jakesmog

TL;DR Good: $80-$120 Walmart 34 Better: $220-$250 Deka Intimidator AGM 34 Best: $350-$450 X2Power/Odyssey Extreme AGM 34 There’s really two main manufacturers for regular flooded batteries— Clarios (Johnson Control) or East Penn/Deka. Clarios is definitely more cost effective and works just fine. These are the vast majority of batteries on the shelf at stores. East Penn definitely has better QC and design, but it won't magically solve parasitic drains or charging issues. For AGM, the best battery nowadays is an Odyssey EXTREME. Odyssey/EnerSys acquired NorthStar and their tech in 2019. NorthStar AGMs were making the best TPPL (thin plate pure lead) and have insane CCA and reserve capacity. Instead of asking a parts store to special order an Odyssey Extreme 34, the exact same battery is sold under the name of X2Power from Batteries Plus, ~$50 less, a longer warranty, and generally easier to find in stock. They used to bear the NorthStar label but now they are branded EnerSys and have the exact same spec sheet as the Odyssey Extreme. Optima moved manufacturing to Mexico in 2007, and while that’s not directly a reflection of their quality, their spiral plate “6-pack” design simply doesn’t have enough lead for the space it takes up (compared to flat-plate). Its only saving grace is marginally better vibration/shock resistance, but definitely not CCA/RC or longevity. Interstate is *typically* made by the inferior Clarios. Also much harder to find a place to warranty them. Personally, I’d either go with a cheap $80-$120 Walmart battery to save money (and I wouldn’t be scared of battery problems), or if budget allows to get a Deka Intimidator AGM $220-$250. AGMs recover considerably quicker and safer after sustained winching. If building out the dream rig I’d go with the X2Power for every last drop of longevity/reliability. Lastly, as far as warranties go, I think every single 12v lead auto/marine/RV battery in America voids the warranty if you present with less than 10 volts. This is because it overwhelmingly >99% of the time is due to a drain/draw. In the rare event of a battery with a manufacturer defect internal short, your battery would be dead on arrival. You can actually develop an internal short with poor maintenance and overcharging. 34 fit in my 89 battery tray fits fine. A 34 is only about 1/4” longer and 1/2” wider than a 58.

Well my MJ is going to be almost completely apart, all the axles transmission and suspension out. I'll be going over everything, it needs new hard brake lines and a floor pan, I'll be rust treating and painting everything inside and out, so to swap the wiring is not really much more on my plate. And I do plan on trimming the hell out of the fenders, also staying SUA. I was originally thinking 4.88 or 5.13 gears but I'd rather have the stronger pinion of the 4.56.

I have a 89 Eliminator I’ve been preparing to swap to 4x4 for a while. I got my hands on a 94 4x4 XJ, with AX15/231 and a D35. I’ve been wheeling that for a while cause it came with super swampers and winch bumpers and stuff. Once I find a good C8.25, I’ll be swapping the drivetrain over to the Comanche, gears and lockers etc. Long down the road after everything’s dialed, I wanted to go 4.6/4.7 stroker, but still run stock heads and cam and run 87, cause really all I want is the low end torque and don’t care about top end power. Does it make sense to try to keep the Renix, or should I just carry the HO over? Does it make sense to use the Renix intake to keep the low rpm torque, or is the difference too small to sweat? Afaik tuning the HO is gonna make that a lot simpler. Also I think there’s more adapter type stuff necessary to plug my Renix into the AX15 that came on the HO. Both motors seem equally healthy. Just trying to form my long term build vision before I start spending money and time on things I might regret. Additionally I plan on running 33x10.5ish tires, 4.56 gears, 3.5” lift, and I’ve got Core 4x4 Long Arms. Trying to strike the balance between, tolerable on the highway, repairable in a Autozone parking lot, but plenty of capability off road.

Looks like I’m just at 8” or perhaps a hair shorter

@Eagle_SX4 I am going to check once I get home from work. I looked up my build sheet and it doesn’t actually list my GVWR or payload, but it says Rear Spring Group 1. Idk if that means anything. I also did a lot more digging and found posts from General Spring themselves on here. This is nothing more than speculation but, if I have Spring Group 1 and it’s also the Eliminator which is supposed to be more sporty and less hauly, I assume this might put me towards the lower end of the free arch springs. Then I should expect to get more lift rather than less lift from even the 1280lb springs. The 1700lb springs are not even supposed to be any more lift than the 1280lb. So I’m still tempted to order them and try them out after measuring my current sag.

Perhaps that’s why I can’t really find anything on the 1280lb springs. I’d prefer not to bastardize a fresh pack of springs just to get a little more lift out of them. Maybe I need to put the lift on hold until the MTs come back in stock.

Well in that case that’s perfect. I’ll order the springs first and later see if I need a shackle to fine tune it. Hopefully the regular GS springs give me the same lift as the GS MT.

Thank you very much for the photo, and sweet rig! It gives me a lot more confidence for the GS. I was just kind of confused how it’s supposed to lift it so much if it just returns it to factory ride height. I suppose I would also get pretty tired after holding up a truck for 30-40yrs straight.

89 Eliminator I’ve been researching trying to figure out how to bring my rear up to about a 3” lift equivalent to match some 3” front springs. I’m looking for at least a level but some rake would be nice too. I’m not sure how sagged my stock rear 2wd leaves are, I still have about a ~2” rake compared to the stock front springs. No one seems to make a MJ specific AAL, which would already be suboptimal. General springs is out of the Metric Ton version, and I’m not necessarily searching for a higher load capacity anyways, so I was looking at the 1280lb 4(3/1) springs for ~$400 shipped. The Hell’s Creek 3” lift springs are ~$1000 and I don’t know what their lead time is. The GS should definitely lift the rear some, but I’m looking to at least level it with the front. To get a little extra height, can I add some of my old 2wd leaves if they’re not compromised? Also, what’s the most amount of shackle lift I can reasonably achieve without significant issues?

Okay! Just trying to be prepared for the worst. I’m all the more excited to get the right setup done right now. In the meantime, is there a glaring issue getting pulled from the back by one of these?

So in that case, I may be better off just getting pulled from my front axle, as opposed to getting pulled from a hook bolted to some sheet metal then? What do I risk happening getting pulled too hard by the axle?

I’m willing to spend the money to do it right, but I don’t want to spend it on something that won’t help me with the final bumper build I end up doing. If the Harbor Freight hooks can get me out of shallow mud or a ditch a few times without tweaking my frame, it seems like the most cost effective solution until I can make the proper version. Or if there’s some kind of front bumper tie in bracket I can use to attach hooks for now, but still use the bracket when it’s time for the build, that seems ideal to me.

I’m planning a little mild wheeling trip with my friends in a few weeks, and I’ll be taking my 2wd Eliminator out with a friend that has a 4x4 Pathfinder. I will inevitably get stuck in some shallow mud holes or a ditch. I have a D-Ring hitch in the back, but I’m not sure how to get good recovery from the front without a whole bumper. I’d like to eventually build a bumper or weld one of those DIY kits together, but my garage workshop area is likely not going to be situated in time to fabricate everything. Basically, I’m looking for a way to get a non-lethal recovery point for my front that doesn’t require welding. I can cut up some steel and get bolts but my welder is not operational right now.

Opposite side of the continent in Florida unfortunately. Thanks though

Thanks for all the tips guys, but the guy with the Jeeps I was gonna pull from didn’t actually have the AX-15. I started asking him more questions about what rear axle the donor had, and he told me I need to verify myself that he had the right parts. I then doubted he knew what an AX-15 was and he finally revealed that all his XJs were automatic. So I returned my transmission jack to Harbor Freight and will be waiting for another day to do the swap. I’ve been combing my local junkyards once every other week or so and have yet to find a manual 4x4.