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This looks mighty familiar . As for the gas tank, could you take a few more pics of how that mounted up for you? Interested in doing something similar if I decide to 4 link down the road

Once I switched to a true projector housing I’ll never go back. On my last MJ I used a custom built 5x7 Black Flame Customs unit with Apollo 2.0 projectors and H1 bulbs. The cutoff is super crisp and there were no dead spots in the light output. That was my 4th set of true projector headlights in Jeeps. I install them in anything we get if it doesn’t have them already. Can’t emphasize enough how good they are. You can go LED, HID or Halogen with the bulbs, it’s that quality glass projector that counts.

Not sure why you aren’t finding the pre 97 cams. Here is an older list but still a good one that shows many of the different cam specs and part numbers for the 4.0. https://www.angelfire.com/my/fan/Jeep4.0Camshafts.htm I believe the cam retaining design didn’t change until 99+. As with any cam swap with flat tappets, you’ll need to use plenty of zinc in the oil to prevent cam wear along with assembly lube to prevent wiping the lobes on startup. Comp is not inherently better or worse than any of the others. People’s experiences with them often are a result of not following proper break-in procedures. Most all the aftermarket manufacturers will have narrower cam lobes than original but that really isn’t a problem. Mopar performance cams have full width lobes. Keep the seat and open pressure mild for these cams and they will live a good long life. And I can’t emphasize enough the need to keep zinc in the oil on these engines with fresh cams. My go to has been VR1 racing oil or Rotella diesel oil for the 4.0. I have run 10’s of thousands of miles on comp cams in the 4.0 series of engines with zero issues. Only company I’ve had bad experiences with and poor quality is 505 performance. Hopefully this helps

Sooo… any updates? I’ve been researching this as well. For me, it’s a possible 4link and weight distribution I’m going for. Really not a fan of the stock location either.

Also will need to run the higher pressure fuel pressure for obd2. The regulator is in the tank for 97+ XJ/TJ’s. It’s a return less style system. Psi requirements are somewhere in the 50’s iirc. On an MJ, you can use an external adjustable style regulator

Those look like the shifter tower bushing and socket. The larger should have a chamfered ID that contours to the shifter base to allow it to pivot. And the smaller one fits over the top of the shifter ball in the shift rail.

Aside from the reasons for why your mechanic wants to do this, I am also quite curious about how he will accomplish it and if he is aware of the rather large changes required aside from an ecu and harness swap. It’s one thing when you have a donor XJ sitting around to swap everything over from. Quite another to take a running renix and convert it while retaining renix era parts.

I think we’d all be interested to see how he does it. 96 was an interesting year for the XJ as it got an obd2 conversion but had to retain much of the obd1 system including gauges. 97 was much more of an update and went to the canbus system. When converting to obd2, there is an adapter that was made for the stock obd1 harness (not renix) that works with the 96 ecu (pictured below). The renix flywheel tone ring is not compatible with obd1/2 though. Gather some of the specifics on what exactly will be done in the swap. If he goes 97+ than a cluster swap may be in order for at least the tach signal.

It may be. It doesn’t wash out and is quite sticky. Doesn’t melt easily either. When I was rebuilding hvac control panels, that was one of the greases I was using.

Not sure what oil pan you’re running but it may have only been designed for the stock style gasket and not the perma-dry gaskets. I love those perma-dry gaskets but occasionally they can be a bit problematic. Sometimes the old cork style ones work the best

This was my experience as well. Wasn’t there someone on here that posted some sort of carbon paper trick with rear main seals? Seems like maybe a few years ago?? It was a nifty trick for installation.

I used lithium grease on the first set I repaired. Use “green grease” which is a marine grease on the second set. Both worked well but the green grease lasted longer

Are you looking for lift or increased payload? There should be plenty of options that could fit. You will likely need to redrill the center pin hole as the MJ one is offset a bit. I’ve seen 2 different co figurations called “metric ton” springs. One was a 4+1 pack and another the 3+2. I suspect the 3+2 is how the factory did it but I may be wrong

I wouldn’t say the 91-95 ecu’s are unreliable. They are a fully potted ecu and they live under the hood. There are a few out there who have chipped and tuned them even for boost. There are also adapters for the obd2 ecu’s to obd1 harness. The alternator voltage regulator became an ecu function in 91+. As for diagnosis, many times it’s not as simple as just grabbing a multimeter to fix a Renix. Some of our recent repair posts have proven this. It can also be tough to find some quality Renix replacement sensors. Ultimately each system progressively evolved a bit in certain areas. But a modern stand alone ecu will be far ahead of all the factory system. Lots of Renix MJ’s out there still running strong though. Id agree though that swapping to obd1 is not worth it.

Out of curiosity, why are you looking for one? Had a boss one time that wanted us to have vehicle trackers for work. Was kinda funny when he went out to find the obd port to try to install one on my old 88 YJ .

96+ was OBD2. OBD1 was only in use for 91-95 on the XJ platform. Obd2 does indeed have more potential as the maps can be edited easily enough. However, unless you plan on modifying your engine significantly, there isn’t anything to be gained by just swapping the obd2 system over on a stock setup. An REM scanner will provide a host of diagnostic data as well for Renix.

For the load valve, if you’re running 4 wheel discs you can delete it and run either the ZJ/similar prop valve or retain the MJ distribution block with no prop valve. If you’re running drum disc combo, run something like an XJ prop valve or similar to lessen the pressure sent to the rear wheel cylinders.

I’m guessing that’s just a generic statement. You’ll need to verify how far your perches are from the axle tube vs the Barnes setup.

What are you referring to?

I went with these perches from Barnes SUA for higher clearance. Realistically, the wheels are pretty close to the springs so as long as you pick good lines while wheeling, you shouldn’t have much of an issue with anything getting hung up even in stock configuration. Notch flares open up the wheel wells a lot if you are still wanting some type of flare. Otherwise, a nice trim can give good clearance. DPG off-road has a great video on trimming for clearance while still keeping things looking clean. Widebody kits are another option if you like the pre-runner look. Last couple pages of my build thread have some pictures of what notch flares and metric 33’s look like mocked up. And the liberty 8.25 is a good swap candidate. You’ll have to clean up several brackets but the 3” tubes, disk brakes and screw type preload adjusters are all nice benefits. https://barnes4wd.com/products/sua-swap-combo

There is a ring that fills in that gap (see pic). For reference, the non c clip D35 and D44 use the same brake backing plate.

Sounds also like possible starter solenoid. But try another good battery first.

I remember seeing this before from GS. Interestingly though, I have yet to see a single Comanche measure any sort of factory spec after swapping to GS springs. That’s not a complaint though, I just consider them a nice little lift spring that goes well with a 3” front lift (I ran the 4 leaf packs in soa for a bit and probably could have cleared 40’s in the back with Napier flares ). If you need stock height, you probably need to go used. I’m almost wondering if the high spec spring rates were some sort of optional factory spring for some sort specialty builds?? I could see those being spec’d in 1985 for 86 builds back when the amc 20 axle was still in the build parts bin.

I also locked up a 4.0 from overheating once. Still ran fine once it cooled back down and I was able to repair the cooling system. The 4.0 is a stout little engine. I wouldn’t be concerned. Mechanics often like to scare people into purchases. As for the price, it may be a fair price for the swap, however, you’re not going to add 5k of value to your MJ. If you plan on keeping it for a long time and driving it, then maybe it’s worth it. Personally I’d just clean out the cooling system (by someone who has the proper equipment to chemically backflush the whole system under pressure/vacuum not just a drain and fill), do an oil change and run it. Your head gasket may also be just fine. Overheating is bad for any engine, but it’s not like the 4.0 is some sort of super tight tolerance racing engine. It’s more like an old tractor engine.