GregM

Thanks, that's the info I was looking for, will order them.

The locks on my '89 MJ seem pretty worn (door and ignition) so I'd like to find (correct) replacements for them. I see quite a few choices on eBay. Is there anything I need to look out for when selecting new ones? I'd just as soon end up with original style Jeep keys. I'll have a local locksmith rekey to match the glovebox before I put them in.

The previous owner of my MJ claims it had skid plates too. Is there a good diagram somewhere that shows how the skid plates bolt ok? Is there a decent source for replacement skid plates?

Apparently there are a number of different designs for the lugnuts. The ones I got are chrome plated steel for the body of the lugnut, but appears to have a cap glued or otherwise fastened to the end. It appears to be the cap that came off on mine.

As I look at the Dorman 611-122-BP parts the cover does not wrap around the back of the lugnuts. Maybe that is the problem.

Still looking for a non-functional one to have rebuilt, if anyone has one laying around...

Because the original tow hooks were missing from my 77k mile MJ (where do they go???) I ordered "84-01 Jeep Cherokee Tow Hook pair Black 86-92 Comanche MJ Heavy Duty & brackets" from CustomTruckOnline on ebay for $93.99, including shipping. This is what you get: (Ok, I give up, I tried to link to Google+ and to Picassa but I can't get it to work. Use your imagination....) I haven't tried them yet to see how they fit. Probably should have looked around for originals, $50 looks like a good price.

My project MJ had a remarkable assortment of lugnuts for only having 77k miles. I looked around to find replacements that look somewhat like what I think the originals looked like. I ended up with a set from "Lug Nut Guys" on eBay. They are $13.98, including free shipping. The price was right, but they aren't stainless so they are going to rust, but they seemed to be a good interim solution until I figure out what the right thing to get is. I'll wipe them down with a little kerosene after installation which should help keep them from rusting (old trick our grandparents used to do to keep their cars from rusting out...) However (why is there always a 'however'?) when I got my MJ back from the 4WD shop (they had to cut off and weld a new lower control arm mount on, install new hubs, and new (Chinese) rotors, etc.) several of the brand new lugnuts were now missing their chrome covers! I'm not sure how that happens because the covers wrap around the bevel on the back. The only thing I can think of is that maybe the 60 degree bevel isn't right for Jeep factory wheels, or using an impact gun causes problems. I realize the LugNut question has probably been raised before and although I looked around, I didn't really see any answers. So here are my questions: 1) Are factory lugnuts any better than the cheap ones I bought on eBay? i.e. are they worth paying more for? 2) Are there stainless steel lugnuts or lugnuts with stainless steel covers? 3) Will hand tightening keep the covers from coming off? I would guess this is a common problem...

On my project MJ the battery seemed to be a bit marginal, plus it was missing the hold-down. I ordered the currently available hold-down and when it came in I headed down to Sears to get the usual DieHard. They confirmed that the battery was more or less toast. I bought the DieHard Gold AGM so I wouldn't have to worry about it for a while. I hung around watching the install because I've learned they don't always do it right. Once they dropped the DieHard Gold in it was clear that it wasn't going to work, although that didn't seem to stop them. It has kind of a 'doghouse' on top that gets in the way of the hold-down bar that goes across the battery. Plus it looked kind of tall. They were starting to talk about adapting some clamp assembly they keep in stock so o I said "STOP", lets see what the other versions of the batteries they stock look like. They brought out their cheap battery, called the "Plus Start", which is half the price of the Gold AGM and it fit much better. It turned out to be a little short, so I have to use about 3/8" of spacers on the hold-down rods. It seemed to be rated highly but only has a one year warranty. What I didn't check, and it was probably a mistake, is whether the regular DieHard Gold battery (the one that is not AGM) has the 'doghouse' on top. I wonder if it would have fit better. Looking on the Sears website the regular DieHard looks flat on top. If anyone knows if the regular DieHard works without modifying anything, please post the P/N for anyone who needs a new battery and likes DieHards. I'm into keeping my MJ as stock as possible so I'm not into carving things up in the engine compartment. For those who are interested, the currently available battery hold-down seems to work fine.

The '89 I recently bought from a friend was $1500. It is a California truck so very little rust, and only has 77k on-road miles. Interior is excellent! So they can be found... This one sat because the 2nd owner kludged several repairs so it became undriveable, lucky for me because it kept the mileage (and thus wear) down. But even though the cost was $1500, the price wasn't. Needed: 5 tires, center caps, TPI, idle solenoid, water pump, belt, SMOG cert, rear axle seal, rear brake cylinders, front hubs, rotors, front axle mount replaced, front lenses, headlight surrounds, vacuum tank, all fluids changed, trans filter, etc. Was missing battery hold down, a rim, the jack, the fog lights, tow hooks, skid plates, and other little things. Needed to reglue the interior mirror, fix stiff exterior mirrors, and lots of little stuff. Front right fender has a little damage so needs to be replaced and there is a little damage to the right front underneath, nothing major. Could use another repaint too. So the price was a lot more than the cost, to make it roadworthy and complete again. A lot of the above is just what you expect from a sixteen year old vehicle, but it is a little annoying that so many parts ended up missing. Maybe stolen while it sitting or never put back after maintenance. All can be tracked down and that's part of the fun! Parts are pretty cheap, fender was $20, an exterior mirror was $10, center caps $10 ea, complete jack $50 on eBay. Low parts cost is probably because of the partial Unibody and tendency of midwest vehicles to rust out and be scrapped. I'm told Comanches tend to be scrapped here in California when the trans finally gives out. Example: there is a decent looking one on Craig's list for $500 with no engine or trans. Good luck on your search!

You can use electrolysis to remove rust. Use Google to find articles that describe how.

Original owner thinks it had skid plates...

It is the Valance that I was looking for. Here is a photo of mine:

Here is a photo of what I believe are the tow hook bracket mounting points. You can see where something used to be mounted there: You can also see the vacuum tank with the broken mounting tabs. The fender is damaged and I have a replacement, some additional work will be required in this area to straighten things back up. Here is a photo showing the valence panel from the front, with the square holes where I think the tow hook brackets come through the valance: Here is a side photo of the valence panel. Looks like it hit something in the middle. Not sure if it can be straightened (probably):

Crown makes a reproduction, part number 52004366, but says it is 91-95. So the question is: what is the difference between an 89 tank and a 91 tank, if any...