Eriko5000

I purchased this MJ back in October, 2021 and should have started this build thread then, to keep up with the progress. I'm late, but am going to try and post what I've done on it, recounting repairs/upgrades in order. I don't have much experience repairing cars, and wanted to pick up a project that I could learn on, and would have a lot of character.. Enter the Jeep Comanche. This truck belonged to a man who passed away, his family stored it in a barn since 2012, sold it in May of last year, to a father/son who got it running to resell. That's where I bought it. 184,000 miles on it, the truck was pretty much stock, but in ROUGH shape. Most of the running lights didn't work (Front blinkers didn't work, no working license plate lights, headlights were old and dim), it was pouring gas out of the fuel sending unit plate (That was a fun surprise after I paid the guy and drove away with it), missing pieces of the body side molding, loose steering column, a pretty significant oil leak, auxiliary lights not wired well (Or working for that matter).. A lot of fixes needed. BUT, for not having been registered and on the road since 2012, I bought her, and drove her 35 miles home in the rain, in the dark, with no issue (Except the gas leaking thing.. that was a "I'm in over my head" moment for sure) Here's what shape it was in, when I first purchased the truck.

That's a strategy I hadn't heard or seen anybody suggest (Putting the jack between the axle and frame), but sounds like an easy approach. Can you do that without lifting the rest of the front end on jack stands? Is there any possibility of breaking the axle, using it as the base for the jack to lift the rest of the front end?

Thanks for the response! I'm planning to go with the ZJ springs. He's selling them for $60, which is cheap enough and I'll hang on to the stock springs. Any idea how expensive shop time would cost if I wanted to pay somebody to swap the springs? Dealing with compressed springs intimidates me a bit, and taking the whole front end to drop the axle enough doesn't sound great either, if I can avoid it.

There might not be any sag.. Pardon any ignorance on my part. Either way, I'm not a fan of such a significant rake between the front and back height. It certainly doesn't help that I've got smaller tires (215/70/15s). I think I'm planning to go with the ZJ springs, and 235/75/15 AT's, then hang on to the stock springs in case I ever want to restore it to stock.

Is the second picture with the ACOS and additional lift? Or just with the lift from the ACOS? It looks super nice! Looking at the ACOS setup, it looks like you've got to saw/cut off part of the coil bump tower though? Was that your experience?

Level would be just for the look, and clearance for a bigger tire (Not putting anything crazy on, just think it'd look better level or close to level). I don't want the front higher. I'd either want it level front to back, or want a slight rake with the bed a little higher! Any recommendations for what springs are best? Thanks for the response!

My '89 MJ's front springs are sagging pretty badly. I'm hoping to upgrade the suspension to level it out as close as I can before putting bigger tires on it, and am trying to figure out the best route to take. I figure there are a couple of options and wanted some opinions on what might be best.. New springs- I've read where the ZJ V8 springs will give an MJ 1-2" of lift (And there's someone local parting out a ZJ V8 who still has the springs). Would that put it level with the rear? Or lift the front where it's slightly higher than the back? What about going with stock XJ springs to eliminate the sag, and no more? Coil spacers- There's somebody on Craigslist who's selling a set of 1.75" spacers for $15 in my area. That'd be a dirt cheap way to get almost two inches of lift from the current setup.. But if my springs are sagging, that feels like just putting off an inevitable upgrade anyways? Helper springs/shocks- My dad (Who's car savvy) recommended looking into helper spring shocks to help remove the sag. I've done some research but haven't found any that are rated to fit an XJ/MJ. Does anybody know if any that would fit? Am I missing any options that would get the job done?? Thanks

I recognize this is probably a foolish question, but my rear bumper has very faded black paint (Pictured). I'd like to restore the bumper to black, to match the rest of the trim on the truck. I would prefer not to pull the bumper off to repaint it if possible. So my question is this: Is it possible to brush paint a metal bumper and get at least decently good quality results? Or is that a non-starter? Thanks!

My fuel sending unit is leaking through the rubber head where the wires run through the plate on the side of the fuel tank, and I don't see a way to repair/seal that piece, so I'm looking to just replace the whole thing. It's an '89 MJ with the 4.0 I6. The previous owner replaced the fuel tank, and fuel pump, but the sending unit itself looks like the original piece. My question is this: Will a sending unit/fuel pump for a 2.8L work for a 4.0L? I've read that they don't make MJ sending units any more, so your only option is to find one off an old MJ, but I found a pump/sending unit online for a 2.8 that looks about identical to the one in my fuel tank. I just don't know if they're actually compatible.. Hoping they are!

Thanks for the response! Where do you find the information on what gear ration the 2wd axle is? That's part of the piece that intimidates me, thinking about trying it myself. There's a lot of details about the job that I'm not familiar with.

I appreciate the advice!! If I decide to go the 4x4 swap route, it would definitely be after deciding "I'm keeping it until it dies." I definitely wouldn't want to put that time and money into it, so tell it because it definitely doesn't sound like it would add enough to the resale value to make up the difference. I'm going to do my very best to avoid salt! I'm in Knoxville, so fortunately we don't get too much winter weather to have to deal with salted roads. She's already got a rusty floor pan, but other than that, the body is clean and solid!

"need" would be for winter weather, and utility of using around the farm.. Not much for off-roading, but I do like the idea of having that ability as well. I haven't decided on keeping or flipping it yet. I like it enough that I could see myself keeping it indefinitely but I'm also still in the window where I could flip it if I needed/wanted to.

I've got an '89 MJ with the 4.0 i6, and AX-15 5-speed manual transmission. Picked it up as a running project truck and it's been a blast to fix up. It's just a 2 wheel drive, and it would be sweet to convert it to 4x4. My question is this: How much would it cost (Rough estimate) to have a shop convert it, and would it be worth it? From everything I've read on the internet, the general consensus for converting a 2wd to 4x4 is either do it yourself (Which is typically more work than it's worth) or sell your 2wd and buy a 4x4. I would lean towards the latter option, but since MJ's are rare and harder to find in good condition, maybe that changes the value of taking on the conversion project with the MJ I've got? I'm not very experienced in mechanical repairs, and doing the conversion myself is way out of range. I'd definitely sooner just live with 2wd, then try to take it on myself. Any thoughts or opinions are appreciated!

I'll PM you! Thanks!

What's the username of the member who makes them?? I'd definitely be willing to reach out and see what kind of wait time he's got on making and sending one out. Thanks!

I just recently picked up an '89 Comanche as a hobby/project truck. It needs a number of things both cosmetic and functionally, but is overall in good condition. I'm super excited to dive into this project! One thing I can't find for the life of me is any place to get a piece of the original body side molding. It's missing one piece on the driver side.. The shortest section, so if I could get ahold of ANY of the pieces, I'd be able to theoretically cut it down to size and make it work. Any ideas where I can pick up pieces of the original side molding? I'm looking through the classifieds but am new enough to this website, that I guess I can't send private messages yet, to try and contact people selling them. Any suggestions would be appreciated!