socal1200r

Heard the same thing...SOA is the inexpensive way to get big lift in the back, but the offsetting lift for the front is $$. Another question along these lines...what's the largest tire one can run on stock 15x7 Jeep alloys, without a lift? I have 225/75-15 Michelins on there now. Could I run 30's, or possibly 31's, without any rubbing or bottoming out issues? My Comanche is 4wd, 2.5 4-cyl, 5-speed, 4.10 gears. I have a set of 30's on a '98 GMC Sonoma 2wd, and they rub the frame when turned full lock.

Long story short...followed the DIY thread about replacing the wiper arm bushings, removed the wiper arms and wiper arm assembly, checked the bushings, and ended up replacing the washer nozzle tubing. It looked like the main nozzle hose was getting wedged between the driver side wiper arm and the cowl. Replaced the tubing, new "T" fitting, routed the hoses under the wiper motor and away from the wiper arms, and everything seems to be working fine now. While I had the wiper arm assembly on the hood, I checked the bushings, and they looked fine. I checked the arms, and everything looked normal (no rust, odd angles, bends, etc). So I lubed the joints and pressed on. Thanks for the help!

If it stops raining long enough tomorrow, I'll try removing the wiper arms and cowl, and seeing if anything jumps out at me as to why they're not working right. Thanks for the assist, and I'll let you know if I have to take you up on it!

XJ - thanks for the step by step. Coming from someone who's done it helps a lot. It sounds simple enough, now it's just a matter of hitting up some of the local yards around here and seeing what they have. As for the Navy, I'm actually in the Air Force Reserves, currently a Lt Col. Was in the California Air National Guard for almost 20 years, in a C-130 unit. Been in Norfolk on "temporary" active duty since Nov 2004. Worked on the ship side of Norfolk Navy Base, as opposed to the HQ / staff college side, for a few years. It's still a sight to see when 4-5 of the carriers are pier side! Not quite as cool as seeing the Raptors up at Langley, but close, lol!

That bucket seat / center console setup looks great. I also like the door panels with the carpet at the bottom, and the storage bins. I've read that pretty much everything from the front doors forward on a Cherokee will work on a Comanche, so some different door panels might be on my wishlist too. I noticed the position of the headrests on the bucket seats in relation to the back window. Are you sitting lower on the buckets, or at the same height as on the bench? Maybe it's just an optical illusion or something that you're sitting lower on the buckets? But here's what I'm working with: http://www.saturnfans.com/photos/showph ... hoto/52751 http://www.saturnfans.com/photos/showph ... hoto/52750 The bench seat and other interior parts are a dark red / burgundy looking color, so it might be hard to find a matching set of buckets. But who knows, I might get inspired at the salvage yard...

Okay, so we just had this severe storm here in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. I took the MJ out to get an inspection, because the PO lost the pink inspection document that I need in order to get a base decal. It's still raining pretty good, so I turn on the wipers and they're working fine. So I get the inspection done, and I'm heading home, when all of a sudden the wiper arms stop in mid-wipe, and no amount of fiddling with the wiper switch is getting them to budge. So I slow down a little and made it home. I noticed that when I rotate the switch to "mist", it looks like the arms want to move, but then only budge maybe a mm or two, and stay right there in the middle of the windshield. So I rotated the switch to "low", and gave the arms a little push downwards, and they went all the way down on their own. But, they went to go back up, and stopped in mid wipe again. So I got them back down, and rotated the switch to the "off" position. I figured since they're somewhat working, it's not a fuse. But I checked the fuse box anyway, and to my surprise I didn't see a fuse specifically for the wipers. So I'm at a loss now as to what's wrong with my wipers. I have a funny feeling I'm not going to like the responses as to what's wrong, like having to remove the wiper arms, remove the cowl, see if the arms are binding on anything, etc. I did a search on "wiper arms", and found some helpful comments about how to remove the wiper arms and install new bushings, but that's about it. Any helpful hints, especially of the visual kind, would be great...

WBB - thanks for the info, it helps me to visualize what's involved with doing that kind of swap. I haven't made any visits to local junkyards yet, but it's nice to know that with a little time, the right tools, and your explanation, I can probably do this. Do you have any pics of the inside of your Comanche? I'd like to see how the buckets look in your truck. Thanks

Spoken like a true Harley owner...guess owning one forces the owner to be mechanically inclined, lol...I used to own an '05 1200R, but after a couple of years, still didn't get it, so I sold it...even have some license plate frames on my cars that say, "If Harley Made An Airplane, Would You Fly In It?!"... I can turn a wrench, having installed all kinds of things on vehicles I've owned, from aluminum Agostini timing gears on a Moto Guzzi to a front chassis brace / rear suspension crossbar on my Saturn Sky. But with this Comanche, the easier the better. It's going to be my daily driver, so I don't want to get too deep into making things work. If it's a simple swap or bolt on, great, those things I can tackle. But if it involves any kind of welding, cutting, fabricating, etc., I'll pass...

Pete - thanks for the pictures, that helps. So XJ seats with those types of sliders should bolt right on? It's hard to tell by the pics, but the mounting points look almost exactly the same as the MJ bench seat brackets...

Can anyone tell me what bucket seats, if any, are a DIRECT swap with the bench seat in my '88 Comanche? I've read that Cherokee buckets and seat rails might be a direct bolt on? And the 2-door Cherokee buckets are preferred, since the seat backs tilt forward? I have no welding or modification skills like that, or the patience to fab anything, so I'm looking for something that is a direct bolt-on swap. Also, would the center console from a manual trans 4wd Cherokee swap as well? Thanks

After looking at those pics of rusted floorboards, I don't feel bad at all on mine, lol! The PO told me she cut out a piece of carpet on the driver's side, because it kept getting wet, in order to let the moisture evaporate. So, I figured I better check the passenger side, and same thing, carpet was soaking wet in the middle, and the insulation was wet going up the trans hump and the channel right by the front bench seat bolts. So I got my box cutter out, cut out a good size piece of the carpet and insulation, so the bare floor was visible. Roughed up the surface with a brass wire brush, wiped down with some rubbing alcohol, ran the shop vac over the surface, let it dry, then hit it with some bedliner spray. Just got back from the auto parts store, and I'm going to cover the floor sections that I bedlined sprayed with some new black rubber mats. I'll probably take the bench seat out and pull up the back piece of the carpet, but that can wait for a while.

I had the same thing happen to me on a '96 Cherokee 4wd 6-cyl I used to have. Replaced the track bar, steering damper, shocks, tires, got an alignment, and it went away like that...not sure which particular item made it go away, but it needed all those things anyway...but to have the front end shake like that at freeway speeds is no joke...happened to me when I was about 3/4ths of the way thru the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel here in Norfolk, just on the other side of Fort Monroe...when it happened, I let off the gas, speed dropped to about 50 mpg, wobble was gone...I pulled over once I got out of the tunnel, checked the front end, didn't see any fluid dripping or parts flopping around, but it happened again when I went thru the tunnel going in the other direction...but like I said, once I put those new items on and got an alignment, it never did it again...

I must've misunderstood the topic, because I though there was going to be talk of stuffing a Ford 5.0 into an MJ. If one already has the 4.0 straight 6 under the hood, I don't see the inherent advantage of going to another 6 cylinder engine, especially if it's only marginally bigger, and a "V" configuration. If the engine compartment will fit a straight 6, I would think a V8 would fit in there as well. 'Course I've heard the Ford V8's are popular, because the distributor is at the front, so you won't have firewall issues, and also the sump on the oil pan is at the front as well. I'm sure a V8 would fit easily, if one were to fabricate a one-piece tilt front-end, trim the inner fenders, etc...

Thanks for the quick feedback. I think I'll pass on the chromed steel wheels and 31's, and go with the Jeep alloys with 225/75s for now. And the comment about the tires having an odd wear pattern on the Jeep alloys, the seller mentioned that in his ad, said it was due to an alignment problem or something. I'll probably put those tires on the back, and put the "normal" looking ones on the front (after I get them re-balanced of course!). Probably get the alignment checked as well once I get the truck and put different wheels on anyway, just to be safe...

Here's the link to the wheels/tires on Craigs List: http://norfolk.craigslist.org/pts/1443161626.html I have a '98 GMC Sonoma 2wd, 2" body lift, stock GMC alloy wheels, with 30x9.50 tires. They rub on the frame when turned full lock. To me, these wheels/tires on Craigs List look too big for a non-lifted Comanche. But if I'm wrong, by all means let me know! These are the other wheels/tires I'm thinking of getting. I know these will work, because the tires are 225/75, and the tires on there now are 235/75s. I'm kinda liking these better, because they're Jeep alloys, not chromed steel, and would give it more of a "jeep" look, lol! http://norfolk.craigslist.org/pts/1441868615.html So what's the verdict?!

I'm about ready to buy a 1988 Comanche 4wd, and it has stock steel wheels with 235/75-15 tires. I was looking on the local Craigs List, and someone is selling 15x8 chromed steel wheels with 31x10.5 tires. Will these wheels/tires work without rubbing on a non-lifted Comanche? Robert Norfolk, VA