Jump to content

1992/1999 Mj Project


Recommended Posts

Another boring, yet relatively important update.The main body XJ harness has been modified for the MJ:

 

 

Since I didn't want to drill any additional holes in my floor, I utilized the floor plugs at the rear of cab for the XJ harness to exit the cab.<br />

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 227
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

The cab (roof, B-pillar, back wall and inner door) has been coated with Fatmat, a Dynamat alternative. I will NOT apply that stuff to the floor. I just don't feel right about doing it to a clean floor. My floor insulation plans are a jute padding and a foil backed insulation.


Then I built brackets so that I could securely fasten a RB1 radio in this truck


RB1 installed with Ebay 82207541AB 82207541AC Factory Radio Stereo Installation Wire Harness Converter. $10 from ebay vs. $75 from Mopar.... Installing this radio, or one shaped like it, will require some bezel trimming. I will trim an extra bezel I have, then fill/sand/paint the bezel so it fits like it should. In order for the navigation to work, I will need to feed it a PCI BUS signal. This can be accomplished by piggy-backing a 02+ TJ/WJ PCM and sending the RB1 a PCI BUS signal, like this guy on Jeep Forum did. I will actually place the extra PCM under the dash.


I also stripped the Pacesetter header


Then primed and painted in the official 'parts paint booth'.


Next step is baking it in the kitchen oven!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Wrap in foil, bake @ 200, 400, 600 respectively, and allow 30 minutes cooling between temperatures....

 

Since my wife made it clear the kitchen oven was not to be used for cooking automotive parts, I had to build an oven.

 

Temperature monitoring via BBQ thermometer

Image Not Found

 

After trying to find the correct manifold gasket for my 99 head, the Pace Setter has found its home. I ended up with a Felpro gasket intended for a '95 XJ. The intake and exhaust ports were way off on the two gaskets I picked up for a '99.

 

*sorry about the terrible picture quality of this post!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Installed Bosch EV6 22b/hr 0280155784 fuel injectors (stock flow rate, but 4 hole), installed the AW4 with fresh seals and gasket, and the 242. Since the drivetrain was being built at my folks' place, it was time to bring it home.

 

Obligatory before picture:

Image Not Found

 

 

Obligatory after picture:

 

I also cleaned up and POR15'ed a rear brake line so I din't have to fight with a tube bender. No more salt trapping spring thing on this brake line! That rusty pile of dirt looking stuff to the left of the jackstand in the foreground is what came off of the brake line as I removed that spring thing. I will top coat the line in silver so any leaks that may arise are easy to spot.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have finished cutting, filling, and texturing the bezel. It hasn't been sprayed with Agate interior paint so it is flat black now. 

 

Stock bezel compared to the Modified bezel


 

Fit in the truck. Yes, I know its not an RB1... The size/shape/mounts/connections are identical. I removed the RB1 so it wasn't damaged during my various test fittings. I also know the steering wheel is filthy and trashed, I have a replacement ready to go....


Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awesome  build love the detail & quality. can't wait to see what ya do with the rear speaker's. I plan on mounting a UHF ( channel 40 ) & inverter in that panel as well as the GM 5.7 computer . Have enjoyed your build from the start. :thumbsup: 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...
  • 1 month later...

Whoa, time has sure started to slip by me :help: I haven't been making much progress on the MJ since I have been rebuilding my TJ's suspension in preparation for a trip to the San Juans. 

 

After 3 years of searching I finally found a gray, manual, 40/20/40 split bench out of a Club Cab Dakota that I was in good enough condition to actually buy. It is a little faded and has 2 cigarette burns.  

 

Arrival:

 

Breaking apart for cleaning:

 

After a thorough hose down, scrub, vacuum, hose down, scrub, and vacuum the seat dried in a spare bathroom. The filth that comes out of a vehicle that has been smoked in is absolutely disgusting :ack:

Now to get the MJ brackets adapted to the Dakota sliders.

 

Since I will be running the Dakota seat the 97+ console won't work for me. I though about just using a mini console from an early XJ, but the shift patterns don't look right with the 97+ interior. So I replaced the transmission shift pattern with one from the 99 XJ and I replaced the transfer case shift pattern with a 242 from a ZJ. I will finish it off with SEM gray and Agate interior paint.

 

Lastly, I picked up a GM reel underhood light from ebay for the truck along with a 15 LED BA15S bulb from Superbright LED for the truck. The XJ under hood light never worked in the XJ and repairing it seemed like a waste since they never work anyhow. Plus, how cool is it to have a drop light in the truck  :wrench:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow! Great progress, I must say. That GM light is a thing of beauty; I'll have to snag up one or two to keep around. :thumbsup:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 months later...

Thank you for the kind words.

 

Unfortunately I haven't done much to the truck since my last update. It has collected a lot of dust. My next step is to finish the cab insulation, fit the carpet (I really don't want to do this) and adapt the Dakota seat to the MJ brackets.

 

I have also been unsuccessful at locating the Mopar interior paint/dye in gray and agate. Heck, I can't even find the right color in the right kind of paint from SEM. I would like to at least have my b-pillar trim pieces ready to go before I bolt the seat in place.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 7 months later...

I believe it is Pioneer Red. My paint guy mixed the paint. He did indicate the paint cost more to mix than most others. Had something to do with the shade of red.

 

Unfortunately the progress has all but stopped on this truck as I have been working extra long hours in preparation for a 30x40 shop to go up. The materials were delivered last week and the crew is set to start this week. Working on the truck is a challenge in our small garage with all of my extra Jeep parts, my wife's WK parked in there and her woodworking projects.

 

The last bit of progress I made was getting the Dakota bench to play nice with the MJ seat brackets. Talk about a royal pain! I have it tack welded together and need to finish burning it in. Sorry, no current photography :(

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...

I have one question. roughly how much have you put into the truck since you started the build??

Too much.

 

3,000 Truck

1,000 99 XJ

3,000 Motor build/AW4 Maintenance

4,000 Body work and bed

1,000 Axles (Rubi 44 + MJ 44)

3,000 Parts/Paint/Supplies

 

Crap. Don't let my wife see this! The cost of this build is one reason why it is taking so long. I want it to be exactly what I pictured from the beginning so the wait is worth it to me.

 

On a good note, I did move the truck to my new shop space last week. Progress will commence soon :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...

Sorry, no progress photos. The only thing I have done is organize all of the stuff that accumulated in the bed. Found a set of JKS shackles I forgot about. That was exciting.

 

I did find a NIB TJ Rubicon axle lock switch for the truck a few weeks ago. Felt like I struck gold even though you can still order these from Jeep. I have also pulled the axles out of storage so they can be prepped for installation. The front will get new bearings and seals along with a locker diaphragm, ball joints and u joints while the rear will get bearings, seals, disk brakes, a locker and 4.10 gears.

 

I have sat idle on this truck for long enough that I feel the excitement starting to burst again. It's nice that I have been able to bring my TJ up to snuff again in that time and I have just a few other basic maintenance repairs left to do on the new Land Cruiser.

 

Here you can see the MJ wondering what the neck a Toyota is doing in its space. The Toyota has come a long way since I hauled it home in this pic.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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 account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share


×
×
  • Create New...