Automan2164

Oh, and I always let them set a price if any. Hate to either let on to how much I would pay for it, or insult them if they have a higher price set. One constant is the care I will give it. Most people that have an old Jeep laying around is because there is some sentiment attached. Reassuring them that you know what you are doing, and that it will be well taken care of is over half the battle with those cases. Rob

Usually, I try to see if I can talk to them. A note with a number can be brushed off, forgotten, lost. I will knock on the door a couple times at different points in a day or week. When I finally meet them, I say I want to talk about the Jeep and introduce myself as a fanatic, with a short background. Depending on the feeling I get at that point depends on how far into Jeep Nerd-dom I get. If they get it, I'll pour it on thick, and see if I can woo them with knowledge and passion for the Jeep. If they don't get it, I keep it short, and try not to bother them. Just let them know my interest and leave a card with my number. Rob

First off, I want to thank everyone and anyone who may have helped in the process of me getting this extravaganza pulled off. Comanchekid45, Rebelfish99, whowey, truckdriver, mfpdm, ejndssn, JeepcoMJ, WorldsFastestComanche, so many members and more all helped. As for the trip. :cheers: We started out at 4 AM on 10/30, with the destination of hitting Comanchekid45's place early evening. Everything started pretty smooth, couple stops for fuel along the way, where I found out that I was averaging about 11.8 MPG. :roll: Stops were kept to a minimum, we made pretty good time. Checked everything at every stop. Hubs for excessive heat, straps for tension... The scenery was pretty good, trees were in full color, and the hills and valleys made Angela happy. The truck felt good, and after playing with tow/haul mode, I found out that on the Chevy anyway, it didn't eliminate the overdrive, just changed the RPM for shifting. I left it in tow/haul. It handled the hills pretty good, only with minor coaching at times to keep it from double downshifting itself to redline to make the hill. Some of Angela's Pics: Before I had left for PA, BJ had told me that they were forecasting a 6-10 inch snowstorm. Being from the Chicago area, I brushed it off. Around here, they could call for 2 feet, and we only get a dusting. Then, just as this flat lander starts navigating the hills of PA with a loaded trailer, this is what it starts looking like: Then, when the pucker factor was high, the GPS led us off the highway... And I was met with a bunch of these signs. This was part way down. The one we missed was the first one that said we were about to enter a 9-10% down grade for 5 miles with dangerous curves. :rant: Not to mention that, but just after taking us on the scenic route, it put us right back onto the highway. Which we could have never left. After dealing with almost no visibility and all the snow/hills/ in the now dark evening, GPS finally led us to BJ's place. I didn't think he lived in a storage unit, so I have him a call. Notice that by now I should have stopped listening to the GPS. Apparently having dealt with this before, BJ got me back in order. As he was describing it, the road ends before getting to his house. Sure enough it did. All of a sudden the woods grew closer, and it turned into a muddy, uphill, snowy, path, with trees overhung and scraping down the sides of the truck. It was at this point that I felt like the truck would slide down backwards, and I kicked it into 4x4. It felt like a trail at the badlands. I also thought that this had potential to be the worst practical joke ever. Then just when I was about to give up, it opened to a clearing with a gorgeous house on top of a hill. Met by BJ and his family, we were floored. Ham in the oven, green bean casserole, sweet potato fries, cold beer for me, and cream whiskey over fresh snow for Angela... So welcome after such a long drive. Warm fire in the fire place, and full stomach's. Being too late to take any good pics, I got some the next day: Morning view out of BJ's living room: Part of BJ's driveway in the daylight: The house: :drool: The MJ's: The unloaded run down to VA was pretty uneventful, and easy, as it should have been. Pics: Aaaaannnnnd.... Then we found it. :D Rebelfish99 met us there with a bit of backstory on it, the title, and after a short exchange, we were off to start Angela's part of the trip. VA beach and beyond. Well, VA beach wasn't very trailer friendly. After cruising the beach side in the dark for awhile, we finally found a hotel that didn't have valet parking or a parking garage. It just happened to be the Hampton, right next to the Hilton in VA beach. Really nice place. The breakfast was by far the best free hotel spread ever. Western Omlettes, bacon, sausage, seasoned potatoes, It was off peak, and the place was barren. Angela was excited to get an ocean view room, and this was what we woke up to: We actually had a bunch of dolphins swimming off shore also. It was really a nice place. We took the time to walk around and take it in. She also had to walk into the ocean... Even though it was 60 degrees out, and the water could have only been 50-60 itself. And more pics: Also in VA beach, since there are so many military bases around, there are constantly fly overs. This pic does no justice as to how low they actually were. Horseshoe crabs were washed up all over the place: Back on the road GPS took us off the beltway around DC and right into the thick of it (Of course)... But the scenic outlook was an alright stop. We ended up flying by the seat of our pants, and the only thing I had planned was a GPS way point set to the train station we wanted to be close to. Turns out that the pressure of finding a place worked out pretty good. After striking out with a bunch of high priced hotels, we found one that was pretty reasonable, in the area, and close to the train. It was in a business park away from the population, and had a free shuttle to the Metro. Breakfast wasn't half bad either. DC, train dropped us off right outside the Hoover FBI building... Of all the monuments and things to see, one of the only things Angela really had her heart set on was the reflection pool under the Lincoln memorial... Insert "Sad trombone" effect. Tons of pics from here, but I am really just a big nerd for anything Wilbur and Orville. The Smithsonian actually has the 1903 Wright flyer. Since I had been to DC before, I knew that there are certain stories and history that can only be remembered with a tour... So I signed us up for the night-time Segway tour... Haha. :rotf: Angela getting her crash course: 8 of us and the tour guide... Looked like a nerdy biker gang tearing up the streets of DC. :yes: One other thing that she wanted to do was go to the national zoo. We did that before we left on Thursday. I decided that I would rather be in home in my own bed Friday, so I got a hair up my butt, and decided that after spending the day at the Zoo, I'd drive straight home. We finished loading up, and left DC about 6 PM. Drove through the night, and got back into Harvard about 8 AM. Angela enjoying some of the finer road trip cuisine. Tons and tons more pics from the Smithsonian and the Zoo, but I don't want to go through and post up all those pics. So here is a link to the 4 folders of photos I have on Facebook. These links should allow anyone and everyone to look at them. There are a lot of pictures of the same thing, my phone was messing up, so I took a couple pics of most things to help the chance of getting a good one. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... 0430a1e5da https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... 6cd8bb4661 https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... 7b55dc358f https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... 7f7c11968a Rob :cheers:

Still an option. The current D35 in my 4.0L is out of a V8 with 3.73's. Rob :D

Engine is good, the 5.2 has been around in various forms for years... Just don't expect it to get more than 15 MPG, at best. I think you would be around 11ish. As for the trans, it's a Chrysler trans. Not good. I am very nervous about the ticking time bomb in mine. I think the only transfer case offered in the V8 was the 249, and that has a reputation for the viscous couple locking up and causing tire scrub and binding issues. Lets not forget the rear axles either... The D35 is standard, and the D44HD (Aluminum) was optional. I had a short lived run with a D44HD, but after finding out that every single one in the junkyard had spun carrier races, I went back to the all cast D35... Which isn't all that great. But other than that, I like it. :grrrr: Rob

More details to come after I get some sleep. We left DC last night around 6PM, just rolled into IL about 15 minutes ago... Been up for 26 hours. Time to catch some z's. Rob :cheers:

What does the picture over the switch look like? Rob

I've been looking into this on the side also... Updates if I have any. Rob

I'll probably give you a ring on the way home. It doesn't run good enough to drive... Think your pops would be down for a house call? It needs some TLC, it would be cool to learn from the master. Rob

As in previous owner? Heck no. That boost gauge is all factory baby. Rob

Another teaser pic for those who have never oogled a diesel MJ... Where did the voltmeter go? Rob :brows:

This month we have a drool worthy MJ that pushes the clean build line even further. Enjoy. :cheers: --------------IMSTUCK'S 1991 JEEP COMANCHE ELIMINATOR--------------- MODEL AND YEAR 1991 Eliminator ENGINE & PERFORMANCE: K+N Filter charger and Hooker Header DRIVETRAIN: Stock 30+35 Dana's COOLING: Stock ELECTRICAL & IGNITION: Stock STEERING: Stock SUSPENSION: Skyjacker 3" lift and Shocks INTERIOR: Custom 12" betweeen the seats speaker box, am/fm cd BRAKES: Stock LIGHTING: Light bar from Liberty Renegade and fog/driver light combos built into front fascia WHEELS/TIRES: Goodyear 245/75 17 DuraTracs Mounted on 2011 Rubicon wheels with bolt pattern adaptors MISCELLANEOUS: Hanson rear bumper and Tri fold Tonneau cover designed for a Ranger. Perfect fit! Best MJ story I found it on a ad for cars.com 5 minutes after it was posted. The gentleman told me i was the second call already. I got him down from the asking price of $5800 to $4800 over the phone and told him I would be there in 9 hours (it was 800 miles away!) After giving him $1000 on pay pal my wife and I hopped in her Patriot and started driving. After getting there the truck was actually nicer then described in The the ad. He was a little upset when I got there telling me he had 48 more calls in the next 4 hours after we had made the deal. I couldn't believe it. Even the air blew ice cold and it drove tight and right! After spending a few weeks adding the Cherokee 97+nose job,wet sanding and buffing, Liberty light bar,and reapplying the factory Eliminator Stripes and tonneau cover I'm pretty much finished! What owner loves best about CC I get more attention and questions about my Comanche then I did about my 2008 tricked out Hummer I sold! PICS! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Should I say I am not surprised that your MJ gets more attention than your tricked out Hummer? Nah. That truck you have there is a thing of beauty. The wheels, tires, bumpers, all the small details... Unbelievable. That KJ lightbar looks so at home on the top of the truck. Should have been a factory option. The Hanson rear bumper looks great. Every bit of this truck shines and reflects a meticulous member who has attention for detail. Congratulations on your MJOTM! Rob :cheers:

Did you notice the thing on the end of the antenna? Rob

Life is good guys. We made it down here all in one piece. We are currently at a hotel in Virginia Beach. To my left is a balcony over looking the ocean. Angela is overjoyed. She's getting up early tomorrow morning to watch the sun rise over the water. Just finished with a pizza and uncorked a bottle we had saved for when we got down here. The diesel is in good, but warn shape. It shakes like a son of a... at low idle, but off idle, runs great. Needs some TLC for sure. Tach goes backwards, I didn't run it enough to see boost pressure, just happy to have it. I took a shot of the truck before we got it on the trailer, and one really bad one of it at the hotel with the Hilton in the background. Boy do I stick out like a sore thumb. :D I'll have more of a story and pics when I get home the end of this week. I'll keep the beast fed with small updates and pics here and there though. I won't leave you guys hanging. Rob :cheers:

Whew, what a drive. Pretty smooth for the most part. I have to say that IL really needs to get this ticket toll thing. Only stopping when you get on and off is the way to go. The truck towed great, very smooth, manageable. 11.8 MPG average. Not the best, but ok. Stopped once in IN for fuel, once in PA. Snow as soon as we got into PA. BJ warned me, but I didn't believe him. Boy was there snow. Just in time for this flatlander to start carving the hills. GPS led us astray for a bit, but we got back on in the right place. Finally got in to BJ's about 6:00 pm. Could not have been greeted by more gracious hosts. Home cooked meal with ham, potatoes and beer, all with the warm fire place going. Amazing family. Yet another reason being a Comanche club member is where its at. More updates and pics once I get on the computer. Rob :cheers:

'Bout 3:30 AM, and in a half hour, we are off! Time to put the computer away. Have the cooler loaded down with energy drinks, snacks, and bags loaded. Next stop, Shippensburg, PA Rob :cheers:

So so nervous. I put 40 miles on the truck/trailer combo running errands this evening, and every creek, squeak, and rumble is still putting me on edge. One brake on the trailer seems to be grabbing harder than the other too. One drum/wheel has a decent amount more heat. I am sure all this is stuff I really shouldn't be worried about, but I am about to drive 2000 miles with a bunch of borrowed stuff. Sigh. I just wish I could go with the flow and relax. Rob :(

Got it all loaded up today. Had some issues from the brake controller, but a quick call to the manufacturer had me going within 10 mins. Took it on a test jaunt to the weigh station 2 miles away from my house and checked the weights. 2900 Front axle 3200 Rear axle 4600 Trailer I think that I have the balance just about where it should be. What do you guys think? I even put on the sticker that my roomie wanted on his truck... Lol. Pics: So much to do, so little time! Rob :ack:

Get that for free? Rob

All Comanche's have Comanche badges. Rob

Well, he paid for the parts, labor was on the house. I did buy the oil, filter, and a couple other small things though. Rob :D

Thanks Pete, but I have Angela riding shotgun. Little hiccup in the tow rig... The howling noise I was hoping wasn't a wheel bearing, was. Left front was toast, right front not far behind. Luckily the supplier we use through work had 9 of them in stock... Hmm think they go out often? Picked up a couple of them and slapped them on after work today. Also made my impromptu toolkit for the road. Some items are missing, but I'll toss in tomorrow. I have the day off to get everything buttoned up and ready to go. I plan on leaving 3-4AM Sat to hit BJ's around the evening. And my road trip list (Feel free to suggest other things): Fuses Spare tire for tow rig Spare tire for trailer Floor Jack Tire repair kit Portable air tank Loose chunks of 2x4 Fire Extinguisher Flashlight Rain Coat / Pants Gloves Rags Coolant/Water Jumper Cables Waterless hand soap Extra straps Duct tape Drill Am I missing anything? Rob :dunno:

Pull the dash. It's really not that hard in the MJ/XJ's. I could have it out in 15 minutes if I had all the tools next to me. Drop the column onto the seat, remove all the trim, pull the cluster and radio to disco the harnesses, and get the bolts that hold it under the kick panel. I also did a heater core in a '97 Dodge Ram, now that was a pain in the butt. The MJ dash is nothing like that. Rob :D

Been watching that thing on Craigs for awhile now. Don't know where your at, but I know the seller was pretty close to me. Feel free to shoot me a PM and stop by my place. I live just over in Harvard. I have a couple MJ's, and more hard to come across MJ parts than you could shake a stick at. And an MJ couch, and a fridge. viewtopic.php?f=3&t=31112&hilit=Comanche+couch Yep. A little bit of an addiction over here in the 'Vard. Rob :cheers:

They misspelled Chief. :( Where? Rob