire and give it a try

Have you thought about rigging up a hand throttle for delicate work? Love the truck!

Also picked up a set of 15" XJ Ecco rims to mount my 32x9.5x15 TSL's in place of the 16" street tires that are on the truck now. Rims: Two of the new-ish ( never been on the road and few trail miles) tires: Image Not Found I am hoping by going with a narrower tire on a lighter alloy wheel I will not be pushing the limits of the axles as far as I would if I went with a taller/wider tire. These TSL's are almost as tall as some brand's 33's anyway.

I picked up a set of Ecco wheels for the MJ because I like them. The rims on it now are 16x7 and will not work with the 32x9.5x15 TSL's I have for the truck. Making the big mistake of buying from craigslist while in a hurry I did not check the rims as well as I should have. While unloading them when I got home I discovered that the inner bead lip on one rim was broken. (Of course the seller told me to f. off when I called him within minutes of getting the rims -karma will get him :brows: ) Here is the damage: Does this look repairable and does anyone have a SWAG as to what something like that costs? Finding another single rim is proving to be difficult. The set I bought has grey centers and apparently they came with a more common silver center as well. Here is a crappy cell pic of an actual rim: and one internet snag: Image Not Found

Well, I screwed up the TJ flare install. I mixed up the right and left rear flares when cutting them. I decided to mount them up and just replace them later when I get another pair of TJ rear flares. If I hadn't done the fronts first I could have just used these but...oh well. Those are 31x 10.5 tires on a 2wd with no lift to show how much clearance the wheel well trim/flare install netted. Also did a quick cut & fold along the lower bed behind the wheel wells. I picked up the final big piece of the 4wd/SOA conversion: the 231! Now I need to get a donor drive shaft to have shortened to 4x4 SWB length so that I have it ready for the swap without the down time of having the current shaft shortened.

It is apparently possible for the adjusters on the Chrysler corporate axles to "back off" causing excessive play in the differential and causing a clunk like you are describing. Re-asembling the diff and properly setting the adjusters may take care of the issue. Aussie lockers, for example, blames excessive wear in the cross-pin, which is about a $15 replacement item, and also cites the adjustment issue as reasons for an unusually high failure rate for their locker in 8.25 axles. Granted, the above information was told to me by an Aussie rep. in explaining why the locker in my KJ failed and may be so much hot air, but it seems possible.

That article and drawing will probably have nothing to do with the production vehicle. I, too, think the new Waggy will be a jeep-bodied version of the 3-row Durango.

The stats reported for years are 20-25% drop in available power and MPG over dino fuel? 3 to 4 percent is a lower number than is generally reported.

Silly question, but have you considered either longer shackles or XK shackles? Seems like it would be cheaper/less work?

Unfortunately, Rock Krawler is one of the many 4x4 suppliers that prey on unsuspecting shoppers. This is hardly the first case of their products failing miserably. A few years ago they made a 7" lift for the Liberty called the '7 up." EVERYONE who attempted to install this lift wound up scrapping the jeep, spending around $10k for a SOA, or stuck unsuspecting 2nd owners with it. It was, in short, a death trap. Upon being informed of this and shown irrefutable proof, R.K. kept selling the lift until its stock was depleted. To me, their actions bordered on criminal. The enthusiast aftermarket is full of "caveat emptor" and I am sorry you got stuck by this company. I sent links to a guy on another forum with posts about R.K. issues and he bought a lift from them anyway. He said " they had the coolest windshield decal." :doh: The JK lift he purchased caused other faliures and he had to spend $100's on "not included" items to make the jeep drivable. :wall:

TJ Rubi is bolt-in, JK not so much. There is debate over whether putting chromo axles and good u-joints in a HP D30 isn't better bang for the buck strength-wise than a stock low-pinion Rubi D44 as the Rubi which is rumored to be a hybrid with D30 outer shafts/bearings.etc..... Not sure that the Rubi 44 has the thicker axle tubes of some other versions, such as Wide-track FSJ's or 3/4 ton vesions, either.

In the first post there is not a single complete axle assembly listed just various components. In the second the front end is disassembled and does not show axle shafts (that I saw anyway) in addition to the front being a pass. drop, meaning you would need to get a new transfer case for your rig to match that. Making front D44's work in an MJ is not the easiest of tasks. I don't know if a swap of this nature would be in my comfort level if my tech knowledge led me to consider either of those ads as potential parts for an MJ swap with the exception of the Scout rear. Even then Scout axles, like the popular Explorer 8.8 swap, are actually about 3" narrower than XJ axles (I am going from memory here) and may require aftermarket rims ( the bolt pattern is different than an MJ anyway) with less backspacing or wheel spacers/adapters just like the 8.8. Although much wider, the ideal donor set seems to be from a leaf-sprung Ford from the '70's. An f250 would also get you a D60 rear. They go for $400 + a set around here. The radius arm/coil spring F150 axles also work but require more modification to the front axle itself to remove/replace the suspension componentry or a modification to the MJ to use the radius arm suspension. Either way the set should be late enough that it has factory disc brakes, IIRC.

It looks like the specification block only lists the long bed?

Are those WJ mirrors as well?

Love these shows. One of life's simple little pleasures.

This shows what you really know and how much anyone should value your comments on the field. The "mods" are cheap and take minutes. :smart: Take the chip off your shoulder and move on already. Sam, with all due respect, many disagree with you and post up lists of what are considered mandatory mods, up to and included swapping in a euro-spec torque convertor. The domestic KJ CRD is a statistically insignificant foot note in jeep history (based on the number sold if for no other reason) and really isn't worth arguing about. In a few more years they will be on par with the "hey, i got this 2.1 diesel jeep..." IMHO. It is sad that you cannot accept someone having a differing opinion than you about an inanimate object without you stooping to a personal attack. This forum is delightfully free of that and I wish you would not have gone down that path here. I did not mention you, your family, your dog, or anything that matters. I merely posted my opinion of a vehicle, with which you are certainly entitled to disagree. But I do hope that in the future you are able keep that disagreement on an adult level and not act like a child on the playground again.

SJ = 1963-1992 Jeep Wagoneer/Cherokee/Grand Wagoneer/Gladiator/J-Truck/M-715/724/725/726/62-17(Military) XJ = 1984-2001 Jeep Cherokee MJ = 1986-1992 Jeep Comanche YJ = 1987-1195 Jeep Wrangler TJ = 1997-2006 Jeep Wrangler(Jeep TJ in Canadia) JK = 2007- Jeep Wrangler ZJ = 1993-1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee WJ = 1999-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee WK = 2005-2009 Jeep Grand Cherokee WK2 = 2010+ Jeep Grand Cherokee KJ = 2002-2007 Jeep Liberty(Cherokee for export markets) KK = 2008-2012 Jeep Liberty(Cherokee for export markets) XK = 2005-2010 Jeep Commander MK72 = 2007- Jeep Patriot MK49 = 2007- Jeep Compass C101 = '67-'71 Jeepster Commando ( Commando with 101" wheelbase?) C104 = '72 & '73 Jeep (no ster ) Commando ( 104" wheel base ) FC150 - light duty CJ based Forward Control pick-up FC170 - heavier duty Forward COntrol pick-up. DJ = Dispatch/Postal jeep CJ - 1945 (rare CJ2-no "A") -1986 Utility Jeep The term SJ is under debate with many claiming it was not used until the introduction of the "downsized" XJ line in '84. The C101 came from Chuck 101- the 101st king of Liliput, and his great grandson Chuck the 104th..to keep Jim's story going. :D Frank Clark weighed 150 pounds when he dreamed up the FC150, but had porked up to 170 by the time he decided to revise the original design...

Again and again, an unbiased look at the 2.8L I4 CRD in the Liberty made by this same Italian engine company ( VM Motori ) shows serious flaws with that engine system. The suggested "mods" just to make the engine acceptable is lengthy and expensive and are even mentioned by that engine's fans. Fans of any niche vehicle ( The KJ CRD had a statistically miniscule 12,000 copies in 2 model years) overlook tons of issues when it comes to their vehicles, and the CRD was no exception, IMHO. The CRD Bluetec M-B diesel in the WK was apparently a far superior offering.