Pete M

top of the windshield is for sure out of line of sight.

the MJ shaft is about a foot longer than an XJ due to the wheelbase differences. you can get your current cut down, but a brand new one really isn't that much and is way stronger.

this seems like a poor design choice.

it's rusty as heck, but yes, I do have one.

I've not ever found any paperwork that says it was an official factory option. not anywhere. but anything is possible in the wild west that was the MJ years. if you were willing to buy an MJ, I'm sure there were dealerships that would bend over backwards to get you what you wanted (such as swapping it out at the dealership).

that's why this is my favorite truck. it could be anything! full resto or a v8 track truck or a rock bouncer. well, not anything. being a shortbed I can't make it a Laredo or a numbers matching MT.

and will likely change again in the future. such is the fun of the research phase! anything is possible!

I thought that too but the trucks in front of it are on the ground. I'd wager that the damage to the visible bedside is a big clue. I just don't know what to make of it.

the 231 was the t-case that came behind them, so yes.

this is why it's important to have multiple MJs

always in flux is a conversation. cleaner doesn't automatically mean it's "more worthy", only that it'd be easier. as original as mine is, 30 years from now no one is going to be banging on my door throwing money at me for my boring 2wd pioneer. the most common trim with the most common color on the most common year. and I bought it specifically for taking it to car shows. but I can't afford a really rare truck like a Laredo or Eliminator. those have all gotten out of my price range. I sacrificed rarity for originality and, as long as that makes me smile, I will keep the truck.

leafs, coils, shocks, wheels, rear axle, and probably trans cooler if auto. but yeah, the coils/leafs/shocks are the unique-to-MT things. the others could be had with other packages. but numbers matching is numbers matching. I can't make an MT truck outta a non-MT truck. no rust free truck is too far gone for a resto. people are even restoring the rotted trucks out east. it's a classic Jeep. the possibilities are endless

your statement kinda conflicts a bit with your plans for the truck. once you lift it and replace all the bits that make it an MT, it's not really an MT any more. though I guess you could put the old stuff in a pile somewhere if you ever wanted to go back.

there is literally no way to know the breakdowns of trucks sold. as far as we know, Chrysler doesn't even have that info. all years could have been ordered with the MT package

and then you get a call that it might be delayed for a bit longer... ouch. yup, that's the assembly line. sooooo close to making it to the end.

manual or auto? what are the plans for the truck?

on mine the white areas are a slew of divots into the plastic. it's 3d.

the 939 would be late 70s to today.

1 and a half inches?! that's a downhill slalom for a kitchen!

yup, that I learned the hard way. lol. get air in pipe hot... then open door to add wood. by thermostat I mean the little lever that opens the inlet. nothing fancier than that. tried to get a thermometer in town today but Ace had already changed that isle over to the next season. the one I ordered is still... in the system somewhere.

I had 3.92s in my dakota RT. it was an absolute hoot to drive! (but I had an overdrive)

pretty sure he's talking about the bed. those aftermarket bedsides are just the worst. no one has liked them. do you have a picture of your truck and the problem areas? how bad is it?

that's a good lookin' bumper right there

smart man don't forget about the paper trick. take some loose leaf (and scissors) and tape it to the wall and to each other to make a template and then pull it from the wall and set it on the drywall. easy-peesy

how do you guys load your wood up? I've been adding a 1/4 log every now and again because I'm still learning what does what. am I supposed to pile it in and let the thermostat do the work? that tends to lead to a lot of smokiness out the pipe.