Bonkers

Yeah, the headache is that the doors are blue and the Mj is red. I can grab the harness no prob, anything else I should look for?

I have a notoriously bad window regulator that I can't seem to get a decent repair price on. I have a friend who just took on a sacrifical 88 Xj and he offered me the doors with power windows. I've read posts here about how this is an 'easy' swap, but what parts would I need to take to make it basically bolt-in? I assume my Mj door shells could be used with minor effort right?

I've had several FSJs. My favorite was my 88 Waggy, but soon realized that I needed something with better MPG... like a peterbuilt or catapiller. My 79 Chero Cheif was by fair the quickest ownership of a vehicle I ever had. Bought it on Monday morning from a guy in Maine and sold it to a guy in Georgia Monday afternoon. Did even get to sit in it.

:eek: Was it a horse and buggy? 1894 was a long time ago. :D CJ0A - hand-built, they only made 4 before they got bored and invented the phrase "hey ya'll - watch this!" I bet you're really kicking yourself now for giving it up.

I'm the dissent to this advice. Road (or not so road) debris took out the stabilizer on my first Mj. If you think about it, if the stabilizer has no bearing on DW then, theoretically, if the rest of the system where "harmonized" you could remove it without DW worry. The steering shock is the first place I look. If it's damaged or severely worn (and there is no other apparent wear) I replace it, re-balance the tires ($40 total repair cost) and continue on. On the really bad advice column - even if the shock is a cover-up, it is effective and relatively cheap. The real question is - are you looking for a functional repair or proper repair?

I'm pretty sure that's aftermarket. I don't remember the Mj coming with a chrome rollbar (I could definitely be wrong) but the SWB one I had many years ago bolted into the wheel wells. I went crazy trying to find a LWB for my second Mj but only found SWBs. When I bought my SWB I picked up the first stock one I found.... it was that LWB. I have been scrounging the local part fields lately for an OEM SWB but haven't found any here on the coast. Best bet is to take a pic and we'll let you know if its OEM.

I just scored a deal on some bridgestone duelers (my personal favorite tire.) The tires fit almost perfectly in the well, but under full turn they rub up against the suspension arm. Is there anything that can be done to prevent the wheel from turning this sharply? I only need to cut about 1-degree off the angle.

Might be cheaper and easier (at least to find) to fabricate the Tj. If you want pickup, nothing beats an M715 with a 4bbt Diesel Conversion or M35A2 with a full veggy conversion. I loved my duece and it got slightly better mileage than my current Ram with a slightly higher towing capacity. My J20 was also fun but you needed a kidney belt just to move around the driveway.

Sorry, I should clairfy that I built my Mj to handle emergency flooding. We're talking several hours, if not days, of 3ft+ deep salt water. I suspect that the next serious hurricane the east coast gets will turn my little corner of the universe into New Orleans Pt.2 so I build to be prepared. Before I had to tear her down, my Mj could idle in water that came half way up the windshield. The only limiting factor was the ability of the driver to see/breath underwater. One of my greatest regrets is not getting video of my test-n-tune sessions.

Snorkels require some serious work to be a fording tool. On my Mj I installed a safari snorkel (loved it,) water proofed my electrical connections, and drilled holes in the top and bottom of the cab thinking it'd be all I needed. First time out the radiator fan imploded the second it was submerged. Luckily it didn't do much damage. For an Mj to truly be a water bug you'll need: Electric stand alone cooling fan with remote cut-off. Positive air pressure via compressor for transmission and differentials. Full neutral airflow of cab Functioning snorkel with air-tight intake Waterproof fuse box and distributor Relocation of computer on newer models Waterproof battery Waterproof fuel line and gas tank Mildew resistant seats wouldn't hurt I've had friends tell me the exhaust needs re-routing too, but never experienced issues first hand. Also you want comfortably small tires - the bigger the tire = less traction available. I'm sure there's more, but the first sign of a Snorkel poseur is the attached rad fan and lack of compressor.

I have always said hummers are the jacks of all trades, but master of none. While H1s are above-average on any off-highway obsticle, there is always a better stock vehicle for whatever trail you encounter. For the money of an H2 I'd rather have a Grand Chero, Disco2, or Outlander, but thats just me.

The main reason I ask is because I was thinking about building one for weekend racing and I'd like it to be as complimentary as possible. Therefore does anyone have the specs or a picture of the specs? Did it have a 4.0 or V8, was the suspension modified or custom? That sort of thing. Damn that truck looks hot...

Here's the scenario. I came across a relatively cheap 90 Xj this morning. All I want out of it is the Ax15 swap, but for the asking price that's way too much. However while looking it over I'm wondering what other parts I can use. I can't tell if the motor is renix or not, but it sure looks it. The power windows would be a nice touch if they can be waterproofed. I know the seats and driveshafts are both throwaways. I can make $50 on the dash cluster. My Mj is a 89 Pioneer. Let me know opinions quick.

I know Tommy Archer of Archer Racing sponsored two racing Comanches for the SCCA Truck Championship back in the 80s. I know very little about these trucks and trying to find out what happened to them. I'm not refering to the Rallye and Baja trucks Archer helped build, but ther two roadracing trucks:

Are you sure? I ripped an Ax15 out of an 89 Chero that was a direct bolt onto my 88 - that wouldn't have been possible if it were a 23-spline.

Do what I did: www.aclu.org Amazing how quick states stop enforcing regulations when they get bitchslapped with a Freedom of Speech lawsuit.

If I don't sell it, I think I'm going to build mine to be a water hog like my old one was. Snow, Sleet, Ice, Sand, Water will be about the extent of abuse she'll see. I'm looking into a stroker 4.0, ARB lockers front back, snorkle, take-off rad fan, and drivertrain pressurization kits. Drums are not the most reliable stopping devices in any of these conditions.

I was browsing through some of the old tech threads looking for additional information regarding the Ford 8.8 swap. In one of the threads someone mentioned a Zj (Grand Cherokee) full axle swap that was easier than the ford. I'm gather from the thread that finding a donor Zj D35 is the jeep equivilant of finding a hemi, but I thought I'd put the question out - what axles swap into the Mj and which require the least amount of modification?

I never liked the truck to begin with so I don't see it as a loss. In this market the mid range pickup is dead - people want offensive or cute (or in some cases H2 which are kinda both.) What DC needed to do with that platform is base it off the Ram and throw in a cummins - wouldn't have been able to keep them on the lot. Besides, had they built it it would have come with a performance suspension, 4cyl motor, and eventually an SRT package that would have been the scourge of highschool parking lots across the country.

John - I sent you an email late last week. I can't get a hold of the investigator assigned my case (I left him another voice mail this morning.) If I don't hear anything back by the end of the week I'll try calling someone else. His name is Caeser Clay and he's assigned out of the Georgetown DMV - if you want to call yourself feel free, but he might be getting annoyed at my calls. PS- I told him I had to sell it soon, but haven't acknowledge it left the state yet. I'll keep you posted. PPS - by the way, she's looking damn hot in those pics. In retrospect I'm really glay you got hold of her. Did you put on a lift or just bigger tires?

Dammit, I was just in Emporia yesterday fighting a ticket! I would have loved to stop in and checked that out.

I have found little benefit for working for box stores except stability of the company itself. If you decide to go this route establish working scedules and expectations before signing paperwork - most multi-million dollar retail companies hire professional slave drivers to milk every last cent from your paycheck. When I worked for Service Merchandise they had a pay system that actually decreased your pay the more hours you worked. It was so bad that if you put in 75 hours per week you actually made less than a 40/hr week paycheck. Lowe's likes to kill your home-life - they'd schedule you Monday from 12-11pm give you Tuesday off, then schedule you 5am-4pm Wednesday. You never got two days off back-to-back, ever. It's like joining the army - make sure you read the fine print before you sign anything. I for one couldn't be paid enough to return to that life though.

When I switched over to Amsoil with my 3rd Mj the motor blew because of sludge just like this - only about an inch thicker. It was caked on so bad that we couldn't even chisel it off. They had a big push about five years ago here locally and I'm wondering if one of the many POs got caught in the same ad campaign I did...

The headache will come with the character of the PO. If he/she is an insufferable [********] who likes to make other people miserable they claim to ATU that they never sold off the truck and though it was still in their brother's, friend's, mother's, boyfriend's, former roommate's backyard right where they left it six years ago. On a positive/not-so-positive note looking through who research I've already done it looks like the PO is/was a soldier who left the truck at the mechanic's because he was shipping out and didn't want to pay to fix a truck he wouldn't see for a couple of years. If the solider is still alive (damn I hate the way that sounds) and of moral character he'll just say exactly that and the ball with start rolling. If he cannot be found then we're diving straight into the shallow end of the DOT/ATU bureaucracy pool. For your second question I'd wait a little while to do any major modifications until we know one way or the other and fully document the repairs you do in the meantime. That way if it does go bad you can put a lien on the title for the work done and the PO can't argue damaged property. I'll be driving around Saturday following leads - I'll keep you updated. Also, in case anyone's interested Carmine is for sale at $1250.

John! - I didn't realize you were on the boards. Small world. I'm dealing with an ATU Detective Caesar Woody. Right now I have to track down the guy I bought it off of and get a written affidavit as to where he bought it. The catch is he moved so I have to find his brother first and see if he knows where he is. The detective made clear this would not be an easy or quick project. He said the best scenario is that the last person listed on the title is easily found AND that person readily admits to abandoning/selling the truck to the station. He said there's an 8/10 chance this will happen and then all I need to do is go through the interview and signed statement and the title will be re-issued. The worse case scenario is that the previous owner contests the sale (ie "I never sold the truck and it should still be at the shop...") in which case I'll be arrested for possession and the truck will be impounded. I love government...