Automan2164

DUH ! :shake: MJOTM is up. :D viewtopic.php?f=3&t=21903 Rob L.

Lets all get together and congratulate this months MJOTM honoree, who just happens to be the original owner, and the 3rd. :D -----------------------MARCH 2010 - GLUNDBLAD's 1987 CHIEF----------------------- The truck originally came with a very uncomfortable bench seat. The buckets and console were a nice upgrade. I know a lot of folks don't care for the stickers because it makes the truck look dated. But I like the stickers because it makes the truck look dated. Here is what this poor truck looked like before we started working on it. Look at those tiny tires. They are factory size. They are probably over 15 years old have have 12,000 miles on them. MODEL AND YEAR 1987 AMC Jeep Comanche Chief MISCELLANEOUS Chief means Miscellaneous trim upgrades and body graphics (see window sticker) Paid $14,200 new in 1987 (Traded in an ’82 Dodge Colt and a ’72 Datsun 240z) Sticker was $13,352 + $850 for a/c. Sold for $3,000 used in 1995 Paid $500 used in 2008. Paid $6,600 for the bodywork including new decals and rim refurbish. ENGINE & PERFORMANCE Everything is stock. I don’t plan to change anything. Stock cooling. Oil changed every 3,000 and never driven hard. Still runs like new. It’s a Renix so it takes several cranks, then fires right up (as it did when new). It has about 85k miles on the clock. 4.0, 4x4, 5 speed Peugeot (Shifts perfectly) Still have all original documentation. Even the Temporary tag from 1987 (is that sick or what?) WHEELS & TIRES Factory rims Tires are 235/75/15 Wrangler “Silent Armor”. Stock was 225/75/15 Wranglers. INTERIOR Black Factory Trim & Carpet XJ Buckets & Console Have full “blue letters” gauge cluster but still need to install. DRIVE TRAIN & SUSPENSION Stock Everything Factory Limited Slip Differential which Included “Heavy Duty Axle” (Dana 44) Anemic 3.08:1 gearing. Considered switching to 3.55 or 3.73 someday but probably never will. New rear springs at factory height. Need new Front Springs. Type TBD but leaning toward OME (I think it could use a 1.75” lift in the front, agree?) Need new Shocks. Type TBD but probably OME BODY & EXTERIOR Color – Jeep Colorado Red Factory “Chief” Decals – The body shop used a local sign painter. They were drawn on a cad computer and printed on vinyl stock. NOS factory side Mirrors Factory Rear Slider window Fey Aftermarket Rear Bumper (Can’t find nice OEM in Indiana) Factory Tow Hooks, “ROL” Fog lights (guts need replaced) and Roll Bar Spray Bed liner added at Body Shop TekStyle Tonneau Cover from fellow CC member altered to accommodate roll bar RESTORATION New XJ front fenders New XJ rocker panels New windshield Cab corners, one from MJ Donor other was fabricated Used Bed Used XJ Doors Original Factory Rims refinished Finish - DuPont’s Basecoat/Clearcoat Urethane ( 1 coat sealer, 3 coats base, 2 coats clear). The fender flares were painted using a semi gloss paint. ( I cannot tell they have been painted even upon close examination). I wanted it stock as possible down to every last detail but finding quality parts became very frustrating. I live in the rust belt. I counted about 13 junkyards that we visited searching for parts. The bed was nearly impossible. I found only one usable bed with no rust and the junkyard didn’t know they had it. Even the doors in good condition were difficult to find. Most had rust on the bottom seam. I ended up paying a fortune for them. I considered buying a southern 2wd as a donor but probably would not have had the heart to tear it down. Plus it would have been expensive getting it home. BEST MJ COMMENT Most people don’t get the opportunity to buy back their first real car from their youth. This truck is a family member. We don’t drive it in the winter and it gets stored in a heated garage. If you have a Comanche, don’t sell it. BEST MJ STORY I remember when we first bought the truck new. My wife wanted it for herself. She fell in love with it when she first saw it in ‘87. She was a small petite 5’ tall 95lbs hair dresser. The girls she worked with were cruel and teased her all the time for buying a truck as her primary transportation. Especially a 4x4 pickup with fog lights and a roll bar. But she loved it. We eventually had kids on the way so I sold it to my dad. For 10 years, he used it like all comanches are eventually destine, to haul a lawn mower and gardening equipment during the summer. I felt bad watching it rust away so I rescued it. I needed a truck for my son and knew the engine was in mint condition. When they started work on the body, the memories came back and I quickly changed my mind about giving it up. He has a Grand Cherokee now. My all time favorite story: This is a little embarrassing but since I will probably never meet any of you, I will go ahead. Back in the day, a Jeep advertisement showed one of these trucks on TV pulling a large truck (semi perhaps?) I was building my house at the time and I was young and dumb. A flat panel truck got stuck in the drive before it was poured. An old POS 2WD Ford was trying to pull the truck out using his bumper but he couldn’t budge it. I knew my 4x4 could. What I didn’t realize was the Ford had a real bumper. My jeep had the OEM bumper. When I started to pull, the Amish builders just stood there staring with their mouths open as they watched that bumper fold like a cheap lawn chair. They never said a word (picture the Darlings from the Andy Griffith Show). My wife started screaming. I still have the bodily scars from her claw marks. BEST THING ABOUT CC That many different kinds of people share the same interest in these trucks. The personality that comes from this forum is very unique, informative, entertaining and never rude or obnoxious. More important, as time progresses, the amount of documentation accumulated from the wealth of knowledge from current and previous owners will become more and more valuable for this extinct truck. Regarding junkyarding, this bed is an example of "The thrill of the find". It was the only one I found worth using. If you are looking for something, don't forget to check the tall grass. You will never know what you may find. Here they cleaning up the bed. The parts were all painted individually. Here is some of it in the booth. Here is my wife and her new truck in 1987 Here is my wife and "her" truck in 2010 Here is the Window Sticker. I don't know why they didnt put the prices on the sticker. Here is a quote for a truck we were going to order from the factory. We backed out when we found this chief. Yes that is correct. A rear bumper cost only $132. - Gary Well, I have to say this is one of the best examples of an what an MJ looked like in its prime, and the owners undying love for the truck. I wouldn't be able to take that thing out of the garage without worrying about it. The details on the truck reflect a great owner. The little things that most of us will never have... The bill of sale, the window sticker, even the TEMP TAGS! Being able to say you bought it on the lot, back when it was new is quite the accomplishment, and if only we all were so lucky. Awesome truck, that goes with an outstanding member. Great looking truck Gary. :bowdown: Congrats. :cheers: Rob L.

But thats who its made for. People with knee-jerk reactions who just slam the pedal. Few people have the foresight and poise in an immediate decision to not apply full pressure. Rob L.

I have heard that the bearing from a '79 (?) CJ with the 304 V-8 is what you need, but so far, have found that getting the brass bushing for the Year engine you have, and have it milled out or drill it out to the size of the input shaft... So far its always been 3/4", 2 for 2. Rob L.

ABS not only lets those who can't pump the brakes from dead-skidding into the object from not being able to turn... It also reduces the distance taken to stop. When skidding, you do not have optimal friction on the pavement. ABS allows the car to pulse the brakes and keep the wheelspeed closer to the point just before friction is lost. Bosch makes a good video explaining everything. Rob L.

Sexy. Rob L.

Rob L.

Post fluffing? Rob L.

I know. Pop-up city.... Its a free hosting site. I run fire fox with an ad blocker, so I am never affected by it. Sorry for the pop-ups... Rob L.

Comanche of the Month. Rob L.

Keep your eye out for March's MJOTM... And that's all I am going to say about that. ;) Rob L. 8)

Scrapper? :cry: Rob L.

Good advice... Take it. When the GF was looking for an economic car, she finally decided on a Toyota Corolla. I have a friend who is a journeyman at the Toyota dealer, and I worked on them in tech school. We all has the same take. Thing will be a tank, and ultra reliable. It will rust out before it dies. I told her not to buy into any of that warranty crap after the remainder of the factory warranty goes up. She didn;t listen. Good thing she didn't, because a month later the PCM had an internal error, and went kaput. $1800 PCM. She got the biggest bestest warranty, so the tow, the fix and the happy Corolla didn't cost her a dime. (Except the monthly warranty cost :roll: ) Rob L. :D Shouldnt the PCM have been covered by what is called Extended Federal Emissions? I think it goes 8 years, 80,000miles, also covers the cat converter. Required by the federal govt to cover that stuff longer. I think they put it all under her extended because of the tow. Rob L.

The ones I were looking at were the early 2000's.... Rob L. :D

Going to have to contest with ya here... I have ran across a couple of Dakota's with the manual, and the 4.7L. Rob L. :smart:

What about wrapping some fiberboard in speakerbox carpet? Rob L.

Good advice... Take it. When the GF was looking for an economic car, she finally decided on a Toyota Corolla. I have a friend who is a journeyman at the Toyota dealer, and I worked on them in tech school. We all has the same take. Thing will be a tank, and ultra reliable. It will rust out before it dies. I told her not to buy into any of that warranty crap after the remainder of the factory warranty goes up. She didn;t listen. Good thing she didn't, because a month later the PCM had an internal error, and went kaput. $1800 PCM. She got the biggest bestest warranty, so the tow, the fix and the happy Corolla didn't cost her a dime. (Except the monthly warranty cost :roll: ) Rob L. :D

Here goes the pandora's box... But anyway, I have the "production" numbers available on my history section of my site... www.comanchemj.1hwy.com These are how many were built during whatever year. '86's were built from June of '85 to May of '86... Therefore, it shows a number of how many were made form June of '85 to Dec of '85... Etc etc. Rob L.

I would just do it anyway. You'll be right there, and its only $75. Rob L.

You talking about the gauges not returning? Or the fuel level? Rob L.

If you mean 210, yes, thats right... If you really are running at 110... That might be a problem. Before you go too far, check the temp with a manual gauge, or other external source. Rob L.

Said it once, I'll say it again. That bumper ROCKS. Rob L. :bowdown:

Hello Zach! :bowdown: Welcome to the group! It sounds like you are a rusty Comanche owners dream! I can't tell you how much your stuff is going to come in handy for all of us, and its awesome that you finally stopped by! :clapping: Rob L. :cheers:

:agree: Rob L.

Keep that puppy stock! Crappy 2.8L or not, that thing is amazing! Rob L. :bowdown: