drcomanche

Sorry for the photo dump, but so much has happened.

I feel bad that it's been so long since I've posted here, but as is usual, I always work on the Comanche(and a couple of other non Jeep projects). I honestly am not sure where I left off with the last posts versus now, but in short, I did another big rebuild. I always wanted to shorten the bed out a bit, and in doing so, I wanted to adjust/repair some things along the way. The reality of bobbing the bed was much more challenging than just cut and weld. I had fit issues, cut issues, weld issues, heat/warp issues, basically everything that could come with thin metal welding/fab. While I was at it, I found some problems to fix and also more mods to pursue. The bob itself was fine. I removed 8 inches from the overall length and wanted to keep the look natural, so rather than cut straight down or remove the lower quarters of the rear of the bed, I cut along the quarter edge and trimmed it there. It looks far more natural in my opinion, and gets rid of the extra length that I didn't think looked very good. The process of rewelding it was another story. I took meticulous measurements and marked consistently, but still ended up with a disparity in general distance. It's hard to be completely accurate, but even a quarter of an inch is a significant gap for welding. In the end, I managed, but did overheat the metal in a couple of spots. I had to do a lot of stretch and heat treating to get them to be out enough so that I didn't have to layer it with a crazy amount of bondo(which I didn't want to do). End result speaks for itself. While there, I knew that the bedsides had been patched before I bought it. I dug in to potentially thin out the bondo or see the overall state of it and found a much worse situation. They weren't butt welded like I expected, but lap welded with not treatment. They were done haphazardly, and then just layered with bondo. I couldn't leave it as is, so I made some patch panels myself and cut the old out. I didn't quite get the contour match, but got close enough. I had to modify the lower forward quarters because they were done poorly before. I just cut them higher and welding in 1/8th plate patches on the bottom. It's far more rigid and easier to treat for rust. I knew in this process that I would need to address my rattle can paint job which was cracking, had crows feet, and in general, compromised the underlying metal. One big part of this project was repainting it. Which I decided(a very poor decision)to try to do myself. This was the biggest drag on this project. Trying to do a proper 2k paint with a compressor was very time consuming. I can't even count the hours I spent priming and sanding(multiple times because the paint gun or compressor didn't do to well with heavy primer). It was, kind of, a personal nightmare. Eventually, I just did it and painted the truck part by part. Honestly, it did work pretty well. It did, unfortunately, require tons of post paint correction to fix. I did the full spectrum, from 600 grit to 5000. The end result wasn't bad. I definitely had runs and solvent pop(probably due to colder temps delaying offgas time), but it is a much stronger paint job than before and should last a lot longer. While I had the bed off, I took care of some of the structural issues I had since I was already there. I replaced the fuel cell with one that wasn't rusted. The RCI rockcrawler was a good cell, but the powder coat was paper thin and weak, causing it to fracture and allow moisture in. That caused some rust, and I didn't want to deal with it, so I went with a motobilt fuel cell and bracket instead. I relocated some of the wiffle baffle balls from the old tank to the new and used whatever new leftovers I had. For anyone wondering, original wiffle balls do hold up very well. they swelled a bit and the small edges cracked, but no debris and I couldn't cause them to flake or shatter by hand. They are a very good baffle at 5+ years in a tank. The last big part of this was the rear bumper. It's been a sticking point for me for a while, and with the shortening of the frame, I needed a custom approach as the mounting holes were no longer the same. I hand fabricated it, from mounts to bumper, to try to match the front bumper a bit. It took a good bit of fab work and design to get it right. Going into it, I had only ideas of design and worked through piece by piece. I think it turned out pretty well. In the end, I did a few extra things before the paint. I shaved the antenna hole in the fender, since it never worked anyways, I rewelded the doors, since the started to crack due to my old amateur welds(as well as reworked the interior door panels to add cup holders). I replaced the front clip since the old was cracked and had rust welded screws stuck in it. I bedlined(properly) all the parts that weren't done before. I completely dismantled the fuel door(pulled the skin off to treat the rust). I rebedlined so many other parts. I refined tons of the mounting points on the bed(nutserts and welded nuts on) to keep it better mounted. And lastly,(relatively, there was a ton of other inbetween stuff done too) I replaced the taillights with some oracle lighting tinted rear tail lights. I figured they matched what I was going for with the truck and I've been sitting on them for a while. Now, here's the part I'm sure everyone is waiting for, the pictures.

Those wheels look great!

Did the used tires come with the wheels? And if so, were they balanced? Take it from experience, unbalanced tires can wobble in a very large variety of ways depending on their mounting and how out they are. Going for a balance and alignment can't hurt. If you're seeing it in the shifter and cab, go for some new bushings, as eagle said. I lost a lot of driveline vibration with a new trans mount. Another easy thing to look for is if the driveshaft is out of alignment or bent. Set the rear up on jack stands and put it in gear and see if it has an uneven movement. There are a lot of options for what it could be, but fortunately, most are easily debunked and a lot are relatively cheap, too.

Seems like you've got a good bit of time on that MSD, how do you like it vs the stock style of ignition coil? Any difference or is it all for the rev limit?

I'll probably go back to the 195 later. I'm at 180 now, but it does get VERY hot and humid here, so by the time I go to drive it, it's already over the 195. But in general, not much use for it as is.

Back again with another way too long since update. To be honest, I'm not quite sure where I left off with explaining the mods I've been performing, so I'll be rehashing a bit of some I may have already said while adding more info around their installation. For starters, I'll elaborate on some of the current upgrades. I basically replaced or rebuilt every system in the truck. For the cooling system, I changed the thermostat to a lower temp one to cycle coolant sooner. I replaced it with a 2 core radiator from champion, and went full electric for the fan system. Two of the fans are run by a temp sensor that I had to install mid tube from the top of the radiator. I couldn't replace the existing one since it communicates with the ECU. The last fan is run by a switch on the dash. I cleaned the whole system out, especially since I replaced the heater core when I had the dash apart. For steering, I went with the power assisted steering I wanted from the beginning. I had read all kinds of topics in the past about steering pumps that could work and I found the one for the 5.2(I think?) that was said to fit but the input nozzle needed boring to not cavitate. I basically played it by ear and settled with a size in the middle. I ported the steering box myself and replaced the seals while I was there. After purchasing some extra parts(ram, mount, hoses, fittings, etc.)I put it together. It took a lot of trial and error to get the placement right where it wouldn't hit the tie rod or steering linkage. I also added a cooler for the lines in case it got too hot moving the big tires. I ended on a psc ram rather than retrofitting a hydraulic one as it was just easier. I wanted to keep the old belt tensioning system, so I customized the bracket a bit to fit this pump. Since I also installed the late model intake manifold, I had to cut it up to fit and made a custom bracket from it to the tensioner bracket. The size and fact that it had to be fabricated meant it didn't fit quite right and would eventually start causing belt squeal due to misalignment. After doing some measurements(and after a lot of belts) I propped it out about a quarter of an inch and now, no more belt squeal. I also added a steering box brace As I said before, I installed a late model intake and customized it, and with that, I added a THOR cowl intake. I repainted the manifold in ceramic coat high temp when I did the head work. For exhaust, I went all new. New manifold and new downpipe. Since I wanted a bed exit exhaust, I had to cut the new pipe partway, and then installed a flowmaster super 44 on the end. To keep it removeable, I did a v band after it and then welded up a pipe to go over the rail and out the bedside. I increased the size to 3 inch at the exit and cut a piece of aluminum to help spread the heat. I did a ton of custom wiring and incorporated the lights, AC, and fans into the pcm in the engine bay. I had purchased a complete harness from someone and before installing it, I redid all the taped joints to freshen them up. For the body and frame, the entirety of it is now plated and bedlined after doing a ton of prep and paint work. The entire trans tunnel is insulated with aluminum sheet and fiberglass backing to keep some of the heat off the floor. Inside the truck, I custom made some brackets for under dash speakers and courtesy lights. I also made dash switch bezels out of aluminum and got everything working. I purchased some generic bucket seats from jegs to install and had to basically make a bracket from scratch for them. I also added a fire extinguisher, just in case, and replaced some of the insulation and gaskets. I finally switched to the bigger brake booster and remade my brake lines all the way around the truck. I also snagged a zj brake prop valve for the rear discs, but I may change it out with an adjustable rear one, since I'm not getting very good rear brake actuation. The engine itself has one of the more recent issues. It had been giving me a ton of warm start issues and poor performance. I went to town on sensors but eventually just settled on pulling the head and looking at it. Turns out the head was warped by about a quarter of an inch and the head gasket was starting to fail and let blow by happen. I replaced it with a rebuilt unit from Clearwater, which was good for me, because the valves were pretty bad as well. Took a lot of effort and strain(and next time I'll probably take the whole hood off) but I managed. I made some beadlocks with the Total metal innovations kit and slapped some pitbull rocker radial 37s on it. I may try to switch the wheels out for some aluminum ones(if I can find them in 15) to lose some of the rotating mass I have. Also put together and installed a rough country spare tire mount that I customized to fit my 5x5.5 pattern. The most recent repair/upgrade I've had was when, a month ago, my rear end blew out. I pulled it out and found that the mini spool and carrier pin had split in half. I think the carrier pin had already been broken and that caused the excess stress on the spool. So while I was in it, I decided to do the whole axle. The prior work that someone had done to it resulted in some questionable damage to the axle including low cut, bad welds, and preexisting damage. The old spring perches had one welded in about a quarter inch too far, which caused by leaf spring to pull out of the busing in the bracket. I cut them off and replaced them with a set of motobuilt u bolt eliminator ones, as I'll also be adding a truss to it. I got the truss from ruff stuff specialties and it took a lot of adjustment to get it working. I also had to cut it in around the new perches. I added some brake line brackets too. I had to do some touch up inside the case since some prior damage had left some sizeable dents in the rear of the case. I custom made a skid plate for the bottom as well as some shock mounts. Then, I repainted it all. I'm currently in the process of adding coats to it. For the carrier, I'm replacing all the bearing and refitting everything. I thought about it for a while, and decided I would not be putting in a spool again to give it better road manners and went with a grizzly locker. Fortunately, the gears were fine, but the axle shaft splines were pretty damaged, so I'll be replacing them too.

Got an email back today. It was very short and frank but basically said the head is interchangeable, the warranty sticks, painted mating surfaces is normal, blemishes are to be expected because it's not new, and the head is ready to be mounted, but if I'm worried, just blow it off with air. I guess I'll try it out and see what happens. Can't run any worse than my old one.

Yeah I can, it's not a lot, but it's very apparent when they paint over it. I also don't want to touch it until I'm sure what I'm going to do with it. I'm a bit more concerned over the 0630 for a 7120. I know they can all be installed on a 4.0, but what happens if it has to get warrantied? I feel like they could just say "oh, wrong part, that's not what we gave you" when its a mislabeled item like that. That's what I said to the guy on the phone and he replied with something along the lines of 'if you're going to just bolt it on, you shouldn't be working on it in the first place". As far as the paint and gasket material, he said it seals better with paint, to which I replied "I prefer it the old way, surface to surface". He said to just wipe it off with paint thinner. All a bit counter to what the website says. I guess I'll send an email this time rather than call and see where that gets me.

I was wondering if anyone had issues with Clearwater Cylinder Heads? I recently found out mine was warped and ordered a remanned 7120 cylinder head. I had read in a bunch of places that they were reputable and respected for this. I just received the head and they gave me a 0630 head instead of the 7120 I ordered. They are listed separately on their site and cost different prices. I also noticed there mating surfaces were painted, except the block mount surface. The cylinder chambers and the tops of the valves also had metal "glitter" all over them. I could wipe my finger across it and see metal bits on it. If it's big enough for me to distinguish individual particles, I'm getting a red flag. And it's all over what I can see of the valve seats. Add to that some bits of oily residue and chunks still in there and what looks like gasket residue ,illbeit only a small amount, that's been painted over. I called them up today and that guy couldn't get me off the phone fast enough. He assured me that the heads are exactly the same and they interchange them all the time. I expressed concern about the warranty for it considering it was purchased and tagged as a 7120, to which I was told it's fine, they're interchangable. Despite the heads being "bolt on ready" I guess I expected a better cleanup on it, so now I'm considering pulling the valves to clean all the seats as well. Am I crazy or does it feel like I should be concerned about this?

So I decided, since I was on my last legs figuring this out to take the plunge and just pull the head off and hopefully find a problem. Not sure if the gurus here can enlighten me on what a head gasket failure looks like, so I took some pics that maybe someone could help me identify. Is this crossover? This is in between the 3rd and 4th, and to me it looks like carbon buildup and some burn. It also looks like there was a bit in between a few more, but there wasn't any noticeable burn on the gasket. If this was the cause, it was very particular, since no other signs point towards head gasket. Also noticed that some of the coolant ports were blocked by the gasket. Held a lot of coolant in the head when I separated them. And, I know it's a bit off this topic, but what is the best way to clean the oil channels? I figure this is the best time to remove the oil grit and chunk that's in there. Too bad I had just done an oil change.

Had a look today. Cleared all the codes and then hooked it back up and let it run for a bit. Codes were 12(for battery)and 35(I have a custom fan system). Took it for a 45 minute drive and came back and checked again. Same thing.

I'll have a look when I start it back up again. I may have to reset the codes, since it probably has a dozen from me plugging and unplugging sensors trying to diagnose it.

Did it change up for the HO engines or the switch to 93? Even on this forum there are old posts placing it at 31 idle 39 without vacuum reg(For up to 92). Every post I've looked up regarding continuing year Cherokees has said that they only went up when the model years hit 96(granted there aren't many pages), which this engine is not. The only late model part on there is the intake manifold, which still runs off the normal injectors and a 92 harness. Even when it ran well, I don't think I ever hit even close to 49. And again, it only does this after it's run for a little while and then shut off. First start idles just fine. Normal rpm for operation it generally does just fine.

Isn't 31 the ideal fuel pressure for idle? This isn't a 96+ that operates higher. I can disconnect the vacuum line to the reg and it pushes up to 39. All of this from what I've read was correct on earlier models. Even before this issue started manifesting, the fuel pressure was still reading at 30-31. Also, out of curiosity, how does the start temperature impact the fuel pressure?

I'll try to be as specific as possible for clarity for this, since there are a lot of specific symptoms. For starters, it's a 93 4.0 Manual. Every sensor(IAC, IAT, MAP, CPS, TPS, O2, Coolant temp, etc.), the exhaust all the way back(header, pipes, and muffler. No cat.), the intake manifold is a modified late model, cowl air kit, spark plugs, cap, rotor, coil, wires, are all less than 1000 miles of usage. The fuel system, cooling system, and air system are in the same boat. I basically rebuilt every system on this truck. For a while of that less than 1000 miles, it ran just fine, no breakaway idle, no roughness, no issues to speak of. It started over the past month with it happening when I drove it out for a little and parked it. I would go to the local grocery store or gas station, park, and leave it off for roughly 5 minutes. When I would restart it, the engine would have a slightly noticeable miss for a few minutes then go away(or would just stop having an effect if I started driving). My first thought was heat soak despite the fact that all my injectors were wrapped and the truck never got above 190(the first line on the gauge). Cooling was effective and the outside temp was in the lower 50s, but I gave it a try anyway. I insulated my fuel rail, fuel lines, even the connection, and put a heat shield between the rail and the manifolds. This didn't solve anything. The problem progressively grew worse to where the engine, when restarted, sounding like half the cylinders were firing. Eventually it goes away, but it takes some time and some revving to clear it up. Every time I drove it, it became worse and worse. Now, even when its not running on half an engine, it still has misses at idle. Occasionally, after restart when it's acting up, it will find an idle a around 700 and run comparatively better, and then suddenly cut to 300 and half the cylinders again. Recently, it's been so bad that even revving it and holding at higher rpms doesn't bring them back, it has a ton of misses. No check engine light has been triggered but the truck sounds like it's a carburated drag car without any of the performance. As of now, it hasn't completely stalled itself, but it sure feels close. Things I've done so far: rechecked spark plugs and regapped them. All had a bit of signs of lean running(white dusted) but nothing significant. Replaced ignition coil. Checked all the engine grounds. Checked fuel pressure at the rail(consistent 30 when idling, 28-30 when revving). Pulled fuel rail off and insulated everything. Put in some injector cleaner. Inspected injector wiring and function(all wires and boots look great, can feel injectors firing when running). In the past(still less than 1000 miles), I checked for exhaust gasses in the coolant and it was negative, and also had a buddy help me check compression(150, 150, 152, 153, 150, 152). Checked oil on last change(2 weeks ago), no contamination. Checked the temp sensor(unplugged fans), temp sensor functions. Looked at throttle body, still completely clean from a year and a half ago when I dismantled and cleaned it. Considering everything but the engine itself is new to the truck, I'm at a loss for what could be causing it, but it is quickly becoming worse. On a side not, when I start it after a day, I get no issues like this except a slightly rougher run than usual. It seemed to coincide with the truck itself being warm, but with the temp outside being less than 60, and the stellar performance of the cooling system, I'm not sure what it means. A week ago I replaced the O2 sensor with an NTK one. Today, I replaced the coil, and rechecked all my grounds on the engine side. I then rechecked all my vacuum and am still no closer to an answer.

Still very loud with the trail doors. But the stereo can outmatch it, so it's not really an annoyance to me.That was the case with the old Bias iroks as well.

It's been a looonnng time since I've posted on here. I'll come back and give some more details on it when I get more time, but for now, here is a brief overview of what's happened. All electric fan setup and custom wiring into the harness fully plated frame Hydro assist steering with a custom setup Steering box brace New tires and custom made beadlocks New seats with custom brackets Custom late model intake Custom bed exit exhaust Completely new braking all around New clutch hydraulics all around New 2 row radiator custom AC install Custom under dash speakers Complete bedlining of the underside New Spare tire mount New intake New clutch and added external slave cylinder Repainted almost everything underneath I have about 200 more photos of progress and work, but I'll have to space them out a bit.