Rymanrph

Haha! So I'm not the only one? Rob, I commend your sense of adventure in getting this truck back in top running shape!

The first of the parts are here! I also got my quick disconnects. More on the way!

:dunno: I have no idea what to even think about that. I just know that my truck won't ever look like that.

I spoke to Carolina Truggies today and I am on their schedule for the re-gear and the SOA conversion for July 9th. I decided to stay with the Chrysler 8.25, so I need to swing by the junk yard and pick one up in the coming weeks. I was all set on Duratracs again when I thought about 33s. Now that I'm leaning toward 35s, I was disappointed to find that Goodyear doesn't make a Duratrac in 35x12.50x15. The BFG all terrain just isn't aggressive enough for me, but its a very light tire. The General Grabber AT 2 is relatively inexpensive, slightly more aggressive, but its a lot heavier. The next best option seems to be the BFG KM2. I had them on my TJ and really liked them. They are very light, but I'm having a hard time finding a good deal on them. They've gone up almost $50 a piece since I bought mine for the TJ. I can't seem to find any for under $1,000 shipped (for four). I think they are on national back order any way. Discount tire has four sets coming in on the 25th and only one set isn't accounted for. I'm tempted to go ahead and get them and hope that they work. I'd hate to not get these and then have to wait 6 weeks once I make a decision to get them. But then if I get them and decide I really want 33s... I really wish I could just get a set of 33s and 35s, mount them both and see how they look before I commit. I ordered a track bar for 4-6" of lift. I'm starting to think I may need to swap it out for the 6-8" version. I guess it just depends on what my 2wd leafs give me in the back. I still want to keep some rake. I'm starting to stress a bit since so much money is involved and I don't want to "mess up" my truck.

That looks great! I am a fan :clapping: I really like the hyper black finish on your wheels. Those would look great on my truck!

Every time I see someone ask about paint, I always suggest Inca Gold because if I built another, that's what I'd chose. Congrats on the progress!

From the pictures, I can't see the gap. Can you post a close up so I can see the gap you're talking about?

I've read the instructions for installing them on the front fenders and there is some fender trimming involved. I would assume a similar amount of trimming is required for the rear. Although I believe that not as much trimming is required compared to the cut out flares. And just for reference it looks as though the Comanche that Motion Offroad posted has more trimmed up front than a typical installation.

RockMJ's and buffalob's trucks (hope they don't mind me reposting).

The lift will at least be the Hell Creek 3" leaf springs (with bushings), shocks all around and possibly the U-bolts. I'm not going to include the front coils for two reasons: the first being that I'm going to use them with the ACOS and I'd rather not buy another set of springs since I have some already. The second is that if I were going to do the 3" HC springs in the back again, I'd pair them with a 3.5" spring upfront. Before deciding to do the SOA and ACOS, I had considered buying a set of 3.5" coils or some 3/4" spacers because I've been rubbing so much on my bumper end caps. I've only got about 7k miles on the lift (and the tires). Do you have any advice for the flat flares?

Purchases made today: Clayton Long Arm upgrade JKS ACOS JKS Quicker Disconnects Rock Krawler Adjustable track bar (I know some advised against this, but I got such a great deal I'm going to take a chance) Bushwacker Flat Flares Wheels (I picked something completely different with a twist. Details on them later) I'm awaiting a quote update on my gearing to decide on either the 8.25 or Dana 44. I'm also going to install the lift and the flares and then make a decision on 33s (Duratracs) or 35s (something else). I will still need to pick up new brake lines and then I'll need to measure for shocks and bump stops. When the new stuff starts going on, the Hell Creek 3" lift, 31" Duratracs, Ravines and my current 8.25 will all be for sale. Anyone want to go ahead and get in line? I'll start a classified thread when the time comes.

Looking good. As far as paint color goes, there is another lwb on here painted aqua blue metallic here: http://www.comancheclub.com/forums/view ... =7&t=24324 Jet stream blue is a pretty color. Deep water blue has been replaced at Chrysler with a new color called Blue Streak Pearl that (in my opinion) is a much nicer color.

I've got a 99 two door that I'll be selling soon but you're a little far away. Good luck with the search.

I'll be putting a Detroit true trac in the rear end. That unit might actually be cheaper for the 44 than for the 8.25 so I might be able to offset some of the cost.

I got my check for my car today (finally!), so now I can start ordering parts for the truck. I'm leaning heavily toward 35s and 4.88s right now, but I may just end up with 33s and 4.56s. I will be having a shop regear my axles and weld on new perches and shock mounts for the SOA conversion. Since I don't want to pay to have them install the axle and I don't want to drive with just half the lift completed, I am going to be buying another rear axle and have them regear it. I'll just sell my current axle when I'm done. Here's my question: I currently have a 29 spline 8.25 and I can get another for about $125. My other option is a Dana 44 ('87 XJ) I found that I can have shipped to me for $325 (including shipping). Is the Dana 44 worth an additional $200? My budget for what I'm doing has already ballooned to about $6k minus what I can sell, so yeah...

That is a great looking wheel and tire combo! I can't wait to see them on you truck.

I went and checked it out last night. The best thing about the truck was the brand new tires. Otherwise there wasn't much else to be excited about. The best I could tell there wasn't any rust, but there were a lot of warning signs that I may have just missed it. He said that all the fuses had rotted away (can plastic rot?). Both the front glass and aftermarket back slider were slathered in silicone (I'm assuming to prevent or stop leaks). The damage that gave it a salvage title wasn't bad at all and could very easily be fixed, but he back into his porch and tweaked the bed corner, so the tail gate didn't fit any more (the handle on it didn't move either). One tail light would have needed replacing. The transmission was trash, which he told me beforehand. The paint under the hood was peeling as if the engine bay got extremely hot. The dash pad had a crack all the way through and the lower dash panel was broken. The metallic blue paint had been poorly resprayed black and all evidence of clear coat was gone. The motor ran, but had a bad belt squeak (probably just needed tightening). I felt bad for the guy cause he's only had it a year and spent a lot of money on the tires. He's out of work and needs the money, but I had to pass. I told him I'd give him a good deal on my AX-15 if he wanted to fix it and keep it, but I wouldn't be interested in purchasing it. I told him because of the salvage title and the amount of work it needed, his best option would be to part it out. I'm sure that's not what he wanted to hear, but oh well.

A bad track bar could cause all kinds of problems including death if you keep driving your truck. Its pretty obvious that this is your first priority. Fix it and then you can address any other issues you may have. Its hard to diagnose multiple issues if you haven't fixed the components your know are bad.

I know he's down to $1,000 but I'd never give that much for it. Salvage title isn't that big of a deal in NC. I spoke to him and the reason it was totaled was this: apparently someone back into the truck in a grocery store parking lot leaving a softball size dent in the bed. The insurance company didn't want to pay to fix it, so they totaled it. He told me he knew of one Comanche with a bad motor and transmission that sold for $800 and how rare they are. He said there isn't any rust, but I'm still in the $500-$600 range. I'm going to try and take a look at it Wednesday after work. We'll see.

I really like your rear bumper. Did you make it? Any more pictures of it?

I like the pocket style flares OK, but I'm looking at the flat style flares like on RockMJ's and buffalob's trucks (hope they don't mind me reposting). One of my biggest reasons for the flares is so that the front and back will match. I hate having two different style flares on my truck. My concern is that with the flares opening up the wheel openings, that 33s will look too small. The silver rig above has 33s on only 4.5"s of lift. I still have my original 2wd drive leafs, so hopefully my SOA won't sit much higher than that, but it looks as though he has plenty of room for 35s.

Seat brackets are Comanche specific. You can drill out the welds on the mounts that are on your bench now, but the brackets from the Cherokee won't work.

I found this MJ on craigslist. It has a bad transmission, but I have a 2wd AX-15 in my garage that I could drop in. How much would you say its worth? http://charlotte.craigslist.org/bar/2903067087.html

I used to be all BFG, but I have been extremely happy with my Duratracs. They are fairly aggressive for an all terrain and they very quiet on road. I've never heard anyone who wasn't happy with the MTRs either. I guess it depends on what you plan to use them for. I was happy with my KM2s as well.

As soon as my car sells, I'm going to be upgrading the MJ to SOA in the rear and long arms up front with ACOS to level it out. I'll be regearing and I'm looking at adding Bushwacker's flat style flares. I was convinced that I was going to pick 4.56 gears and 33s, but I keep getting drawn to 35s (they just look right). I won't get to take this truck off road as much as I'll want to, but I don't want to gear for 33s and then upgrade to 35s later. It will be my daily driver for a while and it will be city traffic, but the whole point of upgrading is so that I can take it off road on occasion and enjoy it. Maybe I just need to see some pictures of some great looking Comanches on 33s. Thoughts?