DirtyComanche

There's no free shipping to Canada. One main problem with Jegs is their site won't quote shipping, I actually have to order them and then they email the shipping quote and I can okay it. I might phone them on Monday to ask about it, but I bet the price will be within $20 of the place I can get the Procrap wheels from here, but ordering it from this side of the line means there will be no unexpected brokerage/duty/we'regoingtochargeyoubecauseyoucan'tdoanythingaboutit fees. And I can actually get a confirmed delivery date, unlike when something goes through customs and they can't decide if it's a wheel or part of a nuclear device.

Thinking about ordering the Procomp 51 series wheels, P/N 51-5866, 15x8 4.5" BS. Why? Because they're the only wheel company that seems to have decided that Canada is a worthwhile market. I'm going to price getting AR767s or Crager Soft 8s, but I can't find anyone that actually stocks them on this side of the line. I'm not crazy about Procomp quality, although I'll admit I've never run anything made by them. These wheels: http://www.summitracing.com/int/parts/pcw-51-5866/overview/ I can have 4 to my door for just under $500 cnd (not through Summit), which doesn't seem like a deal, but the exchange is what it is and shipping wheels is expensive. Also trying to track down some TJ Rubicon wheels, since I think they would look good and probably are better quality than these, maybe they even weigh less, but I'm not sure how easy that will be to do. I do not have a tire selected and may actually buy new (gasp!).

It fits , yes it's an HO gasket . What's different about it? Material, shape, thickness?

They list the straight ones as fitting WJs, which IIRC use a wider pocket/bracket and joint, and should not fit an XJ/MJ/TJ/ZJ. And I found somebody who is running the RC LA kit with only 3" of lift. I will see if my friend wants to play ball, which would also be doing the world a favour as his deathtrap should be disassembled before it kills anyone.

And the other potential curveball is I know of somebody who has an XJ LA kit installed on their Ranger (don't ask). IIRC it's the Rough Country one. I might be able to buy it for less than it would cost to build. Of course, that's probably a bad idea since it won't fit with only 3.5" of lift.

They bent those way too much. I think I might order these: https://www.allensoffroad.com/suspension-systems-lift-kits/Core-4X4-Control-Arms/Cherokee-XJ-1986-2001-Core4x4/Core4X4-TIER-ONE-XJ/Front-Control-Arm-Set-TJ-LJ-XJ-MJ Cheaper, not bent crazy, and I can choose from 8 colours!!!! (Even though I'm just going to order black) Or I will build them. Still pricing that. Somebody was selling forged threaded joint bodies, but I don't remember who.

Funny thing is ALL of the gas I keep around is 50:1. I mix it when I fill the can at the gas station. I use it in my 4 strokes and 2 strokes... Never had any of the ethanol gas issues that people constantly complain about, and the can I'm finishing off right now has been sitting in my shed for 2+ years. My lawnmower smells better running on it too!

Not in Bama. :yes: I suppose. But the 4.0L is like the dandelion, they pop up just about anywhere.

Oh, and I would pay a grand for that thing without hearing it run. I have a whole driveline sitting in storage for that type of scenario. A clean body is way harder to come by than a good 4.oh.

I bet he means the outlet on the tstat housing, or the housing itself, as previously said. They corrode, people don't scrape the old gasket off, the hose nipple cracks or is scored from somebody cutting the hose off, etc. You can buy a new one, just make sure you get the right one because the Renix and HO are a little different, IIRC. If it's that, and only that, it's a simple fix. But it could be a cracked head or block potentially, probably not though... I would plan to convert to the open cooling system either way, personally. I was not a fan of this mod previously but I've changed my tune after one too many pressure bottles blew up on me.

That is the plan. I said they were too tall for my XJ, I don't know how much lift they actually net out to because there is nothing on my XJ that is normal. If I put them in this and they're too tall for it, I can order some 3.5" TJ ones I guess? As the TJ coils should be an inch lower (at least if you buy RE ones that are a different P/N). They should be fine though, providing they are the advertised height. It also occurred to me that I have 2wd rear springs, so they are lower anyways. The truck has quite the pre-runner look (hmm, building a go fast prerunner type truck was an option I didn't consider), and I had assumed it was because there was stuff in the back of it. However, it makes more sense that it has 4wd, maybe even ZJ coils, in the front and 2wd springs in the back. I think I would be best to either buy or build some adjustable lower and probably upper control arms. It seems nobody makes the simple low buck adjustable control arms with poly joints on each end anymore? I guess they went out of style a long time ago. However, they're really all I think I need. Unless somebody knows who makes them, I will do it myself. I think I might put a questions summary on my posts from now on, since like I said, this is a planning thread at this point. That will make it easier for people who skim to not have to read my long winded butchery of Her Majesty's language. Question: Are simple poly bushing adjustable upper/lower control arms still made and sold?

Hmm. I'm hoping it is a wristed radius arm setup or a true 3 link. Some guys have been pulling one upper arm to make a hacktacular 3 link, not really a good idea IMHO.

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?