RockMJ Posted May 3, 2012 Share Posted May 3, 2012 Well guys, looks like its about time I made a build thread. Ive how several of you guys shoot me PM's asking me, sometimes demanding, that I make a build thread lol. I appreciate the feedback that the few details ive posted have received and being as I'm home sick today I figured why the heck not. I should tell everyone that the main reason I have not started one yet is because my last build thread I did for my 97 ZJ ended up being 212 pages long. I got a bit burned out after keeping track of every nut and bolt that I put into that Jeep so ive taken some time off so to say. A little back story on how I ended up getting my MJ about 9 months ago goes a little something like this (deep breath). I moved down to FL a little over a year ago from PA and living in the rust belt I was never able to find a "salvageable" MJ to build for a project. All of the ones I found were horribly rusted and way beyond saving, and the price tag was never right. So I went through several Jeep's, 13 to be exact, before I ended up in FL in March 2011. At the time I was driving a 2004 LJ that was slowly being turned into a heritage type mod with all cues on the Jeep paying homage to the 83-84' Scrambler's. In July 2011 my family fell on hard times and the LJ ended up at auction before I had a chance to even get my personal belongings out of it. It was a terrible time in my wife and I's life as we scrimped and saved for years to get it, but there was a light at the end of the tunnel! The LJ went to auction and the bank actually sent ME a check for 2500 bucks! I was seriously shocked as most times the owner ends up owing, big time! Here she is when we got her and before she left our family. My wife and I on our wedding day in Outer Banks, NC And right before she left... While all of the BS was occurring with the LJ I saved up some money and purchased my first Jeep MJ. Here are a few specs on her from when I picked her up 1988 Jeep Comanche LWB 4.0L Renix 5 Speed Peugot 2WD, Dana 35 rear The Jeep was nothing special and when I purchased it for 1600$ I got what I paid for. Absolutely nothing on the Jeep worked electronically, wipers, lights, dash, etc. Every single seal on the doors, hood, drivetrain, etc was shot. The windshield leaked water and the interior was a sopping wet mess of dirt, bugs, and filth. I did not sit in the Jeep for nearly 6 months until I "sanitized" it. Here she is when I picked her up from an 18 year old kid that, thankfully, did not have enough money to ruin it anymore. His electrical skills for simply wiring in a stereo took me weeks to correct :wall:. And my intentions were clear from the very beginning... More to come... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockMJ Posted May 3, 2012 Author Share Posted May 3, 2012 My first plan of attack was to get the electrical components working, get it running correctly, and then tackle the interior. First thing I did the following weekend after buying it was tackle the rough idle, stalling issue. I took the throttle body off and gave it a thorough cleaning as well as cleaning the IAC motor a whole sh*t load. After doing just that the Jeep ran and idled beautifully. I was thrilled :D . I moved on to tackling the electrical issues the Jeep had and my lord I was in for some fun :headpop: . Up until this point I was totally unaware that the wiper relay fuse is a Chrysler only part that would set me back 37$. At least afterwards I had working wipers! Next I went through the exterior lighting cleaning and resealing all of the electrical connectors as well as redoing all of the grounds and guess what? The lighting worked! Now that I got the exterior lighting working and nearly 80% of all the bulbs were long since burned out and needed replacing, I moved onto the interior. At this point I really needed to choose a direction for the build and take it easy on tearing things apart until my hands and my head were in sync :fs2: . I started tearing into the interior and when I removed the soaking wet sponge of a carpet and disgusting bench seat I found a whole treasure trove of insects. I was never happier in my life than I was in that moment lol. I won't go into details but lets just say that the bench seat was a mobile roach hotel and the PO wasnt the cleanest kid (understatement of the century). I decided I wanted a black interior and being as they are super hard to come by, I decided to refinish the interior myself. I diligently followed a four step process for applying the SEM refinishing paints to all of the interior pieces but I won't go into the details other than, clean, prep, paint, seal. Here is what I started with... RockMJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockMJ Posted May 3, 2012 Author Share Posted May 3, 2012 At this point I started to think about some custom gauge overlays for the MJ. I had seen what others had made and I never really liked them so I took some measurements of the gauges and made my own. At this point I replaced every bulb in the dash, and glovebox. Those little bulbs arent cheap! Some paint work I did of the dash and the trim. A unique touch And some of the smaller interior pieces that were refinished. Its such a PITA to clean and prep each and every one of those pieces The first layout I came up with was a black setup with blue accents Finished! Turn out to be a bit too dark for my liking So at this point I re-tweaked everything and made a white gauge overlay which I ended up sticking with Refinished steering column and new steering wheel! And a test fit with a red set I tossed... More to come... RockMJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockMJ Posted May 3, 2012 Author Share Posted May 3, 2012 I know by now your probably winded, I know I am lol. During all of this I had been acquiring little pieces to completely overhaul the Jeep. All new door seals inside and out, door handles inside and out, door locks, door lock linkage arms, hood cowl seal, and a ton of other little parts that I cannot think of right now. Here are some shots of the refinishing progress. I think overall I probably have 50-60+ hours in redoing the interior pieces, if not more. I'm very particular how my things go together and my hands and back pay for it lol Windshield trim refinished versus not And the completely finished DS door panel, arm rest, window crank etc Versus... Big difference right? I took a break from doing some of the interior stuff and focused on getting some interior lighting back into the MJ. When I purchased the Jeep there were absolutely no interior lights, dash or otherwise. That had to change and quick. I got a hold of TeamCherokee for one of their NOS XJ overhead dome lights with map lights. I also purchased a set of b-pillar lights off of eBay and got those installed First I refinished the headliner in a slick black to match everything Then I had to cut it up for the dome light after it was refinished black lol Before After And installed Woohoo! Next came some more interior panels being refinished and the b-pillar lights And I scored a new tailgate, which started me on the exterior! RockMJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Backdraft Posted May 3, 2012 Share Posted May 3, 2012 Awesome! I dig your truck and you do top notch work. Really glad to see a build thread and documentation on it. Loving the interior and exterior colors and the way they work so well together. Great attention to detail, and your gauge overlays are pimp! Way to go Josh. Looking forward to seeing all your progress in this thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockMJ Posted May 3, 2012 Author Share Posted May 3, 2012 When I picked up the MJ the PO had "tinted" the exterior lighting with spray paint. Not the brightest kid. A buddy of mine in TN picked up a mint set of tail lights for the MJ and shipped them out to me. I took my time cleaning them up and refinishing them and I ended up with this! Before After And since I was working on the exterior I moved to the front and started tackling the issues up there. I replaced the headlights with a Delta Xenon kit as well as the turn signals and marker lights. I also undented the front bumper, refinished it and remounted it. It would eventually end up as scrap metal for another project (center console brackets). I also cut and mounted a set of foglights I had left over from my LJ. Wired them into a factory switch that I picked up from a CC member :wavey: . I also replaced the seriously broken headlight switch. Nice to have new things eh? RockMJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockMJ Posted May 3, 2012 Author Share Posted May 3, 2012 Now at this point I picked up some new brake and clutch pedal pads as well as a center console, NOS 5 speed shifter knob, and a bunch of other goodies. I also picked up a new friend and family member called "JP" :D . The newest member of our tribe on the way home in nothing other than a Jeep. Pardon the mess lol That weekend I POR-15'd the floor boards inside and out as well as the trans tunnel and wheel wells. Did the good stuff with the marine clean, metal ready, base and top coats and I topped it off with Herculiner. Then some fresh carpet lol Herculiner done with the center console in as well as the seat with the MJ brackets I snagged from a member on here. I picked up the seats and center console from a 92' XJ in Tampa for 50 bucks. The seats were a bit rough but comfortable after a thorough cleaning with some POR-15 Marine Clean and hours of scrubbing. At this point I moved on to the exterior and finally refinished the rear bumper, rear sliding window (after resealing it), and truck bed with the Herculiner. After a serious overhaul of undenting and refinishing. I also installed my LiteDot LED License Plate Light Duct tape...the painters favorite tool lol I also wrapped up a few smaller things I had been meaning to tackle. I refinished the brake release handle with some fresh paint. New on the left, old on the right And I installed my slim LED third brake light and wired it in before I finished up the interior RockMJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockMJ Posted May 3, 2012 Author Share Posted May 3, 2012 Things started to take shape after getting the bed Herculined and I mounted the spare tire carrier from my LJ in the bed for the spare. I left enough room on either side for a 35" tire and centered it directly over the rear axle. Eventually I plan on getting a cage built for the bed which will house the spare tire mount as part of it but this works for now That weekend I snagged a BRAND NEW ARB Deluxe bull bar off of CL for 300$! The guy bought it brand new for his 01' XJ and never installed it. He originally wanted 550$ for it and I talked him down to 300$. I was incredibly happy, he wasnt so thrilled lol I also blacked out the hideous orange marker lights as I was never planning on using them to begin with. Also refinished the grille trim before putting the bumper on Old rusty junk New shiny, gunmetal junk I removed the fender flares to refinish them and I found rust. I almost junked the entire Jeep because of this. Completely unrepairable :fs1: I mocked up my JK Eagle Alloy 137 wheels and 32" Toyo AT's Looking pretty good so far but more to come! I'm getting tired...lol RockMJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockMJ Posted May 3, 2012 Author Share Posted May 3, 2012 Next came the fun stuff. Some Spidertrax wheel adapters so I could finally put the JK wheels on. I also installed a 2" BB up front to level the Jeep out and help clear the tires. This was around Christmas time and shortly after this the serious modding started ie: body, paint, etc. Trimmed the front fenders to match the ARB Looking pretty good so far but I was never happy with the color. Mid 80's Toyota Corolla teal. Yuk Christmas Eve! Mounted the spare by simply shifting the lug from the 5x4.5" BP to the 5x5" BP. I made it so its reversible too :clapping: Now with all this being done I was driving the Jeep daily to and from work. Everything was going great until one day after work I got a wild hair up my arse and decided to fill up the PS tire with air because it was low. Now any MJ owner knows that fix one thing another breaks right? Well after putting 35psi in the passenger side front tire I hop back into the Jeep and go to start it. Guess what? NO CLUTCH. The slave cylinder $#!& the bed right then and there and I had to limp the MJ home in 1st gear. With that said next thing on the list was a clutch overhaul. This is when I finally met Drahcir from CC and he was a huge help getting the MJ back in running order. We replaced the slave cylinder, clutch, pressure plate, throwout bearing and the master cylinder just to be safe. Flywheel looked perfect we just cleaned it up real quick and were back in business. After extensive bleeding we could not figure out why with the clutch engaged and the engine running that there was some chatter. I continued to bleed it for several more hours when eventually I got fed up. I buttoned everything up and took it for a spin around the community. After some easy driving the chattering went away and the best we can figure is that there was a high spot in one of the clutch packs. She has been running and shifting great ever since! Now unlike other people with the BA-10 I never had any problems with mine minus smelling gear oil constantly and occasional difficulty getting into 2nd gear. Well I did some observing and some research after the trans was out and as it turns out the last time the oil was changed they put the wrong stuff in. The BA-10 uses motor oil and is strictly against using gear oil per Peugot's OEM specifications. IIRC the oil was 20w50 motor oil and after a few quarts of that she was ready to go. Now I went on to tackle the issue of smelling the gear oil constantly. Turns out the seal on top of the transmission where the shifter housing is was totally gone. No big deal right? Just buy another one right? Wrong. Chrysler discontinued the part years and years ago so I was left figuring out alternatives. I bought the closest one I could figure in diameter and prayed for the best. I picked up the seal from a CJ7 T-4 transmission and sure enough, it worked!!! I also purchased a TJ 2.5L floor seal for the shifter to replace my torn one and between the two of them I havent smelled oil since. The MJ also is shifting a million times better with the motor oil in the transmission! Before putting the trans back up in the Jeep we also replaced the rear output shaft seal with a new unit. No more leaky leaky :yes: RockMJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockMJ Posted May 3, 2012 Author Share Posted May 3, 2012 Now after getting the MJ BACK together it was time to tear it apart...again, for the third time lol. I finally decided on a color and layout for the MJ that I would be happy with. I ended up going with 2011 Dodge Challenger Toxic Orange for the exterior paint and I felt it matched the interior pretty dang well. As I was tearing apart the MJ and prepping it for paint and body work parts were arriving like crazy! I got the carpet kit, Bushwacker flat style flares, 97+ XJ fenders, 97+ front clip, Kicker DS series speakers to go with my new Alpine usb stereo w/iPod hookup, floor mats, decals for the bed and sides, and my intake setup from Rusty's (only product of theirs I will ever use). And with the 97+ front end hung and at the painters Now in the meantime I had a week to get other stuff ready to go back onto the Jeep. I took that time to refinish the windshield trim, mirrors, and some other parts. I also got a few surprises from the big brown truck. AEV Savegre wheels :yes: Only two showed up one day. Bummer RockMJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockMJ Posted May 3, 2012 Author Share Posted May 3, 2012 I should probably point out that the two AEV's that showed up were after I got the MJ back. Didnt mean to play with anyones mind lol. Well here are the last of the photos I have right now of her the day I picked her up and from there on out. I sold the Eagle Alloy wheels and mounted the AEV's on the Toyo's and I'm very happy with the tire/wheel combo! Big upgrade IMHO Decals! Intake setup RockMJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockMJ Posted May 3, 2012 Author Share Posted May 3, 2012 I blacked out the 4.0L badge on the tailgate and I really love how it blends in with everything else. After waiting a month I finally received my Delta Xenon driving light kit to finally rid the Jeep of the round lights. Shes looking stylish now! Before After Now I ended up having to take the tires and wheels off and put the old stock rollers on until I got the AEV's mounted and balanced to get the other wheels shipped out. I lol'd at these Shame on me :no: But, the waiting period allowed me to refinish the tailgate handle to top off the resto-mod to date New shoes home for my gal! And a few photos of how sexy and sleek she looks all "finished" up. Very proud father right here! And after all that is said and done. Time to relax... RockMJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockMJ Posted May 3, 2012 Author Share Posted May 3, 2012 Now guys, that was just the beginning of the 88' Resto-Mod. Next things on the list are a 4" lift, some 33's or 35's, new built rear axle, brake overhaul, truck bed tool box, cb, and some other stuff. Definitely need seat covers (Wet Okole) and the windows tinted very soon. Drahcir and myself have been exchanging parts back and forth and he has hooked me up with some great stuff. The upright window track door seals on the MJ were non existant when I bought it and TeamCherokee wanted 180$ for the two seals! Thats stupid expensive and being as I bought the windshield washer sprayers from them for 65$ I feel like they got enough of my money. Stupid little things that you don't even think about when doing a restoration but none the less, the Jeep is back in tip top shape and very happy. Drahcir hooked me up with both door seals, a late model 4.0L valve cover, under dash lights to finish off the interior lighting, a hood prop clip to replace the broken plastic one and some other stuff :yes:. The guy is a life saver! Seriously, I owe him big time Now, I am going to retreat with a beer because my arms are about to fall the hell off. Post up your thoughts or questions and ill continue to update this as stuff be happenin' RockMJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockMJ Posted May 3, 2012 Author Share Posted May 3, 2012 Awesome! I dig your truck and you do top notch work. Really glad to see a build thread and documentation on it. Loving the interior and exterior colors and the way they work so well together. Great attention to detail, and your gauge overlays are pimp! Way to go Josh. Looking forward to seeing all your progress in this thread. Mike, thanks man. That means a lot coming from you man. I cannot wait to get more done to her, trust me RockMJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
91 comanche Posted May 4, 2012 Share Posted May 4, 2012 Great Looking Truck,And You Do Quality Work Keep It Up!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89Comanche4x4 Posted May 4, 2012 Share Posted May 4, 2012 Drooooooool That is sooo nice! Where did you get those flares from? How much? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirteatr717 Posted May 4, 2012 Share Posted May 4, 2012 Holy sheeeeetttttt I haven't checked your build in awhile! Awesome work dude!!!! Can't wait for some more updates Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buxmj Posted May 4, 2012 Share Posted May 4, 2012 Hey Josh, nice to go back and read your thread, although I feel privileged to have seen it in person. That mj is awesome. Can't wait to get together again with you and Rich and many more mj owners. Thanks for taking the time to post the pics and history of this truck. I will definitely be picking your brain from time to time. Buck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skidoo_j Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 Did you keep your illustrator files with the dash gauge layouts? Was it tricky getting the needles off? When you did the lay outs I assume you printed them on sticker paper and then cut out the areas with a exacto blade. Are you willing to share the files, or maybe change them for a gauge cluster with a tach??? How do you like the bushwacker flat fender flares? Did you have the door panels re-upholstered or did you just paint them or get from a donor rig? Where did you get it painted and what did it set you back? Did you pull the door card too and have them spray under or just have them tape and mask the sill and door? It's a damn nice paint job in your pics. Did you end up replacing all the rubbers around the windows ? What did that set you back? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockMJ Posted May 6, 2012 Author Share Posted May 6, 2012 Drooooooool That is sooo nice! Where did you get those flares from? How much? I got them off of an eBay vendor for like 350$ plus shipping. Much cheaper than the other places I looked RockMJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockMJ Posted May 6, 2012 Author Share Posted May 6, 2012 Holy sheeeeetttttt I haven't checked your build in awhile! Awesome work dude!!!! Can't wait for some more updates Thanks man. I just started the build thread so no worries lol. Next things on the list are the 4" full lift, truckbed tool box, Hyline Off-Road hood vents, and some other stuff RockMJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockMJ Posted May 6, 2012 Author Share Posted May 6, 2012 Hey Josh, nice to go back and read your thread, although I feel privileged to have seen it in person. That mj is awesome. Can't wait to get together again with you and Rich and many more mj owners. Thanks for taking the time to post the pics and history of this truck. I will definitely be picking your brain from time to time.Buck. Buck, thanks man! It was great meeting you that time. The MJ has changed a bit since youve seen it. I know Rich and I both would love to get some other MJ owners together and a couple of us were talking about a meet and greet in the FL thread. Any questions you have man, feel free to ask! RockMJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockMJ Posted May 6, 2012 Author Share Posted May 6, 2012 Did you keep your illustrator files with the dash gauge layouts? Was it tricky getting the needles off? When you did the lay outs I assume you printed them on sticker paper and then cut out the areas with a exacto blade. Are you willing to share the files, or maybe change them for a gauge cluster with a tach??? How do you like the bushwacker flat fender flares? Did you have the door panels re-upholstered or did you just paint them or get from a donor rig? Where did you get it painted and what did it set you back? Did you pull the door card too and have them spray under or just have them tape and mask the sill and door? It's a damn nice paint job in your pics. Did you end up replacing all the rubbers around the windows ? What did that set you back? Thats a lot of questions to answer so here goes! I have the illustrator files and I actually didnt remove the needles for fear of damaging the gauges. I instead made the center hole big enough to gently bend them over and around it. You cannot tell when looking at the finished product that thats how it was done. I used a few different types of cutting tools and in the future I plan on buying a leather belt hole puncher. Makes some really nice and clean holes. I am in the process of making a gauge cluster layout with the tach setup as we speak. I would be willing to sell them, custom to order, but I won't share the .ai files. Sorry :D The bushwackers are great but the rear flares don't exactly mate up properly with the MJ body lines. The holes are in the wrong places vs the XJ and there isnt enough metal to lower the flares down all the way to make the flares follow the body lines. The gaps arent terrible and I can certainly live with them but just a heads up for anyone doing it in the future is all. The door panels are the same ones that came with the Jeep. Those nasty, gross, grimy gray ones. I reused all of the interior pieces but I refinished them in black. Took a very, very long time and it was difficult work but it paid off in the end. The paint job set me back about 2K because I had them put more coats of primer, base and clear than they normally would. I did all the prep work myself so it turned out very nice and there is no overspray or anything like that with it. I have replaced all of the rubber around the windows and doors as of today and I cannot honestly tell you how much. Probably in the 200-250$ range for all new stuff. Might be higher but I went overboard with replacing absolutely everything including the secondary drip rails. Hope that all helps man! RockMJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockMJ Posted May 6, 2012 Author Share Posted May 6, 2012 Speaking of door seals, I just replaced the passenger side upright door window track seal. The old one wasnt even rubber anymore and it turned to a dried out, brittle piece of plastic. I also installed my under dash lighting and all of this was courtesy of Drahcir! Thanks again man! Old "seal"... New, fresh sexy time one! With this two simple things that took me all of 20 minutes the Jeep is much happier. Now I won't hear any whistling from the door going down the road. Interior lighting is finished off now with the under dash lights! Very happy am I :D RockMJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skidoo_j Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 I have the illustrator files and I actually didnt remove the needles for fear of damaging the gauges. I instead made the center hole big enough to gently bend them over and around it. You cannot tell when looking at the finished product that thats how it was done. I used a few different types of cutting tools and in the future I plan on buying a leather belt hole puncher. Makes some really nice and clean holes. I am in the process of making a gauge cluster layout with the tach setup as we speak. I would be willing to sell them, custom to order, but I won't share the .ai files. Sorry :D Well I'd love to see what you produce I could be the first buyer. I'm not all that great with illustrator, photoshop yes, but not had the practice in AI. When you printed them did they show pixelation? I know vector printing should be crisper but again minimal experience. What kind of customization are you thinking just color schemes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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