Hi...... I'm Yellaheep and I'm an MJ-aholic.....

[yellaheep]

An addict...... getting his fix...... :doh:

 

 

 

Saw an ad for the gold MJ in Nebraska 380 miles from me. The price was reasonable for the MJ alone, but the owner had another parts '86 that he said I could scavenge as well and take what I wanted for free.

 

The gold MJ is a '90 2wd and was a 4cyl/5 speed with 94K miles on it. The engine was no longer in it, but it came with everything else. Super nice body except for the drivers side front of the bed below the gas filler - got dented in at some point. The floorboards are incrediblely clean and rust free. No body rot anywhere, just some minor surface rust spots.

 

I grabbed the bed/tail gate/tail lights from the '86. It was a 2wd 2.8/auto XLS with all the electric options (removed and gone many years ago). He also let me cut the rear half of the unibody/frame and axle to make a trailer with the bed. The rest was junk.

 

Then on my way out of town (Minden Nebraska) I saw an Andersons pull and pay auto salvage yard. The guy there said they had a comanche so I had to check it out. It had a perfect short bed with a bed liner in it but someone had beat me to the tail gate and tail lights. The rest was junk or striped already.

 

A good day in all...... worth the trip.

[yellaheep]

Then, 143 miles from home this happened............ :wall:

 

 

I have no idea when or where it happened. I had stopped in Lexington Nebr. to check the tire pressures/add air and all seemed ok. After driving 3 hours, I pulled over on the exit ramp to Iliff Colorado to take a leak and stretch. I went to check the straps and found the wheel missing. I sure hope no one got hurt..........

 

I was surprisingly able to limp the rest of the way home but that trip got quite a bit more expensive.......

[86customanche]

Looks like a pretty nice find. and extra parts are always good to have. What are your plans for it?

[yellaheep]

Looks like a pretty nice find. and extra parts are always good to have. What are your plans for it?

 

Given that it's already had the wiring/engine/trans stripped from it, I am hoping to find a '97+ XJ 4x4 that's been hit hard in the rear as a donor and do a complete parts/drivetrain swap. If I find a '96 like that, I'd go that route as well and keep it stock on the outside.

 

For now, I will just get the title transfer done and sit on it as I have a couple other projects ahead of it.

[Sir Sam]

Looks like a pretty nice find. and extra parts are always good to have. What are your plans for it?

 

Given that it's already had the wiring/engine/trans stripped from it, I am hoping to find a '97+ XJ 4x4 that's been hit hard in the rear as a donor and do a complete parts/drivetrain swap. If I find a '96 like that, I'd go that route as well and keep it stock on the outside.

 

For now, I will just get the title transfer done and sit on it as I have a couple other projects ahead of it.

 

Eh, while a 96 would be easier to swap over everything, IMO the 99+ interior is the perfection of the XJ line. (97/98 makes me wanna puke)

 

Plus, the 97+ conversion is what all the cool kids are doing.

[86customanche]

Looks like a pretty nice find. and extra parts are always good to have. What are your plans for it?

 

Given that it's already had the wiring/engine/trans stripped from it, I am hoping to find a '97+ XJ 4x4 that's been hit hard in the rear as a donor and do a complete parts/drivetrain swap. If I find a '96 like that, I'd go that route as well and keep it stock on the outside.

 

For now, I will just get the title transfer done and sit on it as I have a couple other projects ahead of it.

 

Eh, while a 96 would be easier to swap over everything, IMO the 99+ interior is the perfection of the XJ line. (97/98 makes me wanna puke)

 

Plus, the 97+ conversion is what all the cool kids are doing.

Whats the difference in 99+ vs 97, 98? I also plan on at least a partail 97+ swap one day, makes it look as if they made MJs through the 90s :thumbsup:

[Sir Sam]

Whats the difference in 99+ vs 97, 98? I also plan on at least a partail 97+ swap one day, makes it look as if they made MJs through the 90s :thumbsup:

 

The 97s and 98s are two tone, agate(dark grey) upper and "mountain mist" light grey lower. the light grey color just looks crappy to me. like its kinda dirty or something.

 

97/98 interior:

 

99+ agate:

 

There was also a tan option, and the newer 99+ tan is less orange and more light sand colored, I think they even called it desert sand, though I'm still not a huge fan of it.

 

If you want to see a really nice enterior you should see the 99+ Orvis edition XJ interior.....my god is that sexy!

wait here are some pics:

 

exterior:

 

One of these days my prestige XJ is going to wind up with the orvis interior, door panels and all!

[86customanche]

Learn something everyday :thumbsup: The one tone does look a lot better.

[yellaheep]

Picked up yet another......

 

Trade deal actually. That gold '90 short bed I grabbed in Nebraska got traded to my buddy for this one he bought for his kid..... who promptly declined it since it was a long bed.

 

They will be using a '96 XJ donor to put the gold MJ back together with. This long bed is a runner/driver and just needs the clutch slave replaced and some other tinkering.

 

It's an '89 4x4, 4.0 5sp. Non-A/C. The rest is pretty basic. Pretty straight over all with a decent topper and plastic bed liner.

 

The doors got very rotten due to deterioriated window seals. My buddy replaced one door and I have the other so I can replace the driver's door. The tail gate was also rusted beyond repair, but I had another in almost the same color so that got installed already.

 

I replaced the busted grill/bezel parts already as well as the bashed rear bumper with an aftermarket bumper that came with it. I also swapped on a set of roller 235's and steel wheels in place of the ratty rusty wheels it had.

 

The pass. side cab corner and bed were pretty bashed in too, but I spent about 30 minutes with some suction cup tools and worked them out. Looks much better. May have a paintless dent repair place look into finishing it, then have it painted at MAACO back to it's original white. :dunno:

 

 

 

 

After shot of the bed and cab corner (forgot to get a before shot...... :mad:)

 

 

Gonna have to re-glue the headliner and give the interior a good scrubbing. Seat had a cover over it and is in pretty decent shape.

 

[yellaheep]

Update: The blue '89 long bed found a new owner - his thread: viewtopic.php?f=7&t=36601

 

Thought I'd be able to keep myself to 2 little 'ol MJs........

 

Oops........ I did it again.

 

Found another '91 Eliminator I just had to rescue.

 

She's a project and needs TLC but she's got very good bones.

 

Previous owner had it since '97. 2 years ago, it threw the #1 rod cap pulling a hill in the mountains. The tow home wasn't kind to it either as the tow strap was looped around the front unibody crossmember under the radiator. A couple slack-snaps of the strap and the front bumper bent in a "V" upwards busting the header panel and wrecking the A/C condenser. He bought an XJ, borrowed a few of the MJ's parts (fenders, glass, mirror, small parts) then decided he couldn't keep it and restore it. He threw a couple of Certifit fenders on it but they're 1/2" too short (typical) so they're scrap fodder.

 

It sat in Fountain, CO. a few miles south west of the Pikes Peak International Raceway in that arid, desert-like sand dune area where nothing but cactus and goathead thorny plants grow...... and as such, she's pretty weathered...... but NOT rusty. :thumbup:

 

The bed is in great condition as are the tail gate and tail lights..... and it's got a trailer hitch!!!! (Very rare to find these and no one makes them any more.)

 

Unfortunately, the Eliminator wheels are long gone. It doesn't have a D44 rear axle, and it does have a disco D30 (build date 6/90 - 91 build dates got non-discos). The dash is cracked and the paint is a hodge-podge of rattle can "repair" spots so she ain't real pretty. The rear bumper is fubar too. The topper has bad cracking to the gel coat so it's likely junk. Brakes don't work either.

 

But, she does have A/C and cruise, the full skid plate package, the seats and carpet and interior trim are all in good shape. The floors are rust free and she's sporting an old-school "Black Diamond" 3" lift kit.

 

Initial plans are to find an engine for it, replace the bent cross member, put matching tires/wheels on it........ and probably strip the front clip from my keeper '91 to put on this one, then do the '97+ header & fenders on mine.... it makes sense since the winch bumper I have for mine would require cutting the fenders, where it wouldn't if it were sporting late model fenders....... so why cut good, color matching fenders when they can be used on this one?

 

Anyway, pics:

 

 

 

 

Found out why the brakes weren't working..........:rolleyes:

 

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Sitting with better wheels and 30" roller tires..........

 

[johnnyc]

What'd you pay for this one, Troy?

[yellaheep]

What'd you pay for this one, Troy?

 

 

$750. He was asking $1500.

[yellaheep]

Picked up this little "gem" from a NAXJA buddy.  He got big-time buyer's remorse and decided to keep parts of it for his XJ .......... I bought the rest.

 

Used to have a D44 front and 9" rear on 35's.  He kept the axles, steering, winch and tires/wheels.  He then swapped his stock XJ axles and some 33's to go under it.

 

Specs:

'91 Sport Truck 4.0 5sp (originally a 2wd truck)

Hurst shifter

D300 t-case, flipped, XJ twin stick shifters

8.25 rear, D30 front open,.55's

4 New 33x10.50.15 BFG KM2's on Jeep Ravine wheels

JKS sway bar discos

Rusty's 4.5" lift with a bent rear leaf causing 1" rear sag on one side.

Napier Precision Products fender flares (one smashed/busted)

Custom front and rear drive shafts

Custom adjustable upper and lower control arms

Custom adjustable track bar

Custom front winch bumper

Custom rear "pre runner" bumper

Custom rock sliders

Custom bed mounted spare (on hinges so the tire can be lifted up and cargo slid under it)

Custom side exhaust.

Nice stereo

New rear Bilstein shocks

Jeep JK rear seat (40/60 split) that serves as a bench seat.  Cleverly mounted to retain it's flip/fold forward feature.

'98 front clip

 

 

The driver's side of the body and bed are pretty beat up and other than the seat, the interior is pretty much missing except for the dash and door panels.  It's just one of those trucks that's too nice to scrap after being scavenged so......  

 

Plan is to claim the shifter, control arms/track bar, shocks, drive shafts, exhaust, bumpers, sliders and spare tire mount to relocate them to my '91 Eliminator.  The D300 and twin stick kit will go to my '87 XJ buggy.  Gonna put the spare tire set up against the front of the bed instead of the back though.

 

What's left I'll put together with a 231 t-case, exhaust, cheapie control arms/track bar and some 31's and get it sold to someone who'll hopefully have fun with it. 

 

 

 

[zackcj7]

 Could you post up some pics of the JK seat and mounts? That sounds like a cool mod.

[yellaheep]

 Could you post up some pics of the JK seat and mounts? That sounds like a cool mod.

 

Yeah, I've been meaning to snap some pics......... unfortunately it's been in pieces crammed in my garage so once I get it mobile again, I'll post up seat photos.  Quite a bit of fab went into making it work, but it does fit like it was meant to........it doesn't adjust forward or backward though.

[buffalob]

I think sometimes it is a miracle that ANY MJ in colorado gets by you or Jim.

My wife would have had me me sleeping in the shed years ago if I was half as addicted.

 

Cudos on the new score.....

 

PS Bucky is still not home....

She has been moved to the painters house.

What jurisdiction is Quebec and Leetsdale?

[yellaheep]

^{My wife would have had me me sleeping in the shed years ago if I was half as addicted.}

 

 

^{Meh......... it ain't so bad.......  :yes:} 

 

[87Warrior]

 Yeah, I've been meaning to snap some pics......... unfortunately it's been in pieces crammed in my garage so once I get it mobile again, I'll post up seat photos.  Quite a bit of fab went into making it work, but it does fit like it was meant to........it doesn't adjust forward or backward though.

How comfortable is the JK rear seat as a driver seat? Been thinking about using one in my build.

[buffalob]

Let me guess...the dog still sleeps in the house????

 

^{My wife would have had me me sleeping in the shed years ago if I was half as addicted.}

 

 

^{Meh......... it ain't so bad.......  :yes:} 

 

[yellaheep]

 

 

How comfortable is the JK rear seat as a driver seat? Been thinking about using one in my build.

 

Firmer for sure.  About as comfortable as an MJ bench........ so yeah, not real comfortable...... :laughin:

[JeepcoMJ]

I wondered when you'd finally get to posting more here.

 

Nice MJS!

[dscowell]

How much did you pick this bad boy up for? I saw it on craigslist for about 7500 i think

[yellaheep]

How much did you pick this bad boy up for? I saw it on craigslist for about 7500 i think

 

Nunya.......... :D

 

 

Considering the things custom made on it and what was put back on it after the built axles and winch had been removed........ it was a decent deal. :thumbsup:

[JT31]

got that mj bench seat console laying around still? i still need one haha and what did you do with that short bed topper?

[yellaheep]

Yeah........ I've got issues. I've got 8 of these damn things. :D

 

Numero Uno!

 

 

Number 2:

 

 

Number 3:

 

 

Number 4:

 

 

Number 5:

 

 

Number 6: (soon to be scrapped)

 

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Number 7:

 

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And number 8 just came home today.....