Alexia's 1987 To 1997 Comanche

[HOrnbrod]

It is really easy to see where the straps were smacking into the yoke on the drive shaft. Those yoke ears are big!

 

Thanks for posting the pics. Those ears are big. I didn't know you had fitted an alloy drive shaft? Must have missed that in your build threads. By the way it's machined, the drive shaft yoke looks like it doesn't allow too severe of a pinion operating angle.

[Alexia]

 

 

It is really easy to see where the straps were smacking into the yoke on the drive shaft. Those yoke ears are big!

 

Thanks for posting the pics. Those ears are big. I didn't know you had fitted an alloy drive shaft? Must have missed that in your build threads. By the way it's machined, the drive shaft yoke looks like it doesn't allow too severe of a pinion operating angle.

 

 

Zebvance on here sold it to me for cheap. It was not working out for him at a higher lift height and I thought I could make it work. I have mostly made it work, but I suspect it is still lightly touching while coasting. Currently it is running at 11º at the pinion yoke and 12º at the transfer case yoke. There is a light rattling sort of noise when coasting that sounds to be from the transfer case chain. My plan is to rebuild my LJ's spare NP231 with a SYE and get an appropriate steel drive shaft made for it. That will be a few months though.

[MancheKid86]

keep up the good work,

get the correct part before ur driveshaft fails, the aluminum will not hold up to iron/ steel,

and the more times it gets bashed, the weaker it will get

[HOrnbrod]

Zebvance on here sold it to me for cheap. It was not working out for him at a higher lift height and I thought I could make it work. I have mostly made it work, but I suspect it is still lightly touching while coasting. Currently it is running at 11º at the pinion yoke and 12º at the transfer case yoke. There is a light rattling sort of noise when coasting that sounds to be from the transfer case chain. My plan is to rebuild my LJ's spare NP231 with a SYE and get an appropriate steel drive shaft made for it. That will be a few months though.

 

Yes, I remember that shaft. I considered it but it was too short for moi. Coasting is when the pinion angle gets most severe, so the rattling noise makes sense. Just keep your foot in it at all times.  :yes:  

 

Of course you can't do that, but the leaf clamps should keep the pinion droop in check until you get your new steel shaft built. I'm a fan of alloy drive shafts though.

[Geonovast]

I'm a fan of alloy drive shafts though.

 

Yours is chromed, isn't it?

[HOrnbrod]

:yes:   No, not yet. I'm pricing out a polished aluminum shaft though from PST. 

[H3RESQ]

That's funny, The first thing I did when I finished my Aluminum links was have them powder coated black. All that $ for a polished shaft (hehe) will go to waste after a couple times offroad, and you will have to be under there polishing it by hand with FLITZ. Polished alum and chrowe is for hot rods only. Just my opinion of course. (all that said I just put polished alum centerlines on my MJ today.

:yes:   No, not yet. I'm pricing out a polished aluminum shaft though from PST. 

[mvusse]

My steel shaft was painted black. After this it looked like brushed steel.

 

[HOrnbrod]

That's funny, The first thing I did when I finished my Aluminum links was have them powder coated black. All that $ for a polished shaft (hehe) will go to waste after a couple times offroad, and you will have to be under there polishing it by hand with FLITZ. Polished alum and chrowe is for hot rods only. Just my opinion of course. (all that said I just put polished alum centerlines on my MJ today.

 

That's what I like, MJ hotrods. With lots of chrome and polish. To each his own. If I go offroad it's on two wheels.

 

My steel shaft was painted black. After this it looked like brushed steel.

 

Although polishing your shaft like that does look like a whole lot of fun.

[Alexia]

I never plan to have this MJ off the road especially since I will be painting it nicely. That is why I use my LJ for going off road!

 

All this talk about polishing shafts is making me hungry.

[HOrnbrod]

I never plan to have this MJ off the road especially since I will be painting it nicely. That is why I use my LJ for going off road!

 

All this talk about polishing shafts is making me hungry.

 

:rotfl2:

[H3RESQ]

:rotfl2:   

 

separate note: I guess I don't understand lifting, building, a 4x4 if its just for the street (that's what cars are for). Like hornbrod said, "to each there own".

I never plan to have this MJ off the road especially since I will be painting it nicely. That is why I use my LJ for going off road!

All this talk about polishing shafts is making me hungry.

[Alexia]

:rotfl2:   

 

separate note: I guess I don't understand lifting, building, a 4x4 if its just for the street (that's what cars are for). Like hornbrod said, "to each there own".

I never plan to have this MJ off the road especially since I will be painting it nicely. That is why I use my LJ for going off road!

 

All this talk about polishing shafts is making me hungry.

 

 

It is still a truck. I was striving to not put anything in the bed, but the fuel cell killed some space. I have several construction related projects planned and having my own truck will make it easy.

[reson46]

I added another 1.5 quarts of ATF+4 to the transmission since it took two trips up and down the street to get it fully circulated and drop the level down below the "OK" mark.

 

It looks like you have an AW4 transmission?  If so ATF+4 is the wrong fluid.  It uses Mercon/Dexron.

 

Willy

[Alexia]

 

 

I added another 1.5 quarts of ATF+4 to the transmission since it took two trips up and down the street to get it fully circulated and drop the level down below the "OK" mark.

 

It looks like you have an AW4 transmission?  If so ATF+4 is the wrong fluid.  It uses Mercon/Dexron.

 

Willy

 

 

It will use whatever I put in it and like it! :D

 

ATF+4 is fine in the AW4 as long it is not being mixed with Dexron. It has to be one or the other to be technically correct. The problem with the transmission I installed is that it has an unknown history over its 220,000+ miles and likely already has a mixture of Dexron and ATF+4. I used the Chrysler approved Valvoline ATF+4 to do the 4.5 quart service fill which is pushing it more towards being a majority of ATF+4. Meanwhile over the next few years I will be sourcing another AW4 to build up with the best clutch packs and a modified valve body.

 

I say the next few years since this high mileage AW4 is still very strong and does not slip.

[Alexia]

This 12º low clearance slip yoke will not do.

 

The stock XJ slip yoke binds at 30º. I swapped it to the MJ shaft with the big aluminum ears to get 20º before it binds.

 

This how u-joints are removed from aluminum yokes. They have be cut out since the width of the yoke is too small to press the caps out.

 

Leaking axle shaft seal. It was so loose that it wobbled in the hole. Dropped it off this morning and reinstalled before the sun set.

 

I actually put these on two weeks ago. The brackets are from Zone Offroad and work perfectly for high clearance with the correct angle for the shocks to not bind when articulating. The shocks are Bilstein 33-066868 meant for a XJ with a 4" lift. About 5" up travel and 4" down travel.

[reson46]

This how u-joints are removed from aluminum yokes. They have be cut out since the width of the yoke is too small to press the caps out.

 

 

Then how are they installed in the first place?   :hmm:

 

Willy

[Alexia]

Then how are they installed in the first place?   :hmm:

 

Willy

The same way they are installed on steel yokes. Yoke in, caps from the outside. When pressing the u-joint out from an aluminum yoke it only pushes the cap out the side about 25%. This is not enough to really grip it with vice grips to wiggle it out the rest of the way.

[RockinMJ]

updates ? We do need to meet up. I really want to see this beast in person.

[Alexia]

I have been gone the entire past week! :D I did hit 500 miles in it so it is in the garage until I change the fluids. Most of my computers are broken or busted in some way so I am diverting funds towards building a new computer.

[johnj92131]

15K?  Just remember a GF would cost you a whole lot more than than that.  And never be exactly what you wanted either!!!  (They have lots of wonderful parts and pieces, but their heads allways need lots of work and I never seem to get them right). :doh:   Don't think the "most interesting man in the world" does either. :brows:

 

 

Either the original Grenadine Red done professionally or matte color done myself. Doing it myself in matte is about 10% of the cost which is what I am leaning towards. I already spent about $15,000 on this project.

[Alexia]

Found a decent shifter with no burn marks that was nasty dirty and the sliders would jam. The pieces can be slid out to clean them thoroughly.

 

I was driving around with out a shifter handle. Much better now!

 

My rare find! RockinMJ was asking me about proportioning valves and I said I would go to the junk yard to grab him the correct one for his conversion. That led me to scoring a set of rare 1997 only AB model cruise control switches I needed on a Jeep that just arrived in the yard. They came from the same Jeep as the shifter bezel. I cleaned up the switch portion and swapped nice button plates from a pristine pair of switches. Cruise control turns on now, but still does not work due to a vacuum leak.

[Rymanrph]

I didn't realize that the cruise control switches were unique in 1997.  My donor was a '97 and one of the switches broke when the air bag blew.  I replaced it from another vehicle, but I don't remember checking to see if it was a '97 or not.

[Alexia]

I didn't realize that the cruise control switches were unique in 1997.  My donor was a '97 and one of the switches broke when the air bag blew.  I replaced it from another vehicle, but I don't remember checking to see if it was a '97 or not.

Yep, the part numbers end in AB, AC, and AD. 1997 is AB, 1998 is AC, and 1999-2001 is AD. AD is plentiful and has aftermarket replacements. AC I can seem to find all the time on eBay and junk yard. The differences between all of them are the resistances the switches use.

[RockinMJ]

Thanks Alex very awesome of you. Glad you found your parts you needed.