Rooster92

I really like it. That is pretty much what I had in mind. Ill be looking at your write up. Thank you.

Now that you say that, you might be right. There is a lot of crud on the original ones though that make it look thicker than it actually is. It does look longer though.

Honestly... I don't have a clear vision yet. I know that I want to lift it about 3-4" and paint it. I'd also like to get a radio in there.

They are now! Thank you!

Yep, its coming along!

The camper top is awesome. Definitely a bonus.

It was probably the funnest thing I've ever done.

So today I had originally planned to replace the upper control arms. The ones I ordered however did not come with the rubber bushings for the front axle housing. I have to order those separately. I should have done better research. Anyways, I ended up changing the sway bar links instead. Here are the old links. Here are the old ones with the new ones next to it. And now with the new ones installed. I will be ordering the bushings for the upper control arms today. I will also be replacing the track bar sometime this week

Other than a routine maintenance, I did not work on the truck at all. For the first few months I was just driving it around and using it like a truck is supposed to be used. Well, on one long weekend, I took it up to the mountains in north Georgia to go backpacking. I noticed that I was starting to pull to the side a bit and was creaking more than usual. I don't have much hands-on experience with cars so I wanted a professional to look at it. I took it to a mechanic and they told me I needed new upper and lower control arms, track bar, sway bar links, and steering damper. I thought I'd do it on my own. Yesterday I did the lower control arms. My neighbor saw me in the cul-de-sac with my tools and came out to help me. I am still so grateful. It was a great time. Most of the bushings in the front have burst open so this will be my focus for a while. Tomorrow I will be doing the upper arms. Here are the new lower control arms. I got adjustable ones so that I can lift it and not have to replace them again. Here are the old control arms.

So the first thing I did was just clean it as best as I could, inside and out. I also cleaned out the engine bay. The vehicle is actually in great condition. It has just under 100,000 miles. The story is that it was originally owned by an older, retired gentlemen who used it to travel with his wife. Then he passed away and left it to his son, who did not use it. He then sold it to a dealership that specializes in older 4WD vehicles, which is where I got it.

So I saw a Comanche for the first time when I was 17 back in 2009. Even though it was all rusted out and falling apart, It had an immediate effect on me. It was both a jeep, and it was truck. It was everything. Despite how much I wanted it, I did not get it as I was in need of a reliable daily driver, not a project. I never forgot about it though! Well here we are ten years later. Back in the fall I had taken three weeks of leave. There was some travel planned, but the first week was just me hanging out locally. I had been entertaining the idea of getting a project truck so I was spending time searching and seeing what was available in the area. Originally I was thinking of an older Tacoma. One day, however, I just started looking for Comanches. Most were too far or in too bad of shape. I was a bit discouraged but kept looking. The more I thought about getting a Comanche, the more determined I became. Eventually I saw one that was in great condition and for a fair price. It had all the specifications I wanted. The only problem was that it was in Southern California. I live in Georgia. I thought that it was too far, too impractical. Then I realized, I had absolutely nothing planned for a week with some savings in the bank. So I bought a one way ticket, packed a backpack, and went after it! I bought it on the spot and drove it back across the country! It came with the camper shell so I slept in that on the way back to Georgia.

This is great. What do you use to cut the metal bushing?

I have had my MJ for a few months now. It is the 4.0 straight 6 with 4WD. I have only done regular maintenance jobs on it, no major modifications or repairs. I am not very experienced working on vehicles but I have done minor jobs and helped friends over the years. Lately the steering has been off and will pull to the right when I brake hard. I suspected a warped rotor, but took it to a mechanic for an alignment and to inspect and to inspect the brakes. He said the brakes were fine but recommended I change the following parts: upper control arms lower control arm bushings sway bar links steering damper track bar So I was looking online to buy the parts but saw a large difference in price between sites. Rockauto.com had good prices, mostly from a manufacturer called MOOG. On the site 4WD.com the prices were much more expensive. All considered it was the difference between $350 and $850. I do not want to go cheap on parts, but I also do not want to spend hundreds of extra dollars if its not necessary. Are the MOOG parts worth it or will they go bad on me? On another note, I read on here that anything more than a 2" lift will turn into a money pit. I do like the look of a lifted truck though, so I am thinking I want to do the 2". The tires are pretty large too and will rub against the well when I turn too tightly. I want to give them some extra room. Is now the time to do that since I am replacing these parts anyway? Any advice or recommendations are greatly appreciated!