DirtyComanche

On a SWB the shocks are mounted behind the axle. That said, I measured mine and I really doubt it would work. It might, but it will be either super close to the axle and cause some discomfort, or actually hit it. That said it looks like the hole is in the frame for the third strap.

The strategy of overpricing the Wrangler seems to have worked quite well though. There's millions of them here. My hand gets sore from all the waving.

I've got 265/75R17s on mine right now, or I think that's what they are. 17" JK Moab wheels and 1.25"? G2 adapter spacers. Definitely wouldn't fit at stock height with those.

I highly doubt it will fit. The 23.5 gallon tank is the same in the front as the 18 gallon, but it's longer in the back and takes another strap. 18 gallon is 29.75" long and the 23.5 is 36.5". The back end of the tank will be into the axle... If it miraculously fits, do let us know. I kinda think that one is a rebranded Spectra Premium (or comes out of the same factory). All the other ones on the market are painted.

Depending exactly what gauge cluster and wiring you use, you can reuse most of the gauge senders and make the gauges work. You will need some NPT bushings and other pipe fittings, but it's not a terrible task. For the tach you can buy a signal converter, or perhaps make your own (the factory did it with a potentiometer). It's really going to matter what XJ harness you use, and other parts. Keep in mind the power window wiring/switches changes over the years. For the ignition power for the HEI I didn't use a relay, I just ran it straight from the ignition switch. That is how GM did it for a very long time and the switch/column is essentially GM stuff. A HEI MIGHT pull 20amps for a very short time during initial cranking, but they normally are only a few amps running. That said, you could run a relay if you wanted, but it really isn't necessary. 12ga wire is recommended, some of the aftermarket harnesses and pigtails are 10ga though, however GM typically only used 14ga from the factory. It's kinda up to you how far you want to go with this. There is a ton of wiring that doesn't do anything useful, or can be clipped back or cleaned up, especially if you go to a stone aged engine. Even on my XJ, which retained most features and a Renix injection system, I was able to cut out a massive amount of stuff, and that was without really getting into the body harness. One thing though, if you tear your entire dash out doing all this stuff, look at your heater core and maybe change it while you're in there. :idea:

This is already getting interesting. I'll be following along.

That whole bezel blew apart when I took it off this time and I glued it back together with ABS pipe cement. I'm not sure if that will hold up but I'm probably going to look for a replacement. I like the bezel but it's been abused and I scraped off 3 layers of different glue/silicone (none of which worked) before putting the ABS glue on it. Typical though, can't do one thing without opening a can of worms. :doh:

Dash back together, for anyone that cares. I think the Viair gauge matches the instrument cluster I have nicely. The bulb in it is a little brighter than the rest of the dash though, but I think it will be okay... And no, the gauge isn't off center, it's just the effect from the flash.

Who has published numbers saying that a LP D44 is weaker than a D30?

I got the Viair mounted and plumbed, I could not fit the tank and will deal with that later (put it under the bed maybe, I haven't decided). Plus I did the Putco relay harness for the headlights, which for the record I would not recommend purchasing although it does do the job (the quality of it is a little suspect, very cheap components). I added fuses to the Putco harness because it doesn't actually come with them, which is insane. I used one of these shop air distribution blocks from Princess Auto to build a manifold for the air junk. I use them a lot it seems. I have one end port left to plumb the tank in later, if I so choose. As to the Viair itself, I'm not too impressed with it as a kit. The kit I bought is the 1/4 duty kit, so no it wasn't a lot of money, I will give it that. The compressor itself seems pretty decent, I am impressed with it. But the wiring and accessories they give you is a little bit meh. They don't give you a relay socket, rather they just want you to put individual push on spade connectors on each of the pins, umm, no thanks, so I bought a relay holder and pins to do it properly. Same with the air pressure switch, they do not provide a plug for it, although it isn't as critical in that it's just a switch so you can't really mix the connectors up. For the pressure switch I used a GM push on A/C pressure switch plug (3 pin, it only uses two though, like many of the A/C systems), which I happened to have leftover from when I cut down the wiring harness on my XJ. Again, I felt they should have provided that rather than the stupid push on spades. The other thing that I felt was quite terrible was the actual nylon air line they provided. It is probably just truck airbrake line, but it is not like any airbrake line I have dealt with in that it is terribly inflexible, I put it in front of the furnace to warm it up before routing it, and I needed to gently warm it with the heatgun in order to get the ends onto the fittings. That said, it's in there, it's working, routing the line behind the dash to the gauge was terrible and I hope I never have to take it apart.

I doubt that any of the diesels that can pass current CARB/EPA requirements don't have programming that works to that effect. And I've said that since the VW thing hit the news.

Image Not Found Yup. Works fine.

I grabbed some ACDelco bushings because they're the ones I can get for cheap. Also they use a relatively round sleeve, so it can be drilled reasonably. Some of them use ridged/knurled/definitely not a round hole sleeve and apparently short of going at them with a carbide burr in a die grinder you won't get far. Here's the bushing and a bolt size comparison: Image Not Found Bottom is a 10mm, the stock MJ/XJ size. Above it is a 12mm, the JK size. Above that is 1/2". Just going to the JK sized bolt would be a massive improvement, and I debated doing just that, but the other end of the arms will use a 1/2" bolt so I figured I'd make it the same. Note, those are just bolts that were lying around but the right diameter, not hardware out of a UCA or hardware I would likely use for that. Drilled out the sleeve: Image Not Found I just used a tapered spiral reamer in a hand drill with some cutting oil and held the bushing by hand. The sleeve is hard. I'm not sure what the best way to do that would be without a reamer, I didn't want to try clamping the bushing in a vice as it might damage it, the idea of using a carbide burr doesn't sound to me like you would get a very round hole. Anyways, that's it for now, I still haven't ordered the few odds I don't have and need to build the UCAs, so not much is going to happen on this until then.

I believe that works fine too and allows you to use the 2 piece axle setup that it came with. However you most likely have 260X u-joint shafts and those u-joints do not last long with larger tires. I would plan on some sort of upgrade (newer style shafts from the wrecker, if nothing else) if you wish to run a 33/34" tire.

If you want to get away from the D30 then you're likely to be in it for some $$$. IMHO it's a decision to make before anything else. Sticking with 33s and the D30/D44 you have now is going to be a lot cheaper than any sort of a swap that actually will result in an upgraded front axle. If you don't like the CAD (vacuum actuated front axle) you can swap that axle shaft for a one piece, shim the shift fork into the engaged position, or buy or build a cable actuator for it.

He will need a Renix flywheel too, or the CPS output will be unusable. Based on his initial post, he has both a Renix flywheel (since his MJ is an '87 and equipped with the BA10) and an HO flywheel (from his '91 donor). Which ever engine management system he decided to go with, he's covered. Also, to note... the Renix flywheel is the same between the BA10 and the AX15. Yes, but you kinda made it sound like he could just plunk the one drivetrain into the other one, adapt the TPS, swap the other sensors, and go... He has to make sure he swaps (or I suppose 'retains') the flywheel if he does that, which means splitting the tranny off both engines. I know a lot of guys that have been burned by not realizing they're different, and only do they find it out when it won't start after everything is buttoned up.

Personally I wouldn't worry about it too much as lots of rigs out there are running around like that. It is unfortunate in that if the line gets snagged it may break the banjo bolt loose, but for that to happen you would probably be at the point the line was going to tear anyways... Make sure you torqued the banjo bolts correctly and don't look back. You'll know if your brakes fail, trust me on that one.

2.5L, 4spd, 2wd... I'd try to talk him down. Even if that's really what you want, they just aren't worth as much. But it would be an excellent chassis to build, as long as it is as clean as it looks.

He will need a Renix flywheel too, or the CPS output will be unusable.

A Commando is something else too... There was a pick'em'up version of it too. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeepster_Commando

Good excuse to buy some good crimpers and make your own, IMHO.

Pull the door apart and see if the build sheet is still in there... People are gonna want to see it.

Am I seeing rust on the rockers, or is that just the reflection? Looks like a solid truck either way.

This is like deja vu for about the last 5 years.

Also that 4.3 TB would probably adapt easier to the HO intake. I'd probably go to the HO intake, fuel rail, regulator, and head myself. The last design of intake (equal runners, 99+ I think) is supposed to make more power, but I did see a dyno chart where they actually lost power with that intake...