mfpdm

I wonder what kind of sensor the brake pad thing was and what it really checks? About the only thing I can think of is that it was a contact that once the pad wore to a certain thickness it would come in contact with the brake drum or disk and complete a circuit. :dunno: :cheers:

That's such crap. As long as they are titled, tagged and legal, tell them to FU. I would ask my friends that have old beaters to come over and park them in the street for a few days. Unless your in a private community, those are public roads and they have nothing to say. If you have a housing association that has bylaw's that have some kind of clause about how many cars you can have and what not, you can do what you like as long as you stay within the law. I have a feeling this isn't the first time your neighbors have complain to you about something and probably won't be the last. :cheers:

X 100 Those are very rare and hard to find. The wiring is just the half of it, you need to get all the sensors. Most of them are fluid level sensors that give you a heads up if something is low. If you go back and look at the axles, you'll see a sensor plugged into the yoke side of the pumkin. I've thought that if I ever ran across one I'd try to get all the wiring and sensors and make it work on the MJ. So many projects, so little time and money. :D If anything, you can sell it and make a good penny if you market it right. :cheers:

Welcome to the Club. Get some pic's up when ya can. :cheers:

That's just it, I didn't do anything, yet. :brows: What needs to happen there is put in the bracket that bolts to the header and then bolts onto the rad support/firewall (whatever that piece is called). The one that was in ther was in two parts on either side of the hood catch in the middle, plus the left side held the hood prop rod. The 97+ is a single long one. I'll need to notch out a place on the new one for the hood spring and make something to compensate for the inch difference(gap) between the new bracket and rad support. It will make more sense when I get it done a post a pic. Also just as a reminder to all, this is just for the 86 as the 87-92 should be a direct fit with out modding the header. :cheers:

Yep, and if you look closer, the nut is not on the bottom either. I'm in the process of changing them all out with newer style bolts. The ones in there are pretty rough looking on the threads. I'll still only put the new ones in a little snug until the motor and tranny get back in. Then all will be torqued to spec's. ;)

Nothing new, just cleaned up the old. Took either 400 or 600 grit to them. Just enough to get the old undercoating overspray and grime off. Purple Power is the greatest stuff since sliced bread. I just picked up 2 gallons on sale at Advanced. :brows:

You really know how to hurt a guy. j/k But you are very right. I had a bad feeling when I got this one, this might happen. The problem is that I can get instant satisfaction working on the 86 because I'm not that picky with it. Unlike the Wild build, it takes a lot to get just a little ahead. I'll try harder. :thumbsup: :cheers:

Yes and no. If you have an early 86, the engine compartment was different and you will need to make some minor mods to get the 4.0 in there. From what I hear a BFH will do the trick. :D Another thing is that the front piece between the frame under the radiator will need modded to accomdate the 4.0 radiator. Later 86s started coming with the different engine compartment setup for the introduction of the 4.0 in 87. I think this is all, someone else chime in if I forgot anything. :cheers:

Nice MJ and welcome to the club. Where you at? Must be nice to live near a 4 Wheel Parts store. They have great in store specials that I can never take advantage of. :cheers:

The por-15 covers pretty good and a little will go a long way. I used one quart and one pint for all I did but I would recommend getting 2 quarts and lay it on a little thicker. Mine was very clean and I live below the salt belt so a thin coat was all I needed. If I did it again, I would go thicker and maybe even go with the gallon just to have extra for all the other suspension parts and things you'll paint later. Just when you use the por-15, always pour what you need out of the can and seal it back up so it will keep longer. Thanks for the build plug maddzz1. :thumbsup: :cheers:

http://www.comancheclub.com/forums/view ... emoval+bed :cheers:

Did the 97+ header conversion. Here's the write up from the tech thread. Old stuff off. For the 97+ header to fit the 86 MJ with the 2.5l, a few minor mods are needed. At first I thought about just using the BFH to adjust the radiator support/firewall, but after one smack, I changed my mind and figured it would be easier to mod the header. Just have to cut out just a little bit on the inner top of the headlight bucket and a small part of the inner lip of the headlight bucket. I started off small and just kept fitting and cutting till it was right. Another place that needs adjustment is right next to the airbox inlet. I drilled a hole to allow the headlight adjustment screw to fit. On top of the fenders where the hood rubber stops go also needs to be drill out because their location changed just a little. Then it just takes some time to fit and adjust till you have everything lined up good and tighten it all down. This took a long time as I found out during this mod that the truck had been wrecked before and nothing was straight. Then throw the new bumper on, which was the easiest thing during this mod, and presto, you have a 97+ front on your 86 MJ. To handle the wiring, I figured I'd just use the newer harness on the header, and using a spare connector, make a short adaptor harness to join the two. Once you figure out what is what on both headers, this is pretty straight forward. Was a hole just in the right place to keep this out of the way of the rad overflow bottle. Best thing about doing the wiring this way, is the ease of unplugging the harness if needed, you don't need to hack up your engine harness, and best of all, you get the alternating turn signal and side marker mod for free. Will still need to mod the top header support to fit the radiator support. Basically it will need a notch cutout for the spring and spacers to fill the inch difference in the height. Also need to get a side mount prop rod for the hood as the 86 had a front one. I happy with it but wish I had known about the previous damage to the MJ. I probably would have not done it had I known. Anyway, I'll get the rest done and get it all cleaned up and post up the pic's' And yes, I know I'm missing the "e" in Jeep. :nanner: :cheers:

Pretty much. I'll be doing the same swap in the Wild build. Thing to remember is that the 242 came with the non-cad axle and you may need to supply the vacuum for it which came or went through the 231. Not a problem if you are swapping the axle that came with it, which also has the bigger u-joints. That's the only thing I can think of with the exception of the shifter guide that has an extra position on it. (4x4 shift lever thingy) :D :cheers:

Yep. So here are the pic's of the ordeal. Old stuff off. For the 97+ header to fit the 86 MJ with the 2.5l, a few minor mods are needed. At first I thought about just using the BFH to adjust the radiator support/firewall, but after one smack, I changed my mind and figured it would be easier to mod the header. Just have to cut out just a little bit on the inner top of the headlight bucket and a small part of the inner lip of the headlight bucket. I started off small and just kept fitting and cutting till it was right. Another place that needs adjustment is right next to the airbox inlet. I drilled a hole to allow the headlight adjustment screw to fit. On top of the fenders where the hood rubber stops go also needs to be drill out because their location changed just a little. Then it just takes some time to fit and adjust till you have everything lined up good and tighten it all down. This took a long time as I found out during this mod that the truck had been wrecked before and nothing was straight. Then throw the new bumper on, which was the easiest thing during this mod, and presto, you have a 97+ front on your 86 MJ. To handle the wiring, I figured I'd just use the newer harness on the header, and using a spare connector, make a short adaptor harness to join the two. Once you figure out what is what on both headers, this is pretty straight forward. Was a hole just in the right place to keep this out of the way of the rad overflow bottle. Best thing about doing the wiring this way, is the ease of unplugging the harness if needed, you don't need to hack up your engine harness, and best of all, you get the alternating turn signal and side marker mod for free. Will still need to mod the top header support to fit the radiator support. Basically it will need a notch cutout for the spring and spacers to fill the inch difference in the height. Also need to get a side mount prop rod for the hood as the 86 had a front one. I happy with it but wish I had known about the previous damage to the MJ. I probably would have not done it had I known. Anyway, I'll get the rest done and get it all cleaned up and post the pic's in the build thread. I guess this kind of qualifies as a DIY thread, so if you want to move it Pete, please feel free. And yes, I know I'm missing the "e" in Jeep. :nanner: :cheers:

Nevermind. Being tired made me dumb. :dunce:

Well I answered my own question and will post up pic's tomorrow. I have a different question that I hope someone can point me in the right direction. I want to use the 97+ wiring harness and yes I no I can use the old one but it's crap and I don't want to. I've searched high and low on a right up or anything about how to use the 97+ wiring and splice into the old. If I know want wires are what on both that will help but all my diagrams seem to leave out a wire or two. I plan on splicing the new plug to a spare old plug, that way I can plug or unplug whenever I need to. Have to get this done by the morning so the kid can drive it. :roll:

Looks great. I've always been a fan of red and black. Hooked up the pic for ya. :cheers:

My son was worried about if they would match. I said I don't give a crap if they do or not, I'm not going to paint anything on that truck until his was done. It's pretty close though. A little whiter than whats on the truck but liveable. :D

I agree with the later 700r4's as being better. I was going this route with the TJ to lower my rpms on the highway and get better gas milage with the added overdrive. No electronics to worry about. Advance adapters had what I needed to make the swap. Unfortunitly, I couldn't see paying $1500 for the adapters for the 4.0 and tcase and then having to pay for a good tranny. By the time it was over, I would have invested about $2.5-3k for an extra what, 4-5 mpg. Would take a few years to see the savings. I know this is not the reason your looking into this, but I figured I'd throw it out there. :cheers:

I just can't leave well enough alone. I went to the JY today looking for, well I don't even know anymore. It's kind of automatic. Wake up on Saturday morning and go to the JY. I really don't even need anything for either build but this followed me home. Had not planned on doing this to the 86 but there it was. So now I think I'll check myself in to the Jeep-o-holics clinic and seek professional help. :nuts:

Well I stumbled across a real nice 99 XJ in the JY today and I couldn't resist and bought the front clip and fenders. I've got all the old off and the new fenders on but, right off the bat I notice I forgot the fender brackets for the front :mad: . Well that aside, I figured I'd test fit the header and get the brackets tomorrow. Now I knew before I started that the 86 is probably the worst choice because of the differences in the header, but it looks like a BFH is in my future. Long story short, I need some help from someone that has done the conversion on a 86. Where and what did you have to modify on the front firewall/rad support? Pictures would be worth a thousand words :D

Thanks again to all the great comments. I really wish I could stay on track with this. I haven't done to much as far as progress but have picked up a few things. A slightly used Currie crossmember. Front brush guard. It had the sides for the lights but I'm thinking of just using the center as the sides are a little tweaked. Also picked up a front diff guard. Managed to clean it up, paint, and install it. The liked the lighting on that pic. It's really all black under there. I'm hoping this weekend I'll make some real progress. :cheers:

Thanks and what do you mean "wrong with the carpet". That's a sun custom tye dye. :D Put a radio in. The factory am/fm worked but had no lights soooo, I pick up this Wally World special in the JY for $20. Not to bad looking and it has a lot of functionality. Also got the female end seatbelts change to black ones and the sunvisors as well.

No wonder they fight. Aint got nothing else to do. :D j/k :cheers: