neohic

In other news, now that the weather is coming around again it’s time to get back to work on the house. 12’ material? No problem.

... I had a stash of leftover pieces and a hand-me-down from our local muffler shop.

Just keeps getting better! I wanted “sewing machine status” with the exhaust so I took care of that yesterday. Funny what others find to be acceptable.

Thanks! Did some fluid checks the other day and noticed that the axles still have their I.D. tags. Won’t know for sure but I looked through the full hole in the rear to find what I think is a Powerlock diff. Nice! Also, the gears are for sure 4.27s. Super nice!!

Something is different around the site, eh? Have you noticed? WE'VE GOT A NEW SUBFORUM!!! There has been plenty of updates to the site recently and if you haven't had a look around for a while, then you've got some catching up to do. Changes are good, right?! This month's MJOTM has plenty of changes. Just so happens you'll find him in the new Epic Tech section too! How about that?! This truck is great! YEAR/MODEL ● 88 Pioneer ENGINE/PERFORMANCE ● Stock Renix 4.0L, Rustys intake tube. DRIVETRAIN ● 99-04 Super Duty Dana 60 (5.38.)Spartan locker, ECGS Slugs, 35 spline outers, 01 E350 Dana 60 Detroit locker, NP241OR 4:1, AW4 with RADesign/Winter shifter, Auxiliary cooler with electric fan mounted under the bed. COOLING ● Three electric fans in a Dirt Bound fan shroud, Trans and steering cooler mounted in front of the radiator. SUSPENSION/STEERING ● Rubicon Express 5.5” front coils, Bilstien shocks, Clayton long arm kit. RE track bar mount, custom track bar. Rear SOA with Bilstien shocks. INTERIOR ● Swapped in bucket seats, custom center console. A pillar Autometer trans temp gauge x2, water temp gauge. BRAKES ● WJ Booster, prop valve delete. EXTERIOR ● Flop Shop Offroad front bumper with warn M8000, custom rear bumper. 2x6” steel rockers. Rustys T-case skid, metal cloak oil pan skid. 8” removed from the rear of the bed. T&M Fab MJ stiffeners, Rustys Tail lights. Flop shop offroad mirrors. WHEELS/TIRES ● 17x9 Battleborn bead locks, 39.5” BFG Krawler reds (haven’t ran them yet). Old tires were 40” Goodyear MTR 17x8 steels. MISCELLANEOUS ● TNT high clearance inner fenders. PSC hydro assist 8” ram, PSC pump, stock box. Optima yellow top. FULL BUILD THREAD HERE Remember That One Time?... Tell Us Your Best MJ Story ● I had an 89 prior to this; I built it a little too nice and just didn’t have the heart to wheel it. I bought this 88 in September 2016 to build into something I could wheel. By January 2017 I took it out on its first trip. As everyone knows these things are never done. I really enjoy wheeling this thing in the north east. It’s always fun seeing everyone’s reactions when I show up with the MJ because it’s not like everyone else’s TJ or JKs. It’s always impressed me and everyone else with what it’s capable of doing. I have a lot of kinks to still work out but it works great for a Jeep that’s older than me! CC is Awesome!... Why Do You Think So? ● I think CC is awesome because if you have any kind of problem or issue with a Comanche, this is the place to come. There is so many knowledgeable people on here that know these Jeeps inside and out you can always get an answer or two. Awesome! Just awesome!! Really reminds me of a wheeling MJ I had a while ago and this is 100% the direction I had in my head. So cool that others can live vicariously through others around here. Even cooler that we've got examples like yours! Thanks for being a part of CC. -Ben

The kit I’m getting isn’t technically a “Howell” setup, but it runs most of the same components. It’s close to the Affordable kit though. A lot of the same stuff along with electronic ignition. I’ll look more into it. On another note, Pinky came home tonight.

... and way too fancy for this rig.

Yessir. I cloned a Howell kit years ago on a ‘90 YJ. This time around I don’t have access to a junk GM 4.3 like I did. Time is a factor too that I like the idea of opening a box and just start throwing parts on. I can get a full kit for around $1k.

I should really start with saying that I've had my eye on this Jeep for a very long time. It's been around the shop I work at quite a bit for one thing or another and I always found myself doing some other thing or another on it while I was there. The history as far as I know is that it came from a previous employee who really didn't care for it, then it was traded to the owner of the shop for a square body Chevy, then it really had no direction until I started picking at it, and now it's mine. This is my newly acquired 1975 CJ5. His name is Pinky. Pinky?... why not? It was originally a cool gray color but at some point it was obviously (poorly) repainted red. Then it faded... and faded.. and then faded some more. Overall, it's a solid little Jeep. There is some rust and bondo hiding under that thin layer of single stage paint, but it's in great shape where it counts. Is it all original? Absolutely not. I'd call this CJ "unmolested", but nowhere near a "survivor". It's still rocking the drum brakes, narrow track Dana 30/44, a 258, and a T14 three speed. It sports such options like a passenger seat. The engine is a later model but otherwise stockish. I'll be adding Howell fuel injection soon. Anyways... here's more pictures of it's transformations as it came in and out of the shop for random prototyping... As it sits now is with the drop dead gorgeous Meyer tin top and doors. Kinda postal looking? I love it! My plans are to leave it alone for the most part. With building a new shop this year I don't have too much of an interest of building another wheeler only to have to deal with the potential fixing of parts and finding time to do such things. Right now I want a little mountain road runner that I can comfortably daily drive. I think this fits the bill beautifully.

I did a V8 swap with a ‘94 ZJ as a donor. Had plenty of power!... but tons of extra electronic garbage. If I ever do another I’d go with a mildly built old school 360 in front of an AX15 and topped with a Holley Sniper fuel injection. Easy, simple, and they fit under our hoods without the mix and match of different LS donors. I agree. Lots of other options than the LS.

Thanks for everyone who enjoyed this thread, but it’s off to its new owner this afternoon. Kinda hard but I’m moving on to bigger things. This just means that my future shop will get some fancy name along the lines of “The Jim Oshel Facility for Manufacturing Sciences and Tomfoolery”. Oh, and stay tuned for the next build thread. This time I’m going older, smaller, but still a Jeep.

It’s VERY streetified! I drive this truck all the time!

You know I still have MY ELIMINATOR too, right? Trying to sell really comes down to needing some funding to build a new shop, I’ve never really had “that moment” with it that would make me hesitate selling it, and my wife has never been all that crazy about it either. Not that she completely dictates what vehicles I have, but it sure does take all the fun out of it when your other half isn’t interested either. It'll be okay. I promise! Once I’ve got a permanent home for my ‘88 and I can be driving it/updating the thread the stars will realign. Until then, change needs to happen and the ‘86 will be replaces with another Jeep. Quite quickly, actually! I’ve been doing nothing but downsizing and simplifying my lifestyle for the last couples years. I’ve downsized my fleet considerably and now I have the opportunity to downsize a Jeep. Had my eye on its replacement for months now. Stay tuned.

Absolutely amazing MJ in 3... 2...1...

For sale. Here’s your opportunity to own greatness!

YES!!! Been following this build on Pirate since the beginning. HUGE fan!

I think it’s amazing what you’ve done in four months.

Good to see you, Pat. I look forward to this!

The exhaust under the ZJ was pretty cut up from the manifolds past the catalytic. With where I ended up putting the engine though I’m not sure if it would’ve helped. Originally I wanted to do a true four link up front but the exhaust on the passenger side got in the way. If if I were to do it again, I’d definitely look into a stock ZJ y-pipe even if I’d have to cut it some to tighten things up.

I last talked to him about a year ago and his wife about six months ago. I try and check in once on a while... I’m due.

The exhaust is pieced together from what was good under the ZJ donor and what was left of a custom exhaust from an International Scout. There isn’t anything under there that couldn’t be duplicated by an exhaust shop.

We’ve got a customer at the shop who brings his Unimog around for work. I love driving it!... easy to stay under speed limits too.

Just been driving the truck from time to time. Been thinking about finally finishing it and selling it too, actually. Just haven’t bonded with it. That, and the next Jeep is well on the horizon. We’ll see. Had some good company at the shop today.

Happy March, Comanche Club! Here's something fun to try... think about when you got your truck. Where did you get it from? Did the test drive go smoothly? No?... but you got it anyhow, right? How long was it before you started working on it? Some of us have had our MJs for a while now and others not so long. It's no competition, but some of us make the most out of owning a Comanche. This month let's have a look at a build that I've enjoyed since the beginning. Here's this month's MJOTM! YEAR/MODEL ● 88 SporTruck ENGINE/PERFORMANCE ● 97 TJ 4.0L, 99 WJ intake, 93 XJ exhaust, Volvo 746 injectors, 97 HO throttle body, GM 2.8L TPS, GM IAT update, stock MAP moved to throttle body, 105A CS130. Renix MPFI to the end. DRIVETRAIN ● 95 ZJ D30 (3.73), 94 XJ AX15, 93 XJ NP242, 95 Explorer 8.8 (3.73) w/drums. COOLING ● 00 XJ Radiator/Open cooling conversion, 97 TJ fan clutch, heater valve delete, added 93 XJ aux fan (controlled by REM) ELECTRICAL/IGNITION ● 1990 XJ ECM and distributor, stock 88 otherwise. SUSPENSION/STEERING ● Roughly 3" front lift ZJ front coils w/ 2" spacer, custom RE joint based adjustable uppers (16.5"), fixed lowers (16.25") adjusted dual caster mounts to stretch front out about 3/4" or so. Rear is SUA Bastard pack using A mix of stock 2wd and 4wd packs with Dakota leaves mixed in. INTERIOR ● A work in progress ... 90 XJ 4dr Laredo seats, 96 XJ "wood like" dash bezel, custom "medium sized" console with embedded REM. Interior recolored Charcoal grey and Black. Custom "built to fit" behind the seat speaker box. BRAKES ● Front 00 XJ spec, Rear 95 Explorer spec, 95 ZJ Booster and master Cylinder, 93 XJ Proportioning valve, Stock prop valve delete. LIGHTING ● Stock headlights with relay harness added. JK fog lights wired into EGR solenoid circuit as DRL's EXTERIOR ● 00 XJ front clip swap, cut down JK front bumper. "free if it fits" farmers field brand canopy. Current truck color - less ugly than it used to be, but still under construction - last on the list. Let's call it green-ish. WHEELS/TIRES ● 09 Charger 17" 5 spoke wheels, 255/75r17 JK leftover BFG MT and Wrangler MT. 1.5" spacers on rear 8.8. MISCELLANEOUS ● Swapped 92 XJ SAE guages into my Canadian metric cluster "cause I predate it". 92 XJ tilt column, 93/4 XJ front doors and rekeyed locks to Ignition. One key is me. Oh Ratmanche ... she's a working truck, she's not overly pretty, but she's reliable and sound. Honestly has yet to let me down, the new motor should help keep her that way. FULL BUILD THREAD Remember That One Time?... Tell Us Your Best MJ Story ● Haven't really had a moment to remember yet, she just runs and works reliably. Only real moment was the purchase day ... Talked the owner down to less than half asking price, the radiator was literally crumbling, the trac bar was so worn out it was a half turn of the wheel before the turn started (after the body was finished shifting over). E-brake failed after the test drive. Made it easy to get the price down. It was ... an interesting trip home after. 2 days later and my spare 00 XJ parts later and she's been my DD since. CC is Awesome!... Why Do You Think So? ● Because the knowledge here is excellent, and the group in general is quite personable. Here I've found hard to find help and parts when I had almost caved. The only forum I still check in to. Congratulations! Like I said, I've been watching this build from the start. So many times our stories start off just like this one that we question if we should even buy a vehicle. We do... we always do. Things are broken but we fix them. Things are ugly but we make them look better... kinda. Things always need attention but we still love our trucks. Sometimes the best vehicles on the road and just the old reliables that we can't seem to stop driving. On behalf of your truck, thanks for keeping it running! -Ben