terrawombat Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 So my friend got into a little fender bender with her 1999 Jeep Cherokee Classic. Messed up the passenger fender, bumper, and grill. Looks to even be a little bit of frame damage as the passenger motor mount looks pushed back a bit. The truck has a 4.0L, AW4, NP231, and 8.25 with about 130K miles on it and runs great. I've driven it before she got into the accident and it seemed solid - ran well, shifted well, and since it was female owned, the interior is in real good shape and smells nice too! Best part about the truck is her Dad just dropped it off at my shop and signed over the title to me...for...well...not that much at all ;) I've also got an '88 MJ and it's tired...really tired. I'd say it saw a good few thousand miles with gas mixing in the crankcase oil. The end results is a leakdown test showing me that the rings are the cause for my low compression and I'm not too surprised...gasoline-induced oil isn't the greatest lubricant. Couple the tired engine with the fact the truck has the oh-so-famous BA-10/5 transmission and a transfer case that sounds like it's full of marbles and my situation isn't looking much better. To add insult to injury, the truck also has a D35 in the back. Now, I was thinking to myself. I've got a '99 XJ with a bit of frame damage and a couple of banged up body parts, but a great drivetrain and a nice interior. Why not do a full transplant? I'm talking engine, transmission, transfer case, rear axle, front axle, dashboard, gauge cluster, wiring harness, seats, carpet (trimmed, of course), center console, doors...basically anything I can take from the XJ to donate to the MJ. Sure, there will be some snags along the way...the two Jeeps are 11 years apart...something had to have changed somewhere along the lines so that this won't be a total bolt-on operation, but we'll cross those bridges when we get there. Also, when I strip down the MJ, I can finally do all of the undercoating and painting I've wanted to do on it. Am I crazy? Is this possible? Am I just setting myself up for failure? I guess time will tell... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 It is possible and it has been done. Potential obstacles to be addressed: 1. Front fenders aren't really the same, when you look closely. To mate up properly with the "new" header, you'll have to buy a replacement fender for hers that got crunched. 2. Dashboard mounts are slightly different, so I've been told. There are threads on this site of other people who have put the new dashboard into an MJ, so it can be done. 3. Brake & taillight wiring for the MJ is different than for the XJ, because the MJ doesn't have amber turns. Even when using an older XJ harness, there's going to be some adapting needed where the "new" chassis harness ties into the rear portion of the MJ harness. 4. Location of the door strikes/catches moved. This has also been addressed on this forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 check the projects forum. should be a couple of them in there. shelbyluvv's comes to mind (and he's got a ton of pics) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shelbyluvv Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 It is possible... Just extremly time consuming. I am about 70% done with mine. I need a few parts to really finish her. The goal (IE needs to be running) is by this spring. The major things that need to be addresed are, Steering column, firewall, seat brackets, fuel lines, fuel gauge sender, tail light wiring, door strikers, master cyl brake lines, dash mounts, parking brake lever, fuse panel, and the seat belts retactors. It is a ton of work but it is fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrawombat Posted December 11, 2009 Author Share Posted December 11, 2009 Thanks for the replies, fellas. shelby - I've taken a brief look at your build-up...maybe the first couple of pages or so. Your project build will be very helpful as I go through mine so I thank you in advance! First things first, I need to find a way to heat my shop because winter has come early this year! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 Is your shop insulated? if not, that'd be step one. my garage isn't and the propane heater can really struggle. :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrawombat Posted December 11, 2009 Author Share Posted December 11, 2009 Unfortunately, it is not insulated and the cost to do such a thing would be huge. I converted an old dairy barn into a shop and the total square footage is on the order of 2,000+. I did convert a section of it to a paint booth and used some very thick plastic to cover the ceiling and draped it down for walls. I've heated that before with a propane heater and it worked well. There are quite a few paths for the heat to escape, so I'd have to fix that first. I was leaning towards getting a wood burning stove as I have a massive amount of wood to burn... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freakjeep93 Posted December 12, 2009 Share Posted December 12, 2009 ive just got a wood stove in one of our shops ... but then again its JUST big enuf to get my mj in witn no bumpers fenders or bed . dads extended cab s10 won't fot. but abyway its not insulated and the stove heats er well. the whole place doesnt need to be really wark you just need a spot to go to to get warmed up .good luck :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted December 12, 2009 Share Posted December 12, 2009 with something that big and no insulation, I fear you may just create a hot spot next to the fire. :( what about constructing a smaller shop inside the huge barn? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrawombat Posted December 12, 2009 Author Share Posted December 12, 2009 with something that big and no insulation, I fear you may just create a hot spot next to the fire. :( what about constructing a smaller shop inside the huge barn? Well, I've essentially done that when I put up my paint booth. It's about 16' wide by 32' long and 10' high. It's enclosed with heavy duty plastic on the walls and ceiling and has a concrete floor. The plastic is a GREAT insulator...barely lets any heat out! I just need to clear it out (I've got a lot of random crap in there) and make sure I can fit both of the trucks inside. I also want to find something a little more cost effective than propane. I like the wood stove idea because my only upfront cost will be the actual stove and the flue ducting as I have piles of wood to burn. I'll have to crunch some numbers and figure out the best course of action to take. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirteatr717 Posted December 12, 2009 Share Posted December 12, 2009 seems like itll b a fun project and look into Pellet stoves.. i just got one and it heats my house pretty well and theres no ash, no mess and its pretty cheap!! or look into getting your crapload of wood turned into wood pellets? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrawombat Posted December 14, 2009 Author Share Posted December 14, 2009 I've begun the tear down of the MJ and pulled off some of the damaged panels on the XJ. I was thinking of somehow repairing the bent frame on the XJ so that I could use it while I prep the MJ for the transformation. I have a feeling that the MJ prep work is going to take a long time since I want to repaint and undercoat the entire truck. Most of the damage on the XJ is on the front passenger frame rail. It looks like it was pushed in and down. I was thinking of getting a set of tow hooks that mount to the frame rail and attaching a large chain around a tree and, well, having some fun with it. I wonder if the sudden change in speed would set off my airbags? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 I have a feeling that the MJ prep work is going to take a long time since I want to repaint and undercoat the entire truck. Don't "undercoat" it. Undercoating is comparatively Stone Age technology, and it basically entraps moisture between the frame and the coating, leading to accelerated deterioration of the frame. If possible, trip it to bare metal and use P.O.R. 15, then topcoat that with "rustproofing," not "undercoating." If you can't get to bare metal, get it as clean as you can, paint with zinc phosphate primer, then a couple of good coats of something like Rustoleum, and then seal it with rustproofing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeepman Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 I have Just about finished this exact Project but my MJ is an 89 and my donor is a 98 XJ... I will be starting a thread Very soon once the truck is all back together as I just got it painted and it is re assembly time.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrawombat Posted December 14, 2009 Author Share Posted December 14, 2009 I have Just about finished this exact Project but my MJ is an 89 and my donor is a 98 XJ... I will be starting a thread Very soon once the truck is all back together as I just got it painted and it is re assembly time.... Cool! I look forward to seeing that thread. Did you transplant just the engine or the interior too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeepman Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 Yes interior too and Everything from the doors Forward... My Truck Comes back from paint tomorrow and then the Box goes over for paint next and while the box is out I will be re assembling the Truck... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrawombat Posted December 14, 2009 Author Share Posted December 14, 2009 Ahh, I imagine my truck will look similar to that in a few months! In the process of stripping it down to the shell, where I can do the engine bay, interior, and underbody painting myself. I haven't decided if I'll be doing the exterior painting or if I'll leave that to the pros. I've got my own paint booth and some of the necessary equipment, but I've never been able to really perfect my bodywork skills. I just hope this project isn't TOO much of an undertaking where I begin to lose interest down the line and wind up with an unfinished project. Normally I hit a point where I can't justify dumping any more money into a project, but because my donor was free, I'll likely be more inclined to finishing the job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrawombat Posted December 16, 2009 Author Share Posted December 16, 2009 Here are some shots of the donor. Sorry for the poor pictures...it's really hard to get good angles in my shop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowboard3r411 Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 good job when can you start mine haha :cheers: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrawombat Posted January 14, 2010 Author Share Posted January 14, 2010 Not a fan of the cold and it has been that way for about 2 weeks now. Needless to say, without a heated garage, progress has been slow! Ok - progress has been non-existent. I also had to make a bit of a judgement call and I'm going to fix my donor '99 XJ and lend it to my GF for the next five months or so. Her family had two of their cars go down and it has caused my GF to be without a car for her spring semester of college. No big deal because she can just walk to class, but it'll be hard for her to do any grocery shopping or if she is working late in an academic building, I'd rather her drive back to her off campus apartment at night rather than walk. So, I've installed a new radiator in the '99 XJ donor, picked up a new passenger fender and front bumper and am sending it to auto body shop on Monday morning to have the frame stretched back in spec. I'll probably need miscellaneous brackets and other junk that got wasted in the accident, but I think I should be set. Anyway, it shouldn't necessarily delay the MJ transformation project too much as I have A LOT to do on the body of that truck. I've started to take off components to pull the engine, trans, and TC - then I'll strip the engine bay and repaint it and undercoat the bottom of the cab. I'll need to wait for warmer weather to get the painting done as 20-30 degree temps aren't going to let the paint set properly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shelbyluvv Posted January 14, 2010 Share Posted January 14, 2010 Do not paint your engine bay before you get the steering column and under hood harnesses laid out. You will be chopping and cutting on your freshly painted firewall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrawombat Posted January 15, 2010 Author Share Posted January 15, 2010 Do not paint your engine bay before you get the steering column and under hood harnesses laid out. You will be chopping and cutting on your freshly painted firewall. Thanks for the tip. That kind of throws a monkey wrench into my plans, but I suppose I could leave the firewall unpainted until I do the steering column and wire routing... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shelbyluvv Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 My plan is to detail the underside. Rough in everything else. Drive it a few weeks and work all the bugs out. Once it is running good with no CEL or other problems, blow it back apart, paint it, reassemble it, and let the wife enjoy her "new" truck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrawombat Posted February 2, 2010 Author Share Posted February 2, 2010 Got the '99 XJ donor all fixed up. Cost me a pretty penny to have a local body shop pull the frame back out into shape, but it appears they did a pretty good job as everything lines up again! Had the XJ for maybe all of 12 hours before I handed it over to my girlfriend for the next several months - hope she takes good care of it! Didn't even have time to paint the new body panels! Should blend in nicely with some of the other heaps that these college kids have... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freakjeep93 Posted February 2, 2010 Share Posted February 2, 2010 what did you put in the donor if you took the engine and stuff out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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