DirtyComanche

I think you have a ground issue, or some wires melted together, based on the whole bizarre issue with your brake light switch engaging your aux fan. Might want to do a quick visual on your underhood harness, check your fuses and fusible links, and look at all the ground points.

Read through build threads and ask questions. There's many ways to skin a cat, and there is probably no best one, but there is certainly bad ways to do it... And remember, in general, you get what you pay for. Cheap parts are cheap parts.

Omix is generally on par with whatever the cheapest generic is for quality, but priced much higher.

You can adjust the mileage fairly easy if you feel the need.

Yeah, I'd suggest making your own tcase linkage. I would have to find my old phone to get the pics from when I made mine. But it was very simple, just one piece of flat bar with the correct holes in it and a little grinding to shape, a couple rod ends, some threaded rod, and some nuts and bolts. Functions way better than the factory one ever did. Also, since your brake lines are cut you might want to look into deleting the height sensing load valve thinger for the rear brakes. Lots of guys do, as most of them aren't functional at this point anyways. Mine was gone before I got the truck. You will only need one line to the rear brakes that way.

The two breather/vent lines on the transmission and tcase would originally get routed around and hook to a bracket on the bellhousing that dumps them downwards. You're better off putting a new hose on them (you can tee them together) and running them up into the engine bay. There is a vent cap to go on them to keep water/debris out, I have the Dorman P/N around somewhere if you want it. The switch on the transmission is for backup lights. Of your mystery lines that run to the rear, I can't commend what order they go in. However there is a brake pressure line, a brake fail pressure line, both of which run from the distribution valve by the master cylinder back to the height sensing load valve above the rear axle. The fail line only comes into play if there is a front brake failure (drop in pressure) as the valve will shuttle in the distribution block to provide pressure to the fail line which bypasses the height valve (gives rear brakes full pressure). Then there is the fuel pressure and return (which you ID'd) lines. Lastly there is an evap line from the fuel tank to the charcoal canister in the engine bay. The other lines are vacuum lines for the CAD (central axle disconnect), they run from the vacuum reservoir to the tcase vacuum switch, and then to the axle and an indicator switch for 4wd. There is info around on exactly which ones do what and how to make it all work, personally I'd delete it.

Nope. I'd check the foil circuit board and all the connections. They corrode too, especially if it's a junkyard unit that might have been exposed to the elements for a long time. You can drive the gauges separate if you have a wiring diagram.

I find most of the kits suck... But they tend to be a better deal than piecing it together, at least in the short term. Inevitably almost any of the kits tend to need upgrades/replacements.

Yeah, 150-175lbs seems more reasonable with brakes on it. I think I'm going to buy one of these: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00VDKXJ2W/ref=ox_sc_mini_detail?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A2JQHHAMEA1H4B Should give me some answers between what is lying around my place.

Wow, lots of progress. What media did they blast it with? ZM bends up bedsides, but they need a lot of work to use: http://stores.zmjeeps.com/bed-side-mj-comanche/

You just cut them down a bit. It seems to cut down on the amount of oil that gets vented into the air filter. I say seems to, I don't have enough first hand data at this point.

Internal or external slave?

Did you do Cruiser54's mod to that valve cover while you had it off?

Yup, or even in front of it and low. The location of the factory gas tank is genius for that, too bad the exhaust has to live on the other side so you couldn't run a second tank there.

And before somebody links this: http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/axle_weights.shtml There isn't a weight on there that's correct. Except maybe the Rockwell weights, if you read the note, as the given weights are with no brakes. Well, maybe some of the other weights are correct without brakes, but they are not noted as such. I guess a D35 might be 127lbs? Nothing else on there matches anything else I've found online. Either way, it's all terribly suspect info at best.

I'm wondering if anyone has ever weighed a complete D30 and/or D35 axle assembly out of a MJ? Or a D44 for that matter. Just trying to figure out some comparison data for potential upgrades. Actually, if you have a known weight for any front or rear axle assembly I'm open to hear it.

The AMC 20 is fairly short in the pinion snout, IIRC, so yeah, might work out. I doubt it would use a 1350 yoke in a MJ, but hey, it's AMC... If so a 1310 to 1350 conversion ujoint can be easily had.

I'd buy a 1500 GM truck with the 4.8/5.3 engine. They're cheap, solid, easy to work on, good fuel economy, minimal major issues with components. Just avoid the earlier Flexfuel/E85 compatible ones. IMHO they make the Tundra look like an overpriced pile...

If you're willing to make brackets I'm sure you could use the Isuzu calipers/Explorer rotor setup I used on my D44. Otherwise I would investigate the more common options as the bearing retainer pattern is probably close enough to use the backing plates from one of those axles.

Well, you've got my attention.

Awesome you got this thing going! It really seems like a great swap and I look forward to reading more updates as the inevitable little things all get worked out.

You need a prybar and a jack to do some troubleshooting. Chances are it is one of the following components being loose/worn: ball joints, wheel bearings, control arms (bushings), tie rod/drag link ends, track bar (you already did), track bar bracket, steering box, shocks, or mounting brackets for any of the above or ovalled/elongated holes in any of the above. Or you have a tire that's out of round or out of balance.

I find it hard to believe a flywheel would be far enough out of spec to cause a lack of signal... But hey, it's aftermarket parts, so setting new lows in quality control is an everyday occurrence. Clarify if there truly is no output from the CPS via cranking with a multimeter pinned into it, then go from there. There probably is SOME output, even if the flywheel is out of spec, but if it is too weak then you can be reasonably certain it isn't another part of the wiring.

I can't hate that, it's clean and cool. I wouldn't personally, but I don't think many people would do a lot of the things I do...

What. Ever. Seriously Don. I know you hate the Renix. But guess what? There's more Renix era XJs still running around than OBD-I HO XJs. You know why I know this? Because I need an external slave AX-15 like a sailor needs his rum, and all I can find is Renix XJs, or 97+ XJs for too much money. The Renix, as stupid, illogical, and inferior as it is, does work, and generally just continues to work. It cranks long, it revs high for 5 seconds when it does start, the idle fluctuates between 300 and 1200rpm for no apparent reason, stoich isn't a fuel ratio that's going to happen, and you're probably going to have a mystery driveability issue at some point BUT still be able to limp it to work/home/the liquor store despite it. Swap the MAP to a GM one, or just buy a spare GM built Renix spec one, get a spare CPS and automatic TPS off Rockauto, drive it, don't look back. I was DDing mine until the slave exploded. Engine problems aren't something I had. Any decent auto parts store has the major sensors in stock (CPS, MAP, automatic TPS). If anything you're more likely to be screwed by the early brake/hub parts as they seem to be much less available now.