neohic

Here we go again, folks! The season is winding down but I've got at least one more trip planned for the year. October 2-4th we're bound for Dresser, WI. After the first trip, there was a laundry list of things to fix. The second was slightly less. Last trip needed nothing. What to do now?... maintenance that's been pushed aside in favor of trail upgrades. The headlights on this thing are just about on par with a couple of birthday candles. The wiring to them looks okay, but a Putco harness is on the to-do list. While looking into that, the battery cables and grounds were freshened up significantly. New headlights also made the list this time... more so because I dropped one and I couldn't stand to just replace one. The results were great! Before... After... Then I got thinking about backing up in the dark and how great it was having the additional light on the roll bar of my Eliminator. That found a new home since it got the boot from the truck, and the remaining four lights also found a new home... since I was there, anyhow. Not a huge fan of them but we'll see how long it takes to knock one of them off. Until then, I'll enjoy the added light for the next time I roll into camp way late after a catastrophic failure. :D

:dunno: 3.5"-4"? I don't think I've ever really measured it. I think the springs in the front of mine are old Skyjacker coils, but I got them used so who knows. I also have two spring insulators in there too because of when I had a heavy park bench of a front bumper hanging off of it. Now that it's gone, I'd really like to take one of them so it'll bring it down a half inch or so. The rears are aftermarket Metric Ton leafs along with a taller shackle.

Mmm... I think red looks great, but I'm a little bias.

There's just something special about a red and black MJ. :thumbsup:

Nothing really to report. I took the truck for a couple hundred mile drive today. Haven't done that in a while... it was due.

Not much to see, really. Fiberglass leaf springs, XJ shackles, obsolete aftermarket sway bar, and a lowering block in the rear. Custom spun coils and another obsolete aftermarket sway bar in the front. Since we're here, Mark German is still the owner of this truck as far as I know. Restorations are still underway.

^ I've got the privilege of seeing a prime example of both of these cars in my area. :drool: Looked over both of them at the local car show this year and found that the Grand National is a one owner car with under 50k miles. :eek: The DMC 12 isn't really anything all that special other than the fact that it is what it is... and the license plate is "DOCBRWN". :laughin:

It's amazing how fast one of these little plastic cars can go from a pile of steel and fiberglass to a car-looking thing. This afternoon I got back to tapping those holes. Lots of oil... brand new and sharp tap... no problems today. That allowed me to completely fasten down the body. First time I've even been able to do that! Must of the fiberglass still needs to relax to the point of being completely tight to the chassis, but it's a start. It's been outside for a few sunny days, but it's really due now. The lights went on along with the windshield. Funny thing about that... I always knew that I had the windshield installed backwards looking back at old pictures, so I tried to put it on the correct way with the channel around the glass facing forward. Wouldn't you know it... it wouldn't go on. The seal at the bottom of the windshield was also backwards and the mounting holes didn't line up. Whoever put together the windshield in the first place put it together all wrong. Granted, I like how it looks with the windshield installed backwards, but it'll sure make it difficult when it comes time to figure out a top. The tape is still there waiting for me to figure out what I want to do with the rear body lines. Of the few pictures I've found of other bodies like mine, they just don't look right. I'm not a fan of cutting up a buggy body, but this one has really been around the block a few times already. The suspension kind of bugs me too. Not sure if I should raise the rear or to lower the front. Once the metal work is done I should have a better idea of where the weight will be sitting in the car. I had the wife come out and take a few angles with me in the car too. This let me play around with lines and different angles for the future cage. Kind of difficult though... I'm tall and I don't want the car to look too cartoonish. Here's what I'm thinking on that... Yup... not a whole lot one can do to jazz up the lines of a cage in a buggy when wanting to keep things somewhat simple. She snapped one last picture that I couldn't help but compare to 2004.

I'm a sucker for the '68-'72 GM pickups. You have very good taste in trucks, sir. :rock on:

Snow blowers are easy to work with. I just sold my walk behind in favor of a blower on my Craftsman LTX1000. Needed to cut off and make a few brackets, but it all works great. Main thing is to find out what the attachment was originally designed to work with, horsepower of the unit, and RPM of the output pulley. It really comes down to cost though. Sure I could've picked up a brand new one for $1400 and then get the adapter brackets to put it on my tractor, but for the $60 I have invested, I've got no problem doing some research.

That's a handsome machine. :thumbsup: I remember my grandpa had one just like that years ago. He was always that guy in the neighborhood with the perfect yard and he always used JD tractors. Me?... I'd pave my entire yard and paint it green if I could. Still, a reliable mower is a must and it might as well have everything work properly. Did you get any other attachments with it?

Cheap fun: I really want to break the rules and say a Caddy, but I think I'd enjoy an original MK1 Rabbit just the same. Prettiest: I give you the Frankfurt Flyer. This is actually a very cool story... there's this guy (who's actually local to me) that has a an obsession with classic Porsches and Volkswagens to the point that he creates these self propelled art masterpieces. Hand shaped to a wooden buck, formed over a tree stump, and assembled with utmost care. The details are amazing and this guy will actually build you one... for a price. Money no object DD: KDF type 87 Kommandeurwagen. Super rare... four wheel drive... yet another VW.

Yeah... we're going to need a build thread on this one. :thumbsup:

Any plans for raising the control arm mounts at the frame? With the truck on 38s, they sure look like rock anchors.

Bump'r... Got back to work on finishing bolting down the body so it'll be set when the time comes to work on the cage.

Had a well enough time in Appleton, MN today. It's a pretty small park and it's not overly technical. Lots of tight trails though. There's an OHV side and a main side that the OHV, ATV, and motorcycle trails overlap with each other. That's all fine but it's when people go down the OHV in the wrong direction that takes the fun out of things. I took point going down a trail and this guy with his couple kids come barreling down the trail in front of us and then he's staring me down like I'm the idiot... geez! It was us and my friend in the silver XJ along with another guy who just happened to be there when we were heading into the park. The guy in the red TJ was struggling to get up some log steps towards the end of the day. I was spotting him thinking of better lines that he could've been taking. I had the tube doors on all day but I had to run the steps. Did it in "street mode" with the doors on, but just walked right up. Not overly difficult, but still some good steps that needed a bit of a bump of the throttle to get it done.

Don't for get that you don't want a leaf spring in invert on itself either regardless of how much you can stuff a tire into a fenderwell.

Looking at west to southwest of Denver right now.

Had a real humid week and the newly finished but unpainted front bumper turned a little orange. A quick scuff, prime, and paint solved that... Got back to the rear too. I continued with the failed attempt of the front bumper. Future tie-ins for the cage... Dat @$$...

Bingo. We've been talking about moving out there for a couple years now and the stars are finally starting to align for us.

Seems as though Colorado is the place to be. My wife as nine months of school left and then we're planning the same thing. There isn't anything for us here and the wages are terrible. Granted, the cost of living is also low, but it sure makes the fun stuff difficult to afford. If you're even considering Colorado, I'd say go for it. I'llsee you there. :thumbsup:

Find yourself as many toilet paper and paper towel tubes for making angle templates at your tube intersections. Way easier to screw up those and throw them away rather than a pile of expensive tube. I'd use DOM for at least your main hoops/overhead pieces and HREW for everything else. Again, all in the interest of saving some cash while still keeping things safer.

:thumbsup: ... you have another one as well.

Jim, I sent you a PM about your '86 on the 27th. Did you receive it?

People of Comanche Club!... Today I am delighted to spread the word of one of the real staples of this community. Think back about how long you've been around here as a member? Few years?... Maybe more?... Do you remember the old CC forums?... the yahoo group? This month is all for a guy that's always there and always has an answer or suggestion. This month is for... http://txt-dynamic.static.1001fonts.net/txt/dHRmLjg4LjAwMDAwMC5SV0ZuYkdVbmN5QW5PRGdnUTJocFpXWSwuMAAA/ringbearer.medium.png /uploads/archive/42722921f6ee0383ddf6c78c983dc508/bd91bbac1e833b791d4a1b2080e33258.jpg YEAR/MODEL ● 1988 Jeep Comanche Chief ENGINE/PERFORMANCE ● Stock 4.0 with 125k DRIVETRAIN ● AX-15 YJ transmission w/ NV231 Front Dana 30 with 3.73 gears Rear Dana 35 with 3.73 gears, Detroit True Trac LSD COOLING ● Stock closed cooling ELECTRICAL/IGNITION ● Stock SUSPENSION/STEERING ● Purchased with Trailmaster 4" lift, drop brackets, and Trailmaster shocks Returned to stock configuration after five years of wheeling Gabriel shocks INTERIOR ● Stock bench seat Came w/ no carpet. Floor pans repaired & bedlinered Pioneer AM/FM/CD radio Sun Supertach BRAKES ● Stock LIGHTING ● Stock EXTERIOR ● New front fenders Factory front tow hooks Rear fenders trimmer (by previous owner) Rear tube hitch bumper (brand unknown) Stainless rain visors on side windows WHEELS/TIRES ● Wheels are factory turbine rims Tires BFG T/As 225/75R15 MISCELLANEOUS ● /uploads/archive/42722921f6ee0383ddf6c78c983dc508/b65b01843ae14bad364aa467cde0fe5f.jpg /uploads/archive/42722921f6ee0383ddf6c78c983dc508/530659282aa1a6d4e1cb35a2fc8d58a0.jpg /uploads/archive/42722921f6ee0383ddf6c78c983dc508/5769692e047a510c689cfb47940a38cb.jpg Remember That One Time?... Tell Us Your Best MJ Story ● I bought it used from the second or third owner in 1999 and finally got it on the road in 2001. I had been wheeling my original '88 XJ, but that was my daily driver and I didn't want to wreck it. I wheeled the MJ with NAXJA NAC for three or four seasons on the Trailmaster lift, then put the truck back to stock height after we lost most of the places where we could wheel legally. The kid from whom I bought it had butchered a lot, and it has been a slow process of trying to incrementally undo the damage he did. Original cost was $500, I've put about $4000 into it, and it still looks like a $500 truck. ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●● Eagle, thank you so much for being a part of Comanche Club. I disagree with your "$500 truck" comment though and it's not because I'm from the rust belt. I think it has so much character that it's just about dripping from it! It's nice to finally see the truck behind the man. Congratulations, Eagle. Well worth the recognition. -Ben This post has been promoted to an article