jage

Hey now!

If I wind up taking my bed off to work on the rear I was planning on putting some bracing across for the tank to hang on so the tank wouldn't be attached to the bed. I wouldn't have to go through it again to remove it and I could run around without the bed to make sure things were kosher before putting it back etc.

I moved the rocker position almost every day. Almost a dozen times when wheeling. It was one of my favorite things about my XJ. Crusing the highway or doing 2wd trails I'd roll the front up and chill out. For city driving I'd have it just slightly above level, for most wheeling I'd have it level and for complex stuff offroad I'd roll the front all the way down - gets your head up over the hood and clears your legs for throttle brake and gas. I've got bench brackets laying around if anybody wants to compare measurements... And of course getting the owner to part with said seats... I'm convinced anything thin in the seat will do- think like NEONs, vws or something. With the bench brackets and a steel or alumnium plate for an adaptor you could be set. I've just been too lazy to go to the junkyard, and most places around here are a rip off and they won't let you just wander around the yard anymore.

The choice of tranny was based on what was laying on my garage floor, just like the choice of lift kits and the choice of D44 rear (although that's actually been leaning against the wall). If I wanted to buy a tranny I would have put a 2006 TJ 6 speed (just cause it's weird) behind the 4.0L engine sitting on my trailer; well I did want to buy a tranny, but at the time I didn't want to spend any money - just buying the new clutch for the AX5 was a stretch. So now that's in and I'm looking at my axles and the D30/35 aren't really worth putting in unless I'm going to stick with 32s or 33s and take'er easy... that being the cheap route and suddenly not the only one available I'm thinking why waste money on 33s and time on the axles etc. I would probably be happy with 36s on D44s front and rear, but that's the sort of thing I ought to figure out before I move forward, what with the gears and all. Just to make things interesting I'm trying to look forward to a move so my extended pile of jeep parts and unfinished MJ is starting to look like a nightmare. I've put so much work into it so far and I hate to waste effort and money. I'm starting to feel a bit schitzo about this whole project. Now, where's the smiley with the tinfoil hat got to?

I think mine's name is Biscuit. Don't ask me why. I have no clue.

"DeeDee" :D I, uh, couldn't find anything for "Double D"... safe search must be on... :popcorn:

What's the limit for D44s? 36"? The problem is if I go with Dana 60s or Ford 9"s I don't get any benefit from my packratted pile of Jeep parts. I abandoned the idea of Mog axles so I could use my skyjacker kit. Going big is sort of a jump off point from building entirely out of left overs (namely D30/35 fully locked) but at some point the truck just isn't worth putting so much into. I don't know. Anyone want to buy an 88 2WD with an Atlas II installed, no driveshafts and lots of parts in the bed? No seats, slightly (cough, cough) rusted, in Indiana?

Trail riding in Indiana. Problems such as?

are you thinking of his truck in back to the future? I think that was a Toy.

O.K. Here's the current plan for your review. I want to make sure I have everything planned for before I start buying more parts: What I've got: 1988 MJ Check 2.5L Engine Check AX5 Check Atlas II Check Suspension: 8" RockReady by Skyjacker for XJ Owned not installed* Desired Tire Size: 38" x ?? Rims: 15x8 4 1/4" backspaced beadlocks (already own) Rear Axle: (Own the stock open 3.54 XJ axle) 5 on 4.5 bolt pattern XJ 44 will move spring perches and remove shock mounts Use MJ D44 U bolts and plates with Shock Mounts add ARB or OX locker. Might convert to disc brake. Planning on keeping the MJ proportional valve since it seems fine Front Axle: (Have none of this) TJ 44 Housing (should bolt right in?) 5 on 4.5 bolt pattern Upgraded Axle shafts (because the TJ 44 has the same shafts as the D30) Locker and gears to match the rear -OR- Buy complete D44 that already bolts in although I think width will be more complex. Gear Ratio: 5.88 This is going to be a trailer queen, seldom driven on the road. With the 2.5L engine I think the 5.88 is the right gears to go with, but I'm just guessing. I'm forgoing the Unimog axles because I'll need more of a shop, the 8" kit I have is too tall and since I already own the D44 rear. So... how does the 5.88 sound? Fender Trimming going to be needed to fit 38s? How much? How wide should I go with the 38s? If I skip the rear disc conversion how much am I going to regret it? Any other comments welcome. :nuts: I hope to start $pending by the next week! *Oh yeah I know it's for an XJ. I'll tell y'all how the front subframe fits after the weekend.

If there is corrosion shouldn't the solenoid click-click-click like when the battery is too low to crank the starter?

I had it done with an unknown 3.4L engine donor. I kept the TBI that came on the 3.4L engine and the AX5 that was behind the 2.8. Always worked good at steep angles and had plenty of power, although less than a 4.0L, way better than the 2.8. They're hard to start - the name escapes me but the bore is bigger than the stroke or something and it doesn't want to crank over. But it always started (well until that one time...). Can't give you more 411 as I just paid to have it done. If I'd know what I was doing at the time I would have bought a 4.0L in the first place.

It looked like the 'manche was not aired down to me. Doesn't make sense, why chop the fenders for no reason and not even air down? The silver rubicon with a winch looked like an unlimited (?) looked like it needed a driver. :D Illegal wheeling sucks. Combs road here in Indiana got closed two years ago because the local yahoos couldn't keep it on the road. They were driving up into the forest 15 or 20 yards for no reason, just tearing it up. This is Combs Rd - about 3 miles long very twisty and up and down:

Is anyone here bidding on this thing? Anyone seen it in person? 20 some hours left... I'm seriously thinking about it but I don't want to get in a bidding war with someone from this board.

yeah does anyone know the origin of that bench? it looks way better than the usual one.

That would be awesome except for 1 thing: 2.8L V6

I thought that was metric at first but you're in Michigan. Units people! :D I think he was asking about hub to bottom of fender flare? If so my 2wd 2.5L is 18" almost exactly in the front. Didn't measure the back yet.

I just put an 86 AX5 from my 2.8L with the external slave into my 88 2.5L comanche which had the internal slave and was an AX4. Sounds like exactly the same thing you want to do. I used the clutch kit for an 86 2.5L as the throwout bearing for the 2.8L was taller than the throwout bearing for the 2.5L. I verified this with a Jeep parts guy who was very helpful. The flywheel was original to the 2.5L and got resurfaced and replaced. I haven't bled the slave cylinder so I can't verify 100% that the throwout bearing is correct from personal experience, but everything bolted right up and slid right in (well no harder than anything else).

Ever notice how everybody in a club or a certain area's rigs start to look homogeneous? Like everybody having coils all around, beadlocks, similar rollover protection in that vid. Like there's a couple guys in my club that have orange rollbar padding and it's starting to spread from Sami to YJ to CJ... Nice vids though. I love the uncropped doored black XJs exo-cage. the top is tits.

wasn't there... oh wait that was a J-truck in Twister. That was a sweet truck.

where/how do you attach it?

When you hit the gas the pinion is going to want to go up, trying to rotate up and over the axle. If your anti-sway bar extends forward the end will lift, if it extends back the end will pull down. Really you're trying to do anything to keep the axle from rotating so it shouldn't matter whether you go forward with the bar or back, or even straight up... except that you have to consider that the axle is moving up, down, forward, back and possibly twisting relative to whatever you're tying it to. As your spring compresses the axle moves towards the back relative to the frame and as it drops the axle moves forward. There is probably slightly more travel compared to the rear mount location, but either way some travel has to be accounted for. And someone mentioned it being on the passenger side because of torque. IIRC the front driver tire tends to lift in drag racing which means the axle is trying to twist the driver's side rear down into the pavement... means the passenger side of the pumpkin is coming up so with a forward bar... ... seems like both would be trying to go up. So it seems like for a backward facing bar you'd want it on the driver's side of the pumpkin. Although considering you're offroading and not drag racing I wonder if there is much advantage to sacrificing travel, clearance or fit when picking which side of the pumpkin to put it on.

Thread burglar! Don't minimal anything. They're not easy to break loose. My bolts came out fine, but I always find you get more control with a longer handle to break 'em loose. Rather than hanging all over a short socket wrench you can sort of guide a longer wrench better and put more of control into bolt rotation and less into twisting. The tough part for me was taking the hubs out the first time - they are interference fit and mine had been in there about 15 years. Total nightmare. I wound up threading the bolts back in almost up to the head and then putting a socket over to protect the head before BFHing (Big F. Hammer) and that was inbetween prying, pounding this way and that, with tire on, tire off and everything else I could think of. You've got to work all the way around evenly, you can't tip out one side so patience is the key. If anybody has any better methods for pulling hubs pray share!

Is your external slave factory? All the older AX5's I've seen were internal slave. My 86 Ax5 is external slave, it was behind a 2.8L. In shopping for replacement clutches it looks like 86 2.5L and 2.8L were external slave, where as 88 Ax4 and Ax5 (I took out an Ax4) was internal. If you look up a clutch kit the externals come with a throwout bearing and the internals come with a new slave cylinder.

Keep in mind the antiwrap bar is close to the pumpkin, which is the center of the axle. You'd have to fully compress both springs to affect it much, otherwise it's like being close to the pipe in a teeter totter- the closer you are to center the less you go up and down. What's with me and the fat-children analogies today?