First MJ - 1989 pioneer

[BoundForGlory]

I’m so glad I found this forum, what a wealth of information!

 

(I’ll check this in at the vin registry once it gets light out)
Here she is! My 1989 pioneer with a 4.0, ax15, 4x4 and some 35 inch tires! And what appears to be 3.07 gears…

I saw the machine during spring break, and after convincing my dad to drive 4 hours each way with a trailer, I went up to get her.
About that trailer… thought it was rated for 5000lbs, but some bottomed out leaf springs were screaming otherwise. Oh well, at least it’s easy to unload, the 35s just roll right off! Anyhow, at this point, it’s 8pm, and there’s a snowstorm moving in/already here, but I had faith, in this new to me rig, and set off into the night, with my dads watchful eye behind me in case a wheel flew off or something. Now, the previous owner had told me two mission critical things: #1 - the radiator leaks, and #2 - the temp sensor jumps up to max and stays there, so the Renix engine monitor is no help in this case. But hey! At least it has an engine monitor! Having to refill the radiator made for slow going, and the lack of a temp sensor led immense amounts of stress, but we made it! 
My roadkill-style mission actually turned out better than expected. When all was said and done, I was down 3 cans of radiator fluid, got pulled over 2 times, and had 1 sweet project sitting in my yard! (I think the cops were impressed, despite being down both a headlight and a taillight in the dead of night, one just talked to me, the other gave me a written warning with no fix it ticket and told me to wave it if other ones pulled me over on the rest of the way).

 

Now it’s here and it’s mine, and I’m on summer break so it’s time to get to work!

What I know so far about it:

started life as a 1989 pioneer with an auto trans

previous owner installed 1991 xj axles, transfer case, transmission, and engine, but it still runs a renix ecu.

So far:
New NTK o2 sensor

Headlight relays

And a whole lot of figuring out where wires go and how this thing is set up.

Radiator fixed 

 

To do: 

-cupholder

-Temp sensor

-get rid of that window tint

-hook up speedometer

-Hook up reverse lights 

-Pound out a ton of dents

-rockers down the road, and maybe some kinda rock slider

-touch up paint

-Maybe put a Dana 44 on the rear end… But then, I looked under it today, and HALLELUJAH! Beneath that caked on mud and rust, I’m pretty sure that’s a 44! 

 

 

I’m loving this truck so far, but man, there’s a long way to go! Hoping to keep the truck along similar lines as it’s already on, just a fun off-roader jeep, and really put my effort into making it super reliable.

[89 MJ]

I hate to rain on your parade, but that’s a D35. Looks like a good truck though!

[BoundForGlory]

That’s why I’m here lol, totally new to these things! I appreciate you letting me know, maybe time for some reading on an 8.8 swap

[89 MJ]

I did an 8.8 in my truck. The Explorer ones are too narrow. I’d recommend one from an Explorer Sport Trac. It’s much closer to the width of an MJ rear. I’d also recommend checking out a Liberty 8.25 swap. 

[BoundForGlory]

Sweet! I’ll start doing my homework, the back brakes on this truck are shot, so probably as good a time as any to bite the bullet

[BoundForGlory]

I got a little time, so I figured I should give this thread an update:

 

I was all fired up to take 89 MJ’s advice and do an 8.8 swap, but a Dana 35 with 4.10 gear and posi trac from a jeep Comanche came up for real cheap on Marketplace, so I figured that was the route to take for the summer. There isn’t much real wheeling around me, so the 35 is alright for the moment, I get my off road fix on a dirt bike. I’m gonna swap it out when a decent 8.8 from a sport trac comes up or might try a 9in floater… 33 splines in 60in widths are pretty common around me, and I like the idea of a full float. If I start wheeling it, I don’t want ANY durability concerns, and I’m way too paranoid. 

 

I also engine swapped it from a 1994 to a 1989 4.0 after my 5 dollar radiator stop leak blew out on the highway and the head gasket gave in.
 

Shockingly, even though there was probably a quart of antifreeze puked up into the air box and another quart of oil sprayed around the engine, she still fired up on two cylinders the next day! 

 

The new (to me) junkyard engine went in without too much trouble, and served me well all summer, including a solid 800 mile road trip lap around norther Wisconsin hauling a dirt bike, heck, I didn’t even have 4x4 hooked up and it white knuckled through 500 feet of 2 foot deep mud on a forest road! 
 

Of course, the week before college, I noticed a pretty big loss in power, but she still started and ran, so I didn’t let it get me down, until a couple weeks ago I did a fuel pressure test… 15psi in the fuel rail!!! These 4.0 engines are insane, I couldn’t believe it was still running!

 

Oh, and after a couple Bosch pumps off eBay not coming with the right fit kit, I went to a Carter pump off rockauto for 20 bucks, works great!

 

Overall, good summer with a great truck! Took me to the fishing holes, skidded some logs with the winch, hauled a bunch of brush and dirt bikes, watched a lot of sunsets sitting on the toolbox, and I wouldn’t have anything else!! But time to put some actual work into it over winter break, thinking I might try to cook up a 4 link rear for the fun of it, along with giving it another coat of rust proofing, pulling some dents out, and painting the hood to match.

[BoundForGlory]

Oh, also got a sweet topper for camping, sold by a guy who inherited a Comanche his uncle had owned since new!!! Cleanest machine I’ve ever seen, absolute stock beauty that looked like had never seen salt, even pulled me out of a steep hill I backed down with my not-hooked-up 4x4 and couldn’t get up myself  

Anyways, got a sweet topper for free,  lines match the Comanche, sliding mesh windows, the whole 9 yards. Sadly, it had been used as a hunting blind for the last 5 years, so it’s gonna need some cleaning… I’ll make sure to get some photos up when I get a chance.