MontanaManche Posted September 21, 2020 Share Posted September 21, 2020 I finally decided to start on my own build thread. Ill get pictures together at some point but for now here's the history until now So i bought my 1986 2.5 5 speed around late November of 2019 . I bought it from a guy up in Great Falls for 1000 but it had some issues, the head gasket needed to be replaced and now that its driving around the transmission may be meeting its fate pretty soon. The truck came with everything to fix it so after a few weeks and 2 garage fires it emerged and i drove it around for all of 2 days until it all the sudden died. I was busy around then and i already had a daily driver so it just sat around for a few months until my parents got tired of it taking up our driveway so after the entire fuel system was replaced and a Zone 4.5 inch with some IRO parts installed it was finally driving and I have been daily driving it for awhile now. As of now the only real issues I have are some rattles, a PS fluid leak and a roughish idle. My current plans are to make it a really nice daily and a good adventure rig, I would like to swap the motor as the little 2.5 is a bit of a pig. I would like to swap a tdi but I think a LS or Chevy 350 might be more within my budget. Maybe lift it a bit taller, maybe 35s, all depends on money and what i actually end up needing/wanting from the truck. I'm not much of a guy for taking pictures hopefully ill get around to finding and taking some pictures to add to the thread. Ill also try to document what I do more if I can remember. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiNi Beast Posted September 21, 2020 Share Posted September 21, 2020 great to see you getting started on your build thread. its here for you to create a personal history of whatever you want. and we here welcome it and appreciate being able to share in your adventures. we all have adventures to share and have experience to share. look forward to reading about your buildup. just know that.. pictures are worth a thousand words . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MontanaManche Posted October 10, 2020 Author Share Posted October 10, 2020 alot of stuff happening to the truck the past few weeks. Unfortunately i think i left my keys in the truck and they were either stolen or misplaced, i still havent found them so to be safe i replaced the ignition cylinder. Me and a few friends decided to cover the old crappy spray paint job with a slightly less crappy spray paint job. Here's a pic after we finished the front half. Not bad for maybe 45 min from a few 17 year olds. Hoping to do something more permanent once i have the drivetrain figured out and a few extra bucks. Thinking about RAM Delmonico Red Pearl. Also found out the 4 wheel drive wasn't working so i investigated and turns out the CAD shift fork sheared off so I did a bit of redneck engineering and held the collar over to one side with some hose clamps and it seems to be working fine. Also replaced my old garbage mud tires with some nice new General Grabber ATx's in the 33x12.50r15 flavor. I'm currently working at a tire shop and got a pretty good deal on the set. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiNi Beast Posted October 10, 2020 Share Posted October 10, 2020 nice. them be some good tires for you. i need a set for my ford. that cad is kinda a pita, clamps may hold for a bit, could always stack some washers to hold it over as well. other wise you can delete that with another d30 shaft from any xj really and just install an inner diff seal. paint job looks good. looks good going down the road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MontanaManche Posted October 10, 2020 Author Share Posted October 10, 2020 1 hour ago, MiNi Beast said: nice. them be some good tires for you. i need a set for my ford. that cad is kinda a pita, clamps may hold for a bit, could always stack some washers to hold it over as well. other wise you can delete that with another d30 shaft from any xj really and just install an inner diff seal. paint job looks good. looks good going down the road. So far I'm liking the tires they remind me a lot of the bfg k02 but for a much more manageable price. The whole CAD thing isnt worth the tiny bit of fuel mileage it might give, I hope to put 1 piece chromoly shafts at some point but hopefully this will last me the winter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 upgrade shafts with the bigger joints will make for a strong axle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MontanaManche Posted November 24, 2020 Author Share Posted November 24, 2020 So the truck has been sitting after it broke down while i was picking up some flooring for my parents and i decided to change the oil while i tried to figure out what was wrong and there was a good quart or so of gas in the oil... that explains why everything smelt like gas. I've decided to replace the o2 sensor and also the idle speed motor and hopefully it won't happen again. My Grandma is also reupholstering my seats for me which I will get pictures of when they are done, i got some saddle blanket material that i think will look good. I think i have also made the decision to start prepping for the vw tdi swap. I'm currently saving and scouting for good donor vehicles. This 2.5 just isnt enough for the terrain out here, the torque from a diesel should help tons while going up our mountains. I also have a beach jeep trip planned for this summer and am praying ill have it done by then, or else its gonna take me twice as long just trying to make it to the beach! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiNi Beast Posted November 28, 2020 Share Posted November 28, 2020 always regear as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted December 4, 2020 Share Posted December 4, 2020 On 11/23/2020 at 11:45 PM, MontanaManche said: My Grandma is also reupholstering my seats for me which I will get pictures of when they are done, i got some saddle blanket material that i think will look good. looking forward to seeing that! not everyday that someone has a seat fabbed up by their grandma Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MontanaManche Posted March 24, 2021 Author Share Posted March 24, 2021 On 12/3/2020 at 9:29 PM, Pete M said: looking forward to seeing that! not everyday that someone has a seat fabbed up by their grandma I just recently got them back from her and I'm gonna try and get them put together here pretty soon, ill make sure to post pics once i get them on the seats! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MontanaManche Posted March 24, 2021 Author Share Posted March 24, 2021 Ok after about 5 1/2 months I've gotten another random boost of motivation to work on the ol truck. from looking it over a few times it seems like 2 of the cylinders are wasted, 2 of the plugs were covered in an extreme amount of oil and I'm assuming the gas in the oil came in through those cylinders. It seems to run fine, doesn't like to rev very much but it does it. My Dad and I have been working on our "shop" so once its useable in the next few weeks I'm gonna go ahead and do a rebuild on the engine. I'm putting the TDI swap on hold for awhile, I think with a rebuilt engine and some 5.13 gears the little 2.5 will push me from trail to trail just fine. I'm hoping to get this all done before a Jeep trip to Oregon I'm hoping to make it to in July. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MontanaManche Posted April 4, 2021 Author Share Posted April 4, 2021 Ok turns out the motor might actually not be blown up, this truck is giving me mixed messages and I'm not sure what to think. I guess I'm just gonna use it and hope it doesn't actually blow up. maybe ill try and take it out in the dirt soon and use it for what I built it for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MontanaManche Posted April 5, 2021 Author Share Posted April 5, 2021 Got to take her out this weekend, 70 degrees and sunny was perfect for rolling the windows down and mobbing down some nasty muddy dirt road. Not my greatest photo's but hey its all I got Also got the new seats put in that my Grandma hooked me up with, she added some padding on the inside of the cover which almost makes up for the awful control arm angles. Seriously a massive improvement, hell they are more comfortable than my Dads 2014 JK or our new 2021 RAM 2500 truck we are using at work. Seriously excited to get more done with this truck, I'm pretty much just working out little quirks and stuff before I start looking into new drivetrain, interior mods or paint. I have big plans I'm working on, not sure if any of it will actually happen but I guess time will tell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MontanaManche Posted April 6, 2021 Author Share Posted April 6, 2021 Got some better pics of the new seats, also took it through some mud Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted April 6, 2021 Share Posted April 6, 2021 bad photos are always better than no photos. also, what's a bad photo of an MJ? I wasn't aware that was possible Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MontanaManche Posted April 7, 2021 Author Share Posted April 7, 2021 Decided to try and fix my loud exhaust after work this afternoon, turns out the cat is completely empty. I also used a borescope and the muffler also looks empty. That would explain why its so damn loud. Anyone know any mufflers that will make the 2.5 sound even kind of ok? 4 bangers are pretty much impossible to make sound good but anything would be better than what its at right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eaglescout526 Posted April 7, 2021 Share Posted April 7, 2021 I wish I remembered what I got from Napa when I first got my MJ. I can see what the muffler is but I think the cat is in house from Napa. I think mine sounds great and a bit aggressive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MontanaManche Posted April 7, 2021 Author Share Posted April 7, 2021 10 minutes ago, eaglescout526 said: I wish I remembered what I got from Napa when I first got my MJ. I can see what the muffler is but I think the cat is in house from Napa. I think mine sounds great and a bit aggressive. I'm not so much worried about the cat, we don't have emissions up here and I don't really want to spend a few hundred bucks on something ill end up ripping off here in a few years when I swap it. But if you know what muffler you got that would be sweet, if not ill probably just see what I can find locally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eaglescout526 Posted April 7, 2021 Share Posted April 7, 2021 4 minutes ago, MontanaManche said: I'm not so much worried about the cat, we don't have emissions up here and I don't really want to spend a few hundred bucks on something ill end up ripping off here in a few years when I swap it. But if you know what muffler you got that would be sweet, if not ill probably just see what I can find locally. Dynomax 17731. Not exactly OEM fit but it works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MontanaManche Posted April 7, 2021 Author Share Posted April 7, 2021 8 minutes ago, eaglescout526 said: Dynomax 17731. Not exactly OEM fit but it works. Thank you! Ill have to order one soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eaglescout526 Posted April 7, 2021 Share Posted April 7, 2021 No problem! Hopefully itll meet what you are after. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ollie Posted April 7, 2021 Share Posted April 7, 2021 Nice MJ !! Wish you lived a bit closer........I am sure me and your Grandma would become friends !!! She did a great job !!! Keep having fun Having Comanche Fun, Ollie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89 MJ Posted April 8, 2021 Share Posted April 8, 2021 I know you can buy a new OEM exhaust from RockAuto for a SWB, I don’t know if you can get one for a LWB though too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MontanaManche Posted April 18, 2021 Author Share Posted April 18, 2021 Got some more done over the past few weeks. Had to get a new tank because the baffle on the old one broke off and was flopping around in there and i didnt want to break my new sending unit I just put in there. Also had to repair my sending unit plug because the old one's retaining clip broke off. Also got a renix engine monitor, super nice to know what's going on. unfortunately its telling me my fuel mixture is super jacked up so ill need to figure that out. Also went for a cruise today and my shock fell off... luckily I was about 4 blocks from my bosses shop and he let me steal a bolt and I tightened both rear shocks, the top bolt was hand tight and was also about to pop off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MontanaManche Posted April 25, 2021 Author Share Posted April 25, 2021 Picked up a topper yesterday all the way in Spokane. I can't find the sellers profile but he is on here with a blue lwb on 1 tons and an LS, really nice guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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