jpnjim

Very grampa-ish! All it needs is a tired old dog in the back, and a gun rack. :cheers: Yours looks like it was taken better care of than mine (not driven into as much stuff), and I'm digging the Blue. :thumbsup:

I just bought a new pair of 97-01 power heated mirrors on Ebay for ~$70. The same guy had a new pair of manual (late model) mirrors for ~$50. There's also plenty of people with the older style if you prefer that. Aftermarket manufacturers are pumping these things out now, and they're selling them pretty cheap.

If you do the intake/TB & exhaust (& fuel rail/injectors), it's worth it, sorta. If you need to do a head anyway, I'd say it's worth the extra work (you have to adapt the Renix throttle position sensor to the HO TB, get a new head pipe, disconnect the EGR, and adapt the fuel lines to the fuel rail). You'll get a freer breathing engine, and a stronger top end. Probably looking at 10-13hp improvement over a good running Renix. If your engine is already running fine, and doesn't need any head work, is the above work worth 10-13hp to you?

Some say the Renix era blocks have a higher nickel content (= stronger). AMC did spec out a higher than typical nickel content for the iron used in their V8 blocks, so it's reasonable to think they extended this to the 4.0L engines. I guess it's also reasonable to think Chrysler 'could have' spec'd out a more typical cast iron after they took over, but :dunno: The block itself isn't any bigger, or smaller tho.

I have the 89' Factory Data book here next to my computer (I was looking up stuff for the new 'Grandpa Jeep :D ) It lists 89' 4.0L (Renix) specs as: 177hp @ 4500rpm 224 ftlbs @ 2500rpm. I'll look the other years up in the factory books (I know 87' was slightly lower).

Mine was a grandpa-mobile when I got it too (the gentleman passed away, sadly, and his widow couldn't stand seeing it sitting in the driveway as it kept reminding her of him). Only had an AM/FM radio, rubber cargo mat, and the PO made his OWN tonneau cover out of plywood and blue tarping material. Did a one-off custom security lock for it which consisted of a padlock and fencegate hasp that he drilled right into the tailgate :yes: Thank you, Bill Everett (very 1st Fire Chief of the West Point VFD in Westmoreland Co, PA), may you RIP... have fun with your build Jim Jeff Glad you got my intent with the name. :cheers: Sad thing is, I really like the Grandpa-ness of the whole thing, I better be careful, at this rate I'll end up sitting on my front porch in my bathrobe & slippers, reading the paper with glasses on my nose. :D

There really needs to be a 'Basking in the afterglow' smilie for after pics like these are posted. :drool:

Toolbox off, Tonneau on:

I ended up just buying a Downey Tonneau cover. Looks like they're out of business now, and liquidating the inventory. I got a Silver Edition MJ shortbed tonneau (pn 41SE) for $149.95 + Shipping ($21.90). You have to call them for prices & availability. Downey: 315-451-0013, or 1-800-844-0013 Only thing I'm not sure of is the snap method (square snaps that click directly into the rail).

Table of Contents Page 1 Craigslist ad, Introduction & first pics Craptastic Ebay Mirrors Page 2 Gauge cluster w/tach (& column shift indicator) Craigslist Ravines Rear bumper refresh Gauge cluster w/o tach (gas gauge wasn't working in full pack) Page 3 I guess I should start with the name, It's a low optioned, column shift, bench seat, low mileage single cab 2wd 1980's pickup that rides more like a cushy swaying land yacht than any Jeep I ever drove. Figure in the mudflaps added to every corner, and the radio fuse being removed, and you have the perfect Grandpa Jeep (the trifecta would've been if it had a cap on the back & a flannel seat cover :D ). I got it on Craigs list for $2400 (most I ever paid for an MJ): I got it home, swapped on some newer tires (to get a sticker), and when the GF's Jeep broke (tranny), it instantly became my daily driver: I'm still working out what mods I'm willing to do (I plan to keep it stock-ish), but the toolbox will be coming off for a Tonneau cover, and 97+ mirrors will be in the mix soon, but I plan to keep it 2wd, cleanup the paint, kill any rust I can find, and have a decent MJ driver to put a few thousand miles a year on (hopefully Summer only once we have 2 4wd Jeeps up & running here). Latest pics (swapped in a working Jeep radio, toolbox, bedliner, and some Olive Drab painted 15x6's w/235/75-15's) I still need to vacuum the interior: And I'm not a big fan of the idiot light gauge pack.

:thumbsup: I'm 6'1", and my GF is 5'2", so they will definitely get adjusted, glad to see your's holding up well for this long. I'd really rather not cut in a late model power mirror adjusting switch in the otherwise nice/boring/stock 89' interior. An XJ defroster switch to control the heat would not look out of place on the dash tho, and flicking a switch beats stopping to scrape mirrors in a snow storm :yes:

I want late model 'heated' mirrors in my 'Grandpa Jeep' 89' MJ. But I really don't want the power function. I noticed that before I connected the power function on the 01' mirrors on another MJ, they functioned pretty well manually (you could push the mirror part to adjust them). Has anyone used their power mirrors in this way (manually) for an extended amount of time? Have they held up to being adjusted/pushed around like this? I've never had a set of 97-01 Manual mirrors, so I don't know how the action of adjusting them compares with manually adjusting the power type. Right now I'm trying to choose between just getting the manual set, and forgoing the defrost option, or putting in the power/heated type, connecting ONLY the heater, and adjusting them manually. :dunno:

If you want something very simple, slim & basic, you could try something like this: 4" channel, angled up at the ends, and leaned back to match the body lines. I also used 4" channel to make the side plates, and welded big honkin D-rings on the bumper face. It's deceiving tho, the D-rings were only used to support the strap. The strap actually went through the D-ring, and grabbed the hook, mounted more, or less in the factory tow hook position, to the bottom web of the 4" channel frame plates. I did my ft & rear bumpers like this, and never had the strap fall off on it's own. When you do want it to come off, you just push it back through the D-ring, and it pops right loose. Another angle:

x2, it's also not the best idea to drive with just one rear shock hooked up (@$$-u-ming you used the XJ shock mounts, which are staggered ft & back). I ran like this for a year, or so with an MJ, but it's not good for the leafs, the leaf bushings, or suspension travel. Good luck with your build. :cheers:

Ideas were the one thing that AMC had plenty of....Development money was what they were short on. In 1981 or 1982 the mid-sized Cherokee was first photoed. At that time it was riding on a Hornet/Concord chassis. It was what AMC had in house for testing. They even had the Grand Cherokee on the drawing board when Chrysler took over. But Nash/American and AMC were considered to be more innovative than the big companies.. because they had no other choice. :agree: AMC did come out with some off the wall models throughout the 70's, like the "Pacer" and the Gremlin, but the one that really got attention, was the "Eagle" in '79, like at that time, whom would by a car with all-wheel-drive :dunno: Now, look at the big 3, and imports, how many models don't have AWD :hmm: I agree with both these last 2 statements, :agree: :agree: and I'll add one, 'Personal Luxury Cars', like the Lexus, Infinity, etc were created by adding luxury options to compact cars (the cars themselves have grown since their original incarnations, and the 'size' of what we consider compacts has shrunk, so now, a couple decades later Lexus, etc are considered 'midsize' luxury cars). AMC was laughed at when they were the first to load up compact cars (Hornets, rebadged as Concords) with luxobarge power options. No one else was doing that in 1979. They had done the same with Jeep pickups in the 70's (luxury trucks, who would want that :rotfl2: ), and continued the Kaiser Jeep trend of building luxurious Waggy's (a luxury SUV, what a silly idea :D ). If you want to go back (much) further than that, look to AMC for making seatbelts standard, duel reservoir master cylinders, and being early adopters of tons of other safety innovations the other guys didn't want to bother with. Back to the Cowboy, I have a bunch of pics of it from the Kenosha 2002 (AMC) show (not digi pics tho :( ) I was surprised that the bed was separate from the cab (ala Comanche). I had originally thought it was one piece (like all the other ElCamino types). I had always liked this build, and really liked it after seeing it up close. One of the cool things about many of the AMC prototypes is that they ended up in the hands of private collectors, instead of being sent to the scrapyard like most of the Big 3's. Just another case of being frugal (not destroying the cars) paying dividends decades down the line. :cheers: Lastly, The Pacer's unique styling was to showcase it's unique powerplant, a Rotory engine. But the supplier (GM) pulled the plug on the engine, AMC had no way of continuing development themselves, so, to their credit, they went ahead with their investment in the Pacer anyway. This required them to completely redesigned the engine compartment to swallow the MUCH MUCH larger AMC L6, while keeping the hood short, to match the original concept. This greatly added weight & complexity to the design, and completely transformed the whole vehicle to something 'else' (a 3200+lb 'compact' car that actually sold very well). Unique styling allowed the Pacer to carry the company for a few years, till it became old hat, and sales fell off (see: 'New Bug', 'PT Cruizer', etc etc). AMC rocked, they listened to their customers, and used innovation & creative design instead of cubic tons of development $$ like the 'other guys'.

Both set ups are very good. If HO MJ's were falling out of tree's, I'd say don't bother with Renix MJ's, just because they're older, less understood, and somewhat more complicated. But Renix MJ's are by far more common than HO's, so by avoiding them, you would be eliminating the largest pool of MJ's from your consideration. Positives of Renix MJ's (in no particular order): 1) Greater low RPM, off idle torque. A cam change in 1996 finally brought the HO's low RPM torque up to where it was in the 87-90 4.0L's. 2) Cheap, simple GM alternator, without the complication of the voltage regulator being inside the ECU 3)Knock sensor: Renix 4.0L's ignition timing is more advanced than HO's, with a knock sensor used to retard it when a knock occurs, advancing timing is a very good way to increase power & efficiency at low loads, with the HO this feature was eliminated (cost cutting), and timing was retarded from the Renix's default setting. 4)EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation): still considered 'emissions junk' to many people. At low load/cruise conditions, exhaust gas is substituted for a portion of the intake charge (spent exhaust is put back into the engine). This dead, spent gas is inert to the combustion function, but it does displace a portion of the air/fuel mixture that would normally be present. With a smaller air/fuel mixture charge needed to 'fill' the engine, it 'acts' like a smaller displacement engine while EGR is activated, increasing MPG. On Renix's EGR is only activated under cruise conditions, so it does not effect passing power. This was deleted as a cost cutting measure with the introduction of the HO. Although some sources say a cam revision made EGR unecessary on the HO, this is untrue, since cam timing was unchanged from 87-95. Negatives of the Renix 4.0L: 1) Less efficient lower port cylinder head. still a vast improvement over the 258, the HO head is again a great improvement over the Renix. 2)Less efficient exhaust header. Exactly as above, Renix is leaps and bounds better than the 258, and the HO is an improvement over the Renix. 3) Smaller throttle body the above three also contributed to the Renix's strong off idle torque, so it's not all bad, but the HO is more efficient & more powerful because of these improvements. 4) Renix doesn't record trouble codes, and there is no check engine light (only a "maintenance req'd" light, on a timer). you'll never fail inspection for a check engine light (unless they're stupid, and fail you for not having one :doh: ), but it's more work to diagnose issues. HO's are OBD I compliant, and easier to work with. 5) Most Renix's also have the C101 connector on the firewall that's a source of problems on early 4.0L's. More like a bad design that was in place during the Renix years than truely the fault of the renix, but it's a negative just the same. I guess you could also 'blame' the renix for using a speedo cable vs the electronic VSS, smaller 21sp 4x4 tranny output vs 22spline, and the poorly designed closed cooling system. Renix also used a heat riser from the exhaust, into the intake, to aid in cold weather engine warmup. It was eliminated to cut costs, and to streamline the design. It probably was worth a couple MPG in the first few minutes of startup, on a cold day, but deleting it really doesn't seem to have changed much, so I'll call this one a wash. I'm sure there's a few I missed, but those are the things I think of when comparing a Renix to an HO.

My 31k mile MJ's wheel was turning to the left when I got it. To straighten the wheel I had to bottom out the draglink adjustment, I didn't see any evidence of a crash, or bent tie rods, so I figured maybe the ft end had sagged over the years, making the drag link 'too long' for the amount of lift it had (just like you have to lengthen the drag link when you lift the Jeep). :dunno:

:yes: Purely in the name of scientific advancement, of course.

Well, maybe there is, and maybe there isn't, but it would hardly be fair to the girl to make a judgment call like this without first having actively explored each and every possible use of said breasteses, and made that determination based on actual case study, and cold hard facts.

Four Catholic men and a Catholic woman were having coffee after mass. The first Catholic man tells his friends, "My son is a priest, when he walks into a room, and everyone calls him 'Father'." The second Catholic man chirps, "My son is a Bishop. When he walks into a room people call him 'Your Grace'." The third Catholic man says, "My son is a Cardinal. When he enters a room everyone says 'Your Eminence'." The fourth Catholic man says, "My son is the Pope. When he walks into a room people call him 'Your Holiness'" Since the lone Catholic woman was sipping her coffee in silence, the four men gave her a look and said, "Well....?" She proudly replies, "I have a daughter, slim, tall, 38 Double D breasts, 24" waist, and 34" hips. When she walks into a room, people say, "Oh My God."

Place seems a little shady, but they list a Sportsmaster 3020001 for $85 + free shipping: http://www.closeoutsupercenter.com/1996 ... _1738.html This 'should be' the 6.5' equivalent to out SWB MJ's, but the place lists no address, no phone number, I found ZERO feedback on other forums, and they just registered their domain name 11/12/09. :dunno: I'd like to put a Tonneau on the 'Grandpa Jeep', but I don't want to get :fs1: :wall: over $85 to a fly by night website.

Just to add my 2C, tho I'm sure they have their fans, receiver hitch winches are less than ideal for almost every wheeling situation. If you're teetering on the edge of a ledge, do you really want to crawl out on your hood, swinging around a 100+lb winch & receiver? How about buried in mud? Even just going out to get the hook sucks, never mind carrying the whole winch. You could put it on first, before you get stuck, but a receiver mounted winch is hanging out there waiting to get smacked around, and eats up approach angle. I could see doing the ft & rear hitch mounted winch for utility farm/home use, but I'm just not a fan of it on the trails. To answer you question tho, there are a few aftermarket bumpers available with center mounted receivers, and even a fairly cheap "weld it up yourself" ft bumper kit with a center mtd receiver. The ft hidden hitch is another option, but it hangs lower than most of the bumper mounted receivers.

Not ALL.... A full-time 4wd in 84-85 could have received the even crappier CV shafts... :yes:

'Paint', as in that ancient MS program to alter pictures. :smart: Guess I should've said photo-chopped. :thumbsup: Edit: I just checked, and BOTH "XXX XXX" and "DOO OOD" are available in Mass. (tho I'd rather keep a low profile, so I won't be ordering either ;) )

:D Naw, just a little creative 'paint' work. :yes: I think I got a few with the 'DOO OOD' plate in my bumper build thread too ;)