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MJ Restoration

TAZMATIC

NAXJA Forum User
Location
St. Charles Mo
Hello all!

I'm new to this forum but not to Jeeps.

At my wonderful wife's request I bought a 1988 MJ. It's a base truck, 4x4, short bed with the 4.0 and an automatic. Dana 30 front and 35 rear.

She informed me that she wants a "new old truck." I've been doing searches and lurking around this forum since December when we brought the MJ home. We have His and Hers 03 Rubicons on 36" Iroks as our main trail rigs. We want the MJ for daily driving, use as a light truck, and for the cool factor of having something not everyone has.

I'm in the process of swapping the interior from a 1988 XJ Lorado. I'm swapping out the idiot lights to gauges, the bench seat to buckets, the column shifter to the floor and adding a center counsole. I'm also looking at swapping the doors for the power windows and door locks.

I'm happy with the interior progress and have done the mechanical work to make it dependable. The new 4" long arm is going on tomorrow and will take care of some worn suspension issues.

Moving on to the outside of the truck is where I have a couple of questions. The truck is pretty solid with what seems to be a normal amount of rust. I'm looking at replacing the front fenders, hood, cracked headlight buckets, and possibly the doors. The bed is solid and I have a small hole in the floor pan.

Can I change the front to the 97+ style front end? Will the body lines match and newer style parts bolt on? What problems can I expect if I change to newer doors? We can't decide if we even want to go with the newer look. I'm just wondering if it is even an option.

I'll also be trimming the fenders for bigger meats prior to the paint and body work. With both rubys lifted 6", I'm trying to keep the COG a little lower on the MJ. Our 15 year old son is already talking about the MJ being "his" when he is ready to drive. (He and his Mom can fight it out. I lost my battle with her and had to get the second ruby)

What size tires can I run with a 4" lift and cutting? Can I buy a full floor pan replacement? Our local dealer only shows a floor pan replacement back to 97. Will a floor pan from a 97 XJ weld in?

Sorry for the long first post and all the questions. The faster I get things done, the faster she wants it done. I've learned a bunch reading this forum and I hope you can help with the rest of our "new old truck" project.

Thanks for any impute!

Tim
 
Someone else will have to tell you whether or not the doors will fit...but I know the front clip (fenders, header panel, grille/headlight assemblies) can and will fit.

I have not done the swap BUT I have seen it on an '89 MJ that a friend of mine had. It looks great.

Hopefully someone can give you more specifics... but it will work.
 
This forum may get you answers to your questions, but also look at the Jeep Comanche site thru Yahoo. :us:
 
I thought you said you were restoring the MJ. A long arm kit and lift is not a "restoration." (Sorry -- as a long-time collector/restorer and MJ aficionado, I had to get that off my chest. At least you are keeping another one out of the junkyards.)

However -- to answer some of yiour questions. The new style nose is a bolt-on if you change the fenders and the header to the new style all in one shot. The fenders bolt on but the upper/outer corners on the new style are more rounded, where the old ones had a slight chamfer profile.

A couple of people have successfully matched the new style header and grille with the old fenders. Bob Salemi did it by first filling in the beck of the header at the upper/outer corbers with bondo. Then after he had everything installed and lined up, he shaved the upper/outer corners to blend into the old fenders. The new style flares botl onto the old fenders, so you really have to look twice to figure out what he did.

The new style doors bolt on, but look carefully at the latch. Aside from changing from a post to a loop on the door jamb, when I looked at it my measurements suggested that the actual height of the latch in the new style doors is different from the older ones. I was rushed and I need to check this more carefully, but I don't think it's going to work.
 
Check out THIS LINK on a MJ project build up using a 2001 XJ body parts... Pretty cool work...

Ivan
 
Eagle said:
I thought you said you were restoring the MJ. A long arm kit and lift is not a "restoration."

Sorry for the poor choice of topics. It would be better described as "Overhauling the MJ." No intention to mislead or offend anyone.

Thanks for the replies.

I'm going to replace the body panels either way. It's nice to know we have the option of the newer style front end. The doors are repairable if changing them isn't a reasonable option.

Any thoughts on the floor pan?

Tim
 
Tazmatic-

Welcome to NAXJA from just down the road. I too have a great MJ (several, actually) that needs some TLC, so if you don't mind I'd love to come see your project and perhaps lend a hand if needed.
 
No floor pans exist in the aftermarket that I've been able to find. Cherokees have a different floor pan (XJs are flat, while MJs curve up under the seats, haven't a clue what might have changed in 97) so it'll require some fabrication to fit it in. You can always go with flat sheetmetal (and a hammer) to fix the affected area, or raid the junkyards and cut the floorpan from another MJ. It's been done. Might be a good idea to line the floor with a quality bedliner once you're done with the fix.
MJs share doors with the pre-97 4 door XJs, and they are a quick way to gain power ammenities.
33s can be fit under a 4" lift with minor trimming and attention paid to backspacing. With that much tire, your truck might be beggin' you for new gears. :laugh3:
Remember to take lots of pics to document the buildup! :D
Jeep on!
--Pete

ComancheClub.com
 
Thanks for the links guys!
Great info on the updated front end and doors.

Lawn Cher.......thanks for the welcome and you more than welcome to stop by anytime. I'm in the Harvester area.

Pete.....thanks for the info on the floor pan. I have a tourch and a welder. Looks like that may be the easiest option.
 
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