'86 XLS, 4X4, LWB long bed, 2.8 V6, A904/NP228
The story of this Comanche starts when I was 8 or 9 years. My grandfather was a lawyer, and he was defending a guy in court (not sure who or what for). Well the man didn't have the money to pay him in full, and offered this '86 Comanche XLS as partial payment. Being the generous man he was my grandfather said sure. Even though my grandfather made generous money, he never put in importance on the vehicle he drove. Most were $500-600 junkers that would break (a Chrysler New Yorker he had caught fire one day, and when the fire department arrived he told them "just let it burn, it'll be fun to watch") and he'd just buy another one. And by no means was this a nice truck; overheated frequently, went through starters about every 8-9 months (to my memory), smelled horrible, and on many occasions left my grandfather and I stranded on a back road in the middle of nowhere. But to me at the time, this truck was the epitome of cool. From the 80's graphics, to the exhaust that was way to loud, I loved this truck trough and through. My grandfather and I drove this truck anywhere and everywhere. If we had 20 mins or a few days, we would sneak off in the truck (because my grandmother HATED that he owned it) and just drive. Fast forward a few years to when I was almost 15, I would soon be getting a license and wanted this truck with a passion. He told me it could be my first vehicle. Well the 2.8 was about on its last leg, and with only 113XXX on the clock. But before we could fix up the truck together his health deteriorated very quickly, and at the age of 76 my grandfather passed away. It wasn't specifically willed to me, but everyone in the family wanted me to have it. But having no mechanical experience I couldn't really do anything with it, so it sat.
Now, 9 years after he passed away, I've decided it's time to roll her out and get to work. This is where she's been sitting for the last 9 years. You can see the pile of trash I pulled out of the bed.
Nice and moldy. Well this morning I pulled her out of the corner of the yard, and using a little scotch-brite and dawn I scrubbed the crap out of it. The paint wasn't quite as bad as I had thought it was. Most of the clear coat is gone, but it's mostly rust free.
Inside of the bed looks damn good for having a massive amount of leaves and trash laying in it for years.
Dent in the back of the cab.
Front end damage.
Frame is almost spotless. At some point in its life someone gave it an undercoating job.
Engine bay is a wreck.
Interior is also a wreck.
Only cracks in the dash though.
Previous rats nest in the glovebox.
Standing water in the floor from washing it. Definitely need to figure out where the leaks are, but more than likely all the seals for the cab need to be replaced. This means I'll probably be replacing floor pans.
This is going to be a long, slow build. But I have the tools and most of the knowledge from my time as a diesel mechanic. The plan is for a semi-resto. I don't care if it's ever is showroom condition but I want it to be nice. This will not be a wheeler, it'll be a weekend cruiser, with a bit of mild off roading thrown in. Plans include, but are not limited to:
Get title finally put in my name
Rebuild the 2.8 or swap in a 3.4 Decided I'm going to throw $100 worth of gaskets and a rear main seal and drive it til it dies, meanwhile looking for a newer model 2.8 or a 3.4. Also going to delete as much vacuum crap as possible.
Rebuild? the A904 and the NP228
Gas tank and lines (might be able to get them clean instead of replacing)
Getting it generally road worthy
2-3" lift Thinking I'll do "Big Ton" springs for the rear and maybe shackles, already snatched up some V8 ZJ front coils for a little lift.
30's or 31's
Nates4x4 bumpers? Might do a Nates rear when the OEM finally rots through, but picked up a nice OEM chrome bumper and a factory option grill guard.
Possibly swapping out the D35 for something better Might start looking for a AMC 20.
