89 MJ

I hope whoever committed those war crimes to that truck never breeds. Great save!

Hopefully it brings a pretty penny!

Don’t know who is worse for that, the customers or their kids!

Just more pics. Those are metric 35s on it right now.

Front four link is installed with temporary springs and the rear fenders are primed. Brother is now in NC now for school.

Now that my parents are empty nesters until the ends of the semester, Dad can finally get back on this, still part time because he has customer cars. The smooth firewall is now installed.

Its come a long way from home.

What do you mean your tail lights don’t work anymore? I think you might be having an issue with a ground or with wiring.

I find this hard to believe. This must just be giving Edelbrock plausible deniability. I have a Renix intake on a 0630 HO head and it didn't require any modifications other than slight grinding to get it to clear the HO exhaust manifold. As long as a Renix intake gasket is used, it should be alright.

Sending email now

Oh boy, what would Cruiser’s reaction be?

Exactly like that

I despise teams! Its like texting, but less practical because you have to be near your computer to use it much. At that point just use email, I have my email open all day.

I’m still following along. I love these updates.

I’d pull the fuel line going to the carb and seeing if it’s pumping fuel. If it’s not, it’s probably the fuel pump. If it is pumping, I’d say it’s an issue with the carb and that needs rebuilt.

From what I'm seeing, that truck doesn't look bad at all rust wise. As long as the frame is straight and solid, I think the truck is worth fixing (don't confuse this with it being a truck you could make money on if you want to sell it in the future). Like eaglescout526 said, these truck are super prone to rust. Things like floors, rockers, cab corners, and bedside repairs are fairly easy. If you don't have a torch for heating up rusty parts or hardware, get one. It will make your life much easier.

I’d just buy new springs too. Old springs might not have sagged at the same rate and your time has value too.

That’s interesting. I’d heard before that they were different, but never saw any concrete difference. I just assumed it was true because my truck doesn’t seem to make power with its 96 engine until 2500 rpm. Good to know that they’re actually the same.

Good catch

@brucecooner

My bad, I'm an idiot and thought I was in the registry when I asked this. @Randy90MJ, could you post the VIN in the registry?

I bet a lot of the sensors that you have will probably be ok. If you need to replace any, I like Standard parts and you can typically get them at any parts store. To be honest, I don't think it would be worth swapping an HO head onto the Renix block. The HO Jeeps made 13 more horsepower than Renix. Some of that came from the head, some from the cam, and some from the different fuel injection system. In the words of Cruiser54, "HO Stands for Highly Overrated". Are you sure this truck is a 91 though? All signs are pointing to it being an 89 or 90. 91 was the first year of the HO Jeeps, plus the Pioneer stripes changed in 91 as well. @fiatslug87, any thoughts on that? @jdog or @JMO413, can we get a build sheet and selling dealer when one of you has the chance please?

I actually wish AMC made that. That thing would probably be a blast. Reminds me of a slightly less hideous version of an Eagle Sundancer. Does that say Turbo Diesel on the left side of the tailgate or hatch or trunk or whatever you'd call it?

If you're going to daily drive the truck, I wouldn't worry too much about the resale value unless its something you think you will sell down the road. If you have no plans to sell it, build it the way you want to. Personally, I wouldn't buy a 97+ swapped truck, but I also wouldn't buy a fully correctly restored truck either because I don't trust other people's work. A very well done 97 swap will probably be worth as much as a correctly restored truck. A mediocre swap will probably hurt the value. Having been in an 97 XJ with a 5 speed, my 89 MJ with a 5 speed and a bench, and my 89 MJ with a 5 speed and buckets, I can tell you that I think the best looking and most comfortable interior is the 89 with buckets. It looks the best and I think everything was better ergonomically plus the early style buckets are maybe the most comfortable seats I've sat in ever.