89 MJ

September 2022-The SoCal Build Build Thread – https://comancheclub.com/topic/66920-1988-socal-jeep-comanche-build/ Year/Model – 1988 Jeep Comanche Pioneer. Found it in rough shape in 2018 from a guy who had just bought it from the original owners (supposedly a farm in Southern California) but couldn’t handle all the maintenance it needed. All the plastics were dried and cracked and the paint was heavily oxidized. The engine also ran very badly and had a few sensors clipped off. There was also fine dust in places that I didn’t know existed! But, no rust whatsoever and the body was mostly straight, and it had the elusive Dana 44 axle and the Short Bed/4.0L/AW4/4WD combo I was looking for. Drivetrain – 4.6L ATK Stroker, AW4, NP231, D44 rear, HP D30 front (vacuum disconnect “locked” in place). Stock gears for now. Original engine encountered a cracked block/head around ~210k miles which resulted in a large amount of coolant in the oil necessitating the replacement. Also running bored throttle body and Flowmaster muffler (basically whatever I can get away with and still pass smog). Cooling – Mishimoto open cooling system conversion, bypassed heater valve, 97+ overflow canister, aux PS cooler, electric fan wired to override switch (in addition to built-in temp switch/AC trigger). Electrical/Ignition – Way too much time went into this. I rewired the entire RENIX electrical system to eliminate fusible links and leverage a 97+ PDC and shorten/eliminate all unnecessary wiring (both in-cab and engine harness). Took way too much time and probably wouldn’t do that again. I’m sticking with RENIX ECU because I need to pass CA smog (which necessitates keeping EGR and the RENIX system). REM for monitoring sensors. Also running an auxiliary relay center for the front lights/fogs/horn. Keyless entry/remote start installed. 97+ power windows/door locks/mirrors all functional. Suspension/Steering – 2” lift shackles and coil spacers. Stock ZJ steering and RC adjustable track bar. Bilstein shocks up front. JKS sway-bar disconnects. Will be doing 5-6” lift with long arms and rear SOA in near future. Interior – Full 97+ interior swap minus the dash, as well as leather power/heated 2014 Cherokee KL seats. Custom labelled switches in the dash. All interior parts painted SEM grey to match. New carpet and headliner, as well as adhesive insulation on floors, ceiling, doors. JBL 6.5” three-way speakers in the doors and rear panels. Brakes – WJ booster and master cylinder. Eliminated load sensing and proportioning valve (replaced with Wilwood manually-adjusted prop valve under the hood). Lighting – LED headlights, 3” Amber RIGID LED pods in front and rear bumpers, LED signal/brake/blinker lights all around (with inline resistors to maintain proper blinker speed). Exterior – 97+ front clip and doors. JCR bumpers front and rear painted with Rustoleum Hammered black paint. The rest of the body is Chrysler Flame Red PR4 paint, including door jams and underside of hood. Professional spray-in bedliner. Key Parts tail lights. The original tailgate was very beat up from farm work and slightly bent and I was lucky enough to find a mint tailgate from a ’91-92 MJ that had never been used to swap in prior to paint. I kept the original tailgate as a memento for the wall of the garage. Wheel & Tires – JK Rubicon take-off’s (255x75r17 BFG Mud Terrain on Jeep “Hardrock” wheels). I like the look of these wheels but may likely consider upgrading to the wider Quadratec version with 33x12.50r17 tires. I also am using 1.5” adapters to run these, which gives me some angst… Misc – Still a ton of remaining things to do on the truck. I’m planning to build up the axles/suspension next (non-disconnect HP D30 with WJ outers/brakes and selectable locker, re-gear front/rear to 4.56, ~5-6” SOA lift), as well as re-doing the original headliner (perhaps with overhead console). Best MJ story – I haven’t driven it too much as I’ve either been in the process of building it or moving around the country. But every time I take it out I always get at least one compliment and people are surprised when I tell them it’s over 30 years old (most think it’s a new truck). CC is Awesome! Why? Great group of enthusiasts that are always willing to help and treat each other with respect. The build threads and how-to guides cover a huge expanse of mild restorations to wild V8-powered off-road toys. Pics (newest to oldest): At the paint shop: 97+ parts installed prior to paint: When I bought it: Admittedly, 97+ swaps are not my favorite, but man this truck can pull it off 100%. Congrats and beautiful truck @SoCalJeepComanche

Looks like a good solid foundation. What's the story with the dentside? I love those trucks too.

You actually have to rebuild the hub assemblies. You can buy new bearings and seals and press them into the hubs. They aren't difficult if you have access to a press and can get the hub off. I even figured out how to do it without removing the CV axles. Otherwise you can modify the knuckle to accept an MJ/XJ wheel bearing. I was planning on doing that until I saw that Rare Parts had the correct ones. I was going to look at other vehicles with 2wd that I could use the lower ball joint for.

That's exactly the way I look at it too. And people think finding MJ parts is difficult (which it is). Finding Eagle parts makes finding MJ parts look like you're trying to source parts for a 69 Camaro

@acfortier, I don't know if you need them or not, but Rare Parts has lower ball joints in stock. These are stupid hard to find and they are the only company that reproduces them. They are $116 each, plus shipping. Their stock is off on their website, so you have to call them. Their phone number is 800-621-2005. The upper ball joints are reproduced. They have at most 4 pairs left, so you'll want to jump on it soon.

Just because this old rig is tucked away, doesn't mean its not on my mind. I knew my lower ball joints are getting old. Still in fine shape, but getting old. Only Rare Parts reproduces them and they rarely have them in stock. I just got word that they had a couple pairs in stock, so I ordered a pair. It's odd that the uppers are reproduced, but the lowers aren't. I wonder if the uppers are used on different vehicles too...

My dad got the truck to run after putting a new battery in it. Of course, not without its issues though. The truck currently has a TBI 350 in it. My Grandpa replaced the TBI with a carb, but because it is a TBI engine, it does not have a place for a mechanical fuel pump. The current electric fuel pump makes way to much pressure and was flooding the carb and the fuel pressure regulator was puking fuel. We'll have to figure that out so the truck can at least be moved around the property.

Gotcha

How do you know Jim? I got to meet both of them in Kenosha

Will do. I’m in AZ until December, but I’ll have my brother or parents shoot me a pic

@NHMJXJ would have the answer to the MOABs question

I updated the title of this thread. It previously was "1940 Chevrolet Pickup Street Rod". I changed it to "Grandpa's 1940 Chevrolet Pickup" because, despite the fact that the truck is now mine, it is still my Grandpa's in my head.

Only my grandpa had a 30s vehicle, his 34. My dad is 47. My cousins, brother, and I are all 5th generation car people. My great-great grandma and great-great grandpa got into the hobby when they restored a 1914 Overland that they pulled out of a dry riverbed. We have pictures of it at home. I'll give a quick rundown of the current Pre1990 cars in my entire family's collection. Everything else has been sold. My Parents: 64 Chevelle SS Convertible 64 Chevelle Convertible (parts car) 53 Chevy COE Me: 40 Chevy pickup 86 AMC Eagle 89 Comanche My Brother: 89 GMC Jimmy (parts truck/project) 83 J10 Honcho 79 J10 (parts truck/project) My Cousin: 72 Lemans GT (poor man's GTO, even has the GTO rubber bumper from the factory)

My Grandpa had the bed made for it. You can buy new bedsides for a lot of these trucks though. These ones are actually inspired by the 54 and newer GM truck bedsides. Note how the top of the bedside makes a 90 degree angle, much like how most newer truck beds are flat at the top. The 53 and earlier GM trucks had bedsides that made 45 degree angles. My Grandpa, Dad, and I all prefer the 54+ bedside style (which is what my dad will be running on his 53 Chevy COE) because it gives more availability for tonneau covers. That was way more information than you were looking for, I'm sure. All of the trucks I posted pictures of, including mine have been lowered. These trucks had a straight axle originally that, in my case at least, was replaced by a Mustang II style suspension for better handling, disc brakes, and parts availability. I will attach a picture of a truck at stock ride height. Way too high for my taste. And this truck will get worked too. My family has a history of using our hot rods for work. My grandpa's 34 towed trailers, my parents' old 49 Chevy truck helped them remodel their house and was a frequent sight at the lumberyard, my parents' 46 Chevy sedan towed our car trailer (with only a gokart on it) and plenty of other small trailers.

@eaglescout526 has a brush guard on his truck and I wouldn't be surprised if he already has pictures.

My parents picked up the bed for me yesterday.

Indeed he is. This is the same show we did the last minute thrash to get my truck ready for in 2019.

I think MTOD might be at its end. They just announced that some full length episodes of various shows are coming to YouTube.

Will do!

I love to see that it went from one young MJ owner to another!

That black and chrome combo is just beautiful.

Thank you, it should be fun. Truth be told, he went out the way that he would've wanted to. It was a beautiful day and he was in the car that he loved.

Here is the project that the 348 will be going in.

Link to Comanche Club's official Google Drive Folder with all of our current Parts Catalogue PDFs. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1kehxz1mYZfneLSM_l8sHnlxKzePm-_gl?usp=sharing Please, if you have any other PDFs, scan them and email them to: comancheclub.com@gmail.com

Link to Comanche Club's official Google Drive Folder with all of our current Service Manual PDFs. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1kehxz1mYZfneLSM_l8sHnlxKzePm-_gl?usp=sharing Please, if you have any other PDFs, scan them and email them to: comancheclub.com@gmail.com