thejim42

My uncle bought this truck brand new in 1988. Fall of 2001 he hit a deer and parked the truck in his garage where it sat until June of 2013 when he gave it to me in pieces. Defiantly quite a project for a 17 year old to take on but well worth it. its an 88 Comanche pioneer swb, 2wd, 4.0 I6, 5 speed with almost no rust. Motor got rebuilt in 2006ish by my uncle, he wrapped it up in 8 or 9 layers of plastic and duct tape and set it in the bed of the truck and it stayed there until i got it. Here she is all cleaned up Here is some of the boxes i got with the truck Got the motor all unwrapped, now its time to go through it Had a couple friends give me a hand finishing getting the motor put together and ready to get put in Engine and trans are mated and ready to go in! Its all hooked up and has spark so now to clean out the gas tank. It was half full with gas from 2001 and the tank rusted from the inside out. New tank for $93 on ebay. The sending unit doesn't look to promising but dad and i got it to work Got the new tank it got fuel up to the rail and now i don't have spark. Stupid coil went bad...although after sitting for 12 years i probably should have expected that one. Went out to the jy and found me a factory chief roll bar for $50 that i just couldn't pass up. Makes the truck look so much better! Got the front end all put together and it is on the road! Got the jeep In action. Took it to my aunt and uncles farm Still got a long way to go but came a long way in 4 months. Still gotta get a new front bumper, tires, figure out why it has a misfire and high idle. Eventually it will get 4wd and some other things but i will probably drive it forever.

I broke the middle pane that actually slides on my 88 last night... can I just get that slider? I know on the Dakotas I've had there is a way to pop the middle pane out and replace it

How do you reset the mileage? I am doing the same thing with mine but i don't want to give up my low miles to a new cluster. i got 113k on my mj the cluster i got has 175k.

sounds like the starter. I had the same issue with my 88 mj and my 94 f150. turn the key and one loud thump. All the tapping in the world on the starter wouldn't help. replaced the starter and haven't had an issue since.

I know the whole unit is not interchangeable but is the resister that the float arm attaches to the same between the two? I've found xj sending units and I pulled mine apart and if the resisters are the same I can get am xj unit and swap resistors because that's all that is wrong with mine...I would imagine it is the same because they used the same gauges in most xjs and mjs

So I need A 29 Tooth Long Shaft?

My mistake my truck is an 88. Don't know about shaft length its a Peugeot ba10/5 trans with 235/75 r15 tires and 3.07 gears

Any idea where I might be able to buy a new one other than a dealer?

What about the 4cylinder 4 speeds or 5 speeds?

Did the automatic mjs and 5 speed mjs with the 4.0 have the same speedometer gear? I went to hook everything on the trans of my 87 my 5 speed 2wd w/ 4.0 and the gear was missing

well the dash was the same so i assume the climate box and controls would be, i just wasnt sure about lines, compressor or condenser...probably parts i don't want to get used anyway

are the parts the same on all year mj/xj's?

What about 235/75 r15s?

and all the brake upgrading I'm going to do with WJ axles and brakes and a WJ brake booster and master cylinder?

class III receiver...it may not be factory.

even with the trailer having brakes?

I'm not as worried about stopping as i am about the trucks ability to tow

well i was going to put WJ axles on it for the bigger brakes and the fact that wj's have 4 wheel disc. i was also going to do the WJ brake booster and master cylinder conversion. Is there a manual transmission that will handle the load and be a direct swap?

I'm Curious as to what modifications i can do to my 1988 MJ to be able to trailer my 1973 ford mustang Mach 1 convertible. I'm pretty sure it won't tow it stock but is there anything i can do to increase towing ability. 4.0, 5speed, 2wd with the factory hitch. The truck will soon go under a 4x4 conversion so i figure now is the time to do upgrading since it will be all apart anyway. I plan on using wj front and rear axles a 231 t-case, id like to keep the 5 speed, but I'm looking for advice on what parts and mods to use. The car I'm pulling has a curb weight of about 3500lbs, don't have a trailer yet so can't give a weight on it but it WILL have electric trailer brakes and the truck is all ready accommodated for that.

if i got a 10/5 trans that it would have had factory would i still need to replace it? i know the ax15 is a better trans but I'm just curious about the 10/5 x-member and the 88 2wd 5 speed trans (ax-5?) do i have clearance to run 235/75r15's on a stock 2wd?

Ok so i have decided to run auto lockers with the 231 t-case behind an ax-15 trans. I just got the title for the jeep and its actually an 88 not an 87 (we got the 2 mj's mixed up). Will i need to replace the transmission cross member when i change transmissions for the 4x4?

Hey blue88 congrats on MJOTM...yours is almost exactly what i want mine to turn out like. I'm finally getting it out of my uncles garage this weekend so ill take pictures and post them.

I was talking to a buddy of mine who has done a couple jeep builds and he was saying to just go with a 231 t-case for what I'm going to be doing...ive read that the 242 is better for heavy off roading but that it gives issues when you go to lift the truck. I don't have alot to spend on this build but i want the best options for my applications. I do alot of hauling, pulling and the ocassional playing in the mud. i just wan to keep from getting stuck when I'm on the farm. I'm hoping i don't have to deal with snow after next year when i finish school and head down to Birmingham where my dad lives. Ill post some pics when i get my uncles garaged cleaned out enough to get the jeep out

I haven't decided if I'm going to run selectable or auto lockers yet, the 4x4 will probably only used on occasion like in snow or if I'm camping or working on the farm...what advantages would i get with one type over the other? What section should this thread be in? I'm new to all this forum stuff so I'm not 100% sure whats what yet

I just bought my uncles 87 Comanche Pioneer that he bought brand new. Its a 4.0 i6 5speed 2wd short bed that id like to turn into a 4x4. I don't plan to make a trail rig out of it but i would like to use it as a work horse on the farm and possibly plow driveways with it but still be able to get somewhat decent mpg on the road. I want to know what the best axles to use are, should i get the 231 or 242 transfer-case, will the big ton leaf spings fit on a short bed without any modifications? I want basic bolt in solutions not requiring any fabricating. I also need to know what it takes to swap out my gauge cluster with one that has a tac and actual gauges not just idiot lights, and what it takes to swap the bench seat for buckets and a center counsel as well as changing the nose to that of a 98-01 xj.