gogmorgo

The xj/mj harnesses probably won't be long enough to make it all the way to the firewall on either side. But it's pretty easy to cut and splice in more wire for more length. You may also be able to buy a harness for the cj7.

Can't upload pics from phone so pm'd you my number. Time sensitive.

The one grey straight across seat cover is in good shape. Couple small cracks in the vinyl and some tiny tears. It's dirty and/or stained from an open window. The flip mechanism works great, but the slider not so much. I can text pics if you want.

All six are still there. No solid rockers or cab corners. There's a couple clean tailgates w/ good working handles, but none are pretty. Rust's a big theme. Tail lights aren't bad, but only one pass side w/o cracks. I'll grab it for you.

Yes, the original harness is left intact, and you plug the new one into the original passenger side headlight socket. The new harness goes between the old harness and the headlight bulbs.

Last year there was a '92 in such good shape it made me sad. Looked like it kissed a pole at 20, right in the middle of the bumper. I don't have stuff on me for cutting out rockers etc, but pics will happen. I wouldn't be too hopeful about seats, though.

Hitting them up tomorrow, sept 19. Last time I was there (july 2013) they had a half dozen fairly complete MJ's in the "sticking around" part of the yard. Anyone semi-local need anything? Or want me to keep an eye out?

I'll also add that I only made my own because I needed one "now", and not "two weeks from now" which was the fastest estimated shipping time unless I wanted to pay exorbitant shipping fees. Sure, I know it's made properly and is likely better quality than the Putco (and also doesn't have YELLOW!!!) but electrical stuff is probably my least favourite automotive-related task after upholstery. I would have gone with the Putco if I didn't need lights that wouldn't set my truck on fire before I could drive home from school that evening.

Yes. Click "delete my vote" (under the results) and then vote again.

Found my diagram, but didn't want to scan it cause it somehow wound up soaked in ATF. So instead I made this:

http://jeep-xj.info/HowtoHeadlightLoom.htm This is what I followed when I put mine together. Total material cost for me was around $75, but that's up here North of the 49th, and I got enough wire and connectors to make at least three harnesses cause I bought things in bulk. The relays he suggests, AR274, were kinda pricey, so I just used a couple "normal" relays (at around 1/5th of the cost). The difference is having to splice the one output to two headlights verses having two outputs from the relays. I've got a wiring diagram that I drew up quickly that I can upload if you want, but it's a pretty simple diagram. His instructions are decent, but I made the diagram to help me visualize things a bit better. Also, he's Australian, so his vocabulary can be a bit foreign and all his measurements are metric. I think I converted all the measurements on the diagram I made. I'll go on a bit of a hunt to see if I can find it. Edit: he moved his website. New link is: http://gojeep.willyshotrod.com/HowtoHeadlightLoom.htm

Well, everything costs more up here... More or less the same price for every other sealed beam at said chain.

Meh. I got them cause they were the only "oem equivalent" a particular parts chain carried. They're a step or two above the lights that were in the MJ when I bought it, but yeah, nothing too special. Not surprising since they were only $12 each.

How clean are your headlights? Older scratched and cloudy lenses can also cause issues. The relay harness upgrade will make a difference by itself. Sadly I'd have to say that the Lada I bought this summer had better headlight wiring from the factory... and we're talking about a car built by a company that was driven out of business in this market by Hyundai in the mid nineties. At any rate, any of the harnesses suggested in this thread will do better. The Silvania H6054XV's that I put in are definitely more than adequate for unlit roads in the middle of nowhere where there's always a large animal on the road on a stormy night.

Check all wires for rodent damage. One common corrosion issue is the fuel pump ballast resistor, a white ceramic part under the hood, on the driver's fender with two wires going to it. Connecting the wires to bypass the resistor won't hurt anything, but makes the pump louder.

The switch on the dash remaps shift points. On Power, it kicks down sooner and holds lower gears longer, shifting at a higher RPM. Comfort doesn't shift quite as hard and supposedly is better for fuel economy, but only a real stickler would notice much difference. Chryco eventually stopped putting the switch on, and defaulted to the power setting. If you search google, you should find many guides to locking it into power and not bothering with installing the switch. The "extra" cable that goes to the column is probably the ignition lockout, so you can't shift out of park without the key on. You might have to swap the column to maintain that function, but it likely won't matter all that much if you just leave it off... just beware that you won't have any way to prevent shifting out of park and curious children are curious. As for what will swap... just about everything. Unbolt from XJ, bolt onto MJ. You've got the donor right there so you should have everything you need, except a rear driveshaft. The MJ's is too long and the XJ's is too short. A decent driveshaft shop in your area should be able to shorten the MJ's at a reasonable price. There are a few writeups on here about the 4x4 swap. There's also a writeup or two on here or elsewhere on the internet about adding power windows, or whatever else you want to add from the XJ.

Another vote for the Grabber AT2's. They wear pretty well on the highway, and grab decently on loose surfaces. They also accept studs for winter use, but even unstudded I've got pretty good results out of them in the snow. With open diffs I've never been stuck in snow unless I've been plowing with my bumpers.

RockAuto has CVs listed for '91 & '92 MJs. Before that, there was an older style steering knuckle, and you'd have to knock off the ABS tone ring to make them compatible. Surtrack CH8220 (short side, $39) and CH8221 (long side, $45). If you look them up for a '97 ZJ, there are more options, ranging up to near $200/side. As far as off-road strength is concerned, the u-joint presents itself as the weakest link in the shaft, as does the CV. If you notice the crack in the u-joint soon enough, you can simply replace the joint, without even needing to pull the shaft if you're good. Break a CV, and you've got to replace the entire shaft. I went to CVs because I never managed to loose a u-joint without completely exploding it and taking out the yokes anyhow (Disclaimer: I could just be an idiot). And the RockAuto CVs were just as good an option for me cost-wise as getting junkyard shafts, and I'd much rather put in new parts with at least a small warranty. I don't do any extreme rock crawling so I wasn't looking for all that much strength. I went ripping around through a muddy parking hole shortly after the swap, and the increased smoothness was very appreciated.

Got mine off rock auto. Bolt right in, but need the same seals as for a one-piece shaft swap. I'm a fan. As said, they're much smoother in 4x4. Can't speak for durability as they were only in for three weeks before I parked the MJ for a bad engine knock.

Oh. Well then... Guess I just didn't notice that before. Thanks guys.

I don't think I can do much, all that happens when I click it is that the button says "hide", but still... It's weird.

So I just noticed that on my phone (mobile site) I've got a "show moderator tools" option. I'm confused... Don't think I'm a mod...

All of the parts I could want for the Lada are availale dirt cheap online... Trouble is most of them are in Russia or the Ukraine. Not ideal right now. But as an example I can get a brand new (new from factory, not reman) tranny for $795 shipped... So not bad. Call me weird, but I've wanted a Niva since before I could drive... But no giving up on the MJ. It's still registered and insured... Just not for street use. Unless my parents kick it out of their yard, I'm hanging onto it until it's back up and running. For anyone interested, here's a pic of the Lada.

Well, I suppose an update is in order, as another chapter ended in my mj's life on the move I brought up in the last post. I made it all the way, but by the time I got home, the motor was knocking pretty bad. I fired it up and moved it around the yard a couple times this summer, but not enough to really count. I just towed it back to my parents' place, where it'll be parked while I'm in school. Hopefully one day I'll get her a new motor (400hp supercharged stroker?) but in the mean time I picked up a '96 Lada Niva to run around in... Dirt cheap and very cool-looking... Or at least it attracts more attention than the mj because no one knows what it is. It's a total pos, and I miss driving my Comanche like you don't know, but it'll do for now. So, yeah. When I get the money, I'll start collecting parts for my build. This whole thing burns cause I'm under 2000 km from the half-million. For those wondering, the crank is what's knocking. Don't know if it's main bearings or thrust surfaces, but I'm blaming it on the whole engine-not-being-bolted-to-the-tranny deal. Whatever it is, the crankcase was full of glitter and unplugging spark plugs didn't change the knock.

I've had it happen a couple times in Saskatoon. Personally I'd rather people chucked their trash in my bed than just dumped it on the ground... at least then it stands half a chance of ending up in the garbage. Still don't much care for dealing with other peoples' garbage, though.