Welcome SchmanningSchmatum!!!

[Brasscatz]

Hi SchmanningSchmatum, :welcome: to the :xjtalk: forum!

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[SchmanningSchmatum]

Sup yuns?? I just got my 94 xj last night. Low miles.. So far I see floor pans need replacing and seems like the Ujoints are going "CLANK" when I pull the automatic shifter into Drive. At least I pray that's what it is.

Got my sheet metal today and some cutting wheels for my angle grinder. Looking forward to ripping out the seats and carpet and getting to it.

Going with 18ga sheet and hoping that there is no structural damage to the main components.

PO has attempted to repair the front pans but did a horrible job. Basically just layer down some plastic pans over the existing damage and then painted the crap out of it all with flex seal.

Anyways, got it for $2000 and other than the stock front bumper it is incredibly straight. New water pump and tires put on before I got it. They actually put the Goodyear wranglers on it (stock size) which are about $500-600 worth of rubber.

Besides the rust the undercarriage looks nice and clean. No noticeable leak areas or extensive rust beyond the floor pans.

Excited to be here and will post pics asap.

[4.3LXJ]

Welcome Charles. Sounds like you are on the right track already. Good luck on those floor pans. We have a pos cast coming up where I cover replacing floor pans on the Jeep Tips segment as well as welding tips for the past several weeks

[SchmanningSchmatum]

I'm trying to figure out my gear ratio.. A Vin decoder I looked at said 3.07 but I've read elsewhere that a 94 xj sport with automatic transmission 4.0 HO is 3.55... I'm kinda interested in get a 3 inch suspension lift at some point and want some advice on what my options would be while keeping my original equipment intact...

[4.3LXJ]

Charles, here is a thread to help with the axle ratio

http://www.xjtalk.com/showthread.php?t=13203

Three inch lifts come in a variety of levels. You can use a puck in the front, puck and a V* ZJ spring or new coils in the front. There are add a leaves, bastard packs and new leaf packs for the rear. It depends on the budget. A track bar relocation bracket can be used, drill a new hole for it or new adjustable track bar on the front. So there are options and it all depends on your budget, intended use and how much of a purist you are.

[SchmanningSchmatum]

Dang.. Lots of options.. I'm new to the game of modification for sure. Ultimately I'd like to be able to beef it up as much as possible while still maintaining power and as much mpg as possible. I had a 92 comanche eliminator no lift running 31.10.50's on it and it looked tough but could have used about 2 more inches of clearance and would have been perfect for me. I'm reading about ratios and mpg and different lift options now..

Sooo much to take in.. Excited

[4.3LXJ]

Yes, there are options out there now. When I first got my XJ, not so much. But you can achieve looks with out good function, or great function and looks. 3" and 31s is a great combo. Personally, I prefer bastard pack or full leaf pack on the rear and new coils on the front. But I am kind of a purist and that combo will take some abuse and not give you any trouble. And you will need shocks too

[SchmanningSchmatum]

That bastard pack looks super simple and probably the most cost effective.. So just the added leaf springs in the rear and then coils and shocks up front?

[4.3LXJ]

You will need shocks in the rear too. The most popular bastard pack for 3" is the Chevy S10 bastard back, bottom three leaves from heavy duty S!0 Blazer. They have about 4 more inches of arch in the springs, hence the source of the lift.

[SchmanningSchmatum]

Someone saying coils from a jy F150 will add about 3".. That'd be super cheap but may stiffen up the ride quite a bit

[4.3LXJ]

More than quite a bit, it would only be a street rig. Too stiff for off road. I have a pair here in the junk pile I would give you, but I wouldn't recommend it

[SchmanningSchmatum]

Haha! No I'll take your word for it...

[4.3LXJ]

I took them off a friends XJ. He had had enough of them, so they went in the scrap pile

[SchmanningSchmatum]

Hey, so what's the deal with the part time, 4 hi and 4 lo options on this thing? Logic would tell me part time for light snow or other light stuff and 4 hi and lo used like any other 4wd I've ever owned... But, I'm seeing folks saying the part time 4wd is more like 4hi that I'm used to... Confusing

[4.3LXJ]

That part time is confusing unless you consider it in the context of full time 4WD. But it is just like any other regular 4WD. If the traction is poor at normal speed you use it. Low range is for when you need to go slow in the rough stuff

[SchmanningSchmatum]

Gotcha.. It's weird they put 3 different settings in it.. But then again.. It didn't come with a manual so I'm gathering all the info I can

[4.3LXJ]

It is not to bad. If you hit some snow or ice, pull back one notch. When you shift out, sometimes it won't disengage right away. Let off the gas or back up a little and it will shift out.

[SchmanningSchmatum]

Cool.. I remember when you had to back out of all 4wd...I learned to drive on the 78 ford 4wd with a 400 motor.. 4 speed manual. "Granny low"

[4.3LXJ]

This basically sort of works the same. But if you shift out just before you leave poor traction then let off the gas it generally will shift out. Even though you move the lever, there is only a little spring inside that actually pushes it out

[SchmanningSchmatum]

Nice.. Well my focus this weekend is the floor pans and trying to figure out how to keep future water out and also fix my doors.. All but the passenger side has the normal issues with opening /closing unlocking... Wish there was a final fix for those

[4.3LXJ]

Does the door fall a little when you open it due to a worn hinge?

[SchmanningSchmatum]

Yeah got that going on drivers door.. Hinge welds look good so may just have to looses door screws and pull up the door then re torque the screws.. I hope

[4.3LXJ]

There is a good way to adjust them. There are shims on the door side. Pull one out of the top and put it in the bottom.

[SchmanningSchmatum]

Excellent! Thank you sir

[SchmanningSchmatum]

http://i1373.photobucket.com/albums/ag380/charlzlindley/Mobile%20Uploads/20141018_144816_zpsxiszsvgw.jpg (http://s1373.photobucket.com/user/charlzlindley/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20141018_144816_zpsxiszsvgw.jpg.html)

It's pretty bad and pretty overwhelming.

More than halfway up the hump on the passenger side.. All the way from way under the passenger floorboard to the rear seat brace. I don't know if I'm cut out for it to be honest...

[4.3LXJ]

Yes, that is a lot of rust. You can buy those replacement pans from 4 wheel parts and 4WD (same parent company)

http://www.4wheelparts.com/4wheelparts/Body-Parts-Roll-Cages-Frames/Replacement-Rear-Floor-Pan-Passenger-Side.aspx?t_c=81&t_s=529&t_pt=6599&t_pn=kpa0482-224r&utm_source=google&utm_medium=froogle&utm_campaign=product&emlprox=out&ppcfon=1&gp=1&gclid=Cj0KEQjwn4iiBRDFh76wlfCVuYABEiQAwWJ1Iqltr41f af1N9DC3rc3S7aYNcrfsO6kD6YsPFfKt5nYaAlzz8P8HAQ

[XJ Wheeler]

Welcome to the site! I feel for ya, mine came from Iowa and had it pretty bad it a few spots. Been putting off stuff like that for a few years. Good luck, have fun, and don't forget the updates... with pics. :D

Sent via messenger pigeon - i talk, he types.

[SchmanningSchmatum]

I just figured out I have the police model. Shifter on the column and no center console and no body trim whatsoever.. Also no rear wiper.. I thought it looked a bit simpler than all the others I'd seen from this year. Is this a good thing? Pretty cool to me. I may have to get some flashing lights now!! Haha

[4.3LXJ]

You might be blessed with a high amp alternator

[SchmanningSchmatum]

I noticed the "ext idle" switch when I bought it down to the left of the steering wheel but had no clue what it was until I searched 94 xj column shifter

[4.3LXJ]

That would be a high idle switch for running lights and stuff I believe

[SchmanningSchmatum]

Yeah, exactly what I found. Kinda cool. I also saw where that may mean I have 3.07 gears instead of 3.55... I have my Vin but not sure about the accuracy of the decoder I used.

1J4FF48S81L604184

[4.3LXJ]

The tag on the front diff will tell you for sure

[SchmanningSchmatum]

Here is the most problematic area of my floor pan replacement. This is the back corner on the passenger side where the leaf spring mount attaches to the floor brace /u frame/rocker panel. I am not sure where to go from here. How much I should cut? Should I clean down to bare metal, remove the torx bolt, weld on a new brace from the rocker to the tunnel and the but the torx back in?

[SchmanningSchmatum]

p. s.... The weld on this leaf spring mount is solid on the u frame and the rocker... Just basically this top brace that's all rustedout

[4.3LXJ]

I can't see any pics popping up to look at on this. The outer edge on mine is bolted to the floor, so you could do that also.

[SchmanningSchmatum]

http://i1373.photobucket.com/albums/ag380/charlzlindley/20141021_110702_zpstd0l1fa7.jpg (http://s1373.photobucket.com/user/charlzlindley/media/20141021_110702_zpstd0l1fa7.jpg.html)

[4.3LXJ]

I would like to make a suggestion if I could. Get yourself a 4.5" grinder and a couple of flap wheels for it. Your work will go much faster and you won't have those little wires flying back at you

[SchmanningSchmatum]

I've got the grinder already and flap wheel is on the list. This wire wheel is almost toast so just getting my last few cents out of it whisking away the manufacturer sealant...

I'm getting close to having the hole passenger side ready for the new pans.. Just have to get a couple spots on the u frame patched and get the leaf spring mount support welded in.

Taking my metal snips to the jy tonight to see about a donor tranny tunnel

[SchmanningSchmatum]

Went to the jy this eveningand snagged all 5 door seals for $25! Got them off a 01 and all are flawless.. No holes and very light wear. Pretty happy about the find.

[SchmanningSchmatum]

http://i1373.photobucket.com/albums/ag380/charlzlindley/20141025_102415_zpsgbtiffaa.jpg (http://s1373.photobucket.com/user/charlzlindley/media/20141025_102415_zpsgbtiffaa.jpg.html)

Working on xj passenger side floor today.. Need to figure out heat shield then get my pans screwed in for welding and there are a couple places that need additional sheet metal because the pans won't cover it all..