DirtyComanche

I like lockwire. It's used EVERYWHERE on aircraft. A fastener can't possible back out if it's done correctly, even if it is installed wrong or under heavy vibration. Example: Anyways, my friend was looking at my dodge, and commented on how my timing cover (it's a cummins) was missing some bolts - but that it was entirely normal since they always back out. That made me kinda frusterated. So I think I'm going to steal some drilled head bolts from work and lockwire the stupid things. In fact I think I'm going to start doing it on a lot of things. (I know, this post has no point, I'm bored)

I could probably make a small fortune reproducing the originals. Seems like people want them. Other than for me to ship them to anybody would be retarded expensive.

I'm pretty sure they're supposed to be nocturnal. I used to see them at dusk all the time where I used to live. And you could smell them when somebody annoyed them. Never delt with getting rid of them. Prevention works wonders.

However, there's a lot of vehicles that don't dim that way. Most new(er) ones don't.

That's the spirit. The more times you do it on the same vehicle, the faster it is. Especially if you cut off/remove any of the BS stuff when taking it apart the first time...

Who makes the ultra-bling bead locks? And are those maxxis bighorns? They don't sell maxxis tires (of any sort) north of the border.

I think it's far more fun when somebody posts a question like "Help, it dun run, I fiddled with some stuff and it still no worky" and here's real no information to go on. Besides, I don't want to list my mods. I only have like 3.

TJs are about an inch lower, or so.

The timing isn't great though. I might have to pay to store it. Or not. I know I could leave my dodge in secure parking at the airport (employees get free secure parking) when I'm on tour, and leave the XJ there the rest of the time. That way I can get away with only using one parking space at my apartment (I only have one).

I don't change things till they fail or show signs of failing. To me jeep components do not time-expire. My MJ has the factory starter... My old XJ had the factory starter. They were built better it seems. Anyways, I'm not sure how you normally test a rad. However, I'd just swap it in and see if it works. A rad takes a couple hours the first time, eventually you'll get it down to a half hour or less. But if that's really not your ball game, I think you can plug the inlet/outlet, fill it with water, then connect about 10psi of shop air to it and see if it weaps or leaks. Not worth the trouble if you ask me...

I'd made a deal about a year ago with a friend. When his girlfriend finially got too scared of her jeep's reliability issues I would buy it at a highly discounted price. The time has come. Yeah :nuts: I can say no, but it's cheap. I could fix it and flip it, or part it perhaps, or just wheel it with a few mods. I'd already put together a plan at some point to build a streetable mild rig that'd be suited to where I live, but then I decided to make the truggy work for that. Oh, I'm very indecisive. I like 2dr XJs though. Which is bad.

So, looks like I accidently have bought a 2dr XJ. I think it's a 92. Has a 4oh, AX-15 (with a leaking slave cylinder for free!) and it has various other issues. Don't really have space for it, definatly don't have time, probably don't have the money to play with it either. Ohwell. The sale isn't final yet, so I have yet to decided.

Some junkyards really frusterate me. The listed price in the yard reads something like 'Rear axle assembly - $108'. So, you cut out the axle using your hacksaw since you aren't aloud 'real' tools. Then take it up front to pay. Then you learn that no, the pinion flange isn't included in that price, same with the wheel studs, brake calipers, dust shields, brake rotors and the diff cover. Oh, then they throw the $5 enviro fee at you (which I understand, but it should be upfront). Not gonna be fair with me? I'm not gonna be fair with you.

When I had a body, and front leafs... Image Not Found Image Not Found

I think there's a couple different types, just to let you know.

I'm going on tour for 'about a month' sometime next week, and I'm only here (where the truck is) until saturday. 'About a month' for a tour means something more like they're going to send me away and forget about me until they start trying to figure out where that company truck went. So, let's say I need another 2 weeks of work on it, but I can't do it for at least 6 weeks.

This part was actually fairly quick. A guy could do it from plans without much downtime at all... Build the X-member ahead of time, weld it in (okay, you have to move the gas tank, I know), setup another axle with all the brackets in the mean time and build the links ahead. Then you just unbolt the leaf springs and old axle, pop in the new stuff and weld in some top brackets for the coil springs. If there was a kit it'd be an easy weekend swap that way. I didn't have the best plans and lost all my notes anyways, so it took a lot more sticking stuff in and trying it than it should have. The front is gonna suck. I keep looking at it and wishing I had the notes I'd made. I'll figure it out.

Whose got 4 links? I've got 4 links! Image Not Found

How does the RK setup work? I dun remember what it's like...

I made links, yayyyyyyyyyyyyy Image Not Found And worked on the crossmember. I would have been more productive but I wasted a lot of time trying to find a 1-1/4 12TPI tap to clean up the threads on one of the inserts. Apparently they aren't too common.

Not to mention it'd look like somebody butchered the property. We removed all the cottonwoods at our cabin - they were all at high risk of falling on the cabin or somebody mostly because they were cottonwoods - and accidently fell a couple of them on trees we wanted to keep. The place hasn't looked anywhere near as good since, and it's been maybe 5 years now.

So, remember this build? It's may now, so I lied a bit, but I am back at work on it. I removed this: Image Not Found The front hitch is actually off my dodge, I removed it a long time ago. It just got chucked there because that became the new unoffical scrap pile. Which is quite a bit larger now. Got the rear end back together enough that it rolls, stuck it in position to check my clearances and such... Image Not Found Then cut more junk off: Image Not Found Then I stuck the link x-member in place to check clearances and angles... Image Not Found Seems I had about an inch of driveshaft clearance, which would allow for about 2" of uptravel. And the suspension is actually at droop now since I plan to lower it so much. So no, that didn't work. Notice how the garage is a @#$%ing mess - I need to drink a bunch of beer and clean it all, but I'm in too much of a hurry. Changed the x-member: Image Not Found Clearance is way better. I also mounted it a hair higher as the truck is going to sit lower anyways. Anti-squat is probably still around 130%, I'm not worried. Links: Image Not Found RE larges are retarded to weld on. They seem to warp a bit and the threads don't work worth crap after that. I need to buy or make a spanner wrench for them too - I can set them tight with a punch and hammer but it's kinda hack. Anyways, I only have till saturday to work on it, then I'm back to work. I want to get the rear in decently so I can look at the front some more.

Amazingly enough, 'some' people (actually like 95% of the population) have no use for a 4wd vehicle. If he has no use for one, then lower away... I've seen F-150 coils cut down for the front, and a guy could build a hybrid leaf pack for the rear to lower it without (ugh) blocks. And XJ shackles will drop it a half inch in the rear too. Just watch the oil pan clearance in the front.

That'd be too logical. When dealing with women, logic is really not the answer. I'd say pewter, or sunset orange metallic... But I've never known what a girl really wants.

Seems where I've moved to there's nothing to will but mild stuff, and nobody to wheel with but mild guys. But I've got that damn jeep itch again. I think 33s and F/R lockers could probably tame anything here unless you deliberatly look for trouble (which I won't do without somebody crazy enough to follow me). And my truggy is highly impractical for anything but short trips. And MT/Rs don't wheel worth anything once there's a little mud on the ground. So, what to do? There's two different approaches that I can think of. Either downsize the MJ and rework it to try to suit the wheeling here, or buy an XJ and make a nice mild wheeler that I don't mind thrashing. To downsize/rework the MJ: Sell the 37s and go to 34s or 35s (depending what I can find I guess) in something like an IROK. I might *shudder* have to buy tires new for that. And lowering the truck a whole lot (I wanted to anyways, and was pretty much in the process of it. However I might have screwed myself on that since I planned to keep the 37s) I'll also need a second propane tank for enough comfortable range. Image Not Found I think I can run two of them vertically back there, and just mount them a little lower so they don't interfere with my rear viewing. That is, unless my 4-link truss is in the way. I don't recall if it is or not - and I'm 650kms from the truck right now. That still leaves me with limited space for any storage of gear. After all, my frame is cut off right before the second bed mount, and the old deck extends only to directly over the rear axle (or where it should be) The rear mount rad is in the way - but it can't really be changed. At most I can move it forewards a couple inches, but that's pushing it. At most I have maybe a foot behind the rad to stow stuff right now. Which isn't much. Especially if you plan to try camping or over-nigthing. And I should really have a spare for trail rides, the tube trick doesn't work so well for that. Oh, I have to swap my tranny too. I keep forgetting that. And I'm not really looking foreward to it. I'll have to change the belly skid, front and rear driveshafts, and a few other things for that. And I know I'll get killed on all the little stuff like the cooler lines and having to get a shift controller and the parts needed for it. Which is kinda why I considered going to the XJ for mild stuff. I know, another MJ would work just as well - but I don't want to ruin another. I figure it'd be easy enough to build a mild but reliable rig out of a XJ. I've got lots of parts after all. Swap a few axles, a tcase and rear driveshaft, build myself some new bumpers and skids and go wheeling. Stupid? I should stick with the MJ right? Probably... After all it's not like anything I need to do to change it is a real challenge. Just a bit of a headache.