DirtyComanche

Thanks. I put a ton of effort into trying to make the videos as good as I can. I've got a couple other little projects to clear off the table, then this thing should be back in for another round of work. I just have to decide what part of it I'll tackle next time, there's so many things wrong it's just hard to decide.

I've got my original 89 tank sitting in the shed right now. I could measure it and the Spectra that's in my DD if I really cared to know for sure... Which I guess means maybe I should. Personally I really like plastic tanks though. They were one of the better things to happen to automobiles in the last 25 years.

Went back and forth on posting this... Anyways, some years back I just wanted to get a J truck that I could drive around for the summer. This one came up for sale, it was a couple hours away, the guy said he drove it regularly, the price was right, looked a little rough but that's fine. It was just supposed to be something to drive for a couple months, then pass on. So I went and picked it up. Well, the story wasn't quite the same when I got there. And it certainly wasn't once I had a good look at it. Finally after trying to sell it and receiving offers via text message that read like "wud u trade for 89 yz50 doesnt run need hed work" or "$300" with no prior questions, along with the odd person that came to look at it who I believed would actually make it worse than it already was, I got annoyed and figured I'd just start working on the thing every now and then instead. Warning. The video isn't super short. None of mine are.

Yup. So true. If it was feasible I'd just get a nice rust-free shell from Arizona or whatever, rather than screwing with the junk I have. Import laws, insurance, and various other things make it nearly impossible. My current project truck will cost me a bundle of time, effort, and money (mostly on supplies, paint, etc) to fix, and it's actually one of the least rusty MJs I've seen in the last 10 years. That said, I'm going to do some minor body mods to it, so starting with the cleanest truck possible would be a bit of a shame.

I'd look for the tag(s), or spin it as Pete suggested.

I'll probably start a new thread on it if that happens... I managed to complete derail my own thread already.

Is it worth it to you? Then it's worth it. That truck will likely never be really nice. But you could clean up the worst of it and it will be pretty good. Or if you want to wheel it, just put fender flares on it and call it good.

I'm getting emails notifying me that I've been quoted. I went and turned off email notifications on content, in the user settings, I think that's what it was called... Still seem to be getting them. I'll just custom filter them into the trash if I have too, but it seems like something is broken? Or the option is somewhere else?

Yeah, I'd read that thread before, I just forgot some of the details. I'll have to think on it. Luckily there's no rush because I have a long list of projects to get done before I worry about this anyways.

No worries. It's really only the Spectra one I can buy anyways, based on the searching I've done since I started the thread. Maybe the Liland Global one, but it shows out of stock with no ETA. All the other ones are over $200 in shipping (yes, just for the shipping. Seriously. ) If I knew the Liland one was better than the Spectra I would order it and see what they come up with for an ETA.

I guess the backstory would help, but I'm not going to write a novel. I need this to work with a Renix gauge (hence the bodge sending unit I linked being 0-90ohms). I'd use the Dakota pump basket/sender assembly, but throw the bodge sender in elsewhere or gut the Dakota unit and put it there. I'd buy a whole tank with basket from the junkyard or somebody doing a part out. IMHO hacking an XJ or MJ pump into the side of the Dakota tank would be largely defeating the purpose of using one, but that's from the standpoint that I'm not doing a 97+ conversion, I just want a reliable fuel tank and I don't want to pay a lot for it (and then still have to paint it). Good to know I want an earlier tank for axle clearance though... There's a couple 01s and a 99 listed on the local buy and sell for part outs right now.

Hmm. I think I could live with an inch. But... I might be able to make it up a bit anyways as I can ditch the fuel pressure regulator and just put a 90* bulkhead/barb fitting or something in it for the pressure side. Looking at the sending units/pump baskets for the earlier tanks they don't have a FPR anyways, but it has a weird collection of bosses on the top for what? EVAP probably? And something else? Hmm.

Any idea what brand it was? The Spectra one definitely was thin, but I spend a lot of time handling metal so it may not be as obvious to some people. The debate is also if I should just wire wheel/glass blast my current tank and paint it, or buy a new one. The current tank is actually not that bad, maybe, it's just really hard to say as once you have any flaking rust you know you have significant pitting. But as to if there's too much or not is really hard to judge. I'd also be upset if it wound up like my last OEM tank that didn't leak until I filled it, and then it leaked from the seam. I've debated trying to rig up a bojang pressure tester to it before I do anything else, just tape outlets with duct tape and hit it with a pound or two of air, soap it for leaks. It might be worth it, or I'll waste a couple hours screwing around.

Unfortunately I think I need to try it to know how bad it is. I know it's close to the driveshaft too, even when you squish it over as far as you can and reshape the tank a bit. Although, the factory tank is close to the shaft too. How far below the frame rail is 'just below'? It won't be heavily offroaded, and I'd probably build a skid either way... But I don't want an anchor. Edit, I'm building a driver to keep forever, that doesn't have rust holes through the bed and bondo falling out all over the place... So Eagle can be sorta happy about that. Sorta.

For only 50 loonies I can bodge the Dodge tank. https://www.summitracing.com/int/parts/tnk-tan-gml/overview/ Hmm. Seems almost like a no-brainer... It's $200 by the time I get a replacement steel tank to my door, and I'd still need to paint it.

I wish I knew how to take good pictures with my DSLR. But, I present to you, "Within LeGastank", taken by Samsung Galaxy S6.

So, who has one, and what did you think of it? I bought the Spectra Premium one for my last truck. The metal is thin. It's lead-tin coated (terne) according to them, but I"m guessing it's zinc-tin because you can't just go slopping lead around anymore. Otherwise I think it's exactly the same as an OEM tank, but I can't specifically recall if it had exactly the same sump tray setup in it or not. One way or another it works fine, it just bothers me that the metal is that thin. I'd highly suspect every aftermarket tank is actually stamped by Spectra, as I doubt the market for MJ tanks is large enough for anyone else to have made dies. But I'm not sure. Anyone else that bought an aftermarket tank, did it seem thin? Other option is to put the Dakota tank in... And bodge the sending unit completely. I'm thinking about it.

Given that modern half tons have ridiculous tow ratings, yeah, they had to do that. A regular '18 Sierra 1500 (not the HD) is rated for 12,500lbs. The Canyon, oh lordy, is rated for 7700lbs! And a 1500HD (which is really more like a 3/4 ton truck, but still) is rated for 23,400lbs. I bet you this thing would not be enjoyable to tow 7700lbs with... Because I can assure you the Canyon isn't enjoyable at anything near that.

Check gauge accuracy. Fan rubbing something? Or something rubbing a driveshaft? Can't hear enough in the video to say much...

That's an interesting story. The problem with this thread was the described symptoms didn't fit anything specifically. Trouble with one or two gears is typically synchros/wear or an actual internal failure (you need to rebuild, that's that). Trouble with all gears is typically the clutch hanging up, or some other reason the input side is not being disengaged, however this problem is typically confirmed by trying to put it into gear while not moving (it will not want to), and he says that isn't an issue. That leaves operator error, or operator error induced by tolerance stackup, as in he's not actually getting the clutch disengage while moving. I'd feel that likely is/was the case, worn bushings in the pedals/linkage, carpet or floor mat buildup interfering with the pedal, a weak master/slave and soft hose, along with a worn clutch and dry pilot bearing, will mean you have to very deliberately push the pedal to the FLOOR in order to get a decent disengagement to allow gear change. The other factor here is we don't know what style of driving/shifting he follows, people who regularly shift without the clutch will likely not notice clutch issues (even when using it) as they will instinctively rev match instead of making the clutch work, however these people tend to notice synchro issues much faster. If OP had returned again to say "I tried this or that, or it only does it this time" and bumped it again, people likely would have replied. Is your transmission doing the same thing? Edit, above comment had assumed people would do obvious things like check fluid level and condition, I probably should have told him to do that the first time around but it seems like a no brainer to me that when a component acts up you should see if it has oil in it and if the oil is not glitter or grit.

Exactly. I got blasted/negged on Reddit for saying it wasn't a truck and it should have been called a Scrambler. So I know I and everyone else in this thread that has that opinion is correct, as anything that is the opposite of Reddit's opinion is correct.

I'm thinking this was the most solid advice in the thread. The switch is a bit of an overly complicated piece, and probably 30 years old, or it's a lowest bidder aftermarket version. Lots of times its the contact for the rheostat in it, or the rheostat itself. Personally I've had half a dozen or more go out on me... But I normally grab them from the junkyard, so you get what you get. You can clean them up and carefully adjust the contact to fix them sometimes.

Wut?

Yes. Water somewhere. Personally I'd guess distributor. Check the cap on it is tight, but either way they are not sealed.