Looking at a 1990 jeep yj at a local dealership to use as a project vehicle/trail toy and just wanted some input on them.

I know they're considered the black sheep of jeeps because of their square headlights, problematic transmissions, awful electronic controlled carbs, and emission equipment.

However..this one has an ax15 trans, a beautiful engine (possibly rebuilt), all new vac and fuel lines, and a holly carb.

While I would rather have a CJ, they are harder to come by in good condition and they are a hell of a lot more expensive.

I could probably get this one for around $2,000 - $2,500

Will post pics soon..the exterior is rough and has some ugly offroad lights but there is no rust

 

Here's some pics...pretty sure I took one of the exterior but it didn't save..stupid phone.


Literally turned me on when I popped the hood. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.


Wondered if that gap is supposed to be there?

 

would love to see some exterior pics. How many miles on her?

That gap does seem hinky but I think my CJ7 had a similar gap.

 

Gonna pass on this one guys. Wouldn't start when I looked at it the other day and before I even tried to start it I popped the air cleaner off and there was fuel pooled on top of the carb.

 

oh haha I miss read your first post I thought you had already bought it. I would pass on it too, too much stuff going on under the hood...sure it looks nice and shiny but that just means they preasure washed or steamed it real good.
I dont know about your area but around New England solid YJs pop up on Craigslist regularly for 1000 to 1500. Myself I rather buy a high mileage survivor thats been stock all its life so that I know what Im starting with.

 

Built not bought. My thoughts exactly. I'm in DE so close to New England lol

 

If you are still looking for a YJ, I would encourage you to look at the '91 and newer.
In reality the YJ has a stronger frame and better rust proofing than the CJ.
Also, fuel injection and overdrive tranny's are great.

 

I agree, there's a large HP difference between the carb vs FI engines. Although Holley is a good carb, they're gas hogs & the jeep Inline 6 never was light on gas, so you may be surprised on how much fuel you'll be pouring into it. The AX15 is a great transmission - test drive it to make sure the syncomesh is still OK.

I have a YJ that I built up myself & they're a great toy as long as you take care of any rust problems before they really set in. Bad areas for rust are body joints, floor under the carpet & behind the seat, frame sometimes (depending on how much off-roading & standing was done - the frame drains poorly), bottom of the doors, and the bottom rear body corners. The body mounts had a tendency to seize up around here and needed to be cut out and replaced - I'd take a wrench to some of the body mount bolts to see if they'll turn. I'd also take a ball-peen to the frame to look for soft spots around the PS unit, rear spring shackles, and around the rear upper shock mounts.

There are lots of YJs around that can be used for parts if you want to look for them. Good luck

 

yup it is...

 

Around here, finding a YJ body that's in good shape is difficult. Chrysler made them with a lot of joints and cavities that tend to hold moisture and create rust. Most of the rust rot is easy to fix, but the various channels (these tend to hold the body mount captive nuts) & posts (the main ones are behind the doors & are time consuming to replicate). Here are some pictures of the body I decided to repair a couple of years back - these show the general sheet metal that I replaced on the floors. I also repaired all the body mount cavities and door posts but didn't take many pictures of these fixes. Most of these pictures only show the tacs and not the finished weld.