Minuit

If your front tires are out of balance laterally (also known as "dynamic imbalance", also known as "side-to-side shakiness"), that can be the root cause of death wobble. That was it in my '89. Replacing suspension parts made it better, but it never addressed the root cause. As a side note - 99% of MJs are probably driving around on worn steering dampers. Replace it, but replace it after the death wobble is solved. I got full-on death wobble on the way to the tire shop hitting an expansion joint at 40 mph. Since having "new" tires put on, I've been intentionally driving right into every bump I can trying to make it happen. Hasn't done it a single time. Side note - the only time I've experienced anything close to death wobble in my '91, it was from the right front wheel being held on by three broken studs and two very loose lugnuts. I'm a believer now - in cases of death wobble, look to the tires and wheels first.

I eventually plan on getting my original wheel leather wrapped, but my hope was to find an OEM one to "try on" to make sure I liked it and to have something while my original was being worked on. Plus it'd be nice to have an example to give to the shop and say "make me another one of this" I found one that someone recovered for fairly cheap on eBay, might grab it. I've heard that the leather on those aftermarket ones can sometimes be loose on the spokes - that's the only thing scaring me off.

Looking for a black leather wrapped 3-spoke steering wheel in as good of condition as possible. I don't need the horn button or any of the horn hardware. The factory perforated leather is strongly preferred, but I wouldn't be opposed to one with a well-done custom leather wrap job. Let me know what you've got.

If someone knocked on my door asking about my truck, I wouldn't mind talking to them... if the dogs didn't scare them off. On the other hand, if I saw someone walk up to my truck and start taking pictures (especially of the VIN tag) without talking to me first, that would provoke an ENTIRELY different response.

The threads most likely got chowdered in the process of pulling the wheel without using a tool to properly center on the tip of the column. The tip of the column shaft should have a lot more material on it. While we're on the subject, here's my preferred tool set for working on these GM steering columns. https://www.amazon.com/OTC-7927A-Steering-Remover-Compressor/dp/B000XSCEMQ/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=otc+steering+column&qid=1573257226&sr=8-1

And that's why you use a proper steering wheel puller tool to pull the wheel off.

Great find. Took me FOREVER to find a full set of covers with no tears. Definitely on my "grab every good one I see for spares" list

Sounds like this radio needs a good thorough service. The RX-135 is very prone to bad solder joints, which is probably where most of your problems lie. If you're electrically inclined, it's not TOO bad of a job to do yourself, although there is a lot of work required to disassemble the AMC radios (the case must be split to get to some of the boards that would need service)

I'd run 'em even with the cut. I never was really happy with how the factory-correct MJ rears looked anyway.

Battery cable. If adjusting the cables doesn't work, check the connectors on the starter relay. They like to come loose on my '89 every now and then, and it will cause a no-crank no-start. If it's a battery cable, a lot of times you'll lose all power after the failed start. That's because the high inrush current draw of the starter broke the already marginal connection between the battery post and the battery cable.

Pretty much any aftermarket 5-1/4" speaker will slot right in. They make adapters to plug the speakers into the factory wiring. Check the wires inside the little rubber boot going into the door first. Those wires bend a little every time you open or close the door, and can break.

Good start to a build thread. Sounds like you're well prepared for what you're getting into. Look forward to seeing more!

Hmm, let's see... Door seals, antenna grommet, blower motor seal, heater core/AC evaporator passthrough seal, HVAC fresh air seal, evaporator drain seal, wire harness bulkhead, steering column base seal, seams in firewall to inner fender connection, rear windshield, front windshield, opening vent windows if you have them... I think that's most of them. Anywhere water can get through, it will get through and has probably gotten through. Re-waterproofing an MJ is NOT an easy task.

Yeah, agree 100 percent. After studying the pics I think the OP just needs to rip it all out and start with something that hasn't been hacked to high hell and back. No wonder OP is having problems when his harness looks like this. There's no easy way to go about this. You'll need a wiring diagram, basic electrical test equipment and plenty of patience. That is an absolute dumpster fire you're dealing with, and it will drive you crazy and probably burn your truck down if you don't fix it. I'd be seeking out a replacement dash harness at the very least. This should be figure #1 in my upcoming book, "don't mess with things you don't understand"

The yellow box is indeed the cruise control computer (only on Renix era vehicles). If you have the intermittent box, it will be roughly underneath the steering column, usually velcro'd to the metal part of the knee panel.

Come to think of it, my trucks don't have many mods, and the ones they do have are very much worth it, but the record for "shortest time between changing something and putting it back to stock" has to be the '96+ valve cover on my '91. Had no luck getting the gasket to line up so it leaked oil, and then I decided I liked the original look better anyway, so I painted the original cover silver and stuck it back on. Honorable mention goes to the junkyard 97+ auxiliary fan that lasted a whole 24 hours in my truck before seizing up and subsequently being thrown in the trash with extreme prejudice.

What updates would you want? I've always thought the OEM resistor pack did exactly what it needed to and nothing it didn't.

Sounds good. Let me know what you come across. As to "what am I interested in?" - good question, and I really should make a printer or mobile-friendly "field guide" so that the junkyard prospector can see what they're looking at. Cliffs notes: - I am not interested in any radio made in Korea at this time. They will have a sticker indicating country of origin. Radios bearing stickers saying "Made in Japan" or "Made in Singapore" are good. - I am not interested in any Jeep branded radio (not AMC) with brown button lettering. White lettering is good. Typically found in '89 and '90 models. Ignore this if the radio has the AMC triangle logo, only if it says Jeep on it. - At this time, I am not interested in Chrysler radios newer than 1997 or in the larger "1.5 DIN" form factor used in the ZJ and most other Chrysler products, and all Jeeps after '97. - At this time, I am not interested in radios from other manufacturers. Unless you can find a good condition CD player out of a '94-'97 Ford Thunderbird or Mercury Cougar, but that's irrelevant to this thread Anything else is fair game.

I'm generally interested in anything for the right price. If you can get it for relatively cheap and pass it on to me for relatively cheap after your finder's fee, a few faded buttons won't bother me. They're arguably worth more to me as parts than whole.

I for one want to know more about the dog.

I'll take a video of mine running with the scanner plugged in tomorrow... if I remember

I'm dealing with an HO here, but on the '91 the idle is always at that second line. It does not jump around for any reason. The only exception is fast-idle on a cold day. I don't remember what fast idle is for a 4.0 HO, but I don't remember the last time we had a cold day here in TN either.

Tire balance. I'm not saying that to be an @$$, but I have found that some shops just can't get tires balanced. I recently found a shop near me that does a very good job balancing tires for all of my vehicles, and as a result of that, they've gotten ALL of my tire work since. If you have a shop nearby that can perform "road-force" balancing, give them a try. Once you find someone that can actually balance a tire, hold on to them for dear life. Also, you may want to consider that your tires and/or wheels may not be round. A tire that's out of round will shake like hell no matter how much weight you throw at it. You'll be able to tell by the frequency of the vibration. Driveshaft-frequency vibrations are usually low amplitude, but are often high enough frequency to be heard as sound as well (an out of balance driveshaft or bad u-joint can present as a "hum" sound at highway speeds). Tire and wheel vibrations are low frequency but can be very high amplitude. If you can feel the individual "pulses" or "shakes" of the vibration, odds are that it is a tire issue, or something else that turns at roughly the same speed as the tires.

My 91 idles at precisely that second line on the tach. Not sure what speed the computer is requesting, but I could hook up the MT2500 tomorrow if you wanted an exact number. My 89? Wherever it feels like, thanks no doubt to a handful of vacuum leaks.