87Chief

I already have a 2.5L MJ looking for a truck for the swap. I've seen the truck, but before I got to it looks like someone took the driver side window (door panel was off) and the steering wheel. I took most of the interior and want to go back for the dash because I'm doing gray interior, but figured if it was cheap enough to get the whole truck I'd strip it and send it back for scrap when everything is out. I didn't get a good look at the rear axle so it might be the D35. I was planning on rebuilding the motor anyway just to freshen it up unless it runs really good (probably not). I will go back today and take a few pics (the rear lights are trashed (busted)) tailgate is gone, bed didn't look too good and a bunch mud underneath (dried mud)

I know this gets asked a lot, but if I had the opportunity to buy a 4.0 Comanche (88 4.0, 5 speed, chrysler 8.25, 4wd) or a Cherokee (any cherokee with 4.0 4wd) what would yall choose? I'm thinking for an entire swap with wiring and everything, buy the Comanche, but I don't know if it will run or not since it's in the JY and some interior parts are missing.. Just want to get yall's opinion on it. Buy the Comanche or Cherokee?

:thumbsup:

I would help out, but I'm 9 hours away from athens, AL. So a bit of a drive up here too..

I would get a grinder with a wire wheel and hit the entire floor with it. Then check and see where the rust goes through. You can always buy a floor patch panel and cut to fit in spaces.

Seems like a good deal to me. :thumbsup:

Try searching for Radiator Core mounts, or something like that. I don't know what you're talking about, but maybe that will help?

How hard was it for your 97+ door panels? I haven't searched yet, but I wonder if there's a build thread on them.. How hard to swap to newer door panels? Impossible... I swapped the whole doors, and the panels were a bonus. Painting the carpet on the original panels, and your seatbelts, will prove difficult if not impossible to make look good. There are door swap threads, and I covered some of it in my build thread. Basically, you have to change the door striker. Other than that, they bolt right on, and fit fine so long as you get manual window doors. I wasn't planning on painting the carpet, I know that would turn out too rough and ugly. I thought about swapping doors awhile back, but since my truck is a Chief, the stickers on the bottom of the door will be gone and it will ruin the whole look of the truck. I wanted to keep the Comanche Chief ever since I got it. I guess I can look into some sign shops and see if they can make some new stickers.

Thanks for the advice guys! Hopefully I can dig into it this weekend!

Nice shop. :bowdown:

How hard was it for your 97+ door panels? I haven't searched yet, but I wonder if there's a build thread on them..

I think the panel is coming apart. I can't get the little Christmas trees to stay in the hole on the back so I might try and do the thin peg board way. I do have a couple panels to test with.. Thanks for all the advise! I believe the dash will be easier to paint when it's out of the truck, so here goes nothing..

I'm trying to decide if I want to paint my interior. I went to the junkyard today and some nice grey interior pieces. Well I got home and it looks like one side say outside in the rain for a day or two and got soaked. Is there anyway you can make a new door panel piece (hard cardboard)? I guess you can by tearing down the old door panel to bear bones and tracing the existing piece. I just want to know if someone has done it and how it turned out. Same with the painting the interior. I have a few pieces I still need, big piece being a dash. I saw the duplicolor vinyl and fabric and want to know how that turns out over time. I have a few pieces of black interior, although I love the black interior it would be hard to clean. I might go to gray and keep the black pieces I have for the future. I just want to get rid of my butterscotch interior. Any help will be appreciated! Here are some pictures of what I'm dealing with. The passenger side wasn't soaked like the driver's, here's the front Last pic of the black interior - I guess I got some of the rare pieces..

I'm guessing it would be easier to remove the power steering bracket and extract the bolt once the manifolds are off, or remove the head and get new valve seals and such?

Here are some pictures. I found a manifold bolt is broken off inside the head..

Thanks, I will look into it later today. I'm sure it's going to need all of it anyway.

It has about 200k miles on it, and it does have the open cooling system from what I can tell. I used to drive it every other day before I sold it, with no problems. I guess that's what I get for selling it :hmm: I've never heard of the volvo cap? Have a part number? If I was going to rebuild it I would replace the radiator also, it's pretty old and crusty. The bottle seems to have no cracks in it. If I remember I'll go home today and take some pictures and see what yall think.

I just got my comanche back a few weeks ago. The previous owner said it was over heating going all the way to red line and such but he said he would stop and let it cool down. Well he went to auto zone and got a thermostat and tried to replace it, and couldn't. So he left the thermo out and drove it home like that... I haven't looked into to the truck much it has started up and ran for about a minute (to move in and out of the garage) and seemed fine. I guess my question is should I just take it out and rebuild the motor? I would run a compression test and such before I took it out, I just need some advice whether to spend the money on the 2.5 or let it sit aND save up for a 4.0 swap? Any 2.5s out there with some advice? Jeep is a 1987 2.5l 5 speed 4x4 Thanks

Like Kudo said, check your manifold bolts, this happened to me on my 87 2.5L and almost all the bolts were loose to the manifold and one was broken off, still haven't fixed it :hmm:

:drool: :drool: :drool: :drool:

Maybe a failed fuel pump??

Well, did it make it on the road for the 10 year anniversary? :brows:

I replaced my comanche with a 2011 silverado. I love my silverado, but I had to buy my comanche back also. The comanche belonged to my Grandfather, he bought it off the showroom floor, so I told the guy I sold it to I'll buy it. I'm now looking for a 4.0 donor to change out the 2.5. I do love my silverado though (leather, heated seats, etc), got the high model for my wife when she rides in it.

A lot of people with the 86 go to a 3.4L from a camaro (not sure on years). But a lot of things bolt on to the 3.4l block from the 2.8. A 4.0l in a 86 will take awhile, search for it on here, some people have done it.

^The most important question :teehee: