89 MJ

Taken from my college campus. This is looking east in Tucson, AZ. Still a tiny bit of snow up there, even though today was 78.

I really should get one of my rigs down here.

Check out @boxyjeep’s website or post in the vendors section. He makes speaker brackets for 6.5” speakers that fit with the b pillar trim for a very reasonable price, imho. I’m planning on getting a set from him whenever I get around to putting a radio and speakers in my truck.

So is it dieseling? My car occasionally has the same issue and it’s because I’ve got quite a bit of timing in it. Of course, that’s with a stock 258 with a carb and you’ve got fuel injection.

If I ever build a performance 4.0, I’d probably get my 0630 cylinder head (basically the same as a 7120 head found on 91-95 Jeeps) ported and LS valves installed. I’d also run a set of adjustable 1.7 ratio roller rockers. If I needed to buy a head, I’d probably do a ported Edelbrock.

Excellent, glad to hear it’s working out!

What's the word? Did the pan swap turn out okay?

March 2024 - The Heartbreaker Owned by @brucecooner Year/Model - 1988 - Pioneer Drivetrain- 4.0 hitched to a Peugot BA 10/5 and NP231. I'm gathering info and sources for the stuff to swap to an AX15. Cooling- A previous owner put a great big aluminum radiator in it, but otherwise stock. Electrical/Ignition- Nothing special, but it looks like a previous owner upgraded a few wires here and there. They might have read some of cruiser's writings, I've noticed someone added an extra ground strap from the block to the firewall. Suspension/Steering- Front is standard Dana30, with a Dana44 in the back. I did recently spend a bunch of money replacing just about every part of the steering system and it finally no longer leaks power steering fluid all over the driveway. I like it like it is, but if I'm being honest few things turn my head like a lifted Comanche, and long term if I can swing it I hope to raise this guy a little bit. Interior- Stock, remarkably well preserved though. The original radio still works, though I plan on upgrading that at some point. I'm thinking of swapping out the old bench for some buckets, but that's pretty far down the list. Brakes- Standard stoppers. Discs front, drum rears. Replacing a leaky booster led me to find that the hard lines were severely rusted inside, and a months long brake job ensured in which I replaced most of the hardware and most of the hard lines. Lighting- Plain old halogens. I want to get a set of the Oracle aftermarket taillights though. What's the point of owning a Jeep if you're not buying pointless expensive stuff for it? Exterior- This one came in charcoal, which I've never seen on another Comanche, hence its original name of "Gray Dog". I've since given it another moniker though (see below). The clearcoat has been steadily flaking away since I bought it. And the trim strips are slowly peeling off, though I plan to address that soon. I love shiny Comanches, but I like trucks with patina too, so will probably leave it rough around the edges. Wheel & Tires- A previous owner upgraded to the "fancy" period Jeep alloy wheels wrapped in about 28 inch road tires. They look nice and she rides great, but I hope to get something more rugged looking under the corners at some point. It did have the original steelies in the back when I bought it too. Misc- I love the look of old XJ's, but I'm a truck guy. My previous truck was a beloved '99 Ranger 2WD that served me well (may it rest in peace), and took me to some out of the way places. But I wanted to travel some rougher roads and since I do need to haul stuff occasionally, an MJ was what I wanted. I had to watch the local classifieds for a while before this one came up with the options I wanted (4.0 and 4x4). It was in great shape considering its age when I bought it. It looked to have been pretty well maintained, and the test drive showed no major issues apart from weak brakes. I got it thinking I'd be wheeling in no time but the Jeep had other ideas. The list of stuff to address expanded in a hurry, thus I nicknamed it "The Heartbreaker". It's emptied a few of my pockets and led to a few expletives, but it's doing okay now. It's not daily driven because I don't have to drive every day, but it gets me around town and it's fun to drive. The last major obstacle to getting it out on some trails is that French transmission, but after that's swapped out I am heading straight for some mountains. Best MJ story- The first Jeep wave I got was from a guy in a Honda Civic. My best reaction however was when I was crossing a parking lot with a friend in the passenger seat. A young man in a Tacoma leaned out of his window to gawk at the Heartbreaker, and gave an audible "wowwwww" as we passed. My friend got a huge kick out of it, but I told him reactions are rare. I like that they're kind of a stealthy classic that goes largely unnoticed. CC is Awesome! Why? Because it's an awesome community for people needing answers and support keeping awesome old trucks on the road. Goodness knows mine would still just be decorating my driveway without all the help I've gotten here! Some pictures... My fave picture of it so far, from a drive down to Rainbow Valley for some long distance views. This one was taken during my months long brake job, when it was purely driveway decoration. I can tell because the rear wheel is chocked. If you're going to own an old truck that never leaves the driveway, it should at least be one you enjoy looking at. Getting back to the parking lot after a sunset hike, got a shot silhouetted against the city lights.

I caught that and edified it

Sounds like you had a rough go of it. The bumper turned out great though!

That's what I like to hear! Do it once and never need to do it again.

When you get to it, make sure you get it down to bare metal to really be sure to stop it. There will probably be a lot more rust behind the seam sealer so be prepared for that.

Old boat trailers make for terrific utility trailers! My Eagle was towing it, so sorry for the photobomb, but here is ours full of rocks. It is probably our most used trailer that we have. Yours looks considerably larger than ours, but I'm sure it will be great to have.

4.0s do not have a provision for a mechanical fuel pump. What are you going to do for a fuel pump if you ditch the electric? It would likely have to be another electric one that's lower pressure.

It looks pretty decent for a starting point. I’m sure you know this, but the windshield frames are hard to find since a lot of them rusted out. Looks like there should be plenty of extra parts around.

Maybe an issue with your ISA. How clean is your throttle body?

I am going to stay with smaller tires. My dad had a YJ with a 5.3, NV3500, 4.10s, and 35s. That thing wheeled really well and would happily run down the interstate at 70+ no problem. Even on road, there was no point where my Comanche would have even been comparable to it in terms of power and acceleration, even though I had smaller tires and we both had 4.10s. To be completely honest, it has my considering doing a LS YJ on 31s to use for school or putting an LS in my Eagle to use at school just because it has been better than the 4.0 in every single way.

I’m with everyone else. My CAD is deleted and even with my hearing, my best tank of gas was 20 mpg running 70-75mph. Plus it’s shaped like a brick, you’re not going to get great gas mileage either way

Is gearing and power an option? I’ve got 4.10s in my truck with a 4.0, AX15, and 31s. A lot less gear and a lot less tire than you have. It wheels well enough for what I do, but I still don’t think it hangs with traffic well and I’m considering an LS swap for it.

I didn’t even look lol. I’m sure they’re a fortune

I put Yukon parts in my Eagle. I don't have too many miles on them, but I have been very happy with them, for what its worth.

From the Steve Morris Racing channel on YT. Of course, this is working with bias ply drag slicks, but him talking about the height and width difference of a tire depending on wheel width was interesting and is likely applicable to our more normal vehicles.

Seemed to do great. My dad has been using it under customer cars for his restoration shop for over 15 years (hits the bottom sides of the floors and inside the fenders with the product), it was inside his YJ, and its in the bed of my MJ. It seems to handle heat very well. I haven't seen it fail yet.

Thank you! It's a long term project, but a fun one

Over the summer, I was able to find another hood for the truck, along with a windshield frame, which I needed. There is a slight issue with the hood, though. This hood is for a 41-46. I need a 39-40 hood. The difference is is the front where the top grille bar is on a 39-40, there is the bottom of the hood. The hood sides are also different. Thankfully, I should be able to trim the front of the hood to work with my grille and I have other hood sides. It’s a shame to modify this hood, but I never found anyone interested in trading this hood for a 39-40 hood