89 MJ

I’ve heard that it’s super expensive. Plenty of people do the Explorer 8.8 swap, I just don’t think it’s the best option out there.

Thank you! I don’t remember what I did for pinion angle, but it should be within 2.5* of the transfer case output shaft. If you want to go with an 8.8, I’d look for one out of an Explorer Sport Trac because they are close to the width of MJ rear axles. The regular Explorer 8.8s are somewhere around 2” narrower. You shouldn’t have clearance issues, but you probably will drag the center section of the rear end if you ever play in the dirt. That’s part of the reason I went with the Chrysler 8.25 in my Eagle, the clearance is almost the same with 28” tires as my MJ has with 31s. Another good option would be an 8.25 out of a Jeep Liberty. That drag car looks fun. Drag racing is something I’d like to get into some.

For the MJ or the Eagle? I’ve got H4s for the high and low beams and then their H1 bulbs with their housings in my Eagle. Was twice as much as the MJ lights, but still worth it.

That’s a great deal! My Hellas were somewhere around $100 new on Amazon

I’m running Hella housings and H4 bulbs in my Comanche. I’ve also got a relay harness in it. My brother has the same in his J10s, and I’ve got the 4x6 version in my Eagle. They are pretty similar to Holley Retrobrights, but they are way cheaper.

I’m with pizzaman here too. Having driven a 4.0 with a 5 speed and a 2.5 with a 5 speed, the 2.5 doesn’t feel a ton slower than the 4.0. If the 2.5 runs fine, I’d run it for a little while to make sure you want to swap it.

Welcome! I’d like to echo everything said above, with the addition of checking out this thread.

The set that I had on my 90 had the same chrome peeling. I always guessed it was from a chain being use on them and flexing them just a little bit.

You might want to get some shorter pushrods then. I don't love the idea of shimming the rockers for a long term fix.

Sounds like you’ve got a great plan. I’m liking the route you’re going with the truck. Its pretty much the same as what I did to my truck.

See, I don’t have the same experience. Most people don’t give my MJ a second glance. My Eagle gets attention all the time though.

I don’t think you need the gear indicator working for the truck to drive, but I may be wrong. You can carefully modify the cluster and make put the indicator in the full cluster.

Sounds like you’ve got a good plan for this Jeep. I like the plan a lot. I’d like to see a build thread started for it. The stock brakes and steering seem adequate for these Jeeps, but being that yours is an 88, I’d swap the Peugeot transmission for an AX-15 and put a Chrysler 8.25 in it. You’ll also want better gearing for larger tires. Right now you’ve got 3.07s. 3.73s or 4.10s would be ideal.

I agree with above. Start with grounds. If that doesn’t do it, how does all of the wiring look? Check for power at each of the components when you’re having this issue. Does this issue seem to depend on temperature? Maybe some of your ignition components are getting heat soaked.

That’s better than things usually seem to go for me. I’m usually the 1 step forward, 2 steps back kind of person

Glad to see you're back on this project. That YJ looks darn nice.

Up until it becomes baked on like powder coating

That would be great! Fingers crossed I’ll see you there again

Excellent work

Get the whole trans crossmember if you can. The AX-15 one is different than all of the others.

September 2024 - @Salvagedcircuit's Golden Brick Build Thread- Year/Model - 1988 radio-less long bed base model. Drivetrain- 270k mile 4.0L I6, AW4, NP231, stock driveshafts and axles, Dana 30 front, Dana 35 non c-clip back. 3.55 ratio. Cooling- Stock Mechanical fan and electric fan. Electrical/Ignition- -All Cruiser54 tips completed except C101 removal, 6AWG battery/starter wire upgrade, 30+ replaced duct-tape crimps, 10+ replaced ghost crimps. Added speaker wiring, door wire baffles and speakers. Suspension/Steering- Bilstein 24185622 front, monroe 58484 back, new leaf springs from St.Louis spring, rear XJ shackles. Stock ride height was measured. New OEM transmission mount, new-to-me OEM engine mounts. New lower and upper control arms. New lower axle bushings, new steering stabilizer shock. Interior- Stock interior with the rubbermaid cup holder, phone holder inspired by @m2bandit, vinyl floor, sound deadening, Goldwood metal 5.25 speaker grills, stock radio, new radio harness, infinity kappa speakers front & rear. Brakes- stock size rotors and drums, new rotors, pads, brake cylinders, brake lines, wilwood prop valve, WJ brake booster + master upgrade Lighting- Holley retrobright headlights, LED interior B-pillar lights from a blazer, inspired by @schardein. Exterior- New door window trim and guides. Three coats of not-matching dubious quality paint. My best guess: a stock medium-bronze-metallic base coat, Earl Shribe gold paint job on top, then a sprinkling of spray can overhaul as a top coat. Wheel & Tires- Firestone Destination A/T2 A235/75R15 on stock 10 spoke alloys. Misc- I find it amazing that so many parts are still available for the comanche. Yes, there are many non existent parts, but I think the current availability of parts can be attributed to the clone culture in china not giving up on the XJ until the late 2000s. I bet the original warn molds were not destroyed but cloned, hence the incredible variability in part tolerances today. https://www.theautopian.com/wip-a-deep-dive-into-how-china-started-building-bizarre-jeep-cherokee-xj-clones/ Best MJ story- My brother and I went on an unexpected quest on Black friday in 2023 to collect a full-sized EV charger from some questionable folks in New Jersey. His Penske truck rental was canceled last minute and he needed a way to pick up something large and heavy ASAP. The charger was purchased off ebay and the item location fit the bill for an honest and trustworthy New Jersey place of business: a back door used car lot. It was the first time my comanche was driven more than 10 miles round trip after an extensive list of repairs completed. My MJ went from southern NH to central NJ, carried the 750lb of metal and electrons from NJ to Cambridge, MA and returned to southern NH with no sweat. Sadly, the floor pad I installed was too thick near the accelerator and prevented the throttle butterfly from fully opening so the comanche could never accelerate past 55mph. Yes, we were getting passed by Carollas and Prii, but no truck ever looked so good in the right lane and received so many questionable stares. CC is Awesome! Why? ComancheClub has the best folks around! Everyone offers up whatever troubleshooting skills and knowledge they have all while remaining civil. There are not many places like this on the interwebs. The guys on here are walking Jeep almanacs. Some even have the bolt and trim clip part numbers memorized. It's both incredible and spooky.

Beautiful truck. I'm sure it cost plenty. I know Collins Bros were asking a ton for it.

You're going to find so many friends now that you've got a trailer haha

Here is the site with information for the 2025 AMC Homecoming Show in Kenosha. I went in 2022 and thought it was a great time. https://www.visitkenosha.com/events/annual-events/kenosha-homecoming-car-show/ I'm not sure if I will go again in 2025, but I would like to. Probably would just have the Eagle though. And MJs are allowed. They didn't have a problem with my 89 there. In fact, there were several MJs there. In fact, I met @jpnjake and his father there in 2022. Here are some pictures from the 2022 event: