Brusselsprout420

Thanks. It made removal an easy 1 man job. I also put so scrap 1x2 cleats at the end of each 2x4 to catch the lip of the bed. I didn't want to risk it shifting and sliding off.

I've finally caught up on non-Jeep projects, so now I can focus on the MJ a little more. After a thorough inspection, I realized the frame was way worse than I anticipated. So I got a sheet of 10ga steel and went to town. Basically I'm working one section at a time until the frame is replaced. Pretty much from the froward leaf spring mount, to the factory front upper control arm mounts is toast or needs attention... On both sides. I started with the side that's in way worse condition.

I know it's been a LONG time since I've given an update. Mainly because I haven't been able to touch my project. Long story short, I had some SEVERE health issues which nearly killed me. I ended up on VERY light duty for almost an entire year. On my very best days, the most work I could do an a vehicle was an oil change. Then I got distracted with a different major project... Building a polebarn to make working on all my projects easier. Finally, last week I rolled the MJ into the new shop and began working on it again... Only to find I need to do substantial frame repair before anything else.

The 4-link has arrived! Build by CFM Industries LLC. 2" x 0.25" lowers, 1.75" x 0.120" uppers. The cross member is 1/4" and 3/16" plate with a removable center section. Sent from my ONEPLUS A6003 using Tapatalk

Update: the stars finally aligned for me to make some progress on the sliders. My welds are far from perfect, but I think they should hold. Really pleased with the results considering the 2x6 was salvaged from my XJ, and everything else was either from the sliders the truck came with, or scrap I had laying around. The ground clearance gain is substantial and I personally love this look way better. Now to do the other side. Sent from my ONEPLUS A6003 using Tapatalk

Wow. Thanks for the fast reply! So cool to find all this out.

1988 Jeep Comanche. Bought it as a caged shell. Plan to make it street legal again. I know literally nothing about what it came with since everything is gone. Used to belong to BlueXj who had it all done up nice nice 10+ years ago.

OK, let me start off by saying this is my area of expertise and my professional career. I am THE North American technical sales rep for a major plastics manufacturer who supplies automotive molding resins globally. We've been supplying molding resins to the automotive industry for decades. I have to be careful about what I say, but let's leave it at it's easier to count the taillights that aren't made using our products. I'll have to double check, but there is a very strong likelihood that we supplied the OG material back in the day (lens only). My background is injection molding and part design. I'd be more than happy to consult with anyone who is taking a serious look at doing re-pops/service parts. Whether it be about materials selection (there are many with varying degree's of toughness), part design, where/how to have molds made, and contract shops who could do the molding. I won't make promises, but I might be able to pull a few strings at various points to make the process easier and/or reduce costs. I won't lie; doing this the "right way" will be very costly and won't guarantee low cost parts to consumers. Still, even someone wants do a "home brew" in their garage, I'd be happy to share what knowledge I can with seriously builders.

I can't buy either, but I'd vote for 10ga. 3/16" will take some very skilled welding given the bigger difference in metal thickness from stiffener to frame metal. I've researched the topic a lot and it seems like thinner is better. The added weight and welding challenge doesn't out weigh a minimal gain in strength. Grant it, it depends on what the end user's goals are where 3/16" might be needed for a more extreme build. MY opinion is that 10 or even 12ga is sufficient to reduce flex and tied armor into.

Lol OK. Good to know. Probably why no one is talking about them.

I just learned of Z&M and I can't find much online reviewing their MJ parts. Does anyone have experience with these? http://stores.zmjeeps.com/bed-side-mj-comanche/ http://stores.zmjeeps.com/rocker-panel-mj-comanche-rh-extended-length/

My wife and I absolutely love Monstaliner. We did the interior (gray), and exterior. As with any paint job, it's all about prep. I put about 80 man hours into just prep interior/exterior combined. It's going on 3 years old and still looks exactly like the day it dried, and it's lived outdoors that entire time. It's an excellent product to work with, you just have to take your time and plan it all out. A quick slap job will yield poor results, peeling, and a mess. I'm not going to say it's the best product out there because every product has pros/cons. Yes, it can hide bad body work, but it also means it'll hide minor imperfections that a traditional spray job would highlight, so you don't have to put weeks of body work into for a perfect surface. We also really like that it's not heavily textured like other products. 1, it doesn't hold dirt because there isn't a deep texture to do so, and 2, the interior is not rough on bare feet nor is it slippery. Plus now they have 68 off the shelf colors. Realistically, you can paint a whole Jeep inside and out and completely change the look of a vehicle for <$300 with a tough as nails and UV stable product. I'll be doing my MJ in it for sure, and my vintage garden tractor.

Small update. Since I can't use the GM axle that came with the MJ, and the axle I need is under my XJ, I decided to buy a cheapo axle to make the MJ a roller so I can at least move both vehicles around my property. I found this 2wd WJ front axle on FB for $50! Came complete with the steering box, steering links, knuckles, calipers, brackets, hubs, and other some crap I don't need/want. I really only wanted the axle, but now I can do the WJ knuckle swap! The seller said he was parting out the Jeep because of an electrical issue, so fingers crossed most of this stuff is usable/not worn out. Though the rotors look to be about toast. I Feel like I basically stole the thing for what I'll get out of it. Sent from my ONEPLUS A6003 using Tapatalk

I have no idea either lol. If I can't squeeze the dash in, then I'm not opposed to fabbing a custom one. Honestly I'm on the fence about just doing that from the get go. Oddly a motivating factor is being able to bury speakers in a custom dash so they are out of the doors. Better for protection and the ability to run doorless and still have music. The rust is a good question. I poked around quite a bit under the whole truck it's surprisingly clean to me. I'm not pro-welder but I'm pretty comfortable will sheet metal. So welding in new corners/rockers, even if it's not a factory piece, isn't out of the question. I have to be careful with what I say because I don't know who did what, but there are some sheet metal areas on the fenders that will bug me if I don't redo them. The firewall also needs a new heater core section patched in. I suspect that was done to make room for a V8. I thought the "weld" would be seal sealer or something, but to my surprise a magnet stuck to it. So that's gotta go, because in MI we need heaters lol. Also, someone for some reason cut the front fender off of the frame side and cut halfway though the bar about 6" over. Either way, I'm looking at a few weekends of metal work before anything else. Chances are I'll get everything looking good from 20 feet, then monstaliner it before swapping over parts. Similarly, the bed corners are a bit crusty. I'm thinking of buying Dirt Bound Offroad's MJ long bed armor pieces as a patch...then some how running tube/plate from the bottom of the tube fender to the bumper. I've never seen anything done like that before, but I figure if I can pull it off it'll protect the bed AND act as a boatside/slider of sorts. Long Butt problems.

And so begins another vehicle build. I bought my 96' 2 door Xj when I was 15 (1st car), not knowing anything about Jeeps or off roading. Soon there after I learned what a Comanche was, and ever since I've dreamed of having one. Fast forward 13 years and the stars finally aligned. So why Cu in the Jungle? Well, I spent my teens and early 20's building my emerald green XJ and somehow copper spray paint became my accent color. I always wanted an Orange Mj, but a few years ago we did Orange Monstaliner on my wife's Tj and she informed me orange is now off limits (whoops). After learning the history of this particular Mj, I felt it was only right to keep it green (Jungle Love Monstaliner) with the additions of my copper (Cu) accents, because who doesn't love science jokes. Speaking of this Mj's history... A buddy of mine actually sent me the FB market place post, I had just gotten my tax return, and now it's mine. As with any FB sale, I did a bit of digging to verify the seller was a real person and found their build thread...which lead eventually lead me to the original owner's build thread. Some of you may remember this rig when BlueXJ built it 15 years or so ago. Sadly in it's current state it's barely recognizable compared to what it once was. The mind blowing part to me, and why this build is special to me is that I actually remember being a teenager and drooling over this build and thinking "one day I'll get there". It's easy to argue this exact truck is what fueled my dreams. Unfortunately this truck needs EVERYTHING. I basically bought it as a caged body with useless (to me) axles. The good news, and the other part of why this build means so much to me is that I have almost everything it needs. Sadly my XJ is doomed for the scrap heap. The rust got so bad that I needed to take action. I cut out a ton of metal and then learned my company was transferring us from southeast Pennsylvania to Michigan. The process took 2 years and by that point she was too far gone to save. Fortunately I convinced them to ship 1 more vehicle across the country on company dime hehe. I'll use my Xj as a donor for the interior, drivetrain, and as many extras as possible. I know I tend to be overly sentimental with my vehicles, but it means so much to me that I'll be able to carry over so much from my 1st vehicle into my dream truck. So here is a list of what I have that'll get swapped over: - 96' H.O 4.0 inline 6 with onboard air (AC compressor mod) - Aw4 trans - NP231 xfer case with full SYE - HP dana 30 with HD Yukon carrier and 4.11s - Police package Dana 35 with HD Yukon carrier, 4.11s, lunch box locker, BDS diff guard, and 30 spline chromoly shafts. I know it's a turdy five BUT, while working at a speed shop in college, a customer offered it to me as described with only 2000 miles on it all for $100. I couldn't say no on my budget. I plan on adding a truss to it. - IRO OTK cross over steering - JKS adjustable track bar - Dirtbound Offroad DIY winch bumper with hoop - Smittybilt X2O 8000ln winch w/ Quadratec Synthetic line -35x12.50R15 Dunlop Mud Rovers - My XJ dash, seats, and interior My final goals/plans are: - 35x12.50xR15s - 3-4.5" lift. The previous owner put new 4.5" rusty's leafs in it, and included new Rusty's 4.5" coils. I don't want to change the current tube fenders, so if I can clear 35's at 3" I'll be thrilled, if not I'll go to 4.5". I'm all about Squatty LCOG Jeeps. - CavFab 3 Alpha 3-Link - Tom Woods drive shafts - Jungle Love Monstaliner - Chassis saver under carriage - Some flavor of Monstaliner interior - Shocks (most likely Bilsteins) - Will eventually redo the steering and track bar setup Here are some more pictures of getting her home (200 miles round trip) The previous owner had only tack welded a new front suspension on. During loading, every tack broke and the axle came completely free. Luckily they had a skid steer to lift the front and walk in on the trailer. The ice covered and sloped driveway made it fun. The 10 degree Michigan weather and wind made it extra fun. The axle was trapped under the truck and I didn't have any equipment to lift it, so I had to drag it off the trailer with the TJ. Took nearly 4 hours of inching because I couldn't get the wheels straight. So it was move forward 2 inches, then re position the TJ, yank it sideways, repeat about 50 times. The best part is that my winch solenoid quit half way off the trailer. Luckily my friend who sent me the posting and helped me retrieve it was in town and brought his Jeep/winch over to finish the job. On jack stands and roughly where she will sit. Rear bumper is solid and staying. Fortunately it came with something I like because my XJ rear bumper rotted out beyond use or repair. The cage was a huge factor in buying this truck. I knew i was going to need one, but I don't have a tube bender or the welding skills to SAFELY do it myself. Well, that's all I have for now. I probably won't be doing much work or posting in the next few months. I'm going to use the last bit of winter to stay warm, pinch my pennies, stock pile parts, and formulate a plan for spring.