Carl'sMJ

:agree: If I'm not mistaken CW did a nice job of this (removing the inner fender) and the work can be seen on his project thread. I plan on doing the same thing.

Current and Only: 1992, SWB, 4.0L HO, AX-15, 2WD, D35, Base Trim Level

:agree: x 1000... Learned this the hard way before I got smart and did it the way I previously mentioned. I ended up having to cut most of them off with the angle grinder and a cutting wheel... not fun.

If it was me I would ditch all that stuff except the flares. The the plastic pieces you are referring to mount inside the fender and overlap with the fender flare. It has been my experience that all this arrangement does is collect snow, slush, mud, etc. and helps rust out the rear fender. I snapped all the studs off the metal brackets on mine when I took the flares off the first time. Mine were all rusted out so I pitched them too. I reattached the flares using some washers and nylon hardware so I would not have to fight rusted hardware the next time the flares needed to come off. The nylon hardware is a bit more expensive, but should save me some work in the future. The flares fit nice and snug without the metal pieces and the flares don't collect all the previously mentioned crud anymore. Now they are open and easy to rinse out.

So just to get this straight... The only real advantage to the newer steel valve cover is the baffles running the full length of it which help eliminate any blow-by getting to the air filter. I do have some blow-by getting to the air filter... not alot, but enough to annoy me. From what I've read here and in other posts, the valve cover swap is usually at least somewhat succesful in eliminating this problem. I'm not real impressed with the cork gasket either. Granted, my XJ doesn't have nearly as many miles as the MJ, but I don't notice oil saturating the gasket and seeping through on the gasket on the XJ like I see on the MJ. I replaced the valve cover gasket on the MJ probably about 4 years ago and it already has gotten saturated.

Best advice I can give is to pull the seat belt out as far as it goes and isolate the area where the twists are and work them out using the method you spoke of. If you can't, just unbolt the seat belt anchor point (yes it's torx) and straighten the belt.

I've seen a fair amount of talk on here recently about the steel vs. aluminum valve covers and I just wanted to clarify a few things I was unsure of. I can visually recognize the difference between them from looking in the engine compartment... My '92 4.0 MJ has the aluminum one and my '01 4.0 XJ has the newer steel one found on the '97+ models. My first question involves the baffles inside the cover that everyone talks about. Since both motors are HO models does the aluminum cover on the MJ still have the baffles? What are the advantages/disadvantages of performing the swap to the newer style steel valve cover on my '92 MJ? Will I need any additional or different hardware or is it a direct swap? Pardon my ignorance on this subject, but I was interested in making the mod and wanted to get my facts straight before pursuing it further. Thanks.

I believe they are smaller than our MJ's.

:hijack: Sorry, but on the same subject... I just wanted to clarify about the different valve covers. I have a 1992 4.0L HO and it still has the original aluminum valve cover. Is there a benefit to swapping this valve cover for the newer steel one (1994 +) like I have in my '01 XJ? I am just a bit confused because the newer ones are always referred to as the HO valve cover, while mine is the older aluminum style on a HO 4.0L. Thanks in advance.

I'm no paint expert, but if it was me I would use some sort of high heat primer. RustOleum and Dupli-color both make this product.

There have been a couple good posts in the DIY section that outline repairing rusty floors and then sealing them up with POR 15 and lining the floor with bedliner. Personally I like the idea... I am leaning towards doing it to mine in the summer when I fix the rusted out floorboards. From what I can tell, the key to the job turning out well is like any other painting and all in the prep work. If you don't plan on putting the carpet back in after lining the floor I would steer away from Herculiner. I like the stuff, but IMHO it is difficult to clean once dirt gets on it and will always look dirty. I would look into something with a little less texture... Maybe the Dupli-Color spray stuff or I saw another kit used on here recently applied from an air compressor spray gun.

It's been a few years, but I've been to the Petersburg battlefield too. It was a great time. Nice photos, they brought back some memories of when I visited. I hope you guys had as good a time as I did. :thumbsup:

:agree: Definitely. :yes:

I've had problems with the stuff properly adhering to the surfaces I spray with it. Flat Surfaces seem to be no problem, but on any bend or seam there always seems to be a void or bubble crated that eventually cracks and then peels. It also has gone up in price recently... Last I saw it was $7-$8 a can :ack: Otherwise, I like the texture of it and it is fairly durable stuff as long as it's not used for a truck bed that gets alot of use.

Even if that does fit the taper at the ends of the bumper will not look right. I agree with take it back and have them fix it. The shop is local so he might as well.

This is not very good advice. I cannot think of any situation where it would make any sense to just start ripping rounds off blindly at an assailant. Eagle mentioned some of the downfalls and there are many more. Warning shots are a tactic that have most recently come into common practice trying to minimize civilian casualties during OIF/OEF and really have no place in this discussion. Also note that Standard Operating Procedire for warning shots used by military units specifies specific shot placement for each step in the escalation of force. Warning shots are never just randomly fired shots.

WD-40 is great stuff, but the only downfall I've heard of for latches and locks is the fact that WD-40 attracts dirt, and dirt naturally has moisture in it which will of course freeze... Maybe some sort of teflon based dry lube??? :dunno:

Looks like you've got some work ahead of you... What have you got planned?

I definitely disagree. Contrary to popular belief, shotgun work does require marksmanship training. I don't want to get into a big discussion about different loads, the spread of projectiles, putting effect on target, and such... but it is possible to miss with a shotgun.

Any more info on the bedliner kit? I've never seen that stuff before. How do you like it? It looks similar to the consistency of the dupli-color rattle can spray liner I've used before. Lately I've been using Herculiner for everything. How thick and durable is it? Regardless it looks like it went on well and the truck looks great.

he built a back rack for the bed, but no lights on it. he did, however, fabricate an aluminum basket to go on his kayak rack, and put 4 "jeep" labeled fog lights on it... Image Not Found Any pics of the back rack that he built?

That is a nice looking J10... Too much tire though IMHO, just doesn't look right.

What about the MJ bed mounted light bar originally posted? Any progress here?

Cool... good luck with the restoration work, I'll be watching this thread. Like I said before, I like the current 2" lift... IMHO I think Comanches with a mild 2" lift and some 30's or 31's look good. :yes:

Your truck looks great! I like the stance of the 2" lift on yours. What have you got planned?