Retch99

I have a 2000 era 6.0L (LS derivative) short block that was originally headed for musclecarville, but I'm a long way off from getting to that project (read that as years). SO, instead of letting it rot, I am debating swapping it in my '88 Comanche to make for a nice modern drivetrain for the beast. Anyone done this swap? (poked around here a bit with no informational luck). If so, what transmission/transfer case worked out? links? Thanks! -Gary '88 Comanche

right, forgot the gamblers were 5 hole. American Racing, right? either way, my plan is to paint the center the same as the truck and paint the lips black for a bit of a retro look.

Found a set of 5 gambler wheels off a Cherokee with BFG All-Terrain KO's for $130. The spare was unused as well :D

I know it's been a while, so here's where I'm at: After pulling the wiring to fix some nasty stuff, I decided to say the hell with it and started disassembling for paint.

several reasons: First being I need to change the slave cylinder on the trans (doing the clutch while I'm there) and 22 years of grease from leaky grommets and valve covers. I'm gonna refresh the gaskets, clean and paint things.

Thanks! I was planning to pick up a load leveler. You managed to pull it with the transfer case installed? I was thinking I was going to have to undo that underneath. Good point about the CPS. -Gary

I'm just about the yank out the engine/trans for a repaint of my truck. What are the best lifting points people have used on the 4.0L engine? Looking for what works the best for folks out there. -Gary

I swapped '97 seats in recently. I had to cut and reweld the outboard rear mounts, also cut and angled the inside rear mounts. Then I cut off the downward tab on the front ones and used some square stock to make front pedestals. I mounted the front pedestals right behind the floor crossmember. Depending on how tall you are will depend on where you need to locate. If I get the chance sometime soon, I'll snag some pics. -Gary

Thanks! '93 should be sufficient for my use.

I'm working on the wiring for my '88. The relay area under the hood is a mess, so I snagged a later fuse box off a clunker to clean things up and keep the wiring a little more weather tight. Anyone have a 92 ish electrical manual? (Similar to the '88 one another member has posted) Need to cross reference a lot of diagrams. -Gary

bump. anyone? beuller?

There's a '98 clunker Cherokee in the local Pick-N Pull that has the whole compressor, lines, condenser, etc intact. Can I steal everything from the evaporator forward and bolt it onto an '88 4.0L?

Sorry man, mine had a bench with a broken back.

So, I needed a truck that could pull medium-light duty 4-wheeling, get myself to Tahoe for skiing without worrying about the weather and (most importantly) dog transport. (I am sooooo over dog hair in the car). So, after searching around, I picked up an '88 4x4 short bed with 4.0 - 5 speed. It's a solid truck, buuuuut, it's a project for sure. Thus, Project Coyote (the survivor) is born. Currently, I'm in the process of: - Adapting Cherokee spare tire carrier/bumper to the back (mostly done). - changing the interior from 80's burgandy to grey, along with late model cherokee buckets and console - rebuilding the infamous clutch fluid contaminated fuse block. - wiring new dome lights (last gen escort) and courtesy light mirror out of GMC Jimmy. - late model cherokee seats and early 90's console - late model cherokee mirrors Also yanked the carpet to find...very little (thankfully) so I painted and faux-dynomatted the floor ready for the carpet. (pics taken as well) Future plans include topper, paint, Line-X, good stereo, tires, small lift and whatever else tickles my fancy. Kinda would have liked to have gotten the Jeep 2500 front parts to update the looks, but looks like I missed that boat. I'm sure the mechanicals will come with time (probably when I break something) I've taken lots of pics, so when I get a chance, I'll upload and post 'em. -Gary

No MJ's in the yards here that I've seen. there's a couple of Jeep specialty places out in Sacramento, so I bet they snap up the MJ's. The yards here are expensive, but I was in LA the past weekend and the three pick your part places I went to had a TON of Cherokee C4C's in it, but no MJs. picked up a bunch of little things for a song.

Hey there, I'm Gary. I am in the east bay area of San Fran so I fall in the middle of the southwest and northwest areas. I needed a truck that could pull medium-light duty 4-wheeling, get myself to Tahoe for skiing without worrying about the weather and (most importantly) dog transport. (I am sooooo over dog hair in the car). So, after searching around, I picked up an '88 4x4 short bed with 4.0 - 5 speed. I've built many a car project, so working on this stuff doesn't scare me. Currently, I'm in the process of: Adapting Cherokee spare tire carrier/bumper to the back, changing the interior from 80's burgandy to grey, and (actively) rebuilding the infamous clutch fluid contaminated fuse block. Also yanked the carpet to find...very little (thankfully) so I painted and faux-dynomatted the floor ready for the carpet. Future plans include topper, paint, good stereo, tires, small lift and whatever tickles my fancy. Kinda would have liked to have found the Jeep 2500 front parts, but looks like I missed that boat.

Hey there, I'm Gary. I am in the east bay area of San Fran so I fall in the middle of the southwest and northwest areas. I needed a truck that could pull medium-light duty 4-wheeling, get myself to Tahoe for skiing without worrying about the weather and (most importantly) dog transport. (I am sooooo over dog hair in the car). So, after searching around, I picked up an '88 4x4 short bed with 4.0 - 5 speed. I've built many a car project, so working on this stuff doesn't scare me. Currently, I'm in the process of: Adapting Cherokee spare tire carrier/bumper to the back, changing the interior from 80's burgandy to grey, and (actively) rebuilding the infamous clutch fluid contaminated fuse block. Also yanked the carpet to find...very little (thankfully) so I painted and faux-dynomatted the floor ready for the carpet. Future plans include topper, paint, good stereo, tires, small lift and whatever tickles my fancy. Kinda would have liked to have found the Jeep 2500 front parts, but looks like I missed that boat.

So, after reading this post, it still isn't clear to me what this 'kit' is. Is this a custom grill and lights for the MJ/XJ sold only by Alex parts? Are the lights just from another vehicle? I like the look of it and I would consider the header panel and lights (would modify my own fenders). I think is suitably modernizes the truck while keeping the Jeep look. I noticed the Alex parts website is suspended. Something happen to them? -Gary '88 Comanche Pioneer 4x4

I've got it 95% on there, I need to make a couple small sheet metal reinforcements for the upper mount and tailgate bumpstop. Works pretty good, swings out of the way letting the tailgate drop completely with about an inch of clearance. For personal taste, I'm going to lower the tire mount 4" and space it away so the tire itself doesn't rest on the gate. I've been taking pics of the whole affair, so I'll get a blog up somewhere with it. As far as a hitch, I think once the truck is in paint jail, I'll fixture up the assembly and custom build the bumper mount with an integrated hitch. That way, I get what I want without losing too much ground clearance. -Gary '88 Pioneer

I've been debating that hitch for a bit. I just adapted the rear tire carrier and bumper set from an '87 XJ onto my '88 Comanche and I'm searching for a hitch that would work with it. (I might have put myself into the custom fab realm) The Cherokee bumper is tucked up a smidge higher than the factory bumper was. Would it be too much trouble to ask you to make a quick measurement of how far down that hitch hangs relative to the bottom of the tailgate? That would be awesome if you could. -Gary '88 Pioneer

Which year of S10 was it from?

I'm working on getting my '88 short bed dismantled for paint. At some point soon, I need a truck cap for hauling my dog around (ski gear and stuff too). Since toppers seem to be hard to find for the Comanches, what toppers have people found to be a close fit for our trucks? links to some pics would be awesome. :D -Gary