Rymanrph

Welcome back. That's a nice badge you got there...

I'm glad I didn't have to worry about fixing my hinges. Nice to see some progress and I can't wait to see some color on this truck.

Mine was broken when I got it. Advance and Autozone couldn't get me the right one, but CarQuest got the right one on the second try. I was about to say that I might still have it and could send it to you, but I remember I actually kept it when I did the '97 conversion. I found it easier to remove from the assembly if you just remove the assembly from the cab. It isn't necessary, but it helped me.

I bought a YJ like that once. I knew there was a problem when oil started blowing out of the dip stick. I scraped and vac'd what I could, cleaned out the oil pan, ran a light engine flush and then changed the oil several times.

I have JKS quicker disconnects that I recently installed. I wasn't sure where to put the pins for when I disconnect the sway bar. How does everyone store their sway bar while offroad? It almost looks easier to just pull the pins and the unbolt the bar completely.

Welcome! A rear Comanche Dana 44 isn't easy to come by. You can get one from an older Cherokee, but they are not easy to come by either. The other option is to get a 8.25 from a Cherokee which isn't quite as strong, but not bad. If you any axle from a Cherokee, you will have to relocate the spring perches. A Dana 44 was never offered in the front of a Comanche or Cherokee. They were offered in the front of the '03-'06 TJ Wrangler Rubicons, but I'm not sure if they'll bolt in or not. If they do, be prepared to spend a hefty chunk of change on it. You mention swapping the transmission; which trans do you have now - AW4 auto or AX-15 manual? Its great that you get to rebuild the truck you grew up in. Throw up some pictures of it if you have any.

Does the front axle have a vacuum disconnect? High pinion or low pinion? If the rear axle is an 8.25 is it a 27 or 29 spline?

Before I take the truck to Uwharrie next weekend, I wanted to get it all clean. I actually put some fresh undercoating on the frame rails today. I've been meaning to do that since it was painted.

2wd or 4wd? If you post a length I can check the couple shafts I have lying around.

Good to see another Comanche near by. Welcome to the CC.

I certainly haven't regretted doing the '97 swap. At times I miss having the 5-speed, but overall I'm very happy.

Hell Creek makes a good 3" kit (shameless plug - mine is for sale....)

I couldn't really tell you yet. I just ordered some tow hooks today for recovery purposes and I'll be taking the truck on its maiden off-road voyage hopefully in a couple weeks. I'm anxious to see how it does.

Are you keeping it white?

I tend to like Advance better too, but I wish they had the program that Autozone has. If you spend more than $20 five times, they give you $20 off. Napa seems to have some better prices on certain things and they tend to carry harder to find parts, but they close pretty early compared to Advance and Autozone and sometimes you just need something late.

OK, I'm going to sound really ignorant here, but what is the advantage of adding locking hubs like that?

Where did you get your rock sliders? I'd really like a pair.

I haven't had anyone "hate" on my truck, but I did have someone with a bad case of jealousy. I was at a shop a couple hours away and while I was there I asked about their local pull a part junk yards. The guy referred me to a small yard just down the street because the owner had a Comanche with a 2000 swap. He said I just had to go down there to show him my truck. I wasn't in a hurry, so I said OK. When i got there, the owner was absent but all his employees went nuts looking at my truck. They called the owner and told him to get there as quick as he could to see the truck. I didn't mind waiting because I wanted to see his truck. Well, he finally showed up like 20 minutes later (not in the Comanche) and all he said as he walked by was, "Nice truck. I have one." His employees said that he didn't want to talk because my truck was nicer than his. I won't say his name, yard name or where it was in case he's on here, but I thought it was kinda rude. I was hoping to swap some stories and ask him some questions about his truck, but oh well.

Ditto. There is always something that will pop up. Give yourself the time needed to make sure you do it right. If all you had to do was swap the transmission, transfer case and the front axle, then it wouldn't be that big of a deal. Its going to be a lot easier to stick with the 5 speed. You should be able to get an AX-15 from the junk yard for ~$300.

No. They are attached to the back of the panel and slot behind the plastic. I'd have to look but I think the panel actually sits in front of the plastic. In essence the plastic is sandwiched between the panel and the metal tabs.

If I remember correctly, there are a couple metal tabs that slot in behind the plastic to hold the panel in place. I didn't have one either, so when I grabbed one at the junk yard I wasn't sure what to do with the bottom brackets. I don't believe I attached them to the floor; I think I just tucked them under the carpet. You are correct about the plastic top panel covering the top. At one point I had an extra rear panel. I may still have it. It was maroon and I was going to recover it, but I found another gray one at the junk yard. If you're interested, I can check next time I'm home.

Yeah, I pulled the whole assembly from a JY XJ. I swapped a '97 231 handle on it, but I can't imagine that would make a difference. I assume the handles were the same for the 231 and 242. I'm afraid this might actually be my issue. One day last week I drove about a 1/4 mile in 4wd with the rear drive shaft removed. A couple times I experienced what I can only describe as a slip. I wasn't moving very fast, but it made an audible sound and lost acceleration temporarily. I just put it back in 2wd and re-installed the drive shaft. I'm afraid that internally, it has some major issues.

I put in smaller shims and my new drive shaft last night. I've had it on the highway, but not the interstate yet. So far, the noise is gone. The truck doesn't ride quite as smoothly as before, but I'm wondering if that has as much to do with the tires as the suspension. I really liked my Duratracs, but these KM2s should do quite well off road.

Is there a view my posts button? I used that quite frequently on the old forum. BTW, thanks for all the effort. I know there are some growing pains, but I'm sure everyone will get used to the updates and I love having a mobile version now.

I had the week off, so I took a ~2 hour drive down to Carolina Driveline. I wanted to get their opinion on what would best suit my truck. I could have talked to them over the phone, but I wanted them to look at my truck, my drive line angles, etc. and really have a "professional" opinion for whatever that's worth. The result is this: The slip will stay on the yoke at the transfer case, but there is a double joint and then a regular single joint at the axle end. I also ordered some smaller shims that should be here the first of the week. This wasn't as expensive as a SYE for the 242 and should cure my vibes. On another note, I want to set fire to my transfer case linkage. I have the 242 so I can use it on the street, but almost every time I try, I can't get it to go into gear correctly. If its in 2wd, it will go into part-time 4 hi, but then won't go into full-time 4 hi before hitting the gate. I can go into neutral, but hit the back of the gate before it will go into 4wd low. If I adjust so that I can get into 4 low, then I can't get it back into 2wd. Oh and it likes to grind between gears randomly too. Is the Novak cable shifter really worth $170?