MrShoeBoy

Mine where attached with sticky tape, a couple of razor blades, some pressure, and a small pry from a screw driver and my letters popped off. Your results may vary. AARON

DO NOT GET A CRANE CAM!!! They suck! I have had two cams go bad in my motor. The lobes went flat the first time and Crane tried to argue with me that I didnt have it set up right...I was in Daytona at the time and dropped the head off at their factory for them to check out. They had to eat their words about improper setup because the head work was spot on, so I got a new cam. The distributer gear went bad in the second cam they gave me and it wasnt even a year later! I was down in Daytona at the time yet again and they tried to argue with me that it was my falt but after showing them the parts, they gave me another new cam. That cam is currently on a shelf collecting dust. I refuse to run it in any Jeep motor I own. After all that crap, I called up Hesco and talked to Bennie about my motor, what I am doing with it, what I want out of it, and got a valvetrain package from them. Cost twice what the Crane cost me, but after going through 2 of them, the price difference didnt matter. The Hesco cam is still rocking it out and theres a huge difference in power with the Hesco cam and both cams where advertized for the same RPM range/power I wanted. You get what you pay for! As for computer reflash, drop in the cam and run with the stocker. The computer can account for a little bigger cam. If you are going balls out, then you need a stand alone ECU. AARON

Get a bottle of gas. The whole wind getting in the way is a load of crap. Well sometimes it does blow the gas away but its really got to be blowing. If your getting porous welds from the gas being blown away, just thow up something to block the wind around the area you are welding. A cardboard cereal box goes along way. AARON

Depending on tire size, your better off cutting down a Ford 9" for the rear. The Ford 8.8 won't be happy with the stroker and high speed stuff. Ask me how I know :D AARON

Get a 220v welder if possible. It will make welding 3/16 and 1/4" metal so much easier with less prep time. The smaller 110v welders bring the suck execpt if you are doing sheet metal. The 220v MIGs can do thin gauge sheet metal if you put the proper size wire in them. I have used both Miller, Lincoln, Hobart, and Esab welders and don't really think one is better than another for home use. I really liked the Esab for full out professional shop fab work followed by the miller and then the Lincoln. There was nothing wrong with the Hobart, I just liked the controls better on the other machines. In my own garage, I have an old school Miller 175 and it does Jeep fab work just fine. AARON

Does it not come with a joint? What side are the threads in the bar? Check into that, then look at what heim will thread into it. AARON

I need some rear fenders. Anybody have ideas on where to get some similar to this: http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/attachme ... 1185907094 I tubed out the rear of mine and need to cover the tires. I sent a message to Longfield on Pirate but havnt gotten a response and its been a while. Thanks AARON

My MJ had terrable rust in the bedsides as well as the floor was pretty beaten and trashed so I thought this was the best answer.... :D AARON

Why is it that the older blocks are better? When I built my stroker several years back I was under the impression that you wanted a block from a 96 or newer because there was added material to help with NVH (noise viberation, harshness) and also the 96+ blocks came with a main cap girdle. http://www.angelfire.com/my/fan/selection.html AARON

I have built several 4.0L motors and stroked variations over the years as well as driven a couple into the ground and not a single one had oiling issues. If anything the last stroker motor I had ran high oil pressure but that was partially due to oil weight and the high volume pump. Do a leak down test to check the cylinders and if they are all with in 10% of each other, do a tune up and keep driving it. Then when it finally dies replace it with a rebuilt 4.0L and start again.

Its good practice to check them after every other trip for safety and minimize breakage regardless if its trail only or DD. Before and after a long weekend offroad or a hard day I check all the bolts on my rig cause I have had several bolts work themselvs loose on the suspension even though they where torqued to proper spec. Off the top of my head I think 9/16 U bolts for a Ford 8.8 are torqued to 80ftlbs. Thats what I used to do at work and havnt had one come back thats failed due to improper torque. AARON

If you have a vacume disconnect front end check that the vacume lines didnt come off or you might have popped something in the front end as well. If your 231 is trashed, I have a 91 NP 231 from my XJ that has been rebuilt with all new bearings, seals, and chain with a JB Conversions HD SYE with 20k miles on it. I got a Stak 3 speed so I'm looking to sell this case. PM me if interested. AARON

Thanks guys. I forgot about Rockauto. Does that include the cable as well as the sheeth? I kinda had to cut that as well. Thanks again, AARON

The E brake cable that runs inside the cab in my MJ is shot and I had to cut it appart to remove it. Anybody got a good source for getting a new one? I figured I would ask here since I didnt see anything in doing a quick search and I don't like going to the dealership since they always charge crazy high prices. Anybody make the XJ style e brake assembly work? Saw a post on that but didnt see any details. Thanks, AARON

The jig came from DD Machine. They have the bar and pucks, then you buy the bar and what ever pucks you need. The shop I work at got the bar and a few basic pucks, but once we had the bar, it was just easier to have our local machine shop make the other pucks we needed since it was cheaper and faster to get them made instead of ordering new ones. The housing and third are from an older Ford F-150. Its a big bearing 3rd so it should be able to hold the power from the stroker and keep the 35s spinning. I wish I had the cash for a True Hi9 but thats not going to happen any time soon. The reason I didnt go full float is because I would have had to buy new brakes which would have cost me somewhere around $500 for the full float spindles, hubs, rotors, calipers, and also the parking brake. The housing ends I got are for a set 20 bearing but also have the same backing plate pattern as the Ford 8.8. That means I can reuse the brakes from my busted 8.8 and save a pile of cash. If I have problems with breakage, I can always throw in a set of 35 spline shafts and call it done. I have a friend running 35 spline alloys and a spool in the same housing I used and he has had no issues with the housing or shafts in 3 years with the axle holding up to a LS1, 39" red label krawlers, and a lead foot. AARON

Once the alignment bar is in place with the pucks installed double check that everything is as it should be and everything measures out as it should then tack weld the bearing cup to the housing. Its a good idea to chamfer the edges of the housing and the bearing cup so you have a V to fill when you weld the cups to the housing. After tack welding the cups on, measure again to be sure everything is spot on, then burn it in. Now here is a shortened Ford 9" axle housing with a centered pinion thats 61" wide that will be a perfect fit for my Truggy project :D AARON

Next its time to install the alignment pucks in the center section. They bolt in place of the carrier bearings in the 3rd member. Remember to grease the picks and bar so everything will still be able to slide after it gets hot. Then put the 3rd member in the housing and slide the alignment bar in. Next slide on the outer axle bearing cups on with the axle bearing puck installed. don't forget to grease this as well. You don't want the pucks sticking to the bar or bearing cups. I am using Strange Engineering set 20 bearings cups with the same flange pattern as the Ford 8.8 caliper brackets so I can reuse the brakes from my old axle Thats smart thinking if I do say so myself AARON

So after the ring gear bolts backed out/ sheared off as well as the ARB blowing up in my Ford 8.8 I decided it was time to build something bigger/stronger like a Ford 9" but it was the wrong width. So that means its time to start cutting! First determine the axle centerline. Choose a width you want the axle to be. I decided on 61wms to wms to match my front HP44. I also centered the pinion so I cut down 1" on the passenger side and 3" on the driver side. This puts the pinion pretty close to center as well as gave me the desired width. Remember to measure twice cut once! AARON

The Jeep is NAKED! :D Stripped the frame rails of EVERYTHING in preperation for some additional bracing, then the drivetrain is going back in. Notice there is nothing remaining of the factory mounts. The new suspension will start next weekend. AARON

Get a mechanical oil pressure gauge and hook it up in the same spot as the factory sending unit was at. Then run the engine and check the mechanical gauge to get real time accurate pressure numbers. You don't want the pressure over 60psi otherwise the distributor gear and cam gear will wear out rather quickly. Get a real gauge, check, then decide on what to do. The cheap option is to change the weight of oil, other option is to drop the pan and replace the pump. I have had very good luck the products that Hesco sells, including the oil pump which has been checked and flows at the proper volume and pressure. It is expensive but having built a lot of Jeep motors and some of which didnt last, I learned you get what you pay for in regards to motor building. AARON

Depending on how high its lifted, you can get away with 4 or 5 degrees of caster. I have found that less caster works better on Jeeps with bigger tires and lifts. 7 works great for stock, 6 or so for 3 to 4" of lift with 33s, then 5 degrees for 35s and 5"+ of lift. This is just what I have found in my dealings with lifted Jeeps, your results may vary :) AARON

If its able to pass a safety inspection and is lisenced the officers can go @#$% themselves. That seriously pisses me off! Honestly how many officers know what is safe or unsafe? Do they have the knowledge to determine a safe vehicle and if its with in the law? What makes my Jeep any less safe than the dumb blond who doesnt have proper air pressure in the tires and is running down the road with worn out shocks and a bad alignment? Rant off. I forgot my camera at the shop so pics will come tomorrow night. Got the steering box back on with some C-rok plates as well as capped the rear frame rails where I cut the Jeep in half. Its been super hot, 95+ degree weather, which makes working all that slower. Tomorrow will be spent stripping the axles of brackets, installing the front bumper, and stripping the old suspension so I can start on my new suspension :D AARON

Hey 87, where in Ohio are you at? I will be up in Cincinnati first week of September. Do you know of any local Ohio offroad forums? I havent really gotten to searching yet. Also got any other heads up as far as vehicle legal codes go? I figured If I can get it to pass here in NC with inspection it should be alright there, I hope. I finished the rockers the other day, just need to get a new light in the shop since the current one burned out so I can get some good pics. Look for some tomorrow evening. AARON

I don't see any issues with the truggy being legal. It will have lights, fenders, and will be with in vehicle codes. I guess it will all come down to if the inspection shop wants to be a fool or not. But even if its not quite with in legality, I have connections :) As for the V-8 and doubler, thats why I have the stroker motor. It puts out MORE than enough power to break parts. See the pic of my Ford 8.8 below. Notice the ring gear bolt hanging out next to the ARB copper line and bearing cap. And the Stak 3 speed will handle doubling duties :D Linking was in the plan from the start. I have learned a lot from the previous 2 Cherokees I had and will be building the Comanche from what I learned in building them in addition to what you guys have done. Should last me at least 3 years (it better since I will be Broke in grad school during that time) 8) AARON

I got a driveshaft out of a 6 cylinder manual, NP231, and Dana 35. The t-case has a JB conversions heavy duty SYE on it. I can check the length on the shaft tomorrow. Any takers? AARON