neohic

Suppose theres room for interpretation. The point is to not use pictures from our archives.

We’re due for the next great CC thread. This one could be it! Here’s how it works: post a picture of your Comanche with both the challenge item to find and a second picture with the next item to be found. For example, if the member before me posted a picture of their truck with a statue, then I would do the same… … and then I would make the next challenge. Such as, post a picture of your Comanche on front of a theater. So? Who’s next?! Start with posting a picture of your truck in front of a theater and then make a challenge for the next member to grab a picture of their Comanche with. The idea is to get your truck out! Please only post NEW pictures. Ready?… go!!

Ugh… here I thought that my fuel issue was over. I took a friend who has never been a part of the four wheeling world out on some local trails today and on the way home it sputtered and died like it did when I took it to Moab. Before that on the trail, it kept smelling like fuel. I pulled over and noticed a bunch of fuel puking out the vent. It stopped when I cracked open the fuel cap. I extended the vent line and borrowed the filter that was being the cap for the front axle vent line. Then it was a real surprise when it still puked out fuel! For the remainder of the day the fuel cap got put on the filler neck crooked for maximum venting. Once back home after sitting on the side of the road for a bit, I coiled up the extended vent line and drilled out the vent mechanism in the cap. This is now a future weekend problem.

My temperature probe for the oil has some ambient crossover. Ideally, I think it should be in the oil pan, but mine is tied into the same port as the oil pressure sender. I understand that my operating temperature is not at the 190° that my gauge says it is… it is more of a “worry circle”. I run 20/50 in my engine (4.6ish stroker). I was hoping the conversation of this thread would be more in line with getting overall operating temperatures down by adding an oil cooler.

I agree which is what was making me think that trying to lower oil temps would help with overall running temps. Now I’m wondering if trying to lower oil temps might actually harm things by not being able to cook out moisture. Hmm…

Right? That’s what I get for installing additional “worry circles”. I guess I’d like to see the coolant staying under 210°. It makes sense to me that keeping the oil cooler as it circulates through the engine would help the whole party keep its cool.

I was looking into adapter kits that also relocate the filter. Mine is a bit harder to get to now that the axle is closer to the frame. Not sure where I’d put a filter, but I think I could find a spot if the benefits are worth it.

Has anyone added an oil cooler to their 4.0? It has been hot in Colorado. I noticed today that my oil temperature gauge (aftermarket) was reading 190°+ today. Ambient air temperature was around 100° and the coolant temperature gauge (factory) was bouncing between just under and just over 210° while under load going uphill for a few miles. I’m wondering if anyone here has had ran one, either an adapter or tapped into the block elsewhere, with good results on lowering their overall running temperatures. Thanks, gang!

I love it! Looks great so far!!

That looks great!

Don’t think of it as “quick and dirty” but more like having adjustable mounting solutions.

Very rad! Whats the gear ratio in the new rear axle?

Thats pretty much the definition of nearly all of my builds.

That little engine with the Ardun setup is hands down my favorite piece in the entire museum. It’s kind of tucked in a goofy spot, but, to me, I picture some young hot rodder in the ‘50s saving what they could to buy the ultimate in performance heads. Picture this person planning the weekend around doing this huge upgrade: they leave Friday after work to pick them up, tear down the whole engine, get it all back together Sunday, and then realize that the old intake manifold won’t work. “$#!&!!” Then the not quite matching intake manifold is thrown together because he’s got zero money to get something proper but he does have the know how to stay up all night and build something thats kinda hot roddy. He also knows that this friends will poke fun at it for how borderline rough it is, but it’s also his way of getting to work on Monday. It is beautiful! I live the mix of gas welded seams but also the brazing because his torch probably didn’t get hot enough to really penetrate into the thicker material at the flanges. It looks somewhat engineered in the crossovers of the runners, but also very “folk art” looking with the wrinkles of the sand and heat bent long, swoopy bends. Same goes for the giant wall of flat head intake manifolds. Of all the polished aluminum and old chrome pieces, I sat and stared at how a few of them that were modified originals or scratch made aluminum manifolds. So many things on display are FAR from perfect, but they really speak to me as a portal into the past by picking apart how they were made and maybe creating a story as to how or why.

Has anyone else here been to the Museum of American Speed in Lincoln, NE? We’ve been talking about it for years but just never made the stop while driving from CO to MN. Finally did… it was awesome! I had to cut it short being we needed to keep going, but I honestly could’ve spent the whole day there! It’s crazy to think about all of the historic custom vehicles and race cars there that we all know about that it seems like common knowledge that they just exist, but then you round a corner and you’re 2’ away from it. So many childhood dream cars that tell the history of what they are and where they’ve been! It’s not just cars either. In one wing of the museum was DOZENS of aftermarket and custom cylinder heads and parts for model A and B early Ford four cylinder banger engines. Every aspect of the museum tells a story! If you’ve got the opportunity, please stop by and enjoy what they have on display. What I was drawn to most were the one-off custom engines and components that were clearly hand made or modified. I love the freak show style engines literally made by someone in they’re garage with enough know how to cut up two engines and machine a crankshaft after welding together the remains of the two crank cases or a cobby intake manifold sitting atop a set of super rare (and expensive for the time!) Ardun cylinder heads on a Ford V8. Parts like that really humanize the experience for me. 10/10 would recommend.

Bookends.

Took the CJ out with (technically) two other CJ guys today. The missing CJ in the group was due to his transmission currently sitting on a bench. Nothing broke. Front axle still leaks. Had a nice day in the woods.

Thanks for the update! It’s totally understandable to be where you are with needing more space for kids. Your old man did one hell of a job on that truck! Hope your whole family is doing well.

I grew up around St. Cloud but moved to Alexandria for the last five years or so I was in MN. Primarily what I did for Belanca was make parts. At the time, all of the original hand drawn prints and fixture jigs still existed so when a customer would order a part I was the one who would make them from landing gears to fuel tanks. Every once in a while I'd have to update a frame by adding tube, help out in the wood shop (Belancas were the last US produced small crafts that still had wood wing structures!), or even with interior bits and upholstery. It was a very interesting shop to be in!

While I didn’t fix the leaking front inner axle seal, I did address another issue today. Ever since Moab, the fuel pump hasn’t put up a fit but I still wanted to move it away from the hot box that is the space above the axle. With the suspension now done, I was waiting to move it until all of the welding around the new spring hanger was complete. I also rerouted the fuel hardline. It was originally run along the top of the frame and was coming in contact with the bottom of the tub from the now collapsed rubber body mounts. The tub is where it’s going to be with how I did my sliders and tied into the cage, so moving the fuel line was to help out future me. The fuel pump is lower now also so I might consider making a little skid for it. It’s still tucked up higher than the bottom of the frame, and if a rock where to get up in there it’d probably hit the leaf spring first, but it’d just be my luck that a potential rock would find its way all the way up there.

Please do! Small crafts are rad! Before moving to Colorado I worked for what was left of Belanca out of Alexandria, MN shortly before the business was purchased and moved also. I never got off the ground in one, but I spent a bunch of time working on them. Please share what you can with it!

When I was doing it, I’d go through Kinkos but I’m sure there’s a bunch more options online now. The biggest issue I ran into was picture quality and then, unfortunately, overstock. Maybe there are better options now to order directly through that someone doesn’t end up with a bunch of extras?