mvusse

Comanches are getting harder to find, but Cherokees are everywhere. Easiest route will be to get a Cherokee parts rig and take everything off it. You can even use the Cherokee rear axle if the front axle ratio doesn't match your current rear axle, just by getting the perches cut off and new ones welded on. The only thing you'd be missing is a rear drive shaft as the Cherokee one will be too short. But you can have a shop cut your 2wd shaft down to the needed length.

:jump:

Just my personal opinion here, but... With $2000 to spend, I think the best you can do is spend $1500 on a 4wd 4 liter/auto Comanche, leaving $500 to fix what needs fixed, like tune-up, light bulbs, shocks etc. And hope you have a place to park your current one until you got time and money to work on your truggy project, or to keep for spare parts.

Another problem that crops up by doing that is that center in the steering box, is not strait forward. If you're off far enough you will hit the limit on the steering box before the steering stop on the axle, so you can still turn the same amount one direction, but not as much the other way. I will repeat this again: The drag link has an adjusting sleeve. This sleeve is there to center the steering wheel. Do it like it's supposed to be done.

Used it as a road block so kids could safely sled down the street (hill) without worrying about traffic.

I have read some stories about MO, but have dealt with them personally and have not had any problems. They sell good quality parts, be they their own or other brands, and their customer service can't be beat. Once I was missing parts from a box that got thrown around too hard by DHL and busted open, MO overnighted replacement parts at no cost to me. I would buy from them again without a second thought. No direct experience, but I heard RE is good, as is Rock Krawler. Stay away from Rusty's (and Rocky Road?)

I don't have air tools, but have never been stopped before. As said above, PB Blaster is a must have, as is a good quality 1/2" drive socket set with a breaker bar and a piece of pipe to slip over the breaker bar for a longer handle/more leverage. Cheap sockets will often break, 1/2 to 3/8 reducers to use 3/8 drive sockets will too; the 3/8 square piece twists off... I use Craftsman, I believe Matco and Cobalt are about the same quality, and Snap On and Mac are supposed to be better. Harbor Freight are lifetime warranty as well, but have no experience with them.

Probably the least expensive lift to go with 33" tires is to go spring over axle in the rear, all you need to do (or have done) is weld new spring perches on top of the axle, and possibly take the center bolt out of the leaf packs and put a new one in bottom to top. But that may not even be necessary. That should give you ~6.5" with your stock springs. You probably need at least 4.5" which can be done with new leaf packs in the back, but may need to do some cutting on your front fenders. In the front you can go with 6.5" coils, adjustable upper and lower control arms and an adjustable track bar. And then taller shocks and longer brake lines. YJ lines should work for the front, mid 90s Dakota for the rear and a longer rod for the variable brake proportioning valve, or take the valve out of the equation all together. Stainless steel brake lines for whatever lift you will be running are also available. You could have your current 2wd drive shaft cut down to whatever length you need. Some people say with 6.5" lift you need long arms up front but other people have wheeled with 6.5" lift and short arms fine. The ride will be more harsh with the control arms being angled instead of flat. Do your research, decide what you want to do and look around. Some parts might be available used, like adjustable control arms from people who decided they wanted to convert to long arms later, you might find some deals around. Motion Offroad had some scratch-n-dent adjustable control arms a while ago, they may still. I went wheeling with my 4wd near stock; 235/75R15 snow tires and a 2" budget lift with stock shocks in the rear and 2" shock extensions in the front and my stock brake lines. There were a few Comanches there so I took a careful look to decide what I wanted to do. I now run 4.5" lift with the same tires as any higher would make the tires look to small. When money admits I will get 5 rims and 5 33" play tires. Then after the current tires go bald I'll bump it up to 6.5". It will be a few years, but I'm in no hurry.

Don't by any chance want to buy a 4wd Suburban, do you? :D

My youngest daughter is 12 and while I don't know of she'd like it pink, she would love to drive my MJ when she gets her license, but only if I lift it another 2" and it's sitting on at least 33s. Yet every time we were about to get on a slope (sideways, forward, backwards) at Badlands she bailed on me...

What's wrong with your truck and your Geo?

I work in a furniture shop and a local glass shop cuts custom glass for us. If a customer specifies tempered safety glass, they cut the glass first, then temper it. Like Eagle sais, after it's been tempered, it cannot be cut without it shattering into tiny pieces.

That's the difference between a pinion shaft and pinion gear shaft. Yeah, it's confusing.

He's talking about C clips holding the pinion shaft in, not the axle shafts.

:agree: With the badly designed inverted Y steering setup we have, lifting the vehicle introduces toe-in. In my case 4.5" lift resulted in 2 (TWO!) inches of toe in and death wobble severe enough to fry my alternator bearings. It also dropped my visors, popped the front off my radio and shook my teeth out of my skull. That was at only 35mph! Set toe in back to 0, where it is supposed to be and she's as steady as a rock at any speed up to 85mph. Don't know beyond that as I have not gone faster than 85 yet.

You might want to get that, as I'm sure someone will want it. The 3 piece sliders are the original stock ones, and are not being made any more.

My Comanche has all black interior. The black vinyl seats need to be redone, though.

Me too!

That hasn't stopped people from converting them, though. My 87 Pioneer has gauges, no tach and it's an auto/4wd and buckets. But it has the floor shifter for the AW4.

I'm 6'5" and have buckets. Seat all the way back is not too bad. With a bench I'd be afraid he roof might get in the way.

Good luck. Everybody wants one (including me) and nobody wants to sell one. Transfer case skids are a dime-a-dozen fron Cherokees, so are the front skid plates. Gas tank skid plates do not interchange, though, so they are rare. If you have one, most likely it came with it stock.

Once the power goes out, the beer won't stay cold long. Better get prepared to do some chugging! :cheers:

true enough Eagle, but considering the KBB value as being around $1500-$2000 they would total it anyways. I have 3500 in damage to the 3800 to have the frame fixed and the box rebuilt with parts that don't exist (technically...I snagged the last bedside), and I got a fair market value estimate on the truck in pre-accident condition as $6500...they did a full inspection on the vehicle to deduce that value. the other guy's insurance still won't pay out, and said if they did it would be to total the truck at $1300 in value for the kbb estimate on a 2wd 86 2.8 5 speed comanche....and it is pretty much none of those things anymore. so, considering the odds, I'd say if '88 can get $2500 out of it, he's well ahead of the game. well, regarding vehicle value (I think it's worth more than that btw but they would go by kbb if it came down to it). now, with his head going through the rear window, that's an ENTIRELY different story. that alone is worth $2000 in medical at the very least. That's why I was happy to take $934 or so while keeping my truck with a clear title. I probably could have got $1100 and have to buy it back with a salvage title, which would then cost me money to become salvage-repaired. And that would then be what it always would be. No way to get clear again in Ohio. And my truck has more rust than sheet metal, a fact that did not escape the insurance adjuster. Project: I would take the $2500 and use it to buy another MJ, already 4wd. Strip your current one for parts and take what's left to a junk yard. Trying to fix what you have will cost you a lot more just to get back to what you have, and then you would *still* have to do the 4wd conversion. If you have the time and can do without a vehicle for a bit, take your time and wait for the right deal to come along.

Installed my wheel spacers and tested flex with a fork lift. No new pictures as yet. http://www.comancheclub.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=9737&start=141