Silvergun

Yeah, it was a bit of a pain for sure, but my brother in law came over for some beers and i roped him into helping me. The second set of hands and eyes made the install go a smooth as it could have. For anyone searching for this down the road, i have found one slight issue: On my 88 turn signal switch, there is a white wire that connects from the brake light switch, to the turn signal switch, then to the lights. It is this wire that allows the opposite brake light to operate normally when the turn signal on one side is on. The 95 turn signal switch does not have this provision. I imagine the 95 xj must have a separate circuit for the brake lights. :hmm: So, i am still looking for a simple solution to make everything work as intended. I have a few ideas, just need to get the time to play with it. 95 signal switch diagram: This isnt an accurate 88 Turn signal Switch diagram, but it shows what i mean: The wire coming out of the right side of the switch in this pic is what the 95 is missing.

Yes, i lock-tite'd and torqued all 4 bolts. The outer column was completely sheared. I did get the 95 Column in and working. The upper bracket needed cut off and welded about 1" higher. Then the steering shaft from the column to the box needed shortened a bit. Wiring up the ignition was a breeze. Just had to find 2 accurate wiring diagrams. I still havent got around to wiring the light switches in yet, it's been pretty cold and had some yard work to get done before the frost. Thanks guys!

Man, what an awesome truck! I'm sitting here at work and i've read through the whole thread twice now. I don't think i can express with words how cool i think it is. I hope i can fab like that some day. :bowdown:

So, things have been slow on the comanche the last week or so, i went to fix the loose tilt bolts, and discovered the entire outer column was broken all the way around. :doh: Must have been treated pretty hard by a PO. So i took to ebay to find a replacement. All the correct 88ish columns were going for about 150, called local JY's, no luck. So i found a 95 column for 50 with free shipping. I started another thread for help and did some research. Bolts in fine, but i'll need to get creative with the wiring. Should be here in the next few days. Stay tuned.

UPDATE: Went ahead and bought the 95 column. Too good of a deal. Will have to do some wiring when it comes in, but shouldn't be too brutal.

I gotcha. I might just have to go take a peek at one and see what needs to be done. Or wait for a proper one to show up. Thanks

double post

I called around and nothing older than 94 anywhere close right now. Any idea what kind of modification is necessary for the 95 Column? A dash swap is probably in the future anyways.

I tried searching and couldnt come up with a solid answer, so here's the deal: Opened up my 88 pioneer's steering column to fix the loose tilt bolts issue. Went smooth (believe it or not) and reassembled. Column still felt very loose and even prevented me from turning the key unless i held the column just a certain way. Upon further inspection, the cast outer column, closer to the firewall than the tilt hinges, is completely obliterated. It's been this way since i've owned it so no idea how it happened. It needs replaced. Here is where my question comes in, there is a fantastic deal on a complete 95 xj tilt column ($50 shipped!) Will it bolt right in place? What mods, if any, are needed? There is also an 88 tilt column for sale locally but for 200 bucks! :eek: Please advise! :help:

Finally some more aesthetic progress! Got my rockers all herculined, flares too, and all buttoned back up :banana: About time too! Also got these in the mail: Rallyarmor universal plus's. Attached them to the flares with a few rivets, and viola! 29.99ish to my door.

Guess this belongs here! This is our girl, Beat. Blue Healer/ German Shepherd mix. Shes about 6 months old in this pic. Chilling in the comanche.

Spotted your VW roof rack, what's it from??

Oh yeah, and bought herculiner and fender hardware today. Hopefully get that wrapped up this weekend!! :D

Thank you so much!! I've been beating my head against that off and on for a couple weeks. I bought all new fuses, but havent tried that yet. :doh: Will do tonight! And that, sir, is a fine looking truck. I've gotta get a 97+ donor for some doors, fenders and possibly front bits. Your truck is actually one of the few i found when i was looking for pics of a tan comanche :thumbsup:

Picked up some gravel and couldnt resist. This is about all the crawling this little 4cyl can do with just a d33. When i get payed this week, ill be picking up a can of herculiner to finish up the rockers and flares and get those suckers back on!!

I think i saw your cherokee on craigslist a while back?? Almost called to make an offer. I'm out in galveston, IN, but i frequent your ohio classifieds :thumbsup: Nice looking truck, I'm going a similar route, but not as far along. Will be awaiting updates!

Back on the road!! Amazing what a difference a proper head gasket, exhaust, motor mounts, and ujoints make! Flexed out haha! Need to get my flairs and rockers herculined and we'll be in business. Bummer though: brake lights arent working. I have turns and tail lights, but no brakes or hazards. Brake switch on the pedal and hazard switch check out. as does the wiring from the cab back to the lights. Has to be something funky in the fuse box. maybe a bad relay? I noticed what i thought was a chime/buzzer type sound when you turn the key from off to on, but it is the hazard relay buzzing? lasts 5-10 seconds when you first turn the key... Tried a different relay in that spot and it does the same thing. So I'm at a loss right now.

Blown head gasket and seeping freeze plugs. Valve job and decked while it was off. All's well now! :driving:

I like it a lot. Pretty much worry free! Hose it out if it gets dirty, touch it up if it gets worn. Ive only driven the truck about 80-100 miles since i lined it, but i don't regret it for a second. Pics soon. Got cylinder head put back together last night and runs much much better! Ordered a hazard switch and i should be back on the road :crossfingers:

I havent stopped working! Stripped, repaired rust, and herculined the interior. Polished the rest of my wheels. New u joint, brake work. And started a head gasket job. Not a whole lot of pics, but more on the way as i button up the head gasket this weekend!

Thanks for the interest, guys! I sprayed on the rustoleum. Mixed my own color, then thinned it with acetone and sprayed it on with my hvlp gun. I'm being completely honest when i say that i only used aluminum foil (balled up and dipped in water) on the wheels. An old trick my grandfather showed me. Cleans up old rusted chrome immediately. Then wiped it down with mothers polish and a rag. No clear coat, just chrome. And i think they are american racing. They are 15x7

Hello! I've got my first comanche and decided it was time to start a thread. I picked this up from a guy about 2 blocks from my house that had it listed on craigslist. Went and left him 500 bucks richer and towed home the jeep with my vw! I bought it not running, with 220k on the clock. 2.5l ax4 4spd. 2wd. The usual fender well rust, some floor board rust, and lots and lots of dents in the bed. Surprisingly, the cab was in very very solid shape. Decent wheels and tires too. This is what she looked like the day i brought her home. After some inspection, swapped in a new starter and BAM! Running comanche. Fixed a fuel line, cleaned t-body and injector, fixed vac leaks, replaced acc belt, ran some seafoam through it, new battery, (short test drove and i had my first run in with the DEATH WOBBLE!) which lead to a suspension inspection and a new track bar. Drove it that way for a couple weeks, hauled some stuff to the scrap yard, and started fixing rust. Puppy approves: Also spent some quality time with one of the wheels. Still havent finished all three :doh: Before: After about 20 mins: Not too bad looking IMO. One thing i have always ALWAYS wanted to do is to paint a vehicle desert tan. Decided to make that wish come true one morning and went a got some supplies. 12 hours and a butt load of work later, and we have this: It looks a little light, but it looks perfect in person :thumbsup: Best part is, i only spent about 50 bucks on the paint job :brows: Next phase paint wise will be lining the bed and floor boards, need to patch the floor rust first though. And mounting the flares back on. As you can imagine, every single stud broke off the flare brackets. all of them. Started on a tube bumper last weekend, still have lots of bracing to finish up and shackle mounts to make up. Wiring up switches in the dash. Hopefully when this motor pukes, illl be doing a 4.0 4wd swap. Still keeping my eyes peeled for a donor. That is all! Cheers -Dyllan

1988 Comanche Pioneer 2wd 2.5L TBI I4, AX-4, Floor Shift Build Date: Sticker rubbed off :( Current Location: Kokomo, Indiana Status: Currently on the road. Notes: Saved this poor guy from the scrap yard. Popped up on craigslist for 400 bucks, not running, 3 blocks from my house. Went over there, exchanged some $$, and towed it home with my VW. Haha New starter, new track bar, new plugs, new battery, and BAM! Back on the road. Work in progress. 220K on the original 4cyl. Current owner: That would be me. Don't worry guys, I may have never owned a jeep, but I can assure you it's found a good home.