Pete referbs another black MJ (current phase: teardown and discovery)

[Pete M]

this time it's a 91.    (and hopefully less of a basketcase, but we'll see)

 

4x4/4.0/AX-15/aluminum rims/full cluster that contrasts with having no AC, non-int wipers, and even a radio delete. (which explains the odd radio and wiring I found).  the radio, alarm, and rollbar w/lights were added at some point.  she's only got 30k miles, but it's clear that she's sat for much of her life.  the floor is wasted and every bracket and brace that wasn't painted has rusted due to trapped moisture in the cab.  but most all of it is not being reused, so it's ok.   lots of rodent evidence too, but the dash and hvac are getting replaced so that should take care of the smell.   

 

basic plans are to fix the floor, the water leaks, and anything else that's broken or rusted.  while we're at it we'll upgrade with AC, better dash, radio, small lift, and anything else that the owner wants to freshen up the truck. 

 

so follow along on this sweaty summertime adventure.  join me, shall you?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Pete M]

for starters, this time I know up front what I'm getting myself into and so I bought a large shelf to contain all the goodies that came with the truck and hold all the parts that come off the truck.

 

 

step one was a doozie.  due to rust, the floor brackets were in horrible shape and the bench didn't slide forward or backward anymore. only a couple of the nuts came free as they should.  ended up needing to cut 3 of the brackets to free the seat.  the 4th one was already severed.   that chunk of rust is one of the nuts. 

 

 

but after much sweating, I got the bench out  

 

[Pete M]

the next day I got enough out that I was able to pull the carpet.    going to need a full floor replacement on the drivers side, including up the trans tunnel.  but the pass side seems solid except for 1 hole in the inner rocket centered around one of those stupid self tappers.  time to invest in some more cutting wheels and spot weld cutters.  lots of them. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Pete M]

some of the custom wiring I found

 

 

 

 

 

 

and the pass side speaker hasn't made a noise in a while

 

 

[fiatslug87]

What’s the end game for this one? Keeping it, selling it or is it someone else’s that you’re working on?

[Pete M]

belongs to Maydaymalones.   

[89 MJ]

This is a very nice looking truck. Unfortunately, it is a textbook example of why low mileage is not always a good thing with all of the rust. Then again, seeing the wiring, it is probably good that this truck was parked more than it wouldn't. With that wiring, its a miracle that truck is still with us. 

[Pete M]

I haven't shared all the rodent damage to the aftermarket wires.    factory harness seems to be good though.  looks like the aftermarket wires were made of the tasty stuff.

[Pete M]

the hvac is absolutely filled with nesting material sourced from other parts of the truck.   but that's a fight for another day.  today I got the dash out.  

 

 

[Pete M]

oh, and started stripping out the doors

 

 

[Pete M]

this is what I'm talking about.  if it's steel and not painted, it's rusty.  but most of it is not being reinstalled so it's mostly fine.  

 

 

[neohic]

Geez! Did someone just keep a humidifier running 24/7 in that truck? 

[Pete M]

lord only knows how long it sat with rainwater getting in.  

[Pete M]

the more you dig, the more you find   looks like I'm ordering some new sockets too.

 

 

[Pete M]

managed to get the front end off before the sun hit the driveway. 

 

 

 

 

 

also found that someone before me broke the vacuum canister and glued it back together rather than replacing it.

 

 

[Pete M]

the junkyard was good to me   also got a radio and vacuum canister. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and snagged an Expedition hitch to go with the Scar-fab brackets that just showed up.  also got Brandon's seat brackets.  the Expedition is one of the few rigs out there that has a hitch that's wide enough to use the center bit on an MJ.  everything seems to mount their hitches to the inner part of the frames and so they are too short.

 

 

[Pete M]

mmmm... tasty.   radiator fluid was pretty nasty.  hoses/t-stat/etc will be replaced, but I think the radiator is usable.  we'll see what the inside looks like when I do the t-stat.  might pull the pump just to check condition. 

 

 

 

another fun surprise.  some of the fan blades are bent at the tips.     

 

 

[Pete M]

hvac is out!   maximum grossness.   but it's trash anyway so I don't care.

 

plenty of rust on the floor, but I don't see the streaks of rust coming from multiple places like with the last truck. 

 

 

 

 

found out how they got in.  the previous owner's solution was some foil tape over the hole   

 

 

[Pete M]

damn.  it. 

 

was really hoping I wouldn't have to deal with this spot again.  sigh...

 

 

[Gojira94]

On 7/5/2026 at 11:47 AM, Pete M said:

was really hoping I wouldn't have to deal with this spot again.

 

I spent 3 days working on that spot. I got all the seam sealer out of it and opened the outer cowl layers with a chisel. Worked it with a flat hobby file (tiny), guitar strings and steel brushes. Sprayed the hell out of it with rust converter, primed it. Then filled it to the moon with new 3M seam sealer and worked the layers back together with a brass drift while the sealer was still wet.