AZJeff

I have the shop manual for the 1988 XJ, which would cover a large part of what is the MJ. If you want that, I can burn a CD and send it to you via snail mail. (It's a 26mB file)

I assume you mean are my existing 1 inch spacers hub-centric, and the answer is yes, the center on the hub portion that extends above the plane onto which the wheel normally seats.

Dzimm found photos of my situation. The spacers that are installed now have the integral lug studs, and are 1 inch thick, like the first picture. What I want to do is to go to something like what he shows in the second picture, where I can use the existing lug studs (lengthened as needed).

My MJ currently has one inch wheel spacers on the front hubs, which were put on sometime in its past. My current tires only need no more than 1/2" of spacer, but with that much added, I would need longer lug studs. The only problem is that I don't see how to install any longer studs into the OEM type hub bearing assemblies. does anyone have any suggestions, or do I have to live with the oversized one inch spacers?

Side bar--from my XJ days, I was unaware of any way to do a "bolt in" alternator relocation by removing the AC compressor. Anything you do would be "custom engineering"

Yup. I was thinking the same thing. And also do do the oil filter adapter o-rings while u r at it.

I am a fan of Hella E-code lamps with their separate bulbs and the focused lens.

That assembly is called the "equalizer" The two wheel cables attach to a cross-bar that has a hole for the pedal cable between them. Into to that hole goes a slightly dished washer, plus a nut and a flat washer, all on the rear side. The threaded rod from the pedal cable goes in through the front side. I 'think' the rod is SAE/imperial/"English" thread. The nut would be self-locking, but two conventional nuts jammed together would work just fine. The dished washer can be replaced by a couple of ordinary washers or a short steel spacer.

If Cruiser54 is correct, the pulley diameter (and hence maximum speed) of the alternator will be about the same as what the OP is proposing. Find what brand/size of bearing is used in the alternator, and you would be good to go.

Just because the bearing is made in PRC isn't automatically mean it's crap. NSK is a worldwide brand (just like Timken, Toyo, Fafnir, etc.) NSK probably has factories worldwide, and they all build to the same corporate standards. The much-vaunted Timken front hub bearings for the MJ/XJ are made nowadays in the Czech Republic, and meet the same standards as the old US-made hubs.

That is probably the most cost effective solution if you don't want to deal with a major electrical upgrade.

Thats pretty amazing. I always assumed the taill light lenses were made from ABS for the rear (reflector) half, and acrylic for the lens portion. Neither of those plastic resins like to be exposed to pure acetone. I wonder if the nail polish remover isn't really much acetone in the mix. There is another possible choice for the OP: ice blasting. Ice blasting uses tiny ice particles to remove paint on soft/sensitive surfaces. It's used to remove paint on the exterior of aircraft. OP might try finding a paint shop at an airfield that does ice blasting.

Agreed. OEM lights/bulbs are nothing to write home about. Even LED bulbs are at best a modest improvement. doing anything than lessens the luminosity seems counter productive

You must be a lot stronger than I am. There was no way I could push on my carpet and manage to poke thru it in the seat studs.

I used this source for my new carpeting in my MJ. I had a bigger challenge than most, in that the prevous owner had welded in the "hat sections" that are used to attached XJ seats. That meant I had to purchase an XJ molded carpet, and then cut/trim/shape the area where it ends by the box secttion that runs across the back floor of the cab. It took QUITE a while to fit everything. I started by using the molded in features for those "hat sections" I mentioned above as my baseline for locating the carpet on the floor. After that, I cut and trimmed the front first, and then worked around the floor shift and transfer case. Since I have an XJ handbrake, and an airbag module from an XJ, those also had to be cut in. For the areas around stuff like the seat belt holes, seat mounting bolts, and other small features, I used a tailor's chalk to mark those spots, and then used a "hot knife" tip on my gun-type soldering iron, It cut small and precise holes for all the stuff without a chance of slipping and having an "OOPS". The final trimming was done on the door sills.

If you want it "perfect" (as in just like it left the factory), it CAN be done by a body shop. Based on the pictures you provided, those folded areas of the corner could be cut apart, straightened, and then rewelded back into the original shape. Of course, this type of work requires a HIGHLY skilled sheet metal guy who can use heat, slide hammers, and other techniques that tend to be expensive. (Think the kind of repairs that are done when classic cars get body damage.) If you are willing to fork out the bucks, you will need to search for a shop with those kind of skills. Your average collision repair joint won't generally have employees with those skills, but you never can tell. Check around and find the best body shops in your area, and then interview the guys who will do the work to see if they have the skillset you are looking for.

The inner and outer pads have different anti-rattle springs riveted to them.

True, but I also did my fair share of wrenching in Illinois, were I lived for 40 years. I am, unfortunately, VERY familiar with what happens to flare fittings (and lots of other bolted joints) that spend much time in the "rust belt"

So when you say you deleted the block, I assume you then take the front axle output from the MC, and "tee" that output to sent it to each front wheel. (The rear, of course, is "tee-d" on the rear axle.) The only thing you loose doing this is the brake imbalance warning light function. If you are diligent about vehicle maintenance and care, that is of dubious value.

I normally use flare wrenches to loosen older brake tube fittings. If they don't want to cooperate without excessive force, I always break out the propane torch and heat the fitting a bit. It never fails to get it apart. Heat is your friend on frozen threaded joints.

Logic ground is generally going to be the same as chassis ground.

One other thing that can help make connectors more reliable (once they are clean and tight again) is to put a dielectric grease into the hole for the female contact before you plug the connector together again. This sounds counter-intuitive, but a normal connector will have sufficient force between the mating metal parts to force any grease away from the actual contact point. THe remaining grease that has been displaced from the actual connector contact point will surround the contact point and form a seal against moisture and OXYGEN that causes connector corrosion. Do a search on the term "fretting corrosion" for more details on how/why this works. We did this when I worked at Motorola for 32 years on all of our outdoor radio installations. PS---just about any grease will work, but be sure the grease you use is NON-CONDUCTIVE and does not have stuff like lithium or molybdenum in it. Silicone or polyethylene greases are the most common ones used for this sort of application.

For my main back panel below the window, I bought a piece of "masonite" hardboard at the lumber yard, and cut it to shape using the old warped/broken OEM board. Then I covered it with black headliner fabric. The "B" pillar moldings have small spots molded in on the area where the hardboard attaches. Instead of using the poorly-designed factory clips that are rivetted to the OEM hardboard, I installed some "j-nuts" onto the edge of the "B" pillar moldings and then used black uphholstery screws that thread into the j-nuts (3 on each side).

Your best bet is to get the FSM for a 1993XJ and look into the wiring diagrams that specifically relate to the console. It's not technically difficult, provided you actually know which wires provide which functions, but that only will come from the FSM wiring diagrams.

The bridge stiffens the rocker towers and reduces flex in the rocker arm assembly. It functions very much like the girdle that is belonw the main bearing caps in the bottom of the engine on the 4.0