Joe Jeep

My first car was a '80 Mercury Zepher. Grey, 4 door, red vinyl bench seat front and back with wood grain trim and a AM only radio. 300cid?, inline 6 auto. Payed $500 for it when I was 16. It was a beast and much fun. I have fond memories of that car in highschool, however I don't miss it a bit now. You don't see many of those now, I wonder why...

This truck was purchased by my friend with 42000miles on the clock. The previous owner used it for a DD; I think the heaviest thing he hauled was groceries. I was with my friend when he bought the truck; very clean inside and out. My friend bought it and maintained it well. He never towed with it, only hauled tools and building materials (he owns his own timber framing company). Now he is moving and is buying a used F-350 diesel and enclosed trailer to move his family and to use for work. If it wasn't for the move, he would still be using the truck that he is giving me. I had my dad look at the tag and it appears to have an open differential and 3.55 gears. This is my first 4x4 and it has a 8.8 up front and either an 8.8 or 9.75 out back. I know that the 8.8 is popular with the Jeep folks for an upgrade, but anyone know how they hold up under this truck? Also, the 4 wheel drive is part-time like in the Comanches, why not full-time? Is it cost or does having full-time option cause trouble?

The truck has the 4.2L V-6 in it. Not exactly the power house option, but 205HP, 260ftlbs of torque. A change from the ol' 4 banger in the MJ. Plus I don't tow anyting ever. I think it has a couple inches of lift and he is running 285-75-16 on it. Not sure though, I don't want to badger him since he is giving me a used, clean truck. This friend was the one who got me interested in Jeeps. He had a '88 Cherokee Pioneer with an auto, 4x4, 4.0L. We had a good time putting that to the test. Too bad his brothers set it on fire when they were off roading on his parents farm.

Hello everyone. As the title implies, I have a new truck on the way. :D I inquired about shipping a truck back from VA to WI a week ago because my friend called me up and said, “Remember when we talked about you getting my truck when I am done with it? If you want it, you can have it for free. :eek: You just have to get it from VA to WI.” He has taken great care of the truck and used it as his daily driver and for work up to yesterday when my parents arrived to drive it home (I prefer this to an unknown shipping company and it is cheaper too 8) ). So, what is it? It is a black, rust free 1997 Ford F-150 regular cab, long box. It has a 5 speed manual tranny, 4 wheel drive, air conditioning, cruise control, bed liner with a soft tonneau cover, chrome nerf bars and bed rails, two set of tires, etc. It is quite a step up from my MJ in the accessory department. So, what have I gotten myself into? Anyone know much about these trucks? I am a motorcycle nut so I don’t have a lot of knowledge about trucks in general or the good/weak points of this Ford. Now, what to do with my MJ? :roll:

I might be aquiring a new truck in the near future and I would need it to be hauled from VA to me in WI. I have never shipped a vehicle before. I got a bunch of quotes from various trucking companies that range from $500-1000. Anyone have any experience with shipping vehicles? Anyone you would or would not recommend? I will have to make to decision about the truck before the end of the week so I am a bit pressed for time. Thanks. Joe

Glad to hear you're doing well.

I hear ya. I just can't help but wonder and try it out. I know that my Comanche runs rich currently so if I do get around to this, I will keep an eye on the plugs and be ready for the headache. I don't know why, I am just curious about this. Joe :nuts:

I have been filling up the MJ with 10% ethanol since I have owned it (4+ years now). Where I live just got E85 in town. $2.60 per gallon vs $3.10 for RUG. I might just add 5 gallons of E85 to the ol' MJ tank and fill the rest of tank with RUG. This would put me around 30% ethanol. Sounds like fun. Oh, something broke...need 4WD conversion... :brows:

I hear you, loud and clear. ;) I pulled more of the carpet backing off the floor. The rust and holes are worse than I originally thought. No surprise there. I was hoping for the best, but expecting the worst. I won't know what I am up against until I take the rest of the mat out of the truck. Thanks for the help. Joe

Wow, that looks to be about the same size hole that is in my floor. Thanks for the link. I was hoping that carpet was glued since it is stuck to the floor pan. I guess it is just rusted and nasty. :cheers:

Thanks for the quick info. I was hoping for the quick and easy. Looks like I will be giving my Comanche a good looking over the holiday weekend to make sure everything is connected. But, whatever breaks on the Comanche can always be repaired. That's what I like about these trucks.

I found the groud that was causing my turn signals to stay lit when the headlights were turned on was behind the front grill.

Do you have any pictures of the repair? I have a bit of a rough idle and my tube/hose that connected the air box for the fast warm up was made of fabric and was split. Is this what you're talking about?

I am going to be repairing the floor pan on the driver side of my MJ over the Thanksgiving holiday. I have been searching and have read a couple posts about this repair and I was wondering if there were any tricks or tips. I have a good size hole and will be welding a panel to patch it (I even bought new wire and tips for the MIG :brows: ). I can't remember who, but they used a license plate. Great idea, too bad my hole is larger than that. Also, is the carpet glued to the floor? Thanks, Joe

I wire brushed the tag on the differential off of my MJ and on the bottom left it reads "3 55". Which I assume is the gear ratio and would be correct for my 2.5L, 4-speed manual. What do the other numbers mean?