Mr_Random

You won't be able to swap the 4.0 without alot of modification, unfortunately. Unless the XJs and MJ's of the 86 year had different firewalls, you'll have to severly modify yours. Might as well do a 4.3 swap or something similar. Even with 4.88's I've read that the four cylinder will hate those 35's, not to mention you'll need at least a new rear axle to accommodate the big tires...

Oh no he's tubing the front!!! J/k I think he wants it close to stock...

Did you NEED to cut off the front? Or did you feel like doing some cutting to get you pumped for the long haul? I'm thinking you are gonna make a bed out of the rear, with not provisions for the rear seat? That seems like it would be easiest and more unique!

Have you decided on blocks yet, or just removing a leaf? What kind of condition is the ax-4? I'm sure it's not very fun to drive over 65... overdrive IS nice! I envy your MJ!

It becomes an art to get it done fast, I swapped mine in an hour! My parents didn't even know I was outside until I came in all greasy and crap. But yeah, unbolted shocks, swaybar, and a bottle jack did me right!

How did you wire up the under-dash courtesy lights? My XJ has them, but they've never worked... Great job by the way, in both purchasing and fixing it up some! But why are you so paranoid about the colors? The paint looks PERFECT! Try to fix the dent in the bed side, repaint that, and it looks like you'll be ready to go! There don't seem to be any interior rips, so you can probably just remove everything, clean, and install... unless there's something I'm missing! Either way, hopefully I can get an MJ anywhere near as great as yours!

Well... actually I bet I can, but I slowed down once or twice enough to get some honks and even flipped off, just to check. Remember me from NAXJA? Yeah I'm crazy... Yuma, crossroads to every large city in the southwest... Well, I'm actually considering a fairly beat up MJ that I KNOW is for sale, then possibly finding a newer XJ at the salvage yard and swapping everything over. With 2k I bet I could get a great MJ out of it. "De quanto cuesta el comanche?" "Estoy interestado en comprando usted comanche" Or something like that, I'm sure my grammar is off, but It mostly works. Okay... I guess I should consider my options!

Well maybe I'm overreacting, but I was under the impression that MJ's with full body skirts and custom cowls and front clips were quite the rareness, because one company took 100 normal MJ's and custom made each one to be unique, then stamped the number X of 100 somewhere near the vin or something. But I thought it spanned more years than JUST 86? Maybe we're not on the same page, but the MJ I see driving around has only one badge on it (besides the tailgate saying jeep), and that is the 4.0 badge. Anyways, when I gather the balls and can remember my spanish well enough (You can never be sure down here who will or won't speak english), I'll go ask about the thing. Like others have said, it sometimes just takes that random offer to make someone consider selling it (especially if they didn't know what to do with it in the first place). Oh, and I'm an MJ stalker too, I go way out of my way just to drive by them... and get SO mad when they aren't where they normally are! Haha

Yeah, it's probably a long shot... maybe I'm just being optimistic, but I'd still like to inquire about it...

I've been eyeing an MJ, and don't know anything about it other than what I can see driving by at 30mph. Well, It's been sitting for a while now; I know it was driving probably two months ago, but the people seem to have shelved it since. It's growing spider webs now, and I want to make an offer before it starts to rot away (well, maybe not... this is AZ and nothing rusts...). Anyways, details; White, long bed, 4wd, d44, 4.0, and well... not much else that I can see... I can't remember if there's a tow hitch, but I did notice it sits considerably higher in the rear and is completely stock. Could this mean it's the "big ton" or whatever version? The paint and body look to be in perfect condition, so I think the best guess is that it has a blown B/A 10/5(?) tranny? Did the towing package even come with a five speed? If not engine/wiring problem I guess... My parents want another XJ, but I REALLY LOVE MJ's, so this would be an awesome opportunity to get one... should I get more details and report back for more advice? Side note: There's also an MJ being used as a work truck, *tear*, that appears to be one of those RARE 100 custom ones... Some pool company has some sweaty fat guys (no offense!) driving around with pool chems and crap in the bed, should I find the phone number/address for the company so that a J-truck nut may be able to grab it from their sweaty, corrosive hands? I don't have the money to restore it if it IS one of the rare ones, but would like to see it saved either way... thanks guys!