Ok , I have decided to do a few upgrades to my 96 Grand Cherokee since some things need to be fixed.First off I had a loss of power when going up hills or floor it and it would never go above 3000 RPM. I got a quote from the dealer for 900 parts and labor to change the cat. Only reason I did that was I do not have a shop to work in , but after that price i went on Ebay and got a Magnaflow cat for 130 , and 2 brand new O2 sensors for 60. I went out in the snow and cold and it took me 3 hours to get the old cat off it was so seized I had to cut and chisel it off , 5 minutes to put the new one and O2 sensors in.I got most of my power back , but not all of it.

I have some oil leakage , which I know is the rear main , big job to fix , and possibly my plenum is leaking out the side as I just changed the gaskets on the valve covers so know it is good there. I checked my plenum using the magnet trick and it stuck to the bottom , going by posts on the forums that means it hasn't been changed , and the motor has 273,646 KM on it right now , so that could be where the rest of my power went.After doing a lot of research I have decided to do the following , and have all of the parts coming , some in a few weeks after the production run is done.

I ordered a set of Doug Thorley headers as my stock pipes and manifolds are pretty rusty , from cat back is all new , so no problems there.With the magnet sticking on the plenum , I ordered the Hughes Air Gap intake kit.While I am putting that in , I also have the Ford Motor Racing 19lb injectors coming , and a 52mm ported/polished TB.I also splurged and ordered a SCT tuner package.The other things I am doing are not engine specific , but I do have both front CV boots torn , so I have the new replacement half shafts sitting here ready to go on , but I also ordered some new performance rotors and pads to put on while I have it apart.

All told for cost , I am looking at just under 2000 including shipping , so not too bad for everything that is coming.I will do the work outside on days when it is not too cold lol.The header and intake install will take the most time , but I have the tools to do it right , torque wrenches , impact gun for the large hub bolt , numerous jack stands , small torch if I need it and bolt removers.

I figure by the time i am done the truck will be running great , and there should be nothing else needed to do on it for a while.There is no rust on the jeep , has new shocks I did this summer , and it still looks like new. Oh I forgot the heated seats don't work , those damn little filament wires they use that break all the time , but for 60 I can fix that and never have it happen again.That is on my to do list also , but that can wait for now , I do have a portable seat cover that heats and massages for now:P

I am on hold for my rig until January. I have the parts in hand to do a disk brake conversion on the rear Dana 60. The front is already disk.

We will also be swapping the tub on the YJ in January. I received the Front Passenger fender that I needed today. The external part of the fenders will be trimmed off and we will be installing tube fenders.

Since the steering column for the new tub came from a manual tranny rig and I have an automatic, I will be converting to a floor shifter.

We also have to modify a family style roll cage to a stronger version, but doing it in such a way that the half-doors will close, something that can't happen with the current cage.

The new tub also comes with a heater, a real need for snow runs.

The rear main leak is high probability for oil loss. However, with high mileage and loss of power, don't discount rings.

Are you also replacing bearings with the axel shafts?

Nice to still see you around Jim;)

Compression is good on the engine , just leaves a little stain on the ground after running for a bit it eventually drips down.I believe it is a 2 piece seal , so it is possible to change it without pulling the trans , but still a big job either way. As for bearings those were replaced before i got the jeep , and they also did the VC in the transfer case , yes it is a 249.For some reason they didn't do the CV , but maybe when they did it they weren't ripped.Either way as soon as I get my rotors and pads , those and the CV axles will be replaced once it warms up a little:D The headers is a little bit of a wait , they said they should be shipped end of January , so soon as I get those the intake , injectors , TB and headers will go on. The SCT should be here next week , so I will try that before I do any of the other mods and see how she runs.

I did sell my Trooper Jim , and yes I do miss having the lifted locked beast.Depending how things go with some of my ventures , I might turn the 96 into a toy and lift and lock it , and get a new GC for a DD.

Ok , here's a really stupid sounding question lol. I just got my build sheet information from Chrysler/Jeep , and it says I have power mirrors , fold away , options GR3P , GS3P , GT3P , now they are definitely power with the control for both on the driver side door , but how do they fold away? Do they just push in? In my work truck you just pull the adjustment lever back and they fold in auto , or can set it so when you turn the truck off they fold in.On the mirror assembly you can see where it folds , but on my Jeep, I don't see anything that looks like it folds, thus the question about having folding mirrors.

The mirrors should be spring-loaded and fold in when pushed.

The separation line should be just below the mirror portion.

Thanks for the info John, I didn't want to start pushing on things and break something , as I am sure the replacement parts aren't cheap for power mirrors.

New from dealer power mirrors are in the $400-$500 range based on experience with a Mustang and Dodge Ram.

Yes they just push in and are spring loaded , great to know;) also I have decided to do the 249 to 242 swap as my TC is leaking on input and output seals as well as the main case seal.The VC was replaced in it about 60,000 KM ago, before I got the Jeep , and it seems they didn't do a great job putting it back together lol , so now is a perfect time to swap. I am going to go to a pick and pull Monday and get the TC , all the linkage , bezel , both DS (just in case) and also swap to a U-joint instead of the CV style I have. Total should be under 150 for everything , where if you go through a junkyard where the TC is pulled they want 750 <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/scared.gif" alt="" /> I will keep the extra 600 in my pocket( already spent on my other parts) <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" />

I am also looking at doing a mild lift , as this is a DD and occasional off road , so take a look at my thread about lifts and give me your advice:)

Well , I got a bunch of my parts , so I went out and got started today.I put on my new rotors , and pads all the way around , new CV axles , bearings on the front.The passenger side went smooth and had front and back done in about an hour and a half.The driver side gave me a little bit of issues , on the back the hub was a PITA to get off , was sticking to the E-brake pads but I finally got it off.Going back on was a little easier , I used the lug nuts to squeeze it back on.
The biggest time waster was the front , trying to get the 36MM nut off the hub.It took me about an hour using my impact gun , it would only come off a little at a time then seize up again so I would soak it with more PB blaster and let it sit for a few.All in all it took me 5 hours to change CV axles , bearings , rotors and pads on the front , and rotors and pads on the back.I took a couple of pics but will have to get them online , then I will post them on here.