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A few XJ to MJ inquiries

The_Slow_Norris
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The_Slow_Norris Comanche Fan

The_Slow_Norris

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I decided to keep my MJ and get rid of the CJ5 (a matter of space)... I have a couple of questions for those that might be in the know...

 

-Rusty's sells MJ besides (fiberglass)... Of the two orders I placed with Rusty's they have screwed up three items and one of the full leaf packs I put on my XJ sagged hardcore after one month on the truck... ANybody know about these bedsides? Is it worth a shot? ANy other place anyone might recommend?

 

-I know that MJs and XJs are pretty much identical from the cab up, but could one put the new style XJ doors on my 89 MJ? (Really just looking for the newer interior panels... How about Huskey Floor liners?

 

-How hard is it to put the newer style XJ front fascia on? There is a dude here in SLC I have seen driving around with one. It looks pretty cool. Definitly unique.

 

-Anyone know any good write-ups on the open cooling system mod? The closed is doing fine now, but when it goes I think I would like to swap it.

 

-How high can one lift an MJ before having to put on a SYE or longer driveline?

 

-Rocky-Road Outfitters has a SOA 5" or 6" kit, and Rusty's has a 4.5" (with full leaf packs) kit, any other kits out there? (I already mentioned my reservations about Rusty's)

Thanks for any input folks... :)

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The_Slow_Norris Comanche Fan

The_Slow_Norris

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I decided to keep my MJ and get rid of the CJ5 (a matter of space)... I have a couple of questions for those that might be in the know...

 

-Rusty's sells MJ besides (fiberglass)... Of the two orders I placed with Rusty's they have screwed up three items and one of the full leaf packs I put on my XJ sagged hardcore after one month on the truck... ANybody know about these bedsides? Is it worth a shot? ANy other place anyone might recommend?

 

-I know that MJs and XJs are pretty much identical from the cab up, but could one put the new style XJ doors on my 89 MJ? (Really just looking for the newer interior panels... How about Huskey Floor liners?

 

-How hard is it to put the newer style XJ front fascia on? There is a dude here in SLC I have seen driving around with one. It looks pretty cool. Definitly unique.

 

-Anyone know any good write-ups on the open cooling system mod? The closed is doing fine now, but when it goes I think I would like to swap it.

 

-How high can one lift an MJ before having to put on a SYE or longer driveline?

 

-Rocky-Road Outfitters has a SOA 5" or 6" kit, and Rusty's has a 4.5" (with full leaf packs) kit, any other kits out there? (I already mentioned my reservations about Rusty's)

Thanks for any input folks... :)

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BLHTAZ MJ Maniac

BLHTAZ

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-You are well served by your reservations about Rusty's. I hear almost nothing but complaints about them just like yours :shake:

-Search through the DIY forum as there are at least a couple write-ups in there on the cooling system change.

-The front end conversion is not difficult, but is best done with doors, header panel & fenders for the best matching look.

-The Rocky Road kit has been discussed on here at least twice in just the last week. It is not near a complete kit and you would be much better off to go with someone like Motion Offroad or Hell Creek Suspensions to get a complete kit.

-OH, and yes, you should be OK on the driveline up to about 5-6"...but, nothing is guaranateed as every vehicle reacts differently to lift.

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BLHTAZ MJ Maniac

BLHTAZ

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-You are well served by your reservations about Rusty's. I hear almost nothing but complaints about them just like yours :shake:

-Search through the DIY forum as there are at least a couple write-ups in there on the cooling system change.

-The front end conversion is not difficult, but is best done with doors, header panel & fenders for the best matching look.

-The Rocky Road kit has been discussed on here at least twice in just the last week. It is not near a complete kit and you would be much better off to go with someone like Motion Offroad or Hell Creek Suspensions to get a complete kit.

-OH, and yes, you should be OK on the driveline up to about 5-6"...but, nothing is guaranateed as every vehicle reacts differently to lift.

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The_Slow_Norris Comanche Fan

The_Slow_Norris

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I must say that, I never contacted Rusty's on that sag... truth is after about a month I figured I was good. Then shortly after I noticed the sag... It got worse, but it was my daily driver, so I didn't have time to return springs and wait. Not to mention my apartment complex would not have a truck up on jacks for a week.

 

Other Rusty's lameness was the brake hardware I ordered was incomplete and I ordered a shorty header and got a full one. Not bad except I was not prepared for the additional expense it cost me to ding it in off of my tranny and have an inlet welded (I don't weld, though I probably need to learn :D ). Perhaps this isn't really worth complaining about?

 

They still owe me $30 or so store credit.

 

I'll keep the u-joint thing in mind.

 

After digging through the forums, I found the writeups on the cooling s system. I think I'll wait till mine goes south, before I mess with it. I am feeling the urge to lift, roll bar, and some new BFGs...

 

Those fiberglass things look kind of cool, but honestly I think I like stock look suits me better. Maybe the flared front fenders would provide better tire coverage though. The Utah fuzz is well know for picking on things like that. :(

 

I searched up on the lift thing as well. The motion stuff looks pretty good, but pricey compared to Rusty's or Rocky-Road... not sure how much money I want to dump into her. (I had a charging system mishap this summer that has me doubting the wiring pretty bad.) BUT I know often times you get what you pay for...

 

I read the comments on Rocky-Road. It seems everybody I have known that has had OME spring just loves them. What exactly is it about the "pucks" that folk don't like? I have never seen one break or anything. In terms of their SOA setup... I have the D44 that they say requires "modification." That makes me a little nervous... Not to mention the fact that it would seem that to build it right new perches should really be welded on? Thoughts?

 

I don't weld, but I would rather have a more modest lift, done right, with what I can do, than something that is going to be failure prone. This MJ may be my daily driver for sometime (after the CJ5 bled me :D )

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BLHTAZ MJ Maniac

BLHTAZ

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Good luck with that (Rusty's)... :shake:

 

-No, you should not need to lower the t-case, but you may have to lengthen the rear driveshaft a little.

-Yes, you need LCA's...and in my opinion, you need UCA's as well. I just looked at the pasrts list for the Rusty's kit and it says that the LCA's are included so you would just need UCA's to complete it.

 

The stock control arms are junk. They do OK for a stock truck, but with the added stress of a lift they are not trustworthy in my experience.

 

OME springs are great, but they don't make any for larger lifts. The spacers they use are simply to give lift and look...but, they will fall out with any decent amount of articulation. If you are not going to use it severely offraod, then you shold be OK...it's just not the "right" way to do things ;) .

 

The modification that appears to be needed is welding on the new spring perches and shock mounts from what I see.

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500 MJ MJ Maniac

500 MJ

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If you are careful enough, with lots of patience you can actually cut the spring perches off of the D44 and reuse them. I cut them most of the way, then pryed and hammered them off the rest of the way. They are beefy suckers and I had no reservations about rewelding them back on the tube.

 

As for the shock mounts. I just hacked them off and used the stock MJ ones...

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reson46 MJ Junkie

reson46

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By the way, say the current economic conditions has me going with Rusty's kit...

 

Seriously? :doh: That is a reason not to buy anything from Rusty's, not justification for buying Rusty's. You will end up spending more replacing Rusty's crap than if you just bought a quality kit in the first place. You even have personally experienced their crappy quality. If you want to save money, buy a quality product. If you like to waste your money on something that will need to be replaced, buy Rusty's. :hmm:

 

Willy

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ComancheKid45 MJ Maniac

ComancheKid45

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I installed a Motion Offroad Budget boost back in June.....Fairly simple and nothing your and your friends can't complete in an afternoon. I don't do much "wheeling" so 2 speak but for the occasional offroad trek itll work great and On road handling isnt sacrificed 1 bit :thumbsup:

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The_Slow_Norris Comanche Fan

The_Slow_Norris

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Ok... Ok... Point taken on the Rusty's thing. After the verbal whipping, I landed back in the real world and remember just how bummed and sort of pissed I was when I dealt with them before. Thanks for the reality check.

 

My MJ already has some sort of lift on it as it is running 31x10.5s... front coils are red, though I'm not sure that says anything. I don't really have any spec as to what the stock fender to hub length should be?

 

In any case. I think a something around a 5" lift and 33s sounds juicy enough for wheeling, while not totally killing it as a DD.

 

Honestly, I think I'll work on acquiring doors and bedsides, and do some body work before the lift... I can easily get a more than a few good miles off the Coopers that are on it.

 

Right now, here in Utah, it is just damned cold anyway, I have no heated workspace, and they are calling for a high of 18 degrees (low of 2 degrees) this weekend, so I have some time to digest all my plans.

 

Thanks for all the advice. :thumbsup:

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MiNi Beast Obsessive Comanche Disorder

MiNi Beast

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coils are most likely Skyjacker. you maybe have like a 3in lift with 31's.

 

We all mostly are cold right now weather is goofy period, but good luck with your build and stay around we all like pics and love to help and give opinions, (especially jtdesigns, gotta watch him :rotf: )

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reson46 MJ Junkie

reson46

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Ok... Ok... Point taken on the Rusty's thing. After the verbal whipping, I landed back in the real world and remember just how bummed and sort of pissed I was when I dealt with them before. Thanks for the reality check.

 

Good choice and good luck with your plans. :thumbsup:

 

Willy

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BLHTAZ MJ Maniac

BLHTAZ

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I am looking into the motion offroad budget boost myself and wanted to know if it levels out with the install. I have a slight rake now (lower in front) and want the truck to sit level. :wavey:

 

:USAflag:

The only way that it would come close to leveling it would be to use only the spacers in the front and leave the rear alone. If you add the shackles to lift the rear as well, you are just going to have the same rake, but 1.5" taller ;)
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