DJM/78

Very cool , coming a long way now , I dig the 35"s I think they ride better than most of the other sizes I've tried .

Don't think this is quite what the definition of tall is but stretchy pants I can do ... Besides old Chinese wise man say " man who stands too high on toilette ends up drinking muddy water ..." :D Didn't even disconnect the disco's ...

I'm down , PM sent .

Yep . I'd go with Rob and say snag it up , carpet and glue is cheap but the cardboard in good shape is priceless ... :yes:

The little threads that are welded to the back of the cab have little spin nuts that secure the cardboard to the back of the cab , the carpet is glued to the board and the there is a plastic trim piece covering the top . That screws in with the B pillar molding . Yes they can be made but the plastic piece is MJ specific , might be hard to find a certain color .

I have been restoring vehicles for most of my life , old , scrapped , barely running , no motor , whatever .... Anyone who wants to restore a vehicle should know that it takes lots of money , you might as well buy a brand new car or truck for what it will take to build an old one . I for one , didn't buy my MJ to be out the box reliable , I knew either I could pay 20k plus or put 20k into my truck . I'm about a third of the way there now and the truck is half new . So I'm guessing I'll finish somewhere around 15k . At that time the truck will be completely overhauled from the ground up . I agree with the guy , if he doesn't want all the work and money put in it , go buy something new , it will cost you the same . Its pointless to argue type of vehicle , its how much is put into the restoration of the vehicle . Or how much a vehicle costs , all manufacturers make good vehicles . I believe the inline design of the motor is one of the best designs for any motor so far , so good in fact many manufacturers will continue the production of the 4.0 for years to come . Like Jasper and Hesco , so thats why I chose the MJ . I don't plan on making any money off this truck , vehicles are not good investments at all . But thats why I am a CC member , I dumped 5-6k into a truck thats arguably worth 1500 and falling ....... and I'm happier than a pig in $%$#@

First off , welcome !!! Second , what year is it ? What model ? Do you know anything else about the swap , IE motor year , trans . Never the less I say buy it , sounds like you have the ability to fix it up anyway .

Ahh , makes sense now .... :yes: But you didn't answer my question of if you can fab me those brackets ... :thumbsup:

Looks great ! Yeah , my D44 came out at about 6" with the SOA but you need that rake for departure angle , I've recently found out ...

If you're looking for trouble free , than all factory is the way to go , either find a remanufactured 4.0 HO , or a new Jasper racing 4.0 HO . I've heard allot of good things from people who wheel that motor . The wiring harness on the early HO are primitive enough for even me to figure out , without doing a 97+ swap , thats probably your best bet . Strokers can be a nightmare if they aren't built correctly and in the field they can run hot , around here they have a pretty bad track record , most last about 100k before they need rebuilt again and again . Mostly from what I've seen they are either going to a V8 swap or 4BT .

It looks like there is enough room to slide the tailgate in and out , but I don't know . I'm trying to figure it out myself ... :dunno:

I agree , also before messing with the springs you will need a spring clamp and proper diagnostics of the parts you plan on swapping before you do allot of work . The rear shackle bushings can be a beeaach so a torch can ease them out better than hammering all night long , if you end up doing that . A good jack and some stands and these guys on here is all you need ... :redX:

I think he's worried more about cell phone drivers ... :yes: Trying to save a clean tailgate , cain't blame I'm , but I need the tailgate too much to be usable .

That looks good , do you think I could get a set of those made with the bracket to match the shackle on the one side like in your pic . Exactly the same but right where the upper shackle bolt runs through the shackle and frame , to have that side follow the contour of the frame bracket , Also at the end be a little longer so I can run a bolt through that last hole at the end you can see in your pic . I've seen one or two shackle brackets set up that way and thats kinda what I'm looking for . I may tow a small trailer or RV with this bumper so extra beefy is what I need . Just PM me need be ...

Most kits are considered bolt on so modification is real limited with said " bolt on " kits up until you're sitting high on short arms or you plan a long arm upgrade . A more desirable kit would be mostly hybrid with custom parts , corrected pinion angles and welded crossmember for long arms . They drive better , last a little longer and are set up for what you're doing with the truck , thats modification you can not easily reverse , bolt on kits can be taken off . For a 2"-3" lift , shocks . pucks , AAL . I'm sure a couple guys up here have a mild lift for ya' . Or , ZJ V8 front coils , chevy shackles , and a one inch spacer for the coils should net about 2" . No need to modify anything else , no welding and other than getting the AAL or shackles in its a breeze .

Best is a matter of personal opinion and what you're trying to do with the truck . 2" is about max for pucks and shackles , or you can put an AAL in the rear giving you about 2" . At 4" you'll need springs , track bar , shocks , upper and lower control arms , drop brackets at least . Anything over 4" and it starts getting expensive , SOA , SYE , drop brackets or long arms , brake lines , track bar relocation and lots of welding , never mind steering or beefing up the axles for bigger tires .

Sweet find , welcome to the club . Sounds like you got the mods all figured out . :thumbsup:

I have a NRA Gun Rights edition as well , A part of the profit goes to NRA legislation fund ...

My version of justice ...

Its good to save if you can save it but once the plastic is torn , it looses its moisture block barrier anyway , then it soaks up water making potential rust spots worse with the carpet soaking in water .

Here are a couple of cheesy flex shots to see where I need to trim ... I didn't even disconnect the sway ... :yes:

Thanks man , I should be working allot harder on my truck but then my ADD kicks in and thats all she wrote , I find myself just staring at my 91" in the back yard ... :drool: Yes , that is the bumper from the front , I plan on shaving about 2" off the bottom and recut the ends to more of a tapper , It needs a receiver built in and chain hooks . I already modified it before so it looks like this now ... MJ Mike , that bumper looks wicked ... :brows: I'd like to see what ya' got in mind . JCR makes them but I'd be open to something home brewed , beefy and custom is all I like . Lets see 'em ... :popcorn:

Its going to be one of the best looking farm truck I've ever seen . :popcorn:

:thumbsup: Working on the rear bumper right now , waiting to order JCR bumper brackets so I can see how much modification it will need , or if the old bumper will even work . Got the new clevis hooks in as well . This is the bumper I plan to mod ...

Looking good , you know who to sell it to when you get rid of it ... :yes: Been wanting a two door for a little while .