RockMJ

Now at this point I picked up some new brake and clutch pedal pads as well as a center console, NOS 5 speed shifter knob, and a bunch of other goodies. I also picked up a new friend and family member called "JP" :D . The newest member of our tribe on the way home in nothing other than a Jeep. Pardon the mess lol That weekend I POR-15'd the floor boards inside and out as well as the trans tunnel and wheel wells. Did the good stuff with the marine clean, metal ready, base and top coats and I topped it off with Herculiner. Then some fresh carpet lol Herculiner done with the center console in as well as the seat with the MJ brackets I snagged from a member on here. I picked up the seats and center console from a 92' XJ in Tampa for 50 bucks. The seats were a bit rough but comfortable after a thorough cleaning with some POR-15 Marine Clean and hours of scrubbing. At this point I moved on to the exterior and finally refinished the rear bumper, rear sliding window (after resealing it), and truck bed with the Herculiner. After a serious overhaul of undenting and refinishing. I also installed my LiteDot LED License Plate Light Duct tape...the painters favorite tool lol I also wrapped up a few smaller things I had been meaning to tackle. I refinished the brake release handle with some fresh paint. New on the left, old on the right And I installed my slim LED third brake light and wired it in before I finished up the interior RockMJ

When I picked up the MJ the PO had "tinted" the exterior lighting with spray paint. Not the brightest kid. A buddy of mine in TN picked up a mint set of tail lights for the MJ and shipped them out to me. I took my time cleaning them up and refinishing them and I ended up with this! Before After And since I was working on the exterior I moved to the front and started tackling the issues up there. I replaced the headlights with a Delta Xenon kit as well as the turn signals and marker lights. I also undented the front bumper, refinished it and remounted it. It would eventually end up as scrap metal for another project (center console brackets). I also cut and mounted a set of foglights I had left over from my LJ. Wired them into a factory switch that I picked up from a CC member :wavey: . I also replaced the seriously broken headlight switch. Nice to have new things eh? RockMJ

I know by now your probably winded, I know I am lol. During all of this I had been acquiring little pieces to completely overhaul the Jeep. All new door seals inside and out, door handles inside and out, door locks, door lock linkage arms, hood cowl seal, and a ton of other little parts that I cannot think of right now. Here are some shots of the refinishing progress. I think overall I probably have 50-60+ hours in redoing the interior pieces, if not more. I'm very particular how my things go together and my hands and back pay for it lol Windshield trim refinished versus not And the completely finished DS door panel, arm rest, window crank etc Versus... Big difference right? I took a break from doing some of the interior stuff and focused on getting some interior lighting back into the MJ. When I purchased the Jeep there were absolutely no interior lights, dash or otherwise. That had to change and quick. I got a hold of TeamCherokee for one of their NOS XJ overhead dome lights with map lights. I also purchased a set of b-pillar lights off of eBay and got those installed First I refinished the headliner in a slick black to match everything Then I had to cut it up for the dome light after it was refinished black lol Before After And installed Woohoo! Next came some more interior panels being refinished and the b-pillar lights And I scored a new tailgate, which started me on the exterior! RockMJ

At this point I started to think about some custom gauge overlays for the MJ. I had seen what others had made and I never really liked them so I took some measurements of the gauges and made my own. At this point I replaced every bulb in the dash, and glovebox. Those little bulbs arent cheap! Some paint work I did of the dash and the trim. A unique touch And some of the smaller interior pieces that were refinished. Its such a PITA to clean and prep each and every one of those pieces The first layout I came up with was a black setup with blue accents Finished! Turn out to be a bit too dark for my liking So at this point I re-tweaked everything and made a white gauge overlay which I ended up sticking with Refinished steering column and new steering wheel! And a test fit with a red set I tossed... More to come... RockMJ

My first plan of attack was to get the electrical components working, get it running correctly, and then tackle the interior. First thing I did the following weekend after buying it was tackle the rough idle, stalling issue. I took the throttle body off and gave it a thorough cleaning as well as cleaning the IAC motor a whole sh*t load. After doing just that the Jeep ran and idled beautifully. I was thrilled :D . I moved on to tackling the electrical issues the Jeep had and my lord I was in for some fun :headpop: . Up until this point I was totally unaware that the wiper relay fuse is a Chrysler only part that would set me back 37$. At least afterwards I had working wipers! Next I went through the exterior lighting cleaning and resealing all of the electrical connectors as well as redoing all of the grounds and guess what? The lighting worked! Now that I got the exterior lighting working and nearly 80% of all the bulbs were long since burned out and needed replacing, I moved onto the interior. At this point I really needed to choose a direction for the build and take it easy on tearing things apart until my hands and my head were in sync :fs2: . I started tearing into the interior and when I removed the soaking wet sponge of a carpet and disgusting bench seat I found a whole treasure trove of insects. I was never happier in my life than I was in that moment lol. I won't go into details but lets just say that the bench seat was a mobile roach hotel and the PO wasnt the cleanest kid (understatement of the century). I decided I wanted a black interior and being as they are super hard to come by, I decided to refinish the interior myself. I diligently followed a four step process for applying the SEM refinishing paints to all of the interior pieces but I won't go into the details other than, clean, prep, paint, seal. Here is what I started with... RockMJ

Well guys, looks like its about time I made a build thread. Ive how several of you guys shoot me PM's asking me, sometimes demanding, that I make a build thread lol. I appreciate the feedback that the few details ive posted have received and being as I'm home sick today I figured why the heck not. I should tell everyone that the main reason I have not started one yet is because my last build thread I did for my 97 ZJ ended up being 212 pages long. I got a bit burned out after keeping track of every nut and bolt that I put into that Jeep so ive taken some time off so to say. A little back story on how I ended up getting my MJ about 9 months ago goes a little something like this (deep breath). I moved down to FL a little over a year ago from PA and living in the rust belt I was never able to find a "salvageable" MJ to build for a project. All of the ones I found were horribly rusted and way beyond saving, and the price tag was never right. So I went through several Jeep's, 13 to be exact, before I ended up in FL in March 2011. At the time I was driving a 2004 LJ that was slowly being turned into a heritage type mod with all cues on the Jeep paying homage to the 83-84' Scrambler's. In July 2011 my family fell on hard times and the LJ ended up at auction before I had a chance to even get my personal belongings out of it. It was a terrible time in my wife and I's life as we scrimped and saved for years to get it, but there was a light at the end of the tunnel! The LJ went to auction and the bank actually sent ME a check for 2500 bucks! I was seriously shocked as most times the owner ends up owing, big time! Here she is when we got her and before she left our family. My wife and I on our wedding day in Outer Banks, NC And right before she left... While all of the BS was occurring with the LJ I saved up some money and purchased my first Jeep MJ. Here are a few specs on her from when I picked her up 1988 Jeep Comanche LWB 4.0L Renix 5 Speed Peugot 2WD, Dana 35 rear The Jeep was nothing special and when I purchased it for 1600$ I got what I paid for. Absolutely nothing on the Jeep worked electronically, wipers, lights, dash, etc. Every single seal on the doors, hood, drivetrain, etc was shot. The windshield leaked water and the interior was a sopping wet mess of dirt, bugs, and filth. I did not sit in the Jeep for nearly 6 months until I "sanitized" it. Here she is when I picked her up from an 18 year old kid that, thankfully, did not have enough money to ruin it anymore. His electrical skills for simply wiring in a stereo took me weeks to correct :wall:. And my intentions were clear from the very beginning... More to come...

I'm sold! Now I just need to get the roll bar and lights to use that connector with. Great info man, thanks for sharing! RockMJ

I'm down for a meet and greet. I know Drahcir would be in too. We should probably get a list going and try and pick a date, local and time. Nate, how did you make out with the MJ man? RockMJ

Hey guys, I'm getting some smaller things done on the MJ after all the paint and bodywork and since I never listen to the radio and I'm putting a Cobra weatherband CB in instead I had an idea. With the newer 97+ front end swap the old radio antenna won't work for me anyways so has anyone put a CB antenna in the radio antenna's place? I was thinking of fabing up a bracket to bolt to the inner fender and have the CB antenna poke up through the fender and put a gasket of some sort in the fender hole to protect the paint and keep the antenna somewhat rigid to that point. I plan to reuse the radio antenna grommet into the cab and just seal it with RTV where I cut it. Thoughts on this? Pics of it having been done? RockMJ

Finally took some pics of the MJ with the AEV wheels. When the Jeep is in the shade it looks like its in stealth mode, I love it! Some Delta lighting goodness So happy with the MJ right now. Shes running incredible and looking even better :D RockMJ

Looks like a Jetta. Maybe a GLI with that color? Trailer looks killer! RockMJ

Hey when are you leaving for jeep beach i just decided today that i will probably be going. Hey Donkey, I know its a really late response but my wife and I ended up not going. Too much going on and we had family down during the week so next year I guess lol RockMJ

Your MJ looks great man! Nice to see someone else rocking some AEV wheels on here :yes: RockMJ

I really need to upgrade my headlight wiring to get the full potential out of the Delta Xenon setup. Where did you pick it up from? I loved the e-code's that I put in my YJ. Great upgrade! RockMJ

In due time my friend. I need to take her out for a spin and snap some pics but I'm waiting to get it on the beach for that :D RockMJ

Fantastic work man. I'm seriously looking forward to seeing how the rear one comes out! I would have to agree with those d-ring tabs hanging down really low but if it works, it works. Great work RockMJ

That XJ isnt a 97 but its interesting either way. Is that grabber green up top? Welcome to the club but I depending on the condition of the XJ I would have asked for some cash as well to afford those new floorboards! Good luck man RockMJ

Skip RK, they are notorious for the joints failing and I have to agree with the overall quality. Its poor. Clayton's is more expensive but if you want the best thats what you go with. I know you pay super fine attention to detail and I will always praise Clayton's products up and down for their strength and reliability. Another great option is a JKS Adjustable Trac Bar and it is certainly durable. Ive run both the Clayton's and JKS ones on countless Jeep's without issue. Good luck! RockMJ

Handle is refinished finally RockMJ

southernwheeler86, looks killer man! Congrats! Just picked up the AEV wheels after being mounted and balanced at the tire shop! In the process of doing a front brake overhaul. The MJ is happy :chillin: RockMJ

Several companies make them and they look much better than any half doors ive ever seen. Warrior Products makes a nice product for the fronts and they are reasonably priced lol RockMJ

No job yet? Hobo lol. That rear bumper looks great man. Ive always loved their products so definitely post pictures of it mounted for good. A bunch of my buddies are heading up to Rausch this weekend for some wheeling. Ahh damn Florida I hate you lol! RockMJ

Buy some tube doors. Your Jeep is too clean to have some hacked up chunks of metal hanging from it. You still have that 44 for sale? :D RockMJ

And I wanted to point out to everyone in Florida that Jeep Beach is just around the corner! Two weeks until the event, who all is going? MJ convoy? RockMJ

Nate, any word on your rig man? Mine is down right now waiting on parts to show up. Just wondering how much of the necessary stuff for the swap youve gathered RockMJ