Pete M

you're not that far off. cheapest I've seen them online is about 10 bucks.

very, very true

right. my left hand has the coordination of a toddler learning to walk. except for driving. if I switch to my right I will unconsciously switch back within 30 seconds. too many years of driving a stick I guess. pizza or subs for a party

got the bottle. If I go back to that yard and it's still there, I'll bring along a couple spot weld bits and experiment on the frame caps. they are not especially easy to pull.

is the system working properly for anyone?

yeah, that's gotta be the most important tip ever

do you guys live in the rust belt? I've had times where the pipe wrench or the vice grips just weren't grabby enough to hold onto a round object. I cannot wait to own this device. just crank on the nuts a bit more until it stops moving. then undo the nuts to free it. I sure hope it works in real life as well as it does in my head.

it's not necessarily about what those 3 pics show, as much as what they don't show. interior, underside, engine bay, etc. it might be a great truck! or it could be a basket case.

based on the pics and the fact that it's been sitting for years and had mice, that's a sub-$1500 truck to me. anything more than that requires a test drive to convince me I'm not going to need another 3 grand just to make it reliable. the fuel system, the interior, the harness, even the engine could all be trash.

your floorpans don't look all that bad at all. you'll want to drill out all the spot welds with a spot weld cutter bit (grind off the rust before drilling because rust will dull a drill bit fast) and remove much of that frame cap and side support so you can treat underneath of it, then cut out the worst part, then weld in a flat piece of steel where the hole is. replacing the entire pan to fix a small hole is unnecessary and a ton more work. when you're all done, coat in POR-15 or Chassis Saver and then you can get new vinyl or carpet or whatever floats your boat. don't forget to fix the rain leak that let that water in.

so technically this is for rack and pinion steering systems for grabbing the smooth inner rod, but I just learned that this exists in the world and figured I'd share in case it has any use in the MJ world too.

do you get them if I quote you?

yup, that's the one! just thinking about never ever picking up a transmission again makes me oh so happy. the back pass corner of the bedliner is even torn a small amount so I don't have to cut into a flawless liner to do it!

happy holidays. I always enjoyed alliteration Disney World or Universal Studios Orlando

gotta do all you can to reduce the times you pick up the heavy things. and I mean ya gotta reeeeally make it a priority. hire a pro or just bribe a younger friend or family member with pizza to help. I'm thinking on installing one of those little hydraulic cranes in the back corner of the trailer so I never have to struggle with hefting up an axle or transmission again.

welcome to the addiction! plenty of us have rescued an MJ or 2 just like you have. all are worth saving! he should definitely start a build thread. if he'd like, I could move this one over to the build subforum.

lookin' reeeeal goooood

the wheel arches should be the same. the rear lower edge of the bed is a slightly different tapered angle. I've got 4 longbeds at the moment if you're in need. all need a bit of body work here and there, but all are rot free.

having said what I said, I can totally get behind practicing a resto on that tank for educational purposes.

always a sad day to see one of your babies drive away

I don't mess around with rusty fuel tanks. worth every penny to me to never worry about that aspect again.

always makes my heart skip a beat to see the old iron out in the wild

super tough call. we all dream of a lift, but not necessarily if it's smack in the middle of the floor.

I would just buy new if they are available. also