well
long story short, things have changed again!
I have been fixing and breaking minor things for a while now, it wheels decently and has front and rear recovery points now. Rear bumper looks just like the front one - 2x6 box tube, 1/4 plate mounts, 1" plate D-ring mounts that go through the bumper and are attached to the mounts directly for strength.
I took it to WinterFest on a tow dolly and spent most of my time watching my welding helmet and cutoff discs blow across the campground, with some fabrication and repairs mixed in. I even got a half day of wheeling done, and mildly hydrolocked it coming out of the tubes. Still runs great, but I need to do a rebuild on the motor for peace of mind, I suspect at least two conrods are tweaked.
Also, the 5.2 that I accidentally bought (I was told it was a 5.9) is definitely going in this now, because I picked up an NV3500 with all the stuff to bolt it to a 5.2 today at the junkyard for $140. A 23 spline 231 will bolt right up to the other end... I have one I will be installing an SYE in.
Still undecided on the axles, probably going with the 8 lug 44/60 though, I now have 2 sets of 16" wheels for 8 lug axles, one came with my budget tow rig and the other with the 5.9 donor for the other MJ. I'm not sure if I really want to run a front 44 with a 5.2 and my right foot on one side and 35s on the other... still need to make that call.
Haven't decided if it's getting a late model interior or staying 96- style, either. The ECU I have for the 5.2 is a 98, so I'm definitely going to pass the CCD bus through the harness to the interior just in case I want to do the interior swap in the future (if I don't do it immediately.) I'll probably end up with the 95 steering column off Travis' old green XJ in this turd if I don't swap to the late model interior, simply because the stock 94- GM column is kinda jacked up and worn out and I have it sitting around.
I have patched the worst of the frame damage and it will hold together fine but I still plan on the full frame - especially since I'll need to do custom motor mounts and suspension mounts for the new stuff anyways. Yes, I'm stupid, don't bother telling me that.
I even had a license plate light on it (for the first time since about a year ago) for a grand total of 3 days before I backed up into a stump and demolished it again. I guess I will put a 1/4 plate guard frame around it when I replace it.
EDIT: super awesome trivia time. The pilot bearing + bushing kit that I need to put the NV3500 behind the (originally from an automatic vehicle) 5.2 I have is part number FC69907. Guess what that also fits? Most stock XJs with AX15s. I have one brand new in box in my spare parts stash... time to go start putting my new drivetrain together!
I can't believe I am putting a different motor and a different transmission in, and yet still using the same exact pilot bearing.