GonzoTheGreat

Congrats man! I love the attention to detail. This is well-deserved!

My bad. I totally misread this. I’m currently trying to solve this situation: if I get ahold of anything in Europe, would you be interested in good used front side markers @NHMJXJ?

Wait, were there euro tails for the MJ? I know XJs had them, and I’m actually looking for one now, but I didn’t think euro Comanches had something different for tail lights than us. also, well played:

I love the detailed posts on your build. It’s a really great read. Really good pictures too. but also, wait. wtf? A sandwich??? You found a sandwich in your floor??

Rockauto has quite a few.

This looks like it’s gonna be a good one!

The whirring sound makes it seem like the starter is spinning, but not engaging the flywheel. Did this noise happen with the old starter as well? Or only once the new starter was installed? A difference between 4.0s and 2.5s is that the 2.5 uses shims under the starter motor. Did you have any shims under the old one? I had to adjust the shim pack on my 2.5 when I replaced the starter. again though, this is assuming the whirring noise accompanied the new starter.

Aw hell yeah! This is one of my favorite builds! Congrats!

Perfect! Thanks @eaglescout526!

I'm looking to source a “trail spare” alternator pulley. I don’t want to buy a whole new alternator for the sake of a pulley, but my current one is a little hogged out on center, and I’d like a decent spare just in case. This one is apparently a little hard to find. It’s got the 6 rib and v-belt combined. I’m hoping someone has an old 2.5L laying around and they’re not using it. The alternator doesn’t even have to work, I’m just looking for the pulley. Thanks

I used this one from Jeep Cables, and I’ve had no complaints. It seems like high-quality wire, and the headlight sockets are ceramic. It made an incredible difference in the brightness of my headlights.

I used a chisel where it was more brittle, and wire wheels for the rest. It was messy.

Quick update: The truck is legally abandoned. It will likely sit alongside the highway until next year when some kind of state-funded junk removal barge comes to clean the town up. Then it’s likely to be junked. It’s too bad this place is so isolated, because it could probably live again, in the right hands. Although the hood release is broken, and there’s a lot of stuff in the bed that should be under the hood. in other news, I couldn’t let these go to waste Aww yeah, that is, in fact, a cargo lamp! The small stuff will fit in my checked bag, but the tailgate is sneaked onto a pallet headed to Seattle. Not sure how I’m gonna retrieve that yet, but we’ll figure something out.

Hey guys, I’ll dig a bit more on NAXJA and maybe jeepforum, but I figured I’d ask here as well. Does anyone have a source for info on the late model XJ turbo diesel available to the euro market? I believe it was still made by Reneault in ‘97. Any info would be great. A repair manual would be ideal. Also, does anyone have a good source for parts here in North America or somewhere across the pond? I might be looking for cooling system parts specifically. Asking for a friend

I’ve had good luck with the dual gaskets, but I always give them a spritz with copper “spray-a-gasket” exhaust rated stuff.

I second that. A few bulbs isn’t much by todays standards, but when you’ve only got 60 amps from the alternator, and questionable aging grounds, it adds up. I used to have the same problem, but I’ve gone LED with every bulb except the front directionals. They had to stay incandescent to make the late-model turn signal mod work, and now I have electronic flashers to work with the LEDs. I also replaced the front turn signal sockets and headlight switch, and cleaned up/improved all my grounds. I also installed a headlight relay harness, but I don’t think that affects the directionals. I'm not sure which of these things fixed it, but the radio doesn’t dim anymore. I wish I could be more helpful, but I did everything in one go, so I couldn’t tell you what was the exact culprit.

You might be referring to the pre warmer. Does the hose have a spiral wire in it like a dryer vent hose? If so, it’s to draw hot air off the exhaust manifold into the air box during initial start up to bring the engine up to temp quicker.

I tied the positive wire for my third brake light to the ground side of the brake switch then chassis grounded the light. That seemed to do the trick for me.

I vote up top. I think it looks nicer.

Thanks guys!!! This is an honor I’ve dreamed of since 2011. I’m happy to be a part of this community! If we head back to the states in the spring, how about I just stop by?

89 Sportruck 2.5L 4-speed 2WD This one is in the yard across from Peninsula Automotive in Naknek, AK Unfortunately, it’s not going anywhere under its own power. Fortunately, there’s nowhere for it to go in this town anyway (no roads connect to the mainland), so it’ll probably sit in this yard until it dissolves back into the ground. There’s not much salvageable except the tailgate, but again, there’s no way to get things out of here without spending a fortune.

Not 100% sure on the last digit. It may be a 2, but the windshield was pretty messed up in that corner. This one is on the Alaska Peninsula Highway in Naknek, close to King Salmon, AK. 2.5, 4wd, stick shift It’s rough. Probably never going to move. I’m trying to find out who owns it to see if I can nab parts.

lol. Thanks! I have no shortage of adventures. I’m doing commercial fishing up in Alaska this season. Gotta pay for the next trip! Unfortunately, no MJs up here. Several XJs, 2 SJs, and a couple J10s though.

Hell yeah! Looks like a great time!

Ok time for a final update. Its been an absolutely wild 3 months. I still can hardly believe it all happened, let alone that it’s over, but there’s a time for everything in life, and this thing is gonna be on pause for a little while. This week, we drove to the capital, and largest city in Costa Rica, San Jose, which involved one more ferry ride, because a major bridge is closed for repair work. To suspend the truck’s 90 day Temporary Import Permit (TIP), I have to store it at an “Almacen Fiscal” which is just an import/export duty-free warehouse. This was, by far, the hardest part of the trip for me. The paperwork wasn’t too difficult, but handing the keys over to some kid who jockeys imports around the yard all day like he stole them is definitely going to fuel my anxiety for the next six months. But seriously, we actually did a lot of research, and found a yard that reviewed very well, it looks very secure, and the price was very economical (After the first month, it’s about $90US/mo). It’s government bonded, there are cameras everywhere, and they guys in the yard even agreed to disconnect my battery after parking it. I also put a few psi extra in the tires, and topped up the fuel tank, so I think it’s ready for hibernation. That said, you guys are my witnesses. Here is the odometer and location when I handed off the keys: I’ll let you all know what happens in December! I can’t wait to find out for myself! In the meantime, I’ve gotta go recoup some of the money I spent.