89 MJ

That’s what I thought. The vinyl floor trucks seem to rust worse than the carpet trucks, which makes sense.

What is your oil pressure when it’s running?

Could be. Looking closer, I wonder if the gauges are aftermarket ones for something like an 80s F150. And maybe the climate controls are aftermarket like Vintage Air?

Makes sense, this was just the first I’ve noticed it

And the build sheet says 3.55 gears. I thought all 2.5L AW4 rigs had 4.56 gears. The build sheet also says it’s an MPFI 2.5L

I wonder what’s up with those gauges in that MJ

The belt should have less than an inch of movement if it’s tensioned properly. I’d pull the belt off and figure out what isn’t spinning and replace it.

If the belt is on and tight, the water pump and alternator being seized would be my first two suspects.

Hopefully its still fairly solid with the conditions its sitting in. The visor and rain deflectors are neat.

I was told that if its bent tubing, its a header and if its cast iron, its an exhaust manifold. Headers also typically have closer to equal length runners. That's why I call it a header, but I'd guess the parts books call it an exhaust manifold. At the end of the day, I suppose it doesn't really matter what we call it though, they have the same purpose.

This feels very familiar to me. The floors were rustier than I expected. Let me guess, it had a factory vinyl floor?

Yes they can because they have a header and not a cast manifold. Maybe talk to Newcomer racing about the lifters they use. Otherwise, anything made in the US will probably be your best bet.

Sounds like a lifter to me, but I’d make sure all of the rocker arms are tight first. I’ve had a hole in a rocker arm before where the pushrod goes and that was my tick. While you’re in there, you might want to lap the valves and change the valve stem seals. Maybe throw a timing set at it too. Make sure the lifters you get are good quality. It seems that most flat tapper lifters anymore are cheaply made garbage that like to wipe out cam lobes.

The NP242 does throw a wrench into things. Of course, if you aren’t going to use 2 high or 4 low, you could use a NV149 or NP149 which were the AWD t-cases used in GM vehicles in the early 2000s. For long term parts availability, I prefer using OEM parts instead of needing adapters by various companies. With the number of well known adapter companies, that’s a fairly weak argument though. I also want to be clear that I’m not trying to tell you how to build your truck, this is just some food for thought.

I’d find an NV3500 out of an 88-05ish GM truck. Then it’s using all GM parts, none of the fancy conversion bellhousing or anything like that. I do also really like the 700R4, my mom had one in her 46 Chevy and put over 70,000 miles on it with no issues, my brother has one in his J10 that sees off road use and has had no issues, and I’ve got one in my 40 Chevy pickup and it has been fine for moving the truck around for over a decade, but it hasn’t seen the road yet. At the end of the day, I’d recommend using a GM trans for simplicity. Then it’s just your preference for a stick or an auto.

That’s odd. I would think that the pump would’ve run again. I suppose the pump ground would be the first thing I’d check. Good that it started though.

Would it be easier to sandblast it?

That’s always the best way to do it

Funnily enough, my truck was also white with a blue interior and I planned on painting it a dark gray. None of the pictures in this thread show it, but the color is much brighter when the sun hits it. And it hides dirt very well.

Correct, the rails that attach to the bed that the cover velcros to. They might be able to be notched, I’m not sure. Depending on how the weather is when I’m home and if I can find the cover, I’ll try to snag some pictures. It’s been the better part of 3 1/2 years since I had the cover installed, so I can’t remember how bad the interference was.

Looks like fiatslug already linked it above. Surprisingly, it’s only gone up $25 in price in the last 4 years. Thank you. It’s Brilliant Blue Metallic. Chrysler used it from 94-97. My build thread might have the exact info on it if you need more information.

It does have ribs. I think there are two of them, plus the two at the ends. I wish it could be used with the sport bar, but the rails that run along the tops of the bed sides are just narrow enough so that they hit the sport bar. I wish there was an option out there for those of us who want the sport bar and a tonneau cover.

That’s my bad. I didn’t make it very clear. You are correct, turn the key, listen for the pump, when the pump stops, shut the key off and repeat two more times. That would eliminate the fuel pump check valve being bad if there is no change. If that doesn’t cure it, you might need to check fuel pressure. I think that is the most likely fuel delivery issue. It would take a while for the fuel to drain back from the injectors to the tank, which is why it’s hard to start after sitting overnight or for a few days, but will start fine after running it. I would still guess it is most likely an ignition issue though based on the fact it seems that the issue is worse when there is more moisture in the air. And then as the day goes on or the engine is run, the heat dries the connections out more and then it runs.

That looks like the one. It would be perfect if it were 1/2” longer, but it never leaked when it rained. I don’t have any great pictures, but I will make up for quality with quantity. It sits pretty low, which I like Rolls up nice and tight too

I ran a North Mountain cover on my MJ for a 94 Ford Ranger. It was off of Amazon. My parents run North Mountain covers on two of their trucks too. They seem to hold up very well.