howeitsdone

Good looking truck

Assuming it's as easy as removing the plastic trim and window, then installing rubber and new window?

I actually had to take them off to get the springs to fit because the angle was so bad. That's exactly what I was thinking, but two things: I couldn't figure out the safest place to attach and it also felt like the driveshaft wasn't liking it. Should I attach the driveshaft after?

That Uber was a risky choice for sure. Glad it worked out. The turbines are the best!

Nice progress $300 is a steal for all of those parts.

Finally after a month, the axle is 90%-ish in there. I have no earthly idea how people get the stock UCAs back on there. I vary from 3in-1in short depending on how much I force the axle a certain way. Is there a trick? I know it has to rotate backwards a little bit to correct the angle, but that's a lot. I'm also cautious of the LCAs being too short. Just seems like the axle is sitting just a tad to the rear and not allowing the axle to rotate enough. Also got the transfer case drop kit also 90%-ish installed. Snapped the head off the first bolt so switched to heat, and one of the studs won't come out. 6 out of 8 should hold just fine for now. When I am finally finished with the suspension and drivetrain and have it re-aligned, I'll just ask them to get those two out. The worst part is that now my factory TC skid plate won't fit anymore. I may try to see if I can get some longer bolts and throw some spacers in there. If not, guess it's back to the piggy bank.

Here is the diagram from the 88 FSM: My guess is they bypassed the Canister Purge line from going around and plugged it in across? That's my best guess for red & black. Not really sure. The green may be the MAP Sensor

So already more people have Core than I thought! Can someone with RE arms weigh in? Why did you choose them over core, or why would you? I could justify the extra $60 or so to get them if I knew they were a better product. But based off of what I'm hearing, not sure why anyone would go RE

So @watchamakalit suggested that I go with the Core 4x4 UCAs as that's what they have. After researching, they seem like a great deal for the tier 1 arms (~$120). Plus there is a lifetime warranty in case they break. They also list all specs of the arms and differences between tiers 1-4. So I'm curious if any of the arms would be comparable to the RE arms. RE doesn't list specs so I can't see what the actual hardware/material differences are. I can get them at about $185 (eBay link) which is $15 less than Core's tier 2. That means there are three tiers that are beyond the RE price point. (RE retails for about $250 though) Asking because that's the first time I've heard of core and I never see anyone running them. I'm starting to lean toward Core because of the lifetime replacement warranty. I don't plan on crawling. Mostly road usage and trails. Links to both: Core 4x4 Rubicon Express

Thanks to the help in my Tech post, I finally got the spring isolators installed as well. That means I finally get to install the axle. I'll leave that for this next week since I also need the U-Joints for the axle shafts still to make it complete.

Did that right after I commented. They're free! Thanks for the help everyone. I didn't use too much heat since the rubber is in good condition and all the caked oil everywhere. But hit with some PB after and they broke free.

So after reading some XJ forums, these should be screw-in type. Maybe after 33 years they're just seized. I've doused in PB and I'll probably heat them up. I wish I had a better tool to grip them though. Pipe clamp is just sliding across and marring the metal as I pound it with a BFH.

Finally INSTALLED something today that wasn't a gasket! Pitman Arm UCAs LCAs Stabilizer Drop Brackets Drag Link Drop Bracket Weird LBJ nut insert into the knuckles Got just about everything ready for the axle. I got most items snug except the drop brackets which are torqued. I'll tighten everything once it's set down. I tightened the pitman arm pretty hard with the breaker bar. I'll need my brother to bring his big torque wrench from the shop to make sure I'm at 185 Ft-Lbs. For the UCAs, I got the bushings out but not without them smushing together a bit. Still had new bushings around so I went ahead and bent as much back as I could then painted and popped them in. If nothing else, they will serve as temporary until I figure out which ones to purchase. The bushings are seated in there pretty good so they shouldn't give any issues for now. Plus I still have the whole rear to do. The only reason that I'm not installing the axle today is because I'm stuck on the coil isolators. The bump stop metal pieces won't budge. I have a post in tech here. Not trying to break something I don't need to.

So it appears it may actually be welded on after all. I'm turning and hitting with the BFH but nothing. Any suggestions? Again, I'm good at breaking things I'm not supposed to... Trying to be careful here.

My plan is to have it perform great on the road, but I plan on a camper build so will definitely see trails. No rock climbing though. But tier 2 is more expensive than the RE so that makes me think that either the RE pair really isn't that good, or tier 2 from Core is supposedly great already.

Did you go with General Springs for the replacements? If not, where did you source them?

I'm curious why there aren't tail light guards out there. That's a pretty standard upgrade to Wranglers. With them being so expensive to replace, this seems like the perfect solution. ATTENTION WELDERS: If you build it, they will come... I feel like someone could make a bit of money selling these.

Curious what the apples-to-apples is for the RE3780 arms. Core has 4 tiers so which one is equal? I see where Core lists the differences, but RE doesn't list the specs like that. I found the RE pair on eBay for a great price: Link Here Would those be a good choice? It's less than what Core Tier 2 cost. I actually didn't mind it at all. Especially compared to removing rusted hubs assys It's just extremely dirty & time consuming when replacing a paper gasket or RTV. Fortunately the Fel-Pro is rubber so should be a breeze next time I need in there. Only added a little RTV to the front and rear. And I'm sure I couldn't gone to Northern Tool and gotten a set of brass punches (let alone Amazon), but after being underneath that oil all day there was no way I could show in public.

Already got my 4.5" lift in progress over in the Member Projects section Was thinking of adding bump stops in the front to even out, but I plan on making a camper so the rear should weigh down nicely. Do you still have that huge flange? There's just no way the isolator fits over it. Fortunately I have an '88 and sounds like I shouldn't have that problem. I'll be able to update within the next few hours as I begin to work on it again.

Thanks guys! Just to verify, do I grab the metal part or the bump stop? I'm good at breaking stuff I'm not supposed to...

Made a bit of progress on smaller items today. Got the U-Joints off the axle shafts and painted them. Then I realized I bought drive shaft U-Joints instead of axle... Oh well, can't hurt to have more of those anyway. But that means no hub install tomorrow. Two of the u-joint caps didn't even have any pins inside them. My brother tried to get the old bushings out of the UCAs using the press at the shop. They're completely seized in there and he got a couple of his bits stuck between the walls when using to keep from crushing. I'll have to heat 'em up and see what I can do. May just need to buy new ones. Maybe adjustable... I just don't really want to drop $200 on some and the crown replacements are garbage. Other items: Rebuilt the calipers Got the oil pan torqued. My brother said "Who in the hell torques oil pan bolts?!" I told him "Someone who just spent a lot of money on new parts." Cleaned up the skid plate. Definitely needs a fresh paint job. Installed the UCA bushings Installed Upper Ball Joints. (not pictured) The bottom are giving me trouble. Will do those once the axle is back in. Installed the U-Joint for front driveshaft and prepped it for when the axle goes back in. The old one literally crumbled in my hand when removing the axle. Bypassed the CAD with the e-clip hack

Hi All, I'm having trouble removing the old coil spring isolator. There is a larger piece at the bottom with a flange that won't let the rubber pass through. I have the passenger removed since it crumbled in my hand, but the driver is still there. It just won't slide down at all. Tried WD-40. It's also preventing install too. Can this piece be removed?

I painted the D30 & knuckles, but forgot to take photos. And broke another bolt... Will update sometime today. This was my view for a lot of Sunday. Scraping away the old gasket from the block. No matter where you lay, you will get oil and gasket in your face and mouth. I looked like Wylie Coyote after a failed TNT attempt! It took a little longer because I didn't feel like removing the exhaust DP and the starter. So it's more difficult to get your blade in those places. Friendly tip: Go FEL-PRO! The 4 mounting tabs were a lifesaver. I couldn't get the top of the rear main seal out because I don't have a brass punch and my Harbor Freight doesn't carry them (or was out) so I did the bottom. I'm sure that'll be fine anyway. Not even sure it's leaking, just a preventative measure since I was already taking the pan off. It's taking a lot longer to do some of the work because I have a 6gal pancake compressor. The grinder eats through that like nothing so getting things cleaned up is taking forever.

More parts arrived today. Hubs won't be here until Monday unfortunately. The crazy thing is that I haven't installed a single part yet. The past month has been entirely teardown and cleaning pretty much all on one weekend day. Weird when I think about how much $$$ in parts are just sitting there. But my side-gig is done after Monday and I'm done moving after today so I should be able to get back to work on weekdays! I think the rear main & oil filter adapter gaskets will be the most fun

So do the MK3137T and MK3134T not work? I just ordered the MOOG replacements and they'll be here Friday for an install.