Garvin

Sorry it's taking so long, vehicles keep coming in that need to be fixed. The question for you guys. I have two prototypes built. Would you guys rather have a whole new set of seat tracks or just a set of brackets that make Comanche seat track brackets work. If it's the whole seat track way then I'll also just have the bracket kit for sale and you use the sliders from factory ZJ/newer style XJ's and bolt these brackets to that (all the bolts will be supplied along with directions). The difference between them... The factory MJ slider is only latched on one side while the new tracks will use the latch system from the ZJ/newer XJ which latches on both sides (more positive attachment and safer in an accident). The adjustment will go from getting pulled sidewards on the MJ seat to the up action of the newer style. Both styles will take into account the height difference of the ZJ/newer XJ seats and will be adjusted down to around factory height and angle. Price wise, the MJ brackets with the adapters will run around $50 (this is a rough estimate, might be lower) while the full tracks whille be $125-$150 (just the brackets will drop that down some but we're talking about 10-12 pieces plus bolts). If you guys also have any other products that you'd like built, I'm more than willing to look into them, just send me a PM with the idea. I have a bunch of ideas in mind but always looking for more input.

All matters which setup you want but pretty much what mkbruin said. I built my 3-link long arm kit (you can see it in my build thread) but 3-links need all hard joints. There's a bunch of geometry in the control arms that you will need to figure out in order for the suspension to function as desired. If you're a novice at fabricating and welding, I would steer clear of building your own. If I didn't build my own, I was looking at purchasing either the RockKrawler 3-link kit or the TnT Customs kit.

The u bolt plates will accept the 8.25 axle (swapped one under my '86 to replace the 35). I can't really comment on the drive shaft issue, though. I did the Chevy 350, AX15, NP231 and Chrysler 8.25 swap all at once and my drive shaft ended up being 2" too long (needed to be cut down 4" if you wanted it to fit correct, I just stretched my wheel base slightly to compensate instead since I had everything off).

'86 is slithly different since it's carbureted. I'm not sure about every '86 dash but on mine, the top dash bolts under the defrost vent were a royal pain to get to. There are also a lot less wires on the '86. Other than that, the steps sound about right.

By universal, I meant that they would fit both the XJ and ZJ seats with only one track. Right now I'm not sure if this will be as I only have a set of ZJ seats (the junkyard I went to didn't have the newer style of XJ seats in there). The passenger side seat is in the works right now and from the looks of it, it'll be a complete track that bolts to the seat and floor to replace the complete Comanche track. I'm unsure on the price for a set yet as I have emails out right now with quotes on metal prices. With the way that the track is sitting right now, I'm 6'2" and have about 5" of head room and about 4" of knee room. I'll get my brother to try them out later this week also (he's about 6'4").

Pocket lockers are lockers that just replace the spiders, basically just the innerds of the carrier. A full locker could be a spool, detroit, air locker or cable locker, it's basically a locker that replaces the carrier. The pocket lockers (sometimes called lunchbox lockers) are much cheaper (usually around $250) while the full lockers start around $400 (if not a bit more). I wasn't taking limited slip into account at all since, if you're going one tons, you really mean business so a real locker is the way to go. The rears are just as strong it's just a different bolt pattern that only matches the newer Fords. It will only match the newer ball joint style as the kingpins stopped in mid '91 in the Ford axles. If you wanted the older 8x6.5 bolt pattern, you can get a 14 bolt rear and Dana 60 HP front (Chevy, Ford, and Dodge all used the same bolt pattern up to '00 when Ford changed to a metric pattern). I'm going to be going with a Dana 60 HP kingpin front with a Sterling 10.25 rear just because that's what I got (many more reasons also but that was the reason I really started looking into them). If I could have found a 14 bolt as wide as I want then I would be going that route. Something you really want to take into account when you go full widths is to get matching (or really close) widths unless you want to cut one down and worry about custom shafts. Your best bet would be to do some research and figure out the setup that you want to run then wait for a deal to pop up on those.

I can't help you too much on the big/small bearing (doesn't really matter too much if it's a full floater) but you are really limiting yourself if you buy that D60 since it is the metric bolt pattern. If you want to find a matching front axle, you will need to find one from a 2000+ Ford. If you go for the matching ones then you will be getting a ball joint front axle. My dads 2001 F250 Super Duty (plow package, tow package, off-road package and super duty package) has a Dana 50 HP up front, I believe the F350's and heavier have the Dana 60 HP up front. Since the axle is from an E350, I'm going to assume that it's a full floater. The real easy way to tell if it's a semi-float or full float is to take the hub cab off and look down the middle of the rim. If you see a cylindrical piece that sticks out with 8 bolts on the very outside then it's a full float, if not then it's a semi-float. For lockers, are you just looking for a pocket locker or a full locker? I'm planning on putting an ARB in the front Dana 60HP I have but there is a huge selection of lockers out there for the Dana 60 (especially a rear one). Spartan makes a nice pocket locker for the Dana 60, think Lockright does also.

It shouldn't be an issue. Just keep an eye on it every now and then (maybe a few times a year) just to make sure that no fluids are being kicked up the tubes.

Definitely look into regearing. I was running 36's with 4.56 gears in my old '90 Cherokee and was getting 15-16 mpg. It's amazing the power you gain back also.

The transfer case shifter linkages between the XJ and MJ are the same. The only difference is between the AW4 and AX5/15. The difference is the bracket that bolts up to the transmission and the length of the rod (the AW4 one being about 1.5" longer).

If you still have that picture of the two sitting next to each other a little note, that would help a lot in my little explanation as I can't remember which thread that was with the picture. The easiest way to tell is to look at where the starter bolts to the bell housing. The BA10/5 is offset farther up than the AX15, because of this difference, the AX15 has a diagonal piece cast on it at about the 6 o'clock position of the starter location as the BA10/5's casting follows the circle till it meets the bell housing. It's a lot easier to explain in pics but I currently don't have any on this computer.

Try cycling the key a few times before starting the Jeep up. Turn the key to the on position (not the start position), hold it for a few seconds there, and repeat a few times, then try starting her up. If she fires right up then you have a pressure leak back issue. If that doesn't fix it, check the ignition system and do a tune up if it's been quite a while. Those would be the two areas I'd start at.

IRO makes extremely beefy stuff. I don't personally run them myself (I run all custom made stuff now) but I have never heard a single complaint about them. There's a bunch of people in my Jeep club running their track bars (I'm sure a few are running their control arms too just don't know who off the top of my head). If I wasn't going to be making a track bar when the new axle goes in, I would be buying an IRO one.

I'm assuming this is for the '88 with the AW4? The trans line is connected to a small bracket on the upper bell housing bolt with a slight turn down. You can connect a hose straight to the end of that and bring it up to where ever you would like. The transfer case line is fairly easy to get to but it's on the top of the transfer case. If you're having issues getting to it, you can remove the transfer case shifter and it's real easy to reach in and get. You can either find the end and extend it or just run a whole new line, it's just on a little L shaped piece of metal coming out of the top of the transfer case. The front diff is real easy, I'd replace the whole line if I were you as hose is cheap and yours is probably deteriorating. Those three can be run to the hood or you can run them to the air box if you have a snorkel to make them really water tight. The rear axle is a little tricky to find a place to run it to. I ended up running it into the frame rail and didn't have too much of an issue with it since I couldn't find a place to run it up higher (this was on my old Cherokee and haven't had a chance to run one on the Comanche yet so you might be able to find a better spot). If you really want to go into deep water, invest in a snorkel (home made or pre-made, just something that is water tight). You will also want to seal up the engine then. Make sure all the vacuum lines are sealed tight and seal all the electrical connections. Make sure you have no leaks from the gaskets (a leak going out will allow water to leak in) and you will want to seal up the distributor (I never had an issue with the distributor in my Cherokee but have had friends seal it up with permatex, drill a hole in the top, put in a hose connection and run the vent line to the air box). You will need to vent the brake master, power steering pump and need to seal up and vent the alternator. If you really want to get extreme, you will want to seal up the holes in the firewall and put thicker weatherstripping on the doors so they seal tighter. You will need to seal up all the holes around the shifters with sealant as well as the e-brake line going out the back of the cab and fuel wiring going out the floor right behind the drivers seat. You will also want to swap out the factory drain plugs with rubber plugs that are a tight fit, that way if you do take in water, you can pull it and reuse it (the factory ones are metal tin can top looking ones that never seal right after being pulled once). I think I got them all...Not sure how extreme you're going but that's most (if not all) of what you need to worry about.

Did this to my Cherokee with cutting the lower hinge off (4dr Cherokee so pretty much exactly the same thing) and plan on doing it to the Comanche as well. I've never had any issues with it but would highly recommend strengthening the frame some if you plan on wheeling without doors on (even rock rails help wonders). Only pic I have of her with the doors off before she was totaled.

Sorry about the delay, took me a few days to get out there. The difference between the manifolds is the angle it connects to the downpipe. The Renix manifolds flange is straight down while the Chrysler manifolds flange is angled back about 45 degrees.

'88 is non-HO. The HO started in '91 when the Chrysler fuel system replaced the Renix system. As for the engine, keep your intake and exhaust manifolds, as well as all the engine will swap right in. You just need to keep your sensors since they changed the whole wiring when it was swapped to an HO. The AX15 is pretty bulletproof, especially behind a stock 4.0L. The best thing you could do to it is to make it an external slave cylinder (assuming it isn't already). That just requires getting a bellhousing from a '94+ AX15. You will also want to get the clutch master cylinder, clutch slave cylinder and the line between them to make the swap even easier. If you do stick with the 44's, make sure you get good quality ball joints and axle u-joints (CTM if you can afford or Spicer if you can't). I've see a ton of ball joints and u-joints break on them running anywhere form 33-37" tires. Your best bet on learning how to drive is to go wheeling stock for a little while (even with a 4x2). This will give you a lot of experience and get to know your rig a lot better. When you swap to 4x4, take it easy and try to conquer the challenges without the use of the skinny pedal. I've seen way too many people think that the skinny pedal is the end all solution and they're always the first one to break stuff.

Sorry about the delay, I'll finally be caught up on work tomorrow and I'm going to be picking up a set of seats some time next week to start figuring out what is needed to make them fit in the Comanche. The question is which set to make first, the newer XJ or ZJ seats? The plan right now is to build four different sets so that both will fit in the XJ and MJ. I'm going to be looking into making a universal type set which will fit both seats with one set of brackets if possible.

I had the plastic pellets in my old bias 36x14R15 Grand Prix's (think grooved Ground Hawgs). They were so out of balance that not a single one could be balanced with a tire machine (flipped the machine once). Put in 12oz in each tire and almost ran perfect (would have been better if I put 16oz per tire). When I came to a stop, I never heard the pellets fall even with the doors off (that could be due to the tire noise though).

If you plan on using the wiring harness from a '92, you will need the sensors for the engine as well as the ECU from the '92. As long as you swap the intake and all the sensors over, the ECU will be happy. If you plan on doing that, you will also have to swap over the speedo cluster from the '92 as the '92 has an electronic speedometer while the '88 is run by a cable.

I can give you a bit of experience from my old Cherokee. That Jeep had an 8" long arm lift, 36x13.5R15 Super Swamper IROKs, Dana 44 rear and Dana 30HP front. The Dana 30's weren't lasting too long but I had a custom Dana 44HP in the works and still broke stuff in the Dana 44 rear with Superior axle shafts. I'll admit that I'm a bit rough on my rigs but I've seen a lot of people that swear against Dana 44 fronts as the u-joints are weak. A lot of the driving is due to skill and not the rig. I had a buddy on bald 33" A/T's and open front and rear that was somehow able to keep up with me when I had an OX in the rear, I swear he would float...And then I would get through stuff full size trucks on 44" Boggers would get stuck in. The 29 spline Chrysler 8.25 is arguably about as strong as a Ford 8.8 and Dana 44 if you wanted to keep with smaller axles, but not sure how long those would handle to 37's. If you plan on going everywhere and only building it once, you might as well start with the one tons. Something I just thought of...Find out if that axle is a big bearing or small bearing axle. If it is the smaller bearing then you're better off just passing it up. Check around for a 14 bolt rear axle if you want a ton of strength for a small amount of cash. When I was looking for one, I found a new axle, full floater, 4.56 gears and a detroit for $850, all it needed was disc brakes and it would be set.

Both the short bed and long bed have a good amount of wheel base on the Cherokee. The Cherokee is 102.5" while the short bed is 113" and the long bed is 119.6". It all matters what in all you want to do but I prefer the longer wheel base (I've actually stretched the front a little and going to stretch the rear a few inches). For the axles, the Dana 44's are alright, would take a lot of money to make them indestructible. The Waggy front axle is a low pinion. Besides not having the hub bearings, the Dana 44LP isn't all that much stronger than the Dana 30HP. I'm throwing in a set of Dana 60HP kingpin and Sterling 10.25 axles under my Jeep. You can shave down the Dana 60HP some and there is a Dana 70U out there that has a smooth bottom already (about 1" shaved off the bottom already from the factory). If you choose to keep the Dana 60 rear, you will want to shave down the bottom some and will want to beef atleast the axle shafts up some (especially if it's a semi-float axle). As for the interior, they are essentially the same width. You do have an extra 1/2" or so of headroom in a Comanche vs a Cherokee due to how the roof curves. The seats in the Comanche don't go back as far as the ones in a Cherokee, though. And for the lifts, the only difference in the fronts is the cross member (assuming you go long arm). The difference is that Comanches have two extra brackets welded to the inside frame rail so you now have 4 bolts per side on the factory cross member vs the 2 bolts that the Cherokee has. The rears are completely different as the Comanche is SUA while the Cherokee is SOA. Doing a simple SOA on the Comanche will net you approximately 5.5" of lift. You can also get away with that size of life (and another few inches) without a SYE in the Comanche due to the wheel base and drive shaft being long, vs having to put a transfer case drop or SYE in a Cherokee with 4.5"+ of lift. Hope that helps answer a few of the questions.

Buy a JCR and be done with it is what i'd say but if you just buy some JCR tie-in brackets you'd be fine. The issue with that is that they bolt to the outside, making the distance between the bumper mounting brackets farther apart. You will either need to cut and reweld the mounts on farther apart or replace the Rusty's mounts with the JCR tie-in's. The JCR bumper is made to take that extra thickness into account already.

Finished up my recessed winch and figured I'd throw up a few pics to see if it helps you with any ideas. I have an '86 so the rails are a bit different and I have more holes drilled in my passenger side (the drivers side and passenger side are mirror images on mine). If you have any questions, I'm more than willing to answer them. There are a lot more pictures and most of the steps I did in my build thread. You can kind of see the wings in this picture. Side shot showing how far it sticks out. Bolted all up, 13 bolts hold it in in total. Still need to wind the cable up on it and figure out an easy access place for the box.

From the pics on the Rusty's site, it looks like the factory 3 bolts and one farther back. Doesn't even look like it bolts up with the steering box bolts. If you're good with metal and welding, I would recommend adding a few more bolts on the pass side and tying the drivers side into the steering box bolts. I can't vouch for it as I've never seen it in action before but that's just my take on it.