Swampy

I am at a loss for words... I was out driving the comanche on a sunday cruise 5/21/19 and something dreadful happened. The comanche caught fire while I was driving. Luckily a bystander had a fire extinguisher and I was able to put the fire out quickly but the damage is done. I am not sure what caused it, it could have been a fuel line that started leaking, or some sort of electrical problem. The mj is no longer drivable as the harness and some of the sensors and connectors are fried. Everything that is damaged is repairable thankfully and I made it out unscathed. Back to square 1 I guess. The real question now is whether to source the parts to keep the tbi, or source the parts for 2.5l mpi swap or do something else. Some pics of the damage (you can see the dry chemical from the extinguisher) Any suggestions on what I should do? Stay tbi or go ahead with mpi swap?

What a find on that chassis, definitely a great re-starting point

Hey guys this past sunday 5/19/19, I was out in the comanche for a sunday cruise and something caught on fire. Lucky the fire was extinguished fairly quickly, but it rendered the jeep dead in the water. I am not sure of the cause of the fire, but I feel like it was electrical. The wiring harness and some of the sensors are fried. I am looking either for a 2.5 tbi wiring harness and various sensors or help tracking down the parts for an mpi swap, because now would be the time Here is a picture of the damage so you can get an idea

above the dash seems to be the best spot because there is only so much room underneath

I appreciate the input that's what I see myself doing is a full interior cage. Do you think the kit I linked previously is a good base to start with?

Wow it is really coming together, I have to get my behind in gear to keep up with you if Moab 2020 is going to be a success. I agree with Pete shake down miles are a must

It is really coming together nicely man! I want to see it moving under its own power

Next up for the comanche is a list of things but first and foremost is getting the spartan locker for the rear, I know I have it in my sig but I don't physically have it yet. Also getting the rock sliders, an extra cooling fan operated on a switch, mount up my new tires, a winch, and figure out some wiring issues for the turn signals and windshield wipers

Just a few more pictures to photo bomb the thread. Took the jeep out to enjoy the build so far. I had the biggest smile on my face driving around in something I built and put together. As you can see I finally got a winch bumper, it is the mudman from goliath offroad. I am really surprised with how the jeep performed on this outing, I guess that has to do with the fact that I hardly ever really drove it and I didn't know what to expect. It seems pretty capable and I am interested to start testing it. Did get stuck on a few occasions By far my favorite picture of Wendy, I'm sure this will change when I get rock sliders and a light bar lol (short arms w/drop brackets are flexing pretty good) other side of the flex (still had some more room to go, just that was the top of the small rock)

I am definitely interested, mostly because I have I have all the components but no cool air, just heat and that's no Bueno in Florida

I love the drag specs But I know people who have drag cars and other types of race cars say that if the vehicle is driven on the street than a full cage can do more harm then good. I was looking at this Comanche specific kit . I have spoken to the company and I was considering the rear main hop with the harness bar though the middle. I don't know if it'll be enough protection if the jeep does roll Or should I just go for the full cage? I do know I want to go out to moab and try my hand at crawling, so I am torn

Not sure if this would go here or under the tech section, but essentially my question becomes when is a full cage or roll bar necessary? I know part of it is what kind of wheeling you do but is there like a definitive line? Like do you need a cage for moab? As most of you know the plan for my jeep was to build it as a semi-daily driver/ weekend warrior for a variety of terrain generally mud, sand and rocks. Would a full interior cage or just like a rear main hoop was a roll bar be better? I wanted to hear the thoughts of some of the fabricators and more dedicated trail rig builds on here

Well I might through this same issue. I have a hp d30 and a c8.25 rear axle. I originally had a 4spd and was geared 3.55. I swapped in an ax15 and keep the 3.55 while I saved money for gears. I drove it a bit with 36" tsl swampers. It sucked terribly to drive it. I could not go past 3rd with the set up it had. 2.5+ax15+3.55s+36s= no Bueno. But I personally went with the revolution gear and axle 5.13 set and let me just say it is great in comparison. Don't expect it to be a rocket ship either though, the jeep still like to take its sweet time to get up into highway speeds (60mph) but it is much better to drive in general and offroad its one of the greatest things you could do to help our little engines.

I'll have to check this next time I'm near the truck

they really do especially capped in sheet metal

Well got Wendy running again! And I guess you can call this upgrade swapped the original capped lug nuts with some ones that are solid metal with no cap Before: After: Disregard the ugly wheels, I have been meaning to strip the old clear coat off and re seal them

Haha I see now @krustyballer16. Didn't think anyone was watching my videos, I guess they are Thanks Pete

axial scx10 would be a good platform to use to build a 1:10 rc truck. Its what I used when I built an rc bronco a few years back

Yes it is, where the tie bolts to the drag link and not all the way across to the other knuckle

I cleaned the headlight harness connecter with a wire brush and contact cleaner, and I swapped in a new flasher relay still no luck. The hazards are still working fine but no turn signals, not even the light on the dash comes on

Well I got the comanche started today. I swapped the fuel pump relay, Cleaned the connections and swapped in a new fuel filter to be on the same side and after a few primes she fired right up

Depends how much you want to spend and if you want to reem out the knuckles. I personally went with a v8 zj steering it has a solid tie rod unlike the hollow xj ones. It is like an oem+ upgrade. It bolts right up and parts can be had at the store. If 1 ton steering or the like is up your alley then someone else might have to chime in

That'll be cool. I have seen people use wood and foam to mock up

That's going to be one wide comanche!! Are you going to build custom flares or widebody the truck?

I like my lift but its kind of a mix of parts. I have rusty's 4.5" coils and like stated above it gets bouncy. I have an aluminum 1.5" coil spacer on top, adjustable short arms and drop brackets. SO far so good. I have enjoyed it