JZLAJeep

Buckets in my XJ and my other XJ...

Don't know how much this will help you, but my 18 year old modified and simplified the Peugeot transfer case linkage to work with the AX-15 after swap. The handle and bracket were retained inside.

Won't be me that talks you out of it. I like the Comanche bench for the same reason.

Ya maybe. The Comanche has be repainted once. Looks like that dent in the bed has been there since before the repainting because it does have some Bondo on it. Don't know why they didn't fix the dent then.

Thanks for all of the advice on this thread so far. Quick update: The guy with the carpet and wheels also found a long bed spare tire winch so we are definitely going to pick that up if it works. He wants $20 for the winch. Going to look at the carpet Saturday morning. Will take a good look at the "phone dial" wheels and maybe offer $100 (he wants $125). @gogmorgo you are correct that the tires on them are no good and will need to be taken off. Normally I don't really care what wheels look like, but matching wheels would be nice, and if we can pick up some vintage Jeep wheels, then all the better. I'll post an update on what we end up with. Not that I need another one, but we are also going to look at the 99 Cherokee Classic that he is selling for his business partner. If purchased, the dilemma then will be which Cherokee to sell. I have a colleague that wants to sell me their 86 CJ-7 too. Too many good Jeeps, not enough money (or parking spaces)! But I digress... Badge adhesive - @gogmorgo is this the 3M adhesive foam you are talking about? https://tinyurl.com/2p8j6bum Dash cover - only one response on this (thanks @Pete M) I am finding 3 options in Dark Blue. Any experience with any of these? Rock Auto is the cheapest, but probably comparable after shipping. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008HMU63O/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_7?smid=A1BQE2BYBLOJ52&psc=1 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0087ZR8O6/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_8?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1 https://tinyurl.com/43jyjhpz Jack - Interesting to get the opinions and experiences on jacks. I've heard some people say to throw away all scissor jacks and @armyvet25 says he prefers them. So I don't know... I'd just feel better about having a jack of some sort in each vehicle for that roadside flat. I do want something that will fit behind the seat of the Comanche or under the back seat of the Cherokee. I see ebay does have some factory jacks, and I've never had an issue with the one factory jack that I do have. Or I could pick up a couple hydraulic bottle jacks, but like @gogmorgo said, if the hydraulic fluid leaks out, then it doesn't work, whereas a screw jack still does. I guess at the end of the day, I'm looking for something that will fit in the vehicles, is cheap, and will work.

Update on this topic. Got the new windshield yesterday. I asked for and Safelite did put on the rubber gasket around the windshield. I asked them to save the aluminum trim pieces for me so I still have those. $291 out the door. Ordered a new rear-view mirror that will be here this weekend. My 1 year old enjoyed going with me and getting his first ride in the Comanche. Nice to have glass that isn't broken.

You've already got the best drivetrain. Keep it.

Hmm... Our bed is bent in several inches under and in front of the gas cover. May have to look into this. We were figuring that eventually we'd sacrifice a Cherokee door to make a patch. By the way, the hanging trim is not a flaw, it's a feature.

Please forgive my ignorance in asking this dumb question, but what is this? Are these vinyl trim pieces to run along the bottom of the bed?

While the mechanics (my sons) work on the difficult stuff, they let me tinker with little stuff. I’m seeking feedback from the collective knowledge of the group on a few odds and ends. Keep in mind that our criteria for repairs is that they should match the rest of the Comanche, we aren’t making it showroom quality. Carpet – Found a guy locally that has carpet he pulled out of his Comanche that he’ll let go for $75. I haven’t seen the carpet yet, but he says it’s in decent condition. Color is grey, which will be neutral enough with the dark blue interior (we made the headliner grey after all). We removed the dark blue carpet (still in the garage) because mice had eaten a couple holes in it, it was stained, etc. Until now we’ve been planning to put in non-molded vinyl flooring from Army Surplus. I still like the idea of the non-carpet floor, but it may be a challenge to get it to lay decently (Pete already advised against it), or should we take the carpet and go with it? Is $75 a reasonable price for used Comanche carpet? Wheels – We discovered that our Comanche has three different 15 inch wheels on it, one of which is a Ford wheel that doesn’t come off except with a sledge hammer. Not great. Same guy selling the carpet will let a set of (I don’t know the official term) “drilled” Jeep wheels go for $125. I like these retro wheels and we are ok with keeping 15 inch, 5x4.5 wheels. Deal or no deal? (Picture from the internet, not actual) Badges – Need to reattach a couple badges. I assume we need to remove the old foam off of the badge and the vehicle, but how is the best way to reattach? Do we need a new double sided foam adhesive or stick it back on with automotive adhesive or what? Dash cover – The dash is cracked and sunburnt. I’ve read the threads about refreshing the dash, but seems like the 1980s solution for the 1989 pickup is a dash mat/cover. It appears that there are a couple brands out there on Rock Auto and Amazon. Have any experience or recommendations? Looking for Dark blue by the way. Jack - The Comanche (and one of our Cherokees) had no jack when we got them. What's a desirable replacement? Probably other stuff on the to do list too, but these are what I’m remembering at the moment.

With the previously installed AX-15 and transfer case, oldest son also fabricated a simplified transfer case linkage from the old Peugeot linkage on our Christmas break garage session.

We trailered the Comanche to Diesel mechanic brother-in-law's shop about 300 miles away to work in his warm and lit shop during the week between Christmas and New Year. Between me and my three teenage sons we got a lot accomplished, not the least of which was getting it running reliably again (see here). Will try to report on other tasks later, but for now, wanted to report on the bumper and trailer hitch fabrication. When we got it, the Comanche had a rear "bumper" of a 2x4 steel tube welded between the sides of the bed, but we wanted a real bumper. We picked up a mostly straight chrome bumper from a 1st generation Dodge Dakota (with sheep on top) out of a junk yard. Also had a old Ford Bronco trailer hitch laying around that wasn't needed after oldest son found a better hitch for his 95 F-150. So we loaded these in the bed of the Comanche and trailered it. Oldest son borrowed BIL's saws-all and cut the steel tube off. Found out later a week later that he broke his toe when he learned the valuable life lesson to keep ones feet out of the way when cutting off heavy steel... We were planning to fabricate some brackets to attach the bumper to the frame, but after some reflection and consultation with BIL, decided to reuse the 2x4 steel tube, weld it perpendicular to the frame, and weld the bumper to it. Then used some scrap C-channel and attached the trailer hitch. Hopefully this annotated photo does the fabrication justice. The bumper should be VERY secure. The trailer hitch, well... let's just say we don't plan to haul anything heavy... Overall we are happy with how it turned out. However the fabrication created two new issues that concern us. 1) Only after we were done did we realize that we may have infringed on the spare tire space. The original winch is broken/gone and the spare rides in the bed for now, so we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. 2) We hope we didn't hinder the ground clearance too much. Combined there is probably 7" less clearance than there was before installing the bumper and hitch. Hope that doesn't bite us later.

I feel your pain. I needed newer tires for our Comanche as the tires that were on it when we got it were completely sun rotten (but still held air after being filled amazingly). 5 new tires (235/75/15) would have been $1200; the Comanche had only cost us $600. I ended up finding four used tires (30/9.5/15 I think...) for $350 mounted and then found another set of four tires and wheels (235/75/15) for $400. With 2 Cherokees and 1 Comanche they'll get used on something... So don't give up yet. They are out there. You may end up going from being tire poor to tire rich like I did.

Thanks @Limeyjeeperthat helps. I've looked at some information online and will continue to do so, but I appreciate the personalized information. If I may ask some follow up questions: What Jeep(s) did you take? Need higher clearance than stock XJ and MJ? Did you use the winch? If so, how many times? How many nights did you camp? Is there any reason not to take the family?

Driving the Canyonlands White Rim Trail in Utah has been on our family's to do list for a handful of years and we think this is the summer to make it happen! Permits for the summer open on February 10 and I'm interested in seeing if there are forum members that have driven the loop that can answer some questions and share any advice from lessons learned. It's my understanding that there is not anything particularly technical about the trail (there are YouTube videos with Chevy Tahoes on the trail), but that it is a 4x4 trail. It's also my understanding that we can take up to three vehicles. We are thinking we will take our 4x4 Comanche (of course right?) for gear and take our stock '95 Cherokee, leave the '94 Cherokee at home, and invite a friend (hard part will be deciding which one) to bring their Jeep. As far as who goes, we would like to make this a family affair and take 7 of us (dad, mom, sons ages 16, 13, and 1, daughter age 5, and baby (mom is due in a month...)). We are a camping family so we aren't particularly concerned here, even with the wide range of ages. For anyone that's driven the trail, do you have any tips about 1) getting a permit, 2) recommended itinerary (# of nights, recommended camping locations, 3) time of year to drive the trail, etc.?

We lucked out and picked up an AX-15 and transfer case for $330 at a local junk yard. 2nd gear is a little sticky until the vehicle warms up, but otherwise it's worked great.

We picked up some TJ take offs (wheels and tires) from the local 4x4 shop for $450. Brought them home and noticed the wheels have "Ford" stamped on them, so not Jeep wheels, but they'll work. Haven't put them on anything yet. So try a 4x4 shop for take offs.

I wonder how my 95 ended up with the rubber gasket then. An early implementation? An "upgrade" made along the way?

Out of my 3 Jeeps, two have aluminum trim pieces around the windshield and one (95 XJ) has a rectangular rubber gasket trim piece. I like the rubber gasket better as it's never fallen off, needed to be taped on at the car wash, etc. Our 89 MJ needs a new windshield and I'm curious if the windshield trim can be "upgraded" to the rubber gasket or whether I need to live with the aluminum windshield trim? If I need to stick with the aluminum windshield trim, does anyone know offhand if windshield replacement technicians will replace the broken clips or if that is beyond what they will normally do. I'm willing to pay the windshield replacement company a few extra dollars to either swap to the rubber gasket or to replace the broken clips for the aluminum trim.

That's an interesting question. I've owned 3 HO XJs (listed in the order purchased 95, 01, 94) and now have my first Renix with the 89 MJ. I would say the Renix seems less peppy than the HOs, but the Renix had to be rescued from a field where it sat for 5+ years, so that may have something to do with it. Haven't driven the 89 MJ enough miles to really compare yet though. I've put 160K+ miles on the 95 XJ since I bought it in 2001 so I have by far the most experience driving it. As an aside, it's been interesting working on these. I'm general I like working on the HO engine better. It may be just out of familiarity, but it does seem like Chrysler made some improvements in making the engine their own. There are some items that are much easier to service on the Renix though. The alternator immediately comes to mind. On the Renix the alternator (GM alternator) can be replaced from the bottom whereas the alternator on the HO (Chrysler alternator and a bigger diameter) has to come out through the top after removing the battery tray. Don't ask how long it took me to figure out that that's how the alternator came out of a HO... As far as the original topic of this thread, I tend to keep my stuff pretty stock and would love to have my hands on your 92 as is. I like the bench seat in my MJ. I like that the bench is a throwback. I can see value in making the conversion to 4x4. Mechanically I wouldn't change a thing to the HO 4.0; don't mess with perfection. Only 1 of my 4 jeeps was an automatic. I don't know that I'd be too excited about installing a clutch pedal and everything that would go along with swapping from auto to standard and would leave the auto alone, but sounds like you know what you are doing so go for it. I do currently own 3 Jeeps with the AX-15 after all.

Finally getting around to registering our Comanche. Tried to get the specs right. 1989 Jeep Comanche Pioneer long-bed 4.0 Renix, originally had Peugeot BA 10/5, Aisin AX-15 after transmission swap, NP231 transfer case, Dana axles, 119.9 inch long-bed wheelbase Build date: 2-89 Current Location: Ada County, Idaho Status: Back on the road after sitting for at least 5 years. Notes: Front and gas tank skid plates. Front bumper off of a 95 Cherokee. Rear bumper off of a 1st generation Dodge Dakota. Sliding rear glass window. Exterior color is white with Pioneer livery. Interior is dark blue with cloth bench seat. Manual transmission floor shift. What else… upgraded wiper arms from a 97+ Cherokee!

Nice of you to bring the MJ to Idaho. The Idaho and Montana border on I-90 from the looks of it.

We dropped the oil pan to replace the oil pump this past summer. Without knowing exactly which video you saw, the answer is probably yes. We ended up disconnecting much of the front suspension to get enough clearance to drop the oil pan. The suspension has to be disconnected to get enough clearance to get the oil pan in and out without hitting the axle in the front and transmission in the back.

Nice! Are you going to use the fleece blanket trick to recover or what are you going to use? One of my visors is mouse eaten from the pickup sitting in a field for 5+ years before we acquired it. We'll likely try to replace both with visors from a junk yard, but may need to recover.

Busy week of Comanche repairs for us. We have had access to a heated pressure washer so my sons wanted to pull out the bench and pressure wash it. We ended up also taking out the carpet and pressure washing it as well. The carpet is not in great shape (two mouse eaten holes, stains, etc.). Since it's out and drying, we are considering replacing the carpet with black 1/4 inch thick, self-adhesive, army surplus vinyl flooring. O The flooring doesn't stretch so I don't know how well it will mold to the floor, but the price is right... My bro-in-law, uses it as flooring in farm trucks. We are ok with a more utilitarian, functional MJ. We keep telling ourselves that the repairs only need to be as good as the rest of the truck. Has anyone gone from carpet to a plastic flooring? If so, did you use a kit or do it yourself like we are considering? Other considerations are that the floor has no significant rust concerns (advantage of living in a dry climate), but the wiring under the carpet has issues. The parking brake is also non existent, so considering removing the parking brake conduit from the cab floor.