terrawombat

MJ Mirror options: Thanks to fiatslug Ugly Ford-Style Mirrors (at least that's what I call them): Thanks to BigNuke

Excuse me - I just looked at the spreadsheet I had at work. It was 21 threads and a 66.7% chance. I think I stopped at 21 because my boss came near the computer :D

Nice! Although, I still think the 3.4L would have been better and cheaper in the long run :D Rebuilding engines ain't cheap and it's definitely time consuming, but I can't criticize the guy for keeping it original.

I've been looking into this for my upcoming 97+ conversion on my MJ. I haven't found anything yet, but I'm curious at to how well the fit would be of a TJ Wrangler rear flare. The TJ does not have the rear bumper endcap to deal with, but I have no idea if the size of the opening on the TJ is anywhere near close to the MJ. My GF won't let me remove her rear fender flare on her TJ, either...

Easily. I've done it on multiple occasions with drunks. Their current ages are 23, 25, & 26 with a total combined weight of 500 lbs. We just went from bar to bar. I wouldn't want to go any longer than a half hour with the three people I had (for multiple reasons), but with the ages you listed, you should be able to go wherever you need to.

Back on topic: Does the kid know what he's got? I mean, does he really know or does he seem more like the type that just found a truck because it was cheap and decided to rebuild the motor as a shop class project? I also wish he came on here BEFORE deciding to rebuild the 2.8L motor :D Although, I commend him for tearing it down and making it new again. I learned how to rebuild a motor on a GM 3.8L V6 in my auto tech classes. It was going into what we called 'the rail' - a Buick sedan with the roof, doors, and quarter panels all removed and a flatbed installed in place of the interior. Used for hauling tools/parts to and from the parking lot. Also used as a teachers guide on different automotive systems since they were pretty well exposed :D

I actually did some statistics on the point mentioned above using a random selection of 20 threads. There is a 67.9% chance that btm24 will be the first reply to any new thread made on this forum.

Because it was one of three mirror options offered. The other being the standard type you see on most MJs and XJs and the other being the ugly chrome 80s Ford style.

You can also use the molded hoses (w/o the water control valve) from a 97+ XJ as they stopped using the valve in 1997. I ditched the valve years ago. Just another useless part that breaks and cause problems. Thanks for the tip! Tonight, I started on converting the truck into an open system. Removed the expansion bottle, heater control valve, and all heater hoses. Cut the upper radiator hose and spliced in the Moroso radiator fill neck. Stuck it right on the factory "ledge" attached to the A/C compressor that normally holds the radiator hose - worked out pretty nice. Now - onto the heater lines. I have a spare set of 97+ XJ lines from an engine I picked up at the JY. The bigger, heater inlet hose from the 97+ XJ fits just fine, but the outlet hose is a little bit short and I found out why. On my '88MJ, the metal tube that comes off of the water pump is much shorter and just sticks straight up. On my '92MJ, '98XJ, and '01XJ, that same metal tube comes straight up and then makes a 90 degree bend towards the rear of the engine, thus requiring a shorter rubber hose to the firewall. So, I'll use the 97+ XJ inlet hose, but will have to get a cut length of 5/8" outlet hose for the other side - no big deal. The finale to this project will just have to wait until tomorrow.

I suppose - assuming that you retrofit the Renix sensors on the engine or are 100% sure that the current sensors on your Atlas engine will work with the Renix-style gauges. I wouldn't know, either way, but I would venture a guess that the newer Atlas sensors aren't going to play nice with the old Renix gauges. Doesn't mean you can't make it work.

Superman - Thanks for the tips. I got the inline radiator fill neck in the mail today. I'm going to hit the junkyard on Saturday for some things for my '92MJ and I'll see if I can grab an upper heater hose off of one of the ZJs they have in the yard. If not, I can just get some cut to length at the auto parts store for cheap. As long as you say the heater still works without the valve, that's good enough for me...the truck I'm trying to do this on has been demoted back to a full time work-truck for the time being (or until the motor finally pops because of it's ridiculously low oil pressure) so I'm not too concerned if it pumps out scorching heat, especially not with the cold weather rolling in. If I can find a '91+ heater valve at the yard in good shape, I may just grab that and the hoses, though. Thanks again.

Yea, that may be true (and I believe it is), but you said you're going with all-GM components to match the motor in a '96XJ so I'm not sure how Renix stuff plays a role in any of this?

I know this is probably waayyyyyyy out of your budget, but I'll mention it anyway. I've always toyed around with the idea that when I go to a custom engine/trans/ECU swap into one of my vehicles where I want to keep the look of the interior completely stock, but also want fully functional gauges, I'd go with a custom gauge panel setup from a company like Dakota Digital. See: http://www.dakotadigital.com/index.cfm/ ... /cat69.htm

Isn't painting the ends of the axles going to make it a wee bit hard for the bearings in the rotors to slide on?

When I read this thread, I feel like there is a bit of an echo. A white 2WD '92MJ that splits time with an '01XJ. Next you're going to tell me that your XJ is silver :D Good progress so far, keep the pictures coming - I like seeing my twin MJ. BTW, what is the build date on this truck?

Probably. Central NJ isn't the stereotypical Mafia center of the state - that would be NorthEast NJ near New York City. I've been told that a lot of the local area scrapyards haul big loads of metal to "the docks" which are almost exclusively Mafia-owned.

Thanks for the link and, consequently, the part number for the thing. Found it on Amazon.com w/free shipping (as long as you have a Prime account, which I do).

Thanks for those pictures. I did a quick search for in-line radiator water fill necks and found a few at Jegs and Summit. Advance Auto sells one, too, but it's plastic and I like the idea of it being aluminum. Only ones I have found are all 1.5" OD on both sides, so I'll have to double check the measurements to make sure that will fit. This seems like it would be a cheap way to get to an open system without having to remove the like-new radiator I just put in. Still need to grab a '91+ heater control valve...

The firewalls are different and allot yourself a few months to complete the conversion. It is not a quick process. Unless your name is Pat and you do it in a couple of days. I've been looking at doing this upgrade for over a year now on my '88MJ that is stripped down to nothing and collecting dust in the back of my shop. I'm extremely picky about how I want to go about doing this swap. I want the darker interior color, color-matched fender flares, and if possible, color matched front bumper endcaps (although I plan on lifting this particular rig and going with custom bumpers so this is almost a moot point). I'll see if I can break down some of the "features" of the 1999-2001 model years (as these are the ones I'm after for my conversion): 1999-2001 XJ Sport: Color-matched fender flares, option to get the dark gray interior 1999-2001 XJ Classic/Limited: Color-matched fender flares and bumper endcaps, option to get dark gray interior, adjustable headrests, option to get leather and heated seats 1999-2001 XJ SE: Black plastic fender flares and bumper endcaps. Can be had with darker interior, but generally come with manual locks and manual windows. I currently have a 1998XJ Sport that I was originally going to use as a donor, but I want to do this conversion once and do it right. I don't want the two-tone interior and I also don't want to be painting too much of it, either. I've got plenty of experience in doing color changing on automotive interiors and the fact is they just don't hold up over the years. There will still be some interior painting required, but it will be on items that don't have get a lot of wear and tear (B-pillar plastics, plastic piece behind seats, etc). I also want the color-matched fender flares because I feel the black plastic ones look tacky. I realize I could later upgrade to color-matched flares, but like I said before - do it once do it right. My '98XJ donor will likely get put back together and sold to fund my MJ conversion project. Also, people are telling you to avoid the 2000 and 2001 models because of the potential for the cylinder head (casting #0331) to crack and allow coolant to get into the oil and trash bearings, if it gets that bad. I'm willing to take the chance because of my personal experience with high mileage 2000-2001 engines w/head casting 0331 with none of the previously described issues.

I'm a three-spoke fan. When my '88 Sportruck was running, it had the 2-spoke wheel in it and it didn't blend in real well with the rest of the interior. As other have said, it looks like it belongs in an 80's GM car. I've got a factory leather wrapped 3-spoke on my '92MJ and I love it.

Also depends on the scrapyard. The Mafia-owned yard by me doesn't care if you bring a vehicle in with no title, especially if it's an older car that looks like it truly is junk. Now, if you bring in a stripped down Mercedes or BMW, they may get a little suspicious :D

Whaaaaaaaaaa? Love to see pics of that one... For $500, it's not a bad deal. Like the previous poster said, double check the axle and leaves.

I have a 20'x32' area of my shop sectioned off with plastic and a ventilation fan for a paint booth. In the winter, this is where I spend most of my time as I'm able to heat it up pretty cheap. I use the smallest forced air propane heater I could find. I believe it is adjustable from 15,000 to 30,000 BTU and even on the low setting, it will heat that place up in about 5 minutes. I don't like it for a couple of reasons: It stinks. My mother always complains that me and my father have the most sensitive noses and we smell things that others can't, but there is no denying it - the propane heater stinks. It's not unbearable, however, but the smell is enough to be alarming. I installed a CO monitor just to be sure and it has never gone off. I generally spend a half hour of so in there and then take a break and grab some fresh air. I also don't like it because there is no thermostat. Even on low, that heater will get my area up to 90 degrees in no time at all, where it just becomes unbearable. I usually turn it off, wait till I'm cold again, then fire it back up. Gets annoying after a while, especially when you're in the middle of working on something. I've also used the radiant heaters that screw onto the top of the standard propane tanks. I actually really like those as a 'spot' heater, where I can place it near me when I'm working on something. As long as a part of my body is warm, like my back, I'm content with being in the cold. You have to be careful with these as my Mom stood by one to warm up and it caught her jacket on fire!

I'm waiting on my '88MJ Pioneer to do that. Its time will come...

Bling Bling! Now I need to find a decent chrome front bumper.