Bonkers Posted September 10, 2016 Share Posted September 10, 2016 I found a grill guard off a 99 Xj that id like to put on my 88 Mj. The vendor selling it is giving me a hard time because they insist it will not fit. For the life of me, other than possibly the shape of the bumper i can't see a reason why it wouldnt just bolt on... any thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strokermjcomanche Posted September 10, 2016 Share Posted September 10, 2016 If it's a factory guard it will bolt on with no more issues than installing it on a 99 xj . If you have a front skid plate it will need two small pieces cut out and the lower valance will need cut as well . Ask me how I know lol.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sinkrun Posted September 10, 2016 Share Posted September 10, 2016 When you buy grill / brush guards new they list all years XJ`s so it should fit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonkers Posted September 10, 2016 Author Share Posted September 10, 2016 No, they list 87-95 as one part# and 97-up as another woth no applications for Mjs. This is an afternarket winch bumper which mounts to the frame. Other than the plastic bumper i can't imagine what would be different between a 99 an 89 under the bodywork. I need to decide by 5pm today or i lose the discount... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikekaz1 Posted September 10, 2016 Share Posted September 10, 2016 id buy it. guy doesnt know what hes talking about Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonkers Posted September 12, 2016 Author Share Posted September 12, 2016 Okay, deal is done - here's the details... just bought a Warn Trans4mer #PN39637 Grill Guard from Rustys Offroad. Both Warn and Rustys say this thing will not fit my Mj. For those unframilar, the Trans4mer mounts directly to the frame and up in front of the bumper. No body work (except maybe for the valance like Stroker mentioned) is affected by this bar so I have no idea why it wouldnt mount to the older truck... though part of me thinks Rustys and Warn both know what their talking about... So... last request on this one... can anyone think of why this wouldnt work? Or of what I may need to make it work? Ill update when it gets here next week... Thanks in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonkers Posted September 12, 2016 Author Share Posted September 12, 2016 This is Jeff's (Blue88Comanche) truck with what I believe is the "correct" model for the Mj: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knucklehead97 Posted September 12, 2016 Share Posted September 12, 2016 I have a 99 stock bumper currently mounted to my 89. Literally almost every part up front of a 99 can be swapped over in some way. I see no reason it wouldn't work. May need a little modification but mostly bolt on I would think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikekaz1 Posted September 12, 2016 Share Posted September 12, 2016 the body/frame on an MJ and XJ (both generations) is identical. you can freely swap any bumper between all three. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockfrog Posted September 12, 2016 Share Posted September 12, 2016 I have a front receiver mounted to my 88 MJ that was originally made for my 00 XJ, all the holes lined up just fine. I didn't see anything different between the two frame ends either. Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBpunk Posted September 12, 2016 Share Posted September 12, 2016 This is Jeff's (Blue88Comanche) truck with what I believe is the "correct" model for the Mj: Man that thing is beautiful. Too bad they don't make them anymore. Then again for 600 bucks new no wonder Warn stopped making them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonkers Posted September 12, 2016 Author Share Posted September 12, 2016 That, and they also got a really bad wrap from the hardcore off roaders for being way too light duty for serious off roading. For someone like me, the ability to pull myself out of a snowbank or soft shoulder is about the limit of what i need, but if youre climbing rocks the Trans4mer had a tendency of ripping itself off the frame. ARB jumped ahead with their bullet-proof full carrier, but i still think this is the cleanest winch bumper on the market. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue88Comanche Posted September 13, 2016 Share Posted September 13, 2016 This is Jeff's (Blue88Comanche) truck with what I believe is the "correct" model for the Mj: This is Jeff's (Blue88Comanche) truck with what I believe is the "correct" model for the Mj: Man that thing is beautiful. Too bad they don't make them anymore. Then again for 600 bucks new no wonder Warn stopped making them. Yes that warn trans4mer grille guard is for the "correct" year range for the MJ. I can't remember for sure but I think the later model had a different part number. But I did manage to snag it and the other sections for 20% off and free shipping so that help the price sting a bit. But then again that was also when I didn't have any bills and could afford anything..... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonkers Posted September 16, 2016 Author Share Posted September 16, 2016 Okay... so the guard came today and I'm hung up on mounting it. My Mj was in a collision by the in-between owner and it crumpled the front tabs where the frame ends. Apparently this is where the Trans4mer system mounts. The other issue might be the triangle bumper mounts themselves. I don't know how the 97+ bumper mounts, but the Mj uses brackets that attach to the side of the aformentioned frame tabs. This system requires an additional brace to be mounted between the bracket and the frame - meaning the brackets will be at least 0.5in farther apart from each other. So far, the actual structure of the guard looks flush with the rest of the bodywork. Anyone looking into this system for another vehicle be advised - the directions WARN provides are some of the vaguest ive ever encountered. There are four sets of bolts with different lengths (30 total) and step four says youll use 7/16 and 1/2 for Step 4... no explination where, or what lenghts. I have had to disassemble it twice now... I'm going to try to repair the frame this weekend, Ill update for anyone interested on Monday... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBpunk Posted September 16, 2016 Share Posted September 16, 2016 Well if you can't get it to work and want to sell it let me know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue88Comanche Posted September 16, 2016 Share Posted September 16, 2016 you don't need that spacer plate from the factory, the grill guard bracket takes its place. there should be a plate that goes on the inside of the bumper tab and on one the outsied, mine was bent and using after mounting hte grille guard it fixed. 2069098047581 by Blue88Comanche, on Flickr you can kinda see the inside bracket on the passenger side, on the drivers side you can see the bumper bracket 2074057491564 by Blue88Comanche, on Flickr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonkers Posted September 16, 2016 Author Share Posted September 16, 2016 Yeah, but you need that bracket to mount the bumper to though. Its all good, worst case i can drill a small hole for new bolts. Bigger question - did you use the 1/2 or 7/16 bolts for mounting to the frame tabs? The 7/16 fit better, and have locking washers, but the 1/2s don't fit in the crossmember. My hardware bag had a hole in it so I'm not 100% sure its complete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue88Comanche Posted September 16, 2016 Share Posted September 16, 2016 Yeah, but you need that bracket to mount the bumper to though. Its all good, worst case i can drill a small hole for new bolts. Bigger question - did you use the 1/2 or 7/16 bolts for mounting to the frame tabs? The 7/16 fit better, and have locking washers, but the 1/2s don't fit in the crossmember. My hardware bag had a hole in it so I'm not 100% sure its complete. I'm using the number bracket on the outside of the warn bracket. Just not using a spacer. I'm not sure what size I used, but everything had lock washers. The instructions say to drill a third hole on the bumper tabs and install a bolt there. I never got around to doing that.... perhaps that's where the 1/2" come in. I should have my bad of extra hardware, that would show what I didn't use. Also as a heads up, the black bolts will rust... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonkers Posted September 19, 2016 Author Share Posted September 19, 2016 Okay... task completed... Apparently the damage to the front end of my truck is not as minor as it looks. Once installed the uprights were almost 7 inches out of true. That being said, I used the tractor to bend in the frame and managed to square up the tabs enough to put it all together. End of story, the Warn PN #39637 Trans4mer will fit on the front of the 88 Mj. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonkers Posted September 19, 2016 Author Share Posted September 19, 2016 What happened to the rest of my post!!?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue88Comanche Posted September 19, 2016 Share Posted September 19, 2016 Okay... task completed... Apparently the damage to the front end of my truck is not as minor as it looks. Once installed the uprights were almost 7 inches out of true. That being said, I used the tractor to bend in the frame and managed to square up the tabs enough to put it all together. End of story, the Warn PN #39637 Trans4mer will fit on the front of the 88 Mj. Looks good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBpunk Posted September 19, 2016 Share Posted September 19, 2016 Agreed! Was almost ready to drop the money on it after seeing your guys but 600 bucks with no winch plate is just too steep for me. Glad you got a great deal on it though. Will have to keep my eye out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikekaz1 Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 agreed, looks great but wayyy overpriced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Mistress Posted February 23, 2023 Share Posted February 23, 2023 I like the wider style and no headlight surrounds that the 97+ Warn Transformer on older XJ platform. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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