89MJComanche

Well. I was dropping off some aluminum today and a half decent 4cyl MJ was at the scrap yard waiting to be cut into pieces and dumped into the crusher. It had a good tailgate on it but the guy wanted $50 for the gate and I could not drop that much on it. I did get to pull plastic washer tank and the sliding rear window from the rig because those parts are not metal. It was a 4x4 and I bet you that the D30 front since it was a 4 banger had 410 gear is it but if the tailgate was $50 the axle was gonna cost me $200 based on weight. I thought about going over there tonight to see if it was still there. I hate to see em crushed like that. At least I got to save 2 pieces of it.

Bushwackers were much better when the used to be soft plastic like the regular stock flares. I have a set that are made of that material on my XJ and they have been smashed and popped back out and everything. I also have a set of the new ones in my basement and they stink. They are hard a brittle and they will no doubt crack. I said never ever again. However, I will probably put a set on the just the front of my 89MJ when I finally get around to re-building it, and I have considered a 2 door set for my 87MJ if I were to lift it, to take care of the rotton metal above the flare in the rear where all of the beds rust. It would be an easy fix to cut out the bad metal repair it, and use the bushwacker to cover up the mess. I THINK THEY ARE WAY TO FAWKING OVER PRICED THOUGH

Hey gang. A new Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep website is going to be launched real soon that is going to offer Jeepwarehouse.com style pricing matrix for all three brands. The site will be under 3 domain names. Jeepsalesguy.com Chryslersalesguy.com and Dodgesalesguy.com. The dealerships conglomerate that is launching this site is small, friendly, has awesome service department with many years of experience, is modification friendly for Jeep drivers/owners, and is located about 20 miles outside of Pittsburgh PA. Keep and eye on the websites. Jeepsalesguy.com should be launched very soon.

Where did you guys mount the late model Over Flow tank?

Well, the issue was just with burning through. Between the flux-core, and the thick wire, I couldn't weld the thin sheetmetal but at 1/2 an inch at a time, and as fast as I could move. Thank you for the suggestion though! When you weld sheet metal that is all that you are supposed to do, weld about 1/2 at a time in spaced out sections all the way around and then continue around about 4 times till it is welded in solid. It minimize warping that way,.

Since no one else wanted to estimate for you here goes. Goto a U-Pull it like Harry's U-Pull it in Hazelton PA where you know without a doubt that you are going to find several good XJ's $20 $25 $25 $15 $15 $100 Depends on what kind it is $10 $50 $10 $50 So lets see, add in the incidentals like a radiator and a tranny cooler header panel, bezels, head light buckets, wiring harness, inner fender skirt etc, and you should be around $500 total to fix without paint from U-Pull it.

I'd go for a newer external slave cylinder AX15 instead of that 1990 one.

I have been looking and I can't find one from an 86 that is worth using. I found one with 3.73 and I found several that had the covers removed and were sitting in the mud. It is not as easy as one would like to think to find one...

Sure will.... As soon as I hit are the POWERBALL Jackpot and go pay cash for another one... In the mean time the 95 XJ that I have been driving and wheeling for the past 5 years will have to do. While I appreciate the challenge of driving up and over such obstacles as what is in that photo, I am more interested in using my vehicle to get further into places where I hike, camp, hunt, fish, paddle, etc vs using it as a recreational toy to drive over pointless obstacles. I am not taking anything away from anyone who can build a vehicle to do that, I sure can, and when I was in college I drove up and over everything while learning, but the simple fact of the matter is that I don't have a desire to do that any more. It is sorta pointless unless you are on the Rubicon Trail or something like that. All these ORV parks, what is the point?? Where are you going except in a circle in kinda the attitude that I have now. I am not sure why... So that is why I just want to build an MJ that is capable of handling the things that I am going to throw at it.

don't worry I am not going away. I can't veiw the second video.

If I could come up with a lower mileage unit that was of the non disco type without the hole in the axle tube for the vacume disco I would be interested in a D30 for XJ/MJ for a price close to $125 plus some kind of labor fee for pulling it??

And you live where? I don't live in Cali or Moab or what ever. I can go anyplace that I want to with lockers and 31's... hell I could probably go anyplace that I want to with lockers and 235's

OK Many of you have seen my 87MJ with 50K on it in a few of the photos that I have posted here. Great little MJ. I am about to embark upon a little project to make this thing a very compitent close to stock on a very tight budget. Project Budget is $1000. How to build a good wheeler for $1000. Purchase Price for 1987 MJ with 52,000 origional miles $1400 Several Stages to this project Stage 1 Overheating Problem Radiator Hotline GDI Style Copper Aluminum 3Row $139 shipped Misc Junk Yard Pieces for Open Rad Conversion $5 New Water Pump (from my parts stash) New Thermostat (from my parts stash) New Lower Rad Hose $14 Heater Hoses to replace junctions to old overflow. $8 Total for this part $166 Stage #2 Suspension Upgrade New Rough Country 2" Kit with new coils rear AAL and shocks $127 shipped. New Rough Country Steering Stabilizer $28 shipped New Factory Style OEM Track Bar in drilled out axle hole $58 Total for this part $213 Stage #3 Front Axle Problem (brackets on axle are rotten) Replacement HPD30 with no disco (free from my parts stash) 4.10 gears and OX cable Locker for D30 (Need price info) Gear and locker install fee $150 from local guy Vocational Technical School will install axle for me to save my back Total for this part $150 plus gears and locker Stage #3.5 Ford Explorer 8.8 to match the D30 front with 4.10 gears and disc brakes Complete for $250 Perches $19 Welding of perches and axle install $40 Bracket for Flange Mount Yoke $30 E-brake Cable Kit $59 Total for this part $389 Stage #4 Armor ARB BULL BAR (bought hardly used for $200 a while back NOT INCLUDED IN BUDGET) MJ Factory Tank Skid (Need one badly for LWB MJ anyone??) Fabbed T-Case Skid (Skid Row Copy) $50 worth of metal New Rear Bumper with intergrated hitch reciever $100 at local fab shop. Total for this stage $150 $1068 plus the Ox and gears is not bad for this project. If everything works out as planned I will be running 31x10.50 BFGMTKM's on Wrangler Gamblers with out trimming. If that does not work out I may be running some re-tread 30" tires. I will be picking up the 8.8 and the other stuff in the next few days. Hope to have a real good near stocker when I am finished. Aaron

When you do the patch job... don't use body filler. It will just promote rust behind it. Just cut out the bad area with a sazall the make it square, then cut a sheet metal patch slightly larger than the affected area. Paint everything so that it does not rust (inside and out) and put the patch on with rivets or screws so that you can remove it and recoat the paint or wash out the debri every now and then.

The Jeep next to that silver one, the Red Postal 1, was at a drag strip here in PA last summer. The guy did the 1/4 mile faster than alot of stock mustangs in the postal Jeep. Has like a 327 in it or something

I still have my origional 1989 MJ with 275K on it. It has been sitting in my grandmothers garage for the past 3 years because I don't have a place to keep it safe. I am going to restore it some day like you did to yours. I figure the paint through my body guy who works for cash is gonna cost me around $1000. Anyhow Great looking truck!!!

I like it... I am not crazy about the yellow with the green But it is still cool.

I hear people talk about this stuff all the time. I see people build them on here and JU and other places all the time. I don't understand why?? An MJ with an RE 5.5 Kit, a D44 rear, a built D30 front, and 35" tires is capable of going just about anyplace that any vehicle could possibly go in America. Sure it aint the best mudbogger or the best tire pit rig or what ever but it is easy to build, easy to work on, and there are tons of replacement parts out there for it. If you really want to swap out axles go with other easy to find axles like Ford 8.8 or 9" and or D44 front and rear from Ford or FSJ, or IH D44's I think that the challenge with building a rig, even a trail rig, is simple, but complex. For me it is all about building them so that they can still do 75MPH up hill on the interstate. If they can't do that they what is the point? 99% of the places that you go in America you go on an interstate or offroad. The other 1% that you go off road can be reached with the above said equipment. Otherwise, just build a damn TUBE BUGGY or TRUGGY in this case that just uses the sheet metal off of a Comanche to make it look like a Jeep. You will spend over $50,000 to build one from the ground up unless you are the welder/tube bender/body guy/engine guy etc.

Who has made repairs to a rusty bed skin above the fender flare? Let me see your repairs? Diamond Plate?? Aluminum?? Rivets? Welding? Fusor or other glue? Cutouts from Another Bed? Fiberglass? Bondo?

I got a phone call today from a regional Outdoor Retail Store to inquire about my employment status as they have an Operations Manager position avaliable in a store that is less than 2 miles from the house that I have been living in for the past year in the suburbs of Pittsburgh PA. I have a ten year resume in the Outdoor Industry that spans Professional Ski Patrolling, Ski Area Management and Safety, White Water Operations, White Water Guiding, Fishing Guiding, Outdoor Retail Management at Hudson Trail Outfitters in Washington DC area, Yakima Rack Dawg car rack installation program developement in implimentation, and the online retail sites that I have been running that my company owns that I started about 1 year ago that are making enough money to pay there own bills. I also own the Spray in Liner business that I have hired people to work for me as I don't want to spend 6 hours a day sanding and spraying and getting all that crap in my lungs and hair and under my finger nails. So I am going to goto this interview. Even though deep down in my heart I hate BIG BOX RETAIL because it suffocates the little knowledgeable man who built this industry. Right now for the next six months or year I can use this job as a re-entry to the business after 2 years out of the business. I need the insurance, it is close to my home where I have become fairly comfortable the past year with my living arraingment and other things. Through outstanding leadership of people, and the wealth of knowledge that I could bring to the table if properly compensated. So what do you guys think?? Go with the flow?? Put effort into the interview to really impress the hell out of them?? Or just go about it in a what ever happens kind of way.

IF YOU put the old track bar on it should just pull the axle over to the drivers side a whole bunch. You should be able to drive it to the spring shop if you take it easy.

The closed system is not really that awful bad. But the plastic bottle is hard to find replacement for when it cracks. There are way to many hoses in the system going to the bottle. It is hard to get cool water into the system quickly without a radiator cap It is just a better system in my opinion. As for mixing green and orange... don't DO IT!! You must fully flush out the system with clean water.

Forget the Late Model Used XJ Rad. Call 800 Radiator and get your self part number 1193-3PL. Tell them that you want the same deal as invoice number 70370711. The Radiator lists for $281. They will sell them for $139. No freight charges, and sales tax. I got a new GDI style Copper Aluminum 3 Row for less than $150 shipped to my door. Then you just need to pick up an overflow bottle from a later model chrysler vehicle. I think that it is Chrysler Sebring that fits best on the drivers side of an MJ/XJ for this swap but any vacume style overflow bottle will do. You will also need to delete a hose junction in your heater hose system to get rid of that pressurized POS bottle in your current system. If you run a real good radiator heater core flush kit before you swap out the old rad you could even swap over to DEXCOOL Orange Antifreeze. It cools better in the summer and heats better in the winter than the yellow/green stuff.

Well, Find some one else from down that way an Comanchepool!!

I don't want to run coil spacers. Personal Choice. I had thought about seeing what my LWB Rubicon Front Coils would do to the MJ? The Jeep needs new springs. As for weak links. If you look at what I wanted to replace in the origional list, I am trying to stay as close to stock as possible and just beef up the stuff that I have to repalce anyhow.