Gjeep

The 31” BFG spare is officially in place. Had to match the rest of the tire set with their latest KO3 tread. I went with a simple 15x8 black steelie to keep the underside fuss free.

An Etsy XJ enthusiast—who made the 97+ XJ cupholder extenders I have in all the Cherokee’s—is creating extenders for the original XJ/MJ cupholder. He has several front and rear designs that look good, but I’m particular to keeping this style cupholder and he was willing to make it. This extension, similar to the second gen XJ design, simply presses into place. Looking forward to getting this. Currently I hold my drinks for fear of spillage. Getting one for this MJ and the daily driver Comanche.

This is the alignment jig: https://offroadanonymous.com/product/diy-toe-alignment-tool-plates/ I bought mine many years back and it looks like they changed the design slightly. Also, couldn't find the kit they sold that included the 2 magnet tipped tape measures. You can probably find something like that on Amazon though.

It seems I didn’t do an alignment years back. It was toe-out over 1/2". Good now, 1/8” toe-in. Front flares were also installed and coverage over the tires is the same front to rear. Perfecto.

Got the rear fender flares installed and passenger side tire on. This 15x8.5” Vector works well for this build. I’m running a 1” spacer out back that lines up widths front to rear spot-on. I went with black lug nuts this round. Going to double check the alignment on the front end because it’s been forever since I did it and want to make sure all is well before installing the tires.

Many thanks. The hole in the front bumper is for a hidden winch.

BFG KO's! I'll be heading back in a couple days to get the spare. Time to clean them up...

Similar to the rear step bumper, one of the issues I see with the first gen front bumper end caps is how they’re pinned to the fender corner and forced to be angled outward because of this. Jeep would have done good by making this bumper also at least a 1/2" wider. My goal is to have the end caps sit more parallel to the front fender. Here’s a photo of my ’91 MJ showing what I’m talking about. First step is providing adjustability to the end cap and upper metal mounting bracket that typically sits too high, raising the flat top portion of the end cap, not keeping it flat with the line of the bumper. I narrowed the anchor bottom side, allowing it to sit lower in the slot on the backside of the bumper. (Brackets to be refinished.) I also cut/ opened all bumper end cap mounting holes, providing outward adjustability. Bumpers are ready for powder coating. Bringing a sample of the graphic vinyl plastered to the lid of SEM trim paint to make color selection simpler.

Every MJ I’ve owned that came with the factory step bumper had bumper end cap carving into the paint and some etched down into the bare metal from years of rubbing. Jeep just needed to go about 1/2” wider on the metal portion of the bumper to be right. The aim this week is to take both the front and rear bumpers in to be powder coated for color consistency. And before I do that, I pre-assemble everything just in case any holes need to be drilled, cuts need to be made, etc. For the rear step bumper, as expected, installing the end caps pressed them up against the sheet metal. The passenger side needed 13/64” shimming and the driver side 5/32”. I used stainless steel washers to achieve this. The lighting/ shadows in the photos makes the spacing look greater than it actually is. With step one done, it was time to redrill or elongate the topside bumper end cap retaining holes so that the push-in fasteners sit in the same position atop the driver and passenger side end caps. (The holes were drilled dead-center of the plastic end cap topside openings, hence the inconsistency, yet accuracy, of hole placement. Long live Jeep’s eye for detail…)

This is the one to get. Fits properly.

Good idea. Seats look as they should.

I waxed the MJ this morning for the first time post-paint. I used my usual go-to Collinite liquid, making sure to stay away from the matte vinyl as I didn’t want to turn the graphics glossy. The guy who produced the graphics for me suggested a matte finish vinyl wax that can also serve to wax the surrounding glossy paint areas. He didn’t have any recommendations but mentioned several wrap clients swear by it. So, I did my homework online over the course of a few days and found that the Swissvax Opaque line had good reviews and feedback on car forums. I decided to give it a shot. It’s a traditional-ish paste wax that you don’t want to let dry. Wax on/ off, the quicker the better. First pass was on the hood stripes – I liked it. No white residue buildup on the edges or around lettering (once I got to the flanks). It also deepened the black vinyl color slightly. Two thumbs up. Once complete, I could actually feel the difference in the graphics when sliding a towel over the top of the hood. Good stuff. I wanted to get all the polishing done before installing the flares and bumpers. Also took a peek through my maintenance records for this project and realized the green IAT coolant I put in at first fire-up needed to be drained/ filled (3 year max life)... and it’s been almost 8 years since the stroker was installed. Hard to believe. For this round, I decided to go with Valvoline Zerex Original Green, which bumps the coolant life span to 5 years. While under the hood I decided the airbox needed some subtle badging. This emblem was destined for the tailgate back when this MJ was targeted to be a cloned ‘Chief’. And since I changed my mind on all of that, I decided the once chrome ‘stroker’ emblem should be stripped/ painted black to blend into the factory airbox.

Here you go... The shortest 1" diameter length you can get I believe is 25ft. https://wiringproducts.com/products/high-temperature-nylon-slit-wire-loom-sleeving?variant=43845357666520

I found an online source for domed engine bay friendly decals and created a custom label for the Warn solenoid box to match the aftermarket emblem. Same color as the MJ. That box didn’t look right tucked in the corner of the engine bay without appropriate badging. Also found some Auveco cable retainers perfect for securing the Winch remote/ cables. Now the winch can be run from either under the hood or in the cab by the factory rocker switch setup to the right of the steering column. Options... on a truck that will likely never see dirt. Dust maybe, but not dirt.

Also completed the alternate grille this morning. Nothing like waking up at 1am. I’ll likely install the wider opening honeycomb style (option 1) over the thick slat style (option 2) as it ‘matches’ the stripes and vector wheel openings a bit better. But one never knows until the final install. Option 1: Option 2: