91 Red Pioneer 2WD

[91Pioneer]

Well I figured I should start a new project thread for my second MJ. I sold my '88 recently and bought this '91.

 

First, my favorite photo of it:

 

It's a 91 short box Pioneer 2WD. It has about 254,000 km (~158K miles) and seems to run strong.

 

I kind of know the two previous owners of the truck, the guy I bought it from owned it the last 8-9 years and the guy before that owned it for maybe 10+ years. The truck is pretty beat down, worn out in some ways. Really, it was neglected like crazy by this last owner.

 

The oil was blacker than tar and he couldn't remember when he changed the oil last (years ago). The transmission line had a leak so the fluid was being pissed out and the transmission was slipping. The cab corners and rockers are pretty much shot. There are dents on every single body panel, and rust on most panels.

 

But what it is, is a good project truck. This isn't my daily driver and I like "tinkering" on vehicles so I bought this to enjoy it (not leave town with it), and slowly fix it up.

 

I fixed the transmission line leak using one of those brass barbed fittings, topped it up and the transmission runs great now. Luckily he hadn't driven it more than about 15-20 miles since it started leaking. The air filter looked like it was original, it was nasty.

 

So far I've put in a new air filter, changed the oil, topped up the coolant, replaced the rad cap, and removed the awful seat cover he had on the seat. Oh yeah and the tires were shot so I put on some new P215/70R15 tires I had sitting around that I wasn't using. So obviously the speedo is out a bit now too. I put them on some Cherokee 10-hole aluminum wheels I picked up earlier this year because I always liked them on the Eliminator.

 

I've got some new spark plugs and a fuel filter to put in soon. Not sure what my plans are other than to do the normal maintenance stuff. Long term I'll work on the body a bit, knocking out dents and maybe try to replace the rockers/corners myself.

 

The floor boards are rusty but there are no holes, so that'll be my winter project, to tackle them.

 

The truck isn't actually this "bright red", I took these photos when the sun was setting and really bright. Normally the red seems darker.

 

[91Pioneer]

I've done a little more to my project. I installed the Euramtec interior courtesy lights I got from eBay. A little pricey but wow they look good. I expected them to be brighter.

 

I also changed the spark plugs, it definitely runs a bit smoother now. I looked at the cap & rotor and I should really replace those too, so that's on my to-do list.

 

I also took out the box liner and the box is in surprisingly quite good condition underneath. The paint is rubbed through from friction but there are no real noticeable dents and scratches, so clearly the liner was installed when the truck was pretty new.

 

A pic from two days ago. It was overcast so you can see the paint under more normal-ish light.

 

[91Pioneer]

Not too much exciting to say but I'll post an update anyway. Since the last update I've:

- Replaced the wiper bushings with Dorman 49447 and replaced the wiper blades

- Installed new Champion distributor cap & rotor, old ones were crusty where the spark was arcing, this was definitely needed

- Bought new rubber floor mats, it previously had "mini" rear seat small ones, now has full length protection

- Replaced the sway bar end links & frame bushings with Moog K3170 & Moog K3174 - this actually made quite a difference in road handling, the front end feels tighter and no longer squeaks.

 

As an aside, I found a lot of conflicting info about lubing bushings. Some people say don't lube them, others say to use lithium grease, others say something else. The Moog bushings are thermoplastic and so I used a synthetic brake caliper slide pin grease that I had, it said it was safe to use on rubber & plastic.

[91Pioneer]

Happy Holidays to my MJ, it's gettin' new parts and some TLC!

 

[91Pioneer]

Wow, I haven't updated in a while. I've replaced the fuel filter, retorqued the LF wheel bearing, replaced the drivers door pin switch, removed two extra body moldings, attached a Dorman shift knob, and just today received my new leaf spring anti-squeak pads.

 

Bad news is I discovered a broken front spring today, so that might explain why it's a little rough.

 

Now for fresh pics:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[91Pioneer]

Time for another update.

 

I've only done two notable things. I cleaned the seat using carpet/uphostery cleaner (video below)

 

 

and I swapped to full gauges, here's how to cut out the tachometer to fit the column shift indicator in the factory spot: http://comancheclub.com/topic/47867-how-to-cut-out-for-prndl-indicator-for-column-shift-full-gauges/

[91Pioneer]

Well.... this project is basically on hold now that I picked up a green 92 4x4... http://comancheclub.com/topic/50006-1992-comanche-hunter-green-4wd-short-box/this 91 may become a parts truck.

[91Pioneer]

Wow I've had my truck for 7.5 years now. I really should have updated this thread a bit more often. Currently have done almost nothing the last couple of years but I'm trying to get it 100% restored like showroom fresh, but I will use the Eliminator decals instead of Pioneer. Lately I'm just accumulating parts and stuff. I found some NOS parts like an outside driver door handle, brake pedal pad, etc. Could definitely use a few more parts yet...

 

Here's the latest video I have on it if you're interested and it's from 2 years ago EEK!...

 

 

[Pete M]

behold, the definition of "better late than never".    that truck is going to be awesome when you're done.