tkgibbs27

that's a good deal then

yeah i would say so. i would have to cut a hole inside the cab as well to place the shifter in wouldn't in?

rather than going out and buying a different comanche that would be a manual trans. how much work would need to be done to convert a auto to a stick? i like manual trans. better than auto. what i have heard is that auto is better for off roadin' though. i do a lot of off roadin' when i go camping and fishing and i do both pretty often so i would like to fix this truck up to be fit for it a lot more and right now it pretty damn gutless.

As if the AX-5 is some sort of super tough transmission. :D But at least it has 5 speeds. "Back in the day" American car manufacturers did thing bass-ackwards. They put 4-speed and then 5-speed trannies behind the biggest engines, the engines that had enough torque and power to go from a standing start to 200 MPH in a single gear, but behind the smallest econo-motors they only put a 3-speed, meaning it was never possible to get anything close to optimum gearing. If you wanted more gear for acceleration, the engine was racing at 50 MPH, and if you wanted less gear for highway cruising and fuel mileage, first gear wasn't low enough to get started on even a modest upgrade. That's the major drawback to the 3-speed auto, all discussions of "strength" aside. You HAVE to run tall gears to keep the highway RPMs at all reasonable, and that means the tranny and torque converter are working overtime to go uphill or to haul any load. in other words it wouldn't be a bad decision to switch to a manual transmission? what about off-roadin? i hear you can get into some trouble running a manual tranny and doing off roadin, especially if you are going up hills.

ACTUALLY I'm glad that I know this :D IF you have an auto (if you do, please, PLEASE swap to stick) you should concentrate on getting a 3.4 automatic engine, because then all you may have to do is get the torque converter bolts professionally redrilled. if you have a 5 speed stick in your jeep (or 4 speed), then concentrate on getting a 3.4 out of a 5 speed camaro or firebird. then you just bolt the jeep flexplate and clutch in, along with the jeep pilot bushing. be sure to measure the thickness of the flywheel and compare them...if it's thicker, you will need to shave some of the back of your throwout bearing plate down to allow for the throwout bearing to disengage completely (had to do that with the 3800 swap, as the flywheel was 3/8" thicker). I would most definitely avoid complicating things by putting the jeep flywheel/flexplate on the 3.4, if you can avoid it. if not, any competent machine shop can do the neutral balancing, but do not let them machine the clutch surface to a smooth surface, just a light sanding will do. if they machine that, your clutch will wear faster considering that the flywheel was originally machined a bit concave. gas mileage wise, you can expect between 15-19 normally, and highway should be around 21. with gear set up properly, you'll go higher (or lower) depending on what you want. here's some links on it. http://www.lunghd.com/Tech_Articles/Pro ... ect_XJ.htm http://jeep.off-road.com/jeep/article/a ... ?id=277008 and you will need this from bakerelectronics http://mysite.verizon.net/vze7erz1/id1.html it is a VATS bypass (Vehicle Anti-Theft System) that you will wire into pin 55 of the engine computer (dark blue wire). it simulates the VATS system electronic key which sends a OK GO signal to ground the injectors...so it will run for more than 3 seconds :D (you need this if you go with the camaro injection. I will GIVE you the knowledge you need to wire the motor up if you ask.) it's an automatic, i was planning on leaving it. i wouldn't mind having the torque converter bolts re-drilled. swapping it to a manual transmission would be a little complicated wouldn't it?

i don't have the 258, i was going to go pick one up at a wrecking yard.

alright. so i'll get the 3.4L. what does it do for gas mileage? and will i be any good for off roadin' or does the engine really matter when it comes to that? i also need help with my gauges. my temperature gauge is incorrect it starts in the middle rather than where it should at the left. and my oil pressure gauge is pinned all the way to the right side. i can get it working sometimes but then it always ends up pinned back over to the right side after a little while of driving. i did a swap like this a couple of months ago: http://comancheclub.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=4615 also when i engage it in to 4wd you hear this griding sound when shift gears. i don't have a clue what it is.

is the 3.4 more fuel efficient? i am assuming it is more powrful. i don't know much about vehicles. my dad gave me the truck and said to swap the engine out because the 2.8 that's in it is a piece of crap, he left me to find out about what engine would be best.

how do you tell if it's an earlier 86' model?

well i see that i will more than likely have to pound in the firewall.

Is it possible to swap the original engine, a GM 173 V6, with a AMC 258 I6 in a '86 Comanche? If so, would the transmission need to be replaced with a different one? And would I need to replace anything else?