neohic

73... probably to pass someone.

Sell it?!?!?! Not an option. When I'm driving, I'm driving. No fiddling with the radio or eating a sandwich. Only reason I put a cup holder in that truck was for the wife. All comes back to wanting ti shift through the gears.

You're just sour you didn't claim another in the HO following. :yes:

Here I thought there was a difference in cams... should've looked into that more. :dunno: Looks like it was the same cam from '87 to '95. Really the only easy or budget minded thing I haven't done to my engine is the bigger throttle body. I'm still running the original '88 ECU also. Think I remember you posting something about '89-'90 ECUs giving a slight boost also. I slightly lean towards HO, but as far as the long standing HO to Renix debate, I could really go either way. Sorry, Cruiser... I'd consider me a draw. Fortunately, that also means that Don didn't win either. :rotf:

... but if I were to do that and it happened to be HO, should I take the time to swap it all over (if it's got an uncut harness), and would a stock Renix short block (or just a stock Renix cam in my case) get along with the HO components and computer? Still hypothetical. :laughin:

If I could find a good trans with an external slave, matching t-case, and pedals then I'd go that route. Pricing things locally though, I've found cheaper donor vehicles that I could later scrap to make up costs. Again, this is more of a thinking out loud type thread... and I'm enjoying this! :banana:

I love it in a "fun vehicle". My '98 XJ is an auto and I love it on the trail. My '88 sees streets only now and I catch myself sometimes reaching down as if to shift. I did see that thread. Lots of all too familiar pictures there.

My '88 is no trail rig. :no:

Admittedly, really just because I want to. :D

I think what it really comes down to is my want to go through all of the wiring in the truck at some point to make sure that everything is sound and swap to a manual trans. Whenever that time comes and I need to find a donor, there are obviously more '91 and up Jeeps out there than '90 and down. I'd say that it would be easier to find a Renix era to swap to being that it my current head doesn't have all that many miles, but that does narrow things down for the transmission being I have a 21 spline transfer case. Granted, early AX15s do exist for a 21 spline NP231 (correct?), but then I'd still want to swap things around for an external slave setup. I think that if I were to find the right '94 XJ, it would have everything that I need to swap to everything I want all wrapped up in a convenient package without changing anything about the look of the interior. Anytime I've ever done a big enough parts swap on a Jeep, I've found that it's way cheaper and easier to just find a donor that has everything you want. I really don't think I want more power, but I wouldn't turn it down either.

Gah! You're right. Short block... I meant short block. Original post and thread title corrected.

Not to speak for Austin, but I think they flex and move around a lot. I saw his ARB break a corner light from twisting too much.

So... that's a vote for keeping the Renix? Not sure that was one of the hypothetical scenarios. :yes:

Happy 2016, Comanche Club! It's a brand new year for featuring some more of our favorite old trucks! What's always nice about January is that it feels like a fresh start, you know? What better way to embrace that feeling with one sweet Comanche that's still mostly original... it's just had a fresh start on a few things. This new year, let's have a look at... YEAR/MODEL ●1989 Jeep Comanche Eliminator, 128,685 original miles ENGINE/PERFORMANCE ● 4.0 Renix, all sensors replaced with OEM sensors, rebuilt the head and cleaned the intake manifold and throttle body, upgraded grounds from cruiser tips, upgraded injectors to Bosch 746 injectors, all new stock exhaust from manifold back, replaced oil pan and rear main seal DRIVETRAIN ● Originally was a 2wd automatic with an AW4, I converted it to a 4wd manual with an AX15 and NP231. The AX15 came from a 1994 XJ with around 100k miles, the NP231 also from an XJ, the front Dana 30 axle was out of a late model 90's XJ, matched ratio to 3.55, no disconnect system, the rear axle is the original Dana 35 3.55. The original rear drive shaft was shortened to work with the AX15 and the front drive shaft came from a factory 91 XJ COOLING ● The cooling system was upgraded to an open system using an upgraded coolant bottle from Mac's Radiator and adding an overflow bottle from a 2.5 engine over by the air filter, the water pump, radiator, and all coolant hoses were replaced with factory replacements, this caused me to have to relocate the fuel ballast resistor to the front radiator mount ELECTRICAL/IGNITION ● Replaced distributor and ECU with stock reman units, upgraded the grounds in the engine bay based on cruiser tips, refreshed all electrical connections, replaced all relays, wired up 4wd dash light SUSPENSION/STEERING ● Replaced gear box with stock replacement, replaced all shocks, tie rod ends, ball joints and hubs. INTERIOR ● Upgraded the B Pillar lights with replacements from Euramtec, found replacement factory radio because originally did not work. When I pulled up the carpet, I was nervous, but the factory floors looked perfect! BRAKES ● Upgraded to 96 XJ booster and master cylinder, removed rear weight sensing valve, replaced proportioning valve with one from an XJ, replaced rotors, calipers, drums, and wheel cylinders with stock replacements LIGHTING ● All stock lights with factory fog lights EXTERIOR ● I added back the original Eliminator stickers and added 4x4 stickers that would have been there if it had come 4x4, they were from an XJ but should be correct badges. The vehicle had been in a wreck at some point before I bought it, saw it on a CarFax. It was passenger front, repairs were done well, all looks factory, a partial paint job was done which is when the Eliminator stickers were most likely removed. It had also hit something on drivers side rear bumper, I plan to try and hammer that out and fix it without having to replace it. Overall the paint is good except it's the worst on the tailgate, pretty faded, otherwise good condition. WHEELS/TIRES ● 235/75/R15 Starfire SF 340. These tires were new on the vehicle when I bought it, they are pretty cheap, I plan to replace them once I get everything else finished and fixed up. I'm looking at either some Cooper Discovery AT3's or Firestone Destination AT's MISCELLANEOUS ● Replaced idler pulley Boostwerks 231 shift linkage Replaced broken spare tire carrier with a good condition stock unit from eBay, that took awhile to find Replaced broken battery tray with stock replacement Replaced power steering hoses Also, don't clean your engine with Purple Power not diluted enough, that is why my engine bay looks really clean, but all the aluminum is oxidized :( Remember That One Time?... Tell Us Your Best MJ Story ● I would say my favorite was reading about how all MJ's have rust when you pull up the carpet, so I was nervous, and as the carpets were pulled up, underneath was a perfect set of floors that looked probably just like they did in 1989, so that was pretty exciting. Also, working on my MJ was also the first time I ever got shocked by a spark plug wire on a running car, which was also pretty fun. I worked on my CJ, multiple XJ's, and 2 SJ's and never had that happen. CC is Awesome!... Why Do You Think So? ● This MJ was the first car I worked on that was fuel injected, computer controlled, sensors, etc... I knew nothing about it, always worked on older carbureted engines, so I was intimidated until I found CC with all the experts and answers to my questions Let me be the first to say congratulations, David! What I really love about this truck is that it's upgraded from stock, but it's not overdone. You made it how you wanted it with factory parts to keep it looking just like the factory would've done it. Not to mention that it's a red Eliminator... but I just might be a little bit bias. very well done, sir! Let's enjoy another year of MJOTM and another year to start fresh! -Ben Click here to view the article

What about the short block itself? Say, for example, I didn't have a built engine. If one had a low mileage Renix era engine and an HO Jeep that threw a rod but the head and everything else were fine, would it make sense to use the Renix block in place of the HO?... same for '97+? I know there are some differences, but would a stock Renix crank and camshafts get along with HO or '97+? ... now I'm just curious. :hmm:

Well... hope I didn't get your hope too high. :oops: Went and took a look at it just now and I can't believe I didn't throw it out when I stripped it out of the truck. Cracks... big ones. I'm sure it'd still work, but this thing is in tough shape. Sorry dude.

I suppose the goal would be... You're correct that the engine runs great. Couldn't be happier with it!... just the engine though. As far as everything else, it seems like it's every other year or so that I'm forced to fix one thing or another when it comes to the wiring in the truck. Between previous owner underhood "fixes" that have been long cleaned up and interior "custom stereo removal" by the previous owner having it broken into three times, the wiring in this truck has really gotten to be a mess. It was before my time, but it looks as though mice had made a home under the relays too. Spent a ton of time getting that all sorted out years ago. Inside is no different. I cringe at the thought of what still might be hiding behind the dash. Granted, I know that there isn't anything taking residence in my truck now, but I'm sure there something in there still waiting to fail.

Hey gang... I keep thinking about this and I don't see why some mixing and matching wouldn't work. Been doing a bunch of research to the point that I'm getting my numbers crossed and it's getting a little busy in my head. :thwak: Is there going to be tangents off of the main topic? You bet! Bear with me... Hypothetically, if one had a somewhat recently rebuilt Renix 4.0 (actually 4.6ish) and wanted to go HO or '97+, the original short block could be retained, correct? I'm really just thinking about the internal and external differences of the engine itself. This would start with an '88 4.0/AW4 combo and go from there. Everything external on the drivetrain is totally stock Renix minus Cruisers recommended upgrades, an EGR delete, an HO oil filter adapter, and a 4wd swap (also with Renix era components). Keep in mind that I don't have any actual donors mind nor any real time frame as to when something like this could happen. Here's two scenarios in my head... Scenario #1: Donor: '94 XJ with 4.0/AX15 Swap everything minus the Renix short block Retain aftermarket Renix intended tubular header I think this would be pretty well cut and dry. I'd use the engine, dash, and chassis wiring from the '94 donor. Obviously this would also be an auto to manual swap, but that really doesn't matter as everything else related to the trans would be moved over from the donor. I could retain the original look to the interior as '94 was the last year for the XJs to not have an airbag. Scenario #2: Donor: '01 XJ with 4.0/NV3550 Swap everything minus the Renix short block 7120 head swap Retain intake manifold from '01 donor Retain aftermarket Renix intended tubular header This is where I really start to confuse myself. If I'd go through the trouble of updating a vehicle, I'd think that I might as well go as new as I can without too much trouble. This would of course means swapping in the '01 dash and firewall differences, but that's not really what we're discussing here, is it? (On a side note, sometimes I like the idea of keeping as much of the interior original but other times it really doesn't concern me. 88Pghcomanche's interior has really swayed me into liking a mix of old and new.) There's the commonly disliked 0331 cylinder head that the internet continues to create horror stories about, and I'd just assume do away with it. Being that the exhaust ports are the same between the Renix and HOs (HA!... HOs. :shake: ) I could keep my ceramic coated header and not have to deal with figuring out any adapter plates to keep the '01 exhaust manifold. Would that snowball into throwing codes or not running correctly if I didn't keep the two cats directly off the manifold though? (I know... I know... nobody likes talking about getting rid of catalytic converters, but the truck is an '88 after all and would still be titled as such.) Then what about the four 02 sensors? I know that I'd need to figure out a bracket to hang the coil packs on, but that really doesn't concern me. I suppose another thought (scenarios #3? :dunno: ) would be to use a '97-'99 XJ as a donor and not worry about the coil packs, mass of 02 sensors, or the 0331 head. I like the idea of using a 7120 head though from all the good stuff you can find in interweb land about them as far as flow and casting quality. With how many miles that have been put on my engine (not all that much) I'd be stupid to just plop on a used head from the donor regardless of year. Truth be told, I'd probably try and find a wrecked vehicle that everything functions or one with tons of miles being that I'd still be using my rebuild long block (that is what I'm trying to get to the bottom of anyhow, right?). Either way, I'd be on the look out for a donor that preferably didn't even have so much as an aftermarket stereo. Mechanical components can be rebuild but original virgin wiring is really my main concern. Anyhow... I understand that this is now turning into a wall of text and that I'm starting to digress. This really sounds right up Don and Cruiser's alley over a Renix versus HO debate but, again, that's not what this is about. It's mostly about my want to swap to a manual transmission and to do away with aging and patched up wiring while upgrading at the same time. Here's a picture of my truck just because I know how people like pictures and any good topic needs pictures. :D Thoughts? Ready... go!

I think I have what you need. I'll take a look today to check on its condition. :thumbsup:

*Yoda's voice* "Spoil, you will not. Unfriendly you, I will."

Just took a look at the shipping slip on the very first bridge I'm a part of. Oddly enough, it's Colorado bound! I'll take that as a sign.

Meh... I'd run that. :D

Well... my first week went pretty good. Still not 100% sure that it's what I want to be doing full time, but it works for now. Got my first week's worth of typical new employee work done in three days, so that's pretty cool. Did a lot of practice joints and got certified for vertical and over head in their two welding processes no problem. Still have a ton of learning to do to keep up with everyone else there, but they're certainly not just throwing me to the lions... which is nice. Been walking to work everyday too as it's about a 3/8 mile "commute". Not too bad... walking along the shoulder on a county highway at 5:30 in the morning has it's perks. First semi to drive by sure wakes you up quick! :eek:

Some things were said that I thought were over with. A fellow employee I've shared words with in the past apparently wanted to end things trying to twist the knife one last time rather than leaving past conversations remaining as such. There was an all too familiar silent treatment all morning, good performance in front of other school workers at the going away party, then a few snide comments, all followed up with just slipping away without at least a professional hand shake or "good luck". It's sad when I've been passing people in the halls and hearing the same comment of "I understand... I couldn't work with him either". Funny how things work out, eh? Up and coming young guy tries to make a difference for the better only to get shut down over and over by someone who's too comfortable in their position and isn't thought highly or respected by so many.

Hu... Well, can't say that I went out the way I wanted. It's over now though. Onward and upward.