phenryiv1

Well, I sold my "Main" project car this weekend. I had a 1992 BMW 318i 5MT that I was building for autocross use in D Stock. It needed a lot to really be competetive, btu then the MJ dropped in my lap and I found myself waning to work on it over the E36. When I try to do two projects, one always suffers, and this one has a lot of benefits over my other one. Personal importance (was my grandfather's truck) Practicality (BMWs are nto good for hauling mulch or lumber) MJ was already road-ready (though needing some work, whereas the Bimmer needed some $$$ to get on the road Who really needs insurance on 4 cars? So anyway, I took a deposit on the BMW this weekend and even sold my spare (M3) wheels and tires with it. That cash will go right into the MJ. I am about to order a new rear bumper for it. I considered a nice aftermarket one, bit for $150 shipped, it was hard to resist the Westin/Fey step bumper, especially since it won't be a trail rig. I am supposed to pick up a set of 10-holes this week, if I can ever synchronize schedules with the guy!

This thread seems to dovetail well with my seat attachment point thread...

I have been steadily soaking them in PB Blaster and some liquid wrench penetrating oil. Unfortunately, they nut near the transmission hump is (was) in such bad shape that as I used a small screwdriver to clean up dirt and crp to allow the socket to mount, the whiole nut started to break apart such that now I will need to at the least use a stripped nut remover just to get it off of there. I may just use a dremel and try to chip the nut away from the weld stud and then clean out the threads. Unfortunately, I do know all about that from my last 95 Cherokee.

Mine also starts hard, and we replaced nearly everything- starter, distributor, rotor, alternator, battery. I don't know what finally got it to start reliably (my father had it "woprking" about a year before I bought it), but it used to not re-start if it had run for more than a few minutes at any speed. Now, that has been rectified. I will look through the receipts to see if I can get a clue as to what finally fixed it.

Still holding up?

I have an 88 MJ with the sliding bench seat. Before I bought it, there was a slight leak in the driver's door, and there was some moisture on the floor. To see how bad it is or is not, I am removing the seat and carpet, and while I have them out, I want to clean the carpet and replace the underlayment, then rubberize the foor, just to be safe. I got the rusted outer front seat nut to move (1/2"), but the INNER FRONT seat bolt/nut on the driver's side was really rusted over. What size it is, and does it remove from the inside or from below the vehicle? Is it a welded stud that comes up from the floor, or does it go down into a weld nut on the underside? Any tips on removal? Thanks in advance!

I thank you with great sincerity for undertaking this procedure. Oh, and :cheers:

Oh yeah, while the tires are little 225- or 215- 75-15 street tires, they have about 1000 miles on them, so for now they will stay. But I have to go tomorrow or the next day and pick up a set of 10-holes that I found for cheap. Those steelies that are on there now are actually from a 99 XJ SE. The 88 MJ Steelies (which were white :huh???: ) are still around somewhere. I don't want to do this as a stock restoration- I want to make it a nice as I can while not breaking the bank. I am sure that my grandfather would approve, as he always helped me on my old XJ projects (and never asked WHY I was doing a particular modification!). :thumbsup:

Thanks to all for the posts above. I have looked at a few custom-fab bumpers for the MJ, and I am impressed with them all, so far. Some may have more utility to me than others, with the integrated receiver, so I am going to see what fits in the budget. Part of me wants to just get the Amazon one for $142 shipped and them get a receiver later (if needed), but I hate building anything with the knowledge that something bought now will be rendered useless or obselete by an anticipated future purchase. That said, $142 shipped is still dirt cheap! I did go ahead and start a real buildup thread in the buildup section, just so as to not clutter up "Tech" with "hi, I am new here" posts. viewtopic.php?f=7&t=13747 That being said, I appreciate all comments about the bumper and options in this thread, and feel free to visit the other thread any time for what I hope to be somewhat regular updates!

See page 4 for updated pictures of the truck after the respray to Chili Pepper Red! First off, this website is a great new resource. I have been on JU since 2000, and it was great when I had my XJs, but there is not a ton of MJ support, plus as the MJ/XJ gets further from production, interest and support seems to wane. Anyway, I have just bought/inherited a 1988 MJ LB 4x4 that has been in my family since it was new. 93K, no A/C, paint that is failing (or gone), sloppy steering...but a great truck. It belonged to my grandfather, who bought it new in 1987/88, then to my father. My grandfather passed away a couple of weeks ago and my father bought the truck that my grandfather had at the time of his death, so I bought (for dirt cheap) the MJ to keep it in the family. I hope to do a basic update/restoration to keep it running for as long as possible. It is my 7th Jeep. I had a few XJs (86, 95, 98, 95) and another MJ (another 88), as well as an 04 WJ Overland (LEMON!!!). Pictures, after getting it in the driveway last week: So what makes it a project? The paint is gone on the hood and roof, and I need to get something new on there as soon as the spring rolls around and it is warm enough to respray the truck. At this point, I thik I will shoot it with the stock color again, because it is pretty unique, and it looks pretty good in the areas where it is still on the truck. I will not be re-applying the Pioneer stripes. I tweaked the rear bumper when my father still owned it (I was using it to pull root balls from the front of my house). I do not have a welder, not access to the skills needed to fabricate a rear bumper. As this will not see trail duty any time soon, a stock replacement will most likely work. I was looking online and found the following option: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0007VNZMM?smi ... nkCode=asn (It is chrome in the picture, but the description lists it as black.) So if I understand correctly, this is really a Dodge Dakota replica bumper, which from searches on JU, should bolt up. However, does it bolt to the stock MJ mounts, if I still have them (I do), or do I need the MJ adapters listed in the ad, even if I have the stock mounts in place? I also had (maybe still have) some leaking at the top of the driver's side door. The truck has never been wrecked, and all of the lines are still aligned, but the top of the window frame has a gap between the window frame and the still spongy/rubbery stock door weatherstripping. I added some additional weatherstripping to the door itself, and it seems to have worked. Now I just need to pull the interior out and make sure that the floor is still good. Otherwise, the interior is pretty good, with no cracking or tears anywhere, and only minor staining in the carpet. I can fix that (and replace the underlayment) when I pull the carpet to check the floorboards. While I am on the interior, I would like to do a full gauge swap to real gauges/sensors (not the current idiot lights) and I would also like to replace all of the window weatherstripping. I found it online, and man is it expensive for a few lousy rubber parts! I would not mind new door speakers (88 stockers still in place) and a smooth dash face from the mid-90s XJs. On to mechanicals, the truck currently suffers from a very loose steering feel with no real center and very sloppy response. Having owned my past XJs, I know that it is not normal. There are also a few minor oil leaks in and around the valve cover that I hope to address soon. The fog lights are crap, but I have a set of nice aftermarket lights with lellow lenses that should work on the bumber. I woudl not mind refreshing the grille and headlight surrounds (minor cracking on the passenger side of the grille and the headlight surround), but I may just pull them and spray them black when I am painting the rest of the truck. I have another vehicle project (a 92 BMW 318i that I am trying to build for autocross use) and I have a TON of home remodelling projects, so time and money won't be flowing as I woud like. I am considering selling the BMW, but I doubt that I could get out of it anything close to what I have in it, so I may just move it to the back burner for now. Well, that is all for now. I will keep this thread as updated as possible.

First off, this is a great new resource. I have been on JU since 2000, and it was great when I had my XJs, but there is not a ton of MJ support, plus as the MJ/XJ gets further from production, interest and support seems to wane. Anyway, I have just bought/inherited a 1988 MJ LB 4x4 that has been in my family since it was new. 93K, no A/C, paint that is failing, sloppy steering...but a great truck. Unfortunately, I tweaked the rear bumper when my father still owned it (I was using it to pull root balls from the front of my house). It belonged to my grandfather, who bought it new in 1987/88, then to my father. My grandfather passed away a couple of weeks ago and my father bought the truck that my grandfather had at the time of his death, so I bought (for dirt cheap) the MJ to keep it in the family. I hope to do a basic update/restoration to keep it running for as long as possible. It is my 7th Jeep. I do not have a welder, not access to the skills needed to fabricate a rear bumper. As this will not see trail duty any time soon, a stock replacement will most likely work. I was looking online and found the following option: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0007VNZMM?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&tag=nextag-auto-delta-20&linkCode=asn (It looks chrome, but the description lists it as black.) So if I understand correctly, this is really a Dodge Dakota replica bumper, which from searches on JU, should bolt up. However, does it bolt to the stock MJ mounts, if I still have them (I do), or do I need the MJ adapters listed in the ad, even if I have the stock mounts in place? I tried searching here, but got no valid results because the search engine eliminated the woard "rear" from the search string. Other pics (just for fun): Thanks in advance, all!

Not to ask a n00bie question, but... Are these for front or rear?

Try entering a hard return between pictures to avoiud the need to side-scroll. I had typed 3-4 paragraphs and the server crapped out on me...I will summarize: Black is negative, green is positive, and that is the stock speaker harness, but... I would run new wires to the rear and the doors, then use your own connectors to make installing the aftermarket speakers easier. If you find OEM spacers/adapters, your aftermarket speakers may not slide right in. If you have to make your own, try using the stocker as a template and use plexiglass to make your own adapter.