1987Comanche

I had 2 squeaky serpentine belt systems that needed diagnosis and was looking for a good way to tackle this. I'd tried a straight edge but it didn't seem exacting enough for what I needed. I ended up investing in one of these: Gates 91075 Laser alignment tool for Serpentine belt systems. https://www.gates.com/us/en/search.p.7468-000000-000010.v.7468-00075.html Worked great on the MJ too. Told me the balancer wasn't fully seated on the crank snout. You can see the target and laser on the P/S pulley after alignment

No, I didn't know there was a tool thread. I'll look for it now!

Awesome score for $75! MJ in the yard was a good find too! I haven't been to an "all you can carry sale" in years. The closest was a JY in PA that, at one point, had dollar day. Every part was $1. Granted the wheel would be wheel/tire/center cap but still $3 was a steal.

It's awesome! I've been chasing that squeak for a long time and recently had a squeak start on my Suburban. Finally broke down and bought the tool. Without it I wouldn't have figured out the problem was the balancer. Here's the tool: https://www.gates.com/in/en/power-transmission/power-transmission-tools-and-merchandisers/power-transmission-tools.p.7468-000000-000010.v.IN-7468-0023.html?related=true

I also acquired a new tool to chase down the persistent squeak I've had in the serpentine belt drive. The Gates laser alignment tool is awesome! Turns out the crank pulley bottomed out but not far enough. Pulled the balancer, replaced the crusty TC seal, and got an extra 1/2 turn on the HB installer. Now it's spot on....hopefully that's the end of the squeak.

Muffler rotted out so she got a new one & tail pipe (surprisingly difficult to find). Also had a coolant leak that I traced back to the water pump, power steering fluid leak that I traced to both the pitman shaft seal and the power steering pump.

Been a while since I've updated but I've been both keeping Georgia busy and giving her some TLC. She brought the new engine home for the '69. That was installed, cam broken in, and is running

Wow. I didn't realize availability was this bad. I needed a tail pipe for my SWB MJ and saw Rock Auto was out of stock. I called the local parts stores and found one who could get it in 3-4 days. It was more than I wanted to pay ($80 vs $45 on RA) but mine was gone. I put it on about a month ago.

Sent you a PM regarding the wiring diagrams.

Must be a individual shop preference. Asheville Powertrain said they wouldn't touch one with a damper. He said they couldn't guarantee balance afterwards. I guess I'd cal any perspective shop prior to driving out and confirm they will/will not shorten your d/s.

If you look at my build thread you'll see the 4WD conversion in there. It gives you an idea of what is involved. As Pete mentions finding the parts will require some time. If you're willing to do the legwork and find all of the components paying a shop might be feasible. For labor ask the shop of your choice to price the following: -clutch job on 4WD MJ (5.9 hrs labor per Mitchell with pilot bearing & flywheel) -R&I front axle on 4WD MJ (4 hours per Mitchell) -Install transfer case lever & linkage (1.8 hours for the rod & bushings) -Cost to build a driveshaft (2WD one can't be modified as there's a rubber damper in it) Add your parts costs to that + a fudge factor of, say 20%, and you'll be in the ballpark.

Ouch! Sorry to hear that. Glad everyone seems to be ok. Hopefully the ER trip is uneventful

I asked the same question. The best answer I could get was that ATK's confidence in Monterrey, Mexico was low and they wanted the reman engine to survive the warranty period. System sealer tabs are an insurance policy/band aid.

I found cooling system sealer tabs in my ATK engine and it took me a while to figure out what they were. Could be that. How does the cam look in that engine? The reman ATK for my '90 lasted 272 miles before coughing up cam bearings. Somewhere there's a thread on here about that saga. Hopefully you have better luck than I did.

Georgia got a major shot of TLC in the past 2 weeks -4 new Phantom A/P tires (Discount Tire and slim pickings in a 225/75 R15). That alone made a huge improvement in how she rides on the highway. -Also chased the fuel smell back to a rotted evap hose from the rollover valves at the tank. Changed all the rubber evap hoses from the rollover valves to the steel line on the body. -Finally removed the window tint from the rear window. She had subpar window tint when I got her and I removed it from the side windows right out of the gate. The rear got so bad I couldn't see anything except blobs. Much easier to drive her now. -Replaced her headlights (pass had water inside). -Plugs/wires/cap/rotor. Old plugs weren't terrible but it was definitely time -Fresh synthetic 10W-30 in my AX-15. Minimal fines on the magnetic drain plug -Fresh Dexron in the 231J -Changed gear oil, inspected diff stock and gear/pinion & cleaned the magnets. Did both the D35 and the D30. I think she's ready for winter now....

How about a GM 3800 Series II or Series III wrapped in whatever (H body, W body, etc)? Tough motors, parts are cheap, and you can find a nicely maintained Buick, Olds, or Pontiac pretty cheap.

You're right...keeping it is my insurance policy... I'd converted to external slave when I went to 4WD so I went external slave to external slave. I used a LUK kit but reused the previously installed throwout bearing (one in the kit was plastic, older one was cast iron). I also replaced the dowels in the bell housing and the flywheel. So far, so good. I put a fair amount of pics in my build thread. I think late 2017.

As you may recall from my build thread I rebuilt an AX-15 for Georgia and put it around Dec 2017. The external slave 4WD AX-15 I pulled out has been bagged up and sitting in the basement as a spare since that time. I was cleaning some stuff out and debated whether I should hang on to it or put it up for sale. This trans was in my MJ for about 25K miles after the 4WD conversion and it drove/shifted fine and had clean oil. The reason I pulled it was the truck would not shift from neutral into 1st from a dead stop with the engine running. I suspect it was more of a clutch/flywheel/hydraulics problem than anything else but I figured I'd refresh everything and be done with it. I haven't seen many of these around, which is why I've been hanging on to it. Thoughts?

If you're bending the line off the truck you can use a socket with the correct radius locked in a bench vise. It's not the easiest thing but with mechanic's gloves on, it's doable.

Sure. I'll get another pic. Found a pic of Maura and zoomed in on the tailgate:

Meg the 87 came from Cross-Country AMC in Indy Marua the 90 came from EGolf in Hendersonville, NC Galeana looks like it's still alive and thriving today.

Buckets for me. The 87 had a bench and it was ok but not comfortable for more than an hour. The 90 came with a bench and I swapped for a set of 2 door Grand Am GT leather buckets. I loved those seats. The 92 came with a bench that was in desperate need of new foam. This time around I put in 2dr XJ buckets on MJ brackets. I built the driver's seat out 3 or 4 different XJ buckets and it's pretty comfortable. My all time favorite truck seat was in my old Isuzu pickup. I found a set of burgandy, tufted leather Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz in an 83 diesel. They were mint and sublime.

Tonight's stop at the bank took longer than I thought. Going through the parking lot I heard something odd as I was waiting on drive thru. Pulled into a spot and found large object in my LF tire. Any idea what this is? Got the spare on and, while I check the air pressure every time I change the oil I hadn't looked at it closely in quite some time. Date coded 2007 but it got me home. Hopefully I can get the tire fixed. In total I drove about 200' with that in the tire.

I'm very curious about the carbon paper too. I had one 4.0 RMS that was so coked in I destroyed the brass punch. I had to use a regular punch to get it moving. That was a high pucker experience as the crank wouldn't have been happy if it had slipped.