Pete M

I looked this up for something and figure while I was here I'd bump for any new guys/gals that haven't seen it yet. :D

If you're going to be buried in your truck, I'd recommend having your body skeletonized first. Otherwise you'll ruin the carpet a couple months later. :teehee: (ever see the Mythbusters episode with the corvette?)

-don't know, but sockets and snap ring pliers are on the list -Nope, the HO is a 4.0L -If properly taken care of, 200k+ miles is quite common. Accidents, rust, and misuse are the big killers of MJ/XJs

It's a pretty simple task to swap in a 3.55 geared XJ axle.

I had problems with occasionally stalling in intersections and I only had only 30 inch tires on my 2wd/4.0L. :ack: I'm not kidding. Also, 2" of lift for you is only 1" of lift on a 4wd MJ and is likely not enough to run 31s on aftermarket rims without tearing into the bottom corners of the fenders. Don't forget that you'll need an alignment after lifting an MJ any amount. And I'm not exactly impressed with that price. What kind of tires are they? I personally wouldn't do what you're contemplating.

Adding 31 inch tall tires will MAKE it a dog. It's the same as installing a crappier gear ratio in the axle. Being 2wd though, it's pretty easy to grab a new axle from the junkyard to get a gear ratio that will better match the new tire diameter. :thumbsup: Those are aftermarket rims and likely have ~3.5" to 4" of backspacing which will put the tires into the flares when turning (and I'm not talking about "only at max turn", I'm talking about at about half-turn). 3" of lift (4" for 2wd MJs) is generally required to accommodate aftermarket rims with 31" tires. Jeep rims will work better and with less lift. I have 0 lift on my 90 (which will be about 1" of lift for a 2wd MJ) and only added WJ lower control arms to prevent rubbing at full lock.

What wheels are they? Stock Jeep rims or other brand/aftermarket?

I knew that logo looked familiar. :D Good choice. :thumbsup:

Yes and no. It's technically not a "bedliner" material. It's called Zolatone. This is the writeup on what I did: viewtopic.php?f=7&t=10585

Both of my dogs are mutts, and were essentially free. Wouldn't trade them for the world. :thumbsup:

This is where I would cut. Even with a photo I find it hard to explain. :hmm: But bottom line I would leave the structural integrity of the frame and floors alone and move the outer sheetmetal only. Then fill in the rockers, roof, and new floor area with the appropriate sheetmetal. A problem might arise at the fuel filler door. The leading edge is just about 9" from the front of the bed. Now ya got me wanting to do this. :shake:

There are a few other guys working on extensive modding of the body so they might be able to give more details of their work, but I (in all of my inexperience) would cut the back wall and side walls (behind the doors) free from the truck, slide them back into the position they need to be to work with the new door, then weld in the missing sheetmetal. Then shrink the bed to match. Sounds fairly easy in my head. :D Reality might prove otherwise. I've been working (in my head) with a similar conundrum concerning my idea of stretching a fullsize Cherokee to give it another foot of wheelbase.

The cab is integral with the frame. It's a uni-frame. I would leave as much of the floor area intact as possible. Other guys might be more trusting in their sheetmetal skills.

I would leave the frame alone and notch the cab to work around it if there's interference. But that's just me. The frame is only sheetmetal and I've never been comfortable with the idea of hacking it up and piecing it back together.

Wait, why are you cutting up the frame? :hmm: I thought you were talking about extending the cab and then shortening the bed, but leaving the frame unmolested.

I guess the fuel tank dilemma all depends on precisely how you extend the cab backwards. It might not have to extend down below the upper framerail surface between the rails. Maybe the baby tank from the longbed will work in it's place? :dunno: What I mean is, make a flat floor between the tops of the frame rails as you push the back wall rearward.

Or maybe this one. :drool: Undoubtedly the rarest 4 banger MJ out there.

The fan is for trail use and pulls air out of the engine bay and throws it forward out the scoop. But, with the truck at highway speeds and the fan turned off, air still moves out of the engine bay through the scoop. It's opposite of what you might think. And I got the strut (singular) from the store. They just don't list what strut goes to what car or van. I bought a bunch and returned the ones that didn't work.

I think he's just looking for a thread where members can peruse different ideas for hood functionality and design. Lord know we've got them for bumpers and tires and such. :yes: And it seems Geonovast was kind enough to show us some stock hoods for comparison. :D Here's my slightly modified stock hood. Hood pins (after the factory latch system died), handles for lifting the hood up, a booty-fab hood lift strut (don't ask what the strut came from, I don't know), and the hand-formed "hood scoop" that is actually the vent for the pusher fan below that sucks the hot air out of the engine bay.

They made those? :nuts: What year was that an option? I gotta get me one of those. :yes:

I think he means that it won't rev higher than 3500. :D Did this come on suddenly or gradually?

You're thinking of the 86 MJs. 87+ Won't need those particular changes.

You would not be the first person to gut an MJ and install a newer drivetrain. :thumbsup: But be aware that you'll need everything from the donor Jeep.

Tech questions should really go in the Tech forum so more guys will see it. :thumbsup: