DirtyComanche

IMHO, the currie kit should not even be considered. It's a peice of $#!&. IMHO. JCR's setup is tried and proven. And uses better TREs. I know, you think 'who breaks TREs?'. I've seen it. It sucks. Besides, with the small TREs a good hit on the tie-rod can bend the threaded portion of them. The rusty's kit actually looks good, but I'd definatly consider it lighter duty. However, at least it solves a bunch of the problems with the stock steering. Either way you're going to want to run it OTK. So, I'd say either way you get to do some drilling and fiddling around to make it work. Yes, the rusty's would be easier as you'd just need the inserts.

Not too amazing. Just look around. There's lots of looneys out there, and oddly enough they manage to reproduce. I suspect 'Superman' will have an interesting childhood.

Linky no worky. :cry: At least for me.

Good work.... Where'd you buy the alignment bar/pucks? Oh, if I was you I'd have built a full floater. But that's me. http://www.bc4x4.com/tech/2002/ff9/

The $#!& hit the fan. I'm going wheeling on sunday. Okay, yeah right. Gotta weld the cage, run all the wiring (uh-oh), and plumb the rad. I got more hose on order, it WILL be here tomorrow or I will finially be reduced to the mental equivalent of a vegitible. And I'd better do something with the exhaust.

I think they're crazy to think the world hasn't already ended. Why is it that humans are fascinated with the concept that they do not control their own destiny? I think we're lazy, and would really like the excuse.

I figured it was worth a shot. I like to think I started my conversion (and maybe even finished it) before it became a fad. Now it seems everybody is either doing it, or wants to. There was a time when it was 'the thing' to put front leafs on TJs. Mysteriously enough, you don't see many of them around anymore. I think that front leafs can work well. And I think it's probably better to have front leafs and rear coils than the other way around. However, with the XJ/MJ platform you have perfectly good provisions for coils right from the factory. So why not use them? Well, there is cost. Which link suspension isn't actually much more - if you have the fab skills to make a front leaf setup. Sure, you have to spend a few bucks on coil springs, where-as most guys can pull leafs from a junkyard. And there's a few bucks for the good flex joints. And a few more for link material. But as a whole, it really isn't a lot more. I have way more money in my steering setup than my suspension. And again, way more in my axles. Another thing about links, is I think many people are scared because it isn't 'simple'. Which is probably a notion spawned from hearing people (me?) talk about a bunch of gibberish like anti-squat/dive, roll axis, instant centre, etc. Or from not having looked at enough designs to fully understand them. I hate to say it, but if you follow a general forumal for you link lengths and placements, and leave a little adjustability, you don't really have to worry about doing the math part. And almost all link suspensions are actually quite simple once it is all boiled down.

My street handling is horrible. If I was to do it over again, I'd probably do it right. I mean, 0* caster and a very strange steering setup doesn't make for the best driver experience. And horrible shocks don't help... If I was driving it a bunch, I'd definatly not do front leafs. But that's me. In all my experience, a half decent coil setup will outdrive leafs anyday. Oh, there's hidden costs. Highsteer (you need it anyways), longer driveshaft, new shocks, more steering components, etc etc. Ohyeah, I have waggy fronts. Sits maybe at 8, 8.5". Who knows. It could be made to sit down a lot better. You'd jsut have to notch the frame. Which is actually a good idea. But front leafs are a toyota thing. Not a jeep thing. Mine are going to be changed...

They're all the same, AFAIK.

It was a pile in other ways too. The 231 was an update in almost every way. How'd you do that?

An AMC 20 is easy to ident. It's got a big, perfectly round cover, with bolts all the way around it. There's lots of aftermarket for it... It came in the CJ for many years, so pretty much anything you want can be had. I think a guy can even buy a full floater kit for one... Truss the $#!& out of it if it is one. They have weak tubes. And they like to spin too.

FWIW, hamsters have a great power to weight ratio.

It's me who has them... I have the SWB (look in the other thread), LWB, XJ, and YJ all kicking around. Plus the bracket detail drawings for the bed. Oh, and the SJ grand cherokee if somebody really cared. They aren't very useful diagrams though, as they are ment to be used on a frame alignment machine, and only show dimensions for the alignment points.

I hate the stock one. And I don't have provisions for a speedo. Or fuel gauge. Or any of the other crap on it (HVAC, all the lights and $#!&). So it's not going back in. And the stock gauges need to be in a sealed housing or they will fill up with stuff and stop working. Short term I could make it work (and maybe should). Long term it won't work. Since my truck fills with dust/dirt/trees every wheeling trip.

As an update on my stand still.... I'm really frusterated. It seems just the simple act of buying parts is impossible. 1/4NPT to 3/8 SAE fitting? No can do. Nobody stocks those. 1.25" exhaust tubing? Nope, doesn't exist. And I need to buy new gauges... I tried to re-use the stockers, but I'd need to build a highly complicated housing. I'd love to buy el-cheapos, but apparently they don't sell them in electric versions. I hate mechanical gauges. The avaliable electric gauges are, IMHO, overpriced. A water temp gauge is going to cost me over $100. Really sweet. And I'm stuck buying a bunch of water hose at about $7/foot. What a PITA.

Input bearing. Or it's a tranny problem.

O yea? Theres a reason I have been lurking on here for months before I actually joined, gotta learn from others experiances/mistakes :D Don't get me started. I could write a 10000 word essay on how not to build a jeep.

I should have done that a long time ago.

Hmm. $200 sounds steep. I bet there's damage to the motor/tranny/tcase at that point. And you sure as hell ain't taking the body panels from that thing.

They look like every TSL swamper I've ever seen.

It is rare for us to get a tow rig stuck in the summer (hence taking pictures), but in winter the 2bys are really limited. I got a friend to tow me back with his pile of a 2wd 6.5 chebby, we wound up cocked over sideways in a ditch after it gave up on a hill. Then it's the unload the truck to pull the other truck out routine. We also sometimes tow up the FSRs to get to a base camp or trail head, and FSRs aren't designed for a 2wd truck to be towing on. The first time you really get in a bind where 4wd made the difference on getting out or waiting a night, the extra money doesn't seem at all bad. That gravel pit has inconsistant sand because they move it around a lot.

I have (had?) an el-cheapo clarion that looked alright (as in didn't scream 'I'm an attention lady of the night'). It's really annoying that nobody that makes stereos seems to understand the 'function before form' thing, or that it doesn't have to light up like a carnival and play a retarded movie.

The problem with the factory ones is they aren't exactly strong. And they're ment to flex to a certain extent. Actually, a bunch. Anyways, it won't fail where you welded it together, rather where the bracing ends. That is the stress point. Typically in time they will crack from there.

How thick is the tube on the lowers? They don't look like they'll be an issue, IMHO. You might bend them on a rock, but WTH. The uppers might be f'd... Did you put something inside them for extra bracing? You can actually lengthen an upper arm and not have it fail (NAXJA twats wouldn't know) but I'm not about to condone ever doing it.

Oh, right. Most people seem to not do them themselves? Actually, I had one done once because it cost me $19. And them seemed way better than trying to un-seize all the TREs.