86 mj project ideas

ive seen the webring and yahoo group any other sorces?
TIA ben

What do you mean "ideas", like flatbed, fullwidths, coils all around, V8 swap, Atlas 4.3:1, 38's, and a custom soft top?

Ah, yes, enter my fantasy world.....

Here's a radical idea -- since MJs are comparatively scarce, and they made probaly 20 times as many XJs as MJs, why not restore the poor MJ and chop up an XJ?

One vote from the honorary president of the World MJ Presevation Society

Eagle, you are the man. I agree whole heartedly.

By the way, how lifted is YOUR MJ?

World MJ Presevation Society

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Mine started out as a totaled MJ, hit from both sides but the frame was straight, My other MJ will eventually be restored


.
Ive got over 60 hours just in body work on this cab, the bed was total right off

9" in the rear, SOA, with either new packs or 2" block to keep it less pricey

D44 front retubed for pass. side drop and turned for caster, leaf spring mounts and 44044 leafs

D300 twin sticked

5.13 gears, detroits or arbs

38x12.5 or the new 39.5 Iroks

keep the bed, install cage in bed and through into cab

spare tire and extra seating in the back

kinda the route mine is going, guess I'm biased

Eagle said:

One vote from the honorary president of the World MJ Presevation Society

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Here's another vote

I will be putting a whopping 3" lift on mine & 31's, probably in the spring.

DeadEyeJ said:

Eagle, you are the man. I agree whole heartedly.

By the way, how lifted is YOUR MJ?

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Which one? I currently own 5, 2 of which are licensed and running. One has a 4" Trailmaster lift that was in it when I bought it, and that's coming out as soon as I get the rear bumper and rotted hitch replaced on the '88 XJ and it's available for daily duty again.

Heh heh, hey MudTruck, I love it when my 88 sounds *mild* in comparison. (Eagle, I promise the rust is terminal ;-)
For an 86, I'd do a 3.4L MPI engine swap, springover (duh!) and 4 inches or so in the front, late-model axleshaft swap in the 30 to get rid of the wussy U-joints and CAD, have an 8.8 swap planned out for when the dana 35 goes, 32 or 33" tires, and armor all around to keep the sheetmetal safe. Except for the fact that I already have enough axle out back with the stock AMC-20, those are the longterm goals for *my* 86 (which is also a basket-case). But that ain't happenin' anytime soon, so we'll see what life throws at me down the line. Maybe we'll just do a 3" lift with the engine swap (replacing that 2.8 will be priority #1) so I can fit 31s. First things first though, as I think the 2.8 might actually outlive my 88's ailing 4.0. Gotta start tracking down a good block...
Jeep on!
--Pete
P.S. a gratuitous shot of my baby:

P.P.S. I'm all for preservation of MJs, but I'd rather see 10 get built up, than 1 just rot away in the junkyard. *That* is where I think the biggest travisty is occuring. :-( We gotta get people thinkin' that their truck is something special and is worth fixing-up instead of selling to the scrapyard. And I my personal feeling is that seeing a bunch of super-cool MJs out there can help acomplish that.

Pete the Mj looks good! Got meet sometime and go wheeling, Judd

Pete M said:

I'm all for preservation of MJs, but I'd rather see 10 get built up, than 1 just rot away in the junkyard. *That* is where I think the biggest travisty is occuring. :-( We gotta get people thinkin' that their truck is something special and is worth fixing-up instead of selling to the scrapyard. And I my personal feeling is that seeing a bunch of super-cool MJs out there can help acomplish that.

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Oh, yeah. I'd much rather see them wheeled than scrapped. But I would also rather see salvagable MJs bought out of scrap yards to chop up as trail rigs rather than pristine examples you "steal" from some old lady whose deceased husband bought it new 18 years ago and always kept it in the garage.

I promise if I ever come across one of those, it's going straight over to my Grandparents' garage for storage till I have the resources to make it into a bitchin' summer-only driver. I'm about to investigate getting a license (junkyard license? I'm not sure what it's called) for getting a stab at the totaled-vehicle auctions at Copart. For the short term, I've got my eye on a burnt-out Cherokee (as a possible block donor for my 88), but it'd be really cool to have a chance at other Jeeps as they come through the system. Maybe I'll get lucky with an MJ somewhere down the line...
It's a tough choice between the desire to preserve the species and the idea of "what good is a Jeep if you can't wheel it?" The decision has to be made on an individual basis, 'cause some owners want a cool 4x4, but have no intentions of taking on the Hammers.
Jeep on!
--Pete
P.S. Hey MudTruk, are you on michiganjeepers.com yet?

My box is totally rusted on the outside but id like to use much of the inside it looks to be galvanized. This was my first vehicle and I replaced the rear axel manual trans and 2.5l 4cyl as necessary to keep it going. Had I known what I know now I would have also improved these items but hindsight is 20-20? I'd like to make this a comfortable DD not an aggressive trail rig. Gauges for idiot lights and dealing w/ the box are the first subjects I seek insight for Thanks Ben

mn_xj said:

My box is totally rusted on the outside but id like to use much of the inside it looks to be galvanized. This was my first vehicle and I replaced the rear axel manual trans and 2.5l 4cyl as necessary to keep it going. Had I known what I know now I would have also improved these items but hindsight is 20-20? I'd like to make this a comfortable DD not an aggressive trail rig. Gauges for idiot lights and dealing w/ the box are the first subjects I seek insight for Thanks Ben

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Believe it or not, J.C. Whitney has replacement quarter panels for the MJ (or they did as of a few weeks ago when I last checked). I don't think you'll see them in the printed catalog, but with a bit of creative searching on their web site I found them.

thanks Eagle

The Whitney panels look like the way to go! Chalk up another mj long box restoration Mr. president

Is the MJ shortbox much longer off the rear wheels than an XJ? Ive never been a fan of longbox trucks, fullsize, jeep, or otherwise, but I do love the MJ and would like to have one when I do eventually get to buying another Jeep.

http://www.jeepbarracks.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=27
should give all the details needed for the cluster swap.

The overhang on even a shortbed MJ isn't all that great with the stock bumper, but can be improved with a custom one. I set mine into the bed slightly (negating the use of a tailgate unfortunately) and trimmed all the sheetmetal below it.

I have more pics of it at: http://www.picturetrail.com/petermontie in the "other projects" folder.
A better idea for retaining the bed unscathed is at http://www.boulderbars.com/custom.htm Scroll down and you'll find a really sweet one-off bumper. Rumor has it that they are making them now, but you'll want to call and confirm that. (or just make your own! ;-)
Jeep on!
--Pete