unidentifiedbomb

When i swapped my tie rod to the V8, I didn't take the wheels off and the measurements didn't change.

Battle

That's what I was trying to do but got dang it, I could not get my two arm tie rod puller in there and the pickle fork I got wasn't doing the job. Oh well.

Took the tire off and got the old bits removed. Pieced together the new, Moog parts and measured the old tie rod to get a good idea of how much adjusting I needed.

V8 ZJ stuff:



Adjusted the toe as best I could using my eye, some string, a straight edge and hope.



Torqued everything down.



Finished. My alignment is pretty much nailed too. Not half bad for my first time trying that on my own. I'll take it to an alignment shop when I get new tires and find out how off I am though but I'm thinking's not much.

Old:



New:



Initial thoughts are good. I was hoping I would notice it more but eh, I know it's stronger and that's what matters. With this and my Treadwrights mounted just for an experiment, I went 80 with no deathwobble at all. Hopefully, I can get some brand new tires for the ravines soon.

I gotta say though, running around town with the lighter sprung weight is nice. I sort of want to either stick with 30s or find the lightest set of 31s I can get.

unidentifiedbomb

Nice job on the swap. I just took the nut and wacked it off with my hammer when I did it, took off the 26yr old tie rod easily. Thinking one day I'll flip it to OTK on the driver's side.

Battle

Not much to update. Knoxville has been hit hard with snow the past week and the Jeep's been a damn work horse. Lots of slush and ice but even with the 30s, she's gotten everywhere. This was my first time dealing with part time 4wd in the snow (former Subaru guy) so it took a bit to get use to flicking it in and out of 4 High but I definitely got the hang of it now. With the locker, I got most places in 2wd and of course, I had to do some hooligan stuff too!

(Only High Res Image I have):



Project status wise - I NEED to wash her. Knoxville panics with snow and grits/salts everything and it's all over the truck. The rocksliders are already starting to get discolored.

I bought a 62 mm throttle body but have yet to install it. Hopefully next weekend.

I'm also shopping for tires. I'm considering going three different routes:

1. Firestone Destination A/Ts

Pros: Cheap, light, quiet, good road manners. These are the tires I'm currently rolling on, albeit 30x9.5x15 take offs from an LJ with about 50 percent tread life. To be perfectly honest, I've been very impressed with them in the snow and the road.

Cons: Not very aggressive for wheeling. I do see these causing problems when I go wheeling which is not as often as I would like but, I feel like I would go more with a more aggressive tire which is a plus.

2. Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac:

Pros: People won't shut up about these. They seem like a nice inbetween for what I want out of the truck - an all rounder Expo build. Reviews say they're quiet and good in the mud and on rocks.

Cons: Expensive. Even with just purchasing them at Discount un mounted/balanced, I'll be spending the most on these. Plus, I've also read horror stories about the sidewalls and how they don't perform well when aired down. They're also kind of heavy which would hurt my on-street performance and fuel mileage (trying to keep sprung weight down with 31s).

3. Mickey Thompson MTZ:

Pros: LOOK AT THEM!!! I know, I know, you're not suppose to buy tires based on looks but the reviews say differently. I like that they're not a dedicated mud terrain but more like a hybrid i.e. Duratrac. These are the most aggressive choice here which would be nice as I'll be helping my dad work on some uninhabited land soon (read making roads/trails). With 4WD Parts discounts and WalMart availability, I can get this for surprisingly cheap too. Specs say they're lighter than Durtracs as well.

Cons: These are probably the least road friendly here. I've dealt with Mud Terrains with street driving before an the noise coupled with poor rain performance makes me hesitant. I'm curious to read more reviews of how these do. I'm also worried about tread life.

Thoughts dudes and dudettes?

Battle

So, I think I've pretty much decided on MTZs unless somebody can provide some other insight.

I also wanted to make a list of things I want before I go wheeling again.

1. New Tires
2. Proper SYE. I'd like to spend less than $300 on this so I'm open to ideas considering how many of them are on the market.
3. New driveshafts. Er, ones that aren't my current ones. I'll make a junkyard run to grab two front driveshafts. Correct me if I'm wrong, but a front XJ shaft works in the rear with a SYE? Plus, I want to replace all my ujoints with Spicers and I think my current front shaft is bad. It makes a god awful racket off throttle - especially at low rpms.

Battle

Sit rep. Last weekend, I used the 3M adhesive removal wheel to get the trim off. After I got the hang of it, it worked like a charm.

Mid cycle:



I took her for a spin but she felt a bit off. I felt some tugging when turning so this morning, I decided to change the front and rear diff fluid. No pictures cause I was in the zone but the fluid was nasty yet the gears and locker cleaned up nicely.

I then swapped out the stock throttle body for a 62mm unit I got from a member here. Easy job was easy.



I recharged my K&N and tweaked my alignment too (read draglink).

She had sat for a week but started instantly and with more oomph than before. Took her out for a spin and hot damn, it's like a whole new Jeep. It's smoother and quieter than before with noticeably more power and torque.



My tax return comes in this Friday and I sold the last of my Subaru parts so new 31s and a SYE is in her future.😎

Battle

Replaced my sway bar bushings and bought some used JKS disconnects to replace my fixed endlinks.

She's still pretty flexy when "disconnected":



I also drag raced my buddy in his megasquirted Miata. I kicked his ***.

I would like some tire advice I'm ready to buy a new set of 31x10.5x15s but can't decide between MTZs and Duratracs. Here's where I'm at -

Both tires have free shipping on 4wd.com. The Duratracs will cost me $20 out the door less and qualify for a $60 mail-in rebate. Plus, they weigh 5 lbs less than the MTZs BUT, the MTZs, seem to perform better offroad and reportedly have stronger sidewall which, if I'm assuming correctly, should have a better time coping with my occasional death wobble.

caged

my choice would be the mtz.
both are run and liked a lot here, but with our (rain/snow/mud/rocks) the mtz seems to outperform.

the lightest tire would be the bf goodrich km2

Battle

That was mine too!

(Don't mind the R1Rs - those are for my Civic)



Should have them mounted and balanced by midweek. Going wheeling in Windrock the 25.

And here's a recent picture of the old lady as I finally found my SD card for my camera.

Battle

Got them mounted and balanced. Holy crap they are awesome! The rig feels so much better and more secure. Steering is tighter, more precise and road manners are excellent for such an aggressive tread pattern.



Going wheeling this Saturday. I'll make some checks and tweaks before then. Taking the camera with me so I'll hopefully get some good quality shots.

88whitecomanche

Beast mode!!!!

Battle

Went wheeling yesterday with a pretty big group. Good group of guys.



Mostly modded rigs - one COMPLETELY stock WJ Overland with worn street tires though.



He was killing it until trail 60 at Windrock. Brock a cv axle.



I got hung up on the same trail and didn't want to break anything so threw in the white flag and had a brief tow. Tore off a rear bumper cap. Eh, who needs em'. Trail rig is now a trail rig. We parked for lunch and a brief recovery of the WJ and when we went to debark, my alternator decided it didn't want to be an alternator anymore. On the top of a mountain.

Since my battery was dead and I had no charging, someone came up with the idea to swap batteries with the WJ so I could get off the mountain with a a fully charged battery. If that one died, we'd just swap again as the WJ would just act as a charger.

Somehow, his oversized battery got me off the mountain through an amazing trail and back the 20 some miles to my house. WJ guy followed me home just to be safe, I gave him his battery back and he went on to repair his broken rig.

Broken Jeeps help broken Jeeps. On to more pictures:













Overall, the Jeep did great even though the alternator gave out. I aired the MTZ's down to about 18 psi and bit the rocks and mud fantastically and, at 30 psi, I was hauling butt on the curvy paved roads to the trail head. I love these things. The sidewalls took a BEATING as I was trying to get over this one section (dang open front diff) i.e. I was white smoking them but even still, they're pretty great tires.

As with all wheeling trips, my upgrade list is now longer. First things first - a new alternator to get the rig back up and running. Second. Tow points in the front. I'll save up and have a local fabricator (same guy who built and welded my rocksliders) build me a front pre-runner style bumper.

Third. I want to invest in a selectable front locker. My idea for an LSD rear and auto locker front is seeming like a worse idea now than ever. I like with the Aussie in the rear and an air locker in the front, I'll be solid as there was one guy with two auto lockers and a stick shift yesterday and he was telling me how ridiculous it was to drive.

88whitecomanche

Volvo lsd?

Battle

I'd consider it if the install is pretty straight forward and if I can find one at the local pull a part. I need to follow your thread more about the install and driving feel since your MJ is a stick shift too.

So yesterday, I took the alternator out (easy on the 99) and had it tested... four times by two different bench testers. All four times, it tested fine. My battery however was dead. Like really dead. So, I got a new one and some new terminal posts.

Replaced those, cleaned up some wires and grounds and now:



I'm taking it to work today to make sure it holds true.

Since I ripped off my rear bumper cap, I'm seriously considering cutting and trimming. She just looks so clean but I guess that will change trail after trail.

88whitecomanche

Chop chop!!!! And 35s!!!!
If you want I can source one out for you...
Volvos here are untouched...I've only taken a gander of a few and found 2 lsd's...for 4.10s
If your planning to regear the 4.10 lsd would be ideal for you...