UNL1MTD

thats a good idea, sounds like the cheapest way to go about it. you are talking about unbolting the actual shifter stick from the tranny and putting in a junkyard one? Is this easy to do.

Well, I was under the misguided impression that I had a good plan. Problem - 5 speed shift know spins on the '87 (project MJ). First thing I did was pull on it and it came right off. I noticed there was a nut on the bottom and a thread piece of metal that the knob probably clamped to at some time. :cry: Second thing I did was go to the '89 (parts MJ) and removed the shift knob, both 5 speeds, so what the hell. Noticed the Nut on this one was upside. 3/4" wrench, came right off. :D Third thing was to go to the '87 and remove its nut, started turning counter clockwise, was fairly stuborn, but its an '87 most bolts will be stuborn. 1 sec later the nut and threaded portion of the shifter are in my hand. :headpop: So what's next? Is there any way to remove just the tall portion of the shifter and replace it with one that has threads? At first sight its not overly intuitive. I'm not 100% on what trans I have, its a 5 speed under a '87 2wd MJ.

thanks for the tip, what does a typical MJ windshield run? I'm budgeting about 200 for it. That sound about right for the VA area?

thanks for the tips .. the crack goes the length of the windshield ... kinda horrible. I'll just get a new one right before inspection.

Long story shot, I got two Mjs now ... only took a week, I'm on the fast track. Well the one I want to fix up has a cracked windshield. Is it possible to take the windshield from the donor MJ and put it on the other MJ DIY? I typically just hire people to do windshield work, but I figure there was probably someone who has already done this. How is a windshield held into place on a MJ? How should I seal the windshield once its in place? Should I just pay someone to swap them? Should I just get a brand new one? -Sean

So I bought the other MJ. Hopefully it will get trailered here tomorrow and I can start to swap parts and get it up to snuff to pass inspection. Then the 4wd swap begins. This one has a touch of an electrical gremlin for the front blinkers and is spitting colant from the upper radiator reservoir. It also had a hole in its brakes hardline. But zero rust, thats a biggy, a good running 4.0L, and power steering. Damn I got 2 MJs and 1 TJ, I got a problem.

I'll just roll the truck to get that rod out ... where is Bill Egvall "here's your sign!" Actually that gives me a good idea, i can jack up that side of the truck, maybe enough to do something.

So i removed the three trox bolts (T35), then pulled the mechanism out from the tailgate as far as it would go. Found that one side is attached still and the other is not. The side that is attached still releases fine when I pull it, thats a bonus. I started to try the other sides rod, but I was losing light and the rain was freezing cold, so after 5 minutes of fishing with magnet and grabby tool .. I gave up. The MJ won this round, but I'll be back when the rain stops. Quick Question: Are the rods that connect the handle latch mechanism to the release point made out of metal or are they some type of fabric? Just curius if the magnet is a good approach or not. -Thanks

I also need to figure out how to free the tailgate. Currently the handle is broken off inside of the tailgate. 5 minutes and a big screwdriver didn't yield anyresults last night in the rain.

I think I'll be running brake hardlines and replacing hoses for the PCV system in the engine on Sunday. Also be playing with the rust whenever I get a free moment. Hell, I'll probably blow off the girlfriend and tinker with it on Saturday too.

I think what my plan currently (changing with every hour) is to get the 2wd, get it to pass inspection. Take the 4wd to a near by place where I can just go grab parts. Unfortunately I don't have a lot of driveway space, so I don't think I could have two MJs just hanging out while I do the conversion, which makes life though. Plus I have the '05 which is my wheeler & current DD, this truck just needs to be able to make it through the woods and be competent in VA ice/snow (which is getting more mild every year). Having two MJs running and semi-permanent definitely is out of my scope.

Well i'm by no means an expert at anything, but I like to learn everything I can. Figured this would be a good way to get ankel deep in body work, ended up over my head. My real intention was to have a beater, its just the fact that getting the current one running might be more coin to just convert the other to 4wd. Plus I would gain a 4.0l and better body/frame.

I should just take the drivetrain out of my Unlimited and put it in the MJ. 4.0/6 speed/231 with AA Sye/D30 with chromos & lockrite/D44 with TrackLock. Then drop D60s in the LJ. Ah if money only grew on rust!

So the only thing I could use out of my current '89 MJ would be the axles and drive shafts? Maybe some vacum connects for the CAD? In terms of the 4wd conversion. I was thinking of using its rear springs (since they aren't too hatefully sagged out and I was reading they have more arch than 2wds). I was really under the impression I could reuse the tcase. Looks like I have some searching/reading to do. I did reseat the cables twice. Going to try some baking soda and a wire brush, then wacking the starter.

I did get it from the guy in Charolettsville. 500 bucks, so even though every day I find more and more things wrong, it aint too bad. I gutted the interior yesterday to find more rust. I charged the battery overnight, now she just clicks when I go to turn it over. Almost like there is a short at the starter. The thing thats wierd is that it started 4 times the day I bought it after an initial jump. I do want to build on the Cheap, right now I'm trying to make a big decision in wheter or not to use this one as a parts truck and get another one thats 2wd. Definitely hit up some junkyards eventually though! -Sean

seems like this is a no brainer ... So neither transmission I would own would work for me? Both are 5 speeds, but I'm guessing the 2wd won't bolt to the tcase and the 4wd won't bolt to the 4.0L? I think I agree with you all, sorta need to be talked into it though. I went out to fire up the '89 and it just clicked. Maybe thats a sign, it was running 2 days ago. Just removed the interior and charged the battery, now click.

I just bought an MJ. Posted the specs in the Project Forum. Quick Specs: '89 ShortBox SporTruck Red 2.5L /AX5/ 231 30/35 w/ 4.10s Manual Steer Lots of Rust - in cab, out of cab, on frame, suspension, bed is mint though No brakes currently (holes in the hard lines ...darn rust) I just found another for sale that is: '87 ShortBox SporTruck Red 4.0L / 5 speed (not sure of what type)/ 2wd D35 rear, unknown gearing. Zero Rust Maybe Power steering Cracked windshield, slight whine from tranny, front end had minor fender bender Now do I restore the one I bought or just buy the other one and convert it to 4wd? I haven't done much to the first one, so now would be the time to cut my loses and just use it as parts for the other. I would love to hear from those that have just dealt with the rust and those that have converted to 4wd. -Thanks Sean

Name - Tetanus Specs: '89 Comanche ShortBox 2.5L / AX5 / AMC 231 HP D30/D35 with 4.10s Manual Steering The Brakes: During the test drive they were ok, but started to fade. When I got it in the driveway they were gone. Shortly after it started pissing fluid and I realized a line had rusted through. I guess the pressure from the MC blew it out. I plan on doing an XJ brake swap, getting rid of the MJs rear proportioning valve and the front metering valve. Notice the Fluid Catch- The Rust: I knew about some of the rust in the cab, but I decided to gut the interior and find out what the real condition of floor was. :? I'm wire wheeling the heck out of it for now. Going to weld in some patches (going to be ugly). Then do some rust treatment. Then Herculine the cab. The Exterior Rust is at a lower priority as it will pass inspection, but it will eventually get the same treatment minus the Herculiner. Driver's Floor Board- Passenger's Floor Board The Steering: The MJ has manual steering which has got be appreciating Unl1mtd's power steering, I about ripped the wheel off when I drove it today because I was over compensating. I'm planning on doing a power swap; pump, box, lines, linkage. I'm also going to be replace the ends on most of the links, because they just feel shot. The Suspension: I plan on doing a factory TJ suspension swap from something '03+ that I get on the cheap. The rear will probably stay as it is until I can gather funds to buy OEM replacements (150 a spring) or I might rebuild the leaf packs. I know the MJ eye to eye measurement is longer than XJs so there isn't a lot of options here. But the bottom line is that this one isn't getting a big lift. I'm an active forum user on NovaJeepers.com and will have my build mirrored on their site. I also have a running WTB thread over there. If you guys see any place where I'm going astray, please chime in. I also drive a Patriot Blue '05 TJ LWB, which is my wheeler. The MJ is going to be more of a work truck, I bought it with the intention to get it inspected, then use it to help clear 2/3 of an acre of woods. -Sean