BRC 88MJ

Keep us posted on the propane conversion. I was considering a propane stroker 4.0 but I'm also looking at swapping in a small-block Ford (propane) to take some weight off the nose of the MJ and save the I-6 adapter headaches. If you come up with an easy solution, I may be forced to rethink my plans. What type of tank are you planning on using for the propane?

I'd call Cary at Gotpropane.com. I think they typically mount the mixer to a Holley or Q-jet carb baseplate. Then you would only need to make up an adapter to work with the 4.0 intake.

I was just trying to figure out how he put $20K INTO it. Just doesn't add up to me unless the original owner REALLY screwed him on the sell price.

I was missing most of the floor on my driver's side for the better part of 3 months and had no problems with the doors or sagging. I also had a driver side hinge sag on an old MJ of mine and the door rubbed like an SOB. That truck never saw a jackstand in it's life. You can weld or bolt in temporary supports inside the cab to maintain structural integrity while you're up on 'stands. If the problem persists after you do your 4WD swap, just realign the doors.

These are just from memory as it's been a while since I pulled my column but I'll try to help: -Remove the lower valance from the dash -Remove two bolts attaching column to firewall -Disconnect the steering coupler between steering box and column in engine bay -Remove two bolts attaching column to dash mount (this should allow your column to droop far enough to disconnect the wiring) -Pull column after disconnecting electrical Note: If you have a column shifter, disconnect all of the associated linkages involved with it. I can't help you much with that, though.

You can just swap out the front axle and transmission for 2WD hardware.

Brett, With respect to the rocker repair, bottom section of the bed sheetmetal on the bed (between the cab and the tire) is very close to the same contour as the edge of the rocker panel. Wouldn't be too hard to slice one out of a junkyard MJ bed to mate up with the area you have to repair.

A true statement if you're really good at changing gears and LOVE to do it all of the time.....

It's still white, sort of. It'll be blue, gray, white, and black be the time I get it running again.

Here's what I started with (you can see the patches I had to weld in just to meet up with the new floorpan): With the help of this: this: and these: I now have this: Everything was sealed up and strengthened with some Loctite structural epoxy adhesive that I got from work. It's solid but there are a couple of areas I have to fix up in the tranny tunnel area.

I got the footwell patches from Sherman's but I still think they were designed for an XJ floor. They didn't sit down tight on the framerail and side support under the truck so I just put a big @$$ rock on the pan to push it down. I had heavy rust going up into the tunnel like you. I had bought a donor XJ for drivetrain and just cut a big piece of the tunel out of that and installed it. The rust was actually bigger than the panel so I had to fab up and weld in some patches out of 18GA steel. Also, you might want to cut back the reinforcement pieces. I found a lot of heavy rust underneath mine. You can order those parts online (I believe). I haven't put them back in yet and I don't know if I will. BTW, don't worry about a welder. Yeah, it's the best way but not the only way. I used a combination of structural adhesive (epoxy, available from companies like 3M, Loctite, and Lord), structural and standard breakstem rivets, and self-drilling screws. It feels solid as hell. I MIGHT go around and stitch around the edges of the patch but that would only be because I believe in gross overkill. Hope that helps. Brent

I'm pretty sure that an AX-5 only came in the 2.5L. The 4.0L had an AX-15, B/A-10, or an NV3550 (late-model). Anyone else, correct if I'm wrong....

FWIW, I got mine for $100 out of a junkyard (included the leafs, too) but the brakes were shot.

I like what you're doing. Not a big fan of lowriders, myself, but I can really appreciate the technical and fab knowledge that would go into a project like yours. I was thinking about attempting to cut out the stock "framerails" and making a tube structure to mount the body on for mine. Naturally, that's way down the road... Anyway, definitely keep updating with pics as you progress.

I'm in the same boat as you. The brake hardware on the MJ D44 that I have was shot so I pitched it. I've come up with a couple of options for myself that you could consider. First, look in the junkyards for a passenger vehicle that used rear disc calipers with an e-brake integral to the caliper. You can then design and fabricate a caliper bracket to mount the caliper to your axle. I was looking at using Nissan Maxima or Chevy Lumina calipers with ZJ (or Exploder) rear discs. Second, if I decide I don't care about having an e-brake I'll pick up some Chevy truck front calipers, weld-on caliper brackets and use some XJ (or similar) front calipers. Couple more options for you.

ZJ D30 is a low pinion design. Some (V8 mainly) used CV-joints instead of u-joints in the axleshaft. Otherwise, they are the same.

I once bought a set of RE 5.5" XJ coil springs from a guy down in TX. He shipped them out via Fed Ex. Somehow, the geniuses at the FedEx hub in Houston lost my shipment. The seller was really cool and refunded me the amount that he had insured the package for (which was like $20 less than what I paid, never understood that) so I wasn't completely out. Seriously, how do you lose a big set of f*****g coil springs, anyways?

Thanks a bunch.

I've been lurking for a while and I thought it was about time to show what I'm working on. I picked up Pete's '88 MJ (driveline-free) and have been working on it for what seems like forever. It started out as a 2WD but I'm swapping it over to 4WD with an HO 4.0L out of a '91 XJ. When it's done, I should have parts from at least two other Jeeps that I've owned. Anyway, here's some pics... Where it sits now (no driveline in yet) Repaired floor Before.... $100 Metric Ton D44 mocked up

Sorry to bring this back up. Does anyone know the length of the U-bolts used for the metric ton D44? I'm going to stop tonight and have a set of them made up but I don't know that info. Oh, I got the leaf bolt replaced for free. Our lab was testing some Grade 10.8 M14 fasteners that were pretty close to the right length (a little long). It's good to work for a fastener company sometimes..... Thank.

I'm replacing the D35 with a metric ton 44 out of another MJ. I'll be keeping it SUA for now as I'm trying to get the truck back up and running. I would like to just reuse the original u-bolt plates to save time and money. The only reason the bolts were cut is due to Midwest threadlocker, i.e. massive rust. I'm looking for a quick source (like NAPA, Tractor Supply, or the like) where anybody else may have picked up what I'm looking for. Thanks.

In the process of removing my D35 for the new(er) D44, I had to cut all the u-bolts and one of the front leaf spring bolts. This may be a very basic question but where would be a cheap place to buy some replacements for the U-bolts (going on a D44) and the leaf spring bolt? Also, are the U-bolts plates/lower shock mounts for the D35 the same as those for a D44? Thanks. Brent

Once I patch the ginormous hole in my footwell, I'll be herculining inside cab and under the floor to seal that area off (hopefully) from any future rust.

I know the base part of the dash is held to the firewall with 6 or 7 small bolts that you can access after removal of a small trim piece that runs over the defrost vents. The lower dash will have to come off. After you remove the glovebox door, you should be able to access and remove all of the fasteners for the trim that goes around the glovebox and the small cubby hole beneath it. The two bolts that hold the steering column to the dash will have to be removed. You'll probably have to remove the brake/clutch pedal assembly completely. I can't remember how the HVAC system mounts to the dash and if it is necessary to pull it as well. I believe the last thing would be 2 or three fairly large bolts (M10-12?) that fasten laterally into each A-pillar. Don't forget to disconnect and label any salvageable wiring. It's not bad, just time consuming.

You can actually get partial and complete floorpanels from Sherman Auto Parts in Washington, MI. www.shermanparts.com and there's some company that sells full floors on Ebay once in a while. You can also cut patch panels out of XJs. The floors are close enough that you can make them work.