derf

I like the idea of having actual bed sides. I'm not opposed to trading the bed to someone who wants to fix it up in exchange for one in worse shape. Although a stake bed may be an interesting option.

Yep. I picked them up yesterday. Both of the beds have damage. The grey one took a hit that took out the tailgate and both tail lights. Probably the bumper as well because it's gone. The red one has one damaged tail light bucket and the tailgate is nowhere to be found. And, as you can see in the pictures, the bumper is tweaked. They both have been sitting for a very long time without running. I may try to get them up and running but I most likely will have to drop the gas tanks and do a thorough clean of the fuel system to really get them in working shape. They're both pretty base models and they do have lots of signs of neglect. The interior of the grey one apparently had a dog that liked to chew on things... The bones are solid though. Almost no rust anywhere. I did start a build thread on these.

Given the damage to both of them at the back ends, it's likely that the tail lights were destroyed instead of sold.

So I have taken my first step into my next Jeep project. This build will start slowly as I have some things to do before I can really get started. But I have started. Today I picked up a pair of Comanches. They are both 2WD short beds. The grey one is a 1987 with the 4.0 and a manual trans. The red one is a 1991 with a 4 cylinder and manual trans. They are both mostly straight and rust free. Both of them have beds that have had a little bit of damage. The long term plan is to take the 87 and build up a dedicated trail rig on 37's. I plan on a rear spring-over with a front long arm on 6" coils or so. I'll add bump stops to keep the tires out of the fenders. It hasn't run in a long time so I need to determine the condition of the 4.0. If it's in decent shape, I'll just get it running. If not, it will be rebuilt or replaced. I'm already planning on swapping out the transmission. I believe it has the Peugeot, and it's 2WD. And that's no good. My plan is to find a donor AW4 from an XJ of the same vintage, along with all of the computer and wiring harness. I'll probably rebuild it at that time. I haven't ruled out swapping in a newer HO fuel injection to replace the Renix. I'm flexible on that. The transfer case will most certainly be an Atlas with a deep low range. As far as axles, I have a few options there. I have thought about a high pinion 44/9" combo from a late 70's Ford. But I haven't ruled out re-purposing the SJ Wagoneer axles I had under another XJ. They're Dana 44's front and rear and the front is already set up for an XJ. I just need to put some gears and a locker back in and I can bolt it right under. The rear 44 concerns me on 37's. It might be enough or it might not. The Comanche isn't too terribly heavy so I may be able to make it work. Or I might find an alternative. One of the things I have to start with is the plan for cutting the fenders. The fenders on both of these are really in pretty good shape. So I probably want to find someone with some beat up/cut up fenders that they would be willing to swap for nice OE fenders in good shape. The rear beds are both damaged though the sides are in good shape. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with those. Of course, no build thread would be good without pictures:

Will do. I'm going to look at the pair today. Though they will sit idle until at least this next spring as I am also working on moving into a new house early in 2020. They're both 2WD, one being a 4 cyl. Depending on exactly the condition, I may part one out or try to do something with both. That's assuming they're in good enough shape. The plan for the trail rig is a long arm in the front with coil overs, a spring over in the rear with a traction bar. Cut the fender and set up bump stops to clear 37's. I'm going to find a donor for a high pinion 44 front and 9" rear. I'm also going to find a donor XJ and transplant the automatic transmission (along with the rest of the wiring harness and other goodies), probably installing a stroker 4.6 at the same time. Though I still haven't ruled out swapping in a Cummins R2.8/4L60E combo depending on if the local emissions referee will bless the swap.

That's a bit of a stretch for me to go get from Colorado. There's a pair of good builder candidates just south of me. I'm going to see about picking them up this weekend. They really are builder candidates. Rough shape but I'd rather start with one of those for a dedicated trail rig than mess up a "nice" one.

I just joined up. Certainly not new to Jeeps. I've had a couple of XJs, a bunch of full size SJs, a CJ and a JK. I'm mostly here to do some research on a project I want to do. Looking to find a short bed MJ to build into a rock crawler and may be picking up one (or two) this weekend. I'm looking towards doing a long arm with coil overs in the front with spring over in the rear to run 37's on some swapped in axles. I'm in the information gathering phase so I'll mostly be lurking instead of asking all the questions everyone has already posted about.