Couple Questions (Easy, I Promise)

[ftpiercecracker1]

Question: #1

 

A while back i decided to upgrade to a ZJ sway bar. Recently i had to replace the bushings and discovered that there are a lot more than just one size. I used a caliper to measure the one that i had, expecting it to be a 28mm, much to my surprise it was not. It was just shy of 26mm (25.8mm) sooo i ended up getting two sets of bushings 1" and 26mm to see which one would work best. 26mm where a perfect fit.

 

Out of curiosity i went to the junkyard and looked to see if i could find an actual 28mm, out of the 25 ZJs i checked (with a caliper) not a single one had a 28mm. Several were V8s, tons were 4wd, and some were higher trim packages, but NONE had a 28mm sway bar.

 

Is it my misunderstanding or is there actually a 28mm sway bar and i just havent found it yet?

 

 

 

 

Question: #2

 

The u-joints in the shaft that connects the steering wheel to the box (i call it a steering shaft) are utterly shot. I am not about to fork over the 150 bucks they want for a new one so i am going to snag a "gently" used one out of the JY tomorrow. Is there a better/updated version that i should look for? I know the steering shaft on certain year XJs actually telescopes, which would be awesome, but i don't know if it is compatible.

 

 

 

 

Question: #3

 

I like to play in creeks a lot but i am getting sick and tired of the 2-3in of water that accumulates in the floorboards every time. How, if even possible, can i water proof the cab to minimize water entry? Without, permanently sealing the doors shut mind you.

 

 

 

Case in point, V this guy V       How in the heck can he do this without being in water up to his waist?

 

 

 

 

 

FPC,

 

out.

 

 

 

 

[cruiser54]

Many XJ Laredos with the towing package had the 28mm front swaybar.

[Oddmodman]

Being able to do that in water would be  :rock on:  :rock on:  :rock on:

[ftpiercecracker1]

Many XJ Laredos with the towing package had the 28mm front swaybar.

 

 

XJs? I thought ZJs were the only ones with the beef?

[cruiser54]

 

Many XJ Laredos with the towing package had the 28mm front swaybar.

 

 

XJs? I thought ZJs were the only ones with the beef?

 

Ah.. You're thinking sway bar envy. XJs had the big one all along. 

[ftpiercecracker1]

 

 

Many XJ Laredos with the towing package had the 28mm front swaybar.

 

 

XJs? I thought ZJs were the only ones with the beef?

 

Ah.. You're thinking sway bar envy. XJs had the big one all along. 

 

 

 

So, Laredo XJs w/ towing package are the only ones to consistently come with the 28mm? No ZJs at all? and if i envy anything, its that dang ole WJ sway bar, 35mm!? :eek: 

[cruiser54]

I don't know about ZJs. I have seen the Laredo XJs with 28 mm front bars along with Limiteds. 

[gogmorgo]

For waterproofing, you need to start with really good door seals. I hear the '97+ XJ seals are better than the '96-. but you'll have to do your own research on that. Coating them with some kind of grease helps, but is messy. Next thing to do is fix every single rust hole and seal the floorpan drains semi-permanently, as well as every single hole in the firewall and floor (including the shifter holes, parking brake, etc). Spraying in a rubberized bed liner or similar will help to seal up any gaps between spot welds. Your Jeep will now float and paddle helplessly at the water instead of sinking to the bottom and gaining traction.

 

Keep in mind that nothing in the engine bay will much like that much water. The starter and alternator in particular are pretty sensitive (and mounted pretty low from the factory). Sealing the distributor cap (ring of rtv/silicone around the base) and dielectric grease in every single connector, including the spark plug and coil wire boots. It's best to have some way to shut off your rad fan so you don't splash water around or break it by stirring the water too quickly... not a bad idea to swap in electric fans with a disconnect relay/switch. Install a snorkel and make sure your entire air intake is sealed. Hydrolocking is highly over-rated, and the water in that pic is barely a couple inches below the stock intake.

 

As far as sway bars go, I'll be watching this thread. I just managed to snap the ends off both my sway bar end links, and was planning on picking up a V8 ZJ front bar and links as my current sway bar was bent and worn out. It's a couple days before I can make it out to a wrecker though, but given that I'm moving all my stuff between provinces with my MJ within the next week, a functioning anti-roll bar is a must.

[HOrnbrod]

I don't know about ZJs. I have seen the Laredo XJs with 28 mm front bars along with Limiteds. 

 

Yes, the XJs Laredo (and Up Country I think) had the 28mm front bar. The ZJ V8 bars were 26mm max.

[ftpiercecracker1]

For waterproofing, you need to start with really good door seals. I hear the '97+ XJ seals are better than the '96-. but you'll have to do your own research on that. Coating them with some kind of grease helps, but is messy. Next thing to do is fix every single rust hole and seal the floorpan drains semi-permanently, as well as every single hole in the firewall and floor (including the shifter holes, parking brake, etc). Spraying in a rubberized bed liner or similar will help to seal up any gaps between spot welds. Your Jeep will now float and paddle helplessly at the water instead of sinking to the bottom and gaining traction.

 

Keep in mind that nothing in the engine bay will much like that much water. The starter and alternator in particular are pretty sensitive (and mounted pretty low from the factory). Sealing the distributor cap (ring of rtv/silicone around the base) and dielectric grease in every single connector, including the spark plug and coil wire boots. It's best to have some way to shut off your rad fan so you don't splash water around or break it by stirring the water too quickly... not a bad idea to swap in electric fans with a disconnect relay/switch. Install a snorkel and make sure your entire air intake is sealed. Hydrolocking is highly over-rated, and the water in that pic is barely a couple inches below the stock intake.

 

As far as sway bars go, I'll be watching this thread. I just managed to snap the ends off both my sway bar end links, and was planning on picking up a V8 ZJ front bar and links as my current sway bar was bent and worn out. It's a couple days before I can make it out to a wrecker though, but given that I'm moving all my stuff between provinces with my MJ within the next week, a functioning anti-roll bar is a must.

 

 

 

I have no intention of going as deep as that fellow did, floating down the river in the MJ is something i want to avoid. My problem is that water literally starts pouring in as soon as it reaches the rockers. And since my floor boards are new and sealed tight it will sit in there until i scoop/sponge it out.

 

97+ door seals are on my list, i actually went and bought a pair out of a ZJ (supposedly better as well) but never got around to putting them on. Its a hell of a lot of work to swap those suckers out!

 

Without my front skid, just running through a few deep puddles makes my alternator go crazy. Volts drop off into the red, lights dim, all kinds of crap. It eventually returns to normal, but its just annoying as crap.

 

I already have dual 97+ E fans, w/ a cutout switch wired in, so i am set as far as that goes. Definitely a critical modification for doing any kind of water crossings.

 

 

 

Thanks for the tips,

 

FPC

[cruiser54]

Limited XJs with towing package also had the 28mm bar. 

[gogmorgo]

Went and picked up my "new" sway bar and end links today. There were two XJ's at the yard I went to, one with a 23mm bar (I brought calipers) and minty end links, so I grabbed the links. The other was nose down in a pond so I couldn't get to it, but what I could see of the sway bar was pretty beefy looking, though it may just have been an optical illusion as it was under water. It had a hitch on it, but didn't notice if it was Limited or not.

There were also two ZJ's, and both of them had 26mm sway bars, but one was a V8 and the other was a 4.0. I took it off the V8 mostly cause the front end was up off the ground, but also because the front end was pretty minty (pulled the skid plate and sway bar off with a 3/8" ratchet) and the 4.0 was a rusty mess.

It was a flat rate whichever sway bar I got, and I needed a new one anyhow (and somewhat urgently) so that's why I got it. All told I paid $35. I may keep looking for a 28mm bar, but this'll do for now.

[HOrnbrod]

For 35$ you did très bon.  :cheers:   Yes, there is a noticeable difference between the 26mm and 28mm bars, but really not worth the hunt.

[Jeep Driver]

I have the 28mm bar, came off a XJ.

We went to Winston Salem, NC a couple of months ago........I brought tools........wife loves that....lol.......the pickens round here are slim.

 

The WJ has two large bars, the 2004 is solid, 30mm+ or 1 3/16 but will have to be modified. I returned the one I had to the local PnP for credit before I figured out how to modify it and I have since not found another. The other years are larger but  HOLLOW and I would not even bother with it.

[gogmorgo]

For 35$ you did très bon.  :cheers:   Yes, there is a noticeable difference between the 26mm and 28mm bars, but really not worth the hunt.

Come to think of it, I may have done better with that $35 than I should have... the lady behind the counter said $35 for the sway bar, but didn't know what to charge for the end links, so she asked if $5 each sounded right. I kinda shrugged and said "Sure, I guess". And now I'm realizing that $35 + 2*$5 ≠ $35. Oh well. I'll take the "discount" for the time it took me to get the end links off. Looked like someone else tried to get them first and made a mess of it, nearly completely stripping out the torx socket. After dicking around with a t55 bit I just pulled out a hacksaw and cut the head off. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

 

As far as stiffness goes, it increases proportionally to the 4th power of the diameter, so that 2mm of extra diameter translates to something in the neighbourhood of 35% extra stiffness. I won't go too far out of my way for the 28mm, but I'll keep at it.