OK I took the Girlfriend out for some wheeling and convinced her to drive,... well after the inital shock wore off and she climbed a shale hill and stepped a 2' rock ledge she was hooked,.. I tried to convince her on a Cherokee but she wanted a truck,... MJ it is,... I was hoping for a 89ish 4.0 4X4 short box but all I have found in our price range was a 1986 2.5 , 5spd long box. My questions are

-How hard is it to swap the 2.5 for a 4.0 and whats neccessary?
-Anyone bobbed a long box MJ and have pics or info to share?
-Any diffrences from the earlier or late MJ's in regards to part swaps XJ parts on a MJ)?

OK I took the Girlfriend out for some wheeling and convinced her to drive,... well after the inital shock wore off and she climbed a shale hill and stepped a 2' rock ledge she was hooked,.. I tried to convince her on a Cherokee but she wanted a truck,... MJ it is,... I was hoping for a 89ish 4.0 4X4 short box but all I have found in our price range was a 1986 2.5 , 5spd long box. My questions are

-How hard is it to swap the 2.5 for a 4.0 and whats neccessary?
-Anyone bobbed a long box MJ and have pics or info to share?
-Any diffrences from the earlier or late MJ's in regards to part swaps XJ parts on a MJ)?
the engine bay is different from the 2.8 v6 years to the 4.0L years.

wait for a 4.0 short bed.

:cow:

good luck finding a shortbed 4.0l 4x4...few and far bewteen...at least in these parts.

good luck finding a shortbed 4.0l 4x4...few and far bewteen...at least in these parts.

NO crap, I put over 2,000 miles on my rig driving out to Denver to pick one up last weekend. They are out there, just be patient.

91-92 have the HO engines and IMHO are the best ones. I have had 3, all are 91's two are eliminator's with the HO 4.0 and one sport with the 2.5. The engine bays were the same and a person could swap to the 4.0. The only way I would do that is if I had a doner of the same year (Cherokee?) and swap every thing over. I converted one of the eliminators from 2wd to 4wd using a wrecked cherokee of the same year. It was extremely easy to do (might make it easier knowing that converting 2wd to 4wd is not hard to do).



Or you could find a two door cherokee and get a sawzall out.

N



Or you could find a two door cherokee and get a sawzall out.


Been there,... here is mine 1/2 way through construction

http://tinypic.com/ao16kg.jpg

anybody bob a MJ?

Bobbing the longbed MJ won't remove the extra wheelbase over the shortbed MJs. And 86 MJs (and 84-86 XJs) are the ones that won't take a 4.0l without a bunch of extra work. After 87 the MJ/XJ engine compartment was pretty much standardized as far as the sheetmetal goes.
I recommend waiting for a 4.0l. If you want a project, grab a 2wd 4.0L MJ (plenty of them lying around) and convert it to 4wd with a 4.10 geared Dana30 from a late model XJ/MJ (with the better u-joints), and a 4.10 geared Ford 8.8 from behind a 96+ Explorer. You'll be replacing the tranny anyway, but try to get the type of tranny you want in the end cause swapping between the two is a pain in the butt.
Jeep on!
--Pete

ComancheClub.com

Thanks for the insight, I did the 8.8 swap in my XJ from a 90's exploder, have the D30 and 8.8 4:10's waiting to go in,.. I was not aware that the sheet metal was that diffrent year to year

Vacation in California this year. http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=384193 :grinpimp:

I take it that an "MJ" is the little Cherokee Pickup? I've seen a bobbed one in So Cal. The guy took about 18" out. It's a stubby little thing. He just runs 33 or 35s but does trails in Johnson Valley (Jack, Sledge etc.). It's not hardcore but is very capable. I've been seeing this one for 7 or 8 years. No pictures though.

I want my own. Who wants to hook a lil' lady up? :D

Post up a pic LOL,... you may get an interested party,......