89 Pioneer. basically done

like the title says

i fix this

the guy gives me this

for cheap

i already pulled the dent out of the fender, and fixed the header panel and grille (was easy, simply unbolt, pull forward on the fender with the slide hammer, pull forward on the fender well system, put the header panel back on, new lower trim to cover the crack, new-ish chrome grille and headlight doors, and black front bumper with the bumper guards.

gotta change tranny fluid/filter, fix the two small holes in the floor, undercoat it, put a new latch in the tailgate, and help him wire brush the rust off then use a polishing wheel to smooth it. paint the bottom edge silver, and voila, his truck is good to go. it's just time invested on my part, no money.

but the deal is this...i get this truck driveable, he drives it, i get the red truck but don't have to pay him everything right away, which works for me since i need a DD and i already know comanches.

it is a 1989 4.0, ax15 np231 dana 44 rear with disco front end, full skid plate package a leaky gas tank (easy fix), cruise control, vent wing windows, split rear, oem fog switch, and minimal rust. it needs work on the cab corners/rocker panels but not much. some minor rust on the fender flares too. he keeps the tires and mint rear bumper (i get a pretty decent one instead) and bedliner.

i'm excited. it needs a name. he already promised me the truck (he won't' back out he's a good guy) so i will have it, and this is the truck that will be going to the badlands on the 18th of august. hopefully on 33x10.50's on some steel rims :D

so what do you guys think? worth it? i get to help out a fellow MJ fan so i feel it's time well spent. and ideas for a name?

I have a gas tank leak, whats the easy fix?

lol, some putty sh*t that you put on it. I'll get back to ya on what it is.

this leak is halfway up the tank, so all i have to do is run it low and then i can goop the crap outta it

That sounds like an awesome truck, it's got about everything you'd ever want on it from the factory! Good luck with the repair! :cheers:

That sounds like an awesome truck, it's got about everything you'd ever want on it from the factory! Good luck with the repair! :cheers:

thanks man. i think it's missing a/c, dome light, buckets, and power options. it's getting power locks and bucket seats..

and i think this will be something I get and just drive for awhile....i'll fix the lil bit of rust when i get the money for the lift. basically i need to park the 3800 and go over all the wiring, and repaint the intake and valve covers cause they chipped a bit during installation...just work out the kinks. so that one's first :D

Some people don't get why I get excited over a rusty old Jeep :cheers: Nice to see I'm not the only one. Looks like a good score. I'm actually looking at another MJ as well, you just never know.

Old Jeeps have character, I like that.

ive got one that looks exactly like that, same paint and cap but I'm not sporting the d44 and mine is an auto.

nice lookin truck :cheers:

you think that's nice, you should see the 87 he's got now that i've fixed the front clip and the fender. it's a nice truck with the chrome grille...now i have to straighten the front right frame where the bumper bolts to, and it's good to be sanded down and painted.

i'll have a bit of work to do on the 89...paint the bottom edge black and put a waggy front end on it :D

i'm excited though :D

still no cargo light :nanner:

still no cargo light :nanner:

where's the 1 finger wave sign when i need it?

haha

i get it on thursday!

He is keeping the really nice rear bumper, and the class 3 hitch, as well as the tires/rims that are on it. i get the truck for $900, and am getting the rear bumper off the other one (in decent shape needs paint), and i have a hitch i can adapt to fit it if need be. it will get a heavy duty rear bumper so i'm not concerned about what shape the stock one is in.

anyways, it has 228,800 miles on it rather than 128,000...i read it at an angle. again, i'm not concerned about that as it runs very strong already and it is all highway miles, plus the rust is virtually nonexistant. replacing a 4.0 is no big deal. :nuts:

plans are to lift it 6.5 or 7 inches in the front, and SOA the rear now. my insurance company said they'd allow it as a friend who is a professional welder is gonna do the welding...what a PITA. it already has a dana 44 rear axle, which i will be angling upwards just a hair for driveshaft reasons. :cheers:

then it gets a set of 33x12.50 dayton timberline a/t's that i picked up for $250 with 95% tread left. those are on a set of 15x9.5 steel rims i had that will be black. 8)

a new clutch master cyl is needed, and electric spray/cleaner on the fusebox just in case. it's an ax15 with an np231 and a disco front end. the 4wd was never used on it i guess, and the vac. sending unit is stuck or it has a leak in the line (easy fix with a selectrac bypass switch...that's my plan )

i have a brushguard and a heavy duty front bumper i made for it, so it will look similar to Pete's 88 in that respect. :bowdown:

swingout cherokee rear tire carrier that will still work correctly with the tailgate down is in the works :eek:

rollbar from a toyo in the works :D

it keeps the bench seat for obvious reasons ;) but i'm putting 2 cherokee driver's side electric slider bases on it...slaving them both to one control after i get them all matched up and mounted, but i'll add a seperate control for each one just in case it's cockeyed. that'll be some customization but will allow for alot of movement and the little higher height i'm looking for...like my rocker seats. I'm also cutting up a spare seat i have and making a fold-out armrest on the back and having that recovered to match my interior. complete with beer..er drink holder :roll:

I will let everyone know how it all works out of course :D

sounds good man

Stephand I are going to check out some fo'-sale Jeeps later today.

She says a few XJ's and a few MJ's (And I'm happy over this, when I first started dating her, she didn't know what a Comanche was,now she doesn'tcall them by the badge names, but by the xJ names

I'll be particularly proud of the seat.

got my loan finalized and i get the cash on wednesday...had to have a friend co-sign cause i have only 662 credit or somethin like that. i pick it up on thursday, and the lift kit gets ordered friday. building the front bumper when i get a chance and i have to remove the rear bumper and OEM tow hitch for the guy...it's ok cause i have a tow hitch that will work.

then it's time to lift, and have the 33x12.50 dayton timberline a/t's mounted on the 15x9.5 rims. put in an xj prop valve and take off the OEM jeep sidesteps (going to girsmj86) and the topper. then it's ready to drive.

all the other improvements will happen later on, as I need to get this one driveable and then get the 3800 fixed. oh, gotta repair the gas tank, it leaks over half full...

What rims are you going to put on the 33x12.50?

Charles

What rims are you going to put on the 33x12.50?

 

Charles

uh...don't ask, i don't really know. they came off of an 87 4 cylinder i had that was running 31x11.50's stock with no trimming. they're these

and they're all steel/chrome. the centers are gold colored...but i'm painting the rims black.

here's the front bumper i'm building off of

it's similar to Pete's and will have a brushguard much like his.

alright, so the truck is mine as of yesterday. it's still at his house because I was at work all day, but it's 1 mile away.

I got an 87 4.0 with an aw4 that should work perfectly for $200 (dented up bad on the front). and for wheeling purposes and ease of driving, I am contemplating converting the 89 MJ to the aw4.

I really don't have the time to convert it at the moment, BUT I want to plan for what i'm selling off of the xj.

what should I do? this is a poll. add a suggestion if you have another idea.

Finally picked it up, fist thing to go was the bug deflector, then the truck cap went to the barn. I put a racing steering wheel in it...but will be removing that in favor of the stock steering wheel, at least until I put my black tilt column in it.

also picked up my 33x12.50 Dayton Timberline A/T's too...$200 for a set of 4 with 90% tread left. any thoughts on these? I'm running them in 31x10.50 on the 3800 and like them...

to do list (for now)

remove running boards

wash

fix driver's side vent wing window (broken pivot and latch)

fix the 4 rust-holes (each 2" long) on the rocker panels...with a patch rocker from my parts 91.

undercoat the truck

Repair CAD

then I'll need to save up the $$$ for the lift kit. til then it'll be DD.

if you guys can help with lift components, let me know. I'm doing a 5.5" to 6.5" lift (leaning to 6.5 with the tire size) probably SOA rear, control arm front. so i'll need control arms, front springs, adjustable track bar, and shocks.. I already have necessary brake lines.

total investment so far is only 2.5 weeks worth of paychecks...not bad in my opinion.

pics in a bit.

Pete, can ya move this to the projects thread?

here's pics as it sits right now...

the PO gets the reciever hitch and nice rear bumper back, which is OK since I got a nice longbed reciever hitch to adapt to it...

Not too shabby looking.....

I might have to wander up that direction(and raid your parts! :D )

I only live 90 miles south. And I want a set of those running boards(and I need a long bed cap,badly!)

I had that same guard on an XJ. Its still available from Q-Tec.

The rims on the white MJ look like AR-767's. If they are, they are very heavy rims. I had some 7.5"'s with 31" Dunlop Mud Rovers on them. I used to switch to a road tire after runs, but lugging those AR's and Dunlops around were just way too much to do. I stopped driving that XJ regularly.

Not too shabby looking.....

 

I might have to wander up that direction(and raid your parts! :D )

 

I only live 90 miles south. And I want a set of those running boards(and I need a long bed cap,badly!)

 

I had that same guard on an XJ. Its still available from Q-Tec.

 

The rims on the white MJ look like AR-767's. If they are, they are very heavy rims. I had some 7.5"'s with 31" Dunlop Mud Rovers on them. I used to switch to a road tire after runs, but lugging those AR's and Dunlops around were just way too much to do. I stopped driving that XJ regularly.

i think you're right on the ar-767's.

I have both the running boards (I am trying to take them off nicely) and a longbed cap which is fiberglass and in great shape.

The running boards are for a shortbed BUT if you chopped them to just the length of the cab, or got some aluminum to lengthen them, they'd work great. they're actually very nice and bolt on very strongly, i just don't want them, they'll take up ground clearance and get wrecked.

I put chrome trim on this babey today, just the window and over-door trim. next is to swap the 87 waggy header onto it and wire that up (in the AM i'm gonna do it), put chrome mirrors on it, and then also chrome front bumper, brushguard, and fog lights. the brushguard was just sitting on there..i got that for $20 from a car show.

pm me on when you'd like to come up, i am always up to meet a fellow manche fan!

Going for the 4 headlight look??

I wanted to do Waggy woodgrain on my MJ, but I have yet to figure a way to do the box.

Going for the 4 headlight look??

 

I wanted to do Waggy woodgrain on my MJ, but I have yet to figure a way to do the box.

yep, waggy WITH the wagoneer door panel trim and probably the same for the dash trim. it may or may not get wood-paneling, it will if I switch it to the green color on my grandpa's 03 duramax. but then i'd want a tan interior....

anyways, this project is not about looks, ironically enough. it's about performance while maintaining street-ability. if it gets painted, i'll be doing it myself for the simple fact that it will get plenty scratched on august 10th, and it's my winter truck/DD now too when it's finished...the 3800 will officially be on collector's plates (they think it's a 2wd so they'll insure it hehehe) and thus my "show/beat-around truck". the 3800's getting a fresh paintjob in the spring...this paint job will involve a complete paint stripping and por15 to smooth it. 2000 on paint-job and it's lookin shabby after only 2 years :(

anywho, i'm gonna probably put the waggy header on it tomorra or the following day, i just have to get the paint for it, somehardener, and finish sanding it. after that it's chrome front bumper (for now), and get the side-steps off and clean up rust holes on the rockers. yay

put my spare chrome 10-slot grille on it tentatively to see what i thought (only took a few minutes). i guess it looks good, but i'm definitely stuck on going with the waggy grille

pilot racing steering wheel rescued from a 1984 camaro with gm column :D

228,184 :D

MINT headliner :D

this thing has heavy duty front coils in it...it rides pretty hard, but they're great for a snowplow. too bad i'll never use them...so they'll be for sale once i lift it.

now with waggy front end. not painted, and not wired. simply temprarily installed while I decide if I like it or not...

:D

opinions? it'll be nice once it's painted for sure :D