DesertRat1991

Detours Backbone..? Haven't seen one of those in years. Would you sell the front assembly?

A contrarian point of view and some things to think about... This is your first car and you don't intend to wheel it? Does that mean that you are a highschool kid that really needs reliable transportation to/from school and work? And you want a lift to make it look more badass? If so, then consider... The higher you lift, the worse your gas mileage will be. Moving to bigger tires without regearing will make an old, slow truck feel even slower. Doing a short arm lift with an intention to move to long arms later is a bad financial decision that many of us have made. Pick one or the other, save up, and build it once. Are you aware that a stock MJ can fit 31's with no lift at all, and that the difference between 31's and your target 32's is only 1/2" of ground clearance? Old leaf springs aren't all bad. Your old leafs will flex better than a new leaf pack. If they aren't broken or riding flat with no load, they might be worth saving. You said the rear end is bouncy? I like your plan of focusing on the shocks first. An alternate strategy for building a very capable street truck on a budget... Start in the rear. Rehab your current leaf pack with new eyelet bushings. De-rust lightly with a wire wheel. Nothing that will build heat. Repaint with self-etching primer, then hit with anti-rust paint. Achieve a mild lift with aftermarket boomerang shackles. Measure for shock fitment. Then spend your money on GOOD shocks. Call it done. Rear is set, design a mild lift for the front to match your desired rake/ride height. Forget about 4.5" on 32's. Aim for for a 0-3" short arm lift on 31's. Spend your money on replacing every bit of old degraded rubber you can find (all bushings), GOOD shocks and a new steering stabilizer. Tire choice. You want a badass looking truck.. so pick an aggressive looking 31" on nice wheels if you like. What's odd is that you should pick something tall and skinny for the Alaskan snow but, here in NC, a wider footprint with deep treads works better in the clay. Either way, a mildly lifted MJ on 31's is a very capable and functional truck. With unlimited funds, sure go wild and build your dream truck. But on a budget, I would recommend aiming for a good balance of street performance and reliability.

My god... poor kid is 18y/o. Still in highschool. He's got a long, hard road ahead but youth is on his side. I wish him well.

It looks like WP does make a Gen1 without hoops or winch cradle. It sounds Iike this what you want, but with a receiver tube and d-ring mounts. I'd give a call to WP and see if they can do it. There was a time when all of their bumpers could be had a la carte. All the add-ons were just options on their order form. https://warriorproducts.com/jeep-cherokee-xj-front-rock-crawler-bumper-gen-1-560.html

'91 should still be a cable driven speedometer. Have you got under there and looked around? Is the cable intact? Could the plastic speedo gear in the xfer case be stripped or broken?

D44, arb bumper, seats and interior parts, sunroofs misc. In CT https://comancheclub.com/topic/72514-d44-arb-bumper-seats-and-interior-parts-sunroofs-misc-in-ct/

One thing I've noticed is that there is always a market for old tires. If you are concerned about using them on the street, then sell them but be honest about the age and condition. I guarantee someone is looking for a set of rollers to test fit on a project truck or a set to beat up on a dedicated off road buggy. Not to mention, some guys would be entirely comfortable running those on a daily driver as-is.

I think the front skid does a pretty nice job protecting the steering linkage and pumpkin at stock ride height but it does get less effective as the truck is lifted higher. It's decently thick too. If you smack into something hard enough to dent it, you'd be glad it was there to take that hit instead of your steering components.

Converting to the HD fan clutch is a good move for a desert truck. It runs a bit louder than the stock unit but it definitely helps. NAPA part number is 272310. Your electric fan should be kicking on at ~230 and turn off when the temp drops down to 210. Is the system working properly? You can perform a simple test by blocking the front grill with a piece of cardboard while idling. Temps will rise to 230, verify fan turns on, then unblock and monitor for cutoff at 210. Other than that, yah... the desert is hot. Even with the HD clutch you might still see engine temps creep to 230 when stuck in traffic on hot days but I've found the efan has always been sufficient to get the situation back under control.

Just remember these are single cab pickup trucks. Weight over F/R axles is not the same. You'll want to keep an eye on the tire wear patterns and adjust tire pressures accordingly. I've found 28psi in front and 24psi rear works well for how I'm loaded down most days.

FYI, your stock U-bolt plates are 91-92 specific. They should be a one piece design, as opposed to the two piece design found on earlier MJ models. These parts very prone to rust due to their location on the vehicle and there are no aftermarket reproductions available. If yours are in decent shape, put them on ebay. Someone will buy them.

Well, that's kind of a red flag. I would hope an experienced spring manufacturer would know how and where to access the necessary datasheets, especially after you gave him the reference numbers. The metric ton leaf packs did come in two versions, 4+1 and 3+2, but 4+2 was never an OEM spec. The SRI datsheets have been posted on this forum in the past (copied below). At the end of the day, all that matters is that you are satisfied with how the springs perform in your application. You got a custom leaf pack which will likely perform great. Enjoy them! Datasheet for 97-557 (4+1 rated at 1440lbs) Datasheet for 97-571 (3+2 rated at 1700lbs)

97-555 and 97-571 are the SRI Numbers for the spring. The Spring Research Institute (SRI) maintains a catalog of vehichle springs and their specifications to ensure uniformity in manufacturing across various OEM and aftermarket spring sources. By referencing the SRI number, the vendor is suggesting their product conforms to the published SRI specs. It doesn't necessarily mean they are from the same source. They best way to get General Springs attention would be to organize a group buy.

How about sliding window latches?

Ver nice. Gonna be wall art? Or going into service?

What a day to be an MJ fan!

The part about the springs "relaxing" while under compression reads like a bowl of word soup. If this is how the springs are designed, then they are not designed right for this application. By Rusty's admission they are designed for a heavier truck. You should not have to add ballast to your MJ for the springs to run right. Maybe get a local spring shop to write up a technical assessment to back you up. Might cost a few bucks, but possibly worth it if it gets you a refund and free return shipment from Rusty's. At this point in our collective history, it seems like General Springs is the only reliable source for MJ leaf springs that won't screw up your suspension. Go with Hell Creek if you want your rear axle off center. Choose Rusty's if you want to be told the design flaws are actually features.

Check out the shackle angle on the drivers side... Is the truck sitting on the ground in this pic?

Pro Tip: Tractor Supply sells grade 8 hardware by the pound. Throw all your nuts, bolts, washers in a bag and weigh them. Best deal I've found. That said I can't imagine why somebody would use ELEVEN fasteners per mount instead of just welding the plates on. Certainly can't be for convenience at that point.

Quality: "AMC" No thanks!

These are also bulky items that not everyone is willing to ship. I think the guys willing to ship deserve a bit of a premium. That said, that's quite a spread in pricing when you factor in the shipping costs.

According to the '91 marketing brochure, there were only two color combos available for SWB only: Blue/Silver and Orange Red/Dark Silver. But in pics, the "dark silver" sure looks like black to me.

If you do mean taillights, the lenses can be purchased on ebay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/115160942565?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=L6bMzCmTSr2&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=hpmq-HmJTa6&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY But, full assemblies are coming soon:

Really nice work! Did you do any waterproofing on that old canvas? Been a long-time since I went tent camping but I recall there was a spray we used to use on the outside and along the seams.

1991 Jeep Comanche Press Release Kit (NOS) Found this kit still sealed in its plastic sleeve. Contents: Press Release Letter Glossy Photo Brochure