DirtyComanche

Weird that it died. CPS wires get routed wrong and burned/pinched?

Firstly, I must decide what I am to do with the suspension and axles, and begin sourcing parts. I think I would like to put a set of 33s on it so it of similar capability to my JK. This is about the minimum that is required to only get stuck in my driveway 25% of the time. I think I would like a 2.5-3.5" lift, and a little trimming, as I think that would be a good compromise for performance but keeping the truck low so it is still useful. As for the rear, the truck has a D35 in it, and there is an XJ D44 sitting in the box. Allegedly it was pulled from the same XJ as the D30 that is in the front (truck was originally 2wd), and I have no reason to doubt that. Unless it turns out the D35 is the same ratio as the D30 in the front, or is the same ratio as one of my spare D30s (I have both a 3.07 and a 3.55 one) it means I must swap the D44 in. Reasonably it probably makes the most sense to just do the D44 swap either way, it's a better axle and I have it. So unless a cherry condition disk brake 8.8 falls into my lap, I will proceed with this being the plan. But, how to get to 3"~ lift in the rear? I suppose I could get some long shackles, an AAL, or something. But I have another thought that needs to be critiqued. How about I go SOA, since the current springs are bagged out anyways, use the lowest profile spring perches I can get, and then replace some of the leafs with ones with less arc than the main leaf? Ideally I would like to add one near full length leaf to increase spring rate somewhat, as I find the factory set things up a little soft. Is this feasible? If it is taller than I want, I have a set of shorter XJ shackles in the shed, but I'd rather not use them as they are too short for the MJ springs, so I'm not sure if that is a good out in the event that things don't go as planned. My leaf spring bushings are also shot, so I will probably order poly ones. I can buy Energy at the parts store, any issues there? For the front I happen to have a set of RE 3.5" XJ springs (IIRC, they're the shortest XJ springs they sell) that I bought for my XJ, but they turned out to be a bit taller than I wanted. I don't know if they would be reasonable, or still taller than I really want. I could perhaps trade them for something else. I have an aftermarket track bar of some sort, and a set of WJ? control arms also, I have no idea if these parts are correct for anything I would be doing but it is worth looking into. More later, I have to go to dinner.

As it sits in my driveway: Image Not Found (Cell phone pic in the dark) I'm starting the thread perhaps a bit prematurely. I am only planning and debating at this point. But I need to make it properly mobile by fall because I can not have driveway obstructions that don't move. My driveway is 4wd only in the winter, currently this rig is FWD as it has no rear driveshaft and possibly mismatched gear ratios. Firstly, I need to decide what my goal is with this vehicle. There needs to be direction. Unfortunately I am grasping at what that should be. Vehicles I currently have, and what they're for: -11 JK Unlimited - Daily driver, extremely mild wheeling/FSRs, it's got some bolt ons and 33s, winter driver because the heater works AWESOME, decent rig for sleeping in. -99 Dodge Ram Diesel 1 ton - Other daily driver, hauling and tow rig, it's ugly but works very well. Normally I let the insurance lapse in the winter unless I need it, heater does not work at all, but it drives well in the snow. -89 XJ - Dedicated wheeler, cut up with 37s and 1-tons that I'm just polishing up some details on and hopefully will have out of the shop soon. -Misc J-Truck and Dodge parts - Intended to be amalgamated to build a diesel J-Truck to replace my Dodge at some point. Unfortunately the only niches I see are for a very nice cruising/street/summer driver, which this MJ is not in good enough shape to do, or for a winter truck so I can just put my Dodge beside the shop and winterize it. This would stop me from hauling wood/steel/tires/garbage and other junk in my JK, since that's awkward and borderline impossible part of the time. So, unless somebody has a better idea, I'm going to build this into a truck that I can DD in the winter. Unfortunately this isn't the best thing for the longevity of a vehicle, but I'll do what I can. Like I said, it's not in great shape (rockers have holes, holes in the box, etc).

Personally I would change the input gear on the tcase before I tore the transmission apart to change the output. But I have played the parts swapping game in many of the NP/NV aluminum tcases and can do it quickly without running into problems. The 23 spline setup is also way more common in general, so it would be easier to source later if anything else goes wrong. But that's me. I actually had such an excess of NP/NV tcases and parts that I threw a bunch of stuff out.

Looks nice and solid, it should be a great starting point.

Some had 4 wheel ABS. One of my 99s does. The other 99 is only rear. My 94 was only rear. What they all have in common? None of them have ever worked.

I really like the overall stance and look of this thing. :thumbsup: If my SWB was in better cosmetic shape I would consider doing something similar to it.

True - forgot about spline count. I know the AW4 output count changed to 23 in 1990, but what about the input? I don't believe there is any issues on the other end of the trans, it should just bolt up, make sure to use the flex plate that goes with the engine or the CPS won't work right. IIRC, YMMV, I've never done it. The AW4 did go through a few changes though.

Don, any idea if you're supposed to use O-rings or crush seals on those fittings? I'm guessing O-rings, but have never taken the fittings out of an AW4 before.

He will probably need a transfer case with a 23 spline input if he goes that route, or to swap the input gear over (but it has to be a 94~ or older gear since the gear pitch changed). But I agree, I would replace the whole trans.

I have zero relevant experience in street applications. And as a disclaimer I'm on some net-nanny'd internet connection so about 50% of images are blocked, leaving me in the dark a lot of the time. But I would not buy stock replacement steering components. My first thought was to buy the aluminum steering kit that was offered by TNT(?), which is still listed on their website under another brand for $740. Apparently my first thought was a bad one, since that price is totally unacceptable and it converts to an inverted T setup which is not what you want. I do think you're on the right track with the WJ knuckle, but you're going to have to do your own figuring to tell if everything will clear in a happy fashion. I'm guessing 1/2" heims and some 1x.188 or 1x/.250 DOM tubing and inserts would work fine for what you want to do. I'd try to find heims with a lined race as they should not wear as quick. Granted, I do not know what is common for steering on street applications, so my material choice might be a bit excessive, the factory tie rod is really small/thin junk. Since you're going to heims anyways, I would also use them for the track bar. If you do to the WJ knuckle the factory MJ/XJ setup isn't right anyways. If you're willing to weld stuff to your unibody, I would just weld a new bracket on using all appropriate welding practices. If you are not, I would build a similar bracket to the factory one that bolts on, but I would suggest making it a bit larger and tying it into the factory tow hook hole. Also, if you move it forwards a bit (direction of the tow hook hole that you should also pick up on) it will alleviate some of the issues with clearance on the diff. I would recommend making the axle end as high as possible given clearance limitations and while keeping it somewhere that the geometry will be correct in regards to bumpsteer, move the unibody end as high as possible for this to work. The higher the track bar the higher the roll center is, which produces stability as it effectively fights the vehicle wanting to roll, with the disclaimer that the higher the roll center the more sudden it unloads in the event you pull a tire and start to roll over. Then bend the tubing so it fit, as it is unlikely to clear the oil pan otherwise. I'd use the same material and heims as the steering.

Perfect. Thanks.

Got a link to the fittings that are used?

In curious if they found a tie rod or drag link from another application to make the upper part of it? Then only the lower part with the bushing would be custom.

I know people will disagree with me on this. But I hate the fuel line (and trans line) quick disconnect fittings. I find it is rare that I need to take them apart, so being a quick release is not relevant, and given that you should be replacing the o-rings and retainer clip every time there is nothing quick about the process in the end. Plus, lose the little backup ring out of it and you're in for a pain to find a new one. Trans lines are easy, see my other thread about that. Fuel lines? Hmm, not sure. I'm running the early HO rail and regulator now, so it has male nipples on it. I also don't have the right lines, so that's kinda prompting me to do this. Hack would probably be to just put some EFI rated fuel hose over the nipples and use EFI clamps. I'd probably get somewhat less hack about it and at least sleeve the hose with some abrasion shield. That would be easy. Otherwise I'm drawing something of a blank. You can buy quick disconnect to AN style adapters, but that's kinda silly. I suppose I could try slipping a tube nut/ferrule over the current nipples and flaring them, hard to say how well that would work out. Same for the other end I guess?

Good luck. I hope it works out. That's a hell of a mess.

Lisle makes a tool for spreading small block Chevy engines. I actually have one somewhere, and it does work. It's just a simple jackscrew setup. But if its warped enough it broke the bolts, I think its done.

If it's warped that bad, I'd probably go looking for a new one. But I'm really wondering what you have wrong if you can't even get the intake manifold to fit with the exhaust off. As previously asked, what engine is this? 2.5L or 4L?

I suppose "won't accelerate good." is rather subjective. I'm assuming he means it isn't going anywhere... But if it's not seat in the pants better than a normal ol' Renix, I wouldn't be surprised. Using the Renix TB, I believe that's probably the major restriction. And there might not be much/any real gain in the higher end using the HO head/aftermarket cam when coupled with the Renix intake. It's a truck motor, not a race engine.

Was the cam timing set correctly? It should not be a radical enough cam for the computer to care.

As far as the towing company goes, I honestly would phone them and say "Hey, you know the truck isn't worth $500. I will pay you for the tow, but not the impound fees. That way you at least get your cost out of it." Or something like that. Here the tow yards have lots of vehicles that aren't worth a thing that they can't sell for anything because they don't have the title.

The HD SYE kits are stronger than stock. 32 spline output vs a 27. Most of the driveshafts you would have built are stronger than stock, especially if you go with a Tom woods or JE Reel or that 1tonCV guy (forget his company name). Do you need the strength? Depends on how hard you are on it.

Thanks!

A long time ago somebody sent me a link for the metric fittings to use on an AW4 to delete the quick disconnects. They were a metric to AN fitting. That was a laptop or two back in time, so I've lost the link. I think Summit or Jegs sold them. Anyone have any ideas? I hate the quick disconnects with a passion.

I could fix that. But I wouldn't. That cab has a lot more rust that has been bondo'd over. I bet if you took it to a blaster there wouldn't be much left. Now if somebody wanted to make a truggy, it would be a sorta good starting point. Basically short of doing something that involves cutting off and trashing everything from the bump in the cab/doors and below, then rebuilding with tube, it is not worth anything other than to part it out.