Radio delete Trucks… How many out there?

[JRappleguy]

So I recently purchased a 1991 MJ and it was a factory radio delete truck.  I’ve been told this is kind of a rare option.  I’m curious how many out there in MJ land have a factory radio delete.  
 

Just like to know where my truck stands amount the other survivors 

[Minuit]

Mine was. It no longer is, to say the least. My 89 had a mono AM radio and 2 speakers.

[89 MJ]

I wouldn’t be surprised if mine was. It had an aftermarket radio when I got it and some cobbled speaker box behind the seat. I don’t even know if I have the speaker brackets in the b pillars. I really should put a working sound system in it though. 

[Pete M]

Pat just bought one with it.  hes planning on installing a hidden bluetooth amp so he can keep the factory blank in place.  I beleive he's installing some hidden speakers so he doesn't have to cut the door panels.  I mean, the phone does it all anyway, so why not just skip the middleman.  

[schardein]

Mine was.  It had a shaft type Sony stereo in it when I bought it.  I think it was dealer installed.  What tipped me off, it did not have the rubber tunnels between the cab and doors to run the wires to the speakers- they had just poked holes in the plastic covers to run the speaker wires.  Also, they cut the door panels to install the speakers.  But at least it was in the factory location.  

 

I've since added the rubber tunnels, a different stereo, and some nice original uncut door panels with the speakers mounted the correct way.

[gogmorgo]

My short bed was… but the same guy who thought it was okay to use only two deck screws each to hold in NOS taillights is also responsible for removing the radio delete. Blanking panel was carved into by careful application of peanut butter and leaving the doors open for the squirrels to do their work, from the look of it, and the door panels had speakers put in that stick out so the window cranks smack them. The wiring is interesting to say the least..  It always works when I turn the head lights on, sometimes it works without them. At one point it lost sound during a road trip and I pulled out the head unit to check the speaker wires, there was one going to each side of the truck and I found the one going to the driver’s side was shorted so I just disconnected it to get it making noise again for the rest of the trip. Tug on it and it wiggles the wires going into the driver’s door… and yet the driver’s door speaker somehow continued working. I keep intending to correct things, but it keeps working so…

[dasbulliwagen]

My 87 Sportruck was originally radio delete. It was a zero options truck. 2.5, 4 speed manual, 2wd, radio delete, cig lighter delete, dummy cluster, rear bumper delete, rubber floor, crank windows, solid quarter windows, vinyl bench seat. I put a factory radio in it during cash for clunkers, along with full power doors. All of the wiring was already there for the radio. Though I did have to make the crossbody harness to get the power windows and locks to work. Ive also upgraded pretty much everything else too. 

[schardein]

4 minutes ago, dasbulliwagen said:

My 87 Sportruck was originally radio delete. It was a zero options truck. 2.5, 4 speed manual, 2wd, radio delete, cig lighter delete, dummy cluster, rear bumper delete, rubber floor, crank windows, solid quarter windows, vinyl bench seat. I put a factory radio in it during cash for clunkers, along with full power doors. All of the wiring was already there for the radio. Though I did have to make the crossbody harness to get the power windows and locks to work. Ive also upgraded pretty much everything else too. 

I've only ever seen one cig lighter delete in all my years working on XJs and MJs.

[eaglescout526]

24 minutes ago, schardein said:

I've only ever seen one cig lighter delete in all my years working on XJs and MJs.

I have one. My XJ came with this option and the PO swapped the lighter and light in place. 

[89 MJ]

My truck was a cigarette lighter delete truck. Odd since it’s a 4.0 with 4x4. 

[WranglerMangler]

I found one in Seattle just randomly driving through after some CL parts. I stopped and talked with the guy for about an hour. Original owner of the Comanche as well. Super cool guy. Especially for living in Seattle. Lol. 

[Salvagedcircuit]

On 1/30/2023 at 1:41 AM, gogmorgo said:

My short bed was… but the same guy who thought it was okay to use only two deck screws each to hold in NOS taillights is also responsible for removing the radio delete. Blanking panel was carved into by careful application of peanut butter and leaving the doors open for the squirrels to do their work, from the look of it, and the door panels had speakers put in that stick out so the window cranks smack them. The wiring is interesting to say the least..  It always works when I turn the head lights on, sometimes it works without them. At one point it lost sound during a road trip and I pulled out the head unit to check the speaker wires, there was one going to each side of the truck and I found the one going to the driver’s side was shorted so I just disconnected it to get it making noise again for the rest of the trip. Tug on it and it wiggles the wires going into the driver’s door… and yet the driver’s door speaker somehow continued working. I keep intending to correct things, but it keeps working so…

 

Oh man. This explains a lot. I wondered why there were randomly exposed wires in the doors. I also needed a radio blank to pass inspection. Inspection people are nosy enough. Yogurt container saved the day. Didn't pass inspection tho for other reasons

[WranglerMangler]

You need a radio block off plate to pass an inspection? Tell them some crack head yanked it out last night?  What state? I’ll bet most of my vehicles wouldn’t pass such a picky inspection. Guess that’s one good thing about Washington state. They’ll let almost anything drive down the road. I worked with a kid recently who had 2017 tabs on his old beater Chevy truck that he drove 50 miles each way for work. 

[gogmorgo]

Yeah, some of the stuff that needs inspected makes sense, other things not so much. But the inspections do typically get audited, and when there’s a chance the inspector could lose permits and possibly carreer over passing things they maybe shouldn’t, they tend to lean towards failing anything that isn’t a definite pass. Anything older that might raise eyebrows at the overseeing body is often going to be treated more harshly. Especially if it’s got missing parts or collision damage or otherwise looks decrepit and likely to get picked through with a fine-tooth comb if it does get audited. And most guys don’t want to develop a reputation for being the place to go for an easy pass, either.

 

I’m curious why you failed. I’ve seen older stuff failed because it didn’t have equipment that a newer vehicle would, like clutch switches that were assumed to be non-operational when they never existed, or third brake lights or DRLs on vehicles that didn’t require them when they were built. I’ve got an inspection coming up soon on my short bed and I’m expecting to have to argue over my missing rear bumper, even though it’s a factory delete and wasn’t a requirement for pickups until the mid-‘90’s

[schardein]

Yeah, I find it way overboard to fail a "safety" inspection for a missing radio.  I've lived in several states that required a safety inspection (Virginia, North Carolina, Missouri, Hawaii) and I don't think any of them would have failed a vehicle for a missing radio.

[Salvagedcircuit]

I did the radio blank as a precaution.

Yeah, I get it. it makes sense. It's just a pain.
Believe it or not, inspections are a joke in NY but they are a bear in NH. If you have a spec of rust on your cab corners, you'll fail in NH.

You can drive a clapped out mazda / nissan / chevy s10 with a wooden bed and it'll pass Here's a photo I took in lake placid, NY. It obscures his plate cause at this point its a road icon.

 

My Comanche Failures:
1 of the 2 license plate lights were out. I didn't think it would be a big deal.
Driver side blinker failed on me during inspection but worked fine before the trip.
The column shift prnd321 red marker line was skipping. Again, I did not know this was a concern.
Most of all, an exhaust leak. Exhaust header was unfortunately cracked. Bummer

 

Frankly, I was waiting for the valvoline inspection guy to give me an "I'm all alone hereee"

 

[schardein]

I'm not surprised at the license plate light.  I've dealt with that before. Probably a burnt bulb, fortunately it's an easy fix.

 

The transmission gear indicator seems like a reach to me.

 

I don't know about the Renix years, but for the 6 cylinder 4.0 in the HO years (91+), EVERY factory manifold cracks.  The best replacement is the cheapest aftermarket one you can find that has the bellows in each outside pipe.  I've pulled that style from junkyard engines, cleaned them up, and have run them for years.

[gogmorgo]

Yeah, lights out are a no-no. If it’s there it has to be legal and work, whether it’s a required light or not. On a big rig for example you’re really only required to have one clearance light on each corner and in the middle of the vehicle, but every owner-operator out there is lit up like a Christmas tree with running lights clear down the side and any single one of those hundred lights out is a fail. 
As for rust through the body, the concern is typically about exhaust leaking into the cab, although the definition of a hole through the body is usually left up to the inspector in question. But for the most part rust holes through bedsides and fenders that don’t lead into the passenger compartment will pass so long as the panel isn’t going to fall off and still provides adequate protection from road debris being flung off the tires and at someone else’s vehicle. There’s something to be said about cargo compartments needing to adequately contain the cargo, but otherwise you can’t really say much about wooden bedsides. So long as they’re not falling off.

 

Sounds like pretty reasonable list of necessary repairs. I was expecting stuff like sagging headliners. Should be some quick easy repairs to get you through. 
 

Editing to add that PRNDL cable misalignment is a legit safety concern. You may be able to count down from park and ascertain it’s adequately in park (or better yet set the parking brake) and you may be able to communicate to someone else who might be driving how to do it, but any time I’ve seen it happen, it’s only a matter of time before someone ends up in the wrong gear and either hits something because the truck moves a different direction than anticipated, or rolls away while unattended. And even if you’re the only one to ever drive it, no one can guarantee they’re on their game 100% of the time. 

[Salvagedcircuit]

On 2/19/2023 at 10:40 PM, schardein said:

I don't know about the Renix years, but for the 6 cylinder 4.0 in the HO years (91+), EVERY factory manifold cracks.  The best replacement is the cheapest aftermarket one you can find that has the bellows in each outside pipe.  I've pulled that style from junkyard engines, cleaned them up, and have run them for years.

Yep, I have an 88 reinx. The $100 baffle style header is unfortunately incompatible with the reinx 4.0L engine without modifications (change exhaust header pipe, fix header / intake clearance issues). I really really don't want to buy the stock reinx manifold since it seems to be the most prone to failure, but there are not too many options. Sure, the banks and pacesetter are ~$500 each, but I'd still have to do essentially the same procedure for 5x the cost :/

 

On 2/19/2023 at 10:42 PM, gogmorgo said:

As for rust through the body, the concern is typically about exhaust leaking into the cab, although the definition of a hole through the body is usually left up to the inspector in question. But for the most part rust holes through bedsides and fenders that don’t lead into the passenger compartment will pass so long as the panel isn’t going to fall off and still provides adequate protection from road debris being flung off the tires and at someone else’s vehicle. There’s something to be said about cargo compartments needing to adequately contain the cargo, but otherwise you can’t really say much about wooden bedsides. So long as they’re not falling off.

 

Sounds like pretty reasonable list of necessary repairs. I was expecting stuff like sagging headliners. Should be some quick easy repairs to get you through. 
 

Editing to add that PRNDL cable misalignment is a legit safety concern. You may be able to count down from park and ascertain it’s adequately in park (or better yet set the parking brake) and you may be able to communicate to someone else who might be driving how to do it, but any time I’ve seen it happen, it’s only a matter of time before someone ends up in the wrong gear and either hits something because the truck moves a different direction than anticipated, or rolls away while unattended. And even if you’re the only one to ever drive it, no one can guarantee they’re on their game 100% of the time. 

 

I get it. It's one of the reasons why I waited so long until I found a rust-free cab corner comanche on the east coast. I just don't understand why NY does not give a hoot. NY is one of the nanny states, but for some reason they do not care at all if your floor is falling out of your vehicle.