meljr

Nice looking truck. I'm partial to blue interiors and the wheels look great. How was the lift done? -meljr

Is that a Nash Metropolitan in the background? Yes, it's a Metro. I've actually got 4 of them around here and there, including a pretty decent project convertible. -meljr

Maybe I ought to back it off to 3" lift springs. I only plan on running some stock JK Rubi Moabs and Rubi tires. When they were on my JK, they measured 31" on the ground. The JK weighs almost 6,000 lbs, so I expect they will be a little taller under the MJ. I want to avoid cutting the fenders if I don't have to and the rear overhang will probably preclude a lot of the kind of wheeling I do in the JK. No matter how tall it gets, the departure angle will suck if I don't bob the bed or come up with a fairly radical rear slider. The MJ is growing on me, however as I have hardly driven the JK in the three months I've had the Comanche. -meljr

Thanks, the sides are labeled "Stockland", but that is not a brand I am familiar with. It looks to be made for the Comanche as the upper character lines align with the chrome strip above the cab doors and the fit is pretty exact. It seems to be well made with marine fiberglass and doesn't exhibit any warp or distortion. The gel coat is smooth. The hatch door closes and latches solidly and the gas charged lifts still work just fine. I'm pretty happy with it. I'm going to have the truck resprayed the original color and have the inside of the bed and lower cabin linexed. I am wondering if I should paint the topper to match or leave it as is. -meljr

Last week I bought a D44 and Topper from a wrecking yard in a nearby town. They had a 1990 Comanche that was pretty well picked over, but it had a D44 rear end and what looked like a pretty decent camper shell. After a little friendly dickering, we settled on a price of $350 for both and I would come back this morning and pick them up after the yard pulled them for me. That is exactly what happened and the guys in the yard saved the mounting hardware and helped me load everything. The D44 will be the basis of a SOA lift and the camper shell is cleaned up, installed and ready for action. The donor Comanche still has a set of pretty nice tail light lenses, an interesting home built rear bumper with a receiver and an even more interesting aftermarket in dash tach. I am negotiating the purchase of these items, but I you have a need they are at B&R Wrecking in Corvallis, Oregon. The 4.0 and manual transmission is still there also. No idea as to condition of either. The plan is to use TnT u-bolt eliminators for SOA lift with Hell Creek 4.5" lift springs for 6+" of lift in the rear and some yet to be determined lift in the front (also thinking of TnT). Topper on donor Comanche in Wrecking Yard Recent picture of my Comanche before getting Topper: Picking up Topper at Wrecking Yard this morning: All cleaned up with soap, water, 409, a gasket scraper and a lot of elbow grease. It could be my imagination, but I believe the topper is fairly aerodynamic. On the way back from the wrecking yard there is a 2 mile 6% grade that I usually struggle to maintain 55-60 MPH empty, but with the D44 in the back and the Topper installed, it was no problem, even in 5th gear. I'll see if it helps mileage, which hasn't been bad at all. -meljr

Thanks for posting. Someone once told me that cats choose us and on their terms. Some of mine have been great friends also and others, well they probably feel like they are doing me a favor by sticking around and by the way, the cat box need cleaning... -meljr

Too bad you can't post pictures as I have a set of 17" Moabs and stock Rubi tires that were taken off my JK and I would like to see what they look like on a Comanche. On the JK, which is a lot heavier, they measured 31" on the ground. I have been thinking of putting them on the MJ as I really liked them on road and off when they were on the JK. Spacers shouldn't be much of a compromise. -meljr

A friend of a friend works in a local JY that has been south of town here forever. A few days ago, he sent word that a MJ just came in with a D44, so I decided to drop by and take a look. He wasn't there today, but the guy behind the counter was expecting me and knew where to find the Comanche. It was pretty picked over -- someone must have had their way with it before it hit the yard. Front end fenders, grill, header and the radiator were gone as was most of the interior. Renix 4.0 and manual trans were still there and it had a decent camper shell and rear bumper with a hitch receiver. The rear end didn't look like a D44 to me, but I'm hardly an expert. They ended up calling my friend's friend and he said it was indeed a D44, so after a little dickering, I bought it and the camper shell for $350 and will pick them up next Saturday. I should have bought the bumper also, but maybe I'll offer them $50 for it when I go back to pick up the other stuff. Plans are to replace the stock D35 with the D44 converted to SOA using u-bolt eliminators and a set of new leaf springs from Hell Creek. Once I figure out how much lift that gives me in the back, I'll source an appropriate lift from the front. Saw a totaled Grand Cherokee in the yard with a RE lift, but that probably wouldn't work for me. It has some real beefy front control arms, however. -meljr

Those are some nice looking wheels. Since your link took me to the Denver craigslist, I did some searches for Comanches and parts. It was surprising how many hits came up compared to around here and some of the MJs look really nice, albeit pricey. Good luck with your sales, the ads are extremely clear and well written. I learned a thing or two just reading them. -meljr

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000249960771 -meljr

1989 Honda PC-800. The Pacific Coasts are kind of cult bikes that didn't sell all that well when new but are reasonably priced, reliable collectors now. The extensive faring was odd for the time and the price was high. Most people with this kind of money to spend on a new bike at the time bought Harleys instead. The full faring is great for the rainy Pacific Northwest and the built in AM/FM stereo is nice for a 55 mile one way commute. My 2010 Honda Insight Hybrid gets about 5MPG better mileage, however. Go figure. -meljr

1993 Dodge Viper RT/10 Roadster This was a regional SCCA pace car from 93-96 when it was retired in favor of a Viper Coupe. At the time, I was getting a little sponsorship from a local Dodge Dealer for my drag racing operation and was offered a deal on it with a new engine from Arrow Racing. I blew the original rear out grudge racing at Woodburn Dragstrip one evening and have since upgraded to the Super44 used in later production Vipers. Oh yes, when new, the Shelby facility at Las Vegas speedway modified it for pace car duties (special lights, upgraded ducted brakes etc.) and Carroll Shelby personally certified it at 165MPH (a requirement for pace cars) and signed the glove box.

From personal experience, you'd break even on those bets. Here is picture of my JK with a 1,500 lb trailer and about 4,500 lbs of hardwood for around 6,000 lbs. total. I towed this load about 150 miles to deliver the firewood to my Dad for father's day a couple years ago. This included a two fairly steep hills (6% grade for a couple of miles on each) and then some freeway. The JK handled it all, including the grades, at slightly above the speed limit with no problem. The JK does not have a brake controller, but I never needed any assist from the trailer brakes. I have pulled the same trailer with a much lighter load (riding lawnmower) over the same grades recently with my MJ and it would drop from 60MPH at the base in 5th to screaming in 4th to maintain 50MPH at the summit. The MJ feels more powerful off the line, but the JK seems to have a much broader power band that keeps a good supply of torque available at higher RPM. As for MPG, the MJ is a clear winner. I always get better than 20MPG average with the Comanche, but the JK, which started out at 17MPG, never gets more than 14MPG now that it is heavily modified and weighs almost 6,000 lbs wet with driver. -meljr

Price probably worth the parts, seller says engine has a bad rod knock. If my JK wasn't down for a new front axle, I'd think about picking this up myself, but that's not going to happen. http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/cto/2372098944.html -meljr

Actually, I'm not (ashamed of myself). There is a proud tradition that old race cars, er truck in this case, are retired behind the barn and cannibalized as needed until some flatlander with more money than sense pays a small fortune to take it away for a concourse restoration. Collectors have more interest in certain models than others, but a documented race history is a bonus that drives the prices up for the rest of us. Shelby has had at least two major transplants and may be one of the longest living heart transplant survivors. He must be within a year of two of being 100. When he kicks the bucket, all his stuff will take a bump. I have another one of his vehicles that he drove 165 MPH around a speedway and then was gracious enough to autograph my glove box. That one I keep in a garage. Anyway, if you really are outraged, tough sh*t, I don't care. Its dirty from sitting around the farm for the last 15 years but rust free and should clean up well enough to be presentable with some soapy water and elbow grease. The barn episode did it little damage -- just some scratches on the roof near the windshield that add character. I still have most of the original parts or at least the Shelby specific ones except for the 175HP 318 V8 and transmission which are long gone. Who knows, I may even race it again now that is out of the barn. I don't think the 3rd member in the Shelby will stand up to the six pac, let alone a 250HP shot of NOS, so I may swap it into the Comanche (the third member, not the six pac). as its already geared for 4.10 and has a locker. Since you asked, mine is #78 of 1,500. Most were red and about a third are white like mine. I have included pictures I took this afternoon of the dash plaque, serialized ID plate and Shelby Automotive plate on the door sill. I am thinking of using the same or similar dash insert on the Comanche and also a few pictures I took this afternoon at the Oregon State Surplus facility of a couple potential future projects. -meljr Don't think there is much left here: This Sno Cat looks like it could go anywhere

Interestingly enough, I was about to buy a left over 88 Comanche Olympic when I heard Shelby was going to do a limited run of Dakotas, so I bought this one brand new (I had my choice of white or red) and bracket raced it for six years with a fair amount of success. It got to the point that if I went any faster, I would have to cut it up and install a cage, so I just bought a 63 Plymouth Fury, put a 440 in it and put the Dakota in the barn where it sat for the last 15 years. I still have the Fury, it is on it's third 440, the first one is in the fiberglass Austin Healey in the background. That is a scary ride. -meljr

My old Shelby Dodge Dakota pickup fell under hard times and my barn when this pa...st winter's storms had their way with the old structure. Can the little Comanche save the old racer?

Oh man, I feel for you. Glad you are OK and sorry about the MJ -- it was one of my favorite builds. -meljr

There is a new Jeep dealer who calls himself "Postal Pete" (I'm not making this up) and sells new and used RHD JKs. He also mods them and offers a shelf like you describe: large picture can be found here --> http://www.postalpete.com/images/p4290011.jpg They carry over 150 RHD Jeeps in stock and offer quite a few accessories for mail carriers. You can call Pete at 815-777-1777 and their website is http://www.postalpete.com . I don't know where they are located offhand, but it is in the Central time zone. He may be able to advise you how to deal with the airbag situation. -mel

I really have to complement you on your Comanche and fabrication skills. Not so much desert here in Western Oregon, especially with all the rain this year, but I have learned quite a bit from your build description and pictures. Thanks for sharing. -meljr

Hey, I realize this is off topic, but the JK D44s are no stronger than the JK D30s where mine broke. The tubes are the same size and thickness and the Cs and u-joints don't take the stress of 37s well either. I'm trying to justify the price of a Dynatrac 44 geared to 5.13, ARB locker (I already have the compressor mounted) and RCV axles verses just putting a set of RCVs in my already re-geared D30, gusseting the C's and tack welding the u-joint caps. Axle sleeves don't seem to really add much strength to the JK D44 or D30, so I wouldn't bother doing that if I try to get another two years of use out of my D30 by repairing instead of replacing. If I spring for the Dynatrac, the MJ doesn't get painted anytime soon and I'll really have to poor boy the Comanche's mods. But what the heck, that might be half the fun! -meljr

Are you speaking about the yellow JK8 that they show in the video I linked to in my original post? Sounds exactly like what you described. The problem I have with that is it's a KIT. I want a production pickup truck, not some fiberglass kit you throw on a JK. Yes, that is the one. I believe the kit also includes the leaf spring J8 D60 conversion. I would like to see a truly affordable (production) Jeep pickup again. For now, it seems like the CJ-8, AEV Brute TJ conversion or updated MJs are the only reasonable solutions. After all the money I put in my JK, I probably would have been happier with a nice Brute. -meljr

This is wrong,there is no 4.0l with TBI I thought the old Renix systems were TB , my mistake . ... I may have been making the same mistake as I have been trying to identify the engine/transmission in my newly purchased 89 MJ. A PO obviously did a lot of work mechanically on the truck and when I saw what looked like six injectors along the fuel rail, I assumed it had a HO/AX-15 swap. Since the truck has what feels like a miss under load, it would make trouble shooting the problem much easier if I knew this setup belonged on my 89 from the git-go.

Those fenders were used on a very limited series of Dodge step side trucks in the late 70s instead of the usual ones. I forget what they were called, but I believe it was some kind of regional promotion for California Dodge dealers. There may still be an example at Wildcat Wrecking (a Mopar specialty yard), near Sandy, Oregon. -meljr

I used to drive through Moab several times a year, but have never been offroad there. Some friends of mine from the JK-Forum attend Easter Jeep Safari every year, but since my JK is down with a broken front D30 (running 37"s for two years on a stock D30 will do that), I won't be joining them this year either (they left this morning). Anyway, Mopar is supposed to show a JK pickup kit that is near production ready for the JK Unlimited (4 door). Somehow, they block off the rear doors, install a bulkhead behind the front seats and have a removable cab like the Scrambler or AEV Brute. No idea what the price of the kit might be, but if it is anything like the off road camping trailers they introduced last year, it will probably be twice what I am willing to pay. Besides, I need a new axle before much else can happen with the JK or my Comanche build. -melr