ckahl2

Ok, so even though it hasnt stopped snowing since last year, i went out and bought my donor for the 97+ swap this past saturday! It was late, so i didnt get any pictures, but i went over and got some today. I'm very excited to tear into this thing and get this project rolling (only problem is that its still snowing as I'm typing this...)

Just wanted to see how long it took someone to take the parts for a 97+ conversion off of the donor. I have a garage for the time being and since i might actually be able to accomplish harvesting all of my parts i thought i might see if anyone had experience. Thanks in advance!

Bit of an update, Truck is still on hold till it gets a little warmer out and it quits snowing! but i sold the plow setup today and all the money is going towards a donor xj, so soon enough ill have some more motivation to get this thing taken apart!

Just thought this was a unique opportunity that some of you guys would like to check out. The Jeep dealership one town over from me went out of business and they're auctioning off everything from the shop! its open to the public and might be a good time to score some brand new factory parts! Ill try and grab what i can for parts that are becoming more rare but I'm kinda short on fun money (being a senior saving for college sucks!) so check it out if you can! here's the link to the craigslist add, I emailed the auction company and they didnt give me a full list, and its more than whats listed (hoping for comanche parts!) http://boston.craigslist.org/sob/pts/2100246682.html

Unfortunately I have to put the comanche away until after the holidays :( the higher ups (the people who own the house its parked at) want it put away "on the river lot" (essentially out of the way and covered up) so that they have the extra parking space for family and friends. Ill still be collecting parts for the swap, but the big projects probably won't begin for a couple months :(

believe me, i don't expect to be done with this in a weekend, but i figured that i could at least have it running within a month. Am i completely off? Like I said, i have no experience on this level, just looking for some guidance :cheers:

ok, so ive gotten to the point in my project where i need to take the engine, trans, and transfer case out of my truck. I've never done this before, so i have no idea what to do, or where to go. I also made a stupid mistake and now i realize that i don't have anything to remove the engine either. I'm doing a 4.0 swap from a 97+ donor so everything needs to go, and the 4.0 has to be put back in really soon so i can move it to a new spot for the holidays. Any advice anyone has would be great, or if someone wanted to come out and help me that'd be fantastic also! Oh, almost forgot, the engine I'm taking out is the GM 2.8, again Thanks!

It was for the most part very simple, ive never taken the dash off of a car before and the hardest part (at least on my truck) was getting the gauge cluster off. For some reason, nothing wanted to unplug, but other than that it was easy! I removed the radio and the heater controls first, then unbolted the steering column from the dash with the two bolts underneath, then I unscrewed the defrost vent (in my case it was so fragile that it actually broke off) and unbolted the dash from the top. The last set of bolts holding my dash in were the two or three bolts on the lower side of the dash. After that i wiggled the dash around enough to pull of everything plugged in behind, then the dash came up really easily and just slid out. I was left with the pile of wires that you see in the last couple pictures, and that was it! Hope that helped!

Happy thanksgiving!! Worked on the comanche a little, took the dash off only to realize i need to remove the engine to be able to get at the heater box bolts :wall: :doh: but hey, here are some pictures with the dash removed: Thanks for the encouragement! This should be an interesting project as i don't have any way to get the engine/trans out :wall: but i think it should be fun! And as far as not going SOA, what would you suggest so that i can get a few inches of lift? I'm new to some of the comanche specific things like that, so i just assumed it was the best way to go :D

Hi guys! this is my first project thread here because i just bought me first comanche last week! I'm not completely new to jeeps ('92 wrangler is the DD) but this is my first comanche. Its a 1986 with 163,000 on the GM 2.8 and it came with a plow for the low low price of only $600! When i first brought brought it home i immediately fell in love with it! I posed the question as to what I should do to the truck, and after looking at shelbyluvv's "Onyx" build i decided it would be a TON of fun to swap everything out for 97+. I've never been this deep into a car or truck before so bare with me as i might make some stupid rookie mistakes, but I'm determined to make this work! I'm unsure of the exact specifics of my plan, but I see a full 97+ swap (4.0, body panels, doors, interior, etc.) a D44 in the rear with a D30 in front, SOA axle conversion in the rear, and a lift to match in the front. New wheels and tires (31's?) and a paint job. Should be a moderate build, not a wheeler. Alright, here goes everything! Story behind her name: So i took it for a short ride, the only problem was the radio didn't want to work (makes for a REALLY boring ride in my opinion) so i messed around with it and after about 30 minutes of chasing wires, it lived! I took the truck out again and the radio was playing "Maggie May" by Rod Stewart. Just as soon as the song ended the radio died again, and never came back to life. My only presumption was that she wanted to be called "Maggie" so that's what her name is! I started the deconstruction soon after, so I still haven't heard another song out of the Truck so It only makes sense! And now for the good stuff...PICTURES!!! Before any work began (except radio removal for wiring purposes) Couple things about the truck, the wiring was a little messy, there is not headliner and some panels are missing, the door seals leak slightly (hence the open holes in the floor) the body is dented in multiple places (especially the rear corners) since the Jeep didnt have a bumper on the back for a while. The tailgate is broken and slightly dented, BUT the frame is super solid for a northeast truck, the ridiculous interior lights both work, the current tires have less than 1,000 miles on them, the plow is in great working condition, and the truck is an awesome starting point for what i want to do! Wish me Luck!

yes, please excuse my stupidity, but i was just asking if anyone had a bit more info on 1. a 97+ complete swap, or 2. a gm 3.1 or 3.4 conversion. I was just trying to get a price range that this would all cost me, and wanted to see how hard it is to do either of them. Sometimes i just can't get the right words out :fs1: but and info would be appreciated :cheers: On a side note, if i do the 97+, i know it would be an advantage to have a whole donor cherokee, and i would plan on buying, and stripping one, but i don't have a place to put it (it was hard enough to get a spot for the MJ) so i was wondering how to dispose of the remains of the cherokee? i'd like to be able to just give the rest away to get it out of my way, but i doubt anyone would take it if ive already stripped it, again, thanks in advance!

not too bad of a project, more than i could handle, but well worth the $$ IMHO http://boston.craigslist.org/sob/bar/2071809236.html

that was my original intention, i think you may have missed the part where i mentioned swapping everything out, including the 4.0 etc. My other option was to keep the build more mild and stick with with the older style and a camaro engine, but the original intention for the 97+ swap was ALWAYS to use the 4.0, sorry if i confused you guys! i tend to do that and sometimes even confuse myself! :doh:

and, its a late '86, so i think it's pretty much 4.0 ready, just need the mounts and such (already has the indent in the engine bay, not sure if that helps...)