u/eastrod

Hey guys, looking for some advice on what to look for in a used YJ besides the obvious rust problems.

My goal is to build a mild trail wheeler that doubles as a winter beater and burnout machine.

The end goal: carb’d V8 swap, AX15, NP242 for the full time 4x4 in the snow/rain, Dana 44 or 8.8 in the back with truetrac LSD, stock Dana 30 up front with truetrac LSD, 2.5” lift, 35’s with 4.56 gearing.

Personal taste aside (I know this isn’t a typical wrangler build) what common builds should I look for that will get me the closest to my build? Look for an already V8 swapped YJ or find someone with a 4.2L that has the diffs/gearing/lift I want and swap the motor myself? what part of that build plan are best just bought new vs. junkyard hunting?

wondering what you guys think about a rear tire with 3.5oz of weight needed to balance it? The shop mounting the rubber got it down from 6oz by rotating the tire 180 deg so thats probably as low as it will go.

The guy I got the bike from had the beads in the tires so I don’t have old weight to compare it to and I’ve never run these Kenda tires on any of my bikes before so I can’t say if it’s the rim or the rubber. Went with the K761’s as the only option I could find for an 80/20 dual sport as I plan to do some backroad riding.

Maybe this is typical of old 80’s era wheels? or maybe I need to try a different brand of rubber? I’m not sure what the deal is but if you have any experience with this, I’d appreciate the feedback, thanks!