Tri_X_Troll

Sorry, 2.8 and transmission brought up a lot of search items. I seem to have earned a reputation for picking the least popular drive train combination......... I'm trying to do my homework ahead of time, while I've got the 2.8 running fairly well (knock on wood). I'd like to have all my parts ready for a swap when the 2.8 quits, so I've been researching, making a list, and started collecting parts. What transmissions will bolt up to the 2.8/3.4, other than the ax-5? Is the comanche ax-5 the same as the wrangler ax-5? I know that I've read about the TJ/YJ guys swapping ax-15's into their 4cyl jeeps using a dakota bell housing. If so, then I could get away with mating the ax-15 to the 2.8/3.4?

You could wait to swap it until it breaks if you don't mind the stick. The AW4 is a stout transmission Everyone is biased on this topic and you'll never find a conscientious observer. I've only wheeled an automatic and only ever driven a stick on the pavement. Though sitting in rush hour traffic does remind me of a trail ride at times.

I can't believe no one has asked, but what does the truck have in it now? Have you wheeled it with the current transmission? How do you like it on the trails?

somehow, that looks right and wrong at the same time. At least it was saved from the rusty death that most J trucks see.

I can't imagine wheeling anything other than an automatic. No bouncing up and down on the clutch, not even little creek bed rocks. With that said, every time I've had to have an automatic worked on, I've wished it was a manual. Full rebuild after too much skinny pedal, trans pan torn open, input shaft splines broken out of torque converter, full rebuild after water crossing.....And I was constantly trying to find ways to keep it cool. The curry/mopar deep dish pan certainly made it run cooler and fluid changes were easy.

What parts are included in the 5% that's different in the front?

Yep. Little chamber was empty. Found a broken line just about where the lines go by the gas tank, that I couldn't see in the dark. Looks to be the only line that a po didn't replace, all of the others look new. While I'm at it, does anyone have any info on the proportioning valve bypass? Like a good writeup?

I got to thinking. When I pop the cover on the master cylinder, should both sides be full of fluid? One side is full and the other is just damp?

Pumping the brakes doesn't seem to make any difference and it will hold on the steep hill in front of my house if I hold the pedal to the floor.

I'm pretty sure the linkage is connected, as they do grab when I bury the pedal to the floor. My brake experience is limited to pads and rotors, so I'm not sure how the linkage goes together, so I'll have to tear into it this weekend.

No, it just "drops" to the floor and springs up when you take your foot off.

Was coming off of the freeway exit ramp and was slowing down as I approached the light and my brake pedal went soft and hit the floor. The brakes will grab real hard when you bottom out the pedal. I checked the brake fluid and it's full. I couldn't see any blown lines anywhere. I'm clueless. :huh???: The pedal used to be kinda firm. It was almost almost as firm as the clutch, but not quite.

Well, if you part it out I might be interested in the chrome grille

Dude, the a-team van had turbines. Of course they're better.

wait, what? Girls? Didn't make it any farther than that. Nevermind. Found them. Your head isn't warped, is it?

Nice. Some of those lower quarter panel guards long enough for a long bed Comanche would be sweet.

Does anyone know how the antenna assembly goes into the fender, or more importantly how to fish the wire back out of the fender? A friend managed to lock his keys in his Subaru, after work, and we were able to pull the window out just enough to get a coat hanger down to the button for the power locks. Got the coat hanger in, but it wasn't sturdy enough to push the button. I had a Macguver moment and unscrewed the antenna from the comanche and used it to unlock his doors. When it came time to screw the antenna on, everything just came apart and I now have something that looks like this. (Sorry about the self portrait. The camera batteries were dead, so I used the web cam on my mac.)

had to replace the shifter cable on a honda accord in a walmart parking lot on a cold February night.

How many lines should the valve having going into it? Mine just has one line going to the valve...??? No idea if its just there and hooked up, or there and not hooked up.

I was more worried about the high center-ablility, but now that you mention it the rear overhang is horrible. If the sand-gravel hills are anything like haspin, you probaly just weren't pushing on the pedal hard enough. Anyhow, I'm done hijacking. Did you get any pictures of the rubi doing its rubi thing at the badlands?

My MJ has a threaded plug in the Dana 35, almost threw me for a loop as I was used to seeing a rubber plug in a TJ D35.

I couldn't ever be "that guy," especially after having yank an XJ with street tires around Haspin behind my TJ for half a day......with the strap wrapped around his front axle because someone else had ripped his bumper off.

I always wanted to hit the badlands when I had my wrangler. It was my DD at the time, so I was always afraid I'd break it and end up missing class on Monday. Now that I have the comanche I might have to take a trip out to the badlands. My comanche is pretty stock, how do you think it would fair at the badlands?

That might be the best course of action. It looks like I can get the outer skins for a Comanche online and the inner rocker skin for a 2dr Cherokee. I'm not exactly skilled with body work, so I might call around to the vocational schools that have auto body programs and see if I can have it done there. ==================================================================================== edit =================================================================================== My uncle owns a body shop, though I don't like to call him for favors because he always acts goofy about it. Just got of the phone with pops and he informed me that my cousin's boyfriend (recently "out" of high school) is working at the shop and that my uncle has been hesitant to teach him on paying jobs. Makes sense, going back and fixing his mistakes probably kills the turn around time. I might give him a call tomorrow and see if he'd be interested using the Comanche to teach the kid. I'm not too worried if it's not perfect, just as long as the rust is gone and it's solid. I wonder if it makes more sense to order the replacement panels on the internet, or go down to the jy and hack the sides out of a 2 dr cherokee if he's going to use it as a learning experiment.