alek Posted March 2, 2010 Share Posted March 2, 2010 so i might buy a chrysler 8.25 tomorrow, and am wondering if i am going to run into any problems swapping it in, or is it a direct bolt in? i plan on leaving it SOA and getting the lift out of it. but is there anything i need to plan ahead for? thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted March 2, 2010 Share Posted March 2, 2010 Perches will still need to be moved (and possibly rotated to the proper angle). :thumbsup: Have you decided which 5-6" lift you're going with up front? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alek Posted March 2, 2010 Author Share Posted March 2, 2010 Perches will still need to be moved (and possibly rotated to the proper angle). :thumbsup: Have you decided which 5-6" lift you're going with up front? ah dang it.. thank you sir.. and not exactly. i will be picking up some 4.5 springs, and some spacers, and I'm not sure if I'm going to do drop brackets or long arms yet. i had long arms on my xj and loved them.. I'm wondering if anyone has done the rough country long arms on an mj? i know they make one for the xj but am wondering if its a direct bolt in for the mj as well or if there are some mods needed.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
offroader461 Posted March 2, 2010 Share Posted March 2, 2010 Yea if i read that right you plan on leaving the SOA and adding the 4.5 in springs? if so that is ridiculous b/c you will have about 10" of lift...either keep it SUA and put the springs in or sell them and just use your stock packs and SOA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alek Posted March 2, 2010 Author Share Posted March 2, 2010 negative ghostrider.. 4.5 coils up front and some coil spacers to level it out lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alek Posted March 5, 2010 Author Share Posted March 5, 2010 does anyone have a good write-up for doing this? some good pics maybe? i have a d35 right now, if i swap in a d44 am i gonna have to get a different driveshaft or will the one under there work? its a 2wd if that makes any difference thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comanche09 Posted March 5, 2010 Share Posted March 5, 2010 I swapped in my 8.25 a couple weeks ago. I had to get my driveshaft cut down 1" going from D35 to 8.25 (the yoke was hard up against the trans), but I am at stock height SUA, you may not have to get it shortened if you are going SOA. I mounted mopar spring perches on the 8.25 using the same angle the D35 had (I left the XJ perches on the axle) When I was through the XJ perches were very close to the same angle. I recommend buying 2000 2wd Dakota U-bolts, they fit the 8.25 and are 1 inch longer than the originals. As a plus, they are formed at the bottom of the "U" to conform better to the axle tube. Get a '95 Dakota 4x4 rear brake hose, it is plenty long but you may have to open the mounting bracket hole a bit where it mounts under the bed. The e-brake cables swapped right over to the 8.25 drums. (What a PITA though...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88pioneer Posted March 5, 2010 Share Posted March 5, 2010 cherokee perces sit too far in and will put the leaves under stress Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comanche09 Posted March 5, 2010 Share Posted March 5, 2010 cherokee perces sit too far in and will put the leaves under stress Correct. I was refering to pinion angle, not perch spacing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alek Posted March 9, 2010 Author Share Posted March 9, 2010 i am probably going to end up going with a d44 and spring over axle.. my mj is a 91 2wd.. do you think I'm going to have to get a different length drive shaft? thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted March 9, 2010 Share Posted March 9, 2010 The dana 44 and the lift should balance each other out pretty well. :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hubbell Posted March 9, 2010 Share Posted March 9, 2010 I just finished a rough country long arm kit on my 87 mj last weekend. The install is almost identical to an xj. You will have to cut the lower control arm brackets off and notch the cab support. The only other glitches I ran into was one of the factory holes for the new cross member had the provisions for a bolt but was untapped and the instructions didn't state that the old bracket that helped hold the old crossmember on will need to be unbolted and removed before installing the new crossmember. As far as the back went I am lucky to have the summit racing wherehouse here in town. So I picked up spring perches and u-bolts from them for around 30-35 bucks. They didn't carry spring plates though so I cut a set out of pick n pull for 12$. For shock mounts, I made my own out of some 2"x2" tube I had. The parking cables did not reach in the factory position? I just built a drop bracket for the whole assembly. My driveshaft worked out good with 8.25 no adjustments needed. I think overall the RC kit is well worth the money the truck still rides as good as before the only suggestion is don't cheap out on shocks I am sure this will be an upgrade for me in the not to distant future. Also found a huge decrease in power running 33" tires so an HO swap is now on the list. Hope my little bit of info help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asm4mcc Posted March 9, 2010 Share Posted March 9, 2010 instead ff swaping an h/o just gear it its not like you loss the power its still there you jus need to gear to get that power to the tires Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alek Posted March 9, 2010 Author Share Posted March 9, 2010 awesome thanks for the advice guys! i ended up buying some rocky outfitters drop brackets, 4.5 or so coils, and just picked up some lower control arms.. slowly piecing together a lift.. now pretty much all i need are uppers, a d44, and rear shocks.. i pulled some rancho shocks from the jy a bit ago for the front.. oh, and obviously tires lol thanks guys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSimon Posted March 9, 2010 Share Posted March 9, 2010 I did a SOA with an 8.25. It wasn't that hard. Start by cutting the spring perches and shock mounts off the axle. Buy new perches (longer than stock) and shock mount tabs from Mountain Offroad (M.O.R.E.). Put the truck on stands, slide the axle underneath on a floor jack, play with it until you have the right pinion, tack on the perches. Pull it out, burn in the perches. Burn on the shock tabs so they don't stick down below the axle. I got about 5" of lift. No need to mess with the driveshaft, the lift will compensate for the larger yoke and everything will fit nicely. As a matter of fact, this axle is coming out in a few weeks. I'd sell it for $100 if you come pick it up in Downigntown, PA. Open carrier 3.55s. New brakes and hardware. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TooTall Posted March 9, 2010 Share Posted March 9, 2010 hey why get rid of 8.8 axle? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alek Posted March 10, 2010 Author Share Posted March 10, 2010 i would definitely pick that up off you if i were close! but thanks for the tips.. I'm lookin for a d44 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comanchedude Posted March 11, 2010 Share Posted March 11, 2010 I just finished a rough country long arm kit on my 87 mj last weekend. instructions didn't state that the old bracket that helped hold the old crossmember on will need to be unbolted and removed before installing the new crossmember. The bracket does not need to be removed, I installed same system and the bracket was not an issue and was not removed. The reason they did not have this in the instructions as well as the cab support notching is because the instructions are for a XJ and those items don't exist on the XJ. RC didn’t test the kit on the MJ. I agree this system is and outstanding part and is the price performance leader in the long arm system arena. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Go4Lo Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 I did a SOA with an 8.25. It wasn't that hard. Start by cutting the spring perches and shock mounts off the axle. Buy new perches (longer than stock) and shock mount tabs from Mountain Offroad (M.O.R.E.). Put the truck on stands, slide the axle underneath on a floor jack, play with it until you have the right pinion, tack on the perches. Pull it out, burn in the perches. Burn on the shock tabs so they don't stick down below the axle. I got about 5" of lift. No need to mess with the driveshaft, the lift will compensate for the larger yoke and everything will fit nicely. As a matter of fact, this axle is coming out in a few weeks. I'd sell it for $100 if you come pick it up in Downigntown, PA. Open carrier 3.55s. New brakes and hardware. Did the rear upper shock mount location change on the MJs at some point? My '90 MJ's upper shock mounts are between the X member in the back resulting in the shocks mounting to the backside of the axle tubes. I noticed your's were on the front side? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvusse Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 On the lwb the shocks mount in front of the axle, swb the shocks mount behind, and Cherokees are 1 shock in front, 1 shock behind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Go4Lo Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 On the lwb the shocks mount in front of the axle, swb the shocks mount behind, and Cherokees are 1 shock in front, 1 shock behind. That makes sense. I didn't realize shocks were in a different location on the LWB MJs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
one_bad_MJ Posted March 13, 2010 Share Posted March 13, 2010 Perches will still need to be moved (and possibly rotated to the proper angle). :thumbsup: Have you decided which 5-6" lift you're going with up front? ah dang it.. thank you sir.. and not exactly. i will be picking up some 4.5 springs, and some spacers, and I'm not sure if I'm going to do drop brackets or long arms yet. i had long arms on my xj and loved them.. I'm wondering if anyone has done the rough country long arms on an mj? i know they make one for the xj but am wondering if its a direct bolt in for the mj as well or if there are some mods needed.. my MJ has drop brackets and its rides like a Cadillac my 89 XJ was longer LCA's and it was stiff like my samurai was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted March 13, 2010 Share Posted March 13, 2010 spring rate and shock valving are huge contributors to ride quality too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvusse Posted March 13, 2010 Share Posted March 13, 2010 My MJ front suspension and sits 6.25" higher than stock adjustable short arms with shocks meant for a compact car. It rides like a Cadillac. My XJ front suspension is stock with Skyjacker 7000 series shocks and it rides like a 3/4 ton pickup truck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alek Posted March 16, 2010 Author Share Posted March 16, 2010 thanks for all the replies guys, as it turns out I'm gonna store the drop brackets away and go with a 3 inch lift and 31's for now till its more practical for me to go higher.. I'm wondering if there is a cheap way to lift the back about 3" until i can afford ful leaf packs? it seems like the only way is to buy an add a leaf? any tricks out there for a 3" BB out back? thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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