phenryiv1

Truck should be done this week... In the meantime, some post day 1 teardown pics: I forgot to take any right before I dropped it off. I need to order a roll of this: http://www.pack-n-tape.com/cart/3m-0637 ... -case.html And I still need to figure out my bedliner strategy (Raptor or professional install) and to get a LOT of small fasteners to get the truck reassembled.

The problem is that I'd still have to grind off all of the tabs that hold the OEM windshield clips in place. Is it possible to mark the location of the tabs and notch the rubber trim to fit around the tabs? Since the trim is just...well, trim...I was thinking that I could cut out where the OEM mounting tabs are located and could slide the rubber trim in place without having the tabs put too much pressure on the windshield at the tab locations. Thoughts?

Bumping this... After several years of just maintaining her, she went for paint this week. Will post before pictures and more info, and HOPEFULLY some great-looking "after" shots of her. Went from the garnet red to Chili Pepper Red. Looking forward to the results!

I finally took my 88 Pioneer to have it painted. I am going from Garnet Red to a Chili Pepper Red, so no drastic color change. Anyway, I stripped off pretty much everything that I could take off that seemed reasonable. I removed: Bumpers Body side mounding Headlights/taillights/turn signals "Hockey stick" decals Badges "Jeep" tailgate stickers Over-the-rail bedliner Windshield trim Sill plates Complete grille assembly (had updated to a 3-peice version) Mirrors Wipers Wiper Cowl (replaced the cowl but removed the insert) Much of this stuff is off and will be painted/repainted in John Deere Blitz Black. I left on the truck: Flares Glass Lock cylinders Antenna base Door handles So the truck should be back next week, and I need to try to get things together so ease re-assembly. I found that most of the windshield clips cracked, and I was not really keen on the metal trim as it is. I read on here and other sites that I can either replace the clips and re-install the windshield OOOOORRRRRRR, I can try to install the rubber weatherstrip from a 95+ XJ. Some links talk about having to have the windshield out to do it. Others talk about having to grind off the tabs that hold the clips in place. I can't seem to get a straight answer. Can someone shed some light on the subject? CC link to past discussion: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=15224&view=next (By the way, the CC SEARCH function was not working when I made this post...I found that link through a Google Search. Please excuse if I missed some obvious CC threads.) Link to the rubber weatherstripping: http://www.teamcherokee.com/Weatherstrip/index.html (Last entry) Do I just press-fit the new rubber weatherstripping, or does it need to be glued in place? Can it be installed without removing the windshield? If I can't go with the rubber weatherstripping option, is there a trick to re-installing ther clips? They had an "L" bend that made it seem like there was no way to get them onto (or off of, for that matter) the tabs without breaking them. And can they be bought at a place like Fastenal? I also need a lot of the speed clips- the ones from the taillights, the front bumpers (those big ones), etc. Any suggestions on where to get them? I tried the automotive fasteners section at Lowes but they had nothing of the sort...at least not tin the proper sizes. Thanks in advance for any help that people can offer. Edit: Post day 1 teardown pics:

I have found that my hard starts are less- well, hard- when I put the key in accessory for a second or so before cranking it. I used to have a diesel F250 and got in that habit, and I did the same with the MJ out of habit a few times. It seems that it starts a little easier. Also, I went through this whole page a while back and founf that in times when I had a hard start (or no-start) situation after weather fluctuations, it helped to clean the CPS contacts. http://www.lunghd.com/Tech_Articles/Eng ... ostics.htm That page is awesome.

Reserved for pictures.

So after talking with a friend who restores old British and European cars about the body on my MJ (and after offering to pay him to paint it), he has me convinced that the painters at a local Maaco paint shop can do a good job on my MJ, given that it is not a daily driver and that I have a small budget. (His shop has had the Maaco guys do paint work on budget builds, small parts, etc., with good results.) I have stopped by the Maaco without an appointment a few times and asked to see some examples of completed customer work, and I have been satisfied with the quality and consistency. So after doing that homework, I went to the shop yesterday and they gave me 2 quotes- 1 with me doing the prep work on the rusted panels and 1 with them doing it. They estimated 3.5 hours to strip/sand the roof and hood, both of which have some pretty significant surface rust. The quote with me doing the prep was in my initial budget. The one with them doing the work was a few hundred over what I had budgeted. I have the money, but woudl rather not waste it if I can do the prep work at home. Not wanting to sound too ignorant (though I AM ignorant on these matters), what would be the steps to properly prep the truck for them to shoot color on it? I have prepped my old XJ for a full respray, but it had ZERO rust (and was down to the scratchcoat in many places as it is). Having no experience in prepping a vahicle with rust, what exactly am I getting into? I will try to post pics of the rust, but it is only on the surface. My initial thought was that I would be doing the sanding of the truck and then they would shoot primer on it, because I have read that rattlecan primer and automotive single-stage paints don't really play well together. I forgot to ask them for a definition of "prep" so I want to be more educated before I call them back and ask for clarification. When I search on here for pictures of people who did their own prep, I see a lot of primer in the pictures. Is there a particular type of primer that they are buying and applying to prep their vehicle for paint? Or am I just seeing where they sanded down to the primer in places? One additional note: I will be doing most of the teardown on the truck myself: bumpers, grille, headlight doors, body side molding, taillights, mirrors, etc. (I may take off the black plastic vents in the cab, as well, but I am lazy.) I will be leaving the fender flares, door handles and the lock cylinders in place.

"Steer ahead"? You mean the steering wheel isn't centered when driving straight? That's not in the steering box, that's a simple adjustment of the drag link. I meant to say that the steer ahead (yes, that the truck tracks straight when the wheel is aimed straight) actually is "on" at times, while at other times the truck does NOT drive straight when the wheel is at the center position. It actually feels dead-on at times, then I look down latere to see that i have the wheel about 10* to one side or another. That's tire balance. The steering box can't cause shimmy. First, I'll openly admit that I may have mis-used the word "shimmy" in my explanation of the problem. The issue (the loose feeling in the handling) was the same with a different set of wheels and tires, but checking tire balance is a good idea before putting any more money into hard parts. Because the problem was there before my current wheel/tire setup, and because I bought them used, I never thought to check this. It's a 20+ year old truck. It can't feel like a new car with rack-and-pinion steering, and should not be expected to. If that's what you are looking for, you're doomed to disappointment regardless of how much money you throw at it. No, that is not it at all. I was just mentioning that the comparison makes it hard to describe the differences in terms of how the truck used to behave versus how it feels now. I drove this truck on the highway many times when I was younger, and I did hundreds of thousands of highway miles in my 86, 95, and 98 XJs (all of which had more miles than my MJ does now). I can't accurately put my finger on (nor describe) what feels wrong with the handling and steering of the MJ right now, but I never would have wanted to drive an XJ on 5+ hour trips to and from college if it felt this shifty at 75 mph on the highway. They felt much "tighter" on the open road than does my MJ. I don't need (nor do I expect) this to feel like my WRX, but I do want to have a little more faith in the truck. As it stands, I won't drive it on the highway with my kids in the vehicle until I can resolve the loose feeling in the steering. I do appreciate the suggestion on checking tire balance. It would not fix the variance in the straight ahead steering,bu tit might explain the shimmy or shake that I feelat times, which does seem to be somewhat speed-dependent. Sometimes the simple solutions are the right ones.

A few months back, I saw several threads about the ZJ box being an option, but I never saw a thread that talked about a successful install. I'll be looking into that for sure. As for current status, I drove it about 60-70 miles today (most single-day use in a while) at speeds up to 70 mph, and sometimes it feels fine, while other times it feels dead at the center. Also, the steer ahead is not correct. At certain speeds, there is a little (barely noticable) shimmy in the vehicle, but I would not say that I felt it in the steering wheel as much as I felt it in the whole truck. Hard to describe. Part of the problem is that driving the truck just feels so different from driving my daily.

That I have not. I also need to inspect the mounting point(s) to be sure that the whole box is stable. Thanks for the tip.

I am fairly certain that I need a replacement steering box for my '88. I had a lot of play in the steering and the steer ahead was way off when I started working on the truck. I started looking for play by having someone turn the wheel while I was under the vehicle and was able to identify things that should move but did not. With that diagnosis in mind, I have replaced the track bar (helped a lot) and the steering stabilizer (helped a little). I also replaced the shocks, just for fun. Now I am to the point where I don't see any play from under the truck, but I still have slightly vague steering, particularly at highway speeds. Several (trusted) mechanics have suggested the steering box, but given my mechanical abilities, they said to tackle it myself (hence part of why I trust them), as the MJ is not my daily driver. I have searched on here an dlooked to my typical parts vendors, but I see a lot of brands with mixed reviews. Any suggestions on a particular brand and/or vendor? Thanks!

Any updates? Link to your build thread?

In for updates...my '88 steering box is a bit loose.

Looks great...but $360... :eek:

Same Headers are (at least in theory) more free-flowing, which should free up more HP. Manifolds are typically not engineered for the type of flow that headers are supposed to provide.

Seems like it is out of stock everywhere, at least in the Renix fitment. The H.O. version is pretty prevalent, but does not match right up with the surrounding parts on the Renix.

Thanks for the follow-up. I have a 15% off and free shipping code for JC Whitney, so I can pick up the Pacesetter that is specific to the Renix for about $220 shipped, so I might go that route.

It HAS been a while. I have been lurking on here, but I had bought an '88 BMW 325 that I was building to take to the track. That was consuming a lot of resources (time and money), so I sold it when I finally got it finished. I bought a new daily driver and finally have the time to get back to playing with the COmanche. I have really bad valve noise, and I am thinking that it is probably a cracked exhaust manifold or the mid/down pipe that connects to the cat. I already need a new muffler as well, so I might as well do all of the exhaust at once and be done with it, if possible. The only thing that I have done for the truck in the last year is to buy one of the remaining hitches that fit it and to start prepping it to be repainted.

That would be awesome. I don't mind buying the more expensive one if it is the only one that will work, but if I can save $100+, that would be good. I only drive the truck a few hundred miles a year for now.

The PaceSetter is around $250-260, shipped. The 88743 is out of stock pretty much everywhere. I can find the 88745, which Summit Racing said would fit the 87+ 4.0s, but then why have 2 part numbers? Also, I used to see Renix-compatible no-name headers on eBay (about $140, shipped), but now they list the full 4.0L year-range (say, 87-01) on some and 91+ on others. I don;t want to buy one of the 87-01 models and have it not fit, but the application guides list them as working on the Renix (I have an '88). I am looking here for technical guidance from anyone who is in the know.

Obviously, they are getting harder and harder to come by. Motion Offroad is sold out of the 88743, and so is pretty much everybody else. Some places are listing the 88745 as being compatible, but I see it as being listed for the HO-only 4.0s on many sites. 1, Is there a cost-effective (under $250) alternative to the Walker/Dynomax Blackjack 88743? 2, Does the 88745 work on the Renix motors? 3, Am I just screwed? Thanks!

Sorry for my confusion, but does the 37042 fit the comanche (longbed). I got confused reading the thread with the 2 reese p/ns and the u-haul #. I found a 37042 for $114. If it fits, I'll buy it and hold onto it.

So it has been a really, REALLY long time since I posted the last update. A new project car (a 1988 BMW 325 track car) , a new baby (born 12.17.09), and a heavy work load have really slowed me down, but the MJ is still riunning well and embarassing high-priced SUVs and luxu-trucks on a regular basis. Over the last few weeks, the Mid-Atlantic has seen 42"+ of snow, and guess what truck was the first one to cross the virgin snow (long before the high-dollar Lexus SUVs, HD trucks, and tiny-tired cute-utes of my neighbors)? You guessed it: Before: After: On the Road: Path cleared:

NOT MINE: http://martinsburg.craigslist.org/ctd/1493845251.html

Correct.