traded my xj for an mj

[weightsnwheels]

well i have a new project. its an 87 mj, all stock. got it 7 days ago and already dropped a 3000lb machine on the poor girl. it fell off of the forklift i had it on and it crushed the top of the bed. i plan to go full widths (44 and a 9), leaf sprung, soa, 4.88's or 5.13's and 36" tsl radials, and probably a custom flatbed now that i crushed this one. any suggestions welcome. pics up soon!

 

[Goatman]

So, you're going to make a conestoga wagon out of it? And use Swampers? And full width axles? Really old school build. Might read up a little and see what ideas you might come up with.

For the effort to put leaf springs in the front you could build a nice 3 link, and it would work a lot better. I see you're in Fresno, and so will run the Sierra trails regularly. Most folks with the older leaf sprung rigs want to go to links and coils so they don't get beat up as bad on those long rough trails. Full width axles are fine if you really want them, but there are plenty of standard width alternatives out there for the rear for a reasonable price. The front needs custom alloy shafts to live anyway, or you might as well just keep the D30, so it's just a little more work to narrow the front.

You asked.

 

[weightsnwheels]

thanks goatman. its that old school huh?

I'm no fabricator, but i do know a couple good ones which is why i planned to go leafs. including the cost to get the springs it would only run me about 600 for the whole leaf swap. i figure with leafs i can move my axle forward a little bit, adjust my height (i want cog as low as possible, even on the full widths), and from what ive read the mj unibody is stronger and can handle the leaf springs. i would have stiffeners ran all the way down the unibody when i did my leaf swap. and im only 20, i can handle a little bit of a rough ride

the axles idea came from my buddy that had those axles under his xj. i ended up searching around and found some mj's on tons and liked the idea of full widths.

its mostly going to be a fishing hole getter, like red and coyote, but if theres an opportunity to hit up the rubicon i dont want to be left behind due to an unworthy rig. i know i could make some of the stuff on wimpy ol axles, but if im going to drive my ass that far im hitting all the damn obsticles i possibly can and dont want to have to worry. keep it comin goatman! im ready to learn as much as possible. sometimes my ideas have holes in them. lol

 

[Letterman]

Sounds to me like you are over building, if you are looking for a fishing hole getter I would build that rig on the stock axle housings and 33's. Get some after market axle shafts and lockers build up the armer and run almost all the Sierra trails. Only trail that is not that much fun on 33's is Fordyce, that trail can be ugly when the watter is moving, and its not fun getting your roof wet!

All the other stuff you are thinking will make your jeep harder to drive on the road, and the tight Sierra trails don't like the wider axles or the old school leaf springs.

Just my thoughts, and for sure it is not the same as everyones.

 

[trickcomanche]

I can atest for the 3 link. My old MJ is on here http://naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=82982&page=9.

 

[Jes]

thanks goatman. its that old school huh?

I'm no fabricator, but i do know a couple good ones which is why i planned to go leafs. including the cost to get the springs it would only run me about 600 for the whole leaf swap. i figure with leafs i can move my axle forward a little bit, adjust my height (i want cog as low as possible, even on the full widths), and from what ive read the mj unibody is stronger and can handle the leaf springs. i would have stiffeners ran all the way down the unibody when i did my leaf swap. and im only 20, i can handle a little bit of a rough ride

the axles idea came from my buddy that had those axles under his xj. i ended up searching around and found some mj's on tons and liked the idea of full widths.

its mostly going to be a fishing hole getter, like red and coyote, but if theres an opportunity to hit up the rubicon i dont want to be left behind due to an unworthy rig. i know i could make some of the stuff on wimpy ol axles, but if im going to drive my ass that far im hitting all the damn obsticles i possibly can and dont want to have to worry. keep it comin goatman! im ready to learn as much as possible. sometimes my ideas have holes in them. lol

I paid a lot less than $600 for my front three link.
What one ton axles do you want to run? A Dana44/9" combo is not one ton. Stock 44/9 shafts are weak, especially when you get them from a truck that is over 35 years old. No real reason to swap in a Dana44 unless you narrow it and run all the good parts(alloy shafts, CTMs, high steer, etc.).
If you want to hit the hard obstacles(are there any in Northern CA.?) you'll want strong axles and not getting stuck on shacles hanging off your front bumper is a plus too.

 

[weightsnwheels]

Sounds to me like you are over building, if you are looking for a fishing hole getter I would build that rig on the stock axle housings and 33's. Get some after market axle shafts and lockers build up the armer and run almost all the Sierra trails. Only trail that is not that much fun on 33's is Fordyce, that trail can be ugly when the watter is moving, and its not fun getting your roof wet!

All the other stuff you are thinking will make your jeep harder to drive on the road, and the tight Sierra trails don't like the wider axles or the old school leaf springs.

Just my thoughts, and for sure it is not the same as everyones.

i know im overbuilding. most of the time it will be nothing more than moderate stuff, but a couple times a year id like to make a big run and not have to worry about anything breaking. i had an xj on 33's and it just wasnt what i wanted. i like the idea of full widths, and saw my buddys xj do wonders with them on local trails.

 

[weightsnwheels]

I paid a lot less than $600 for my front three link.
What one ton axles do you want to run? A Dana44/9" combo is not one ton. Stock 44/9 shafts are weak, especially when you get them from a truck that is over 35 years old. No real reason to swap in a Dana44 unless you narrow it and run all the good parts(alloy shafts, CTMs, high steer, etc.).
If you want to hit the hard obstacles(are there any in Northern CA.?) you'll want strong axles and not getting stuck on shacles hanging off your front bumper is a plus too.

howd you do that? if i could do it for alot less than i will be more than happy to! i know a 44/9 arent one tons. i saw one on tons, liked the idea of the full width. i have no need to go that overkill with my rig. im not doin the hammers and running 40's or anything. i've seen a 31 spline 9" get the life beat out of it with nothing upgraded except the r&p and new brakes. ive seen stock dana 44's take abuse from alot bigger tire than alot of people on here say too. both out of 79 fords. i would just mash it stock until i busted it then upgrade.

not trying to pick a fight with anyone, just trying to explain whats goin on in my head and why

 

[Jes]

howd you do that?

Not difficult if you can fab. Figure about $100 per link and maybe another $100 for steel(crossmember, brackets, tabs).

 

[weightsnwheels]

i could do the links, a crossmember and brackets might be a little out of my skill level

 

[Phil]

i could do the links, a crossmember and brackets might be a little out of my skill level

That's the funny thing though, it's not that bad, if you feel confident in fabricating suspension mounting points anyway. Look at Jes' photo album, through his profile.

 

[jimbosz07]

Check out Ballistic Fab they have a lot of premade brackets that you can just weld on. A crossmember shouldn't be too hard. It's basically just some rectangular tubing. Here's a link to premade brackets

http://www.ballisticfabrication.com/Heavy-Duty-Frame-Link-Mount_p_1511.html