PCO6

That looks great. I'm curious about the gauge of the original bumpers vs. the Fey/Westin ones. Are they the same? I'm thinking the originals might be a bit heavier. I guess you could go with what you want (within reason) if you fabricate a replica. Has anyone fabricated a rear bumper using a front bumper as a starting point?

Nice looking MJ. Mine was originally red and was painted black. You've got me thinking!

The “Options Report” that I got online for my ’88 Eliminator simply says that it has a “Full Length Floor Console" (Code CUF). I also have a “Vehicle Information Report” that I got from the local dealership and it says the same thing.

My '88 MJ has an ash tray on the rear of the console. I'm not the original owner but the MJ is very original.

I went through this about 4 years ago with my TJ. The driver's seat was ripped. Reupholstering them would have been expensive and seat covers seemed to be a bit hit and miss. I went to a pic-n-pull junk yard with basic measurements in hand and walked around until I found what I thought would work. I looked mostly at small 2 seaters and pickup trucks that had seats that folded forward. I simply measured the width of my Jeep seats (both the seat part and the back rest) and the height of the seat surface from the floor. I found several that were "close enough". I avoided power seats as I didn't want the hassle. Heated seats would have been nice, but no luck. I bought seats out of Hyundai Tiburon and they worked out great. They look good and they are very comfortable. I've gone on several day long drives with no problems at all. That JY charged $100 for the pair. I bought two sets since then for $70 a pair and have put them in my LJ and XJ. I plan to put a set in my MJ too. For the TJ & LJ I used the original floor brackets and Hyundai sliders. For the XJ I used the original floor brackets and Jeep sliders (just worked out better). In each case I kept the Jeep seat belts. XJ & MJ brackets and sliders are a bit different but it should work out. Here they are in my XJ ... I don't have a pic of the XJ brackets that I made but here is what is in my LJ. They are very similar. I made them so that I could easily adjust the height by adding spacers between the flat bar pieces. That is why I didn't bother to weld them. I used grade 8 hardware which should be fine.

I've always been a fan of Robbie Gordon and his versatility. I get that drivers today have to be committed to the main series they run in but it's great to see them continue in other series for what appears to be their simple love of racing ... and yes I know they are also being paid for it. To me, seeing Fernando Alonso race at Indy last year was one of the highlights of 2017. That kind of cross over used to be common years ago.

A tire sale on Valentine's day?!!! More women need to know about this!

Stew from Newmarket, Ontario. Here's my '88 2WD Eliminator and '89 XJ Limited 2 dr. ...

Amccutc21 - Thanks for asking this. It's confirmed the direction I'm heading in. I have a 1988 SWB 4.0 2-WD with an AW4 too and am planning to convert to 4WD this spring/summer. I'm primarily using a 1995 XJ for parts.

They're waiting for the 6th guy to come back with the coffee.

Cole - I think you mean a Dana 35. A Dana 350 would be HUGE! Rear disc brakes from a Jeep Liberty are basically a straight bolt on. Older Grand Cherokee brakes work too with minor work done to the backing plates. I don't know if 3.73 gears are year specific but they do exist. I'm sure someone else can chime in on that.

One of my Brothers told me that there's a good market for Fiero seats. He has one with speakers that are built in to the head rests and apparently those are the ones that the hot rod guys are always looking for.

I agree with you, amber turn signals all around ... not weird at all. I've never got how on the MJ, like the XJ, the front turn signals are amber (clear lens / amber bulb) while the rears for the MJ & XJ were different. I've wondered if on the MJ you could replace the back up lights with a small light or 2 under the bumper (LED?) and rewire the original back up lights to be turn signals with an amber bulb/ clear lens. Apart from the added back up light(s) which is often done any way the taillights would look original but function differently.

Nothing wrong with poly but it's usually best to match your motor and transmission mounts. Either both rubber or both poly.

I have 2 sets. One set had a couple of broken tabs but I was able to repair them by bonding metal tabs to them with J-B Weld.

Thanks Pete. The coffee's on me next time.

If it had a removable extension piece that covered the bed it would be useful for carrying kayaks, canoes, etc. or possibly attaching an RTT to. No doubt you'd be looking at $1,000+ though.

I wanted something that provided for 2 cups and wouldn't take away any of the storage area of the console. I also didn't want to drill into or cut out of anything in a way that I might regret later. I made one for my XJ where access to the hand brake was important and it turned out well. It seems even better on my MJ. The passenger seat in both Jeeps slides forward and back with no interference. First things first ... I got a mug I like and found something to put it in to. This Thermos brand mug keeps coffee hot for a long time so that's what I went with. I also have a Nike water bottle that fits nicely. The holders are actually plastic ash trays (automotive section at Canadian Tire) that I tore the lids off of. I bent a piece of 14g metal at a right angle and cut it to fit into the storage area of the console. The cups are held in place by screws that go through the metal into a 1/4" thick piece of oak. The holder is attached to the console by industrial strength Velcro (no holes drilled). It is firm and wobble free. It can be removed but it's a bit of a struggle, the Velcro really grips! Here's the one in my XJ before I painted it (little easier to see the shape). I later painted it satin black.

Nice ... that sounds right. As mentioned mine works fine for the trailers I have but I thought of fabricating some frame tie ins to beef it up. I think it looks good on the "stockish" rear bumper I have. I also have a pair of JCR bumpers off my old XJ and thought I might modify the rear one to fit my MJ (front will be easy). Obviously there would be some fabricating involved but it looks fairly straight forward.

Does the Draw-Tite hitch tie into the frame as well as bolt to the bumper? Mine is like the one gogmoro posted below and is listed as a Class III. It bolts to my "similar to stock" bumper but does not connect to the frame. I've towed my utility and off road trailers with no problem. I would not use it as a recovery point though ... not that I would need it anyway based on how I use my MJ.

Here's mine. It's an '88 2WD Eliminator with about 108,000 mi. on it. It's pretty much stock, the only revisions being a SONY radio and the cleats on the side of the box. It was originally red. The previous owner had it painted black and the painter did a good job of it. My plans are to convert it to 4WD this summer, install a 2" lift and put 245/75/16 tires and MOAB wheels on it. I've also included a shot of its garage mate ... my 1989 Cherokee.

^^^ ^^^ I hope you have a good "non British" gasket on that!

I owned and restored British cars (MG, Triumph & Jaguar) for years but I haven't for the last 15 or so. Lucas, The Prince of Sparks and Darkness, gets a bit of a bad rap. The electrics were usually restorable provided the plastic parts were in tact. That was often the cause of failure for cars made through the '50s to '70s, switches in particular.

I agree re the double torquing ... not fun. JK axles would be a bit of work but not a bad way to go.

Congrats on the house purchase ... and especially the garage! It's not only a 2 car but it's also a single door which is important to a car, boat, etc. guy. It provides much better access and lets' face it, 2 car garages often become singles once you fill them up with tools, projects, etc. Up here, and I'm sure elsewhere the new home trend for years has been double width garages with 2 single doors for "urban design" reasons. The argument is that they offer a better streetscape. I'm a retired Town Planner and Land Developer ... and car guy. I argued for years for double garage width doors in our projects and I got no where.