87Warrior

Very nice! And congratulations. My Jeeps have been living at their new place for just over a year.... And I only have 1/3 of the garage lighting completed!

Hey, you asked for an opinion, right? Do not black out the Turbines! Clean and polish would be my first choice. However, if the wheels are real pitted and rough I would simply clean them up and paint or powder coat them silver.

Here my 92 with a load of old hedge posts on the farm. While not real remarkable, I did have to use my high lift jack to pull the posts out of the ground. That was a lot of work compared to the John Deere loader I was accustomed to using!

Awesome find! Where at in KS was this gem stowed away? If it was out east I would be concerned about humidity induced under carriage rust.

Ack. Better check the whole house.

I have 3 MJ bench seats here in Central KS. Two gray, one blue. All have tears and are pretty well worn out. Frames are not broken or rusted out. Your pick, FREE. I may be near Wichita, KS this weekend if you want to make a drive.

I fought the same issues in my TJ. It would only get hot when on the highway, cruising in 5th, 2500+ RPM. Replaced parts individually: - Thermostat - Radiator Cap - Flushed the system many times - Lower Radiator hose - Water pump .....and it still overheated on the highway. Replaced the radiator and it was as good as new :doh:

I am running the 23 gallon Spectra tank in my '86. It seems like a quality piece and fit right into position. Heck, it even has a few dents caused by rocks that were bigger than I thought. I am also running their tank straps. My GUESS is the straps for a skid plate do not have the 6 studs welded to the bottom side for the stock plastic skid. Granted, I have never seen how a stock metal skid plate mounts on a Comanche.

Great job! All of the prep work you did really shows in the quality of that paint. Beautiful truck!

Jeepmarine - If you are strapped for cash, why not go cheap and smart with a 2" coil spacer up front and Chevy drop shackles in the rear? Although not optimum, you can run your stock shocks and brake lines while maintaining a decent ride. Plus the parts can be pulled and sold later on when the funds for a taller lift are available. Those F150 coils will ride like a tank. At 3" of lift I would, at minimum, get longer brake lines, an adjustable trackbar and longer shocks. Get an alignment regardless of which route you take.

Auto, yes. But it will still be necessary to shift via a RADesigns Baja II. http://www.radesignsproducts.com/Baja.html The engine, transmission and t-case are actually from my 92. I was unable to get the 91 4.0 to turn over by a ratchet. I am using the 4.0/5spd engine harness. I went through 80% of the engine bay wiring harness as 4 plugs had been chewed off or removed by rodents and a chunk of wiring was missing from the loom near the PDC due to rodent activity. I am glad I find soldering on the basement floor relaxing, otherwise I might have gone stir crazy! After I primed the fuel pump a few times, prior to attempting to start it, the whole truck lost power. Everything was dead. I fussed with the battery leads and the fuses and relays in the PDC and it came back to life. It seems as though a few of the sockets in the PDC need cleaned and tightened up.

Its the CC way!

.....and it lives! Youtube video of the first attempt at getting this 200K mile 4.0 to start. No CEL, thank goodness! Safety tip. Make sure the auto transmission is in park. It wasn't, and allowed the t-case to dump its contents on to the garage floor since there is no yoke in the slip joint :doh:

You might want to consider rolling up towels (burrito style), soaking in water and placing them around the cracks in the garage (doors, windows, chunks of siding missing, etc) to help keep the wind out.

I see no reason why the motor would prevent you from swapping the dash. Sure it will be tight accessing the two HVAC box bolts near the passenger rear of the motor, but not impossible. The driver/passenger side firewall mods should be able to be done with the 4.0 sitting there.

I find total enjoyment driving my 170K mile '86 2.5 around. Granted it does have 99XJ buckets and console with a radio connected to two speakers with an old iPod loaded with the best 70's and 80's rock. It rides incredibly smooth (old springs and new shocks :yes: ), is easy to drive and starts every day. No power windows, power locks, power seats or power mirrors, but it does have power steering! Due to the fine nature of this truck, my wife has decided her Camry replacement should be a clean XJ. Actually, our newest vehicle is my 03 TJ Rubicon. Technically it has a loaded interior with the 7 speaker sound system and RB1 navigation as well as an auto-dimming rear view mirror with compass. I used to DD this rig until the 35's were installed. It is still a joy to drive, and i did drive it 16hs, one way, to Ouray last summer. The problem is with economics. 35's aren't cheap, neither is fuel, for it to be used as a DD. The TJ has a more comfortable interior when compared to the MJ as do the 97+ XJs. I flat out refuse the drive any vehicle with leather seats. I hate them with a passion.

I am making progress once again. I noticed the heater core tubes were a little smashed up so I elected to go ahead and replace it. Old vs. new replacement I then worked on getting a bigger, better, power brake booster in the truck. This is from a '98 XJ. I also retrofitted the '98 brake pedal assembly to work with the pre '97 dash and firewall assembly. After spending hours upon hours studying the wiring diagrams in the FSM, I was able to repair the 4.0 wiring harness that some rodents destroyed. Slowly getting everything put into the engine bay. Notice the jug of, "you'll thanks me later" sitting on the radiator :bowdown: I also did the 'Hornbrod' dual auxiliary fan mod: http://comancheclub.com/topic/7895-dual-oem-aux-fan-installation/ I am still undecided on what fan control I will use. :???: She is getting real close to starting. I can hardly wait until it fires for the first time :laughin:

That's a lot of light! Best of luck with the rack build. I've personally never been a fan of cab racks.

Nice score! Beware. Two will turn to four before summer hits ;)

They are in no way, shape or form interchangeable. Just like the fuel sending unit that is often times advertised as XJ/MJ. :fs1: If you are needing a tail light, check the classified or post a wanted ad.

It would be possible. All the mechanic would need to do is unbolt the shifter from the transmission via the 4 bolts holding it in place on top of the transmission. This would be a royal pain, but maybe preferred by a mechanic versus pulling the console .

Unlike the 4.0, the 2.5 flywheel CAN be machined. It is flat. No worries there. I actually have the reverse problem. I daily drive my '86 MJ (2.5/ax5/95 XJ external slave/4.10s and 30" tires ). The clutch has a longer throw than my TJ does (4.0/3550/ 5.13s and 35" tires) so when I go to drive the TJ it takes a bit of relearning to get back into the groove. My '86 has plenty of power for the 30" tires with the 4.10 gears.

Wow, not sure where you are shopping, but take a look at Carolina Clutch. LuK OEM replacement $180 http://carolinaclutch.com/ShowItem/105129%20Jeep%20Stock%20Replacement%20Clutch%20Kit.aspx LuK Pro Gold Heavy Duty RepSet $218 http://carolinaclutch.com/ShowItem/105138%20Jeep%20LuK%20Pro%20Gold%20Heavy%20Duty%20RepSet.aspx The OEM replacement should serve you well and last another 100K miles. I don't see much reason in purchasing a heavy duty clutch for a stock 4.0.

The VIN is riveted to a plastic part of the dash structure. A heat gun and screwdriver can be used to pop everything out as one piece (very carefully). Reverse the process to (re)install it on your dash ;)

I have always had a great appreciation for this truck. It is so clean and done up with tasteful modifications. Congratulations on a well deserved MJOTM!