Minuit

I'm seeing them on Tirerack for 132 a corner before shipping. But yeah, still out of my range. $350 before shipping and installation is really what I want to spend. It may have to wait, once it cools down and I get a chance to replace the tailshaft bushing I might start driving the '91 again. Not all that long ago I got a set of new Michelins for the '91... but it has to have the best of everything. For this car - quiet, round, and not garbage are my needs. The tires on the car now are none of those.

They're nice cars. If maintained properly they're very nice cars (mine has not yet achieved the status of "maintained properly"). The V6 engine (excluding the super coupe) is an inexcusable turd. A friend in high school had a '95 Cougar with the 3.8. It had really low miles so it drove pretty good, but that detestable boat anchor of an engine ruined the whole car. They aren't even reliable, either. I wanna say the V6 cars do 0-60 in something like 12 seconds. That's 4-cylinder Jeep territory.

Currently working on fixing that. I've put a stop to the falling-apartness, I think. The issue is that the oil has been changed very regularly but other than that, problems were allowed to appear and ignored until they became major, and then ignored some more. Not helped that I'm convinced that every hack, lowest-bidder mechanic in TN has touched this poor car at some point. Wanna know what destroyed the back half of the headliner? Some dingus was vacuuming the seats and didn't realize the hose from his vacuum was smacking the headliner every time he made a pass. Another example: car wouldn't hold a caster alignment. So obviously it has a bent lower control arm. Duh! Too bad caster is controlled by the radius arm (strut rod) bushings, and on these cars those are toast at 85k. Whatever impression of falling apart this thread may give, it really drives pretty damn well and has good bones. There is not a single spot of rust on this car anywhere. Needs some suspension work but what MN12 doesn't. That fancy radius arm suspension does not tolerate the American tradition of fixing stuff on a clunk-by-clunk basis. I have lots of parts sitting around waiting to be installed. Blend door actuator, radius arm bushings, front rotors and pads, door hinge bushings, etc. Just need to find the time to fix it all. At the risk of sounding like a pretentious a$$hole, I'm a senior in engineering and free time does not come easy. re tires: Those look really nice, but more than I'm willing to spend. If at all possible I'd like to be under $100 per corner. $350 for the set would be even better.

Perfect!

We're not supposed to be interesting in this thread. This update will continue that tradition. Also I can't decide on a title, lol. Replaced the high side service port as scheduled. Easy peasy - p/n F3AZ-19E762-A. Replacing these is very, very easy - evac the system (disclaimer: I am an EPA 609 certified MVAC technician and have refrigerant recovery equipment), get the new valve ready, spin the old valve off (using a special 8-sided socket you'll use once then forget you own), put the new one on ASAP, vac the system, verify vacuum holds, and recharge. I timed it - the system was open to the atmosphere for less than 30 seconds. I ordered a new accumulator, but I'm not going to replace it yet. If the system needs a more major repair or the low side service port starts leaking, I'll replace it then. Is 30 seconds of exposure enough to saturate the dessicant of this system that, according to the huge stack of receipts in the glove box, has never been opened? Your call, but I don't think so. Charge weight for this car is 34 oz of R-134a with 7.5 oz of PAG 46 oil. Evacuating the system does not remove oil, so I added 3 cans of pure R-134a. Considering losses from hose purging, what gets left in the manifold gauges after charging, and that little bit of refrigerant that is left inside the can that won't come out, I'll bet I was pretty close to 34 oz. Performance is just as good as it was (45-50F), just more consistent. Capillary tube systems like this don't adjust refrigerant flow based on temperature, so an undercharged system on these can manifest as "cold-warm-cold-warm-cold-warm" air when the A/C is on. That's gone now. Not sure if I ever mentioned it, but the intake manifold has been replaced with the updated one with aluminum coolant passages. This is a good thing - the original version is a time bomb. I also did a little research. The woodgrain trim on the interior was not a factory option like I had thought - it's an aftermarket kit made by a company called Sherwood Innovations. They still make kits for these cars to my utter amazement. To the three of you including me that read this - should I put it back on? I really kinda liked how it looked, and it's part of my childhood memories of this car. It's also over a hundred bucks for the full kit.

I don't have any pictures of the exact one, but it looks like this Just not in as good of shape.

As someone who does lots of highway miles in his MJ, I really agree. If somebody hits me that's 5 years of my life and many thousands of dollars down the toilet. More and more the mental image of someone hitting me pops into my head and that makes me think "you know, I think I'll take the car instead." Plus, no airbags. Your safety in an MJ is "guess you better not crash, then" At the risk of sounding like an egotistical douche, it's getting to the point where I cannot replace my MJ if someone hits it. Where am I supposed to find a loaded, rust free '91 in a 1-year only paint scheme? But if I'm afraid of scratching the bed up and getting the interior dirty doing work with it, what am I supposed to do? Park it in the garage and stare at it? This is where we see a clear split in how the CC members view their trucks. Some of us see them as classics to be preserved, some see them as toys, and others see them as old, durable work trucks. If you're doing highway miles, the MJ - especially a base model 4-banger with a bench seat - isn't the best vehicle for it. Extra soundproofing really helps, as does some more comfortable seats.

I've put 26,000 stoppage free miles on one old, unreliable MJ and about 1,500 stoppage free miles on another old, unreliable MJ that literally looks like I built it in a junkyard. Don't worry about it.

I don't think your caster measurements are that bad for a lifted vehicle with stock length control arms. Not quite factory spec, but not horrible. You're also 4wd, so proper pinion angle trumps caster. Consulting the lift vs control arm length table in the diy index, you'll need to add roughly 1/4" of length to the lower arms to get proper caster angle with a 2.5" lift. I'm not sure if you'll be able to achieve that with your factory length WJ control arms. You'll want the caster measurements to be as close as possible for straight running. Caster will affect tracking stability and the "return to center" of the steering. How did it feel before?

HAHAHA that's perfect!

Ok. You made it sound like the estimate for the shims was $155. If that's the whole alignment that's better.

Hahaha, yeah $155 for a couple of shims is a total rip. At least they figured out that's how caster is adjusted on these...

I lost most of the pics, so you'll just have to believe me for most of this stuff. This car has pretty great A/C and doesn't have a roaring tailshaft bushing so I've been driving it a lot more recently. Therefore I've been feeling the need to spend money on it! First of all, I think I fixed the odometer for real this time. I changed the odometer gears a while ago, but the fix didn't last. Upon taking it apart again, I found a tiny piece of the old gears still inside the odometer case. Apparently that's enough to jam the veery weak motor that turns the odometer. Fortunately, the individual gauges can be removed from the cluster with it still in the car. The odometers in these cars are kinda funny. They don't move smoothly like most other cars, the numbers turn in "steps" based on how fast you're going. And it's not like the gears are spinning extremely fast either - I didn't really count but they turn at most 2 revolutions per mile. I don't really understand why odometer gears are a maintenance item in these cars, especially after only 104,000 miles. Regardless, it seems to work fine now and is very accurate. Over a 50 mile stretch of interstate it may have lost 2/10 of a mile. No, I haven't used a half tank of gas in 134 miles. The gas gauge in this car seems to think it has a ~13 gallon tank, not 18 like it really does. It's been this way as long as I can remember. Before I left I filled up at "1/4 tank" - the car took 8 gallons. When the "CHECK GAUGES" light starts flashing, I still have 2 gallons til empty. Still haven't found another good dash bezel - I'd really prefer black. I also changed the oil again. What fun that is! Why Ford decided to put the oil filter behind the power steering pump is beyond me. I guess there really isn't a better place for it. It's not that bad but having the oil filter right in the open like on Jeeps has spoiled me. I'm not used to having to squeeze an oil filter between the sway bar and power steering lines! Regardless, it was past due. The wood trim on the door panels started falling off, so I helped it out: This is the only Thunderbird I've ever seen that had any woodgrain trim on the interior. Too bad that none of it has held up. The fabric on the door panel is also MIA. I really wish Ford would've put as much effort into the interior quality as they did to everything else. The interior in this car looks nice but some of the parts don't hold up to further scrutiny. My passenger window decided it didn't want to go back up one day. Turns out that there are 3 plastic bushings inside the power window motor that wear out over time. I don't have any pics from it but it was a very easy process. Ford did something really right with the power window motors on this car - they're easily removed (and the geartrain disassembled) for service! $30 worth of new gears and bushings and about 2 hours of work got my windows working just fine again. I also solved a really nasty clunk that was so nasty I thought the car had a bad torque converter. The front differential mounts had collapsed and allowed the rear differential to rotate about 10 degrees in either direction. Energy Suspension makes the bushings still - I forget the part number. This was another very easy job. It maybe took an hour from jacking the car up to letting it back down again. The hardest part was unhooking the exhausts (yeah that's right, I have exhausts ) to be able to get the bolts out. Overall NVH is way down now, since the whole rear differential isn't twisting around now. I was going to replace the blend door actuator a few weekends ago but I took the glovebox out, noticed where the actuator is inside the dash, and promptly said "nope" and put that off until later. TCCoA says you can get it out by removing the dash vents, the glovebox, and the climate control head but you have to work by feel. I'll be trying that approach, because I'm not going to be taking the dash out. Behind the glovebox, I found a couple of the dreaded red butt connectors. Great, someone's messed with the wiring too. I replaced the battery. Geez, that was expensive. Note for later: the battery hold-down bracket is missing. The negative battery cable also shows signs of having been pinched before. Like I've said before - many incompetent people have touched this car. The passenger door abruptly started sagging. Looks like the brass bushings in the lower door hinge have collapsed. By abruptly, I mean the door went from fine to "lift up to latch the door" overnight. Dorman hinge kits purchased and waiting to be installed. I need to change the rest of the fluids.

Isn't this that super low mileage truck we were all fawning over a few months ago?

Still taking names. Bonus points if you're local to me, so I don't have to ship it to you!

My favorite would be #3 with the rocks from #5. No matter what, if you make one with the squiggly SporTruck stripes I'm totally in for a couple. Ditto if you make one that's 4 different colors like my '89

All PMs replied.

Ok, wow you guys act fast. I would be providing harnesses, brackets, wiring diagrams, and any other installation support needed. I'd also be covering all shipping. Here's a very short demo of what I have so far, also featuring a heat gun running away: As far as "am I a trusted member"... ask yourself, "would I feel any desire or compulsion to run away with Minuit's stuff or do something I'm not supposed to?" If the answer is no, I probably trust you. The current BT-1 prototype is a shagged out 1993 AM-FM radio 99% chance this is the one that will be passed around. It will fit in the dash of any non-97+ MJ or XJ and uses the common 13 pin Jeep/Eagle plug. It is not up to my usual quality standards - it just has to survive the testing period.

At the risk of sounding like an ad for my radio business... ugh. I am very close to having workable Bluetooth in a factory Jeep radio. In fact, I have a prototype on my desk right now. Once I make a few improvements, I will need a couple of trusted volunteers to test a protoype Bluetooth equipped radio. If you are interested and willing to test a potentially buggy radio, please PM me. Here's what I know: - This will happen in the next few weeks. - I must trust you. This means I need to either know you or you must be a relatively well known face around here. - I will probably be building two prototypes - one for me to keep, one to pass around to trusted CC members. - In exchange for testing, you will receive a steep discount on my stuff.

I have that same clock in my '89, pulled it from an '88 Eliminator. Some dingus wrote "Jeep" on it in paint pen, still haven't cleaned it off almost a year later I wonder if a dimmable LED bulb would make it visible without being overbearing? It looks ok in this pic but as soon as the sun comes anywhere near it you can't see it at all.

Can't wait to see it driving.

Hard to find a vinyl seat like that in good shape these days.

That's why I have a battery terminal cleaner in the glove box of all of my vehicles

Yes, we definitely agree on that. I don't think I've ever seen one in the JY that wasn't broken. I ran a set on my truck for a while with broken clips and they never rattled around as far as I remember. I replaced them with the fixed ones later on though, as the joystick controls were much smoother. As far as visibility, the old school square mirrors were a HUGE improvement from the "flag" mirrors mounted on the door sheet metal itself. I've never felt that the old mirrors are lacking. I stuck one of the little rectangular blind spot mirrors on the corners of mine and I don't have any blind spots at all: Want to talk about useless mirrors? The ones on my '96 Thunderbird are just a little bit bigger than a computer mouse. If I put on one of the above blind spot mirrors it'd take up a third of the whole mirror!