87 YJ questions

[Jack Jensen]

My uncle got a 87 YJ and he's asking me a whole bunch of question about it that i can't really answer. I have a Comanche that i work on all the time, and Im on comanche club, but I wanted to help my uncle out so i came here to ask y'all some questions.]

So I just got a call from my uncle and he owns a RV and Mobile home park in Mesquite, NV (lives in OR though most of the time) and one of his residents couldn't pay their rent so they gave him their 87 Wrangler YJ. It has a v6 and a 5 speed and a posi, is that stock? Has BFG mud terrains and some sort of lift. He thought it had a locker, but it just has the cable actuated CAD, as do i in my comanche. He likes it other then it's drivability. It has leafs on all corner. It has power steering too. What he wanted to know (I'm just helping him out) is how can he make this thing better to drive. I told him he could do a coil spring conversion and he's willing to drop 2000 on it. He has a full time mechanic who can do everything so labor isn't a problem. He's had plenty of jeeps in his day so he's not new, but he just doesn't know much about this and wants to make it easier to drive. Any suggestions on what to do?
also, I talked to him after I posted this and he was telling me that he thinks someone swapped in a 4.3 v6 chevy. He says its pretty sketchy. He also said the way its lifted is really sketchy too. Like lift blocks in the front and the leaf spring shackles. His description of it was that 1 drunk guy told his drunk buddy that he had a v6 out of a old chevy he totaled and so they swapped it in. then later, they got drunk again and threw together some shitty lift.

that there's some pics:






thanks for the help.

 

[TerryMason]

A V6 is definitely not stock.

It does appear to have at least a shackle lift (the metal that connects the leaf to the frame). I'd start by pulling any lift blocks out (make sure the tires will still clear first).

What is the red light above the brake light for? Does it prevent the hardtop rear window from opening?

 

[Jack Jensen]

A V6 is definitely not stock.

It does appear to have at least a shackle lift (the metal that connects the leaf to the frame). I'd start by pulling any lift blocks out (make sure the tires will still clear first).

What is the red light above the brake light for? Does it prevent the hardtop rear window from opening?

My uncle lives in another state so I haven't actually seen it in person. I'm just helping him out figure some stuff out.

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

There are no lift blocks as they would actually lower the jeep. His springs are under the axles.

I would go back to stock length shackles, and find a smooth riding lift kit to install. The stiffness is likely in the spring packs and shock valving. No need for a pricey time consuming coil spring conversion, just find a lift kit recommended for its smooth ride.

 

[steady.foot]

Get rid of those spring shackles. They'll twist and bend just going down the road. Get something like these Performance Accessories 0342 - Performance Accessories Heavy Duty 1.25" Lift Rear Shackles for 87-95 Jeep® Wrangler YJ - Quadratec This will greatly improve the handling. If that's not enough, do as Bounty_Hunter says and Get a good quality easy riding spring set.
The extra tail lights look like some magnetic towing lights that a lot of people use. 12 Volt Magnetic Towing Light Kit

 

[69jeepcj]

Yep, getting rid of those shackles will be a huge step in improving your ride and handling.

 

[superj]

those look like tow lights, the red round ones.

if its got a v6 and an automatic, thats about as easy as it can get to drive. i would change the lift out, or lower it back to stock. that 87 is as basic as you can get for working on, i have an 87 also. everything is easy to get to and easy to check since it should be carburated, unless they swapped in fuel injection, which would be even better.