Automan2164

I use an Android... Apps I would like to see/contribute to: MJ VIN Decoder Comanche Spotters guide (for packages and years) AX15/Ba10-5 Spotter Tire size calculator Clinometer (The little thing that will tell you the pitch and roll of your truck.) (Canadian Nissan Truck club has one) Parts references (XJ/YJ/TJ crossing) App that would map out member locations Rob L.

Double :shake: Care to elaborate? Tell me why I should on a limited budget and how I would go about it. Rob L.

I may have what you need. I have a complete interior dash harness from an 87 4.0 AW4 2WD Metric Ton... previous owner installed a radio and aftermarket gauges, but I believe the harness to be in tact. If you can confirm that it will work, ill let it go for 50 plus shipping. Rob L.

This month we have a very special tribute to a member :D who has played a big role in MJ preservation :yes: . We all know him :idea: , most have gotten parts from him :oops: , and most know exactly whos post we are reading just by certain cues... :rotf: If you haven't figured it out by now... :roll: ------- SEPTEMBER 2010 - WILDMANS PERSONAL MJ COLLECTION ------ MJ of the Month at Comanche Club ??? Me!!! ………. :eek: Wow, I feel honored to be nominated for the prestigious wall of fame…… :yes: But, how do I explain the MJ’s that I have???? None of my MJ’s are show room condition. None of my MJ’s run a dirt track, or climb mountains, or go off road. None of my MJ’s are totally restored to original condition. I guessed the only thought I have is that I have so many MJ’s So, I went for Quantity, not Quality in the MJ “hobby” How did all this start……… About 8 and half years ago, one of my old neighbors’ who had a ’89 MJ he bought from a co-worker, called me one day and asked if I wanted to buy it from him, so I thought about it, and thinking it would come handy to run around town, and not use my full size van for everything, I ended up buying it, and well, like they say…….the rest is history This first MJ (The start of everything) was a ’89 2wd, 2.5, 5speed, black Sportruck. Nothing special, straight stock. Sorry that I don’t have any pictures of that first MJ So, after bopping around town with it a couple years, a friend of mine want to get a plow truck for the winter, so he ended up with a ’88 XJ, and needed to find a plow for it, and luck would have it that he found a ’88 MJ with a Snoway plow set-up, we bought the whole truck for $500, and I gave him $250 for the truck, and he kept the plow, and I ended up helping him mount the plow on the XJ. He plowed that year, and I did some work on the MJ and got that on the road. Now I had 2 MJ’s :D The following year he didn’t want to plow anymore (one year was enough for him) and wanted to sell the XJ. He offered me the plow for $50, so I bought that back and mounted it back on the MJ that it came on. Shortly after that, I was pulling out of a job one afternoon, and seen a MJ in front of a house for sale, I stopped and called the guy, and it turns out he just put it out there about a half hour before I called, so we negotiated on a price ($500) and I bought that one. Now I had 3 MJ’s :D No, I’m not going into a story with every single MJ…… The first MJ I had was getting really rotted out, the box was missing more sheet metal than it use to have, and the frame was rotting so bad, I couldn’t get it inspected. So, on the 3rd MJ, I tore into it and started to repair all the little things, that turned in to bigger items, and ended up getting it all re-built mechanically, from clutch to brakes, to re-building the cooling system……..and after several weeks and about $1200 pumped into it, I felt it was a good ride, and safe to go any where’s I needed to go, and over the past 6 years, that’s exactly what I’ve been doing with it Of course, by that time, I was no longer a lurker on the CC and now an “active” member :bowdown: And the long time members here shot me a lot of info about what “hobby” I had, and where to get parts and what would work, and also sending along links that I could figure out problems on my own :hmm: This is one thing that I always have done since, was to pass along to others what I have learned, and where to find parts and what would work to solve a problem. Have I ever wrenched professionally, NO, but for the past 30 plus years, I’ve always worked on my own vehicles, not only to save $$$ at the repair shop, but to also get it repaired correctly after some earlier bad experiences from garages :roll: Well……..the rest is history, from 3 MJ’s I started to check out all the local papers, and Craigslist, always on the lookout for more MJ’s I had the MJ bug bite :banana: An e-bay buy was #4, from Lancaster,PA A former participating member on here sold me #5 and #6 (a parts MJ) Another member here was #7 from York, PA Finds on Craigslist were #8 and #9 Now I’m running out of room to store all these MJ’s So, I found a bigger shop with plenty of outside storage and moved all the MJ’s from the back yard from the apartment that I rent, and from the other small rented shop, and consolidated the fleet to one location, and expanded to collecting XJ’s too Also, buy this time, I started to get rid of the truly rotted out MJ’s by dissecting them, and saving all the parts for both my projects, and for other members. To date, I’ve “salvaged” 3 ½ MJ’s and 2 XJ’s plus additional parts I’ve picked up along the way from other members, and thru e-bay auctions, and adds on Craigslist. I look for the hard to find Renix parts for our MJ’s Then I ‘had’ to buy MJ #10 from a member that didn’t finish his project :( Another Craigslist find was MJ #11 Then another member here wanted to get rid of his MJ from Ohio, that Made MJ #12 After some rest, and no more MJ’s to find around here, I stumbled a pond 3 - 1990’s in a row – MJ #14 – MJ #15 – And of course…….just had to find this one……. MJ #16 – And last and one of the best finds yet, was a member that was selling his 1991 MJ, that was a 10 hour drive (one way) and got to love them southern trucks Have I forgot some………maybe :dunno: This has been quite a challenge over the past several years I’ve still on the search for the very hard to find 1992 Model year, seen a couple, one is less than a mile from my house, but the young feller wouldn’t sell :headpop: My quest for MJ’s will not be over until a ’92 is sitting among the fleet :yes: Do some think I’m craze :nuts: or “obsessed” over this……….Yea :help: But………It’s a hobby and it’s a Jeep thing :yes: To date, I have 13-1/2 MJ’s one is in the process of being dissected for parts. One on the road, 3 others that start and run, and the rest…….Future Projects. :shake: Best MJ Story I have had many great experiences and stories with the MJ’s both how I found them, people calling me and telling me about one they seen for sale and such. I think the greatest stories are the ones where I’ve meet other club members buying their MJ or meeting them to swap parts. My over all story is all the MJ’s I’ve collected above. What owner Loves Best About CC The best thing I like about being a member of the CC is the camaraderie among other members. There is never any finger pointing, or totally outrages insults tossed around like in other forums. :no: Yes, there is some poking fun at here and there, but all in fun. The level of experience among other members brings a well balance forum together, both in the well experienced members, and with the green horn members. If an experienced member posts an incorrect fact, he’s correct. If a newbie posted a common asked question, or not quite correct term, he’s lead to the source for clarification. It’s nice when I get time, and lately that’s not much, to come home after a tough day, and sit back and read the forum, toss some advice out, or post up a link to the info, and at times it’s a brain buster to think of the correct response. Also, just to sit back read the Pub and see what others are doing around the country, and even Canada :waving: Maybe it the amount of traffic that’s on this forum that keeps things in more prospective of what we all have in common…….the Comanche. Or maybe it’s the iron fist rules that Pete keep enforced that keep things in line. :bowdown: I lurked on this forum for over a year before I became a member, just to see what the outline was, and sorry that I didn’t join sooner than when I did. Now, it’s the only forum that I make time to follow, and plan on that for the future. :D A Big Thanks goes out to the Moderators for keeping the pieces together, and to Pete M for keeping this forum up and around :thumbsup: And Thanks for the notation for MJOTM :oops: When the day job slow down again (November) I should get some free time to partake some more. Until them, it’s long days and short night to make $$$ to support my MJ fix :ack: -Bob Bob, let me be the first to congratulate you on the MJOTM. Not only do you provide a great source of info, but you are more than willing to help out a fellow MJ'er in need when they need that hard to find MJ part, or the last piece of their masterpiece. You aren't shy to pull out one of the fleet, pick a part, and ship it out. I also have to say kudos for saving a bunch of MJ's that would have otherwise met an unfortunate fate. (I mean, some of those things can't even support a rear flare :eek: ) All in all, a pleasure to share the board with you brother, and I hope you find that '92 you are still hungry for. ;) Congrats again Bob. :clapping: :yes: :brows: :D :waving: :thumbsup: Rob L. :cheers:

I REALLY disagree with this. Just "dropping in" a 258 (4.2L) crank and rods creates all kinds of problems. It is not a simple plug-n-play swap. The two engines had slight differences in deck height, which translates to a high compression issue with the "budget" stroker. If you are not prepared to deal with that, don't even start. I am trying to build a very reliable, trouble-free engine, so anything involving replacing a crank with something other than a factory unit, is out. The only power adders will be external, in the form of a cheap aftermarket header, a '99 XJ intake, Bored throttle body, maybe 5.0 injectors, and a cold air. I looked up the seal kit from rock auto, and the only thing they show is a Sealed Power kit. Been a long time since I've been down this road, but I recall sealed power being a decent brand... Here is the info: http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=327788 114.79 + shipping So what do y'all think of the sealed power brand? Found the Melling pump on Quadratec, but sealed power also makes one, and its available through rock auto... Opinions? Rob L.

Big spenda! Rob L. :D

Think I may have found an alternative to the crawler chassis I have been looking for... The wheelbase and track width of the body is too small for any of the 1/10 racers. So I found a 1/12 HPI Mini trophy truck, that shares the same 12.3" wheelbase, and the track width is about right (Body fender to fender is about 8", the truck has a 8.3" stance). So here is the website for it, and a video of it tearing around the track. http://www.hpiracing.com/kitinfo/103034/ Ready to run is about $229 from what I have found. With some searching, it could probably be had cheaper. Rob L. :cheers:

Well, it is leaking from the pan, at the least it will get a valve cover gasket, pan gasket, timing cover gasket, intake/exhaust, and the main seals. I was thinking about just getting the "kit" and doing the whole shebang with the headgasket. I'll be right there, and I would think it is cheap insurance. Pulling the head off will also give me a chance to take a good look at the cylinder also. Anyone have any suggestions for a place to get a set of gaskets besides the local parts jockeys? Or am I safe with them? :dunno: Rob L.

Just wanted to run my plans by the general CC community. I have the drivetrain out of the '92 I bought as a donor truck, and it was a low mile (80K) running gear. 1992 4.0 H.O. / AX15 / NP231 It was pampered for the first 60K by an old man, and then beaten and abused by a hillbilly. When I picked it up, it had a bad slave, he had been starting it in gear and powershifting it to move it, busted the rear driveshaft and ran it on the front in 4wd, toasting the 231 because it lost all the fluid (I assume). He said the t-case was smoking. Before I took it apart, I pulled the dist, primed the system with fresh oil, and fired it up. (It hadn't run in about 6 months) It sounded great. It ran good and had good power. I took it out for a test drive, and after some vigorous pumping, the clutch kinda worked. All the gears felt good, and the trans shifted smooth. I plan on putting this in my project truck, but want to address any problems while I have it out. I plan on re-sealing the engine with a gasket set, but how far in should I go? Should I go as far as the head gasket? The trans will be flushed and filled as I imagine it could use it, and I am just going to write off the T-case as a loss. I don't know if its toast for sure or not, but I will just replace it. I thought about pulling some caps when I was in the engine, and plastigauging the bearing clearances, to see if it might be due for a bearing set. I plan on running an aftermarket header, and the '99 intake for mods. Million dollar question: If it was your drivetrain to put in, what would you do to it before installing it? Rob L. :cheers:

:drool: Rob L.

No problem Sean. Happy to help anytime. Like I said, don't be afraid to ask questions. Its all really simple. I hope the parts I gave you will get you off to a good start. Rob L. :cheers:

So your saying you drove past my house without stopping by!? Rob L.

For cheese curds, you can't beat the Wisconsin state fair... The GF and I go every year, and enjoy every minute of it. This year we got: Deep Fried Veggies with ranch (Broccoli, Cauliflower, zucchini, mushrooms) Deep Fried Cheese curds Sweet Corn dipped in butter, sprinkled in salt Jalapeno Cheese and bacon Deep fried nuggets with Jalapeno ranch Millennium fries with cheese (huge basket of deep fried thin sliced potatoes, and nacho cheese) Walking banana split on a stick Dippin dots ice cream Some pics: Veggies: Millennium Fries: Midway: I love the fair food. Its a great day of walking, drinking, and hanging out. Rob L.

We bought the Escan at work. Its a PC based scantool with light signal graphing. Its a really sweet tool on OBD II vehicles. It will map out the fuel trims to show you if its running lean through the range of RPM, the graphed signal of the TPS, or anything else you might need. It will read Mode6, which is the computers language for emissions testing. Its an AWESOME tool to use when emissions testing, since it will tell you when the computer has completed its self checks, and when its ok to take it in without it puking a "Readiness tests not complete." It was $700, but its been well worth it for us. http://atsnm.com/escan.htm Rob L.

Don't know if the key on key off 3 times trick works on the newer XJ's... But that's worth a shot. Rob L. :dunno:

Steering wheel is original, and the dash trim is not 97, 97's had a completely different interior and dash. The dash trim piece had to come from a pre 97 XJ, and IIRC (don't quote me on this) the Briarwood and the Wagoneer XJ's had the wood dash trim. The pedal covers do not appear original either, but who cares about those anyway. EDIT: BTW, that is a really clean truck you have there. :drool: thanks for the fix now i know :banana: Yet another correction. That Wood dash came on XJ's with the "Country package". Rob L.

Same here. Pete had some really small decals, but he handed them all out when he was at my place. Rob L.

Yep, the body is stamped Copyright 1992 Jeep Comanche, Chrysler LLC. : Rob L.

There is also a sheet of window precut masking... So you don't have to try to cut the windows yourself when you paint. Rob L. Rob L.

I went through about 7 D44HD's before finding a D35 under a V8 with the correct gearing I need. While I like the D44HD, all the ones I pulled the main caps on had spun races... Good ol' cast iron D35 it is for me. When the D35 is the answer, its not going to be a good day. Rob L. :D

Got it today, took it out, and took some random shots alongside the two older MJ bodies I have, and a couple with the real deal for size comparison... Enjoy! I am going to do some research, but I think I want to turn it into a rally-style truck... I like the wheelers, but the go-fast and jumps look better. I think that would be more fun, and I could race against the GF's older brother. And look cooler while doing it. 8) Rob L.

I think that that is just a c clip style axle. Pull the brakes, pull the cover, unscrew the cross pin on the spiders, push-in the shaft and a clip will drop in, pull shaft out... What you have is a D44HD. They are a weird friggen axle. You can get what you need from Randy's ring and pinion. Rob L.

It almost looks like a 84-87 s-10/blazer grill that has been bent in the middle. I was thinking the same s-10/blazer route, but I thought it was a later grille... After a quick search, its a spot on match... I. Have. No. Words. :fs2: Rob L.

My wife actually has..... A couple of weeks ago, we were annoying each other... She looks at me and says."Why don't you call Rob(Automan) and go to the junkyard or something. You are getting to be a pain in the butt." You also can't forget how when you ask what you guys are doing on the weekend, she automatically responds with, "What time does Rob want to go to the junkyard?"... Rob L. :rotf:

My wife actually has..... A couple of weeks ago, we were annoying each other... She looks at me and says."Why don't you call Rob(Automan) and go to the junkyard or something. You are getting to be a pain in the butt." We should just camp out in a couple old conversion vans and make a trip out of it. Could use a vacation. We can have marshmallows roasted over a tire fire... :brows: Rob L. :dunno: