Airborne Janitor

Decided to sell my project truck after close to a decade. Has been running and driving great, hopefully someone completes the body work and paint to finish her off. Tons of extra MJ parts included as well. https://www.ebay.com/itm/177831567952

Well it's with a heavy heart I've decided to sell my MJ. It's been a fun project over the years, but I got two kids and I can't fit them both in the truck with me so that takes the fun out of it too. Anyone who is interested here's the link, she's been running and driving great now, someone just needs to finish the body work and paint. https://www.ebay.com/itm/177831567952

I was in a somewhat similar situation after having the head rebuilt on my 4.0. Truck would reach operating temps, then slowly creep past 210* until it went up to 245*. I replaced every part of the cooling system: Flowkooler water pump, new hoses, new Mopar temp sensor, new 195* tstat, new e-fan, until it turned out my Mishimoto radiator was not holding pressure 100% but wasn't producing any leaks. I took the other Mishimoto I had in my XJ and swapped it in, not it doesn't go past 200*. Hopefully this may help?

Wow, has it really been almost 2 years since my last project update? Long story short the MJ is running well and is currently being used as a 2nd vehicle, but still not finished... Ended up getting the head rebuilt after the head gasket started leaking. Then ran into overheating issues, which was eventually solved with a new thermostat and fan clutch.... Recently I installed the Key Parts "chrome-trim" tail light lenses. I had a pair of sacrificial tail lights that were broken but the housings were good. I used The Right Stuff silicone to completely bond/seal the lenses to the housings. They came out really nice. My next goal is to finally get the 4.56 gears installed. Although I was planning to do the gears myself, I had to sell my place and downsize (divorce) so I may just pay a local shop here in the next month to do that for me. Before my move I was able to chop up a parts MJ I had and pull off the entire cab corners, so body work and a paint job is on the horizon. Maybe by year's end? We'll see.....

I have an extra headliner in good shape, I'm willing to sell it if you're willing to pay the shipping....

Thanks! Generator is an idea. I'm definitely putting a 40" wide tool box up front but I'm playing around with idea in regards to heat. I was going to use propane for heat and mount w 20lb propane bottle on the platform, but I'm worried about the fumes inside the bed. Considering maybe a diesel heater...

Got the Flowkooler water pump installed along with a high-flow 180* thermostat. Pulled the magnetic drain plug from the Mishimoto radiator and found a ton of rust/debris on it, so I flushed the radiator and the water jacket. Was unable to properly use the vacuum purge/refill kit, I couldn't keep vacuum pressure consistent, then realized the thermostat had moved out of its seat when I bolted the housing on when coolant started pouring out, oops. Temps ranged from 180-210* after the install. Although I'm happy it's running cooler it's still doing that 30* shift when revs fall/rise above 2000rpms. Even though the fan clutch was just replaced (by the shop who did the head work, not me) I'm going to throw another fan clutch on. I have an OEM one with some miles on it I'll bolt on just to see if there's any performance change.

I have to wait until December to get trailer registered due to schedule conflicts. In the meantime I got the camper shell on with a friend, which was a total pain because of how high the bed sits! The camper shell needs a good hose down and paint job. I think my next step is to take the trailer over to Maaco and have them do the bodywork for me, pulling all the dents, straightening the sheet metal, removing all the rivets, and putting down a coat of primer. From there I think I am going to use that Raptorliner spray-on bedliner and shoot the entire bed myself....

Maiden voyage complete, nothing fell off! I'm still dialing in the proper height of the hitch set up, it is a little high here. Took her to the power wash station to get cleaned up, then went to a CAT Scale to get weighed. 1150lbs, well under the 2k limit. Next step is to go get her titled and registered, wish me luck!

20x50mm, or 3/4 x 1 15/16"

So they should be really easy to find, right?

I think that's what it's called, the rubber plug at the front of the bed. Need one.

Yes, I think I'm going to buy one of these tool chests: https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/tractor-supply-46-in-texture-black-tool-box-chest I want something long enough to stow spare axle shafts in, spare fluids, and of course camping gear. Then plan to put a 20-40lb propane tank mount next to it the chest. Should have enough room for both on the platform.

Theres something definitely going on in regards to the waterflow. Today she started overheating into the 240 range. Only way to bring the temps down was to keep the RPMs above 2000, so at a light I'd pop her into neutral and apply the accelerator. Within minutes temps would drop 30*. If anything replacing the pump will allow me to peak into the block a little to see if theres some type of obstruction.

Ordered

Put on a pair of used Bilsteins. I'm going to pull the spare for now. The weight balance is off to where I can lift the tongue with one hand. Added some more marker lights to be more "trailer-compliant". She's getting there! Tested out the trailer lights and they work fine, just need to wire up the new marker lights, put the flares back on, run a breather for the axle and fill it with fluid. Then a stop to a weigh station to see how fat she is.

So for the past week she's stayed under 230ish. I confirmed temps at block/temp sensor and at the face of the thermostat housing with an IR temp gun. The Flowkooler water pump arrived today so I'll get that bad boy installed soon and report back, hopefully this fixes it.

It's the Fey/Westin 63000. I've been running it on my MJ for years now and have been happy with it. It is not a heavy duty offroad bumper, but a nice light duty bumper. I've never paid more than $200 for it including shipping, either off amazon or ebay. The mounting brackets are separate, part #97900

I spliced the MJ tail light wiring harness into a 15ft 4-pin trailer harness. Have not tested them yet. Got the spare hoisted up to add a little weight. Got the Ark trailer jack installed. Probably the nicest trailer jack I've seen, everything operates nice and smooth without any binding. And thankfully it's tall enough to work with this current set up. Rear bumper arrived today, just in time.

Thanks! Paints dry and I got the wheels/tires on. To fix the issue of not running any brakes/backing plates I got some extra axle retainer plates and bored them out so they could go over the axle seals, but still be used as a spacer to fill that gap where the backing plate was. It definitely sits pretty high, especially with no weight in the bed. Eventually with all the extra options like a 20 gallon water tank, propane tank, batteries, etc it will come down in height. But right now my main goal is to keep it under 2000lbs because then I can register it as a utility trailer here in Idaho which is an easier process than registering it as a camper.

I almost thought you were a buddy I served with, he lives in Modesto and has a dog named Otter. I was about to call him and ask if he got an MJ lol.

I've been running the ProComp ATs on my MJ and they've been great. I also run the BFG ATs on my XJ and they're good too. If price wasnt an issue I'd go BFGs, otherwise Four Wheel Parts carries the ProComps.

Depends, what are you plans with your lifted MJ? Street driving only or fourwheeling, or both? You can get away with relocating the front brake lines on a 3" lift and running stock control arms. Are you trying to do this lift as cheap as possible or do you want it to still drive like a stock vehicle is the question.

Personally I'm gonna say no. I love my XJs, MJs, and 4.0s, but these vehicles have been out of production for nearly 25 years now. I'm currently DDing between my MJ and XJ and I hate it, I feel like I'm playing russian roulette with them at this point with all the mods and over 200k on both. This year has been a giant money pit for both my 98 XJ and 89 MJ: both have had cylinder head rebuilds, fan clutch replacements, new radiators. For the amount I've put into both this year I could've probably put down a fat down payment on a brand new car. Not to mention the horrible gas mileage, I won't even tell you how much I spend in gas each month with my commute. I love my Jeeps and would never get rid of them, 8 years with the MJ, 23 with the XJ, but they're not great DDs. They're great project vehicles that are easy to work on and parts are generally cheap and fun to drive, but I wouldnt recommend one as a DD in 2024... Currently waiting on a 2025 Toyota Camry AWD Hybrid being delivered in Nov. You can get a new 2025 Toyota Corolla Hybrid that gets 50MPG for 26k right now. Just saying...