89 MJ

If you have all of the rust cut out, I’d stop there. I bet you could probably butt weld it with a little bit of practice too if you wanted. If you do decide to overlap it, I’d recommend trying to have the overlapping joint be as small as possible. You’ve got a good plan with the seam sealer.

Glad to it seems fixed. Having dealt with overheating issues for a few years in my truck too, I feel your pain. It feels good having that problem solved.

I’m not sure what you’re asking here. Cut out all of the rust, trim your new panels to match the size of the holes you need to repair, then butt weld the new panels in. Use a weld through primer anywhere that you will have spot welds, like where the floors weld to the frame.

Dynamat is expensive, but it’s good stuff. My Comanche is super quiet going down the road.

I’d drive that one

Sounds to me like its the belt. I would just replace it. I've never used a belt tension measuring tool, the goldilocks method has done fine by me.

ACC carpet from rock auto is the way to go. Their carpet is good, their vinyl is not. The vinyl flooring on rock auto is also ACC, but fits terribly.

I’m not sure if they’re the same or not, but either ZJ or WJ ones work too because that’s what are on my car.

I warned you! Haha I’ve had the same experiences

Did some wagon stuff today. I had to haul these pieces of plywood for my senior design project. The rest of my team didn’t believe that my car could haul it all. I didn’t think it would all fit inside, but it did. The largest length was 8’ and largest width was 4’.

It seems to be that most people either don’t know or don’t care what an MJ is because I’ve had similar experiences. When a person knows what it is, they get excited, but for the most part, nobody cares.

Welcome to the forum!

It can be fairly affordable if you have a paint gun and an air compressor. The harbor freight guns will do.

I also like KYBs. I also like Monroe’s, but don’t get the cheapest ones.

If your drums are working fine, I’d just stick with those for the time being. I would look for a manual harness for a Renix. HO doesn’t really have many, if any, benefits.

Just to clarify, you are talking about just swapping the engine, correct? Or are you talking about swapping all of the wiring too? Personally, I wouldn't bother with swapping the engine if they are equally healthy. I would keep that 94 engine to build the stroker out of though, that way you can have the engine built and then just swap it in when its ready. In terms of intake, I don't think you'd actually notice a difference on a stock engine. If I recall correctly, you just need to find the correct pilot bushing to mount the AX-15 to the 89 engine. Depending on the type of wheeling that you want to do, 33s, 4.56s, and long arms might be overkill. Since you have the long arms, I'd stick with those, but it takes a lot more work to clear 33s than it does 31s and you only get an extra inch of ground clearance. Plus, most of what I have heard says that you need at least a 4.5" lift to clear 33s without cutting. I would look at 31s and 4.10s.

And all of the plugs looked even? Might be a bad fuel pressure regulator.

Looks like a nice one!

Did you pull a spark plug to see how that looks?

This thing doesn't look that bad either. Definitely seems fixable.

And they've been around a while too. My parent's had their stuff on my mom's TBI 46 Chevy. Good stuff that never had any problems. My brother has some of their stuff on his J10 too. I'd use them in a heartbeat.

I am a little familiar with their small block Chevy stuff. Seems like a good company.

I like KYBs and the higher end Monroe shocks. Though if money wasn’t an issue, I think Bilsteins would be the way to go.

Yes, that would solve the problem. But wheel spacers on the front tends to lead to it being harder on wheel bearings and ball joints. Same applies for wheels with a lot of backspacing. It’s a combination of both, really.

How mechanically inclined are you? At this point, any XJ is an old car and will likely need a good chunk of work done to it. A low mileage one will probably have leaks from sitting and a high mileage one will have a lot of worn out parts. If you're not mechanically inclined, its going to take time and a chunk of money to get it all squared away at a shop, providing you can find a shop that will be willing to work on something that old. For most of my life, I have daily driven older vehicles, but I think its a good idea to have one fairly modern vehicle you can just jump in and drive if the older car is down for repairs. Has she driven your MJ? If she's used to newer stuff, she might not like the XJ. I don't think there is any particular year to steer clear from for an XJ, short of maybe 84-86 because they are unique. I also believe in sticking with what you know and are comfortable with. If you have an REM and are experienced with Renix, I would look for another Renix one. If you don't have much experience with Renix, it might be better to stick with an HO. I don't think year or mileage matters as much as how well it was taken care of. If it is a nice Jeep that has been well taken care of, it will last you a long time. I also think buying a nice 4x4 XJ for $5000 or less are gone. From what I've seen, that is a price for a drivable project. If you are looking for one she can just jump in and drive, I think you'll be looking at spending at least $7500. You could probably find a 2wd or a 4 cyl for less than that.