Andy in Pa

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LOL, This is great, I am going to have fun with this one!!!! :clapping: :clapping: That top plate in that kit should have rolled sides (like the factory MJ bottom plate with the shock mount), or that plate wil just bend when the grade 8 hardware is tightened. Also, that is bolted into a D35, but if you have an MJ D44 axle (like I do), you'll need to cut off the tabs that fit into the D35 SUA spring perches and......... .......SAY IT WITH ME NOW....... WELD IT TO THE AXLE!!!!!!!!!! FYI..... I don't have a pic I can show you, but the MJ/XJ D44 axles have cast-on spring perches, not stamped steel ones like on the D35. Besides, have you ever seen ANY factory axles with spring perches that bolt on? Me neither, theres a reason for that..... Proof or SPOBI (Spewing Out Bogus Information)

LOL, This is great, I am going to have fun with this one!!!! :clapping: :clapping: That top plate in that kit should have rolled sides (like the factory MJ bottom plate with the shock mount), or that plate wil just bend when the grade 8 hardware is tightened. Also, that is bolted into a D35, but if you have an MJ D44 axle (like I do), you'll need to cut off the tabs that fit into the D35 SUA spring perches and......... .......SAY IT WITH ME NOW....... WELD IT TO THE AXLE!!!!!!!!!! FYI..... I don't have a pic I can show you, but the MJ/XJ D44 axles have cast-on spring perches, not stamped steel ones like on the D35. Besides, have you ever seen ANY factory axles with spring perches that bolt on? Me neither, theres a reason for that..... Proof or SPOBI (Spewing Out Bogus Information)

If your going to weld on the shock mounts, then weld on the leaf spring perches too. Mountain Offroad (MORE) has a nice set of LOONNG leaf spring perches, and they give you 3 spots to position the axle on the perches too. They are significantly cheaper than the "bolt-on" version. This is an area where I would not skimp on quality. If you plan on running a 35" tire, (a 315 size is close to 35") even it your not going to take it offroad that much, I don't care who's spring perch you use, but please do it right the first time and weld on the spring perches.

If your going to weld on the shock mounts, then weld on the leaf spring perches too. Mountain Offroad (MORE) has a nice set of LOONNG leaf spring perches, and they give you 3 spots to position the axle on the perches too. They are significantly cheaper than the "bolt-on" version. This is an area where I would not skimp on quality. If you plan on running a 35" tire, (a 315 size is close to 35") even it your not going to take it offroad that much, I don't care who's spring perch you use, but please do it right the first time and weld on the spring perches.

That is what I did. I ran a set of 1.5" drop blocks that I made out of a solid chunk of steel. I would still make sure you use good steel blocks for this. The MJ (and XJ) springs just have too much flex for any aluminum blocks to last. I also installed a set of stock XJ shackles for a little more drop (maybe 1/2"). As well, I changed out all of the leaf spring bushings to polyurethane for better handling. A.

That is what I did. I ran a set of 1.5" drop blocks that I made out of a solid chunk of steel. I would still make sure you use good steel blocks for this. The MJ (and XJ) springs just have too much flex for any aluminum blocks to last. I also installed a set of stock XJ shackles for a little more drop (maybe 1/2"). As well, I changed out all of the leaf spring bushings to polyurethane for better handling. A.

I have a set of cut 2WD front coil springs in my shed. They are approx. 1-1/2 to 2" lower than stock 2WD springs. I lowered my MJ and mounted up some 16" Jeep wheels with low profile tires (225-50-16's in the front, 245-50-16's in the rear) and had a ball for a while driving it back and forth to work. The MJ is lifted and 4WD now, but I still have the front springs. If you want them, it would only cost you shipping. A.

I have a set of cut 2WD front coil springs in my shed. They are approx. 1-1/2 to 2" lower than stock 2WD springs. I lowered my MJ and mounted up some 16" Jeep wheels with low profile tires (225-50-16's in the front, 245-50-16's in the rear) and had a ball for a while driving it back and forth to work. The MJ is lifted and 4WD now, but I still have the front springs. If you want them, it would only cost you shipping. A.

First, it isn't a "return" line. It's a bypass line. (Don't feel bad. I owned my MJ for at least 5 years before I realized that what everyone called the "return" line ... wasn't. Second, the port in the metering block uses a straight machine thread. I don't recall if the size is 3/8" or 7/16" but you buy the shortest FINE (SAE) thread bolt you can in that size, then cut it shorter. You probably could just put some Loc-Tite on it and screw it in, allowing the end to seat against the raised cone in the block. That looks too home-brewed for my taste, so I cut it off so that the end of the shank just barely cleared the seat in the metering block with an O-ring on the bolt. Then I put a glob of black silicone RTV on the end and allowed that to set up. When I screwed the bolt in, I got (I hope) a redundant seal -- the blob of silicone on the seat, plus the O-ring under the bolt head. And it looks a lot neater to see just the hex head rather than seeing a half inch of thread sticking out. OR, you just go to the local Advance Auto Parts and buy a plug that is made to plug this hole. That is what I did. It is best to take the fitting with you so you can match it up, but the Advance store near me had exactly what I needed. I still put a dab of silicone on the threads, but this worked very well. A.

This is VERY COOL!!! Mike is a good guy and makes some quality bumpers. Quite a few folks run his winch/non-winch bumpers on the east coast.

Hey, Andy - Long time no talk. How's it going? Say hi to your wife for me. I would not trust that bypass to not be bored through. The one I cut open wasn't, but I cut ONLY one. It is obviously intended to be bored through, otherwise it would not (could not) function as a bypass, and that's what it's for. The annotated version of my photo (kindly produced by jtdesigns) shows how it should work. If you don't plug it, under normal conditions there should never be any pressure or fluid getting to it. But, if you lose the fronts, the slider will more, directing pressure to that bypass, and then it's an open circuit. That means you'll have NO brakes. All you need to plug it is a fine thread bolt. I don't remember if it's a 5/16" or a 3/8" but it's one of those two, I'm pretty certain. (Oh, be safe and buy a 7/16" while you're at the bolt emporium.) It is definitely a fine thread (SAE), though, not coarse (UNC). You could just put a dab of RTV on the end of the bolt and stick it in there. I wanted it to look a bit neater, so I cut it to length to barely kiss the seat with an O-ring on the bolt, then I also added RTV so when I installed it, it seats with the head compressing the O-ring on the valve body and the RTV sealing the actual hole in the valve. That should translate to a double seal. I'm all about redundancy when it comes to my life and things designed to protect it. Hi Harwood, All is good here, the kids are getting big and Leah and I are doing well. Thanks for replying to my post.... yeah, thats kind of what I figured. I was planning on getting a bolt and sealing that port up (especially since it isn't my truck), but since I was re-reading this post to refresh my memory, I was curious if anyone removed it and tried it without plugging that port. One more question-- I was tracing the lines, and as far as I can tell, the line that comes from the front of the prop valve is the one that DOES NOT have the tee in it back at the axle..... Correct? The brake line is in good shape on this truck, so no need to replace it. Also, I am working on an 87 MJ, and I was able to get BOTH of the brakelines loose from the load sensing valve, AND the brakeline down to the axle without breaking/having to cut anything!!!! I was amazed!!! A.

I am working on someone elses truck right now, and a thought came to me about plugging the lower fitting on the prop valve.....Is it necessary??? Since it looks like the MJ prop valve isn't bored all the way through anyway, does it matter if you put a plug in that port? Is anytone running the MJ prop valve with that port NOT plugged? I will plug the one I am working on, but i was just curious if anyone removed the line from the valve and left it unplugged. Thanks, Andy

Hi Gents, I know this is kind of last minute, but NAC-Fest at Rausch Creek in Pa. Starts June 19th and runs through the weekend. If your in the area and can make it, it should be a GREAT time. We have a BBQ/awards/Raffle on Saturday night too. I set up the raffle this year, and we are giving away some really great stuff. I would like to see more MJ's come out, so if you have the time or just want to come out and wheel Saturday, thats fine too. Thanks, Hope to see you on the trails!! Andy

I have seen in a few places that some manufacturers list Dakotas and MJ's together when it comes to specifying a rear bumper. Does anyone know if a Dakota rear bumper fits on an MJ too? Do the bolt holes line up? Do they share the same bracketry? Just curious, I need to find another rear bumper, and a Dakota may be easier to find in a JY than an MJ. Thanks, Andy

Multiple sets of ball joints and u-joints on my cheapie HF tool, still going strong!!! I consider it one of my best investments so far. I have had mine for a few years though, maybe they cheapened it out even more since I bought mine.

You can buy the correct yoke and just change the whole thing. I looked at doing this too, but it didn't look like the nut on the u-bolt would sit nice and flat on the yoke. I went and bought the u-bolt yokes and replaced the one on my D44 and D30 (they are the same yoke). A.

You may know this test already, but a good way to check if the Jeep is going into overdrive or not is to get to a steady speed above 40 mph. Then, with one foot on the gas to maintain speed, lightly depress the brake pedal. You will see the rpms jump as it comes out of overdrive. Then the rpms will go back down when you take your foot off the brake and it shifts back into overdrive. This is my ultimate test to see if overdrive is working. A.

I think that you are thinking along the right lines. I wouldn't build anything off of the factory crossmember... they WILL NOT support the weight of an MJ (or XJ for that matter...) without bending. I even had a transfer case skid attached to my factory crossmember, and it still bent easily when I sat the Jeep on it. I built a crossmember out of 2x8x1/4" wall rectangular tubing for my XJ, and it took the entire weight of the Jeep without bending. A.

Flowmaster 50 series muffler. Not quite as loud as the 40 series, but still has a nice rumble behind a 4.0L. A.

Thats a great pic!! We had more MJ's than XJ's on the trail that day. A.

Check out www.rocky-road.com They have a few mounting pics, but they are similar to many others on the market for XJ's. They mount to the pinch seam, and also have two tie-ins that attaches to the frame with self tappers. The only difference I see between these and ones for an XJ is the pinch seam rail mounts to the INSIDE edge of the pinch seam, as opposed to the outside, like most of the rails for XJ's. Thats because the back of the pinch seam flares out a bit on an MJ. The rockrails can be bought without the slider as well if there are major concerns about being t-boned... :roll: The main part is 2"x2" hitch steel.

I actually decided I wanted bolt-on for this application. I am guessing that if someone hits you broadside, or you hit hard enough on a trail to bend one of these so far that you can't open your door, you have bigger problems..... :roll: :brows: A.

After seeing Rocky Roads rockrails in action on a few XJ's, (and with them being one of the VERY FEW that have rock rails for MJ's) I decided to take a chance on these with my MJ. I opted for the rail with the slider, as this is my wifes Jeep and she is only 5'3". The install went reasonably well, the drivers side went right in place after I tweaked the pinch seam a bit, but the passengers side needed minor work with the grinder to get the pinch seam to line up. I have never seen anyone post any info on this site for these, so I thought I would put something together. Here are a few pics: They fit fairly well, and I really like how much of the bed is protected too. The rockrails end about 3/8" before the rear fender flares, so most of that bedside is protected. Enjoy, Andy

Being a long-standing member of NAXJA, I have seen it become what it is today as well. I see lots of bogus info posted, and many times I have read a post and said to myself, "Thats 1 minute of my life that I will never get back...." But you can't deny that there is lots of very good info on that site, and you can tap into quite a few folks that have LOTS of knowledge on XJ's and MJ's. It is unfortunate that some folks have had bad experiences there, but deal with it or move on, as many have done. A. There went another minute that I will never see again...