My 88 MJ's evolution over 34 years to an overlander

[Htchevyii]

It's a little late to start a build thread, although the truck is in a constant state of refinement.  I'll go over what I have done, what worked and what I'd do different. 

 

My dad bought the MJ when I was in highschool in 1992. I purchased it in 1995. In 2005, I gave it back to my dad and in 2011 he gave it back. In 2020 during COVID, we got bored and decided to get the old MJ back on the road. The distributor drive gear had worn out on the cam.

 

Early pictures are scarce since we weren't walking around with cameras in our pocket in those days. When I first got it, it had a set of nice Prime 2 piece wheels and 30x9.50's. The oldest photo I could find is below, it had a 3" Rancho lift and 30 or 31's. The chrome wheels rusted, so I sandblasted and painted them. 

[89 MJ]

Glad to see a build thread for this truck!

[Htchevyii]

44 minutes ago, 89 MJ said:

Glad to see a build thread for this truck!

Thanks!

 

Here's the MJ when I got it back from my dad in 2011. It was pretty much in the same configuration as when I gave it to him except for some windshield frame rust and the SEM bedliner that he applied.   

It already had an AX15  & Ford 8.8 swap when I gave it to him as well as a new 4.5" short arm lift & 32x12.5's (long arms were rare back then). There was also a crappy Pacesetter header that I had installed.

[Htchevyii]

We had parked the MJ in about 2016 when the distributor drive gear on the cam went bad. We have lots of other vehicles  and projects, so the MJ sat on the back burner. 2020 during COVID was when things changed. We got bored and decided that we wanted to go to the Gambler 500 in OR. For those that don't know, it's kind  of an unofficial off road rally where you go to different waypoints and pick up trash on public lands. Sometimes BIG trash like boats, cars and trailers. The event revolves around cheap beater vehicles, although everything is welcome.

 

We decided that instead of buying and putting work into another vehicle, we should just put that time and money into the MJ. So we rebuilt the engine and fitted it with a modified Amazon ladder rack, a tent off of Marketplace and some new 33's that rubbed like crazy. We were afraid to spend much money during the uncertain start of COVID.

I'll include a few photos and a video link for the Gambler if anyone wants to see more, it's a hoot. Pretty  much a giant party. Some of the photos are of latter years, photos of the first event are scarce.

Anyway, the hook was set. We had a great time camping in the MJ and started planning bigger trips. Now the real work would begin. We had 4 months before we would set off on a 3,000 mile trip!

 

 

 

[Htchevyii]

We needed to deal with the tire rubbing and high under hood and cabin temperatures before heading out on a 3,000 mile trip to Death Valley and Mojave. So we added a set of Napier Precision flares, ( I wish that they were still available) and a hood louver for a TJ.  Overheating was never an issue, it just got so hot under the hood after several hours of driving that you couldn't touch anything. A thick single core radiator from  Performance Radiator and upgraded E-fan from a newer XJ complete the cooling system.

 

We also replaced every hose on the Jeep and any other wear part that seemed critical.

[Htchevyii]

Then we headed out on our first big trip, still the longest one that we've ever been on. 3,000 miles in the old MJ that had sat dormant for years until the Gambler trip. We hit the Mojave road, Death Valley, route 66 to Kingman AZ, Valley of Fire, Etc. It was kinda nerve racking in the untested truck and we didn't have the satellite communicator that we now carry. We had the u joints replaced in Barstow because of a vibration. It didn't fix it, so we just kept on trucking and let it shake for another 2500 miles. It was such an awesome trip even though some aspects were weird because of COVID and even though it was nerve racking at times, it was fun and exciting.. we were hooked!