Recently inherited this 1989 Jeep YJ and I know there's a ton I could do to make her more capable on the trials but at the same time I do want to keep using her as a daily driver so I don't want to do anything crazy...
I took her to Moab last summer and she did pretty good for the most part but every time the engine got too hot, which happened often going up slick rock, she vapor locked. I've switched to running only on ethanol-free gas and that seems to have helped but I know I still need to install fuel injection and ditch the Holly carb.
The clutch also just gave out and she's right now at the shop having that replaced. I probably should have done that myself but, well, that's a long story.
She's also got a whine in the transmission that never stops. It's an AX15 transmission. I've been told there's not much I can do about the whine other than having the transmission rebuilt.
I also just had the transfer case replaced after a rather unfortunate encounter with a deeper-than-expected washed-out portion of the West Rim Trail in Snow Canyon State Park.
She got open diffs so I need lockers, and I probably need to go up a few sizes on the tires, those are 31s on her right now. But I have no idea what steps to take to go up in tire size. The 31s already rub on the leaf spring if I turn the wheel all the way passenger side. It's got the stock Dana 30/35 combo and I think a 2" lift. Do I need to upgrade the axles to go up to 33s or 35s? Do I need more lift? What should I do first?
And on lockers, is it even worth putting lockers in a Dana 35? Should I upgrade the rear axle to a Dana 44 before I do that?
So really my question is, where do I start? What should be the first thing I tackle after the clutch? Replacing the carb? The transmission? Lockers? Lift? Tires?
And most importantly, how do I talk my wife into letting me spend thousands of dollars to get a 35-year-old Jeep ready to go off-road?
I took her to Moab last summer and she did pretty good for the most part but every time the engine got too hot, which happened often going up slick rock, she vapor locked. I've switched to running only on ethanol-free gas and that seems to have helped but I know I still need to install fuel injection and ditch the Holly carb.
The clutch also just gave out and she's right now at the shop having that replaced. I probably should have done that myself but, well, that's a long story.
She's also got a whine in the transmission that never stops. It's an AX15 transmission. I've been told there's not much I can do about the whine other than having the transmission rebuilt.
I also just had the transfer case replaced after a rather unfortunate encounter with a deeper-than-expected washed-out portion of the West Rim Trail in Snow Canyon State Park.
She got open diffs so I need lockers, and I probably need to go up a few sizes on the tires, those are 31s on her right now. But I have no idea what steps to take to go up in tire size. The 31s already rub on the leaf spring if I turn the wheel all the way passenger side. It's got the stock Dana 30/35 combo and I think a 2" lift. Do I need to upgrade the axles to go up to 33s or 35s? Do I need more lift? What should I do first?
And on lockers, is it even worth putting lockers in a Dana 35? Should I upgrade the rear axle to a Dana 44 before I do that?
So really my question is, where do I start? What should be the first thing I tackle after the clutch? Replacing the carb? The transmission? Lockers? Lift? Tires?
And most importantly, how do I talk my wife into letting me spend thousands of dollars to get a 35-year-old Jeep ready to go off-road?
Last edited: