Pete M

I'd start by making sure water can't get into your cab from the windshield. :eek: And as the old saying goes, "no guts, no glory". :D Water in the fuse box should have long ago evaporated. (wouldn't rain also be getting in there if it's that easy?) I'd start with the simple things and work my way towards the hard. This could all just be mere coincidence and you could be tearing apart the fusebox for nothing. :thumbsup:

With all the swap-ability of parts on our trucks, there's no guarantee that any particular 22 year old MJ with an Amc-20 will have the metric leafs still attached. But if we're talking about "from the factory", I've found no evidence yet that the '20 was ever offered outside of the big ton package. But then, all sorts of weird stuff happened back in the day. It's almost as if we have to put an asterisk next to any statement about MJs. :(

It stands for "Awesome Jeep Engine". :thumbsup: Though I'm not sure why the letters don't match up. :dunno: Maybe it's in German? :D

The 2.8 is an inferior power plant.

I would start with checking the condition (and then clean) all the harness grounds, light sockets and the wires that run to said light sockets. :thumbsup: It can be a slow process to bring an old girl back to life, but be methodical and you'll get there. :cheers:

The car just needs a new fender. Big deal. The MJ now needs some serious TLC. :(

If you were stealing parts from an 84-85 Cherokee, would they be even older? :hmm: I can't say for sure, but I doubt much of the wiring/parts in a 2.5L truck changed from 86 to 90. The repair manual should be very useful. :thumbsup: As to the parking lights, many owners have had issues with the bulb sockets corroding.

I would remove the inspection plate and check the condition of the teeth on the flywheel. :thumbsup:

You'll need an entire 4.0 XJ. A complete donor rig comes highly recommended by those who have elected to take on a similar swap. Your t-case won't bolt to an AX-15, so add that to the list. Find out what ratio you have in the axles and let us know. :thumbsup: Did you swap the Dana 44 in?

What axles and gear ratio are you planning to use?

Is it for your TJ?

Far as I can tell, the torquefite has a good rep. A bit of an old design though, and it doesn't have overdrive. The big problem is that the 2.5L doesn't do well when mated to any auto. There's just not a lot of power and the auto sucks more of it away. There are kits out there for mating an AX-15 to the 2.5L if you're concerned about strength. What size tires are you running? Do you know the gear ratio?

How far are you hauling that amount of wood? How fast would you be traveling? Are we talking coming out of the woods? Or running down the roads?

I designed and built my bumpers/suspension/crossmembers/rollbar/rockerguards/etc mostly with just a 4.5" grinder and a drill. I only paid a pro to do the welding and the tube bending. Maybe in the future I'll get a nice welder. I'm just sayin', don't let the lack of welder keep you from the fun of Jeep building. :thumbsup: Start small, build up your confidence and tool collection, and you'll be well on your way to tackling the tough stuff. :clapping:

Now there is a good idea. :thumbsup: Maybe if they all don't snap off on my next big project truck I can do something similar.

It's a lot of work for an 86. Everything needs to be swapped, including all the wire harness and the front radiator supports (to fit the 4.0 radiator, the hood needs to be swapped for the later models with the corner latches, which means everything surrounding the new latches will need to be changed). A complete donor vehicle is highly recommended. An easier swap would be to change your auto to an AX-5 manual.

All it does it change the shift points for the transmission. The power setting is superior in every way for a 2.5L (otherwise the trans shifts before the engine gets to its sweet spot). 4.0s can get away with the comfort setting.

Yup. :( It's one of the few things I would gladly leave in the hands of the pros.

I'm going to need pictures of this supposedly too-tall MJ. :thumbsup:

Looks like a used Fabtech tire mount. Should work fine for ya. :thumbsup:

Things such as old axles are rarely equal. :D What condition are they in? How much "freshing up" does each need? Mileage? Prices? Gear ratios? Does the 8.8 have disks?

Have you thought about just fixing what's there? A multimeter and a shop manual (whether in book form or online) can get your truck running reliably. Don't fear the fuel injection. It's a far superior delivery system and the Jeep Renix versions are pretty straightforward once you get to know them. :thumbsup:

For the back, I generally recommend welding some steel to the axle rather than removing the bumpstop and trying to put a curved plate under it. I broke 3 of the 4 rear bumpstop bolts and I used tons of PB Blaster and time. :fs1:

bumpstops are what keep the axle from going up too far. Depending on the setup, going up too far can cause tire-to-fender contact, or the shocks can bottom out, etc. The hockey pucks were acting like a bumpstop extension. Likely he had really big tires on his rig and that was his sure for keeping them out of the fenders.

Was gonna. I was curious if there's enough truck left for someone to build up.