neohic

Yessir. I know that build just about inside and out. Doubt I'll be going the '97+ way that one is though. Sharp truck, anyhow! I liked it before it was silver but I LOVE it now!!

It's my bosses truck. '72 long box with a 6.0 LS, 4L80, CUCV axles, and 37s. The thing is a beast.

That's also one of the reasons I'm now leaning towards a 5.2/5.9. My XJ will probably give up at least its axles to this build as well. Being that they put the 5.9 in front of a Dana 30 and the crap-tastic aluminum housing Dana 44 in the ZJs, it would fit quite well with my axles with 4.56 gears and 35s. One thing that I really like about my current wheeler is that the parts are easy to find and relatively inexpensive to replace. I'd like to keep that going with this one.

Nailed it. Unintentionally, this truck is turning into a challenge for me to see how cheap I can build it as well.

It could still happen, but I've grown tired of playing the mismatch game of "this block and those accessories and that oil pan and... and..." The Mopar 5.2/5.9 platform is tried and true plus they fit with minimal fuss. Between ZJs, Dodge Rams, Dakotas, and Durangos there are plenty of donors too. Besides, the only reason I was thinking LS in the first place was because of the availability through the shop I'm working at. The initial price is definitely right and the aftermarket is unbelievable for the LS, but looking into every little nickle and dime piece that it takes to do a complete LS swap into a Comanche is killing it for me.

Well... looks like inspiration has struck in the form of a 5.2 ZJ. Need to come up with an engine but everything else has low miles. It's pretty much just a wiring and trans donor, but it's a start.

... and a 4wd front axle.

Clever! Is it adjustable so you can still dial everything in?

Well, gents?... that just about wraps up another year here on CC. I think it's been one hell of a year! Plenty of good members, new build threads, and plenty of good tech. What else could one want from the internet?! Oh... that's right... how about one last month of Comanche of the Month? We've made it this far! How about we finish off with a good one, eh?! This is the last month for 2016 and this is your spotlight MJOTM... YEAR/MODEL ● 1987 jeep Comanche 2wd ENGINE/PERFORMANCE ● Stock, for now. 746 injector upgrade in the future. Hopeful for an AX-15 swap after I'm done with high school. DRIVETRAIN ● Original 4.0, BA-10, factory Dana 44 w/ posi. COOLING ● Stock ELECTRICAL/IGNITION ● Added front door speakers. Cruisers tips performed. Mopar cps bypass kit SUSPENSION/STEERING ● Stock INTERIOR ● Bucket seats, Cherokee center console, door panels with wood trim. BRAKES ● Stock....for now. LIGHTING ● Factory b-pillar lights and footwell+ashtray lights added from a Cherokee. EXTERIOR ● Many dents, chrome bumper, chrome grille/headlight surrounds, chrome door handles have been added. WHEELS/TIRES ● 235/75/15 Goodyear Wrangler radials, Vision Warrior wheels FULL BUILD THREAD HERE Remember That One Time?... Tell Us Your Best MJ Story ● I have many stories, especially since I've been riding in this truck since I was five, but the most memorable is probably from this year. Traveling to Los Angeles from Las Vegas, I had faith in the old jeep but I had never driven it that far before. Being an old truck I was pretty nervous, but knowing the truck ran flawlessly it got me to the destination and back home without hesitation. That's where my love for it grew more. It didn't leave me stranded and on top of that it was hanging with the new cars on the freeway without feeling like it was going to fall apart. Also I love getting asked about my truck and getting compliments on it. I love how unique it is. CC is Awesome!... Why Do You Think So? ● All the great people that are willing to help and that are respectful with lots of knowledge. Cruiser's Renix tips so I can keep my heep running. Also hornbrods MJ had inspired me to put chrome on mine with hopes to get my MJ to an immaculate condition like his one day. This truck really sums up the year just great. These little trucks continue to run and keep going with simple care and respect and yours is a prime example of this. Well done! Great truck, great member, and another great year in our own piece of the automotive world. Tip of the cap and cheers all around! -Ben This post has been promoted to an article

Interested in other's opinions on this. These are really neat engines with pretty good reliability reviews.

^ Ha! That's the first thing I thought of too!

Very interested in this! Been planning an LS swap lately and this would be awesome from someone in the know. :thumbsup:

Welcome back, Clark!

Right?

So where do you pick one of these up and how much? Never sold in the U.S. as a direct injection diesel. Not much support in the U.S. for the engine?... ... I only suggested Ben use it in his new found project in hopes that someone on this forum would see it and pipe up about it if they had any knowledge to share. I did a little bit of looking around at this and that are pretty neat little engines! Only reason I'm set on an LS is because of how cheap I can do it. You sure there, BJ? :hmm: This is the first MJ I've had that I've got no real direction.

Not really. He's got a gold '86 he posted up about recently, his white SporTruck, and a blue SporTruck that I didn't recognize. Not yet! There will be some kind of "Special Edition" something-or-other once the build actually starts. Still no real plans for it... just in case anyone was wondering. :D

If an engine swap is in the future (likely) it'll be an LS. Through connections at the shop I work at, I can do a turn key LS swap for under $800. MY CURRENT WHEELER is failing me fast. This truck photographs nice, but the body is full of dimples from a major hailstorm. The only good straight sheet metal is from the lower body line and down. I'm really leaning towards putting it in the same streetable wheeler status category that my XJ is currently in, but the decision needs to be made as far as how far I'd go with it. Plenty of time though... no idea when I'll have time do anything with it.

Here you go, Jim: http://comancheclub.com/topic/51603-1986-the-jim-oshel-edition/?do=findComment&comment=525518

Howdy, folks! Been a while since I've had the chance to start a new build thread in the "Project MJs" section, so this is kind of a big deal for me. Here's the back story on this one... A few years back when I decided that I wanted to pursue moving to Colorado I got in contact with our very own Mr. Jim Oshel. Made a visit at that point and he made the comment that he'd have a truck waiting for me come the day I made the big move. Fast forward to today, and I'm now the happy new owner of this prime example of an '86! Little more back story... I've been working at an offroad shop and one of the cage kits that we sell is for the Comanche. There have been more than a few times that I was asked if I could bring in my Eliminator to mock up a cage to get some pictures on our website, but I've been hesitant about doing any welding anywhere near it and it's sitting in storage right now. Being that we've got space behind the shop for storage, I've been saying for at least the past two years that I'd come get the truck from Jim, and that I'm conveniently living in Colorado I figured it was finally time to pull the trigger. My boss was awesome enough to hitch up his trailer behind his amazing '72 Chevy, so we went for a little drive. To be honest, I'm not totally sure what my plans are for the truck. Maybe get it running and leave it alone? Maybe do an LS swap to make for a fun new daily driver? Maybe do an LS swap, cut it in half, and tube the rear as a new trail rig?... who knows. I'm sure everyone here will be the first to know. ... stay tuned, I guess.

So... the tach? :dunno:

Have a look around 5th gen. Camaro forums such as camaro5.com. Look around for the L99 (same thing as LS3?) manifolds. I've seen them sell for as little as $50 for a pair! Some of these guys are practically giving them away with the stock cats. We just fitted a set of these on an LS swapped JK at the shop I work at and they fit super close to the block. Come the day when I build my next rig it'll be an LS swap and I'll probably be looking at these manifolds.

Gentlemen! Have you noticed that we're just about done with 2016? Not sure about anyone else, but I look back on the year thus far and realize that there have been plenty of changes. Not to mention looking back on past MJOTM members form 2016 and also seeing the changes that they've had since being started... so many routes to go down with these trucks! Here's one that really stands out with its changes both on the surface and under. Your Comanche of the Month for November is... YEAR/MODEL ● 1990 Comanche Pioneer SWB ENGINE/PERFORMANCE ● Completely stock 4.0l DRIVETRAIN ● External slave AX15, not sure what it's out of, non vacuum NP231 from an XJ, Advanced Adapters SYE, Tom Woods driveshafts, Dana 44 rear from an 87 XJ. Chromoly shafts. D30 front COOLING ● Open system conversion. Toyota Land Cruiser overflow bottle. Flow Kooler water pump. ELECTRICAL/IGNITION ● 2 E-fans on switches. SUSPENSION/STEERING ● Rough Country long arm upgrade. Rubicon Express 5.5" coils and shocks. Stock leafs rear, SOA with trail gear perches. Rubicon Express track bar. Stock steering. INTERIOR ● Two-door Cherokee (flip forward) bucket seats, Cherokee center console, Fox flag headliner. New floor pans. Rockford Fosgate 10 inch shallow mount sub behind the seat. BRAKES ● All stock...definitely needs to be upgraded. LIGHTING ● 4 KC Daylighters on rollbar. 55w reverse lights. XJ Wagoneer (4 headlight) Header panel swap. EXTERIOR ● XJ Wagoneer Header panel swap. 2x6 steel sliders. Roll bar. WHEELS/TIRES ● 33x12.5R15 KM2s MISCELLANEOUS ● This was my first truck. I 4 wheeled it pretty hard until I bought a TJ. I swapped over a bunch of stuff over to that and now the MJ is just a daily driver. Trying to keep it from getting so beat up off road. It used to have ARBs, AR twin compressor, 44s front and rear, and a Warn 8274. All that is now on the TJ. I am in the process of making the MJ a good work truck / daily driver. FULL BUILD THREAD HERE Remember That One Time?... Tell Us Your Best MJ Story ● A couple of my buddies headed over to Eastern Washington after school one day to do some wheeling / camping. It was about 100 miles on the freeway (which the Jeep did AWESOME, only burned 1 qt :rotfl2: ) and did 75 mph no problem. We spent a ton of time on the trails. We ended up coming to a wash out. I put it in first gear, low range, squared up to the hill (the washout was at a 45 degree angle to the road) and went right up it. The guy behind me took it straight on and chewed it up pretty bad. I ended up winching all 3 of the guys in the group over the wash out (I had a winch on my Jeep back then). Then made the trip back over to the west side. That (at the time) was the most amount of miles I had put on my Jeep in one trip, and it definitely impressed me! CC is Awesome!... Why Do You Think So? ● CC has been an awesome resource in building and modifying my MJ. You guys are all so helpful and can gave me a lot of help and ideas. Reading through the builds here has given me a ton of inspiration. Now THAT'S a cool truck! Love it or hate it, that Waggy grill really makes this thing stand out. For the record, I dig it... a lot! The whole build is a fun one to go through. Built a little... built a lot... added some more... unbuilt to keep it nice... Quite the roller coaster! The overall look of the truck is just awesome. Keep up the good work and congratulations! -Ben This post has been promoted to an article

That interior finish looks great! :thumbsup:

Wow! Definitely a sharp truck. I don't recognize it from our ranks though.

Good call! I've got an LS swap on the docket for my next build as well. I'll be watching!