neohic

Doing really good! Any updated pictures of the truck?... people love pictures.

Mr. Mike!

Here’s a couple jems from a while back. These happened on the same wheeling trip when the ol’ Ape was still around. Friend of mine got high centered and just went for it. He got loose and then ripped the crossmember out from his XJ. Ratchet strap to the rescue! The next day say it was pointed out to me that my leaf springs were fanning out way too much and then started twisting around. Maybe I should’ve gotten around to putting clamps on? Ah well.

Dang... those wheels. Very well played, sir.

Shipping was the clincher for me as well. Never pursued it after bringing it to a FedEx and getting totally blind sided.

Hey there, Tim! Still down to give a hand with those floors whenever you’re ready.

Mmm... Love that bumper. Easily my favorite in the aftermarket right now.

I really like the idea of them. The execution though seems to fall short with me. Pretty sure it's the vertical plate mounts in the rear and the "IKEA flat box" bolted together look that kills it.

Welcome to our second month of 2018, Comanche Club! Funny how these things sneak up on us. First it's a new year. Then we've already gone through one month. Then we get to spotlight a member who came into this site swinging. He's only been around since August of last year but this build has really made a huge splash! I think he's a shoe-in. YEAR/MODEL ● 1988 SporTruck ENGINE/PERFORMANCE ● 4.0 HO DRIVETRAIN ● AW4/NP231with boostwerks linkage/ Tom Woods rear shaft/ Dana30/C8.25 COOLING ● Stock cooling system from an '01 XJ with an added Hayden trans cooler. ELECTRICAL/IGNITION ● Stock '01 XJ SUSPENSION/STEERING ● Metalcloak 4.5" coils Metalcloak adjustable trackbar JKS disconnects Rear SOA on stock 2wd MJ springs INTERIOR ● '01 XJ interior swap. MJ specific trim painted Agate to match XJ dash and door panels Reupholstered headliner, visors, and rear cab panel BRAKES ● Stock '01 Xj LIGHTING ● Hella Ecode headlights w/relay harness Led bulbs in all other exterior lights EXTERIOR ● Gunmetal Grey Metallic paint 97+ XJ front clip swap and XJ doors JCR front and rear bumpers WHEELS/TIRES ● 15x8 MR1X Mamba wheels 33x10.50 BFG ATs MISCELLANEOUS ● XJ 3rd brake light mounted on the rear of the cab. Aftermarket sliding rear window and 97+xj windshield being installed this week EZ Cool insulation on almost every surface on the interior FULL BUILD THREAD HERE Remember That One Time?... Tell Us Your Best MJ Story ● I jumped on this rust free MJ from North Carolina almost exactly a year ago. I didn't have a solid plan for it but I knew I had to have it. Buying a 2wd truck in the middle of winter in Pennsylvania while living on a mountain was not the best of ideas. It was weeks after I bought it before the snow and ice melted enough that I could give the truck a good run down. My first trip took me to a building supply store where I picked up some lumber for a workbench project. I was so excited to have a Jeep truck and doing truck things with it that I didn't notice that I parked on a tiny piece of ice. It was enough to get stuck on with one tire spinning while the other 3 sat and watched. I eventually wiggled free after several minutes and drove home with my top speed of 48mph. Once I got home and unloaded, plans for the MJ began forming in my head. I was officially hooked. Minutes later and I was stuck once again but this time on a dusting of snow. CC is Awesome!... Why Do You Think So? ● I could not have made this truck into what it is without the knowledge on this site. I have been lurking on this site for years reading through various member builds. There are many great builds on this site and many have helped me acquire some knowledge for my build. I have three build threads that I constantly visited and would like to aknowledge. Alexia, Backdraft, and Rymanrph all have great threads and I drew on each of them heavily for inspiration and motivation. I have read these threads over and over for quite some time. So much so that they are some of my most visited sites over several years. Thanks to everyone that has ever posted a thread here about their truck. Without this site I would not have had the ability or confidence to take on a project like this on such a unique truck. A Jeep truck. Wow. Just wow, Aaron! It really goes to show that a good base is the start of all great builds. It definitely goes without saying that your truck is absolutely gorgeous in that stunning gray along with the blacked out Moabs and just enough details to draw us in closer. Super MJ! -Ben

Been wondering where you’ve been off to! Welcome back, sir!!

It’s still your month after all!

Wait... what?! Indiana?

Lots of good info in that video. On the aftermarket side of things, updating the knuckles and brackets are a big plus. Not a fan of the CAD, but I get it. Overall, some steps in the right direction.

Have a seat! Beer is in the fridge.

Call up D&C Extreme out of Colorado Springs. We’ve got a Comanche cage kit that we can piece down to only what you need.

Glad to see this at the top of the list.

Really impressed with the speed you're getting it all done in! Very good work, sir!

... continued... There have been a few good Courier builds over on Pirate, but they've all been pretty crazy. This one has the idea of keeping it very streetable and flying super low under the radar. Bronco stuff under Japan's finest Fords? Couronco.

So there's this guy I work with. He's mostly an early Bronco kind of guy which is pretty cool. Lately he's been wanting to build something a little different and with a plethora of leftover Bronco stuff, all he really needed was a solid platform to start with. What better than a classic Courier?! What better to start than with THREE Couriers?!?! The green truck is a '72, the white one is a '74, and the gray truck is a '76. What's really cool about these trucks is that they were build by Mazda before they were known as Mazda, and there were tons of changes and upgrades through their short lifespan. Notice anything different about the cab on the '76?... because it's 3" longer than the other two! It's also clearly a 4x4 which wasn't available from the factory. See, there was a company out of Springfield, IL that did conversions with early CJ parts. They all got narrow Dana 30s up front, a divorced Dana 20 transfer case, and then lift blocks in the rear to level things out. Pretty cool little trucks!! So here's the plan: use the green truck's frame as a base (because it's in the best shape), the cab from the '76 (because of the extra leg room), and the bed form the '74 (because it's got the best floor) on the outside. Drivetrain? We're going with early Bronco 9" and Dana 44 axles, 4.56 gears, 35" tall tires, a mild 289, SM465, and a Dana 20 with twin sticks. For suspension we're keeping it simple by hanging everything with Wagoneer leaf springs. Being I really don't have much for my own projects going on, I'm super excited about this! This afternoon at work, we decided that he needed a push to get the ball rolling so we pushed the '72 in and started stripping. Went pretty quick too! Within three hours we got it arranged, pulled the bed and cab, suspension, drivetrain, got it outside to finish cleaning the frame, and even managed to clean up the shop before the weekend. How did it go? Just like this...

Oof... it was 60* this afternoon!!

Very cool, Pete!

I kinda miss that truck too. Had one hell of a build thread! What ever happened to the XJ buggy you traded for it?

Happy 2018, Comanche Club!!! I apologize for the late start, but its very much a rocky start for me so far. Sometimes that's just the way it goes. We try and make things work to reach a deadline only to come up just short of what we intended. What better way to introduce this month's MJOTM member though? We're going to start the year with a bit of a project! This month's member had full intentions of getting a huge over hall wrapped up before the 1st of the year... but then a roadblock in the form of a back order stepped in. Problem? Heck no! Still an awesome truck! Still an awesome member! YEAR/MODEL ● 1988 Jeep Comanche Base ENGINE/PERFORMANCE ● 94 Cherokee Transplant 4.0l H.O. Motor with upgraded injectors DRIVETRAIN ● AX 15/231 Transfer Case with SYE Trussed Front D44 with a Yukon Locker/ Rear 9" with a Spool(From a 77 Bronco) with 5.13 gears COOLING ● Stock(for now) ELECTRICAL/IGNITION ● Upgraded Battery Cables but otherwise stock SUSPENSION/STEERING ● 6 and a half springs up front with 1 ton steering linkages and a custom panhard bar/ Spring over in rear with heavy duty lift shackles INTERIOR ● All grey interior with the bucket seats with the exception of some brown details(from the mud) BRAKES ● 4 wheel large caliper disc brakes LIGHTING ● 2 2x7 Cree LED lights EXTERIOR ● Rebuilt spliced frame painted inside and out(no more rust)/ Army green and Bedliner black body Protofab Front bumper/ custom Rear and a retro fit rollbar WHEELS/TIRES ● 16x8 Basic wheels with 35" General Grabber Red Letters MISCELLANEOUS ● She's still a work in progress but will be ready soon! FULL BUILD THREAD HERE Remember That One Time?... Tell Us Your Best MJ Story ● I purchased this to be a daily driver a long time ago(because I was stubborn and wanted something cool), so the best moment was probably putting 3 months of sweat and money into it and then finally taking it out for the first time. I had never driven nor been in a large vehicle before so it was an experience unlike any other(until the death wobble started). It was a first drive I would never forget and to this day, I still get that feeling every time I hop into it. CC is Awesome!... Why Do You Think So? ● I was brand new to offroading entirely when I purchased this truck. Back then, I didn't know a leaf shackle from a steering knuckle and it was really hard just jumping in to working on it since my only experience was older sports cars. It took some intense research and a lot of questions to really even begin to understand what I was getting into and even now, I still have questions about all kinds of things. But from the very beginning, ComancheClub has always been a wealth of information and resources to steadily piece everything together. Anytime I had a question, even if it seemed a stupid one to those better acquainted with these vehicles, they would still answer it and help me learn how to solve these issues. So why do I think so? Simply because you won't find a better, more engaged, and well meaning community with all of this experience and information at your fingertips than this. Everyone here really loves these trucks and puts their all into their own and others. I couldn't quite beat the clock to have her finished before the 1st(dang back ordered leaf springs) but here soon I'll have a GIANT update on the truck for the MJOTM nomination on the build page. She will be back and better than ever and I'll be sure to take lots of pictures and a few action shots. Way to go!!! You stated off with a solid base (minus the rust, of course) and then you took the ball and ran with it. There are so many of us here that would look at the rust repair needed on the frame and ran! You tackled it and did a great job with it. The rest of the latest upgrades and updates have been well needed and well done too. A huge tip of the cap on this one!... and hopefully you get your leaf springs soon. -Ben