jpnjim

Thanks for all the replies so far :cheers: I finally got around to giving it a bath, and dropping the paperwork off at my insurance co today. I pulled the rotten piece of plywood off the bed, and what was underneath looked close to perfect (tho dirty). The clearcoat on the top edges of the bedsides is gone, but surprisingly, the hood looks great. The roof section has by far the worst paint. At least I could spray that separately if needed. The tranny in 'her' ZJ went yesterday, so this could end up being my short term DD, until I can get her something else. :ack: Not what I want to do with snow still everywhere. Still haven't snapped any pics, or cleaned out the interior, hope I'll have time on Sunday.

I smile when I can get more than 200 miles per tank out of my 98 XJ. All highway is lucky bring 220. 20-something tank, 4.0L/3.55's/auto/31-32's with OPTIMISTIC speedo (= speedo geared for 33's). Plenty of power, it just has a drinking problem. :ack:

My money says broken piston. Tho that usually doesn't = seizure.

In for a set. 1.)Jeepcomj 2.)Cdn Glenwood 3.)pingpong 4.)88pioneer 5.)dakal 6.)Raoden83 7.)DJM/78 8.)possum 9.)Jpnjim (either style/bedside preferred)

So, do we have a count of who is in & for what (if the side protection style is even being considered)? In for 'box', or 'side protection' style (protection style preferred) --- Jpnjim

Then I guess we should be proud, carrying on the fine tradition of 'Rambler Mentality" to the next generation. Rambler Mentality goes something like this: You have a nearly mint, original 59 Rambler. A single piece of trim that hasn't been made in 50 years, and only fits your particular year & model Rambler is missing, or mangled on your otherwise fine example of an automobile. After owning the car for 30 years, you go to a show, find the exact right trim that you need, then don't buy it because the guy wants $14 for it. :rotfl2: and then to make it jeep you jam a peice from some other vehicle that doesn't fit in its place making it look like a$$ :rotfl2: Ding! :yes:

Not quite true. The NipponDenso alternators used in the HOs are quite capable of utilizing an aftermarket external voltage regulator ( the terminals are there) if the ECU internal regulator fails. The ND alts w. an external regulator are commonly used to upgrade older Delco and other alternators. I've read stories of others who tried to use an external regulator on Mopars that originally had them in the ECU, even the successful stories, where they got it to function, ended with a constant Check Engine Light being on (and a replacement computer being needed before they could get an inspection sticker). Were you able to replace the regulator on an OBDI Jeep without getting a CEL? The voltage regulator failed in a friends Durango (OBDII), The first two shops replaced the alternator. :ack: Then he finally brought it to the dealer, they were able to diagnose it, and replace the ECU, but it wasn't cheap. :doh: :doh: :doh: About a month later he started to tell me the story, and I said "sounds like the regulator in the ECU went bad" :rotfl2:

Then I guess we should be proud, carrying on the fine tradition of 'Rambler Mentality" to the next generation. Rambler Mentality goes something like this: You have a nearly mint, original 59 Rambler. A single piece of trim that hasn't been made in 50 years, and only fits your particular year & model Rambler is missing, or mangled on your otherwise fine example of an automobile. After owning the car for 30 years, you go to a show, find the exact right trim that you need, then don't buy it because the guy wants $14 for it. :rotfl2:

HO's are 'better' in most ways, well, atleast until the voltage regulator in the ECU goes, and you need to get a whole new computer. :doh: Any 91/92 MJ owners out there might want to think about picking up a spare ECU when they see one cheap. :smart:

I tried a 2001 sound bar in my MJ. With modified 2001 seats (rear mounts cut & lowered), it wasn't even close to fitting. Add to that the fact that the XJ soundbar is a poor design in the first place, and it was easy for me to give up on the idea

:thumbsup:

If you'll excuse my Atari 2600 style 'paint' skilz, a longbed version of the wraparounds could be made by just deleting the wheelwell cutout on a SWB version: I've seen Scramblers with corner guards that end like this, and they look fine. As far as buying vs making, I've made some 1/2 way decent stuff, but without a decent brake, there's zero chance I could make tail light boxes that I'd actually want to put on my Jeep. Still in for one set :D

I would buy a set. :cheers: I would be even happier to buy a set that raps around the side of the bed tho :banana: : Looks like this would be a limited edition run, so I'm not looking for miracles, but it doesn't hurt to ask. :yes:

There are plenty of pluses to a V8 swap, since this MJ boarders on being the ultimate 'grandpa pickup' right now (minimal option 2wd/regular cab/column shift auto), adding something to the 'coolness factor' wouldn't hurt. IMO, a 4.7L HO V8 would be the sweetest swap, and if I could pull that off, I could see myself being tempted to keep the theme going & build an 'Overland Comanche' out of this econo-box. But, at the moment I'm leaning towards keeping it original, and maybe doing a few minor upgrades. I know even if this was an unrestored-mint-perfect MJ (it's not) the ceiling on max value is still pretty low, but that doesn't mean it's not worth preserving. It's weird how, in the last few decades, old vehicles stopped being 'classics', I got my license in 1985, and seeing anything on the road from 1964 (21 years old, like this MJ) would have you stopping & turning your head. My first 'Muscle Car' was considered old, even though it had just rolled off the assembly line 13 years before I bought it (74 Javelin/AMX in 1987) The typical factory MJ might never make it to Barret Jackson, but hopefully there are still some unmodified ones around in 15-20 years for the next generation to enjoy.

Followup thread to this one: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=20669 I don't have any new pics (there's still road salt all over it, and it's squeezed behind a fence & sitting in 2 feet of snow), but what would you do with a completely original 31k mile 2wd MJ? Right now I'm leaning towards freshening it up, replace all the fluids/filters/plugs, clean it up, maybe buff the paint, and see exactly how nice it can be without any extraordinary measures. Register it & drive it, and see what direction I want to go in with it. This may be my chance to make amends for all the poor unsuspecting MJ's I've unmercifully hacked up (including a MINT-Perfect rust free red shortbed from Florida, and a 70k mile black longbed). I guess my options would be: 1) 'Restore' it to it's stock condition (a lightly-optioned 89 2wd Pioneer) 2) Add a couple 'needed' options (full gauge pack for starters) to make a nice driver. 3) Do all the typical improvements (newer booster & MC, MJ D44, etc) 4) Do the full monte (4x4 conversion, maybe a little lift, 31's, etc) Whatdaya think?

It was owned by a Homeowners Association in Worcester, Mass (= was driven short distances, as needed, for the first 10 years of it's life). Original paperwork in the glovebox shows it was bought on 2/6/1990, with 10 miles. The Title shows the 2nd owner bought it on 2/01/2000 with 8,759 miles. 2nd owner's Vehicle Inspection Sticker Receipts show: 012336 miles on 3/26/01 017235 miles on 4/18/03 019069 miles on 5/04/04 023130 miles on 5/27/06 029994 miles on 7/03/07 And today (1/03/09) it had 31,200 miles when I signed the title. :banana: Short of pulling the rug (which I will be doing) I looked at all of the regular MJ rot spots, and found it to be an honest 99% rust free. I drove down in a snowstorm, so I'll stop short of saying the body is perfect till I give it a good bath and get all the road salt off the poor thing. The paint on the roof has some issues, but is 100x's better than my last black 89' MJ (with 79K miles/10 years on it, the paint/clear coat on that MJ seemed to 'go bad' for some reason). There's a piece of plywood on the bed, so hopefully that spared the bed any major dents & dings inside. (I haven't pulled the plywood out yet). The headliner is hanging down, the radio & clock weren't working, and the steering wheel is clocked a little to the left when going straight down the road. There's also a tiny hole in the otherwise nice cloth bench. Also, even on the spare tire, it drove smoother & nicer than anything else I currently own. Went down the road straight, zero death wobble, tho the rear was a little bouncy over bumps (could use shocks). It made the 50 mile trip to my house without a hiccup, but the idiot light dash was a little unnerving. Not sure what I'll do about that just yet, I don't want to hurt it's originality by butchering in a full gauge pack (and make it look tampered with). FWIW, I happily paid $2400. Now I just have to make a plan for the thing.

:yes: Tho I'll leave some room to consider 'city mile wear'. My 98 XJ has 72k miles (36k by previous owner from 98-01, 36k by me, 2001-2010). In my miles I've worn through TWO OEM floormats (from the corner of my foot where I MASH the gas :D ), enough to put a matching hole right through to the carpet under the mat. I've also worn a 3" hole in the drivers seat (corner by the door). Tho none of this wear was there @36k when I bought it from the previous owner. I guess I fidget too much while sitting in traffic & mashing the accelerator

I would go $20 a year. If this were set up, I think it might be a good idea to specify the $$ would be to help the board as it exists now, and not so changes, or 'improvements' can be done. I've seen a few boards & clubs change for the worse once real money is involved. I like this place as-is, and would be more than willing to help, provided it stays the way it is. :cheers:

Yes to all. :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: The only dealbreaker would be if it's totally gone rust wise. Looks good in the pics, but the mileage would be less of a positive factor if I have to get into it for rockers/cab corners & frame sections. I could see it still being worth the work to someone, (esp with the mileage) but I'm not looking to go down the rockers/corners road again just yet.

In (as part of the garageless laying in the snow under a Jeep club :nuts: ). Sad part is I had a nice heated garage as part of my first apartment. 20-26 years old: renter with heated garage 26-41 years old: home owner, laying in the snow to fix my junk. :dunce:

:D I'd post the phone #, but, provided there's no major negatives, I'm leaning towards buying it. :drool: From the pics, and a VIN check: 2wd 4.0L/ auto column shift big fuel gauge (weren't all column shifts this way?) Observations: I like the blk exterior + red hockey stick stripe :cheers: back bumper flipped up (probably rotted mounts, hope it didn't pull a boat/rot the rear frame) ft bumper end caps & bumper a little beat up (+ low miles = maybe an elderly owner??) no tailgate the spare is being used on the PS ft Things I'm planning on checking: is that a dent on the roof? rocker rot? floor rot? neglect/dryrot/leaks/etc from sitting for a looooong time? (~1500 miles a year) does mileage seem legit? Seems OK from talking to the guy, but I'll look for interior wear, missing dash screws from replaced gauges, new speedo cable (= possibly broken/missing for a long period of time) Anything I missed?

Nothing yet, but the fuel pump harness runs right through the cab, so I'm thinking of hiding a little kill switch once I get it back on the road. Toughest part of that is making sure you use it.

I have a 1yr old fullsize lappy, but do almost all of my posting on a tiny little ASUS 900a netbook. I'm lucky if I drag out the full size machine once, or twice a month. I had bought an Acer ONE (9" screen HDD XP version) before the ASUS, overall the Acer is a nicer, more refined machine, but the ASUS has an SSD, and I love how fast it starts up & shuts down. Also nice to not be afraid to bump it around when it's running. I probably would've just swapped an SSD into the Acer, for the best of both worlds, but I've had a nagging issue with the WiFi since it was new, that I never really sorted out. Either way, these things are cheap enough now that if you don't like the smaller form factor, you're not out that much money.

Oh, I have an answer for this one too. When doing the crappiest part of any work on HER Jeep, I usually find myself 'somehow' needing a hand with it. :yes: 15 minutes of this is usually enough for her to understand how much 'fun' it is laying on the cold ground in a driveway (no garage) working on 10+ year old trucks. I like the freedom of never having had a car loan, but laying under Jeeps older than what a typical college student owns, to keep them running, is the price you pay. :D

Auto, or stick? If you went so far as pulling the ft driveshaft (and it still won't come out of gear), it's probably jammed more than what I've dealt with, but bumping it a few times, going from fwd to reverse is usually enough to free up the 'typical' stuck T-case. Either way, I wouldn't put too much force on the linkage (with a wrench), 'some' force may be OK, but too much and you'll be looking at having to tear it down to fix it (if your not already).