89 MJ

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.

I believe he is one of their employees. I think he sold that truck a year or so ago.

I think that this really depends on how you plan on using the truck. If the truck is going to stay stock and see minimal towing or hauling heavy loads, I think that the Peugeot will be fine. Now if you're a person that likes dumping the clutch on occasion or getting rubber when you shift or you plan on towing and hauling a lot with the truck, I'd swap to an AX-15. Having put a few thousand miles on both transmissions, I can tell you that the Peugeot feels like a car transmission and that the AX-15 feels like a truck transmission. The Peugeot is very smooth and I think it would be very fun in a weekend cruiser type of truck. I also don't think that I've ever heard of anyone blowing up a Peugeot either. I've heard they're weak, but in my years here, I don't recall seeing anyone post that they actually blew the trans up. The AX-15 is comparatively not very smooth. You cannot shift it quickly at all when its cold and it still is not a transmission that wants to be shifted quickly when it gets up to temp. All three of my AX-15 MJs were like this. That said, my truck is on bigger tires, has deeper gears, and a larger rear axle than stuck, plus it tows and hauls on occasion, so the AX-15 was the right way for me to go and I would do it again. Another thing to consider is the long term value. If you fix the truck and then decide to sell it down the road, I think keeping the Peugeot will actually hurt the value, even though it is the factory transmission. The AX-15, especially an external slave AX-15, will add value to the truck. Now if you do decide to swap in an AX-15, now is the time. I think its far easier to have the transmission connected to the engine and swing them in together than it is to pull the transmission under the truck. Keep in mind, the AX-15 had a different crossmember and the XJ and MJ AX-15s had difference transfer case clocking than the YJ and TJ ones. I believe that the external slave AX-15 came out in 1994 and that is the one that you really want. The new internal slave cylinders are prone to failure.

I hope not. The new one is just an expensive lifestyle pickup that doesn't seem useful as a Jeep or as a truck. My parents had a friend with one and sold it because it wasn't usable as a pickup and her family couldn't fit in it easily.

I like the old style better. I think it looks a lot nicer and more premium. To me, the newer front end and interior looks almost cheap.

Wow! Great find!

Looks good, reminds me of the high trim early year door panels.

Looks like a good starting point. I would recommend you go through all of Cruiser’s tips first. In the grand scheme of things, the HO engine really isn’t any better than the Renix. The cylinder head is better depending on the year, but that’s it.

That's what I'm thinking. It'll be a big project for sure, but probably worth doing it all now.

The pictures look like the seam is swelling near your left leg in one of the pictures, that why I said that.

Remember, the rust is going to be much worse on the inside, so cut out more than you think you need too. If the edges of the inside of the piece cut out are still rusty, you've got more cutting to do. If I were you, I'd be pulling the fuel and brake lines and the fuel tank for sure. It might even go as far as needing to remove the leaf spring mount and bed, hard to say until you get into it.

You could always add better axle shafts and stronger parts to the D35. At the very least, I would think you'd want the sensor out of it.