derf

Yep. That's a sure sign of a starter on it's last legs. Plan on a swap. Soon.

If that's the case, I should get mine done while I can. I have two cores myself. Would you want one or both of them in the deal?

1991 SWB 2WD Comanche 2.5 / AX5 / no t-case / 2wd front axle / Dana 35 / SWB Build date: Unknown (I didn't look yet) Current Location: Denver area Status: Non-running. It's been sitting for years. It's had at least one roll over accident in its life and it has a few other notable indications of damage (rear passenger side bed side, front driver's door, bumper and bed, etc.) Notes: Looks to still be pretty stock. Current owner: Me Plans: Going to get my other MJ trail worthy and then do something with this one. Or I might see if I can just get it running and sell it to someone who wants a project.

1987 Comanche SWB 2WD 4.0 / Peugeot BA10/5 / no t-case / 2wd front axle / D35 rear / Short Build date: Unknown. Sticker was removed or painted over Current Location: Denver area Status: Sitting for years, unknown running condition. Looks to be stock drivetrain. Notes: No notes yet really. The bed is pretty well beat up. Still straight-ish but it definitely took more than one hit and looks worse the closer you get. Collision damage reported in 2012, it's probably been sitting for that long. Current owner: Me. Plans: 4WD conversion. Switch over to AW4, Atlas transfer case, front Dana 44, rear Ford 9", front long arm kit, rear spring over, fenders cut and bump stops to fit 37's.

Looking good. I just helped a buddy do a water pump replacement (the arm up to the viscous heater broke off) and we did all of the rockers and a new timing belt since it was about that time anyway. That's an "interesting" motor to work on.

Yeah, I figure that bed is good for a trail rig. I'll pull the fender flares before I cut the openings for the tires. Someone will want them.

Why does there have to be a point to it?

I'm probably going to end up with a set of aftermarket wheels. Still probably 15" rims because big wheels on old trucks just look... weird. We'll see. I'll probably change my mind a dozen times before I get a chance to get started.

I was looking at 275s for the rear. That seems like a popular width. Thanks everyone for the info.

So I'm running some ideas through my head about building up my 2WD as a fun sporty truck to run around in. To support a V8 swap or other power increase option, I want to have some good size tires in the rear. But how wide can I go before I start sticking out of the wheel well? I know I can tub the rear and put in some pretty massive tires but I don't want to do that much work. And I don't care about actually going to a track and competing. But it would be nice to make some use of the power on the street. So if I pick the right wheel with the right offset to get the rear tire very close to the frame/spring on the inside, how wide can I go before I get out from under the fender flare? Assume for the sake of argument that the tire diameter will stay close to stock. The only change would be the width. Front tires will probably stay at or near stock size because they fit and work just fine. And I'm not trying to turn this into a race truck in any way.

Mountain Off Road makes conversion brackets. https://mountainoffroad.com/collections/wrangler-tj/products/4-0l-straight-6-motor-mounts-97-06-jeep-tj You do have to cut off the original frame horns and weld these new ones on. But it's not difficult work.

That may be true. But a bad steering stabilizer will not cause death wobble. A good one won't fix it. FCA issued a TSB that basically indicated the fix for complaints of death wobble was to replace the steering stabilizer. https://autorepairdenvercolorado.com/repsponse-to-chrysler-fiat-tech-bulletin-on-jeep-death-wobble/

I've been researching this swap for my 87 2wd. There were a couple of changes to the AW4 over the years. 87-90 the AW4 came with a deeper overdrive (0.705:1) but it has a 21 spline output shaft. 91-96 is plug and play compatible. But the overdrive dropped to 0.75:1. The up side is that they went to a stronger 23 spline output shaft. The output speed sensor for 87-96 is the same so it will plug into the computer and work the same. For all intents and purposes the 87-96 are easy to interchange as long as you get the transfer case with the right input spline count to match the transmission. 1997 is a crossover year. They changed the plug on the transmission itself. It is otherwise compatible with the earlier 87-96. Swapping one in is just a matter of splicing a couple of wires to change the plug over. 98-01 they changed the output speed sensor (4 pulses per revolution instead of 1) and added an input speed sensor. The computer was changed to account for this. For any swap, you'll need to hook up the computer. Fortunately, all that entails is swapping the engine bay wiring harness, including the part that fishes through the firewall and plugs into the transmission computer that lives under the dash. My plan, that I'm working on getting parts for this week, involves an engine bay harness from a Renix equipped automatic 4x4 XJ, along with the throttle body and computers. I'm also looking at an AW4 out of a 95 so I get the stronger tail shaft. I'll need to make sure I get the right TV cable (from the throttle body to the transmission) to match my Renix throttle body. And I'm sure I'll need a couple of pieces/parts that I haven't thought of. I could take advantage of the opportunity to swap over to HO fuel injection and just get a 91-95 donor (or deal with OBD2 with a 96-01) and it would still work. But I can keep my costs down if I don't swap much on the engine. And besides, Renix makes plenty of torque where I use it. I don't need a slight boost of top end horsepower that the HO gives me.

I've had death wobble in my JK twice. First was worn ball joints and tie rod ends. Second time was control arm and track bar bushings. Each time I upgraded to better components. I find it laughable that FCA claims a steering stabilizer will fix it. There's a good chance you'll experience death wobble again if you experienced it once. The steering wheel adjustment could have contributed. But it wouldn't be the cause. There are several other things that are probably marginal and they will only get worse over time. The track bar bolt is notorious for hogging out the hole on the axle side bracket. Ball joints are always a contributor, as are tie rod ends.

I've been looking at the R2.8 for a while. I can't do it in my XJ because it's only smog legal through 1999 and my XJ is a 2001. I had looked into it for my J10 pickup but with only just over 300 ft-lbs, it's not enough for what I'm going to do with it. Being based on the ISF series engines, there is a 3.8 liter in the family that would be much better for my J10 as it would be over 400 ft-lbs where I want it. But I haven't heard diddly about Cummins releasing an R3.8. Axis Industries has a bunch of parts available to support the 2.8 swap, especially in Jeeps. They have an adapter that makes it an AMC bolt pattern so your AX-15 or NV3550 will bolt right to it, complete with OEM flywheel (I think). You can bolt an AW4 to it but you have to figure out a way to control it. You have to figure out how to make the throttle by wire work with the mechanical throttle position cable that attaches to the transmission. The CAN bus has all the data you need to control the shift solenoids but I'm not aware of anyone who has programmed a controller to do the work. Yet. They also have brackets to deal with narrow frames like you find in Jeeps and the impact that has on accessory placement. The intercooler, to me, seems like one of the biggest hurdles for the swap. With the wide and short grille on the XJ/MJ, routing the hoses is "difficult". The air box and battery are both in the way. One alternative is an air-to-water intercooler. You can put the radiator out in front but still behind the grille and then run hoses to a heat exchanger under the hood, along with the pump to cycle the antifreeze. With 2 fewer cylinders, you probably have room to fit it somewhere. I'm not sure about the inlet/outlet for the water pump but between the Jeep setup and the available Chevy swap radiators that switch sides, you're probably covered. And you're likely going to work in dual electric fans, probably just have two stock fans side by side. I believe the engine controller can run them just fine (with a relay). I haven't ruled out a 2.8 swap in my MJ project but with all of the other things I want to do, I may just stick with a 4.0 until I have it out on the trails for a while. Conservatively, I estimate that a 2.8 swap with all of the extra stuff you need can't be done for less than $15,000. A $20,000 budget is probably more reasonable. And that's if you keep your AX-15/NV3550.

True. But hood vents or maybe some side vents on the fenders (or both) would be needed. I have several months to plan.

I'm pretty much convinced the silver one will become the trail rig. I had a thought about maybe dropping an LS with a manual transmission into the red one and making it into a fun run-around truck. In the short term though, they will probably sit for most of the winter without anything happening to them.

The red one has a couple of issues with the bed as well. It has been bumped at least once. The bumper is tweaked. The tail light bucket has seen better days. The bed side has been nudged. The driver's rocker panel has been pushed. But at least the dash is intact with a sweet aftermarket cassette player with bass boost!

More pictures to share about what I'm starting with. First off, the silver one. It has very obviously been repainted. There is overspray in a few places and some of the top coat is coming off. Further evidence of a respray is that the tail has had some pretty thick bondo work. That work got exposed after it got hit again. The driver side tail light bucket is not without it's own damage from the last hit as well. The back of the bed has been mushed a bit The tailgate didn't really survive the hit very well either. It's probably something one could fix if they really wanted to but they would have to be very motivated. Chances are I'm just going to keep this bed given the damage and my intended use of the Jeep. I will have to see about finding a good replacement dash pad. It's been chewed on a little... Still in all, it's mostly in decent shape besides these issues. So it's a good starter for a project.

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.