boxyjeep

Thanks. Debating between an ATK stroker or junkyard LS swap. Priced out the Novak adapters... probably at least $2k just to get an LS into the truck, not including the cost of the engine/transmission. I'll probably go the ATK route just so I can get this thing drivable. I've probably put less than 1,000 miles on it since I got it in 2018 so I'd really like to start using it now that it's looking good...

Finally back from the body shop and looking great. I need to get the bumpers, fender flares, trim, and other details back together, but the paint work is done. Bumpers are almost totally painted too: Now for the bad news... Temp was ~260 on my way home. Tons of coolant in the oil. May finally be time for a new shortblock... :-(

Gone?

Looks awesome. Before you swap out the lift, see if the shocks are shot. Might just need to replace those to get the ride quality decent.

Thanks! It's getting there for sure.

Stopped by the body shop again today. The bed, tailgate, hood, and other small parts are fully painted and the cab has one more coat before it wraps up. After that will be getting new 97+ windshield with one-piece gasket installed and then I bring it home. I'll be re-installing all the door trim and other plastic parts, as well as bumpers and decals. Couldn't believe how good the bed looked after where it came from. Cab and rear frame. Cab is partially painted and is getting one more coat of paint. Hood, tailgate, and a couple other parts getting some sun :-) Hopefully have this thing fully assembled and back on the road in the new few weeks.

Honestly better off doing the complete swap. You can use the TJ gauge surround for aftermarket gauges and keep Renix, but you will end up splicing a ton for light controls, HVAC, etc. and in the end be better off just doing a direct swap.

Made another trip to the body shop to see how things were going. Almost done with about 2 weeks until I can pick it up... I'm very happy with how the color is coming out. Super excited for it to be done.

"Repo". Don't understand who would take a loan out on one of these things...

Down to $1900!

"Jeep Comanche" on one side. "Comanche Laredo" on the other.

Thanks--this is helpful. Will do some more research on urethane.

Anyone attempted creating a set of these? I'm doing a 97+ conversion on my truck and would really like the rear flares to match the front. Obviously, XJ flares won't fit as MJ rear fender opening is much larger. I'm contemplating getting two sets of rear flares and molding them together to fit the MJ rear fender opening. Has anyone else attempted this? I'd like to keep the stock flares if I can. I'm only going to be running 33's, so Notch custom flares are a bit overkill.

Added in my build thread and current status.

Very nice! I'm definitely a bit partial to those wheels.

Finally some progress from the body shop. They had me stop by and check everything out. They've made some good headway getting the body primed and patched up. They did a test spray of the color on the header panel. Definitely looks a bit more maroon in the pictures than in person (looks very true to Chrysler Flame Red PR4 in person).

I did this before. Pull out the column, remove steering wheel, clean and paint the plastic surfaces and adjust the tilt as you do. Don’t try to disassemble—it isn’t worth it. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I did. Pulled it out and used black plastic paint. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

JCR has gone downhill for sure. I bought a full set of bumpers and sliders in late 2019 and they took forever to ship. Once I got the stuff, there were a bunch of missed welds and other issues. They eventually sent me a set of replacement sliders and a small discount, but it took hounding them forever. Honestly, it's really tough to find good aftermarket MJ parts these days. To add--the JCR sliders do not fit well. They don't line up well with the pinch seam and I decided to not even run them since I would rather not hack up my truck...

Got mine from Rockauto -- part number 4F1413. Looks a lot different but gets the job done.

Definitely was a bigger fan of the green color, and your original build was an inspiration for me to buy a Comanche in the first place. Still looks great though--how often are you driving/wheeling it these days?

Thanks Pete. I'm hopeful that it will be mostly done in the new few months. Once the body is in good shape, I'm planning to throw in ~5" SOA-based lift that I've been hanging onto for awhile.

That’s a high pinion for sure. Your first pics were deceiving. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but that looks like a low pinion axle, not from a 98 (which was high pinion from the factory). You may want to return or swap it out if you can. LP D30 is one of the worst axles out there.

Need everything but the actual antenna mast -- bracket, trim, escutcheon, etc to attach to the fender of 97+. Shipped to 06437.