terrawombat Posted August 9, 2011 Author Share Posted August 9, 2011 No not yet. I have noted the differences in the trans tunnels between the XJ and MJ with regard to how the cables come into the cab. I have some ideas on what to do but I have a bit of other work that needs to get done before I tackle that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comanchekid Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 ok well i will be working on that today so i will let you know how that goes hopefully i can get some pics too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrawombat Posted August 9, 2011 Author Share Posted August 9, 2011 Painted the inside of the right rear frame rail. Also ordered a full 3" lift kit from Hell Creek Suspensions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrawombat Posted August 10, 2011 Author Share Posted August 10, 2011 Got lots and lots of pictures to post up. Once I get my FiOS service back, I'll throw them up in this thread. Pulled the engine and trans today and took out every little thing in the engine bay, power washed it and am about to throw a coat of paint in there, but I've got a couple of firewall holes to patch up first and a couple of new ones to drill for the wiring harness on the passenger side. Hope to have a coat of paint in the engine bay before I call it a night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrawombat Posted August 14, 2011 Author Share Posted August 14, 2011 Here is what I got accomplished last week: Painted the engine bay - but it didn't come out very well so I've been spending countless hours sanding out some of the runs and trying to smooth it out. Patched up holes in the firewall - made a bracket for the newer style rubber grommet and welded it over the old wiring harness hole. No trimming needed and works great. Patched over the clutch master cylinder hole as well. Originally I wanted to use a bolted plate so that if I ever wanted to swap to a manual, it wouldn't be so bad. Decided to just tack weld it instead so looks like I'm sticking with an auto. Made an adapter plate to cover the old steering column hole and place the new hole in the proper spot. Lots of cutting and grinding went into this to get it right. Replaced the drivers floor pan, reinstalled the top of the drivers frame rail and installed the front seat mounting bracket from the '99XJ donor. Seam sealed everything and primed it all. Need to button up the passenger side frame rail before I can repaint the interior. So, with any luck, I hope to be finished with all of the nitty gritty work on the interior by tonight. I have a job interview in Maryland Tuesday morning so I'm probably going to take Monday off to prepare myself and drive down to my girlfriends place in MD in the evening. I should get back to work on the truck by Wednesday and I really, really, really want to get the interior completely painted and coated with QuietCar so I can FINALLY put the thing together. It's been sitting as a bare shell for too long now and I'm getting anxious to finally see it as a real truck. I'll put some pictures up when I actually get internet service back at my shop/house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucky88 Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 can't wait to see the pics.....you have given me the guts to start my mj.....and i don't even know what I'm doing lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrawombat Posted August 14, 2011 Author Share Posted August 14, 2011 My best piece of advice to anyone thinking about doing the 97+ XJ conversion to their MJ - find a RUST FREE Comanche to start with for a base. I have spent more time futzing around with rust repair than I have with the actual conversion. I've already cut two chunks of the frame out and re-welded in new steel, replaced the entire driver's front floorpan and still need to button up the passenger side frame rail. I could have saved myself days of time had I started with a solid base. And I still have rockers and rear wheel well rust repairs to do once I get to that point...probably just going to let a professional do it as I've had just about enough with the rust repair :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucky88 Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 My best piece of advice to anyone thinking about doing the 97+ XJ conversion to their MJ - find a RUST FREE Comanche to start with for a base. I have spent more time futzing around with rust repair than I have with the actual conversion. I've already cut two chunks of the frame out and re-welded in new steel, replaced the entire driver's front floorpan and still need to button up the passenger side frame rail. I could have saved myself days of time had I started with a solid base. And I still have rockers and rear wheel well rust repairs to do once I get to that point...probably just going to let a professional do it as I've had just enough enough with the rust repair :D I can't find a rust free mj around here that won't cost me a stupid amount lol. the one I'm getting is 300 bucks and had a considerable amount of rust. probably comparable to yours. i know for a fact its got holes in the driver side floor pan because i helped the guy ghetto fix it so it would pass inspection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrawombat Posted August 17, 2011 Author Share Posted August 17, 2011 Went to the JY today looking for a 15 gallon Dakota tank. Found one, but this particular yard destroys all of the tanks by drilling multiple holes in them. I'll have to get one from another yard. They did have a huge inventory of Explorer's, so I looked underneath each one to see if I could find one with 3.73 gears to match my D30 front. Found two of them that had limited slip 3.73's, but both had the instrument clusters yanked out so I didn't know the mileage. One was in a '95 Eddie Bauer edition and the other was in a '97 XLT. Tried to determine the amount of play in each and assessed the overall condition of each vehicle and went with the one out of the '95. Brake pads have lots and lot of meat left on them. It wasn't too bad of a pull, but once I had the rear end out, I couldn't figure out a way to get it between all of the vehicles with the springs still attached. I didn't have an 18mm deep socket on me to get the leaf springs off, but luckily a very cheerful Mexican working on the Explorer next to me did. Got the leaf springs off and had a guy in the yard load it up on the yard truck and drove it to the parking lot and loaded it in the back of my MJ. Axle cost me $150 and I tripped the yard guy $10 for his services. He probably makes that per hour and he seemed pretty happy. I'm going to pull the axles, remove the parking brake components and fix the dust shields. Unfortunately every vehicle in the yard rests on the axles, which bends the dust shields. Going to paint it up nice and get it mounted under the truck on it's new Hell Creek 3" leaf springs when they arrive (hopefully by the end of next week). Also going to have a guy weld up the tubes to the cast iron pumpkin as that seems to be a weak spot on these. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrawombat Posted August 18, 2011 Author Share Posted August 18, 2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrawombat Posted August 18, 2011 Author Share Posted August 18, 2011 This will be the fuel tank that I plan on using: Out of a '98 or '99 Dakota. 15 gallon tank - pump/regulator are already setup for the 5.2/5.9L Magnum engine and it should talk to the fuel level sender is supposed to talk to the XJ instrument cluster...or so I'm told. We'll just have to wait and see! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrawombat Posted August 20, 2011 Author Share Posted August 20, 2011 Still without internet so no pictures except for the occasional cell phone picture that I snap. Yesterday I had a friend come and help out and we got the top of the passenger side frame rail welded back in, the passenger side front seat mount out of the donor XJ, and we cleaned/sprayed the front wheel wells on the MJ with some anti-chip rock coating. Came out really nice and I'm going to clean up the transmission tunnel area and under the cab and shoot that with the same stuff. Received two gallons of QuietCar sound deadening paint, so once I can get the interior pressure washed and cleaned out, I'll spray lay a couple coats of that down. After that dries, I should be able to completely assemble the interior. Plans for next week are to remove the 5.9L engine/trans out of my ZJ donor and clean that all up and paint it. Got a nice engine painting kit from POR-15 a while back that I've been wanting to use on something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
87Warrior Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 Please be sure to post your impression of the QuietCar paint. I really want to apply some sort of sound deadening to the cab of my truck, but don't want to use any of the adhesive backed products. Can't wait for the visual updates! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrawombat Posted August 20, 2011 Author Share Posted August 20, 2011 Please be sure to post your impression of the QuietCar paint. I really want to apply some sort of sound deadening to the cab of my truck, but don't want to use any of the adhesive backed products. Can't wait for the visual updates! Will do. I'm not going to have much to compare it to since I honestly don't remember what this MJ sounded like prior to be tearing it apart. I do have a good idea of the difference in road noise between my '92MJ and my '01XJ and there is a world of difference between the two. I feel like if I can get this truck to be as quiet as the XJ, I'll be happy. I bought the QuietCar based on the video that Sir Sam posted a while back on his VW van. I did some online research for reviews of the product and I found a lot of them that weren't all that great - mostly on Kia and Hyundai forums. I did find a lot of favorable reviews from Subaru WRX and STi owners. I've ridden in half a dozen WRX's and STi's and I always noticed how much road noise there was in those cars and it was somewhat comparable to my '92MJ. So if those guys are happy with the product, I feel like there's a good chance I will be too :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turboxr Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 I'll be interested to see how you tackle the wiring, as I plan on a 5.2 swap into my 87. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrawombat Posted August 21, 2011 Author Share Posted August 21, 2011 I'll be interested to see how you tackle the wiring, as I plan on a 5.2 swap into my 87. The wiring will certainly be a challenge. I have about 50% of the wiring going through the firewall figured out (splicing between the 97+XJ dash and the '98ZJ 5.9L Limited body harness). There's another 25% that I still need to look at more carefully and then the last 25% is going to require a bit of work. The interior wiring will be entirely from the '99XJ donor. That wiring isn't going to be nearly as difficult, but there will be some question marks as to what to do with the rear windshield wiper motor, rear defrost, etc. I'll likely be using those for things like a light bar and bed cargo light. I also intend on splicing the '99XJ wiring for the taillights and fuel pump into the original '88MJ wiring. It should be pretty interesting when I finally get to that point and I'm definitely excited for it. Dozens of people have done the 97+ XJ swap on their trucks, but splicing two different vehicle wiring harnesses together is some pretty uncharted territory. I like being a pioneer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turboxr Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 This guy from NAXJA only used a few wires from the ZJ donor. Check it out: http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2523955/1 ... kee/page-2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrawombat Posted August 22, 2011 Author Share Posted August 22, 2011 A lazy rainy Sunday for me as I was nursing a hangover and waiting for Verizon to come and fix my FiOS. Decided to bring the drivers seat from the '99XJ donor up to my house to take it apart and figure out a thing or two. I think when the XJ was involved in the accident, the drivers head whipped into the headrest and snapped it because it was flopping around. I also think the previous owner was a bit on the heavy side because the side bolster is about shot. I already convinced myself that I'm going to replace it with a nicer seat when I come across one, but in the meantime, I wanted to dissect the seat and fix it. Removed the exterior cloth and threw it in the washing machine. Welded up the headrest so it no longer flops around and I also figured out how to rework the reclining mechanism on the 4-door seats to allow the seat to fold forward for access behind the seat. It works pretty well, but there is a downside - the seatback no longer springs back when you pull up the on the handle. I think I'll make that sacrifice for easier access to behind the seats. I normally just set the recline of the seat to where I like it and never touch it again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrawombat Posted August 26, 2011 Author Share Posted August 26, 2011 I finally got my internet back at my house and shop. Here are a couple of pictures of some progress. Drivers floorpan going in: Undercoat on the front wheel wells: Drivers seat modifications: Gotta get back to work on this thing... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrawombat Posted August 30, 2011 Author Share Posted August 30, 2011 Picked up a set of Rubicon Moab rims with some brand new Goodyear MT/R's on 'em. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turboxr Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 Keep it coming! Waiting on that wiring... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrawombat Posted August 30, 2011 Author Share Posted August 30, 2011 The wiring is still a ways off. I start my new job in Maryland on September 6th. Unfortunately, the MJ is NOT coming with me...at least not until I can get my own place with a spot to work on it. I'll be coming home some weekends to tinker with it and if I can get the thing rolling, I may consider hauling it down to MD and storing it at a friends place. Now, if Hell Creek would just ship me my rear leafs, we could make that happen... Coated the interior with Valspar Tractor & Implement Paint: Let that dry overnight and started with the QuietCar Sound Deadening: I've used about 2/3 of a gallon on the first coat, but I'm not quite sure how thick it is. QuietCar recommends somewhere around 3-5mm for the optimum sound deadening. If I had to guess, I'd say I'm only at 1-2mm at the moment and looking at the picture, I can tell I'm thinner in some areas. I'm currently waiting 45 minutes until it gets tacky and am going to hit it again, per the instructions. Want to try to use the entire gallon and see what kind of thickness I'm at when it's empty. Here's a shot of one of the Moab wheels I picked up: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrawombat Posted August 31, 2011 Author Share Posted August 31, 2011 Finished some odds and ends on the firewall and then started to put the interior together. It's starting to look like a truck! Dash needs to come back out tomorrow because I forgot to drill a hole for the auto trans shifter cable to go through. Doh. Also spent some time on the main steering column wiring harness because the PO had a remote starter hooked up to it. It was done fairly well so it was pretty easy to clean up and tape up the wires. Hoping to get into fusing the XJ and MJ interior wiring harnesses together and making the large XJ harness fit into the small MJ cab. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrawombat Posted September 1, 2011 Author Share Posted September 1, 2011 Today was one of those days that makes you start to appreciate all of the hard work and long hours you put into a project. I had to pull the dash back out and drill a new hole in the firewall for the transmission shifter cable, but once that was done, it was off to the races. I began reassembling the interior and got a lot farther than I thought. Just about everything has been bolted in minus the seats and center console. Even got most of the wiring finished on the interior. Had my room mate come down and help me get the passenger door bolted on - first time this truck has had a door since 2008. Relocated the newer style striker, but I can't quite seem to get the door aligned right. There seems to be a pretty massive gap at the rear of the door. The shape of the older style doors versus the newer style are different around the striker area. I'm going to mess with the alignment a bit more tomorrow Also pulled the carpet back out and trimmed it up some. It's from the donor XJ and it fits really nicely up front, but not so well in the back - hoping some more trimming will take care of that. I'll get some pictures tomorrow as I'm dead tired and want to hit the junkyard in the early AM to grab some odds and ends I need to complete the interior. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderbear Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 I really need to remember to stay out of Sam's and your build threads... :wall: So much want.. Was there a link for the quietcar stuff I missed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now