Dzimm

Did you want to see it moving or is this a bittersweet goodbye? Have to say your build of this truck was very motivational for me when building mine and offered me countless answers to the questions and problems I ran into during the build. Thank you for that.

I vote #2!

Congratulations!

XJ was the Cherokee and MJ was the Comanche, that's the factory designated code for that vehicle similar to the JL and JT being the codes for the modern Wrangler and Gladiator. All Comanches have the MJ code, hence why we call them MJs. The X you are referring to was a trim level in 86. The others were XLS and Custom. I'm not sure where you got that they only made 40 of the X. If you have info on trim specific production numbers that would be great, nowhere have we found solid info on the trim specific numbers for any year MJ as AMC and Chrysler didn't keep track of that kind of info from what we understand. They for sure produced more than 40 of the X package though and I've seen more than 5 X trim MJs that are still on the road. It's not nearly as "rare" as you are thinking it is. 1 in 5 is getting into the Diesel MJ territory and that's only in the US, there are likely way more of those overseas as well.

I also dabbled a bit. Have a few videos recorded that I never uploaded cause holy crap editing is SUPER time consuming. Didn't help I was using my old phone that kept stopping recording so it was a lot splicing. https://youtube.com/channel/UCcJeAmzGFZHg5R6YRhn7QkA

Definitely check over everything to make sure there is no damage and everything is straight. Make sure you get the belt really tight, the 4.0 belt needs to be tighter than other vehicles. Should only be able to get a max of 1/4 twist in the belt with your fingers. The belt on my XJ squealed for about a month after I took it off to do some work. Belt dressing always seemed to make it worse but after 10 mins of running it got better. Eventually it finally quit for good.

Ride quality is hard to compare, since I went from very sagged springs to a lift in the XJ and my MJ springs have all been in decent shape before I modified them. Overall though I think they feel fairly similar. The XJ is much nicer in parking lots and such though. Being smaller I feel like I can fit it anywhere. And yes, the long doors put the B-pillar behind you so you have a window next to you instead of a pillar, which helps a lot with the space, it's also nice to put your arm on the window sill and not be against the door frame. I also felt like the dash was further away but that is compared to a 97+ swap MJ, I haven't owned a 97+ 4dr XJ so I can't compare the dash distance difference between an 97+ MJ/XJ so maybe that's skewed?

Not really sure what it would be honestly, but I'm guessing it would be a right now it's broken kind of thing since they need them on the daily. She likely wouldn't care but yeah it would be a discussion. Honestly I probably don't have time to do it anyway, I have a tendency to take on too many projects and my less time sensitive ones never seem to get done because they are always on the back burner. It's just one of those scenarios that I have the skills to help them out and I would like to help them out, it's just not the most practical in time and legality/liability. Same thing happened with a kitchen remodel I did for a friend, everyone and their mother wanted me to come do theirs afterwards but that's not a can of worms I wanted to open.

I loved my 98 2dr and still regret selling it. The 2dr feels bigger in the front seat than a 4dr does. Adults can still get into the back seat but it's not the most fun thing to do. I didn't notice any difference in driveability or anything like that compared to a 4dr, it's just got 2 less doors. You will likely find that the doors sag, especially the driver's side, because they are so long and heavy. I kept the rear seat folded down for maximum cargo space and made a cargo net to separate the front seat from the back to avoid having a heavy toolbox flying through the front in the event of an accident.

Yeah the insurance would be nice and all but it would be way prohibitively expensive since I wouldn't really be looking to make a big business out if it. More so to help out the local mail carriers while making a little on the side. That's the sucky part, everyone is sue happy these days and rightfully so given most people won't stand behind their work anymore.

I'd have to ask that, but I don't believe they are.

I know some of you on here are mechanics and know the licensing/cert laws so I'm hoping you can help me out. So now that I have been making and selling parts I have been very frequent at the local post office and have become friendly with the people who work there. We are a small town so it's the same faces every day. Today I finally got the question of what I was selling and when I said Jeep parts their eyes got wide and the questions started flying. Since we are a small town they mostly drive XJs for the rural routes and their problem is that none of them are super mechanically inclined or have the tools and they don't like having to drive so far to a city with a repair shop and pay so much for fairly simple repairs. The question becomes, can I either assist them with repairs or outright fix their Jeeps legally? I know unlicensed/uninsured mechanics exist but I can't really find if they are legal or not. I'm not really worried about being sued or anything, I'd be more concerned about the government after me for not meeting the requirements. I'm to the point now that I can/have fixed pretty much everything on an XJ multiple times so I'm confident in doing the work and am likely more qualified on the XJ specifically than a general mechanic that works on modern crap all day is. The question is, can I lend them a hand or is it a bad idea all around?

May be a good source for info if you shoot him a message. He may know the specific model of watch that is and help point you in the right direction to find a donor.

"Rare" is a relative word. Overall Comanches are getting harder to find but I wouldn't consider any of them "rare" aside from a diesel and a true Street Comanche. IIRC 86 was the year that produced the most MJs so relatively speaking it's the least "rare" of them all. Regardless we'd love to hear more details about your truck! Welcome to the club.

Thanks!

I'm assuming everything besides injections and tune because you need a dyno to properly tune as every vehicle is different. Injectors are also changed based on how you want it tuned. I'm really tempted to buy one, good price for a kit.

Do you have any more info on this guy? I searched around the group and couldn't find him anywhere. This could be a game changer for me, I'd rather go supercharger but couldn't find a way I liked that didn't cost $4k.

If you can't find a match or at least something that would fit in the case you could try one of those diy watch kits and see about making that fit.

I like the wing on the roof to help with the aerodynamics. Wonder what the mpg difference was with that.

Yup this one. Got mine from Amazon.

For most things I use the standard Dewalt impact driver. I bought a corded Hammerhead brand 1/2" impact back when I was building my blue truck so I could get the flexplate bolts off. The cord is a bit of a PIA but it's gotten me through everything I've needed a big impact for so far.

There is only one MJ. That's the real issue.

I wouldn't see an issue running them on an off-road rig. As long as it's not super loaded down with gear and your not bouncing off rocks too hard. Looks like they only have a beadlock on one side tho? I'd be more weary for an on-road rig, bead locks are illegal for road use in most places anyway but hitting a pothole at speed could be an issue with an overweight vehicle. I have seen vehicles in videos and TV with Aero branded wheels, never really heard a review on them though.

If it were close to me I'd snag it. Very fixable and even if you couldn't get a title there is plenty of good parts there.

I don't believe any XJ ever came with 16" wheels. Those may be from a ZJ? I do know early years Liberty wheels and C8.25 are the same bolt pattern as the XJ/MJ axles. What year is your Libby axle and wheels from? I'd recommend measuring everything to see what the bolt patterns are so we know the exact patterns you are dealing with. You could run wheel adapters if you need to change the bolt pattern but it would push the wheels out.