grinch

Butchershop has gold ravines on his truck Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Very impressive work so far, I'm enjoying the progress, keep it up!

Awesome! I didn't see the RA5/RA3 set from Jessers before. I went ahead and ordered a set. Case closed! Thanks all.

Yes I saw those, unfortunately my research (on this forum and others) indicates that the RA3 key will work for the Comanche doors, but the RA4 key will NOT work for the ignition. It has to be RA5/B46 to work on the ignition :( http://comancheclub.com/topic/29888-amc-key-blanks/ EDIT: Woops, I only saw the RA3/RA4 pair that Jessers had...just now saw they are also selling the correct pair of RA3/RA5! Case closed!

Gotcha, looks like those ones are harder to find! The search continues. Thanks again for the info.

Ok thanks guys, do these look correct?

Very clean! I was looking at getting a 300zx before I decided to pickup a MJ. They're completely different, but awesome in their own ways. Still hoping to get a 300zx or similar sports car some day.

Hey guys, my truck didn't come with the original keys, only copies. I'd like to get some keys made that match the original factory OEM keys. I found some blanks on eBay, but I don't really know if they exactly match what came from the factory. Can anyone who has their original keys confirm if these look correct? http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-JEEP-FACTORY-ORIGINAL-DOOR-IGNITION-KEY-BLANK-SET-W-LOGO-4-KEYS-SET/351132570614?_trksid=p2047675.c100010.m2109&_trkparms=aid%3D333008%26algo%3DRIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D38636%26meid%3Dbcee9de9504e4b3d8cc951cb9bd44aa0%26pid%3D100010%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D13%26sd%3D151998035854 Thanks!

I ran the VIN decoder on Jeepz.com and it says: Powertrain: 4-speed automatic, floor gear shift, part time 4 W/D So it DID come stock :) Nice to know.

1987 Jeep Comanche Chief 4.0 straight 6 engine / 4x4 / Auto AW4 transmission / NP231 transfer case / High Pinion Dana 30 front axle / Dana 35 rear axle / Short bed Build date: March 1987 Location: Spent most of its life in Virginia but now it's in Maryland Status: A little rough but running and driving. I'm slowly working to restore it to pristine condition. Track my progress in the build thread! Notes: 172k miles, white exterior, black interior. Bucket seats, floor shift Current owner: Mike AKA grinch

Thank you everyone! Just got it back from the muffler shop, new cat, pipe, and muffler installed to stock specs so it doesn't sound ghetto anymore! Next I am going to tackle the suspension. There's so much play in the steering wheel it's a little scary driving it down the road. I'm also still trying to decide whether to keep the current lift and tire size or bring it back down and get smaller tires. I like how it looks now but it's not as practical for driving around town. Decisions decisions... I'm also waiting for the weather to cool down so I can start cleaning it and removing stickers and such. Currently if I walk outside this happens...

The previous owner did say that the bucket seats and center console were pulled from a Cherokee, so that is definitely true. I just wasn't sure if they switched the column shifter to a floor shift or if that was probably stock. Sounds like it was probably stock.

Hello all, I'm Mike aka grinch and I just brought home my 1987 Jeep Comanche Chief on 8/11/16. This is my first project vehicle, first Comanche, and first Jeep. To say that I'm new at this is an understatement. About 1987 Jeep Comanche Chief 4.0 straight 6 4x4 AW4 auto trans NP231 short bed Dana 30 high pinion front Dana 44 rear 3.73 gears. Tires/suspension: BFGoodrich 33x12.5R15 tires Jegs D-Window 15X8 5X4.5 4" backspacing Bilstein 5100 series shocks Clayton control arms Spring Over Axle (SOA) rear lift Unknown brand front coil springs Engine: Mostly stock Bosch 69302 fuel pump Wix oil filter Mobil 1 10w-30 full synthetic oil Aftermarket short ram air intake Misc: LED lightbar Purchased with 172k miles on the odometer Backstory I got the Jeep "bug" after purchasing a 2000 XJ for my wife. She's always loved Jeeps, her first vehicle was a ~94 Grand Cherokee, and her dream car was/is an XJ. I couldn't keep my hands off of it and she got mad at me for doing stuff to her Jeep without asking, so I decided to get my own to play with! Historically I've been more interested in Japanese sports cars (300zx, Supra, etc.) but have never ponied up and bought one, so this a departure from the norm. I was attracted to the MJ because of its rarity. I've always been a fan of vehicles that you don't see every day. I liked the boxy look of the Cherokees but wanted something that you don't see every day. Even more rare is a clean, nicely maintained MJ...which brings me to... Big Picture Plan I want this to be a clean, reliable, and practical MJ, built mostly for cruising on the street and the occasional furniture move or trip to Home Depot. I've never really done off-roading, mudding, or crawling...which seems to put me in the minority among Jeep owners. But I like the idea of it being capable of off-roading if needed! It will also be nice to have another 4x4 vehicle in the arsenal for when it snows. And who knows, I might start offroading now that I have a vehicle that is capable of doing so -- I've never owned a 4x4 vehicle before. I'm normally a bit OCD with cleanliness and proper maintenance when it comes to my vehicles, so that's going to be one of the big goals here. I was originally thinking of going back to a stock look, but the longer I've had the truck and the more I get into the Jeep world, the more I've grown to appreciate the lifted w/ bigger tires look. It will not be my daily driver, I've got a Honda Accord for that. It's registered as Historic in MD so I don't have to mess with inspections or emissions which is great. I'm also not in any particular rush to get this into perfect condition, nor do I have any plans to get rid of it. I'd like to keep this truck long term -- I was born in 87 so it already has some sentimental significance to me. Specific Plans Just starting to flesh this out but... When I bought it, it was in fairly rough shape, here's the list I've got so far of things to tackle: Clean and detail it (ongoing) Loud exhaust -- will repair or replace with a stock or stock equivalent exhaust Get new tires and alignment Passenger side vent glass needs to be replaced Sound of air when brake depressed -- likely brake booster. Will do a dual diaphram brake booster upgrade. Fix air conditioning -- needs new compressor Loud engine noise on startup which the previous owner described as lifter tick -- goes away after a few seconds. Working on fixing this by using Wix oil filters and Marvel Mystery Oil. Fix the fuel guage (not working) and get rid of the aftermarket one that someone installed Very small oil leak from the oil pan CCV/PCV grommet & elbow needs to be replaced Whirring sound coming from gas tank area -- fixed by replacing fuel pump Pull carpet to check floorpans for rust Surface rust -- eventually I'll be having the truck repainted so this will likely be taken care of then Get rid of the LED bar -- doesn't jive with the stock look I'm going for and I probably won't use it anyway Get rid of the stickers Drivers seat is not level, identify issue and repair Reupholster seats or replace entirely Some day: Dana 44 rear axle with disc brake upgrade The previous owner said it was a Dana 35 but I looked closer and found out it's a Dana 44! Some day: 4.56 gears Photos Here she is the day I bought her, on the trailer just about ready for the 5 hour drive from VA to MD. Back home Interior: That's all for now! Unfortunately I don't have a garage so I'll be limited with how much I can personally do on her (with the big stuff at least). On top of that it has been scorching hot outside so I haven't even started cleaning her yet. But I'm not in a rush, she isn't going anywhere!

Thanks for the quick answer! Do you know if the floor vs. column shifter placement have anything to do with the trim (ie Chief vs Pioneer)? Or was it random?

New MJ owner and site member here, caught the Jeep bug after my wife got an XJ and I couldn't keep my hands off it. So after searching for awhile I found a Comanche Chief with the configuration I wanted: 4.0 / 4wd / Automatic / Short bed. Needless to say I'm excited to start tinkering around with it. On to my first (newbie) question: my truck has an auto trans with a floor shifter. I was under the assumption that these trucks had column shifters for the auto trans. Is this a modification or is it stock? I apologize if this is answered elsewhere, I tried searching but couldn't find it. Thanks! Photos for reference: