Lthompson741

Well at this rate, I just want to get it reliable enough to daily drive it. The little drives around the storage yard are a blast and I can't wait to get it on the road. I've got a very rusted out XJ that is going to be sold or scrapped, and I'm hoping to transfer the bumper, winch and possibly some of the lift parts over. I am trying to talk the wife into getting it reliable enough to cruse it 600 miles to the Bantam Jeep festival this year as I've always wanted to do a cross country trip in a $500 car. - Small lift -fix rust - cruise it, and keep miles off my diesel truck. Thank you, The pictures are kind of deceiving, its as original as it gets but it's rusty. Not too bad but it's been in the salt belt it's entire life.

Looks good! thank you for the pics. That doesn't seem to hard to do. I've got a little welder as well, and a few fab tools so at least it is possible without a full machine shop.

Thanks I don't know about a barn find maybe a "field find". My "buddy" never titled it, and he bought it from the original owner. I've got the original title, as well as the bill of sale that matches the original name. I don't know the story of it, or why they replaced the engine at 175K. But someone put some love into it at one point. It's got new brake lines, new fuel lines. Newer tires (Their old now, but still have nipples on them, I don't think their are many miles on them.) It looks like they took care of it, just the rust is the worse part. It starts now and purrs, idles better then my other 4.0's with half the miles. No ticks, or knocks. The trans shifts well too. I just need to make a plan to make it look decent.

Nice build up. I like how it doesn't look over the top, but still very functional. P.S. all your pics worked for me.

This is where I kind of stalled. As I've got a 73 CJ5 in my garage I'm working on, as well as a 85 XJ, and a 78 XJ waiting in the wings. I really want to get it on the road, so it may be bumped up to the front of the list. It needs as of right now: - A tune up. - Radiator (Possibly going to open cooling system) - Brakes bled, it stops but it feels like Air is in the system, and the "brake" light is lit. -A GOOD cleaning/wax to maybe make it shiny again. -Pull the carpet, and try and figure out a plan for the rust. -Rockers / doors / bedsides and cab corners. (But not really that bad for the Rust belt of Chicagoland it spend it's entire life in.) - A seat, the bench padding is collapsed, and you can feel every wire in the seat. I've got to remember to get the vin next time so I can add it to the registry.

After getting the tank in, I filled with a little fresh gas and bought a battery and tried to get it to fire. Well, after a while of no firing and checking things out I found that my injectors were pretty much clogged rock solid with sediment/varnish. So I bought the cheapest set of EBAY 4 hole injectors I could find. After changing them out I could get it to run, but it ran rough, and had a knock. Also It thin proceeded to leak from the pressure regulator. So off to ebay again for a pressure regulator. Once that was installed it would run somewhat decent but had a knock. A oil change took care of that and it ran pretty good. Here is the first pic of it moving under it's own power. Since then, I've put an alternator in it and pulled the broke fog lights off of it.

Well after helping my buddy clear the rest of the property, and clean up around his house we found a brand new gas tank for the Comanche that came with it when he bought it and the really crummy sending unit. So now that I had a couple parts I set out to try and get it running. And I apologize for the lack of pictures, but it was all pretty straight forward. First step was to get the tank and sending unit back together. I ordered a Cherokee rebuild kit and fit everything over. I did have to modify the bracket on it to accept the new pump, cleaned the scale off the metal tubes and changed all the rubber hose out. I also took about the sender and cleaned the board. After that It all went back together with no issue. Before: After: And all back in the tank with all new rubber, and rollover valves: I installed the tank with hardware that was hidden under the seat and prayed I was good.

If you you look closely their was another MJ in the background that was a plow truck that was literally broken in half. The only thing salvageable on it was the taillights. It had been sitting outside with broken windows for years. I did take the taillights tho.

Well I've been a long time lurker figured it was time to post something. My build is going to be extremely slow going, as I've got more projects then I can possibly do. This jeep sort of fell into my possession. A friend thru a local jeep group I met was kind of a borderline hoarder of cheap jeeps. At one point I believe he had 15 or 16 on his property. Nothing overly special or rare, he would just scoop them off of craiglist, Facebook, etc. and park them behind his barn. Well last summer the county became aware of his personal collection and came in and gave him 30 days to clear the property. At the same time his father/farm owner passed away and the property is ultimately going to be foreclosed on. I had seen his collection several times an was always drawn this particular Comanche. He said he would sell it to me for $1500 and I always pushed it off as it was non running, and rusty. Well after a visit from the county he started panic mode and contacted me to see if I wanted anything as it was all going to go to the local junkyard/scrap by the end of the week. He told me I could have it for what the junkyard offered which was $500. I told him consider it sold and was onsite that weekend to load it up. It is an 88, with the 4.0L and a column shift automatic with 4x4. It has 220,000 miles on it, and receipts for a new engine at 175,000 miles. Of course it didn't run, and I had no clue what it needed. We did get it to turn over with a battery so I knew it wasn't locked up. Could of pics of how it sat: And Here it is in my storage unit with the rest of the "projects."

I live in the heart of the rust belt. Everything is rusted here. I've thought about hauling in rust free trucks and Jeeps as a business at one point. I'll have to look out west or down south.

interested in seat mounts as well. My bench is compressed badly.

Yeah I've always wanted one. Seems like 6 to 7 buys you one here in chicagoland. People seem very proud of them price wise. I can probably count on one hand how many i've seen on the road in the last couple years. Glad yours has been trouble free, now to talk the wife into it to replace our aging WK2.

Looks good, I keep it and use the drivetrain out of the rusty newer one. Something about bone stock, plain jane that sticks out anymore.

I've always wanted to drive one. A girlfriend way back had a gas one and I thought it felt pretty much like a 4wd jeep. The diesel ones are hard to come by here, and everyone wants an arm and a leg for one. Might have to stock looking again. I heard nothing but horror stories on them. How has yours been hold up maint. wise?

I know the feeling. I also get really attached to my vehicles. I've got a 92 XJ that I bought my senior year of college in 2001. I still have it but it's pretty much rusted out at this point. I know I should sell it, but I just can't bring myself to do it. Especially knowing that I will most likely find the shell in a junk yard as it has a desirable drivetrain. (5 speed). I put a lot of money into it, and has gotten me anywhere I wanted to go. I am lucky as I rent a very big storage garage and I was able to fit it in the very back so it's out of the weather, and somewhat protected. The problem now is, that I keep finding XJs to bring home and I just bought a MJ. That parking space would be nice.

I kind of like the look of the Liberty rims with that color scheme.

This is the main reason I joined. The majority of the threads I read the pictures worked. Other sites where the pictures don't work are just X out of. Thank you!

I was just reseaching the same thing. Everything I try and upload is too big. Hopefully this code update is soon. I tried starting my project post, as well as update my profile. I guess I'll just have to wait.

I like it. That is pretty much how mine started out. I like seeing them come back to life.

That cleaned up really well. I like the coat hanger Idea, gonna have to transfer that to mine for the time being.

Can you post a pic of your finished rocker panels? Mine are gone and am looking for ideas. I like your idea and its actually feasible without big equipment.

Looks nice, my parents had a '71 spider in our garage growing up. I always wanted to get it running again, but never could find the money. I've driven a late 70's and it was a lot of fun.