89 MJ

A large factor in this is the backspacing of the wheel, but I believe that 33s fit with a 4.5” lift.

Make sure you are using this procedure:

March 2025 - Another MJ Saved from Doom Project TALOS Owned by @87MJROB Build Thread- Year/Model - 1987 Sport truck Drivetrain- 1994 XJ 4.0/ax15/231 and 1998 XJ D30/8.25 3.55 gears Cooling- all factory new Electrical/Ignition- Stock Suspension/Steering- 3” lift of misc parts. Front- 3” rustys coils, rustys trac bar, roughy country front shocks. Rear- skyjacker add a leaf, XJ lift shackle and stock XJ shocks. Interior- Country/Laredo doors cards, bolstered seats, and dash bezel. XJ parking brake handle. VW beetle b pillar lights. Azzy design gauge faces Brakes- Factory new everything except calipers and booster. Lighting- led headlights off Amazon, led front turn signal bulbs, led side markers, led flasher relay. Exterior- Diy front bumper kit with dirtbound tubing, home made rear bumper with metal I had around plus clevis mounts and hitch receiver. Painted dark metallic copper rustoleum. Cut fenders with two sets of rear TJ flares. Wheel & Tires- For now it has some Cragar soft 8s 17x10 5x5 bolt pattern with 32s but will be getting some stock JK Willy’s wheels with 35s once I get them mounted and balanced. Misc- This truck started as a stripped down blown up 2.5 ax4 2wd shell and I used everything I could from a 1994 xj donor to rebuild it as well as axles from a 1998 XJ. Best MJ story- I don’t know maybe when I saved my third Comanche from a local junkyard where it had sat for 20+ years. CC is Awesome! Why? Because it’s mostly Comanche content Congrats, Rob! This truck turned out very well. Great job saving it.

From a brief look at your build thread, it looks like you’ve got the Westin Fey rear bumper. I’m pretty sure those are still available new. Can’t blame you if you’re wanting OEM though.

If you’re digging parts out, it almost seems like you’ve talked yourself into it

That is one good looking pickup.

If you click “Add Files” in the bottom of the reply area, you can add photos

I think it’s probably because those TJ Rubicon axles are expensive. Somewhere in the write ups, there should be info covering a disc brake swap, which should have the info you want.

Ok, figured I’d comment and make sure you knew. I bet it is pretty darn expensive, I know it wasn’t cheap when I was looking it up a couple years ago.

Couple things to say about these points. Your transfer case linkage could just be out of adjustment. It can be finicky. You might want to double check what fluid your trans needs. These new gear oils will eat the synchros, so a lot of times you need to actually run an engine oil.

As far as I know, the base model cluster went unchanged. The full cluster that looks like that ended after the 87 model year.

I believe XJ ones will work, but need some modifications. I can’t remember for sure though.

Your experience sounds about right for DirtBound. I've never ordered from them because I've heard that the wait times are ridiculous. My interpretation of the homepage is that he will contact you in a few days (which will probably end up being weeks at a minimum based on all of the other evidence) and tell you if he's either going to finish your order or if he'll refund you. If you don't hear from him soon, I suppose you might have to call your credit card company or your bank and see if they can get you a refund.

If you've got the time, you might be able to grease all of the joints. It might buy you a couple of weeks on the bad joints.

Lots of this stuff needs a visual inspection while the steering wheel is being rocked back and forth or grab each suspension component and try to move it. There should be no play. These are just guesses, but it looks like you need tie rod ends, the body side of the track bar joint, and at least the steering box side of the drag link.

Unlikely. That’s most likely a front suspension issue.

They have rubber in them that goes bad over time

Now that would be cool.

Nice Ranchero! Looking forward to the updates.

That sounds like a headache. Hard to find a good body shop anymore.

I suppose the MJ might be an easier sell than the welder. A running MJ might be worth a little more too, I'm not sure. I think it comes down to whether or not you really want another project. It's a shortbed, like your Eliminator, so I don't think it would be anymore useful than your Eliminator, so it would probably just be something to fix and then sell. Then you've got the issue of finding a stopping point on fixing it. Do you just make it run, or do you make it run and fix the rust? Or maybe you get it, fix it, and then use that as your daily driver and take the time to get the CJ to the point that you want it at. Then once you've go the CJ ready for daily driver duties, sell the Sportruck. Or keep it and use it as your winter truck to keep the Eliminator out of the elements all winter. It's a tough decision, but personally, unless you want another project, I don't think I would trade.

Ok, just figured I’d check

In my opinion, 16.8-17.5 isn't terrible mileage for being in town. Were your previous mileage calculations with the AX-15 as well? Being that the AX-15 is a heavier duty transmission than the AX-5, it would make sense that the new transmission would take more power and reduce fuel economy. Is your speedometer still accurate since the trans swap? If you got a different tooth speedo gear in the transfer case, both your speedo and odometer will be off, making your fuel mileage calculations off. Do you guys get winter blend gas in WA? It is common to get worse mileage in the winter.

At 3”, I don’t think you should need a new rubber brake line. Just a stock replacement should do. Is yours stretched tight or something?