DirtyComanche

The moral of the story is 'don't buy a 2wd tow rig'. Even if it is a sweet d-max.

Going home after wheeling on saturday... Everyone else is loaded up, and we look back to see this. Image Not Found Image Not Found Luckily jeeps are awesome. Image Not Found Image Not Found

Get it all hooked up and take a quick visual. It'll probably be decent, and then you can go get an alignment. If it drives bad, take a closer look at things.

Sure, that'll work. Other than they're 'wrong' IMHO. You want a panhard (track) bar to be mounted as high as possible on both ends, and as close to flat as possible, and on the same plane as the axle (perpendicular to the frame). The 'high as possible' part is important for roll axis. Anywho, you really have to try it and see. Sometime the drag link and track bar are pretty decent without changing it. And it's always kinda weird with an inverted-Y setup. That and the front suspension geometry is always kinda kooky.

While you're in there, yukon chromo shafts are cheap

More importantly you might need to raise the track bar mount...

I don't know much about spark plugs, but it looks like you had some nasty pre-ignition or perhaps FOD, which obliderated the plug and then it was followed by carbon fouling as that cylinder wouldn't run worth $#!& (probably didn't even fire half the time). The lean condition on the other plugs is possibly related because a cylinder not firing messes with the O2 sensor readings. While it doesn't matter as much on water cooled engines, any chance the plug was dropped/smacked before install? If you break the insulator they don't shed heat correctly and can cook themselves... It's more apparent in an air cooled engine.

That looks like an ugly job to me.

Whatever type of fiberglass resin they used, it remians quite flexible, and seems to be very tough. Honestly, I'd be most worried with abrasion resistance than anything else. Spring steel is very good for that, and composits notoriously aren't. Somebody buy a set and flog the $#!& out of them.

While I haven't ever mounted said size tire on said size rim, I'd bet they'd work. You'll be more likely to lose beads though.

Actually, I think there is a kit to do it with a D44. It can cause a lot more problems than it is worth. If you were to do it, it is advised you design almost the entire front end around that concept...

Well, the accuracy of the factory gauges might be in question. But they work well enough, it's not like I look at them anyways.

It's pretty convoluted. But I think I've got it figured. I'm so god damn cheap. I can re-use the stock gauges without the cluster now. I know, who wants stock gauges? Well, they're cheap...

Oh, and the connects for the factory tach are labelled in japanese. Luckily I can read that... Sorta.

That was sorta a given. With cross-over you won't run into the problems I had (inverted T high-steer). I Had the drag link binding on the tie-rod. Then hitting the leaf spring. It was really sweet. My steering is hack. It's on my 'list'.

It depends on the terrain to be wheeled, the tcase gears, tranny gears, and the power level of the motor. 4.56s and 37s works for me. You just get to smell my clutch sometimes.

Looks like the axle location is about right... The steering going to clear everything? I want to move mine out a little more once I change up my front end again.

Anybody ever really spend a lot of time looking at the wiring diagrams in the FSMs? Ever get the feeling that you're either retarded, or there's a lot of mis-prints in the diagrams? :nuts: :headpop:

I dunno, I'd totally rock that thing. Just think of all the chicks you could pick up.

How old is that thing anyways? Is there more than one? I've seen many pictures of it :dunno:

It's more like 5". The WT rear axles aren't exactly 'wide'. It'll probably look goofy.

This project hit a stand still because I am to retarded to ever remember to go buy parts. Hmm, 2 weeks, better have it done...

A ford HPD44 is oh, 67" WMS. About. A wide track waggy is only 64" front and 62" rear. So you might have width issues. Anyways, apparently that thing just welds on there and solves everything. I'm not a fan personally, but if you're looking to keep the jeep style coil suspension, WTH.

It's relatively cheap. Depending. How he did it is where it might differ from me. If he bought the axles, he'll have about $6000-8000 in them. If he built the axles himself, he'll have maybe $4000 tied up in them. If he's like me, he'll have $2000. If he's like my buddy Curtis, he'll have a 40 of rye and a couple hours of time in them. To build all the leaf spring crap is only about $100 in steel. To buy the springs would be near free (those aren't lift springs, see how flat they are and how far the shackles are dropped). Those tires are what, $1600 for a set? Less if you know people. I don't see beadlocks, so he's probably got $100 in rims. He'll have a few hundred in driveshafts. As to of what he has in the motor/tranny/tcase, who knows. Depends what he's running and how he built it. A good running 350 can be had for $500, plus whatever performance parts he wants. A TH-350 can be had for free, but $100 is reasonable. And a NP205 goes from somewhere between $50 and $200. Then there's all the little costs for the motor mounts and tranny mount and blah blah, totalling $500. Somebody want to add that up? I don't. Anyways, mud trucks are cheap in many ways. That calculated cost would be without 'lucky breaks' like a buddy trying to throw out a 14B FF with 4.56s, or some farmer selling a D60 for $100.

When you undercoat it, are you just going to spray over whatever is already down there, or clean it up majorly first? Sorta thinking about doing my dodge, and bedlining it.