Minuit

Russia has been ravaged for a very long time by incompetent, corrupt politicians and governments but the one thing they will always be the best at is winter.

:drool: :drool: :bowdown: Wow, this thing is fantastic. I love me a black long bed. I'm thinking of possibly swapping my wheels out for Ravines in the future, they're my favorite of the stock wheels by far.

The 2.5 is perfectly fine for anything an MJ is likely to do. Doesn't take much torque to get a light little truck such as ours moving. The 4.0 just makes the whole process more enjoyable with similar fuel economy and reliability.

Appreciate it, guys. The 782 springs are the likely option for me. According to Rockauto, they'll raise the front about what I need. Thanks.

I imagine the lack of posts has to do with the lack of new content. I've been pretty swamped recently but hopefully I'll have time to add to this soon. :thumbsup:

Usually it would happen 13 days after the warranty runs out. Dodged a bullet there. @gogmorgo: An instrument cluster replacement cost your dad $800? Jesus, we really do have it good with our old "buckets of bolts"

As all of the others have said, swapping in a 4.0 isn't easy with an 86 due to the length of the engine - the firewall had to be modified to fit them after 87 and IIRC the radiator supports were changed as well. 86 is the least desirable year by a long shot, but the 2.5 is a solid motor and the AX4 isn't too bad either. For daily driver duty, you'll be fine with a 2.5 - although if I do say so myself the 4.0 makes for a far more fun daily driver. You will most likely have 4.10 gears with the D35 (although you could get lucky and find an AMC-20 under there, their covers are perfectly round) and a D30 front as you already know. Stock roll bars with lights are extremely rare, especially if it and the brackets are in good shape. Keep them. You'll do well to do lots of research (as you are now) before jumping into any major modifications. CC is a very helpful bunch and we'll help you in any way you like. Don't be afraid to ask questions, and once you get it post plenty of pics for us! It's great to know just how far this club reaches. . :MJ 1: . P.S. Everything people such as yourself will need to know from the start will eventually be written into an article that I'm (slowly) working on.

Many of you who've been following my build thread know that I'm about to start making some serious upgrades to my 91 stock height 2WD. It has not lost any of its ride height over the years. Among other things in the suspension category (ZJ sway bar/tierod, etc) I'd like to put the front up an inch to take some of its ridiculous rake off. So the bed doesn't sag under load I'll be adding load leveling shocks, which add some small lift in the rear as well. My question is this: will stock 4WD springs get me where I want without modifying anything else? I would like to avoid coil spacers if reasonable. I'm pretty sure the answer is yes but I want to be completely certain before I touch anything. I greatly appreciate any thoughts. :thumbsup:

Bad@$$ truck, dude.

All good! :thumbsup:

That orange stuff is horrible :ack: Always nice to see a clean 97-up swap.

It still looks good painted. I suppose the things you see with it are the random little things that bother the person that made it but nobody else would notice. I know I'm the same way. It looks fantastic.

Very nice. Got any more recent pics of it? :thumbsup: If it still looks anything like it does in those pics I think it's too nice for a trail rig. It's your truck though so do what you want. What is that steering wheel out of? CJ? I like it. The interior in general is super nice looking - that's what I plan on making mine like somewhere down the road.

a1500ram is the CC handle of Steve from SMS Headliners. Sorry for the confusion.

That's the main reason I got the 98 wiper motor - my original wiper motor's bushing holes were damaged to where new bushings weren't snug. The bushings in the 98 wiper motor are ok but I'll probably need to replace them eventually.

:eek: It turned out very nice! Our bumpers are indeed very prone to rust along the lower "beam." Mine is rusted through there, too. Almost every one I've seen has been that way.

Your truck keeps getting better! Those flares will definitely fill out your truck's profile IMO. What kind of features does the F/IC have?

Fiddly Bits and Wobbly Wipers: Early February 2014 I don't know anything about cars, but I don't think you're supposed to be able to see through a sealed beam headlight. Yes, this explains exactly why I couldn't see @$%! at night! The reflective coating was worn off, the housing was full of water, and the high beam pointed at the ground when aimed correctly. The other side was a knockoff piece that had about the lighting power of my cell phone. Also pictured: Mother's Day card I made in sixth grade. A $30 pair of Sylvania beams to last until I do an H4 conversion, and... Much better, although the stock headlight wiring is limiting my potential for improvement here. In a few months it'll be out the window. I decided to keep this tailgate handle and paint it since it wasn't rusty. Whoever did the awful re-paint on the 89 MJ I pulled this from sure laid the crap on thick. They weren't big on masking either, apparently. A little bit later (and after the paint had cured) it looked like this... Far shinier than a tailgate handle has any right to be, but I'm not complaining. I like to paint stuff. Purdy. The tow ball hitch is next on the list. I really don't care if anyone knows my license plate number. After far too much time spent living with cowl slapping wipers, I decided it was high time to fix them. The wiper transmissions themselves are identical no matter what year XJ/MJ you pull them from, although the motor plugs differ. '98 motor on the left, '91 motor on the right. Fortunately, the motors can be separated from the housings, so I used my original motor on the 98's (far less sloppy) transmission. Getting the wiper motor assembly back in can be pretty aggrivating. Work patiently, carefully and don't force it! If my mind serves correctly, you have to insert the driver's side of the assembly first and rotate it to get the rest to fit. 97+ wiper motor plug. Earlier models have a rounded plug with longer pins, but if your motor still works you can use it on a wiper transmission of any year without trouble. Although I didn't replace the bushings, I now have a much newer (but somehow more rusty) wiper motor that isn't damaged by idiotic attempts to pry a bushing out with a screwdriver :oops: The wipers are now much tighter and return to the same place every time without smacking the cowl trim. It may not be a huge deal, but my OCD tendencies are now satisfied. A $300 list of truck parts! It won't be too long before I start tearing into mechanical things for real. I'll probably break some things along the way. Rockauto is having a closeout sale on Trico wiper blades. They're half price until they run out. For our trucks, that comes out to about $2 a wiper blade. Total Expenditures since January 2014: $158 Junkyard: $105 total Oil filter adapter stuff: $8 Upper radiator hose: $15 Headlights: $30 Junkyard Parts: Door panels: 1988 Jeep Cherokee Limited Front bumper guards: 1992 Jeep Cherokee Sport Windshield wiper motor: 1998 Jeep Cherokee Sport Tailgate handle: 1989 Jeep Comanche Mud flaps: 1987 Jeep Comanche Parts Purchased from CC Members: Mud Flaps: mjben Maintenance Status: Last oil change: 6qt generic 10W-30, 150,580, next change will be synthetic Since 12/17/13, I'm running ethanol-free fuel only. Odometer: 150,822.6

Have to say, this is probably one of the more entertaining build threads I've seen despite it barely being 2 pages long. Love it!

Any pics of said wheels? I could photoshop them on if you'd like.

Here you go. Quick and dirty but it should give you a decent idea of what to expect.

I'll see if I can get you something.

Cherokee lenses will not work without modification and good condition MJ tail lights are rare but someone here will be able to fix you up.

That reminds me. Do any 91-96 6cyl XJs have full clusters with about 151,500 give or take a few hundred on them?

:thumbsup: