WahooSteeler

Here's a Searchtempest search using Fresno as the base point and 750 mile radius. There's a 91 HO in there with a homemade camper on it AND a small boat all for $7k....... for the rest of you following this thread. https://www.searchtempest.com/search?search_string=jeep comanche&category=8&subcat=sss&cityselect=zip&location=93728&maxDist=750&Region=combined

What maintenance is involved every 25-30k miles? I have a D44 w/TL and I've put about 20k miles on it since I bought it years ago. Very little off-road use, but would like to have it maintained for when that occurs and during the winters. Recently changed the fluid but have never had it serviced in any way otherwise.

Yup, patience and consistent daily searches and the ability to act fast. And by daily searches, I mean morning and evening at a minimum. Are you aware of Autotempest.com or Searchtempest.com? These search across most auto sales sites and/or across Craigslist. Facebook marketplace has become as loaded with listings as Craigslist so if you are on FB that's a good place too.

Jeremy, you can also get just the backing plates from Teraflex for your D44 and require no drilling. I have not done my disc swap yet but I have these parts. Link to thread below where I list the part #s for the individual backing plates, i.e. not the full kit.

I was also thinking short/ground issue with the hot cables.

I run spacers too, definitely a nice visual difference. Your truck just keeps getting better and better!

PIcs of the install?

When I worked for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines I was on the Majesty of the Seas, which at the time was the newest, largest cruise ship in the industry. 900ft long, 13 stories high, 2500 passengers, 800+ crew......just amazing. I remember leaving a port (but can't remember which one) where an aircraft carrier was anchored just past the channel where the cruise ships docked. I was on the top deck mingling with passengers and the Majesty felt SMALL as we sailed past it several hundred yards away. THAT was surreal.

Sorry guys, not going to be able to make it. I've got a ton of stuff that hit my plate in the past week including my 83yr old father getting a blod clot in his leg and my 80yr old mom stressed out from everything. I'll hit one of these things in the future, look forward to meeting many of you. Jeff, hope this doesn't screw up your plans.

I started DJ'ing HS dances and at a teen club when I was in high school in the 80s. Went on to DJ at my college radio station and a local college bar. A couple years after graduating I landed a gig as a DJ on Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines for a short stint. Somewhere in storage I have quite a collection of 12" singles of 80s dance music/hip hop. On the ship it was all CDs and computer of course.

TowManche, I wasn't thinking about if you found a matched set, definitely makes a lot of sense!

You're keeping your D30 front and just re-gearing anyway, correct? No doubt the 8.25's are plentiful and price competitive because of supply.

Slug, you need to go walk in there parts dept and say you'd like to buy it since it showed in stock online LOL!

There are tons of dealers that show parts available that are not. You'll place the order then a day or two later you'll get an email saying the part is no longer available.

Good thread from here relating to your new axle search.

Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace are your friends You should also go ahead and create a signature with your truck specs, helps with others giving advice or recommendations on future questions.

I just looked it up and the D30 is ok up to 3.54s but you'd need a new carrier on your D35 to go to 3.54s or higher. Using the grimmjeeper gear calculator, you're turning 200-300 less rpms now that you have 31" tires on there, and looks like 3.31 gears basically get you back to "stock" RPMs which you could put in there without needing a new carrier. I'm no expert but I'd say you'd want to do at least 3.54s and you'll be able to tow that boat no problem. The new carrier for the rear does not add a ton of money, @$60-150 depending on if you get used or new, but it still adds up. Same for the gears, you could try to find a used set but logic says most people upgrade their whole axle from a D35 vs putting money in to gearing, so finding used D35 gearing may be hard to find. If you look out for a D44 from an automatic MJ it will most likely have 3.54s in it already, that was the stock setup. For the cost of new gears and carrier for your D35 you very well may find a good D44 and be able to clean it up with new seals etc for the same or not much more money. The MJ D44 will be the easiest "plug and play" but you could also consider an XJ D44 or 8.25, but they will take a little more work to make fit IIRC. Others will have to comment on what that entails, I'm not super knowledgeable on that setup. For what you've already invested in the truck, IMO you'll be much happier with this approach as it will best meet your needs and be more reliable over time.

With a 5spd you almost certainly have 3.07's so gearing should solve your towing sluggishness for sure. What rear axle do you have? Not sure what the carrier break is from 3.07's but you might be able to go to 3.54's without having to upgrade the carrier. That said, most will tell you if you're going to tow the boat a lot and/or want to tow it on longer trips with mountain grades you probably need to consider 3.73's or 4.10's. Great gear ratio calculator posted by Limeyjeeper....... http://www.grimmjeeper.com/gears.html

gotchya

fyi, Lowes has a pretty good selection of "automotive fasteners" in the section that has screws, washers, etc in those pull out drawers. Plastic "push pins" like these and metal clip screw fasteners etc.

Even if you don't have an Advance acct online order it that way and you get anywhere from 15 to 25% off, even if it's in stock. I did that along with my coolant and cap and picked them up an hour later. I think I did the whole job for <$150 including hoses and adapters, clamps etc.

Tim, I just converted to open 2 weeks ago after constant battles with air in the system and overheating on the highway. It had recently sprung a small leak somewhere as evidenced by a mist of coolant all over the engine bay but I could not find the source. It finally revealed itself on another overheat situation as the hole must have gotten bigger, coolant was coming out of the top of the radiator at a heavy rate. I'm the type that will over-analyze something so I researched it seems like every radiator out there. I also looked at the NR2802 from Napa and called to see if it was a 1 row or 2 row unit. I was committed to getting a 2 row radiator but they did not have the info and connected me straight to Spectra where I was put on hold for 10 mins before going to a customer service voicemail. I left my callback info but have yet to get a call. Anyhoo, through it all I concluded a couple of things with some insightful advice from Cruiser. First, I'm pretty sure Spectra makes 90% of the replacement radiators out there LOL. When I went to Spectra's website, there are only 2 choices for radiators for 91-01 Comanches/Cherokees, CU1193 and 2340 which is the right hand drive model. The specs listed it as a 1 row unit. I also found one of the Napa's on eBay and it listed an interchange part# as the 1193, confirming that it is a 1 row unit. So the only difference in this unit no matter the store brand name on it is the price, ranging from $67 to $180+. The second conclusion I came to with Cruiser's input was the usage my truck gets did not require a super heavy duty setup. I don't wheel it, it was a DD for my son who is now heading off to college without the truck, a trash and yard truck with occasional towing. Plus, my budget was tight so the Spectra made sense. Ideally I would have preferred to get a CSF copper/brass vs the aluminum/plastic but those units also don't have the e-fan temp sensor bung and I wanted the install to be plug and play. I logged on to my Advance Auto account and got a 25% discount, so I got my radiator from there as a Carquest branded unit for a net price of $84. I thought about just getting it from Amazon for $67 but then if I had a warranty claim, it would be much easier to just walk in to Advance than dealing with Amazon and shipping etc. Install was really easy and the truck is running a steady temp well below 210 regardless of the terrain or outside temp. And of course it was as easy as it gets to burp the air out. I will say though, I'm pretty impressed that it was my original copper brass unit I pulled out, 31yrs old and 226k miles! Last thing to add, I stole rokkin's idea and repurposed my expansion bottle for my overflow bottle. 3/4" hose stub on the bottom of the tank, nylon 1/2" threaded base with 1/4" hose barb from Lowes on the end fits perfect. At "full" hot it overflowed a little out of the upper hose barb so I think the capacity is just a little shy of the standard open system tank but I think it will be fine.

https://terrehaute.craigslist.org/wto/d/brazil-4-almost-new-bfg-tires-on-wheels/6928830689.html

Will do. I repurposed my Renix bottle like you did and that works fine although I think at "full dump" by the radiator it is a little shy on capacity and I lose a little coolant out of the upper hose connector. I could plug that and put on a cheap cap with a hole in it but I will probably see how this works.

I'm willing to spend a few dollars to see if it can be mounted on the slope of the firewall up to the cowl for open system conversions. If you look at it from the side it extends out then drops down, so might fit nicely in between the blower fan motor and a/c hoses. Would have to cut the bottom tabs off of course. If someone didn't have a/c I bet it would go in great.