a newbie MJ question......

Matt S. · Feb 20, 2004

.....from a non-newbie! :smiley:

Okay guys... serious issue here. I stumbled onto a 88" MJ. 4cyl/auto/2x4 non D44. BUT its a short box and in decent condition. I have a LOAD of questions. So please bear with me.... and its ok to flame! Oh and a few are OEM questions sorry.

1. It does have the D35 in it. What is a good guess at gear ratio and if it is c-clip or not?

2. Is the 4 banger as reliable as the 6 cyl? It has 135k on it.

3. How structural is the bed for the ummm unibody? Do I call it a unibody?

4. Since I am in AZ right now, I want to do a little desert running with it / mild jumping. Is this just a plain dumb idea with out a full length cage?

5. Is the solid beam axle decently strong? will it hold 33s without fear of bending? Cuz' I want to beat the piss outa it before I do surgery on it.

last one... Is there ANY terminal problems that the 4cyls have that I need to be aware of?

Mods, if this is in wrong forum, forgive me and move it.

Thanks!
MATT

Phil · Feb 20, 2004

I would guess 4.10, because it's a 4cyl, but maybe it's lower because it's auto, like the 4.0L autos get lower gears than the manuals.
I think the 4cyl is supposed to be a good little motor, but I've only driven 4.0Ls.
So far as I know, the bed can be removed no problem - except for the stuff that mounts to it.
That's all I've got for you, nothing solid.

BrettM · Feb 20, 2004

Scrappy said:
.....from a non-newbie! :smiley:

Okay guys... serious issue here. I stumbled onto a 88" MJ. 4cyl/auto/2x4 non D44. BUT its a short box and in decent condition. I have a LOAD of questions. So please bear with me.... and its ok to flame! Oh and a few are OEM questions sorry.

1. It does have the D35 in it. What is a good guess at gear ratio and if it is c-clip or not?

2. Is the 4 banger as reliable as the 6 cyl? It has 135k on it.

3. How structural is the bed for the ummm unibody? Do I call it a unibody?

4. Since I am in AZ right now, I want to do a little desert running with it / mild jumping. Is this just a plain dumb idea with out a full length cage?

5. Is the solid beam axle decently strong? will it hold 33s without fear of bending? Cuz' I want to beat the piss outa it before I do surgery on it.

last one... Is there ANY terminal problems that the 4cyls have that I need to be aware of?

Mods, if this is in wrong forum, forgive me and move it.

Thanks!
MATT

1. 4.10 or 3.73 is my guess, non c-clip for sure
2. i think so
3. not structural at all
4. just don't roll
5. no idea, but it would be SO easy to truss it, so just do that

CheapXJ · Feb 20, 2004

Considering that the MJ had a sponsored racing history for a couple years (most were 4-cyl trucks) It's a good platform to start with.

If I lived near the desert, mine would be a prerunner too

DEFINITELY truss the front beam axle, but you have less to worry about as the 4-cyl is much lighter than the 4.0L

also consider a steering box brace and running an aftermarket trackbar bracket with a brace that connects it between both "framerails". You'll want to stiffen up the front end as much as physically possible, add some extra bracing to the lower control arm mounts at the axle end as well (they are kinda weak)

Matt S. · Feb 20, 2004

Well guys here is the thing. I am only here till July. I move back to Cali and the land of the rocks. This is just something I think would be fun to do to pass the time since I sold my dirtbike. Its ganna be a tube car within a year of July. So this I want to do CHEAP and no fabbing. I want to only do like a BB lift on it and just trim the hell outa it. I almost feel bad about cutting a good short box up, but eh, it has a future I swear. How much lighter is this truck over a cherokee?

MATT

Jared · Feb 20, 2004

You SHOULD feel bad cutting up a clean little MJ - they're getting fairly rare. Just sell it to me cheap and buy a beater dirtbike. Meet me in Moab to seal the deal in March.

Jared

BrettM · Feb 20, 2004

oh no! don't let Eagle see this one. maybe just to keep all the "MJ huggers" happy you could take off the bed and make a little tube-bed.

throw a 3" lift on and some good shocks, hack the front fenders to nothing, 33x10.50s, badda-boom, sweet-cheap-easy prerunner.

Eagle · Feb 20, 2004

Too Late!

I saw it!

:twak: TAKE THAT!

The MJ is a hybrid -- the front is all XJ unibody, the back is a subframe just like any other pickup. The box is bolted on.

That having been said, I very much agree that they are rare and getting more rare, and if you're going to chop it up and make a tube buggy out of it anyway you really shouldn't do it to an MJ, you should do it to an XJ. Not that I dislike XJs -- I have roughly equal numbers of both -- but there are just so many more XJs available that you're not depleting the stock appreciably.

SewerBoss · Feb 20, 2004

I think you should just run the piss out of it. I know the MJ's are getting more rare. I owned one. But, its not like people are out there searching for the perfect bodied MJ like they are other rare, classic vehicles. If you don't buy it, it'll probably just get used like any other pickup till it is dead and gone. I'd say there is a 99.5% chance that it'll never be kept by anybody as a "rare" vehicle in the jeep's lineup.
So....
4 banger is good.
Gears should be 4.10 or 3.73, but I've seen 3.55's behind the AX-4, so thats a possibility as well.
Truss the axle. Its just a Dana 30, without the housing. Easy to weld to tube of steel.
You'll be fine with the rest of it as is. Put on some lift, add some tires, good bumpstops if you are into jumping and head to the desert.

There, thats MHO. Take it with a grain of salt, as the first thing I've done to every jeep i've had was break out the sawsall and cutoff tools.

JnJ · Feb 20, 2004

Don't feel bad about mod'ing the MJ, it's yours! This one is in my garage now getting cut up and mod'ed out.

By the way, the cab of the MJ may be unibody, but it is not the same as the XJ. The MJ has beefier LCA mounts, and there are "kickers?" that come off the uniframe to the body unlike anything the XJ has. It appears it was beefed up some since it is suppose to be a "truck".

Pete M · Feb 20, 2004

Just a couple notes,
the gear ratio will be at least 4.10, with a chance of it being a 4.56 because of the auto. To the best of my knowledge, 3.73 was not available after 86.
The curb-weights of the XJ and short bed MJ are about the same at 2900 lbs.
I would invest in a rollbar if I were you. (see pics below)
And if you were closer, I'd trade you my rusty 2wd/4.0L 89 MJ for a cherry 88.
Oh, and the engine area may be the same, but the uniframe underneath the cab is double layered and a real pain to drill through.
Jeep on!
--Pete

P.S. none of these trucks are mine and the last one is a different MJ than the first.

And this is what the rear frame looks like:

Matt S. · Feb 20, 2004

Wow thanks for the info. Eagle dont worry, I wont trash the bed. I probly wont even have the rear frame under it either. So i guess i could turn it into a trailer!! HA just playing, i wouldn't do that. But it is a good idea....

So is it agreed that the unibody portion is thicker and beefier?? Are the inner fenderwells important to the unibody like the XJ?

Matt

a newbie MJ question......

Matt S.

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Phil

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BrettM

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CheapXJ

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Matt S.

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Jared

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BrettM

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Eagle

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SewerBoss

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JnJ

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Pete M

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Matt S.

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