Jump to content

new mj owner, take a look


Recommended Posts

Hey all, just got my first mj ( my first jeep for that matter) She is an 87 long bed. It says laredo on the side, but it also says xjs on the other fender, arnt comanche's mjs? so is it realy a laredo? can ya tell? don't know if the badges are right or not. anyways, got it for $350, it runs great but its ugly as spit. its got 166,000 miles and its missing the tailgate,other then that,iut seems ok.She has the 2.5 and a 5 speed. its gonna be my all around work truck for now, but in the future, who knows. since i sold my bronco, I'm left without a project truck, so this may be my new one, tell me what ya think.

what do these buttons do by the way?

 

oh, and how do i engage 4L? in my bronco, it had to be in N then shift down to 4 low, but it doesnt seem to work in the jeep. thanks, tell me what ya think of her

Link to comment
Share on other sites

oh, and how do i engage 4L in my bronco, it had to be in N then shift down to 4 low, but it doesnt seem to work in the jeep. thanks, tell me what ya think of her

 

Works the same way. Drop into neutral, pull lever back and to the right.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

the factory switch left of the column is for your cargo light. other switch is an add on obviously, so not sure. yes, it's a laredo by the seats and the full center console. the "xls" on the other side is from an '86, so that's kinda weird and a add-on by the PO. i'm 99% sure it's an 87 and not 86 because in 86 they didn't have a maroon interior IIRC, it was fairly bright red.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just read through that again. Comanches are MJs, yes, but that has nothing to do with the trim package. Every Comanche is an MJ, just like every Cherokee is an XJ. XLS, Laredo, etc are trim packages. So like Wahoo said, it's one or the other, but it can't be both.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Its most likely been repainted by the looks of things - OR the previous owner just had fun with the emblems. An '86 OR '87 MJ would have come with the Comanche Decals like I have on mine. Like these:

 

n6603948_31472712_375.jpg

 

Other things:

 

I have never really seen the "4x4" emblems near the rear tailights like that. I thought that they were located from the factory under the cab vents - so thats where I put them on my truck :dunno:

 

The Chromed out tailights are a sign of the truck being an '86 :dunno: I've never seen them on any other model year...?

 

The 8 slot grille is from a post 1987 model year XJ/MJ, '84-'87 XJ/MJ models had a 10 slot...

 

Looks like an MJ with an identity crisis :clapping:

 

I only know all of this stuff cause I've always liked the looks of the '86-'87 MJ's over the other ones. So I made my '88 to look like an '87 SWB :dunce:

 

n6603948_31853167_3472.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wasn't 86 the only year for the XLS?

 

yeah, that's what i was pointing out above and as $500 said, the truck has an identitiy crisis with styling and parts cues from both 86 and 87.

 

$500, i believe the 4x4 tags went on the rear in 86 also, and possibly IIRC they went back there if the truck did not have trim level badges i.e. "laredo" etc.; if the truck did have trim level badges under the "comanche" badge, the 4x4 went on the cab pillar. at least that's what i've consistently seen in pictures. 50/50 that i'm right or wrong on that though LOL.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yah - Like I say - who knows where we sit on this one. My best guess is that the previous owner ran across a 1986 MJ in a yard somewhere and took his 1988-1992 :hmm: MJ and added some badges and tail-lights to it. :peek:

 

Can you verify that it is a 1987 model year by checking your title and vehicle for the same VIN #?

 

A few years ago my Dad bought a 1948 Willys Pickup - Thats what the title said. Later looking into things left us with the wrong VIN for the Title of the vehicle we had in our Driveway. Found out it was a 1955 and let the Cops in on our findings. Somewhere along the lines the titles got switched up... :rant: We ended up getting it all legal finally by applying for a lost title and having the previous owner verify things...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

ok,here's what i found out so far, the title says 87, the title matches the vin, but the info plate inside the drivers door says 86, hmmmmmmmmmm.

 

It may be an 87 with a production date in 86.

 

Remember, the year on the title is model year, not necessarily production year. Both my 91s were made in 91, but my 88 XJ was made in 87.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

oh, and how do i engage 4L in my bronco, it had to be in N then shift down to 4 low, but it doesnt seem to work in the jeep. thanks, tell me what ya think of her

 

Works the same way. Drop into neutral, pull lever back and to the right.

 

Make sure you're not moving too.

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...