Skorpyo

When I had a '99 XJ I installed a cone filter setup and it was a breeze. Now with my '89 under the knife of several projects I thought it may be fun to install one. This led me into researching the process to put one in and I found myself a bit confused about the vacuum setup on the existing airbox and in particular what to do with the vacuum motor if I was to tear out the airbox in favor of a cone filter. I'll admit I'd like the extra real estate it would provide and am also converting the washer reservoir setup to a '97+ since I'm also putting in a '95 brake booster. So my main questions are: 1. Should I convert to a cone filter or should I just stick with the current setup? 2. If I convert to a cone filter, what is to be done about the sensor in the upper portion of the box and the vacuum motor at the bottom? TIA, Tim

Thanks all, good feedback. It is currently 2wd but it's getting a conversion as we speak. I pulled the console and carpeting to prep for the new tranny. I don't plan to wheel it but I've gotta have a jeep that can go places so the 4wd conversion is underway. I'll look into the tremclad and rustoleum I was definitely not going to rattle can it. The rest of the interior is way too nice haha. Thank! Tim Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

So today I finally got around to pulling the carpet in my 89 and I was very pleasantly surprised that the floor board looks really good for a truck that has spent its life in VA. There is very little in the way of rust (pics below) so I'm not sure if I should POR the entire interior, clean up the few spots, prime and paint or just POR portions. I'd like to hear what some veterans would recommend based on the condition it's in. TIA, Tim Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks, I actually just paid for a set.

I have an 89 with grey interior and the driver side retaining clip for the sunvisor broke. It is a the type that have both clips on a grey plastic plate. Looking to pickup 1-2 of these as having a spare would be nice. Thanks.

Well since this wasn't meant as a discussion of the aerodynamics of the comanche and the impact of mirrors I'd like to know if anyone is running mirrors that are NOT from an XJ or MJ and where they got them from. I personally think a vehicle should reflect the desires of the owner not some conformist opinion so seeing alternate ideas on people's tricks interests me. Thanks, Tim

I wanted to ask if anyone was running mirrors from any vehicle other than an XJ or MJ. I was driving the MJ earlier today and saw a pickup with nice big new chrome mirrors and I was wondering if anyone has swapped sideview mirrors onto an MJ from another brand or vehicle. Thanks! Skorpyo

@hornbrod, the XJ is a 91 so that shouldn't be an issue but thanks for the heads up. I honestly don't know when I'm gonna have a chance to get out out to the JY unfortunately so I'm just gonna have to cross my fingers until maybe late December or early Jan. thanks, Tim

Ok, I'm going to do that then. I probably won't get around to this until next month, but I'm banking on the fact that the seats in the 2dr will still be there come that time since no one else has touched that XJ in the last few months I've been going to the yard. Thanks for the input, Tim

Both of the bucket seats in my MJ have broken forward-tilt levers, the drivers seat has a few small burn holes in it. The question I have is whether I should try and repair these seats or get two out of a local JY. I found a two door '91 XJ with pretty decent looking seats and in full functioning condition. The JY runs about $70 for the pair being a u-pull-it. The question is should I just pick-up these seats, or should I try to repair the two I have. Either way I'm going to be pulling the current seats to get the carpet up. If I get the JY XJ seats will they mount right up to the sliders on the MJ and if not how much goes into swapping XJ seats into the MJ? Any gotchas or issues with swapping in XJ seats? I'm leaning toward the JY units since they're not broken, but wanted to get opinions from those with more experience. Thank in advance, Tim

Great start! I'm looking forward to seeing the progress. Earl*t's truck is a beaut hope to see more like it on here.

Good notes, did you use stock XJ suspension parts in the front or did you just use the front axle and aftermarket parts? I'm thinking if I come across a clean XJ with newer suspension parts I might pull them. I don't think the MJ is sagged much in the front, but 10yr old suspension parts might be better than 24yr old parts ya know?! Thanks for the info. CJ with 304/5.0L V8. PB77HD is the part no. I believe. Since I have a '72 CJ-5 with the 304 I rebuilt I'm definitely familiar with that one. I'll file that away under "parts needed" Thanks! Tim

Guys, Thanks for the info! I'm not planning to do this swap for sometime and plan to just pickup the best parts when they become available. An AX-15 with only 11,000 miles on it seems like a great option for a starting point so I'm gonna see about picking it up and storing it until the spring. My main concern is the JY that has it is not 100% sure they'll have all of the linkages, pedal, and cylinders for it also. If I get them from a pre-97 XJ would they all match what was run with the newer style 97+ XJ? I'm not as concerned about the T-case as this point as any t-case from a mid '93 and up XJ will mate with the tranny and then I would just need to get the front DS, axle linkages etc from there to wrap up the front end. As for the rear I'm debating on going with an 8.8 or D44. Mainly I want to be able to tow and after my XJ I just don't trust the D35s. Being a manual I believe the MJ currently has 3.07 gears, would a jump to 3.54s really kill power? I know 8.8s are easy to come by but what gearing did they typically come with and should I be looking for a particular year/make to pull one from? Disc brakes would be a nice bonus too :-). Thanks, Tim

Hah it is a sickness! Long time no see to you too! I'm still an active member of NAXJA but the Comanche community there is too small to be a real resource specifically to MJs. I still use their forums for researching the MJ stuff cause the XJ and MJ are pretty much the same from the doors forward :D . I've always wanted a pickup and finally decided to bite the bullet and since I still love the XJs so much what better choice than an MJ! I'm sure this thing will turn into a money-pit too, just wish I'd bought it in the spring so I could have had the summer to work on it. Now I need to re-engineer the garage so I can work on it through the winter. So many plans, so little space, time and $$. At least our sickness is fun! Tim

Sorry the photos weren't working. I had to sign up for a flickr account and had never used that before. Guess I used the wrong links the first time.

Ya know, I was reading the Hawaiian rig thread before yours. Disregard the nonsensical parts haha

Nice looking rig, cool to hear it staying in the family. I'm hoping my son gets to enjoy my MJ too! As for the stripes, check e-bay, I found this one by searching: http://www.ebay.com/itm/MJ-JEEP-COMANCHE-PICKUP-SPORTRUCK-HOCKEY-STICK-CHEROKEE-XJ-SIDE-STRIPE-DECAL-/161074121543?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2580c40b47 I've seen other places online that have them too but don't recall. Google is your best bet. Good luck and Mahalo! Tim

At this point the only major work I've done to the Comanche, hereafter referred to as Toby V, is swapping the front grill trim for chrome. I'm a sucker for the chrome look since my first XJ had an all chrome front end and I loved it so... We found a '91 Laredo in the JY and since the front end was in great shape we stripped it down and kept the shiny loot. It took us almost 2 hours to dismantle the MJs front end due to some stuck bolts, nuts etc. I'm sure they'd never been removed in the 24 years of it's life... The truck has AC, but it doesn't work because of a leak. the PO said it was near the firewall, but we checked and it wasn't there. When we took apart the front, we found the leak... it's gonna need a new coil in the spring when it starts to warm up. I also found out the header panel "bolts" are much weaker than I am as I snapped one off...whoops. Here's the gratuitous shots of the mechanics: (This one is me) This is my father-in-law Bob We managed to get everything back together and it came out looking pretty good. Here are the before and after shots. Who ever had owned the XJ had used rattle can black on the body and there was a LOT of overspray onto the chrome. I have to say that the best way I found to get it off was with a Mr. Clean magic eraser, those things rock. Not bad for a few hours work... Tim 'Skorpyo' Kilpatrick

I'm definitely a Jeep guy, and now that my MJ is officially my 4th jeep I've resigned myself to a lifetime of pouring money into these things. I started with an '88 Cherokee, then a '99 Cherokee, bought a '72 CJ-5 project, and now the '89 Comanche. I still have the '72 CJ-5, which I spent nearly 2 years (and way too much money) re-building. Here's some shots of it: Ground up rebuild (the fram was only to block paint!) Finished - all fiberglass body, 304v8, 3-speed My '99 XJ is still in the family, I sold it to my father-in-law Bob who still wheels it every year. I'm his spotter and his official sponsor (since I'm always buying him parts for it!) but after back surgery I couldn't be a driver anymore. Bob's '99 Cherokee (formerly mine) Late last month I finally found an MJ I was interested in buying. I was looking for a SWB, manual with a 4.0L, 89 or newer and found one across town for a great price. I picked it up the next day and brought her home. It's a 1989 Eliminator, 4.0L (96,300 original miles), 2WD with manual tranny (will update once I'm certain what kind). It drives really well, and has been well kept. The color is close to the original as it was repainted, and poorly as it's flaking off is some spots. I haven't pulled the carpet on it yet, but will be doing so this winter to be sure the floors not rotting out. Aside from the fog lamps and bug guard it was pretty much 100% stock. The previous owner had painstakingly replaced all of the interior pieces that had gone bad over the years and managed to find a pristine headliner. Everything on the truck worked including the bedlight. So my plans for the MJ at this point are pretty minimal since it really doesn't need much. I'm pretty sure I'm going to swap in 4wd in the spring since just this past week I tore up the yard backing it up to my back fence! I don't plan on building this up for wheeling, or as a show truck, but I want to keep this thing running well and in great shape so my son (who's 7 now) can learn how to drive a stick on it when he get his license. This will probably be a thread I update only every so often as I find time to do small things to it, but figured I would share. Planned Projects for Toby V (In No Particular Order) AX-15 swap and 4WD conversion Rear axle upgrade (D44 or 8.8) Brake Booster Upgrade (WJ or XJ) Hood Lift Paint Job (unsure of color yet) Re-key all locks to match ignition 97+ Mirrors XJ Roof-rack Headlight conversion New rear bumper and hitch (Class III) Small lift, 3 inches at most I'm sure I'll think of more.... Tim 'Skorpyo' Kilpatrick

I've been doing my research and reading every article out there about swapping in an AX-15 (t-case parts etc) to convert my 89 eliminator MJ to 4WD and I recently found a '99 XJ with a manual tranny (assuming it's an AX-15) with only 11K on it. I'd love to be able to swap in this unit and transfer-case, but aside from the shifter and linkage difference, which I'm assuming is mostly cosmetic, what other issues would I discover using a '99 tranny for the swap vice one from a '94 - '96? Thanks! Tim

Agreed with the "stuck" lock. This happened to me after I upgraded to the 97+ door handles on my driver door. It would happen most when I manually lock the door, shut it then try to unlock with the key from the outside. After realizing it was the lock I was able to "learn" the difference between when the key did and did not fully unlock the door. Another suggestion would be to roll the window down and when using the key manually press the unlock button. If you don't feel the toggle go fully flush with the door it's not unlocked. A few back and forth's with the key and toggle unlocks mine. I'm probably going to tear apart the doors and grease the snot out of everything in the spring. Good luck! Tim

That's unfortunate to hear, my buddy's considering getting a set for his XJ after seeing the difference in my MJ. Perhaps we should reconsider... Thanks for the input guys. Tim

Sorry to bring up an old topic but I wanted to add that I ordered a set for my 89 eliminator and they arrived in just two days and they still accepted the "jeep" promo code for 10% off. After a few hours to install these (extended by a broken MAP sensor vacuum line) the difference is incredible! I cleaned the throttle body while I was at it but man what a difference! It idled smoother, accelerated better and was so responsive. I just wanted to add to this thread so everyone know what a good deal this is and in my opinion one I was way overdue for. Thanks for sharing this on this great forum! Tim