DD MJ, is it confortable as an XJ?

[Dano]

I have a '99 auto XJ with enought stuff to be satisfied. I fell into a great deal on a 93 manual XJ and have been repairing it and using it as a DD. after I did some ½ rated trails around the loop of a harder trail when trail building I figured a manual would be possably more fun (different) to drive off road than an auto.

I am looking for a MJ anyway because they are cool, but is the MJ as comfortable to drive every day as the XJ? I think I would have a hard time getting used to driving in a cab with no back seat to throw crap in. But the larger outside cargo space would be much nicer.

 

[Eagle]

The MJ bench seat isn't very comfortable but you can attach XJ buckets to the MJ floor brackets. But the seats don't go back as far. In terms of ride quality I think an MJ in stock trim is at least as comfortable as an XJ, and a longbed will obviously ride like a vehicle with a longer wheelbase. The MJ also has a lower center of gravity so, whether it's real or imagined, it feels like it handles better.

You are correct about the lack of storage being a handicap. If you get a longbed, a cross-bed tool chest is a Godsend. I have one on the '88 shortbed, too, but that reduces the load volume quite a bit.

Almost forgot -- I'm 6'-3" tall. If you're any taller, you may find the lack of legroom to be a problem.

 

[Dano]

I am 5'6" so leg room for me is not an issue

 

[BlueMJ]

It rides like a truck.

My MJ has helper leafs so it's a bit rougher, but I love driving it.

The bench seat sux for trips longer than an hour or so....your shoulders and neck get sore from no support. I think with nice bucket's it'd be no prob at all.

I find that I have to lean over a bit to get into 5th gear, I'm 5'10" and push the seat almost all the way back...I like leg room. Other than those minor things....MJ's are a pleasure to drive (when they actually run that is or dnt have something broken)!

 

[xjblue]

Since my MJ has poor manual steering (for now) and worn out shocks it's tough to compare accurately but it is no where near as "plush" or easy to drive as my XJ. The bench seats do suck, I can vouch for the hour endurance, however my commute and other DD activities tend to be short trips so it's a non issue. You get used to the feeling of the Cab. I have to say I do enjoy driving it to work every day. MJ's are cool

 

[BlueMJ]

Since my MJ has poor manual steering (for now) and worn out shocks it's tough to compare accurately but it is no where near as "plush" or easy to drive as my XJ. The bench seats do suck, I can vouch for the hour endurance, however my commute and other DD activities tend to be short trips so it's a non issue. You get used to the feeling of the Cab. I have to say I do enjoy driving it to work every day. MJ's are cool

Do a power steering swap...not all that expensive and the results are well worth the work. I kick myself for not doing it sooner and screwing around with that POS dead manual box for so long.

 

[copperhead]

I too have been looking at MJ's lately. Unfortunately at 6'4" I don't fit in any of them. It's funny, because I had a 93 Sonoma that I fit in ok. I figured they were about the same size. My other thought was to fit a different set of seats, as my 87 Laredo is a great fit while my wifes 96 sport is uncomfortable on any trip more than about 20 miles. The seats make the difference. I am in trouble though if the buckets can't be placed in the full back position in an MJ. Sad, as I need a truck with a bed more than I need the XJ.

Copperhead - New Hampshire, USA

 

[xjblue]

Do a power steering swap...not all that expensive and the results are well worth the work. I kick myself for not doing it sooner and screwing around with that POS dead manual box for so long.

the guy who said he would supply the parts never got back to me, It has stayed a little bit tighter since last adjustment. I'll get around to the swap one of these days.

 

[LT1XJ]

My Mj with a 3" add aleaf rides better than my XJ with 4.5 spring packs. And personally i think it drives better than my dads WJ.
Dustin

 

[Pete M]

Just swap in MJ buckets and you don't have to worry about the issues that XJ buckets give. car-part.com might show some near you. I drove my 88 in it's 2wd form for about 3 years (before the peugeot died and it became my 4x4 project) and I miss the experience dearly. If you're taller than my 6' frame, than I recommend ripping out the headliner and lining it with closed-cell automotive foam like I did. details are at:
http://www.picturetrail.com/petermontie
in the "other projects" folder. Gave me 2-3 inches more headroom! Oh, and since my commute was about 3 hours roundtrip, I invested in an add-on inflatable lumbar supprt thingy that I picked up at an auto parts store. Made the drive even better (but I imagine a small pillow would work too).
Jeep on!
--Pete

Comanches Rule!!
88 4wd project, 86 work horse, 89 parts truck
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/jeepcomanche/

 

[BlueMJ]

Thats a nice bar in your bed....is it real "roll" protection or just a "sport" bar like in the wranglers?

 

[Pete M]

Thats a nice bar in your bed....is it real "roll" protection or just a "sport" bar like in the wranglers?

Nothing on my truck is allowed to be just for looks. (though I certainly don't mind the practical stuff lookin' darn good.)
That's 2" dia .120 DOM tube welded to the frame up front (if anyone didn't already know, MJs have a fully boxed frame out back), attached with a 5/8" grade 8 through bolt in the rear, and integrated into the rear bumper in three places. Designed everything myself, but had to farm out the bending and welding. Like all good projects though, there's more to come like an angled brace, removeable headache rack (to keep any flying recovery gear at bay), integration into the future rocker protection, maybe even a halo bar to make a full cage for it. I'm broke, so it's gotta come together in smaller steps.
Jeep on!
--Pete

 

[BlueMJ]

I saw that and thought about an exobar running up the windshield rails, over the windshield/roof and tied into the bed bar

 

[Pete M]

Yellow comes next, then purple, then green. Just use your imagination that everything looks nice and subtle. Dotted lines are behind the sheetmetal. The short angled lines are frame tie-ins that I couldn't figure out how to draw.
The rear of the rocker protection will be triangulated to the front rollbar mount for super-duper strength. The frame tie-ins will run *through* the frame for extra leverage resistance. (I'm not going to be trusting any welds on that "frame", even if it is twice as strong as an XJs). I can't even think about using the pinch seem like XJs can, because there's nothing much that's solid behind the Rhino Lining (best thing I ever did purely for asthetics). The front will "hang" for the time being, but I bet it'll be strong enough as-is without needing the tie into the roll cage. I was thinking of triangulating up to somewhere by the front shocks, but that idea needs to be flushed out first.
I was thinking of a halo up top, but I'll see what the guy doing the bending says is easiest. I saw a Cherokee once that had the front bars hidden inside the front fenders and I'd really like to duplicate that. It looked incredibly clean. He also had a hood bar running inside the top of the fender out to the front bumper, but I'm not sure if I can duplicate that. I like safety, but I just can't live with the "jungle Gym" look.
The fenders are just an idea at this point. I'd like to keep the look of the MJ/XJ flares, but make some that I can rub up against a tree and not lose the whole fender. There are a lot of evil trees here in Michigan and they love to snag souveniers off of 4x4s.
Jeep on!
--Pete
P.S. Does it count as a hi-jacked thread if the original topic seems to be dead?

 

[Fred]

I'll un-Hijack it. My stock except for energy suspension front swaybar bushings 88 MJ short bed rides far better than my 90 XJ with a Rusty/RE 3.5" lift. The bench seat sucks, and the headliner is falling down, but the ride is great.
To re-Hijack the thread, how does one do bedbars and a capper. I'd really like a capper, anyone have any recommendations?

Fred
PS my sig is wrong :roll:

 

[Pete M]

You mean a rollbar with a cap? That's easy if you can get a custom bar built. Just buy the cap and design the bar to fit inside. Nothin' says that the bar needs to be taller than the top of the cab.
Jeep on!
--Pete

 

[BlueMJ]

Or you can build the cage over the bed cap....that way if you do topple over, your cap wont get crushed (as much anyway)...may be a bit of a hassle to get the cap off though. I have a cap on my MJ and take it off for the summers, takes about 10 minutes to unclamp and pull off...If it becomes a trail rig then the cap will prolly get ditched for a cage