88 MJ Restoring and Preparing for Export

[ExpatMJGuy]

Well I have only had my MJ about a month or so now and I've been spending a lot of time researching and hunting parts but I've got a few things down.  I like the idea of having this space as a way to document my build.

 

First thing was I found out why my wipers didn't even touch the glass.  I didn't really take pics but instead took videos and plan to do a future YouTube video on how I worked on it.  So everyone can be looking forward to that in the not so distant future.  Updated the plug to the Chrysler from the AMC plug and replaced the rack from a parts Cherokee I have.  Someone cracked the actual stud the wiper arms sit on with my original.  Still need to find a wiper delay module right now it's bypassed.

 

Up next was finding out why my turn signals didn't work.  I simply changed a fuse and cleaned up a connection at the actual fuse block was such a quick fix I didn't document it.

 

Up next I started looking at wiring in my dash and starting to figure out some issues with my instrument cluster.  My cluster had red white and blue LEDs.  I have no idea why someone would want to have a single cluster that looks like the American Flag.  BUT I put all green LEDs in and then checked the bulbs on all of the warning lights.  Of course someone pulled the bulb on the check engine light rather than find out what the problem was.  With help of the community I labeled all of the wiring behind the dash and cleaned everything up.

 

While I was up in Wisconsin over Christmas I luckily decided to hit up the marketplace for Comanche parts while I was in a new market.  Picked up a new tailgate, back glass, a set of rims and a bunch of other small parts on the cheap!  I learned that they all come down south and take our rust free parts up north and then they all end up being hoarded in barns and stuff.  But because there's more parts up there the prices are cheaper.

 

 So tonight I decided to put the replacement tailgate on the truck.

 

The tailgate I bought with the truck had absolutely very little rust but it was overloaded at some point and had a bow to it.  Getting it open and shut was a PITA.  When I drove the truck home on the first day I actually hit a bump and fell open.  The new tailgate is real straight and only has a very minor bit of surface rust that can hopefully be taken care of when the truck goes in for paint in the spring.  Once I got the tailgate on the truck I realized the handle needs work and the support hardware on the right side of the tailgate was broken.  I looked at the hardware of my original tailgate and decided to make a hardware swap.  After a few good hits with Lithium Grease my original handle as well as the crusty old one came with my new tailgate moved real well.  After the hardware and handle swap it's looking good.

 

Up next... According to the last owner he did the floorboards rust prevention and sound deadening mat.  When he threw it back together to sell it, he didn't put the shift boot in.  So I need to pull it up and verify his work and put the shifter boot back in place.  Pulling the trim to get the carpet up will also allow me to look at the wiring harness going to the back of the cab as I have dome lights to test and a new cargo light and rear cab harness to support it.  I'd love to do a console and bucket seat conversion if I can find the right seats.  I want to keep things stock and I don't want to fab as much as possible as it will need to pass several inspections upon entry into Australia in a year or two and I don't want any hang ups.  I also have a new clock coming in and I need to get a good look at brakes.  So lots of stuff coming! 

 

 

 

 

[89 MJ]

The rust on the bottom outside of the gate that you showed is not just surface rust. That is rotting from the inside out. You will have to cut out and replace that metal. 

[ExpatMJGuy]

Yeah, I suspected it might be down a layer but it’s still not bad and should be an easy fix.  I’ll have it fixed when it goes into the body shop for paint in a few months.  If the body shop tells me it’s not worth it I’ll start the hunt for another one either way it’s better than what I was working with, which in a bind is now in my attic.

[ExpatMJGuy]

Been awhile since I've posted an update...

 

Got rear brakes on her last weekend.  Figured I'd throw that out in the update.  I've honestly been spending more time on tearing down the parts MJ and haven't put any time into documenting that here since it's not really this Jeep.  What I've gotten done is not crazy or earth shattering but it's something.

 

Had to do some Blues Clues playing.  So the right rear Axle seal had leaked at one point and made a total mess out of the rear drum brakes.  When I checked the diff it was full of fluid and the mess didn't look recent!  The RTV on the diff looked fairly recent as well.  It looked like someone changed the seal but did nothing to clean up the brakes!  And my suspicion was right.  I contacted the previous owner and he said he had the axle seal replaced at a local shop and then decided that he was going to go another direction and wanted to replace the DANA 35 with a Chrysler 8.25 and gave up on the axle.  But what is even more bizarre to me is they had done 3/4 of the hard work when they stopped and just threw it back together and half @$$ at that.  The oily brake components were still there, and they put them back to gather half @$$ even.  They forgot to put the parking brake stabilizer in the drum, and they let all of the fluid drain out of the system when they left it hanging and never replaced the brake fluid even!  They decided to just sell it like that.

 

So since it's my long term vehicle I decided not to cheap out when it comes to brakes.  I could have stolen all these components from my parts jeep but I bought new drums, shoes, all new springs, and all new adjuster components.  The only part I stole from parts Jeep was the missing parking brake stabilizer bar.  I properly bled everything and she stops on a dime now.  Feel about safe enough to drive her to a few body shops for paint estimates.  Eventually I will most likely use the brake booster out of my 99 parts XJ but for now I want it to stop when I push it around in the yard.

 

I forgot to take a completion pic but as always I take pics of drums before dissassembly to ensure they go back together properly.  You can see all the axle oil in the brake assembly.

 

I also got the clock installed since my last update and pulled the Dodge Dakota taillights and put my cracked set in for now until the Jeep comes back from the body shop so they at least sit flush.  When it comes back I'll attempt to swap the lens and keep my good pair as spare for now.  The pic I added shows the difference between the two.

 

And determined my speedo problem is coming from the cable not spinning.  So I'll worry less about that till I start working on my AX-15 swap.

 

I've had a few things that set me back time wise but I'm going to try to get more effort into the tear down of my other Jeeps.

 

I'm also currently waiting on my soda blaster to come in so that I can redo and paint my bucket seat frames that I pulled from my parts MJ.  Once that's complete I'm going to haul my seats to my cousin in Ohio to get them reupholstered while the Jeep itself is in the body shop. 

[ExpatMJGuy]

I haven't updated this in a while but I've been crazy busy with the move.  So for those that don't move, my wife's work threw a curve ball and decided to send us to New Zealand instead of Australia.  It was number 2 on our list so we still can't complain.  Right after a back surgery late last summer we got the green light for the move.  Jeep should be on the boat at the end of May.  I just got my XJ finished up and now I'm in a mad dash to put my MJ back together in time.  I disassembled it and got it ready for paint and then dropped it off for its actual paint job while we were in New Zealand last January.  This week I started basic reassembly.  I replaced my tailgate hardware, I've got the grill mostly back together and key parts lenses on the rear.  I'm ordering some more parts this evening.  I'll prolly start fender liners and fender flares tomorrow, that or start working on rekeying the ignition.