Recent content by kalmairn

The TJ is running, I gotta admit it's pretty awesome. I wish Alex got into a little more detail on the computer / tuning he did, but otherwise gave a lot of info and ideas for someone looking to do something similar. He commented on the risk of breaking axles, but with the work the prior...

The word "knocking" stirs a lot of concern, usually means bottom-end and major overhaul. "The disk on top of the valve thingy" (aka, valve shims) is a much less serious issue, and hopefully what your Miata is experiencing - excess valve lash. Feel free to PM me with questions when you get to...

Not yesterday, but the reason I disappeared for a while - like 18+ months. Got deep into an engine build that turned into a full-on project Miata. Forged internals, turbo, 3" exhaust, e85, countless other modifications. Aside from machine shop and transmission rebuild, all the work done in my...

I have a recommendation from another board - Ridge Reamer in Arvada. Anyone else have experience with them? They come highly recommended, and even better they're very close to me.

I'm looking for a recommendation for a machine shop for an engine build I'm working on (not TJ, sadly). I plan a re-hone overbore (20 thousandths / 0.5mm), potentially head/block leveling and crankshaft cleanup depending on the condition of the parts from the donor motor. I'm willing to drive...

@ZeusDaCat reached out to me, we did a back-to-back test of his TJ and mine - both '99, both AX-15. We only saw two notable differences - the pedal in mine is a bit heavier, and the engagement point on mine is a bit higher. Engagement seemed smooth, no stuttering or vibration from the clutch...

I have a set of Dana35 rear axles. They came out of my TJ when I put in chromalloy replacements. No visible issues, no twisting on the splines. Trying to avoid recycling them. Free for pickup (Arvada, CO), or pay shipping.

I have a Moog Front Trackbar, about 1 year old with probably 3000 miles on it. Comes with the castle nut, but no other hardware. Price? I just don't want to recycle it. Pay shipping (or come pick it up!) and it's yours.

It's pretty easy, took me maybe 3 hours moving with equal parts care and purpose. And constantly losing tools, I have no idea how I manage to lose a drill without leaving where I was seated. Marker lights first. I removed the bulb from the light housing, then removed the housing from the...

My first look at this picture and I thought "wow, someone is doing dually on a Jeep. That's weird, but COOL!"

Wow. The doors on my '99 had never been removed. I took them off for the first time in August 2020. I did need to put a jack under my doors to get them free, but I didn't have to use that much lift to free them. I worked incrementally. I put a little pressure on the door with the jack...

Wheels, I'm running a set of 15x8 with 4" backspacing (-19mm offset). Based on research on this forum, that seems to be a sweet spot for wheel sizing. It fits larger tires nicely without interference, and gives a nice, wide stance. Tires, I'm running 31x10.5. I went with that size as I'm...

I was pretty impressed with them. They're solid. They look and feel just like the factory ones I removed - just newer (and a bit wider). They're just as strong as factory, very little give even being a little wider. For my purposes - keeping crap out of the Jeep when windows are down or...

I went with Crown flares, the wider 6" version: Crown Automotive 55254918K7-6 Fender Flare Kit They're factory-look with a wider profile. Took a few hours for removal and reinstallation. Some of the mounting screws go into rivnuts, make sure you blast those with penetrating oil in advance...

Took a wheeling trip in southern Utah in January, but have been crazy busy at work since so no time to post pictures or work on the Jeep. Finally had a breather last weekend, installed wider fender flares. The rooster tail and spray was fun, but messy and made opening the windows a terrible...