rideordie

Okay, so if I'm understanding correctly I pretty much can't get a column shift and it will have floor mounted? And as it is right now, I have a separate key for my door locks and a different one for my ignition so that really isnt too much of an issue. Is there an aftermarket one that would have a column shift? I don't mind the 4wd being on the floor but would be nice to have the column shift for my build.

Hey guys, I need to swap out my steering column since mine is pretty badly beat up. I have a 1990 MJ 2wd auto, which I am in the process of converting to 4wd auto. I would like the shifter to be on the column as well if possible with tilt. What year XJ's will swap in and is there any good aftermarket options? Thanks in advance :)

As an added bonus, the P/O put about $3k into the mechanical components of the truck and it runs great so I'll be able to sell the truck for a decent amount of money as well to fund the project.

Hey guys, Been quiet lately due to the virus and a lot of my money for this project went towards a house I was flipping so I've been on 'pause' for a bit with it. The project took a change of course slightly. I was having a lot of difficulty trying to figure out how to mount the Sunrader shell up, prepping it for the subfloor, moving it around, working on it in my suburban neighborhood and all that. It was just too big and cumbersome unfortunately. Not to mention how top heavy it would be once mounted up. So I decided to go with a more lightweight, and nimble Chinook! Being able to fit it in my garage is a total game changer. Gonna pull the shell and mount it on my Comanche. Here she is, project will be moving forward with a more appropriate vision.

Super nice one! The factory 4x4's are extremely rare and that one is an excellent, updated example. With the rear axle issue fixed too. I'm (somewhat) in the process of putting a sunrader shell on a comanche but money has been tight with current situaitons :/ here's the build thread for anybody interested:

Me too man, haha Yeah, Want to start making a bit more progress first but I'm almost there. Axle swap should be underway this week. Dana 44 Hp Front / Dana 60 Rear 4:10 gears With that said, I'm looking into suspension options and wanted to get some opinions. Don't want to lift it too much since I want to keep the center of gravity at a reasonable height, but some 31's would be nice 33's at the most. So I'm considering a 3" lift at the front and a 4" lift in the rear so that once the camper is on it will hopefully level itself out nicely. Thoughts?

She's still running and driving amazing and looking beautiful surrounded by all that junk :)

Hey man! Sorry for the late response, as far as the project goes I'm waiting on my buddy who has a shop who will be doing the axle swap for me since he's basically an expert at it. I have all the pieces to put the puzzle together basically just waiting on him atm. Thats rad you have a sunrader too! I'm assuming its a 2wd? What size is it? Yeah I'm pretty fortunate to have found the shortest version with the door on the rear. Those are very rare, I think they only made them for one year? can't hardly find any info on them. But yeah, I'm going to have to do a full subfloor rebuild and lots of fiberglassing so I definitely have my work cut out for me, but I'm hoping to get her going within the month.

In the process of sourcing parts :) I have a AW4 with 70k miles, the drive shafts and Transfer case lined up and will be picking up tomorrow. Now I need some axle suggestions... I was told that a Dana 44 up from and a 9" Rear would be a great set up. I've found quite a bit of both but any recommendations of years I should look for or other rear axles for that matter? the original dually rear on the toyota the camper came off of measured about 66" wide so I'd like to keep a wider stance in the rear for stability but would prefer a non-dually rear. Any and all recommendations welcomed :)

Haha yeah I hear ya...I'd prefer to keep it automatic so I'm guessing the AW4 is the right move. Plus with the price and low miles, that definitely is what I'm leaning towards as of right now.

So as far as the transmission goes, I've sourced 2 AW4's so far, one of which only has 70k miles on it. Is it worth holding out for an AX15?

The original toyota had a stock front axle, don't recall which it was, and the rear had a Dually Rear end, or "Foolie" as it was referred to since there was a major recall on them. Whatever option I decide to go with will be a major upgrade from the original for sure haha. Also need to widen the stance a bit so since I have to swap the front axle anyways, may as well beef it up some

Okay cool, I'll look into that. Yeah I'm not, I'm swapping the front and rear axles with probably a Dana 44 up front and a Ford 9" Rear with a 4:10 Ratio unless anybody has a better suggestion?

Yeah in the process of doing the axle swap to be able to support the camper shell, I'll be re-gearing as well. For the transmission, I need to be looking for an AX-15 correct? Assuming the Cherokee I'm looking at has that Trans, everything else should just swap over accordingly? Anything I should consider upgrading during the swap process?

So I have the parts sourced to do the 4wd swap from a 1995 Cherokee. Can somebody confirm what all I'll be needed and what I may as well go ahead and replace while doing the swap? Thanks again for all the valuable input, you guys have all been super helpful in this process :)

Well, went ahead and scooped up a Comanche and I'm really stoked to get moving on it :) This was just too good of a deal to pass up on and it was right down the road from me. 1990 2wd LWB w/ 139k on the odometer

Thanks for the replies guys much appreciated

Looking for a 4.0 auto otherwise I'd consider that one. Back to the 2wd, I was able to source a rebuilt trans, transfer case and drive shafts for $500. The transmission is out of a '95 cherokee and the Comanche is a '91. That trans should still bolt up correctly right?

Okay so, the struggle to find a solid LWB Comanche continues and I'm looking all over the damn country at this point lol but I had an interesting idea. A really clean 2wd LWB came up locally for a damn good price with low miles. Since I'm going to have to axle swap it anyways for this project, to turn it into a 4wd I essentially (and please, correct me if I'm wrong) just need the transmission, transfer case, and drive shafts? I know it'd be much easier to just get a 4x4 but between how crazy the prices have gotten lately (and they seem to be going higher) and just struggling to find a solid one in general I'm just trying to figure out a solution. Thoughts on this?

Haha yeah good point

Yeah, I guess the hunt continues then. Pretty frustrating how this project has been at a stand still with the difficulty I’ve been having trying to find a Comanche that fits my requirements but I guess that’s how it goes. still very torn about the one I mentioned in my previous post (#1) as it seems like such a good candidate other than it being a short bed.

Bump for more opinions 😊

In a perfect world, yes a long bed has its benefits but I’ve been having such a hard time finding one in my area and just finding a Comanche in my price range that isn’t too far from where I live in general I’ve kind of given up on that idea and willing to extent the frame a bit which I reality could be better overall.

Okay guys need your advice... I have two Comanches lined up and trying to figure out which direction to take. #1 1990 Comanche Short bed 4x4 136k miles Back story: interesting because I looked at this truck when owned by the original owner, was an older guy that just drove it around town. The guy who bought it got into a fender bender and is now selling. Currently not running but I am aware it was fully functional and ran well from when I looked at it in the past. Pros: low miles, stock platform for my build, no rust, cheap Cons: Needs repairs as follows (due to accident)- radiator bracket, radiator, coolant reservoir, belts quarter panel replaced. No ac, body has some damage around the windshield/back window of cab that almost looks like somebody cut off the top of another Comanche and put it on this one due to what looks like from the tailgate damage a tree falling on it? (May cause structural integrity to cab but not too worried about it) a few other minor things. Agreed price: $1750 #2 1988 Comanche Short Bed 4x4 w/ XJ swapped engine/interior (says from a 91 but I believe it is newer than that by the looks of the gauge cluster/power windows/etc.) Much nicer than the other Comanche cosmetically running a driving great and the swap was a quality job. Bigger concerns being mileage unknown, 4x4 not engaging (but he said he didn’t try to figure it out since they never used it for off road use anyways) a/c not installed during swap. Pros: Runs and drives great, many upgrades to steering/suspension, nice paint interior, no rust, very frame/straight body, overall solid truck I can daily drive if wanted, owned by a Jeep guy who has built multiple TJ’s and maintained it well. Cons: Unknown mileage, no ac installed, 4x4 not engaging, a few minor things like power windows being weak, fuel gauge not working. Agreed price: $3,750 So my dilemma- for this build I will have to do an axle swap regardless and possibly upgrade the suspension either way. I’m also not doing the axle swap myself and will be paying somebody to do it right. So the big question - do I save some money and go with #1 or do I spend a bit more and potentially have less headaches with #2? Your advice is greatly appreciated, and thanks so much to everybody who has provided information to get me where I am currently :)

Thanks so much! Super helpful info :)