AZJeff

I am curious has to how you separated the sheets so cleanly. Were they spot welded, or bonded via adhesive around the perimeter?

I have heard stories of body men who use head and quickly cooling the heated metal to shrink/straighten dents that are not full creases. This would save having to separate the panels. it’s most often employed on classic prewar autos where replacement sheet metal is non-existent. I don’t know what the odds are of finding a guy in Guam who is willing to try this, but do some YouTube searches to study the technique.

Yup, it’s kind of a trial and error method to cut enough to clear the clutch. Cut only as much as absolutely needed.

Agreed. The MJ/XJ series from Jeep are probably some of the BEST vehicles for a DIY guy to own. They are robust, relatively simple, and most things can be fixed without any fancy tools. It sure beats the heck out my 2014 Wrangler, which is the opposite of simple. I unplugged a couple of connectors to measure some voltages, and when I next started the vehicle, it threw a "check engine" light and a "traction assist error" light as well. What a pain in the rear....

New pans, welded in. POR 15 is good, so is commerical truck bed liner.

Yeah, I can see that. But...you still need a shroud, especially if you live in a hot climate, as it makes the fan SO much more effective. Unless you make some mods to the OEM shroud, you will get a chance to do it all over again the next time you take the shroud out.

I have found that, for whatever reason, the fanshroud with the OEM dimensions always has a HELL of a time getting past the space between my radiator and my mech. fan clutch if I have to remove it for any reason. (Maybe it's because I have an all-metal 3-row radiator.) In any case, I have broken THREE of those damnned things trying to remove them after installation without removing the top radiator core support bracket, which is a PITA unto itself to take out. I finally bought my last replacement, and before installing it, did some judicious trimming on the bottom edge of the shroud with a Dremel tool before installing it into the vehicle. I can now install/remove the goofy thing without breaking it in the process. I don't know if anyone else has had this issue, but it's a tip to share....

That is correct.

That is not true, as far as gaskets are concerned. The 97+ gaskets frunction as the trim, eliminating the bright metal around the windshield. in my book, this an improvement, since the metal trim will vibrate/rub and take the paint off the body, leading to rust.

The AW-4 is an unusually durable transmission. The only way to kill one is to seriously overheat it and cook the clutches. Occasionally, the solenoids act up, but other posters have given tips on how to diagnose that. Of course, any overheating does damage to the fluid, so anytime there is suspicion of heat damage to the fluid (smell/color evidence), a thorough flush of the system is warranted. Doing it by the drain/fill/drive cycle several times is the cheapest way, especially since the AW-4 has a drain plug. On the last drain/refill, change the filter and clean the pan, and call it a day.

Yes it could. Just drill an access hole on the outside of the pillar, and "tap" the screw out with a punch.

I wouldn't recommend a dark-colored headliner, as it will make the entire interior of the vehicle darker. Unless that is your intent...

ghetdjc320 got me thinking....anothe cool straight six that would be an interesting transplant would be the old Pontiac OHC that they put in the Tempest and Firebird in the late 1960’s. They were more powerful than any pushrod six of the era, and with modern EFI, they might really shine.

I made a “precision” spacer from a piece of PVC pipe that slide over the top of the upper ball joint and rested on the flange of the joint where it seats against the upper surface of the inner C. Then I set my angle level on the top of the tube. I figured that was as close as I was going to get to measuring the kingpin angle for caster without a real alignment rack. I wouldn’t trust measuring the camber with a level on the axle tubes. The face of the unit bearing hub flange is probably a much more accurate spot.

LMAO I had a 1991 F-150 that had the countersunk bosses break off the plastic windshield pillar trim. That meant none of the OEM screws would retain the plastic. I ended up using sheet metal screws that had an integral washer to span the now oversized hole to mount the plastic trim. Boy Ford used some really bad plastic resin for their trim back then that got SUPER brittle in the AZ 😡

There is no doubt that a watts linkage minimizes lateral movement compared to a track bar (panhard rod). The only question is how much that improves the handling of an oxcart....er, I mean an MJ🤪

I wouldn’t recommend pinching rubber brake lines EVER with ANY kind of clamping too. In doing so, you are weakening/cracking the rubber, and increasing a chance for a rupture.

I see them offered on Rock Auto all the time, usually a prices lower than Moog, etc. I would use Mevotech brand stuff if I was on a budget or if I wasn't planning on doing any heavy duty driving in my MJ. Otherwise, stick to the brands known to be leaders in suspension/steering parts, such as Dana, Moog, etc.

There is no reason to pull the dash. The tools suggested by others WILL get that screw out. I have all the tools that were suggested, and have used them sucessfully in similar situations many times. Of all the tools suggested, the needle-nosed Vise-Grips are the ones I would recommend the OP obtain. Aside from solving his immediate problem, he will find them an indispensable addition to his tool collection. After I bought a pair about 15 years ago, I wondered how I had gotten this far in auto repair without them, and I have been working on cars for 50 years.

I totally agree that all MJ/XJ vehicles should have had an electric fan, regardless of whether A/C was present. that said, the OP’s truck is an 89, so his installation won’t be plug and play. He will have to devise a setup like I described, using a temp sensor independent of the one used by the ECU.

I am not familiar with the cooling fan wiring on the older XJ/MJ series. From what I can determine looking at wiring diagrams, the ECU controls power to the electric cooling fan motor via fan clutch relay. I am assuming that the ECU uses the engine temperature sensor (and the heater control switch set to "A/C") to turn the fan relay on/off. If one is going to add in an electric cooling fan option without the A/C, the trick will be to find a way to sense engine temperature and power up the fan outside the normal ECU control method, since I don't think you can tap into that practically. I did this on an old F-150 truck by adding in a temperature switch into the upper radiator hose. When the coolant got hot enough, the switch closed, and that turned on the relay that powered the fan.

THIS is the way to go. I would not trust a junkyard seatbelt on a vehicle that has been possibly sitting in adverse environment.

I see your point about the gear mesh. I never thought of that....

I don’t consider low pinion D30’s to be the kiss of death. My 2000 XJ had one, and my MJ currently has one from a 2001 XJ in it. I don’t do super heavy rock crawling stuff, so the small gain in ground clearance for the high pinion is not a major loss.

I have done conversions from R12 on several vehicles with success, I will attest that all of Minuit’s recommendations are spot on. For special tools, I bought a set of gauges/manifold from the local auto parts store, and a vacuum pump from Harbor Freight. They have served me well for 15 years.