bad_idea

Interesting looking build. I would like to see the Waggy nose on it (fully assembled from 20' or so back). Can't say I've seen a Waggy nose on a MJ.

Build the 92. Keep the 90 nice. When I bought my 90 XJ it was about worn out - suspension shot, brakes worn out. But the engine was rebuilt w/ less than 45k miles on it. Because of being worn out I only paid $400 for it and drove it home. I then replaced the entire suspension and both axles, let alone the brakes. I think it is ideal to build up a worn out jeep, because all of the worn out parts are the ones you would replace with a lift anyways. Since the 90 is nice, leave it be. Or better yet, 97+ swap the 90, drop it, and supercharge it. Make a nice hot rod out of it.

Moved the bench back. With a ball peen hammer. PO was short, just bought the truck. Wife sat in driver's seat and pulled the lever, I reached under the pass side and pulled that latch (cable wasn't pulling very strong), and I had to whack the seat rail on the pass side to get it to move. Looks like I will need to lube that.

I did that, but it doesn't send me an email when new content is posted in a thread I am subscribed to.

I saw these on a thread recently on Cherokeeforum.com. Not sure if you can make them work with the 8.8 and your MJ. When I did mine (in my 90 XJ) I used the Explorer parking brake cables on the axle and the box that mounts to the frame rail that they mount to. I used the parking brake lever from a 97-01 XJ because I swapped in a late model center console for the cup holders. Very minor mods needed at that point to make it all hook up.

Use two Explorer passenger rear brake hoses. Then you can plumb it just like your old axle. You end up with three hoses on the rear axle. One for each caliper to the axle housing, then one from the axle to the frame. When I bought my 8.8 from my local Pick n Pull I assembled my ideal axle from several vehicles. Found the ratio I wanted with a LSD, pulled fresh brakes from one, another passenger hose from another, and a driveshaft flange from a Ranger. Left the parking brake cable assembled on the axle too, was able to hook them up to my stock Cherokee lever.

Hi All, I am a member of several forums. Love them. Great resource for specific information on a topic. This is a great forum for the Comanches. I am a member of another forum that sends me an email every time someone responds to a thread I am subscribed to. I would like to have that feature here. Does this forum have that option? I'm not too computer savvy, so am having trouble figuring it out. Thanks.

The easiest way to verify your speedo is to pull up the GPS on your phone while driving. Keep in mind your speedo will be off by a percentage, not a constant number. As you go faster it will be off by a higher number.

It's a common flange. I have no idea the length of it, sure google can dig it up. Or a trip to the junk yard.

Use two passenger side hoses for the calipers routed to the stock hose going from axle to body. There are options to use stock brake hoses from other vehicles for the Cherokees. I forget what were the options, but should be easy to do a google search for 'junkyard lift parts xj'. I'm fairly sure a rear hose that fits an XJ should fit an MJ.

Fitting the 8.8 to your driveshaft is easy. Get the adapter flange from a Ranger. It will fit the u-joint on your driveshaft. I have a 8.8 in my Cherokee. I like the axle and know for a fact it is easy to swap in. Assuming you can weld.

I just joined up as I just bought myself a Comanche. Great forum. Thanks Pete for making it happen. Thanks all of you guys for supporting it.

The 8.8 is the axle I would choose. It's a strong axle with good aftermarket support. The Explorers came stock with 3.55s, 3.73s, or 4.10s. All with LSDs. Not sure you would need to replace the driveshaft. I don't believe the pinion length is that much more than the 8.25.

Where are you located? I know a guy who is parting a Comanche out now, it heads to the scrap yard next Saturday. I pulled parts off it Thursday and it still had the parking brake on it. He is in South Mills, NC.

Next question is what tires are you using that you need a 5.13 gear? Are you sure the D30 is a good choice for a tire of that size? The pinion gear has got to be tiny on a set of 5.13 gears in a D30. You may want to upsize your axle choice for any tires over 33s.

If it is a single, who would want that? One shiny new taillight and one dingy 30 y/o one. Would look terrible.

The axle is not going to be a bolt in. MJ is a SUA while the XJ is a SOA. Spacing is also different on the perches.

I'd weld em up if you don't need to remove them. One of the plugs fell out the bottom of the truck the other day when I closed the door. With a big chunk of the floor pan. Guess I'll have to replace the floor pan soon.

Let me preface my statement by saying I have ZERO experience with overlanding or multiple battery setups. BUT, I have an abundance of experience with custom automotive wiring. So, the oil pressure switch will only energize the circuit when the engine is RUNNING. The ignition wire will energize the circuit when the key is in the RUN position. If you were to leave the key in the RUN position to use some accessory that is wired to the ignition circuit, then you could drain both batteries. Basic example comes to mind - wife cleaning the car and has the radio playing with the key in the run position. Kills the batteries (both of them), and you are as stuck as you would be if you only had one battery.

Congrats on the retirement. I keep trying to retire, but my wife cries about bills and mortgage payments.

Well... Lots of traffic on this thread today. To answer the questions about why I need a speedo that reads that high. I plan to build the truck as a street rod/race car/fun toy. Going to drop it 3-4 inches and slap a SBC 350 in it. I plan to have the truck (safely, in controlled environment) over 85 MPH often enough. I guess at a drag strip I don't need a speedo as the track will have the speed listed. But still nice to have. Also, not sure how a speedo will act if you routinely bury it. Will that mess up the cal on it? I'm grown, so I do not plan to run it on public roads over the speed limit by that much.

Interesting sub woofer. Is that specifically for the XJ? Does it mount in the spare tire?

I prefer to keep a stock appearance in the interior. I would rather spend more effort and time to retain a factory look. My goal is to build the Comanche into something that will look like a factory option.

Well, that's no fun. How about swapping the electric speedo from a 91-96 into a Renix? Is it as easy as swapping the speed output from the transmission and speedo, then running a few wires?

I saw the write up for a 120 MPH Speedo for the later years, did they offer a 120 MPH speedo for the Renix years? I did a quick search and came up empty. Thanks all.