[JonStevens]

View attachment 4493894

Going camping Thursday and finally finishing some projects. Got the tub lights routed mostly to my satisfaction today.

(16) Body Floor Pan Drain Plugs for 1987-1995 Jeep Wrangler YJ - All Trim Levels https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JN1X73...abc_XHKMH43GHH9A5020N1HY?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

 

[WinterTurtle]

Nice and bright

was this a rope type light or individuals?

So its a kit for truck bed rail lighting i found on Amazon. Its adhesive backed outdoor rope lighting.

And yeah its BRIGHT so I'll be finding myself a dimmer of some sort. Trouble is I'm running out of real estate for switches for all my toys!

 

[WinterTurtle]

(16) Body Floor Pan Drain Plugs for 1987-1995 Jeep Wrangler YJ - All Trim Levels https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JN1X73...abc_XHKMH43GHH9A5020N1HY?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Hahahaha good eye! At least this way the water falls out. Unfortunately the dropped screws do too!

 

[agalloch07]

This is not jeep related but might help some here anyways. I have been trying to find out what a clunk in the front end of my 4runner is coming from and i found some posts online saying it was the driveshaft. They said the clunk goes away if you grease it and even better remove the shaft and pull the splines apart and clean the old grease out and re-grease.

I have never got all 4 caps on greasable u-joints to take grease. I was trying to clean 100% of the grease out of this shaft and the ends had thick dried up nasty grease that was a real pain to clean up. So i filled a small plastic container up with a few inches of gasoline and used a tooth brush to scrub it all clean. After that i sprayed them off with a house and laid them out to dry.

I just went back to start putting the shaft back together and grease the joints all all 4 of the caps on both ends took grease easily. And as i was greasing them it was pushing thinned out grease and gasoline mixture out of all 4 caps. I think the gasoline seeped into seals and loosened up the old grease allowing all 4 caps to take grease. If i ever run into this problem again in the future I'm going to soak it in gasoline.

 

[Luckymac]

I've posted these pics before. They reinforce the above post by agalloch07. I found this when installing new U-joints in a used driveshaft.

I try to always by non-greaseable (permanently greased) U-joints if possible.

Good Luck, L.M.

 

[JonStevens]

Here's my nickel also.

I think centrifugal force does some to take grease into the caps that don't necessarily get it to squeeze out.

And I am not one to expect ujoints to wear out. I will be replacing them every couple or 3 years.

 

[Luckymac]

Extended the shifter

A few years ago I bought an AX15 transmission to replace my ailing BA10 trans. The shifter that came with the transmission came with the threaded end broken off.

Fast forward to a few months ago, I bought an AX15 trans from a '95 Cherokee with an external clutch slave cylinder. With a couple lemons, I decided to make lemonade.

Pic @1 is both shifters. While the Cherokee shifter was undamaged, it's shaped wrong and is too short. I decided to extend the broken shifter to compensate for my body lift and repair the broken threaded end.
Pic #2 is where I had originally intended to use a piece of pipe as a collar to reinforce the joint. The inside diameter of the pipe was too big and would have made a sloppy fit.
Pic #3 is where I got a couple pieces of small angle iron and began welding them to extend the shifter. The extension adds 2" and my Jeep is running a 1" body lift, so the shifter is actually an inch closer to my hand (once installed).
Pic #4 is the welded and ground shifter.
Pic #5 is after a bit of Bondo, primer and paint.

I'm still awaiting a transmission mount from Advanced Adapters and once I have that, I'll replace my old BA10, and put in a new LUK clutch to go with the external slave cylinder transmission from the Cherokee.

Good Luck, L.M.

The transmission mount arrived from Advanced Adapters. It's a brute. Good Purchase on my part.

The Advanced Adapters website states that the AX15 shifter is mounted an inch or so forward of where the BA10 shifter mounts. In a PM with another poster he expressed a concern about the shifter preventing him from using the cup holder in his console. That got me to thinking. I did some investigating with some of the parts I have on hand.
Pic #1 is the shifter stub from a 1990 AX15. See how it sticks straight up.
Pic #2 is the shifter stub on the 1995 XJ Cherokee transmission. It stands up a whisker taller and angles back a bit.
I guess I won't know until I actually have the transmission in the vehicle with the shifter installed.

More to come.

Good Luck, L.M.

 

[scottio]

New wheels and tires. I’m not embarrassed to be seen it it now. 😂😂

 

[Steve Beswick]

New wheels and tires. I’m not embarrassed to be seen it it now. 😂😂

New ones you say? What happened to the old ones?

 

[JonStevens]

From zero shock response to arguably the most favored shock for a stock YJ? Yes, they ride super duper.

I wasn't even complaining about the ride prior to installing the Bilsteins though, so even a slight improvement would have put me over the moon.

They are the best shocks that I have ever put on my YJ, that is for sure.

How are those new Bilsteins? I put 5100‘s on at Xmas time to replace the RoughCountry NO2 shocks I had. They are definitely nicer riding with the RE 4.5 springs, not that the RC were bad just the Bilsteins are nicer.

So went out with 4 in the Jeep and it was swaying like crazy on the freeway, like we were in a row boat. I never had that issue before the Bilsteins. Everytime we went over an underpass it would rock us about a dozen or so times before it leveled out. Hitting holes or whatnot was smoother.

I am betting new leafs are in order.

 

[scottio]

New ones you say? What happened to the old ones?

Sold them to a guy in Hesperia

 

[Got it at last]

So went out with 4 in the Jeep and it was swaying like crazy on the freeway, like we were in a row boat. I never had that issue before the Bilsteins. Everytime we went over an underpass it would rock us about a dozen or so times before it leveled out. Hitting holes or whatnot was smoother.

I am betting new leafs are in order.

When I redid the suspension on the Tonka, It got new new steering gear, RE 2.5" springs (about the same as what was on it when I bought it) except I picked up a little lift from the newer springs) And Rancho RS5000 shocks. Handles like my wife's Accord on the road. Off Road it it let's you feel every ripple on a washboad road until you get moving a little, then it glides right over.
The Sahara got the same lift except I put on the RE shocks that came in the lift kit because I got them with the kit when it was on sale for the same cost as the leaf only kit. I've read mixed reviews on the RE shocks so I thought I'd give them a try before I put on the Rancho's I typically run, but not impressed with the RE's so far The new springs took out a lot of the forward and back roll I had from accelerating and stops, still a little softer on the bumps but still not as crisp in the corners as the Tonka. I'm thinking it may have more to do with the hardtop and the higher center of gravity from the added weight, than the shocks. Now you got me thinking of pulling the hardtop to do more of a side by side comparison with the topless Tonka before I abandon them completely.

 

[JonStevens]

When I redid the suspension on the Tonka, It got new new steering gear, RE 2.5" springs (about the same as what was on it when I bought it) except I picked up a little lift from the newer springs) And Rancho RS5000 shocks. Handles like my wife's Accord on the road. Off Road it it let's you feel every ripple on a washboad road until you get moving a little, then it glides right over.
The Sahara got the same lift except I put on the RE shocks that came in the lift kit because I got them with the kit when it was on sale for the same cost as the leaf only kit. I've read mixed reviews on the RE shocks so I thought I'd give them a try before I put on the Rancho's I typically run, but not impressed with the RE's so far The new springs took out a lot of the forward and back roll I had from accelerating and stops, still a little softer on the bumps but still not as crisp in the corners as the Tonka. I'm thinking it may have more to do with the hardtop and the higher center of gravity from the added weight, than the shocks. Now you got me thinking of pulling the hardtop to do more of a side by side comparison with the topless Tonka before I abandon them completely.

I don't know how "high center of gravity" that I agree with when I have a fiberglass top and a pretty low center of gravity. I think it has more to do with the added weight beyond the axles in the form of aftermarket bumpers/winch/tire carrier, and worn out stock leaf springs.

I think most buy a lift before adding the heavy bumpers so they experience something different. I am doing it backwards, so that is why I am running into it like this.
Fun either way though.

 

[Got it at last]

I don't know how "high center of gravity" that I agree with when I have a fiberglass top and a pretty low center of gravity. I think it has more to do with the added weight beyond the axles in the form of aftermarket bumpers/winch/tire carrier, and worn out stock leaf springs.

I think most buy a lift before adding the heavy bumpers so they experience something different. I am doing it backwards, so that is why I am running into it like this.
Fun either way though.

I was comparing my two, one with the top, the other without, thought maybe it would give you additional perspective. But then you do have more front and back thai do in bumpers etc. Somewhere out there is the perfect balance 🦗

 

[vmxwinn]

JonStevens, I noticed a much plusher ride with the 5100 Bilsteins from the RC N02 gas shocks with the same RE 4.5 extreme springs. At the very first I notice the Bilsteins allowed more movement of the springs but in a very controlled way. So a softer ride but still very controlled. I’m very happy with them. Maybe get good quality springs in stock or slightly lifted. Say 1.5”. You are still running a sway bar aren’t you?

 

[Steve Beswick]

Sold them to a guy in Hesperia

Well I am -a- guy in hesperia, but not the one you sold them to. Oh well.

 

[JonStevens]

JonStevens, I noticed a much plusher ride with the 5100 Bilsteins from the RC N02 gas shocks with the same RE 4.5 extreme springs. At the very first I notice the Bilsteins allowed more movement of the springs but in a very controlled way. So a softer ride but still very controlled. I’m very happy with them. Maybe get good quality springs in stock or slightly lifted. Say 1.5”. You are still running a sway bar aren’t you?

I still have the sway bar but it is worn, so how much it is doing anything is debatable.

looks like I need to order the RE1445s

 

[Luckymac]

I still have the sway bar but it is worn, so how much it is doing anything is debatable.

looks like I need to order the RE1445s

How do you tell if a sway bar is worn? Do you mean the bushings where the bar mounts to the frame or the link bushings? Even if the bushings are beat the sway bar should still function, it'll just be noisy.

Keep us posted on what shocks you end up with and your experience/opinion with/of them.

Good Luck, L.M.

 

[JonStevens]

How do you tell if a sway bar is worn? Do you mean the bushings where the bar mounts to the frame or the link bushings? Even if the bushings are beat the sway bar should still function, it'll just be noisy.

Keep us posted on what shocks you end up with and your experience/opinion with/of them.

Good Luck, L.M.

Yes, all bushings are worn out. Matter of fact, maybe that is what I am feeling.

maybe an experiment is to replace the swaybar bushings and see what that does.

 

[vmxwinn]

That‘s what I would do, is replace the sway bar bushings and see what the does. But a new set of springs with new bushings would be nice too. Then you have basically new suspension! It should ride really nice.