Pete M

and so here we are today. in the process of stripping it down for paint and some "shiny new" parts. I'd like to have it ship-shape for the PowWow on the 25th. If I can't bring a whole MJ, I can at least bring half of one.

the trailer is still looking kinda rough... but then I got lucky at the junkyard a while back:

not only does it not stay down, I actually lost it on the freeway on the way to pick up those tires. (obviously I was able to recover it, but I never did find the spare tire). If the trailer was empty while driving I put the spare tire in the bed near the front. and this had worked great for driving around town (max 55mph), but apparently on the long freeway drive the tire had shifted to the back and that was all it took to let air pressure suck it right out. whoosh! took the tire with it and flung both off to the side of the road (thankfully). Lesson learned I'm still not certain how I want to secure it, but I threw a couple clamps in the bedbox until I do.

then, like any good truck, I put her to work

soon after acquiring her I sorted out the bad wiring and managed to locate a drop-in bedliner that wasn't all cut up.

My longbed MJ trailer Here she is the day I got her. The bumper is pretzel, the tailights are cracked, the tailgate only opens with a screwdriver, the hitch is of the pintle variety, there are 3 coats of flaking paint and I had to supply my own leaf springs, but the price was right (free!) Title said she was built in colorado and I got her from a friend in georgia, but she isn't rust free so I don't know the rest of the story. Not even sure what year truck was cut up. (edit: the dates on the plastic bumper caps are 87, if they are original tot he truck) more or less it's an MJ sliced in half and a frame welded up front to make it a trailer.

and the tone ring (or whatever they called it back then) needs to match the new CPS.

My buddy bought a Mossberg Shockwave after watching one of his vids. It's a fun toy. (just don't call it a shotgun... which it totally isn't... according to the laws.. apparently... )

how much of the XJ's wiring did you grab? dash harness too? rear lights wiring? is the XJ still around to pull more stuff? are you swapping just the engine? or the trans too? essentially everything changed in 91 for the HO and the chrysler electronics. on the surface it all looks very similar, but Renix and Chrysler used different sensors and ran their wires different. so essentially everything needs to swap over to get the HO computer and the gauge cluster to work.

how come the stowaways on my Jeeps are always the stinging kind? nice find! edit: the Jeep, not the frog. but also the frog.

I love that headliner material! nice choice!

if the perches weren't moved to the MJ spacing, that XJ axle will ruin your leaf's bushings pretty quick.

need more details!

what are your plans for the truck? daily driver or monster truck? how much of a project are you looking for? this particular truck is a 2.5l/auto and will be the opposite of speedy, which will get worse with bigger tires. and "wiring issues" could mean a couple bad grounds, or it could be that a mouse made a home inside the dash and you need to rewire most of it. can't say without checking it out in person. if you go see it, be sure to bring a fridge magnet and check for hidden bondo and rust. pull up the carpet and look for moisture underneath which could indicate rust.

Some great educational stuff here. very enjoyable to watch. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8XjmAEDVZSCQjI150cb4QA/videos

One of our members had a daily driver ZJ with the 44a. he had to replace it (I thikn it roasted its bearings) and used a junkyard 44a. then he had to replace that one (what ever the problem was it happened again) and used a 35. was smooth sailing after that. There are Jeepers out there that have used the 44a to good effect, but there are also guys flogging away at dana 35s so your mileage may vary.

what a lovely view! on a side note, I'm not sure if Georgia has a single natural lake.

I have an idea, maybe you can design brackets for a gas tank skid where the buyer would then source their own giant piece of steel and use your stuff to bolt it on. that would save a ton on shipping and expand your buyer base.

the legal ramifications of building suspension components would make me hesitant to jump in without insurance of some kind. what about skidplates? maybe a t-case skidplate that goes from framerail to framerail. or rear quarter "rocker" guards that can be added to trucks that already have a tough rear bumper?

I've getting ready to start the refurb on my MJ trailer (flares, paint, better tailgate/lights/bumper) and the thought has occurred to me that I've got a couple extra "Comanche" emblems lying around... would you add them? the purest in me says no, but it's just a trailer and it'd be nice to have the name on it somewhere.

Owner @kjuanmi

couple inches more than an MJ. can't remember the actual number.

clearly not new, but the price was right... free! It'll be going on top of my drivetrainless MJ so I can use the bed for storage of more than just the leftover fake rocks from the chimney. a huge thanks to the previous owner for not just recycling it.

welding is one of those things that really truly benefit from a few hands-on lessons from an expert (and then tons and tons of practice). feel free to sign up for a local college class. worth every penny! remember that the important part of the weld is invisible and so it is hard to get a feel for what if you don't yet have the experience. and be sure to slice open your practice welds to see what's going on.

you've got quite the collection of Jeeps! very envious!