89 MJ Posted Monday at 01:13 AM Share Posted Monday at 01:13 AM February 2026 - @Gojira94's Basket Case MJ Build Thread- Year/Model - 1987 Base Short Bed - 2.5L TBI/ AX-4, 2WD, 18.5 gallon tank, W/O AC Day one: Drivetrain- HO on Renix - complete swap from a 1993 YJ (4.0L HO/ re-clocked AX-15/ NP231 with SYE), Tom Woods rear shaft, 1989 Dana 35, late 1999 XJ Dana 30, 3.55 front and rear gears for now, TJ shift tower, Novak NP231 shifter setup Cooling- Open conversion with Late XJ electrical fan using Renix-era radiator mounted temp switch, Added a manual fan override switch Electrical/Ignition- 1989 engine and engine control harnesses, 429 ECU, relocated coil/ module, Durango 160A alternator, big 7 cables, Renix style distributor, NGK wires Suspension/Steering- General Spring 97-555 rear leafs OTA, Rusty's RX-11 hydro rear shocks, stock style shackles, OME 2934 front springs, ACOS, Core 4x4 adjustable upper & lowers, Rusty's RX-16 hydro front shocks, Rocky Road CAD, Trail Forged HD crossover steering, V8 ZJ sway bar w/ Iron Man drop brackets, JKS quick disconnects, home-built steering box with 99-01 XJ pump arrangement, stock Pitman arm, stock stabilizer, HD track bar w/ drop bracket, full steering box bracing, Iron Man steering box spacer, tilt column from a 1989 XJ Interior- All stock, manual windows & locks. 1989 full gauge cluster. Bench seat and mini-console, added aftermarket Sony radio with front and rear speakers. Brakes- Stock 1989 MJ Dana 35 drum setup rear, 1999 XJ cast rotor/ caliper setup, long hoses front and rear, 95-96 XJ master/ booster, complete hand-made brake lines, Wilwood 4444/30 260-11179 Proportioning Valve, rear height-sensing valve delete Lighting- Stock sealed beam headlights w/ harness update, Euramtec interior lights, all else stock except addition of Hella 550 fog lights Exterior- Working on correcting clearcoat in some places, came with a headache rack Wheel & Tires- Cheap black 15x8 -19mm offset steelies wearing Centennial Dirt Commander LT 33x12.50R15, 1.5" spacers in rear only Misc- Added a quartz clock, foot well lighting. Exhaust is a mixed bag of later XJ parts, Magnaflow OBD-I cat and a massive FlowMaster 70 series muffler (deep, quiet). It runs and drives, but there's still a lot to do before I can DD it reliably. I'd love to get a Dana 489 from ECGS (they're local-ish, no shipping) and a new helical gear LSD carrier/ re-gear for the Dana 30. For now, I'm just thankful it's a complete vehicle at last! Best MJ story- First CC member I met, @Dandxj in our local salvage yard. I was lurking politely out of the way while an older guy (like me) was pulling some door moulding pieces from the A-pillars of an 89 XJ. I was wanting the steering column and cruise parts out of the XJ. I decided to chat him up and found out he was a member and introduced myself. CC is Awesome! Why? The people here are the best of the best. No such thing as a dumb question. Good/ old/ new ideas abound. There are members who make things just for our trucks, and I've had the pleasure of buying from several of them. @Eagle_SX4 gave me a CSC to bellhousing grommet for my trans, for the cost of shipping. @500 MJ hooked me up with the unobtanium hood prop clip I needed. My engine bay looks even better and I have 6.5" rear speakers mounted thanks to @boxyjeep.Everybody here seems willing to go out of their way to help someone out with knowledge, experience and parts. That's why CC is Awesome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxyjeep Posted Monday at 01:37 AM Share Posted Monday at 01:37 AM Very nice! And that engine bay looks mint! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted Monday at 01:46 AM Share Posted Monday at 01:46 AM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiatslug87 Posted Monday at 02:21 AM Share Posted Monday at 02:21 AM Nice truck, love the front license plate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle_SX4 Posted Monday at 02:40 AM Share Posted Monday at 02:40 AM This is a very nice truck. Glad to help with the part. I hope my truck will be this nice someday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gojira94 Posted Monday at 03:39 PM Share Posted Monday at 03:39 PM 13 hours ago, boxyjeep said: Very nice! And that engine bay looks mint! It wouldn't be complete without your work! 13 hours ago, fiatslug87 said: Nice truck, love the front license plate. Thanks! I saw it and had to have it, for reasons in the build thread... 12 hours ago, Eagle_SX4 said: This is a very nice truck. Glad to help with the part. I hope my truck will be this nice someday. I'd say you're way ahead in some aspects. Wish I had your paint and welding skills! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GonzoTheGreat Posted yesterday at 12:32 AM Share Posted yesterday at 12:32 AM I love the super detailed work, followed by excellent documentation. This is one of my favorite builds on the site. Very well-deserving MJOTM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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