1990 shortbed with 2000 swap

[grainofsalt]

After many XJ's I finally found an MJ. So I popped the trailer on behind the diesel and headed down to Arkansas to pick it up. Per the vin It was a 2wd 4 cylinder manual truck. One of the previous owners had already swapped in a 8.25 in place of the broken D35. In the bed was a 140k 4.0l and underneath was a LP and a HP D30. 

[grainofsalt]

Parts are coming from a 2000 Classic XJ that had been rear-ended, Totally wasted the body of the XJ but perfect to pull parts from!

Got it to the shop and wasted no time in stripping it down.

[grainofsalt]

Out came the 2wd front axle and the wiring from the previous owner.

 

The core support and some of the frame needed a quick repair.

 

Decided to paint the engine bay black now so the engine can go in before paint.

[grainofsalt]

Converted the firewall to the 2000 spec, Then out with the rusted floor and in with some good metal.

[grainofsalt]

Cut out the striker mounting points from the XJ and burned them in.

 

the passenger rocker needed some surgery to straighten it out.

[olddude]

Looking Good!

[grainofsalt]

Patched a hole in the bedside then grafted in the dash mounting points and '97+ seat mounts.

[Salvagedcircuit]

That's a lot of work. Nice job!

[Comanche SS]

Looking good so far, what is the end goal with this truck?

[grainofsalt]

Thanks for the complement's gents! 

 

Pulled the bed off and started stripping the paint. Laid primer the underside, then after that had cured did the top side.

 

Now on to some fab work. I want to retain as much of the donor Jeep as possible, So the spare tire carrier was deleted and the XJ fuel tank was mounted in its place. It really mounted up well with enough clearance for everything.

[Salvagedcircuit]

1 hour ago, grainofsalt said:

Thanks for the complement's gents! 

 

Pulled the bed off and started stripping the paint. Laid primer the underside, then after that had cured did the top side.

 

Now on to some fab work. I want to retain as much of the donor Jeep as possible, So the spare tire carrier was deleted and the XJ fuel tank was mounted in its place. It really mounted up well with enough clearance for everything.

Looking like glass! Gosh I want to do this to mine if only I could find the time

[grainofsalt]

Needed to open up some floor space in the shop so bolted the drivetrain together and tucked it into the truck.

Then popped open the tailgate to straighten it and give it some beef.

[89 MJ]

Excellent work

[grainofsalt]

Mounted the EVAP canister to the frame and then sanding and more sanding.

 

The truck had been repainted at one point in its life so that meant piles and piles of red dust.

[MiNi Beast]

Work of art. Nice set of skills you have there. Thanks for allowing us to tag along with your build. 

[ghetdjc320]

On 9/15/2024 at 11:00 AM, grainofsalt said:

Needed to open up some floor space in the shop so bolted the drivetrain together and tucked it into the truck.

Then popped open the tailgate to straighten it and give it some beef.

This looks mighty familiar . As for the gas tank, could you take a few more pics of how that mounted up for you? Interested in doing something similar if I decide to 4 link down the road

[A-man930]

Seems like tailgate surgery is all the rage these days... guess I'll have to play along 

[grainofsalt]

A-man930, The tailgate work it totally worth it! This truck had a banana bend in the tailgate, Now you can't notice it flexing with some weight.

 

Primed up another round of truck parts and then started body filler and fitting the notch customs flares.

 

ghetdjc320, I'll snap a picture for you, Basically just have the j-bolts running up to the cross member. Kept it super simple.

Did relocate the brake line location to make the new fuel fill hose work. I didn't relocate the fuel door.

[ghetdjc320]

On 10/3/2024 at 12:12 PM, grainofsalt said:

A-man930, The tailgate work it totally worth it! This truck had a banana bend in the tailgate, Now you can't notice it flexing with some weight.

 

Primed up another round of truck parts and then started body filler and fitting the notch customs flares.

 

ghetdjc320, I'll snap a picture for you, Basically just have the j-bolts running up to the cross member. Kept it super simple.

Did relocate the brake line location to make the new fuel fill hose work. I didn't relocate the fuel door.

Oh boy, could you also shoot some detailed pics of the cuts you’re making for the rear notch fenders? It has been very difficult to find any decent pictures. 

[grainofsalt]

On 9/22/2024 at 5:10 AM, ghetdjc320 said:

This looks mighty familiar . As for the gas tank, could you take a few more pics of how that mounted up for you? Interested in doing something similar if I decide to 4 link down the road

Here's a shot of how I did the J-Bolts. I probably would have been fine cutting a v in the plate, But went and made the mounting hole similar to the Cherokee mounting hole.

There also is drain locations, Didn't want to trap water in there.

[grainofsalt]

The notch flares really open up the fenders!

 

Laid down the last bit of primer to get everything sealed up, then on to color...

 

Went with 2018 dodge Hellcat Green.

[89 MJ]

This is on track to be my favorite 97+ swap yet. I like the flares and the color. 

[grainofsalt]

Thanks 89 MJ, There is a ton of work just getting to this point!

[ghetdjc320]

20 hours ago, grainofsalt said:

Thanks 89 MJ, There is a ton of work just getting to this point!

Any chance you could get a few detailed shots of the bedside wheel opening cuts you made for the Notch flares? 

[grainofsalt]

On 11/6/2024 at 6:33 PM, ghetdjc320 said:

Any chance you could get a few detailed shots of the bedside wheel opening cuts you made for the Notch flares? 

 

On 11/6/2024 at 6:33 PM, ghetdjc320 said:

Any chance you could get a few detailed shots of the bedside wheel opening cuts you made for the Notch flares? 

I guess I got into the flow of working and don't have any closeup pictures. It's fairly obvious once you hold the flare up to the bed. These are about as high as you can mount them.