benjy_26

Engine bay didn't look TOO bad... but it sounded like a Harley at idle.

The first of MANY pressure-washings....

What a difference new shoes make!!!

it came to me on 205's, but that wasn't going to cut it. I decided to go with 235/75R15 Kumho Solus tires. Very good street traction in all weather, smooth, 80,000 mile warranty, and they look nice and grip well enough on sand, though I wouldnt beat on them too hard. They do seem a bit thin. The guys at Discount were awesome, we were out in less than an hour... and they sold me some 15x8 MB Razors on clearance for 50 bucks each, including center caps and lug nuts! Our luck was holding....

I thought, "for 600 bucks, not bad; leaves money fior a big lift, tires, a good 5 speed, and either a stroked out L6, or a higher power Chrysler 4.7L V8 build up. Hell, even a 2.4DOHC Turbo build. For now, we needed to get it home, and those tires weren't going to cut it. They were out of round and severely dry rotted. Off to Discount Tire!

Hello everyone. I'm creating this thread to document the purchase, build up, and eventually, the completion of my MJ. First, some background info: While this is my first MJ, I have been around 4x4's in general and Jeeps in particular for basically my whole life. Having grown up in the rural areas of Colorado, the Texas Panhandle, and finally far West Texas, I have a slightly different take on the world than some. I attribute this to my dad. Old school can't begin to describe the guy. Until 6 years ago, his daily driver was a 1951 Willys pickup that he built from the ground up. "Restored" is what you're thinking; but he quite literally built it with not much else but hand tools. This particular pickup is one he had bought as a young man travelling in Mexico during the late 60's. He drove it THROUGH the Sierra Madre range, into Chihuahua, and across the border with the stock 3 speed manual and flat head 4. He drove it like that, until, in a quest for more acceptable highway speeds, he dropped in a TH400/Pontiac 326 combo. This drivetrain swap worked a bit too well. He kept twisting the motor mounts apart, ripping them off the frame, and eventually cracking the frame in several places. At this point, he stopped driving it. He needed a vehicle more befitting a family man... so he purchased a 428 Catalina SD, a 66 GTO with the TriPower set up, a 76 K5 with a 400SBC, and a 78 J10 with the 4 on the floor/ 258 combo. While everyone's else's dad was being wowed by the Camry's build quality, the Accord's sporty handling, and the fuel efficiency and modern reliability of both, my dad was adjusting valve lash, tuning his beloved TriPowers, and teaching me how to tear apart a Q Jet with a cigarette dangling from his mouth. This obviously influenced my vehicular tastes and driving habits. AS I grew up, my father knew I would want to drive SOMETHING. When I was around 10, he began the long process of getting his Willys pickup back on the road. The frame was hashed, and he figured the stock suspension and axles were not up to his standards. so he went out and purchased a complete, running late 70's F250 with a Dana 60 in the front, a 70 in the back, and one of the widest frame rails I have yet seen in a light truck. He then removed the bodyu, the tranny and t case, the big block Ford engine, and got started. He built body mounts from scratch, motor mounts from scratch, modded crossmembers, and shortened the frame and moved the rear suspension mounting points forward. He then threw in a warmed over Olds 455 rocket engine, a TH400, and a divorced 205. Seeing how I had gone head over heels over that truck, he made a decision to get me a Jeep. Specifically, a 1950 Willy's wagon with a beautiful body, stripped interior, and a box full of rusted parts that used to be an engine. I was 13 at the time. We then sourced a late 70's (I think) FSJ Cherokee, which I proceeded to strip, remove the body from the frame, and install my Willys body on top of the FSJ frame, complete with an AMC 360 V8, a TH400... and a Quadratrac center diff,. It was definitely a fun ride, until the T case started feeling weird and the engine threw a rod. This led me down a path of some crazy builds: A 455 powered 1981 Pontiac Firebird that could roast the tires in all 4 gears a Dodge W250 with a non electronic Cummins 12v engine, and finally... jeeps. My first "modern" Jeep was an old J20, much like my old man's J10, save for the one ton axles, the auto tranny, and V8 power. I traded the beast for a Scrambler. It was a great little vehicle, except that the frame was cracked and the suspension was prettby hashed when I got it. Right after that I bought my ZJ. The high miles didn't bother me, I didn't know what a 42RE was, and I had yet to break an axle. Besides, it was quiet (cars come with carpeting?!?!?), sipped fuel (comparitively speaking), could be converted to 4wd, and most importantly, had that big, torquey, AMC designed straight 6 under the hood. I drove it stock for a long time, doing only maintenance to it, and assembling parts for a 4wd conversion. Things conspired nd it turned into a stroker engined, beefed up 42RE-having (holding for now; knock on wood), 2wd quasi-prerunner. Big shocks, compliant springs, VERY low lift, wide tires, lots of chopping, and big power allow this thing to top 110mph in flat stretches of desert. Next I purchased a XJ, which has approximately 5 inches of lift, lockers front and rear, and a breathed upon 6 banger with a cam and some head work. This worked out well for a few years, until recently, when I began commuting 30 miles each way for work every day. I needed something cheap, reliable, and thrifty so that I could keep my 2 jeeps. My only requirements were rear drive and some kind of driving enjoyment, I ended up with a decent Toyota MR2 Turbo, chassis code SW20. On January 20, 2014, while scouring the local CL for parts, I cam across an ad for a 1987, 4 cylinder, 5 speed jeep. Out of curiosity, I contacted the seller, who told me he was selling his aunt's old ranch truck. I asked what it was, he said he thought it said Comanche on the side. Bells and whistles started going off. I had ALWAYS wanted one of those.... I asked for the price. He said 690. I told him I was on my wayu. I live in El Paso, TX. The truck was in Alamogordo, NM, which is about 90 miles away. I asked my brother if he was up for a little drive. After fueling up, tossing soime straps, tools, and fluids in his Explorer Limited, we were off. I got there, turns out it looked a lot rougher than the CL pics. My brother turned it on easily, oil looked clean, it went around the block... 600 bucks exchanged hands, and now, this was mine:

No prob. :)

I think it'll come down to spring rates, more than anything...

I wonder if Dynamat is tough enough to be placed between the tranny and the cab floor.

I have a short bed, so a topper would make it look funky. When I had one on my long bed diesel Ram.... that actually looked alright.

That's bad as hell! Looking into that one for sure!

We'll talk. I'm doing some stuff to the MJ shortly, so either these springs might not work, or the Upcountry's and Energy Suspension pucks might get swapped out in favor of the springs. Either way, something's going to shake loose and you'll definately get first dibs, man.

Man, I'm so sorry, but I've been looking for some LCA's to replace my stockers. It's too good a deal to pass up...

^^^ That's a sweet set up. Honeestly, if nobody is interested in that, I'll take it.

Nice. I'll look up those boxes. as far as the toppers... I HATE the way they look, but if they work..... I was actually toying with the idea of building a cage for the bed and using a bikini top with roll down sides for an old 4Runner as a type of broke-red neck ARB safari tent.

. Interesting.... Welp, I screwed the pooch on that one. Just look for a V8 ZJ with 4WD, skidplates, and blue shocks. Those are the ones you want to pul the front springs out of. When I was building my own ZJ, I couldnt find them, so I scrimped and saved for a while, got the 1" OME's, and am SO glad I did.

http://www.amazon.com/review/R2LS5FXBQX1G7P/ref=cm_cr_pr_viewpnt/190-3867535-3703361#R2LS5FXBQX1G7P $67 bones for the paid of XJ Upcountry coils. Apparently, nobody makes the ZJ replacements anymore, but that's probably ok, as a brand new set of V8 Upcountry's might be a bit harsh on the much lighter MJ.

Small lift that rides well and flexes off road? OME is IT for that type od stuff... unless your budget is tight. If it is, the next best thing to OME's heavy duty coils are the front coils off of a V8 Upcountry ZJ. They have a progressive rate, provide plenty of droop, and, in a MJ *should* get you about 2" of lift. Now, I installed a pair in my own MJ, along with a BB and got about 3" over stock. I bought mine used at a boneyard, though, so sag definately comes into play. A brand new set should get you close to what you need AND leave money in your pocket for some nice shocks. Depending on what you're doing, there are a oot of choices out there. For low speed, creepy crawly work, I like how hydros react. In fact, I have a set of velocity sensing Skyjackers on my MJ and they feel great. Smooth on road, but they soak up the bumps nicely off road. For higher speed stuff, Bilstein is great, as is Pro Comp's ES9000 and MX6 line (I run MX6's in the front of my ZJ with ES9000's in the rear).

Hello all. Just wondering what you guys think about the listed traction adding diffs. I'm shopping around for one to use in a clipless D35, and need informed opinions. Thanks a bunch!

Cool deal. Going on my list for sure. Excuse my Noob-ness, but, is there a preffered material for rope? Unfortunately, I'm only familiar with nylon and some other synthetic material ropes. Should I be looking at other types? Natural material rope like a juke or hemp rope Cool beans. I actually saw some hemp rope at my local mom and pop hardware shop yesterday going for a pretty reasonabke price. I'll pick some up.