mgbeatlefan

I used the IRO Style B shock mounts on my rear swap. I had them come straight out the back of my tubes. https://flic.kr/p/DBVVh4 Another option you could look at is the Style C mounts. They sit 1.75" off the axle tube. The single shear scares some people but they hold up really well.

Added.

Got some work done this morning. Got the 1.5" lines done and most of the 1.75" lines done. I was short a 90° bend. Also ran out of hose clamps. I am going to build a shield covering the lines to protect the passenger and the possibility of getting sprayed with hot coolant. Here you can see where I ran out of bends/hose clamps. I also tacked the ends of the pipes since I don't have a bead roller and didn't feel like making one. Clamped a hose on one and tried pulling it off and it wasn't going to happen. I think it'll work for what I'm doing.

Here comes another progress update. I've got the truck sitting on it's own again. Dana 44 front axle is trussed and all new mounts were made. Rear Dana 60 had new leaf spring perches and shock mounts welded on. (Thinking about trussing it later on down the road) Built a new transmission/long arm crossmember. Built a front 3 link. Test fit the 96 XJ brake booster/M.C. and pedal assembly. Built a transmission tunnel to clear the transfer case. Started work on a dash template. Got the preliminary engine wiring done. Built a mount for the rear radiator. Started to run some cooling lines to the rear radiator. Modified the power steering bracket to move the pump above the steering gearbox. (Also the Dodge Ram Power steering hoses fit the Jeep steering gearbox without any modifications :thumbsup: ) Pictures to accompany the list above: I'm hoping to have the coolant lines run by the end of the weekend so I can pull the engine and transmission to do some final work to them before they are put in for hopefully the last time :banana: Not going to make my goal for Winterfest this year but money is tight and you gotta get a few parts when you can. New goal is to have it running and moving under it's own power by the end of March at the latest.

Progress update will be posted later tonight.

So, since I keep forgetting I have actual build threads started, there will basically be a giant photo dump to try and catch up to current progress. Ready... ... ... ... GO! Test fit #1 Test fit #2 Started the frame plating using 1/8"steel: In again on it's own mounts! Trying to figure out where the front axle is going to sit: Patched some floor rust so my feet don't fall off from the cold :) And that's where she is sitting right now. I'll be tackling a new transmission crossmember since the one I was planning on using won't work with my transfer case. Followed by the front axle truss and link mounts.

Will do man. Life got in the way so I ended up starting on it a lot later than I was hoping to.

Oh man! Totally forgot about this thread! I'll get an update when I get home. :doh:

I'm running boomerang shackles in my MJ. If you want any specific pictures I can grab some tonight when I get home. They are not as necessary on a Comanche as they are on a Cherokee. The Cherokees have a different shackle mount on the "frame" side. I had a straight shackles in the back of my Cherokee for a while and it would hit the back of the mount when the rear end dropped off rocks. With the boomerang shackles the leafs could flatten out more and the shackle didn't hit the mount anymore. That is just my personal experience with those. Anyone else have stuff to add?

I apologize for the lack of progress. Been pretty busy lately and haven't had any time to work on the truck. I did manage to get the engine and the axles pulled. I was really happy to get the stock exhaust manifolds pulled off the engine since the bolts were very rusty. The new headers should be here by the end of the day Tuesday so I should have everything I need engine wise for mock-up purposes. The axles are pretty much prepped. the rear axle will be a pretty straightforward affair and I'm not too worried about it. The front axle is another story. I will probably be building a truss to mount my coil spring mounts and upper control arm mount to. The lower control arm mounts might get a little tricky but I will have to see how things line up under the truck. I will be pulling the truck in for tear down after we get the drywall up on the ceiling in the garage. Hopefully we can get that done on Saturday. Once the truck is in the garage it isn't coming out until it is swapped over :) I will try and get current pics up tomorrow when I have some time.

You sir are correct.

I hear a lot of people are skeptical on the IRO LAs. To each their own though. There are a lot of ways to accomplish the same thing, just throwing out another option that I have experience with. I also agree with the lift height. I've got about 8-9" of lift on my MJ and there is a whole lot of room even for 35's. Are you planning on running tires bigger than that?

I may be a little biased but I really enjoy my Iron Rock Off Road long arms. Had them in my old XJ and then swapped them to my MJ. No complaints whatsoever. But as I said before, I may be a little biased.

Been making a little more progress lately. Almost have the Dodge stripped all the way down. Hoping to have it all pulled apart tomorrow night then I can pull in the 'manche and start tearing into it. Beware the upcoming picture dump with little text. Gotta make up time! So much less wiring than the other Jeep :) Something is about to happen.... Yep. Sometimes you've gotta come up with redneck solutions :) And that brings us up to tonight's progress. Planning on getting the engine pulled tomorrow night once I dig the rest of my engine stand out of the shed. Hoping to be able to get the axle pulled Thursday night and get the Comanche into the garage for teardown over the long weekend.

Yeah the good ones are hard to come by. I don't think I know Duane. Always good to know of some parts laying around :) I am not on MN-Jeep yet. Will probably join in the next day or so. Just been super busy lately.