Gjeep

RockAuto had one left (not Mopar) couple months ago in clearance.

I surprise myself when consider looking past pulling the drums. They’re just a pain to deal with. But always glad when I do look as often times I find that repair IS needed… These drums were stuck on as the adjusters were put on backwards/ dialed too far out with shoes well glazed and a couple of broken tension springs. No doubt I’ll feel the additional horsepower now that brakes aren't dragging.

Trial run of the Tiger Tools u-joint remover/ installer I recently purchased – and it worked great. Previous owner had installed Spicer greaseable joints, but I went with the non-greaseable. Also decided it was a good time to replace the transmission output seal while the drive shaft was out. Had a change to paint the rear bumper satin black and it looks like new again. NOS end caps, bumper pads, and license plate lights will round-out that refresh.

Yep, 1/2" settle is about all that happens if running a camper shell.

10 1/4"

Metric Ton springs on with XJ shackles – got me a whole 3” of lift. A bit more than I was aiming for, but 1” steel lowering blocks will soon find their way in. Should land me about right. Rear brakes up next...

Two thumbs up to S&S Bumper Repair in So Cal for straightening my factory step bumper. Like new. I’ll paint it satin black. Entire time without bumper was 9 days. Incredible turn-around time.

I believe this was MJ for sale 4 years back out of Oakland, CA that was part of an estate sale. Could be wrong. Missing lots of trim but black interior is there. https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/2653429405028596/?ref=search&referral_code=null&referral_story_type=post&tracking=browse_serp%3A176d58b3-5d5b-478c-8c59-10c288d2e0e4

I remember it -- yellow Renix-era MJ. It was/ is Hesco's truck complete their stroker & supercharger (that they had offered for sale) and it also had the very limited run Borla MJ catback exhaust. They still have the MJ as it is their shops parts runner. I have the article torn out from the original magazine somewhere here.. because I always wanted an MJ with a stroker. Finally got it too. Will find the article when I'm able and scan it.

Similar set up to my other build with all stainless and a turn-down pipe. Only difference is the flange on the downpipe to cat that came with the first gen Borla header. Next up, getting the Metric Ton’s on, drum brake job, and I forget what else.

It’s amazing how many needles can fit and stay hidden behind the windshield framing. Vacuumed that mess out and then decided to do the same inside the cowl area. Some, but no where near as much. I did find that at some point one of the brackets spot welds must have broken loose and it was welded back together. Though it’s a low milage unit and bushings are in great shape, it’s being replaced with NOS. Got the rear diff covered up and filled with Lucas 75W-90 synthetic gear oil. Stainless steel bolts like all the rest of the Jeeps in the family.

The ’94.5-’96 XJ r134a set up is in place and ready to be charged. Lots going on this side of the block – and that’s with me having reduced clutter a bit (heater valve delete). It’s be fun getting the oil filter out with the AC lines, charcoal canister, and auto trans lines down the bottom. (My ’95 XJ had this same everything setup… cluttered. Without the auto trans lines it isn’t bad, but this MJ’s got them.

Today was the day – installing the HVAC box. First pass was rough. I couldn’t get it to seat where it needed to be, so I pulled it back out to think about things. The cowl seal needed to be ‘broken in’. I removed it from the box and compressed it all around for a good minute. Then I coated the upper metal of the cab cowl with dishwashing soap all around and did the same on the top surround of the cowl seal itself. It worked! The HVAC box and seal slid right into place with zero effort. Had it in and secured in 5 mins. Success! Time to attach hoses, button up the AC lines and charge the system. Here are some pics of the seals in place/ at work. Again, top notch, perfect fit.

The first rev was more encasing, meaning the sides all around covered inward about 1/2" and was made from a rubbery foam material - not as friendly to aftermarket heater core designs/ shapes. It was shaped/ molded specifically for the Mopar units. Reproducing this design would be much much more difficult. These have been out of production for a very long time; and about half of those installed from the factory were glued in; and the other half not (making those reusable). This '91 MJ I'm currently working on was the first I've had where this seal was glued in. So I had to toss it with the original heater core. The second gen FACTORY Mopar seal was made of a very crappy low density foam. Junk. I have several NOS as the design is good but the factory quality left much to be desired. I knew some day 20 years back when I bough these spares, I'd duplicate it in a better foam. Lucky for me, a fellow CC'er did so before I had to. The material that H3ADBANG4L1F3 is top notch and will survive well for the long haul. And it fit around both my NOS Mopar heater core and the aftermarket (Modine) core I'm using in this MJ. Perfect fit and top quality.

Can’t say enough good things about @H3ADBANG4L1F3and the HVAC box seals he’ll be selling here soon. I lost count how many times he shipped back and forth getting these seals dialed just right. (And for those who haven’t seen the separate thread on this topic, he’ll have all the variation seals/ years available once production starts.) Today I received the heater core seal modeled after the last rev of the first gen XJ (that ran ’94-’96 in production.) Here’s some photo’s of the HVAC box and seals.

Got the upholstery cleaned up yesterday and letting it dry in the sun over the next couple days. This near 40 year old upholstery was for the most part spotless.

Since I have my jack items under the hood, my carpet panel at the backwall can be clean. Once I drilled/ removed all the hardware from the old cardboard, I trimmed a some masonite to size, marked hole locations, and attached the original hardware with screw/nut retainers (since I dislike rivets).

Shuffling my feet towards the finish line – Got the front axle installed and what do you know, it’s near dead level front to rear. Actually 1/2" higher in from. I prefer my trucks have a slight rake. So, I ordered metric ton leafs and XJ shackles (if I need to go there)… as I’m aiming for about 1.5” difference. (Yes I could do an add-a-leaf, taller shackles, or several other methods, but metric tons it is.) While I’m playing at the rear axle, going to dive deep into the drums, wheel cylinders, etc. New as new. Also been chipping away at readying the new shoulder belts. Since I’m swapping over to a black interior, I’m installing the same belt set up as I did my other MJ. XJ belts is all you can get, but with a couple hours of work you can swap that shoulder belt assembly over to a modified MJ bracket. I learned first round that the ’86 and ’87 brackets work best with the new belt assembly. It’s a completely different mounting bracket than later year MJ’s and requires less work to get right. Flat black paint is drying overnight, ready for assembly first thing in the morning. Lastly, I unearthed one of my spare black dashboards and cleaned it up. This one came from my ’86 XLS long bed parts truck I bought, stripped and sold years back. The kids called it “The Beast” and all took turns learning to drive stick on it. The dashboard of that truck, as the rest of the interior panels, was in great condition but absolutely filthy. I could hear there was something sliding around in the air passage that took a bit to get in a corner where I could see it – finally found spotted – a long since abandoned hive. Bet that truck was a real party when the blower motor kicked in. Interior panels scrubbed as well and looking like new.

Not just Laredo, Laredo with 'type 2' pinstriping (meaning upper area around windows). Rare breed!

Cut down the mid-90’s Ford combo brake and cargo light flat all around to match the central location I’ll be mounting on MJ – similar to where the factory Jeep cargo light is mounted. I had to take off close to 1/2” at the widest location of the plastic surround. The light assembly has a raised seam backside that goes all the way around to two drain holes bottom left and right corner. So long as I mount it in the right spot, I should clear the light socket inserts and have about 1/8” between the cab sheet metal and the inner support bracket.

Time to cut the Comanche’s headliner for overhead console clearance. Similar to my other MJ build, I’m using a modified first gen XJ overhead console with reshaped mounting bracket front side and adapted SJ bracket in the rear. As most know, the XJ roof line is for the most part flat, while the MJ’s rises to the rear. Black outline on this headliner marks the standard XJ headliner with overhead console cut and the balance is what needs to clear and sink the MJ console creation into place.

I just installed one on my '91 -- was fun to figure out. Look at my page 3 build and pm me if you have additional questions on assembly --

They're work in progress as I've been working with him on my '91 build. And he has Renix-HO years covered (firewall pass-through slightly different and with/ without AC). Quality stuff is coming, I guarantee it. As far as I know the final piece that we're almost done with fitment on is the heater core (box) seal. Can't say enough good things about the time put into these. Will be worth the wait.

Installed the fuel tank skid. A lot easier doing on a lifted MJ, but got it done. This is the same skid plate I originally had on my ’92 so it was in good shape and ready to mount. Still need to sort and secure the wiring. The prior owner had an Eaton locker installed somewhere along the line. Time for service, so cleaning out the diff and will be installing a Lube Locker gasket and the usual stainless steel bolts for bling.

I was dreading removing the year and half old headliner. Fresh glue, fresh foam. I tried tugging on it in a small area and foam stayed while material peeled off. Did some research and found a YouTube video of an upholsterer who was advising to use a wire brush on a drill at half speed, spinning it in reverse up until you get to the corners – and this would work for all types of headliner composition. I read through the comments of the video, and they were all positive. I noticed my headliner was skimmed with bondo so I thought I’d give it a try. It worked and caused no damage (I slowed way down around the visor openings and corners). Never would have guessed. It worked on the backside of the board also where the headliner material/foam was wrapped over. And again, the wire brush caused no damage. Live and learn…