BryGuy

I know plenty of people have swapped out their MJ dashes for the newer style Cherokee dashes, but has anyone on this forum (or other forums) ever made a custom dash for their MJ (or XJ)? I love the simplicity of the older CJ dashes and think that style of dash would look awesome in an MJ.

PhotoBucket. I've been using them for years. Besides the obnoxious auto play ads when uploading I've got no complaints. :agree:

Looks awesome so far. 12Volt Guy's stuff is very nice. I love the custom dash/gauges. I've often wondered what an MJ would look like if it had a CJ like dash..... hmmmm... maybe....

First off, thanks for the compliment. As for the camouflage paint the PO did a great job, it's just not my style.... at all :ack:

Day 34 Well it's been awhile since I last reported in, but not a whole lot has happened: - I finished stripping the parts vehicle and had what's left of it towed away for scrap.... which I was paid a measly $25.00 for. - I sold a few parts of the Donor for $40.00 and found another .38 cents under the seats. - I also found a $5 off coupon for my previously purchased Haynes manual which the store was cool enough to refund me for (if they didn't I was just going to buy another one with the coupon and return it with the old receipt..... score another $5 deduction. That's -$65.00 from the parts total, -$5.00 from the tools total, and -$0.38 from the Misc Total... not bad. My windfall didn't last too long.... Paint & Cleaning Stuff 4 Interior Pitman Arm Puller, Silicone Spray, Thread Lock & Retractable Magnet w Light (.99 cents) Twist Socket Nut Extractors I picked up the Nut Extractors from Princess Auto (Canada's answer to Harbor Freight), which came in handy removing some REALLY stubborn bolts on the Donor. Other purchases not pictured are 2 20 pack's of cutting discs (really good sale), a 4' blow gun extension (will use in a later post), 20' of Chain for engine hoist, All told I blew $217.96 ......YIKES :ack: I also received something the other day in the mail: Tailgate Handle To Replace This I ordered this from Tennessee Auto Sales on Ebay. It's a Tailgate Handle for a 82-93 Chevy S-10 S10 Pickup Truck; cost $31.74 shipped to my door..... hoping it's the right one. Build Changes After much research, I've ruled out doing a 4.7L Stroker and have now decided to go with a 96+ 350 , 5.7 Vortec engine with a 4L80 Auto transmission. In the end the 350 swap should cost less, and from the various V8 MJ's I've seen have been very impressive. I emailed Novak Adapters and asked them a few questions and a very helpful guy named Ryan emailed me back less than 24hrs later. He asked me a few additional questions and after sending him the answers I received another message about 15mins later. You've gotta love a business that takes email seriously. Their site is really helpful and chalked full of information. I still have some additional research to do on this swap, but I'm definitely not doing the stroker. Another aspect I plan to change is the paint colour (I know.... I'm sooooo far from that stage). I was going with John Deere Green, but after about 10+ emails to various John Deere dealers and their main website, I only have 1 response (from the main website) which basically referred me to their FAQ page..... which didn't even answer the question I asked. There's 2 reasons I chose John Deere Green: 1. Love the colour. 2. I wanted to use implement paint which is know for it's durability. Since John Deere didn't seem to want the business I contacted Kabota to inquire about their Kabota Orange paint...... I heard from them the next day. Score 1 for Kabota. I've also decided not to shorten the wheelbase (at least for now) and I'm not sure about bobbing the tail..... we'll see. Yesterday I took a trip back to the Heep and pulled a few more interior parts out before I had it towed away for scrap. This time I made $50.00 since it was far more complete than the Donor. Today I woke up early, put together my new 5.5' x 8' Shed, loaded it up with stuff from my garage, and cleaned up the remainder of the garage in preparation for the long anticipated arrival of my Comoche. They were supposed to show up tonight with my Comanche ($50.00 for Tow), but they failed to show. Odds are it'll arrive in the morning. After it arrives the real fun begins..... stay tuned. Post Purchases Parts - $31.76 Tailgate Handle - +$115.00 for Parts Sold, and Scrap Metal Tools - $217.96 Pile of tools & Supplies - +$5.00 for Haynes Coupon Misc. - $50.00 for Towing - +$.38 Found Under Centre Console :banana: Build Total Parts = $966.76 Tools = $340.25 Misc. = $98.99

Actually I wasn't too concerned about what was causing the problem as I'm swapping out the whole drivetrain anyways, but I appreciate the suggestions.

Any updates :dunno: .........amazing build :thumbsup:

I'm still in the process of tearing apart my donor XJ, and I can't seem to get the passenger door open. I've removed in interior panel and tried to manipulate the locking mechanism, but I still can't get it to open. It's a power, window & lock. What should I try next?

The name of the pin is "Pin, Check Arm" as listed in the parts catalog and is Part #5501 2900 Found this write-up and in that write-up he used "The Doorman part number is 38439 (also known as Help parts)". Hope that helps ya out :D

I was attempting to remove the doors off my donor vehicle today, but I ran into a road block. The FSM's (Factory Service Manual) instructions state: Step 1 took 5 secs. Step 2 involved a lot of cursing (I have power everything), but was completed successfully. Step 3 would be easy enough except there's not enough room between the hinge and the door to get a Torx socket & ratchet in there for 2 of the 3 hinge bolts. In this picture, the hinge bolts (Torx) are highlighted in yellow and the red represents the pin that runs up the middle of the hinge. Question 1 - What tool is everyone using to remove these bolts? Question 2 - Is the center pin removable?

I just read through your whole thread...... WOW :bowdown: Great job on all aspects of your build. I'll definitely be checking back for tips during my build. Great pics too.... especially the one looking down over the cliff... that's a definite pucker factor of 10 :ack:

Great work so far. Any updates :dunno:

Day 14 Today started off all wrong. I was getting into my work clothes (stored in the garage) and I felt a metal sliver jabbing me on my good arm near my elbow. As it turns out, the metal sliver was actually a pissed off Wasp. Note to self: Shake out work clothes before putting them on :doh: I made good progress on the engine bay. I finally removed the wiring harness and pulled out the heater core. I removed the wipers, wiper motor, overhead console, rear tail lights, rear speaker panel and some other odds and ends. Pics will be posted here tomorrow. Last night I posted a 4sale thread on http://www.nova4x4.com (Newfoundland Offroad Vehicle Association) and my inbox has since flooded with parts requests. It looks like the donor vehicle is going to pay for itself, with a bit leftover...... and a ton of parts for the Comanche. In other news, our storage shed (8'x8'x10') will be going up starting on the 4th of November. This will allow me to move a lot of stuff out of my small garage to make room for my Comanche. If all goes well, the Donor should be done with & hauled away for scrap by the 28th. That will give me a few days to clear/clean up, and tear a few more odds and ends off the Heep, before I have it towed for scrap as well. After the Heep is gone the Comanche will finally be towed here. That's when the fun finally begins, and I find out what my $700 really bought me.

I have to admit..... I love the reflective aspect. I might just sell mine off and order the reflective ones when the time comes :brows:

Thanks cluricaunne. I had already removed the 7mm screw & the two screws (Hex Head in my case) from the interior..... but I just needed a little more pressure and wiggling and she popped right out. I did a happy dance after that :banana:

BUMP. Anyone else????

I just happened to stumble upon a pretty cool eco friendly artist and I figured I share it: www.hubcapcreatures.com

I've looked, and I don't see any tabs on this one. I unplugged about 20 different connectors today and none of them were this hard.

So I'm smack dab in the middle of tearing down my engine for removal and Ive hit a road block. I can't seem to figure out how to diconnect the main wiring harness from the firewall. The harness has an upper and lower section that connect at the firewall. I removed the screw from the center of the harness which allowed me to remove the upper section, but I can't figure out how to remove the lower section. Here's a picture of the culprit I have a FSM and I can't seem to locate any info on it (I know it's there). Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Wow.... you're off and running. Subscribed :thumbsup:

Day 10-13 Look what arrived in the mail today: I bought these decals off ebay the day I purchased the Comanche. The raised lettering on the tailgate is one on my favourite features of the MJ, and I love the look of the black decals. I purchased these from prop_kulture for $19.95 + 4.95 Shipping, for a total of $26.32 Canadian (after conversion). I'm sure most of you out there made excited Jeep item purchases.... well this was one of them. I should've asked for cheaper shipping since the seller was also in Canada (which is almost never the case). I also won't even need these for a long time since decals are typically the very last detail in a build. On top of that, if I had been a little more patient I could've purchased them from www.jeepsticker.com and saved myself $2.95 or $1.95 for the reflective ones...... not really a big deal, but saving is saving. His prices also include shipping for those of you south of the border. On a good note, it could've been a $1000.00 bumper :brows: Over the last 3 days I've been making extremely slow, but steady progress with engine teardown. It's not easy doing it one handed, especially when it's your wrong hand. The weather hasn't exactly co-operated either. Here's what I've accomplished: - removed front bumper (took forever with one hand and no power tools) - drained and removed rad, auto trans cooler & overflow container - removed battery - removed washer fluid bottle - disconnected most of the hoses, lines and electrical Teardown in Progress Looks Like I Need Another Compressor Post Purchases Parts - $26.32 Tailgate "Jeep" Decals Build Total Parts = $1076.32 Tools = $127.29 Misc. = $49.37

Have an '88 that's missing the trim above the front windshield and rear window. According to my '88 - '90 Parts catalog the item description & part numbers are: - Header Front #5500 0108 - Panel, Cab Header #5500 3432 Don't really care about the colour. I live in Newfoundland, Canada and I'm willing to pay for shipping.

Thanks. I looked up A/C Hose Crimpers and they're pretty pricey. I was hoping that I'd be able to build my own lines after the engine rebuild (my lines are in rough shape), but it will probably be cheaper to replace them with OEM parts.

Based on the fitting in the red circle: 1. What is the name of this fitting? 2. What tool is used to remove/install them? If anyone is wondering what/who's incredibly clean engine is that??? It's a 4.6L Stroker done by fourwheeler.com

Yea that's kinda what I thought, but I wasn't sure since I've only just begun the teardown of my donor Cherokee and my MJ is stored elsewhere until I've made room for it. Once I've pulled up the carpet on the donor I might just cut out sections of the floor pan just in case. If they fit... great..... if they don't, I guess it doesn't hurt to have some spare sheet metal hanging around. Besides... I need to teach myself to MIG weld, and it's better to blow holes in the scrap 1st. :smart: