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Operation 'Basket Case MJ'


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Homebrew toe setup - flip some spare 1/2" - 20 lug nuts around to hold the toe measurement bars with the rotors snug. Angle aluminum tends to be more true than steel angle iron and it's lighter. Frequently check they're level when making adjustments and re-measuring. Shoot for 1/16" less up front for about .5* toe-in. I used a laser angle finder and started with the beam at centerline of the rear tires and moved each side outward equally until I got the measurement I wanted. Then measured center to center on the knuckles and transferred that to the tie rod. Close enough to get it to my buddy's alignment shop.

 

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I just drove it for the first time ever, around my neighborhood. Running and driving is silky smooth. It's still a ways away from finished. Bugs to work out - the temp and oil pressure gauges are pegged. Oil pressure gauge sweeps at key on, temp does not, both gauges worked fine some months back when I was tuning and making engine running adjustments. No big. Right fender liner still needs to go in, lots of clear coat correction and repair, little things. No tool exists to measure the width of my smile today...

 

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On 1/11/2026 at 6:41 PM, GonzoTheGreat said:

 

That must be an incredible feeling. Congrats on the first test drive! I love the attention to detail on this project. I'm happy to see that it's on the road!

 


Thanks! It almost doesn’t feel real yet. I took another short trip to the grocery store gas station in front of my neighborhood (no plate, no registration). Put $20 in it. A lot of firsts for me and this MJ are lining up.

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  • 1 month later...

It's been a while, 2 jobs and life stuff taking most of my time. A couple weeks ago, I tackled the pulsing lights at idle issue with the Durango alternator/ external regulator issue. Wrote that up on the DIY section. This past weekend, I got the fire extinguisher mounted under the passenger seat, using existing holes in the front bracket. I'm satisfied with it, easy to remove for vacuuming and reminds you to check the date when you do... Made by Shield, right here in Kings Mountain, NC.

 

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The bed hasn't been empty since I started pulling it apart back in April of 2022. Feels good. There are 3 small dents in the rear wheelhousings I'm going to work out soon. I have a ton of odds and ends for sale locally on CL. I have a tiny handful of Renix-specific stuff I'll post in our classifieds.

 

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It now has a temporary tag and is legal to operate on NC roads. I want to iron out the clutch master to 100% confidence vs warm restarts/ difficulty getting into 1st and reverse, and I need to tweak the toe adjustment. I found my custom fasteners for the passenger fender liner right after I ordered more. It hasn't been over 40MPH yet and lots of stuff needs to be tested/ verified at higher speeds:
 

- Cruise control testing/ adjustment

- Death wobble testing

- Road feel with fairly little caster/ higher rear end than I like

- headlight & fog light aiming/ adjustment

- Overall engine performance/ driveability under differing loads & conditions

 

Oh, and my personalized plate will read:     87-99 MJ

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1 hour ago, Gojira94 said:

Forgot to mention, @eaglescout526 hooked me up with replacement gauges for temp and oil pressure. Thanks again!

No problem! Glad they’re working for ya! Those little wires love to break when removing or installing them back into the cluster. 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Minor update - I swapped injectors today to some Bosch EV6 I haven't seen anyone try yet. These are spec'd as:

 

0280155702 | EV6 | Long | Jetronic |4-hole | 200cc/min | 16 Ohm (very dark grey)

 

I checked the resistance and found them all to be 16.8 - 17.2 Ohms. Not a bad thing necessarily, was shooting for 16 - 16.3. I ran them at 31psi confirmed fuel pressure. The STFTs at idle show just a touch fat at 110-114. I'll need to drive it a while to let the LTFTs set themselves but it looks like a solid winner for my particular rig. It's like a tiny bit smaller version of the 746. I'd like to see real world Ohms resistance on a set of 0280155700. If they're 'real-world' above 15.2 Ohm, I'd pronounce the 'Volvo 700' the most ideal injector possible, bar none. I say this because my motor is HO, 7120 head, bored TB, 2.5" exhaust and it still doesn't seem to really want more fuel than a stock Renix, except possibly above 3500RPM, where the better head flow makes a bigger difference. Renix and 91-95 HO cams are identical.

 

What I took out were the ones that were in the motor from the 93 YJ, old Bosch-for-Ford 20#:

 

0280150943 | EV1 | Long | 4-hole | Jetronic | 210cc/min | 14.3 Ohm

 

I had to turn those down to 24psi fuel pressure and it still smelled rich, and the oil was getting fuel-contaminated.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I was just changing out the transfer case front output yoke seal (thought I'd done it but nope) and noticed something just peeking out at the trans inspection cover/ spacer.

 

If you know what this is, you know how I'm feeling right now. I've had it with internal slave. Advance Adapters conversion kit ordered today.

 

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After swapping the clutch master with a LuK LM206 shifting into 1st and reverse when warm was a lot better, briefly. Slightly cockeyed slave engagement took that away. At least I know what happened...

 

The level of frustration with not being able to just get out and drive is getting to me. Spent a decent chunk of yesterday doing a blower motor in a Volvo XC70 (ask me how much fun that is). Today was my day to replace the transfer case seal and take it out for some more miles in nice weather. :brickwall:

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External slave parts showed up Thursday, got a late start yesterday. I ran out of time to reinstall the shafts and bleed it but trans and TC are back in. With a 6" lift, I can roll the trans right out from under on a trans jack. I borrowed this one from a neighbor. He got it at Harbor Freight (Pittsburgh brand scissor style with a strap).

 

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Old:

 

 

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New:

 

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Important detail for anyone doing this swap - the input shaft cover bolts do need a thread sealer. I've used Permatex 59235 for years on head bolts in water jackets and for stuff like this. Remember to knead the tube really well each time before use! Most parts house stores are only going to have the small tubes (.3 oz) and you'll have to order the big one.

 

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Today I'm off to look at a 1972 F350 long chassis with a dump bed/ 390/ NV435, a mid-70s D100 and some other cool stuff, about an hour west of here.

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16 hours ago, neohic said:

Dang, dude! Can’t believe how clean this truck is. :drool:

 

Thanks! There was a lot of sheet metal repair in the area of that 3rd pic, kinda embarrassed, but the rest of the front half I'm happy with, much prettier. I'm looking forward to pulling the bed and rear bumper for a little clean -n- coat back there before I call it really done. 

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I originally said I was going to build this thing mostly to go pretty places (and light to moderate trails). Had her first outing on Saturday - 30 miles or so round trip, close to the house. First stop was an old traditional picnic spot from the 1800s, Flower Hill, which sits literally on the Piedmont to Coastal Plain fall line.

 

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I can feel the lack of caster, and the tires are a little overinflated, but it holds the road well. I may dial back the uppers a couple of turns and check for front shaft vibes soon but it's fine for now. No DW noted over some bumpy secondary roads between 45-65MPH. Cruise control does not work at the moment but that should be easy enough to figure out. Zero issues with clutch and gear engagement, such a relief to leave CSC stuff behind.

 

I stopped on the way back for hot dogs at the local store. This is Percy Flowers' old land, all of it out here where I live. He was a legendary bootlegger. He made so much white lightning the sugar to make it arrived in rail cars...

 

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That D35 looks tiny under there...

 

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