Stacks

OK!!!! The new front bumper is built, painted and installed and the rear bumper stripped and re-painted. Below are some pix during the project. Bumper is made from 6" C-channel, shackle tabs are 3/4"x4" flat strap and the frame tie-ins are 1/4" plate. Started off with a dimensioned drawing of the frame tie-ins and soon learned... wasn't for an MJ!!! Got lucky before I started making swiss cheese out of the plate steel. Made some cardboard templates, transferred them to 1/8" masonite and used those to do the test fittings. Transferred those to the plate and all went well. Well.... if you disregard the steering box spacer goof up. :oops: My anti-Murphy Gremlins are in intensive anti-Murphy retraining. They mess up again and they are outta here and I'll get a fresh batch!!! :rotf: The bumper is nothing fancy.... just solid and functional. I didn't taper the height on the ends as I didn't want to chop off any of the fender and it would also expose too much 'stuff' to suit me. I may add a hitch tube with re-enforcing to the bumper later for a hitch tube mounted winch. Didn't want the extra overhang of a permanently mounted winch. There will be some cosmetic additions to the bumper. 1/8" diamond plate will be used on top of the bumper to close off the gap between the bumper and the bodyworks as well as beneath the bumper to give some protection to some of the front end parts. The top piece will be welded in place but the bottom pieces will be bolted on to preserve access to the frame tie-in bolts etc. The new front shocks were installed too. Just Skyjacker hydro ones for now. Next project is lower control arms, longer and with a bend in them for axle clearance. Enough babbling... pix below as well as a link to the Photobucket album. Thanks for having a look and as always any and all feed back is appreciated. Later, Larry Too cheap to buy new 6" C-channel so got some pieces at the scrap yard and made a piece long enough! :banana: Just another fitting!! Here you can see the 1/8" masonite templates. Tightening the last of the frame tie-in bolts!! Link to Photobucket album Thanks again!!

Here's a link to some videos on JP magazine of exhaust sounds on a wrangler with several different brands of mufflers. In these the Gibson is by far the loudest of the ones tested here. Scroll down a bit when the page loads and you will see the wrangler exhaust shoot out videos. There are more on the next page too. http://www.jpmagazine.com/video/page3.html Later, Larry

See what you think of this. Single 18", 2 1/4" in and out generic glass pack with a home built splitter after it. Large diameter pipe after the splitter will help get a much lower tone. Later, Larry

OK.... keep forgetting to get pix of the rear shock mounts. Grrrr... soon!! Working on the new front bumper. Last night was a major blue smoke night in the garage. Have the frame tie-ins built and was in the process of installing them so I could put the bumper in place and tack weld it. Was having problems getting the 3 bolts into the steering gear started. Maybe a little Captain and Coke would have helped!!! :headpop: To make a long story short.... the hidden stuff that is on too many vehicles bit my butt. That darn conjoined pot metal spacer that goes between the steering gear and the frame, of which I was obviously totally ignorant, had slipped out of place. :wall: Finally saw it but not before I had messed up the threads on one hole in the steering gear. Fortunately it was the very bottom one so I drilled it out and will double nut it with three tubes of loctite!!! Another mistake I did catch is that the drawing I was using for the bolt hole spacing for the frame tie-ins may be correct for an XJ but not necessarily for an MJ AND the hole placement isn't symetrical side to side on my MJ. There's nearly a 1/8" difference. I was going to have a local shop owned and run by a 4 wheeling friend, make the plates for me. He suggested making some templates in addition to the drawing. I made cardboard templates and then transferred them to 1/8" masonite to check my work. That is when I discovered the differences and the fact that each side is different. At any rate... got the materials and made the plates myself so I could fit them as I went. I've babbled enuf.....the blue smoke seems to have cleared out of the garage so I'm off to try the bumper thingy again!! Camera is in hand! Later, Larry

Uh huh...... now he says something about the sleeve!!!! :roll: Thanks Pete! :D

I'm in the Spokane/Coeur d'Alene area and have two Pull-n-Save locations in Spokane. (Have season pass!!) There are always XJ's at both locations and occasionally MJ's. I would be glad to pull needed parts. Let me know! Later, Larry

They are old school but good ol' Cragar SS or Keystone Classics (now offered by Cragar) would look great and get rid of the flat rim look(YUCK) too! Larry

Hey all... I'm kinda stuck between the Rockies and the northwest areas so I'll chime in here. The north Idaho spring monsoon season is just about over and spring run off is slowing down. Let's roll!!! Later, Larry

xjrev10.... Thank you for the reprieve!!!! :bowdown: Unfortunately I don't have any pix of either one of the D50 diesels I had. Best I've got is a pix of the 2nd one's tailgate cuz it was actually a pix of my Maine Coon cat Thomas!! Hmmmm... that was back in the days before digital cameras.... I'll have to dig out the old dusty hard copy ones and see what I've got! Actually have my eye on another one right now!! Would love to have another to run around in and also to play with the engine. I've found a lot of aftermarket stuff for it recently. Yeah yeah... another dream I know!! :rotfl2: Larry

I would venture to guess you have found two of the four positions for the shift lever. The down position as you call it would appear to be neutral, the up position would appear to be 2HI. There should be a position between what you are calling up and down that should give you 4HI. Rock/rotate the input shaft back and forth as you move from the up position toward the down position and you should feel it engage 4HI. Same thing in the down position, rock/rotate the input shaft back and forth and move the shift lever further down. That would be the 4LO position. Hope that makes sense and helps. Larry

xjrev10.... yeah... it's just an old guy makin' an old dream come true again! Had an old D50 diesel 4x4 with a single stack. Was really great to bury tailgaters on interstate on ramps in diesel smoke!!!!! :yes: Larry

Tux_fan.... Thanks! Yeah stacks are one of those things ya either like or they are disgusting and silly. The ones that slay me are the ones you see on a fleet side pickup that come up outside the body! :shake: Red Rocker79.. Thank you! Eventually there will be a cross bed tool box to hide the stack 'plumbing'. Just have to snag a few more pieces of the diamond plate like the trailer fenders are made of at the local Pacific Steel scrap yard. I guess maroon is as good a call on the color as any. If you look at a place where the clear coat is still there it almost looks root beer colored and it isn't brown as can be seen from the left front fender.... Comanche Limited??... don't think so!! lol Finished the new lower rear shock mounts this evening and will get pix tomorrow and posted up. Used pieces of the D44 factory brackets that I cut off to make the new mounts. Hopefully this will give me a long enough distance between mounts to have a decent amount of travel. Time will tell!! More later!! Larry

Yup.... Post Falls/CDA area. Larry

Now that the SOA lift is done on the MJ.... had to do my utility trailer too so the trailer tongue didn't go uphill at a 45!! lol Next is replacing the beat up/aged parts of the trailer. The tailgate is done as can be seen. Another on going 'build'. Onward and upward!! Larry

Nice lookin' rig!! Like the front bumper!! If you're looking to really get some sound out of your MJ you might consider this.... use a 4" bodied, 2.5" in and out, 18" long generic glass pack instead of the MagnaFlow. A lot cheaper to help cover the cost of the next suggestion. If your muffler shop can do it put 3" pipe from the rear bumper for 30-36" if there's room. That will help give it a deep throaty sound. Here's a link to a short video of my '89 MJ, 18" glass pack and dual 3.5" stacks. The stacks are just 30" long. See what ya think. Have fun and enjoy which ever way you decide to go!! Later, Larry

Hello all... new to the forum but not to Jeeps. Had this post almost done and got fat fingers and lost it all so I will try again. I have a '97 TJ that has reached it's intended build level so.... being recently retired and needing something to help keep me out of the pool hall. I decided to take my '89 Mj that I had used as a work truck and do some upgrades/mods to make it more trail ready. It was a stock 4.0L, 4x4, long bed, BA10/NP231, D30/D35 with 3.08 gears. Yes that is what the tag said... 3.08!! It now has a D44 from and '87 Cherokee, 3.54, SOA and the D30 has been re-geared to 3.54 and 4" coil springs installed. The engine has been completely rebuilt with .030" over bore and the head was also rebuilt. There is a CompCams 68-232-4 cam installed, 24lb injectors from a 318 cid Cherokee, home brew cold air intake with K&N filter, no 'cat', 18" glass pack and dual 3.5" stacks. There aren't very many detailed photos during the work as i hadn't found this forum until quite recently. I'll do better on the next mods.!! :oops: I am in the process of making a new front bumper, rear was done long ago! The first pix are just a progression of what it looked like when I got it in 2004 to what it looked like just before I started the new front bumper. With that.... some pix!!! MJ in 2004 when I got it... cost $200 with no engine but there were two 4.0L in the back!! MJ 2004 as it started its time as a work truck. MJ on the job 2007 MJ spring 2012 MJ early May 2012, roll bar, stacks, wheels and tires done. MJ May 24, 2012 SOA and front lift done. MJ May 24, 2012 SOA and front lift done. MJ May 24, 2012 SOA and front lift done. Here's a few of the engine work. The yellow pulleys and such are the result of boredom while waiting for the engine to get back from the machine shop!! Intake install. Intake install. Torquing the valve cover bolts. Engine complete with QC inspector standing by!!! Molly, aka, QC inspector would quietly crawl under a rig with you when you weren't looking and then.... a huge cold, wet nose would start snuffling at your nearest ear!! I got a lot of lumps on my head from that but a lot of laughs too! Molly was half German Shepherd and half Giant Schnauzer and 100% sweetheart!! She was also the best watch dog I have ever had. I had to put her down this spring as everything started to shut down on her. She was 16 in Nov. of 2011. She is greatly missed!! Had her since she was 8 weeks old! OK... more pix!! Engine complete. Engine in place. Engine in place. Engine in place. Next pix are of the roll bar and stacks being made. The roll bar is just cosmetic, made of 2" black iron pipe and the stacks are a Ford Econoline drive line, 3.5" OD. No 'cat' on the MJ. I made my own "Y" pipe/2 to 1 splitter, got an 18" generic glass pack from a local muffler shop, a couple 2 1/4" 90 deg elbows, some 2 1/4" flex pipe and... there it is!! Roll bar base section. Base section detail. Roll bar assembled. Stacks positioned. My roll bar frame tie in bracket. My roll bar frame tie in bracket. Roll bar and stacks installed. Stacks plumbed in. Muffler, "Y" pipe and flex pipe. The next is a short video of what the MJ sounds like with the stacks on it. Always wanted a pickup with stacks!! The link will take you to photobucket. I could figure out how to imbed the video here. Sorry!! Here it is MJ video with sound!! Turn up your speakers!!! This is a bit long for one thread but.... what the heck... just an old guy having fun!!!! More to come. Thanks for having a look and any and all feedback is appreciated. I thank everyone on the forum for the tremendous wealth of information, tips and tricks and photos here on Comanche Club!!! Keep it rollin'!! Larry