87MJJeep

I thank you and the Steelers for helping my 'Boys out in the NFC East. Just wish yall coulda beaten the Giants, too.

I am sorry to hear that. :( It sure it getting ugly for dealerships. The potential (likely?) GM-Chrysler deal is bizarre in what it may do. Some say less jobs will be lost if they tie up rather than not. Who knows. :(

Thanks! The two white T/A pics were all in the camera. I was messing with the exposure compensation, and well, uhhh, sorta accidentally got that dark effect. :D That was early in my DSLR days! The gallery shots have a few images that had a slight bit of saturation added, and I slightly darkened 2-3, but otherwise they are as they came out of the camera minus cropping.

How do you sleep at night having lost Matt Millen? :rotf:

Nice pics Jeepcom23! I'm an amatuer photog, too. I recently made a gallery of my favoriate shots from a Pontiac race I attended a couple of years ago. http://www.widetrackdrive.com/photograp ... Nationals/ Canon 20D These two were my favorite pics for a while. (Canon Rebel aka 300D)

Hmmm, this becomes a tale of two Brents divided. GO COWBOYS! Yeah, I'ma Brent, too. We rock! :waving:

It looks more modern, but the old style was unique from every other board I've used - just like the trucks we love! The avy's on the right is kinda odd, but I can get used to it quickly.

I can see how to a non-political person Obama is likeable. If I didn't disagree with him politically, I'd probably like him (same with B. Clinton). Yes, they are both "smooth" talkers. I mean that in a putdown way (they're sly) and in a good way (they simply communicate very well). My biggest gripe is the bias in the typical news outlets. And the mindless Hollywood types "rocking the vote" gets old, too.

That's a cool find! My mom started selling Jeeps in late '86, and they had a few of them in stock. I loved them. For years whenever someone drove like a maniac/cut us off/etc, one of us would mutter, "J10 time." In other words, if we had a J10 we'd just drive over them. :D

I am sorry for getting anyone's hopes up. I know I had mine up. The red flag was the nasty condition of the interior. I don't understand how an exterior can be so perfect (pre-wreck) with a repaint and even new Eliminator decals, clean and shiny, then the interior be the cross between a pig sty and an ashtray. Even the wheels were filthy. Very little rash due to oversized tires, but the finish was bad, and they were really dirty. Had the wheels had the attention the rest of the exterior had, it would have been a show truck on the outside. The things I needed the most required too much time and energy to be worth putting in/on mine, and then to take on the rest of it for parting was too much. I was dependent on two friends letting me keep it at their place, and one was backing out on me. A friend of the owner that has a frame shop came over while I was there and said it didn't look fixable. The engine smoked some on start up, too. Idled okay and sounded fine with a few revs, but with 149K miles, a little smoke, and how the guy bragged about how hard he ran it, I wouldn't feel honest selling it as a "good running" engine. It'd have to recommend it getting a rebuild before use. The rearend was shoved forward a few inches. I was concerned if the driveshaft angle absorbed the blow or if the tranny was hurt. I couldn't see any cracks in the housing though.

I will see it this afternoon, and I am pretty sure I'll be getting it unless some huge red flag pops up. A friend's brother in law that rebuilds cars will see it around 5 (if I get it) and tell me how hard it would be to fix up. I'll post pics late tonight or Saturday. As far as I know the front axle is okay.

With a huge question mark on my forehead, I am getting it today. It will be interesting to see if it's salvageable. Parts donor or to fix up, that is the question.

completely untrue. if you buy it at $400 plus a towing fee, and just take the seats and such that you want, you will be able to likely resale the entire drivetrain with wiring for $300-$500 at the very least, and still have a few body panels, windows, etc. left to sell, OR just buy it, take what you want, and pass it on for $100 less to be done with it. either way, just please don't let it get scrapped. where are you located? That's what I meant. Pay for it, get what I want off it, sell the rest (in pieces or as a whole) to cover the cost of buying it. If it was closer to $800+, I'd feel I would have to part it out more to break even. It's in Memphis. I would really like to see the guy buy it back himself and rebuild it. I want some Eliminator parts, but I don't have to have them. My Manche has a look and personality of its own. I am content with it as it sits. If I drove it daily, the improvements (SEATS!) would be needs instead of wants! I should know what will happen by Thursday night, and I'll post an update.

I learned today the scrap value is $400, and we'll negotiate storage costs until I can pick it up - if I pick it up. He's found a '88 2WD model for sale, and he wants to go see it. If he gets it, he may want some of the Eliminator items for it. I told him my short-term place to store it while I wrench my not work out, so if he wants to buy it back for himself, that is fine with me. He then said that his dad that lives about an hour outside of town has plenty of space, and he could put it there. He even volunteered to share it with me. Then I asked again what all is damaged, and it's mostly confined to the rear and back part of the frame. I told him about posting here and that a box CAN be found. That really perked him up. I think the hunt for a box is what has made him not even consider getting it fixed. Knowing they are out there, he may change his mind. I'd be thrilled to see him salvage and rebuild it! At $400 plus a tow fee, I know I can get my money's worth out of it if I get it. One way or another, there'll be a happy ending for both of us!

I'm now playing phone tag with the owner to learn the bottom line price. It would be something else if it's fixable. I don't know if I have the time for that with other things I have going on righ now. I don't have a place to put it long-term. If I had some land, I'd think nothing about grabbing it and take my time with it. I don't have much interest in putting the powertrain into mine, especially since all the wiring must be swapped at the same time. Mine has 72K miles and runs fine. It it ain't broke, don't fix it... I wish mine was faster, but swapping to a HO isn't worth it. I am not sure I want to hang onto the powertrain for future use. If the guy would let me buy the seats and wheels alone, I'd just do that and be done with it. I'll post an update later! I appreciate the replies you guys have given.

I understand! Right now I am more concerned about breaking something while trying to remove it the wrong way. I am pretty mechanically inclined, so I figure I'll manage okay. Not that I have never broken something on my other cars while working on them... LOL I read elsewhere the rearend is the same as the XJ except for the difference in how the suspension mounts. I figure saving the rearend is worthwhile, too. Are there any good online data pages that shows the axle ratios for the various years? I wonder what the '91 4WD 5p has vs my '87 A4... I know my '87 is a dog on the highway at 45 mph and faster. I drove enough Comanches from '88-'91 to know they were a lot faster than mine. I figure it's all in the HO motor, but a better axle ratio may be part of the difference?

Thanks for the help. Is there a preferred place to buy Jeep shop manuals online? I may need one to do this correctly!

Thanks for the quick reply. What all is involved in the HO wiring? Just the ECM and various sensors? My '87 only has 72K miles on it. I won't be in a rush to put that hotter HO motor in mine for a while. It will be tempting to convert to a 5 sp. VERY tempting! Do the floors have to be cut out with a welder?

A guy I have known since 1991 got a hold of me the other day. I've always wanted his Eliminator. He called to say his Comanche was rearended and shoved into what was in front of it. He said I can have it for whatever the insurance company says is the scrap value. I am waiting on a price. This is NOT how I hoped I would get my hands on this Comanche. :cry: He said knowing I can get some use out of it is all that's making this loss tolerable for him. I hate my bench seat and the grandpa idiot light gauges, so my biggest needs are the buckets, console, and instrument cluster or maybe just the whole dash. The wheels will be great to have, too. The powertrain in his is fine. He's pretty sure they weren't hurt in the wreck. It only had 149K miles on it. He said the frame is bent on the passenger side and the bed is toast. I have not seen it for myself yet. I was curious if there's any hope in straightening the frame on a MJ? If the cab is not warped, is that feasible? I guess before I strip parts, I should make sure the diagnosis of "totalled" is 100% final. I could use a dent-free tailgate, too, but his was ruined in the accident. I've got a friend that lives in a rural area that will let me stash at his place while I get parts off of it. Once I get it, I'll take photos and post. Anything I can't use off it I'll be willing to sell.

I hope the original poster is fixed up soon. I am fortunate to have an employee discount at my dealer. My mom works there, and they still have a few old school Jeep techs from back in the day. One guy we've known for over 15 years. I always request that he gets my stuff. So far the MJ hasn't had anything "big" to go wrong other than the A/C that barely works. I've done everything it's needed so far. This month is my one year anniversary having it! :chillin:

The only reason I had to flip it around was because with the filaments backwards, the parking light was so bright, I could not tell the flasher filament was working! One more thing I forgot... The part of the socket that grips the lens is too long on the replacement, by a few millimeters. If you have to do this repair, keep the original socket's foam seal handy in case you need it to take up the slack. I doubled them up.

Thanks for the help guys! AZ let me down. A friend works there, so I try them first. Advance had it. It is #84716, Conduct-Tite brand. Overall, they had more to pick from. As advised, it is labeled for Ford! The only hiccup is that every single P/N on the back said "uses 1157 bulbs." When I finally saw the right one, I instantly knew it was right by the shape of the face that mates to the lens, and I also saw the wire colors were an exact match. I flipped it over and "uses 1157" appeared. Hmmm. I compared 1157s to 2057s, and externally they are the same, and from the specs on the package, the electrical specs are the same. BUT, the filaments are reversed! Had I realized that first, I would have wired it backwards. I just removed the bulb and put it in 180 degrees off, and twisted it hard enough that those little pegs dug into the plastic.

My '87 has a problem where the front passenger parking light (one beneath the headlight) is either dead or dim. When the turn signal is on, it is weak. I compared the left and right setups, and I filed the connections as best as possible, but it's the same. (swapped bulbs side to side, and problem stays with the passenger side) While I had everything apart on both sides, I compared the function: Parking lights on: Driver side - taller filament lights. Passenger side - taller filament lights weakly if at all. Turn signal only: Driver side - shorter filament flashes Passenger side - shorter filament flashes weakly AND flashing will change over to the taller filament and flash. In both cases, the flashing is weak. Parking lights on and turn signals on: Driver side - taller filament lights, shorter filament flashes (makes sense) taller filament remains lit continuously Passenger side - taller filament lights weakly, shorter filament flashes weakly - they alternate After a while, the taller filament quits lighting at all for the parking light function, and the signal function hops over to the taller filament with a weak flash. As far as I can tell, the connections in the socket are not touching. My only guess is corrosion farther back where I can see inside of it. Are these sockets common replacement items available anywhere, or must I get one from the dealer/junkyard? Must the wires be cut and spliced, or can the wires be pulled out of the existing socket? Thanks for any pointers.

That's great that you found a solution! Regarding that 3M wheel at NAPA, I got one today. It listed for $36. They had a 25% off sale today, so I got it for $27. I removed more vinyl in 5 minutes that I had with a heat gun in almost two hours. It was awesome. I removed all of the '87 SporTruck decals on both sides of the truck. The driver side was looking horrible, so it was a major improvement! http://www.widetrackdrive.com/temp/decals-on.jpg http://www.widetrackdrive.com/temp/decals-off.jpg

I think I have pinpointed my leak to that. Must the oil be drained to perform this repair or just remove the filter? Is there a torque spec on the bolt? Is thread locker recommended? I just changed my oil the week I got the truck less than a month ago. If I have to drain it, I'll just wait till the next oil change. How many here have rotated their adapter while changing the o-rings? Thanks!