gogmorgo

You'd need a wiring harness and ECU to run it, same as if it were in the truck. If you want to run it long enough to break it in, you'll need a radiator as well. Unless you have a stand already I don't see much advantage to doing it separately, either, other than the novelty of running an engine outside of the truck.

When I have to run wires through a body panel at work, I typically just drill a hole, de-burr the edges, run the wire through, and then gob enough silicone around it to hold it in place. It works well enough, but then we're not fording rivers or anything with our work trucks. I would be hesitant to rely on aluminum for any sort of seal if road salt is involved, although it looks like the aluminum mostly holds the seal here. There's some decent bulkhead connectors out there that I would prefer to use on something I was building for myself rather than having continuous wires running through a panel with a grommet. I've had pretty good mileage out of Deutsch connectors in heavily wet, salty, corrosive environments, although I've never specifically used one of the bulkhead connectors yet.

You're going to want new bearings. Gear setup is a game of thousandths of an inch, so if you set up with worn bearings, all your measurements will change when you install the new bearings.

Have you run some gas-line antifreeze through it? It would surprise me if a little water freezing in the fuel system would cause it to start hard but still run fine, but if the difference is above/below freezing, that might be a strong clue.

My own $0.02, I didn’t have a ton of difficulty tracking down parts. Got most of them off local jeep groups on the facepage, other than the rear driveshaft, although I did have to drive some distance. Just keep an eye out, they do pop up from time to time. I think I’m into the stash for about $300, plus fuel and drive time. That said, I haven’t gotten around to doing the conversion just yet, and even with an open diff and never really carrying any weight in the bed I haven’t had trouble getting around in the Canadian Rockies in the winter. As has been said, winter tires are pretty key. And these are just some older mid-level studless winters I got with another vehicle, nothing fancy.

Are we talking slow/no crank, or just not firing? Also, what constitutes “very cold”? One of mine likes to have the throttle opened a little or it won’t always start from cold once it’s down towards or below -20°F. It cranks over alright, coughs a little, but won’t catch and go without. My assumption is one of the 30-year-old temp sensors is reading a bit off so it’s trying to run way rich, and cracking the throttle leans it out enough to run, but it always starts so I’ve never really looked into it. Once it’s started and warming up it runs just fine, and it starts just fine with the block heater plugged in. If you’re running 15w40 in your engine it’s not going to spin over nicely past 0°F. Might be enough to slow it down too much to start if your cranking system is getting weak.

Yup. Aftermarket treatment for sure. That’s the Westin/Fey bumper, not a factory MJ bumper.

We need an MJ version of this.

Searching for the perfect Christmas tree with the roommates.

Good point. I've fixed it in my post. Thanks.

What is it about Fords though? A couple months ago I had one jacked way up catch up to me on the highway, totally blinding me from lights that were way brighter than necessary, so I flashed my high beams after he got past. Just once. He hit the brakes and slid behind me and lit me up for a good thirty seconds before blasting past. Hilariously they were so badly aimed it actually got better for me when he hit his brights. Gotta wonder if he went for brighter lights only because they were so badly aimed. It gets real bad on the highways around here this time of year with the nights being so long, and the sled necks and hotshots rolling through squatted to heck under loads bigger than they should be towing, headlights pointing up at the sky. Most of them now are running big LED bars on our two-lane highways to compensate, which is so much worse. The LEDs getting to be the norm on big rigs are also pretty bad, but at least with annual commercial inspections and spot inspections at the scales they're mostly still running legal lighting.

This is the XJ handbrake I’ve got sitting around to eventually go into my long bed. I want to say it’s a ‘92, there may have been slight changes over the years. The rod coming off the handle has a threaded bit to go straight onto the equalizer for adjustment. Looks like the OP inherited an interesting customization of the MJ parking brake cable and XJ rod to get them to work. Hopefully there’s still adjustment available at the MJ’s equalizer. I personally don’t take issue with how the brake cable was crimped into the eyelet. If it was done correctly it should never need to come apart for adjustment, that should all happen at the equalizer end of the cable, and the crimps are more legit and definitely more compact than the cable clamps, provided they were done correctly. I’m not super excited about the fold-and-hoseclamp temporary solution for the rod. I’d like to see a more permanent way to keep the loop closed or at least something to stop the hose clamp from sliding forward and off, but it’ll work for now. My memory of the recall for the ‘86 model year was that a batch went out that missed a heat treating step on a component that was unrelated to the problem with the ratchet stripping out. Also that the one member who tried to get something done about his outstanding recall just had FCA give him the runaround on it until he gave up. But I agree with the consensus on handbrake being better than a foot brake. It’s much easier to release a handbrake beside you than three-pedalling a hill start, or reaching down under the dash to the pedal release handle, just to have the pedal fling whatever crap came off the bottom of your boots into your face when you do.

This has been pinging off the inside of my skull the last little while. Little bit of can-con from way back, courtesy of one of my scout leaders from going on 20 years ago. Crazy how relevant the satire is still somewhat relevant, but I think I can appreciate it more as an adult. Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.

Something interesting going on that anyone looking to import or currently owning a kei truck or anything imported should know. https://jalopnik.com/here-is-the-organization-behind-the-many-states-banning-1848104429 Seems some people are thinking imported minitrucks are cutting into new vehicle sales, so instead of coming up with a viable domestic alternative, they're trying to make them illegal. It's the same reasoning for the chicken tax from back in the day, and the same reasoning there's a 25 year rule for importing vehicles to the USA.

I wouldn't guess crank position sensor as a culprit. It wouldn't kill a battery, or stop an engine from turning over. Loose battery connections is possible, although generally the alternator is enough to keep it running, even if the battery is unhooked. That said the voltage will be much less stable and it is possible for it to drop below necessary voltage for things like the fuel injectors and pump if the engine drops to low RPM. With a completely dead battery it's also possible for that to happen. I would check and clean up both battery connections, not just the negative. It's also worth looking at the connections on the starter. When you say it won't turn on, do you mean nothing happens when you turn the key to the on position or start position, or that it cranks the engine over but it doesn't start? Do you have an automatic or manual trans?

I’ve used a piece of wire to tie a tool to my wrist on occasion, say if there was a high probably of dropping it and it’s not going to be easy getting down off the machine to retrieve it and then climbing back up again, or if I was working over some abyss or other. I don’t think it would work so well with a fastener, though.