Spinnakerblue89 Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 (edited) So the front end of my '89 Pioneer truck is in need of a refresh. Panels and some light assemblies are so faded, worn, chipped, and even cracked that I think it's a good time while parked to replace it all. I've been searching online and comparing offerings- have noticed that some grills are reputed to only fit (for example) '84-'87, then '88-'89, '91-'96... Etc. I get the Cherokee grills should be fully compatible, I merely want to know if I can swap out my '89's cracked black grill with a black/argent one reputed to not be compatible with my my model year. I understand if I were to try a '97+ grill I may run into fitment issues, but won't all pre-'97 grills fit the same? On a related note, I'd like to add that I recently did the headlight harness upgrade, added Sylvania Silverstar Ultras, and replaced the awful Sunpie LED headlights from a PO with glass ones made by IPF (non sealed-beam, of course). So far, they are brighter than the Xenon headlights I had in my Escape! Wow what a massive diff! I included pics of the headlights at night so that if there is anyone wondering how the IPFs turned out, or any newcomers stumble upon this they can see for themselves. I do on occasion have people flash at me in the dark only to for them to realize it was only my low beams they were seeing. They may be aimed a bit too high, I concede, but with redoing the front end, it would be the ideal time to adjust them. Thanks, all. EDIT: Apparently the images show up messy, so unless anyone has suggestions as to why they would show up as vertical lines, I removed them for now... Edited January 4 by Spinnakerblue89 Images Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eaglescout526 Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 84-90 grills are the same. 84-87 are 10 slots and 88-90 is the 8 slot. 91-96 is 8 slot but Chrysler changed the HO years to be a three piece grill set up versus the 7 piece set up AMC used. That’s probably the difference your seeing is the 10 slot vs 8 slot. So it’s a preference on which slot you want to run. Unless you find a 21 slot and join that club. 91-96 grill parts will require the header panel to be changed out to the same year. 97-01 will obviously need to have the header changed to use any parts for that grill set up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiatslug87 Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 This is what the three eaglescout526 mentioned look like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinnakerblue89 Posted January 4 Author Share Posted January 4 Thank you, Eaglescout, that summed it up very clearly. In what time period does the 21-slot fit in? early 80's Cherokee? Wagoneer? Fiatslug, I deeply appreciate the references. I'm wanting to swap in the black/argent grille you have on CMNCHE 2- I currently have CMNCHE 1's grill and it's past its prime to say the least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiatslug87 Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 The 21 slot grill I believe was only on ‘85 XJ Wagoneers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinnakerblue89 Posted January 4 Author Share Posted January 4 That must be a unicorn of sorts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eaglescout526 Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 1 hour ago, fiatslug87 said: The 21 slot grill I believe was only on ‘85 XJ Wagoneers. 84 and 85. Possibly early 86 if it’s using the header panel we know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eaglescout526 Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 45 minutes ago, Spinnakerblue89 said: That must be a unicorn of sorts. Very. Most have been destroyed with time. If you find one in a yard, don’t hesitate. Or if you find one for a steal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 I literally bought a whole MJ to get a 21 slot grille. (or at least the whole shell of an MJ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gogmorgo Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 If you get the whole header panel everything will fit. The ‘97+ if you want to go that route 🤮will bolt onto the fenders but it’s rounded instead of angular and you’ll probably want to change the fenders out to match as well. And then the flares won’t match front to rear unless you get creative with them. In addition to what others are saying, there was a shift at some point with the headlight bezels where they went from two pieces to one. I think for the ‘87 model year but don’t quote me on that. I don’t remember if they fit on the same header panels or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JZLAJeep Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 13 hours ago, Spinnakerblue89 said: Fiatslug, I deeply appreciate the references. I'm wanting to swap in the black/argent grille you have on CMNCHE 2- I currently have CMNCHE 1's grill and it's past its prime to say the least. If you can spare and repair the 10 slot grille, that's what I would do. We found one in a junk yard and are glad we picked it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eaglescout526 Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 1 hour ago, gogmorgo said: think for the ‘87 model year but don’t quote me on that. I mentioned above when that happened. It was the HO years where the head lamp bezels went from the two to one. Basically the whole front header went from 7 pieces to make up the whole front face to just 3. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinnakerblue89 Posted January 4 Author Share Posted January 4 It seems Chrysler decided to simplify the design when they reduced the total from 7 to 3 pieces then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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