trader ray

I have 3 vehicles, my only truck is the MJ, and more important to me is the MJ happens to be a JEEP. I have loved Jeeps since my first ride in one 35 years ago. I would never trade me Jeep Truck. Heck I only have 4.5 years to go to get the antiuqe plates. No, No trade for me.

I get to keep the truck. With the money I am buying a 89 Dodge Commercial Van from a hospital. 73 K on the OD. It has always been stored inside. I get it Monday. I get to fix my truck and have the van as well and I needed a van. So for now it has worked out. Just got to see what the lawyer can do for me.

Wheel got so hot driving it home it melted the hub cap. The brakes are locked up. Well I got the main pic up, there are two others. That bumper was the result of a car being rammed into me at about 45 mph. He never braked.

Keep in mind, the most damage was inside the cab and to me and my wife. But the bumper is still tore up and tail light cracked as well as the bed being smashed in. I found some brand new tail lights off a old dodge dakota. The look identical, I guess i will have to try them to be sure. Here is pic # 1 out of 3.

My lawyer insisted these two be handled separtly. I guess it is where he is taking on my wifes case and mine as well. It is a long story that I have printed twice, but I have to go get a new keyboard for this laptop. I ended up with $1750.00 and I get to keep the truck and clear title. My truck is rough as far as the left door and fender and it has had a main bearing noise since i have owned it. I drive it 70 mph everyday and use Lucas every oil change. I found a truck a few weeks ago I can't get out of my mind, it is a 64 slick body ford pickup. It has a 8 cly. It is not a V8, it is a Y8 some of you may remember them. pic in the moring. just in case you all are thinking I am trading, you can forget that. That ford will be my transportation while I rebuild my truck. one more thing, today was the second time the Jeep has been totaled in 8 years, the po must have crunched it up too. these Jeeps just don't Die.. :nuts:

I will upload some pics in a few, I again want to say thanks for the advice. Awsome stuff. I will not settle for a salvage title, I can do all the work myself and be able to get some other parts I have wanted. I have also went and looked at a truck just like mine. The 2.5 has been rebuilt and sounds great. Thanks for the answer about the rear bumper off a XJ.. I do know where a stock step bumper is but I was going to go for a different look. I can't even discuss the medical stuff with their insurance. My lawyer told me to not sign or say a word about it, just sign for the truck with what ever makes me happy. He told me to find me a back up ride as I can't do it all in a day on my truck. Thanks again. I will put up some pics when the ole' lady gets home with the camera. The damage to the exterior is not as bad as the damage to the inside as I am 300 LBS. and that is why I broke the steering column and sprained my ankle and wrist. The seat is broke also. A medical case is being prepared as I write this.

I was bored, so I took the gas pedal assembly off from inside and then covered everything I could and removed the rubber foot pads from the brake and clutch and bought a good brand of chrome paint, and painted the pedals and reinstalled the pads, then taped off the gas pedal on my bench and painted it chome as well. Like I said I was bored. lol It all looks good and it seems a little faster in acceleration. lol can't really see it unless you get in the drivers side and look down. I am the only driver.. :nuts:

The lawyer contacted the insurance for the guy at fault right from right here. He recomended a total and the value of what I had in it. I had my lap top on the table to show him the pics of what I did, he coveyed that to the adjuster and she was taking notes as he knew what to say. I have bills and part reciepts and the bill of sale also. She asked him what it would take to get in a comparable ride to my satisfaction and he said 2 grand and a salvage title for me to keep the truck and they are due here tomorrow. I told them it is not drivealbe and the adjusted said it would cost more to have it towed back and forth than the claim. I will accept that. I can put the old column in and rebuild this one on my own time and I have already located a rear bumper. Now the brakes and I will be good to go. I wonder if a rear XJ bumper will fit or not. I bet it won't because of the drop down tailgate. Oh well. I will see when I have a check in my hand for the truck part of this. Thanks for all the great advice.

thank you for the tips, the lawyer is due in about 20 minutes. I checked with some of my car lot buddies and they said that the insurance will total it because of the age and the price of the parts. I won't know to they contact me though. Everyday they wait, is better for me. I don't have a vehicle that is safe to drive and maybe I should just go rent one and recoupe from them.. lol I have found a 86 wagoneer that has a 2.8 4x4 with a auto trans that is in decent shape, the trans is shot. OH, I forgot it has a bad trans. It is $300.00 to who ever might need it. I could not tell the rear end as the weeds was high and I got these splints on. It looked like a good deal. If interested I will get the phone number.

wrote out a damage report for my lawyer as I was rear ended the other night. I hate not being able to do anything to it until the insurance has a look and whatever happens next.

First I want to appoligize for the way I spelled the subject. I could not even find it. Now the reason, one poor proof reading, but why it was so far off. While we were driving and getting rear ended, we were actually looking at some houses near Knoxville Tn. We had our lap top running windows streets and trips, and the crash cracked the keyboard and I really did not notice till it got dark. Now the curser just goes where it wants to when it wants to. Second, I really want to thank you both for your post. I am seeing some legal aid tomorrow and I really wanted to know something about what he will tell me. I called a lawyer because I did not know where I stood about getting my truck fixed. You are right about wanting to drive the truck. I have thrashed on it all summer getting things ready to go to these local car shows. I have not posted them but I have all the before and after pics of everything I have done. From the front clip to the entire interior. It is still a clunker but it is my clunker. I am going crazy not fixing at least the brakes until the lawyer gets with the insurance company. One car never applied his brakes and he hit one and then it hit me and I never hit anything except the steering wheel. I am also the only one not getting a ticket, the ramming car got it for following too close, the middle car had no insurance.. I for probably the only time in life was right, heck even my wife said so..LOL

Well, my little truck got wrecked yesterday, not totaled but lots of damage. I was stopped behind another pickup at a busy stop light and when he took off he lost part of his load. So he stops right there in a moving lane at rush hour. I looked in my mirror and seen a Geo Tracker going sideways, he got it stopped and a Lincoln that was not paying attention hit him in the rear at about 45 MPH. He hit the Tracker so hard the guys hat went out back window. The Lincoln hit the Tracker and knocked him about 5 feet into me and my rear bumper went over his bumper and took out his grill and hood. We are very sore and I had to take my wife and myself to the hospital emergency. She has whiplash and I have a sprained left wrist, sprained right ankle and my back and neck are real sore. I broke my just installed tilt column and blew the rear wheel cylinders and one of the front calipers is locked up. I seen it coming and braced myself and could only warn my wife. The seatbelt saved her a lot of grief and my windshield, but at the same time it is what cut her neck and did most of the damage to her. I know this post is going nowhere but I needed to vent some I guess. I can't fix anything on my truck because of the splints on my leg and wrist. Plus I have to wait for the insurance company has a look. I was wondering if anyone has been through something like this. With the truck so old, a 89, I know they won't find a used column as I don't think insurance will use "used parts" or will they plus the bumper and tail lights are destroyed plus the brake problems, it even broke my bucket seat I just installed recently. What will the insurance do? I hope they offer a cash payout and let me fix the truck. I doubt there is even a blue book on a 89 5 speed/2WD 4 cylinder short bed. I don't want to loose my Jeep and would buy it back. I also know where another is but I would want a 4.0 and 4x4 this time. I found a 2x4 that is the twin to my truck, even the color.

That picture on the right, is the spindle bent or is it just my view? I bought a old trailer once in Arkansas and it was like a 58 Studabaker truck bed converted. I had never seem mechanical shocks before. I towed it to Michigan and had people wanting to buy it before I even unloaded it. I say you have a great find there. I would have jumped on it.

Thanks, I thought it looked bigger than a 35. The top welded hinge is pulled away from the body. I took plenty of pics of the tailgate but like a dope I did not have my card in camera and I don't have a cord to the camera. I will take a good side by side pic in the morning. I had to gut my old one and still don't want to get rid of it. Why is it like this, can't throw even junk away... :(

My thanks to everyone who helped me figure out the posting of pics. Is this still to big?

The truck as I found it..Yea!

The rear axle in the donor truck..

I am after the power steering next before anything. I am excited about the tailgate. I had to change out the pull handle but that is because it was just setting so long. I put the wd 40 and some grease and it works fine now as a spare. I gutted my old tailgate. It is rust free but needs a hammer and some tack welds. I will have to resize my pictures. I have always used TinyPic.com and they run off Photobucket. I have used them for years, I am a moderator on a other car forum and used TinyPic for years with them. I will set up a account with photobucket in the morning, as I want you all to see the great looking tailgate.

If this turns out it is a pic of the rear axle. Well I must not have enough post to put up pics yet. This is of the rear axle. I think it is a 8.25. I do not think it is a D 35.

I love the tailgate. I got it and all the hardware to it. Never know when one brakes or a need occurs. He is charging me $50.00 complete for the steering parts, even the fan belt, hoses and the whole deal. It is a 4x4 so I am still wondering about the gear and pitman arms being the same, as long as the shaft size is the same I can change the pitman arm. I am going to post the pics of what I took. It is really in the weeds.

I would just like some opinions on some prices I found. I have a black MJ and these parts are the some color and fade. The JY don't know that as he would have priced the parts higher I am sure. The weeds around this truck are no less that 4-5 feet tall. I clears some and took a photo of the rear axle and it appears to be a 8.8 as the cover was round some what, it was not a D-44. The truck is a 4.0 5 speed 2 W/D. It is also rust free. SO I have this list of things I would like to get off it as cash allows. I am getting the tailgate tomorrow as I have looked for a good one for the entire time I have owned this MJ. Here is the list..Thanks in advance for you time to post a opinion. The tailgate is perfect, no rust or dents and is the correct color =$50.00 The doors are to nice to pass up if the price is right, plus I have a set of rust free extra's already =$75.00 for the both of them. The axle = $200.00 I think that is too high if it is not a D 44. Tail light assembly = $20.00 each. I guess that is the parts I am most concerned with. Like I said, he don't know my truck is black or he would have charged even more. This is a back woods yard and is run by him only and his dog and gun.. I am getting the tailgate as mine is bending in two and is really worthless. It was bad when I got the truck. One more thing I did not get a price on cause I seen it on the way out, I have a 2.5 2 W/D and it has manuel steering. I want power. He has a XJ with 2 W/D and a 2.5 and power. The entire system is there. What should be a reasonable price for it and should I get the drag link with it.

I am sure not trying to poke fun at your truck, but I have forgot what all that rust looks like, I grew up in Detroit and worked at a auto salvage yard for 10 years a while ago, Pete probably even know the one I worked at but I had forgot what the bottom of a rust belt vehicle looks like, I guess I have been spoiled in Tennesse. I changed front springs not to long ago and the ones off my 89 still had the rubber coating on them. I will say I don't miss the rust. I really am not dis-respecting your rig. Trust me I wish I was in a rust free environment lol, every time I think I got all the rust/rot I find more, I'm to the point now I'm pulling my hair out. Oh well at least I can take my time re building the MJ. By the pics I have looked at you are doing a fine job. I actually was on another site that you were on and followed your link and those pics was the first thing I seen. Good looking truck you have there.

I am sure not trying to poke fun at your truck, but I have forgot what all that rust looks like, I grew up in Detroit and worked at a auto salvage yard for 10 years a while ago, Pete probably even know the one I worked at but I had forgot what the bottom of a rust belt vehicle looks like, I guess I have been spoiled in Tennesse. I changed front springs not to long ago and the ones off my 89 still had the rubber coating on them. I will say I don't miss the rust. I really am not dis-respecting your rig.

depending on what gear and pump you have, there is a filter in it as well. You have to remove the line and fish it out and then just use some cleaner on it. It has been a long time but seems it is in the box side of the pressure line.

If you can post a personal in his hometown newspaper. Our company only hired or maintained employment for good members of the community and that kind of thing would cause him some grief at work. Where I worked anyways.