Minuit

Any non-rusty fog lights among the bunch?

Considering what I saw on the classified ad you posted you've done a fantastic job and the guy/girl that bought that got a great truck. It would've been a shame to see this one scrapped. I applaud you, sir. . :MJ 1: .

I have the Euramtec lights in my truck and they look perfectly fine there (except for being black, I may paint them grey/chrome some day) and work very well. Just an option if you decide to go with new parts.

:thumbsup: Great truck, owner, and story. You deserve this.

The interiors are going to be pretty much the same. One thing to watch out is the shifter if it's an automatic, the parts involved in that may be slightly different. Seat brackets and doors will be identical.

If you could look more into that I'd appreciate it. I'm going with stock style bumper lights.

I've used Skype lobbies before and they're pretty neat but I don't see the benefit over the forum+shoutbox that we have now.

:rotf: Jim, yxmj It's not something I've experienced personally, but I doubt you have a problem unless you have noticed a change other than smell. I imagine gasoline+oil would look or act out of the ordinary in some way. You said yourself that your sense of smell can be deceiving sometimes, so I would get a second opinion and not worry about it too much.

I'm looking for a set of stock fog lights in as good of shape as possible, as well as associated wiring (and possibly an OEM switch) in working order. Although I've tried the only junkyard worth seeing within 30 miles of me, nothing in satisfactory condition has shown up, and I'd like to keep my money within the Comanche community as much as possible. The truck these will be going on is a restoration, so I'd like to see if I can find original stuff before going aftermarket. If anyone has anything, let me know! :thumbsup:

Looks like some pretty solid upgrades. Are the LEDs as bright as the seem in the picture? I've heard that the dimmer on the headlight switch is more of an on-off switch because of the lower load on the circuit. BEAUTIFUL MJ too.

:agree: If there's an MJ that deserves to be kept as original as possible, it's a Street edition. I suggest you keep it reasonably original (don't mess with the things that make it unique) but who am I to tell someone what to do with a vehicle they own. You wouldn't have any problems selling it to a CC member if you're not looking for a restoration. That said, that thing would make a mean snow truck.

I would advise you tread lightly. If you mess this Street Comanche (one of 100 in total) up, you will have the wrath of practically the entire club upon you like a swarm of bees. You don't see one of these every day. That said, congrats with the score and good luck with your build! :thumbsup:

The Renix stuff has its little bugs and strange characteristics (they all take several seconds to catch as has been stated) but the body looks pretty good and all of the stuff you mention isn't a big deal to fix. I agree that the harmonic balancer should be checked. Mine scraped against the timing cover and made a chattering/squeaking type sound. The idler is also a definite possibility. Aside from all of that, check all of the usual things. Make sure the body lines up decently (if the entire bed is "tweaked" that's a very bad sign, not really a big deal if it's partially bent) and that it runs and drives well (tracks straight, shifts correctly, etc.). Assuming those two things, it's a very good specimen. As for price, I don't know how things are in Canada but down here anything from $1700 up wouldn't be out of the ballpark as long as the body is straight. Considering the damage and rust, start low. The fact that minor body damage got the truck totaled should give you a clue. Regardless, it's worth having. :thumbsup: As a side note, that color looks so much better with black fender flares.

After 6 years of non-use, every single fluid should be replaced. You could get away with oil and coolant as a start, but eventually everything needs to be switched out once you have it running. Oil, trans fluid (what transmission do you have?), coolant, brake fluid, power steering fluid, and differential fluid. If you really want to be technical, windshield washer fluid. Everything that's made of rubber or carries fluids needs to be inspected and checked carefully for leaks, particularly brake lines, fuel lines and radiator hoses. That's just a quick starting point. It's late. If someone hasn't got you what you need tomorrow I'll get you some information. The more information (pics are welcome too) you give us about your truck, the better the help you'll get. Source: my truck sat for roughly 8 years. Getting a vehicle back to running shape after that long is a PITA but it's worth it. :thumbsup:

Holy crap your truck is beautiful. Glad to see another MJ that's stayed in the same family. Very nice BMW also.

Another rare, highly collectible 4.0 V6 truck. Better snatch the top one quick guys.

Looks like a nice ride. Hopefully it'll go to a good home.

If you want to keep us updated with a journal of your progress, make a thread in "Your Project MJs" This forum is for tech questions.

This is up there with that yellow chopped "baller" MJ in terms of ruined-ness. All I can say is hopefully it wasn't a nice J3000 before he got his hands on it.

Woops.

I've also heard lots of good things about the Cooper Destination tires from XJ owners. That's probably what's going to go on mine when I get new tires.

:banana: Another diesel MJ found!

I appreciate your reply and I will certainly keep your opinions in mind. However, do keep in mind that what you see here is little more than a test of the formatting - the page layout. This is a very early stage and everything is subject to change. The reason I chose to start with generic drivetrain stuff is it's easy to research and it's commonly known information around here, so CC members can get an idea for how the final product will read. The actual MJ section of the buyer's guide with sections on rust, etc. will come shortly. With that said, I disagree with your vision of how this will work. I'm not here to write another owner's manual. A heavily distilled "this truck has engine. is very good engine" guide isn't my idea either, although something of that type does have its merits. My goal, ambitious as it may be, is to have a single document that contains 90% of everything a potential MJ owner will need to know to make an informed purchasing decision. How is someone supposed to know what a C101 connector is and why it's a bad thing from a list of model years? I won't write a novel over it but at least some information backing up the pros and cons of certain things is necessary. In my own opinion, someone who "doesn't want to know" what type of gear oil to use in their transmission is better off in a vehicle other than a 22+ year old Comanche and is certainly not the targeted audience of this guide. People who don't care about transmission gear ratios (very understandable) don't have to read that section; they can read or not read whatever they choose. With that said, MJs are old and sometimes finicky vehicles and knowing some details will go a long way in ensuring that the prospective buyer has the best possible experience with their Comanche. I do agree that 99.9% of people just don't care about crap like the exact bore and stroke of the engines, and that stuff isn't in here for a reason. Things like that and transmission/t-case spline counts are only useful to someone doing serious work to a truck they probably already own - not the goal of this guide. I don't think 3-4 lines is too much description (as long as it's relevant) for the most complicated part of an entire vehicle. Now that that's out of the way, I think you're overestimating how big this thing will end up being. The "drivetrain" section is going to be the biggest by far and you're seeing a majority of it here. Even though we disagree, I do appreciate you taking your time to give an opinion. We all benefit from some criticism. :thumbsup: @carnuck: I knew the AW4 ratios were a bit different. Thanks for clarifying. @johnj: Any info about the diesel is highly appreciated. I know next to nothing about them. Thanks! @redraptor: You're exactly the kind of person I'm looking to reach with a buyer's guide and your input is appreciated.

Since I've just been posting random crap for the past while, I figured I'd save up my "achievements" for one big post... They Die So We May Live: January 2014 The junkyard is a fantastic place. Seas of unloved parts just waiting to be claimed. For me, that's a problem. I can't help but notice that 99% of the things I see at the junkyard would be a downgrade from what I have. It's disappointing in a way. However, sometimes you come upon things like this: ...which I had conveniently been passively looking for for a long time. The former property of a beautiful '88 XJ Limited with 193,000 miles. I couldn't refuse. These looked good before I even cleaned them, but one of my rules for this build is that everything must be made as close to like-new as possible. Righteous. It's just a piece of cardboard on a door but it makes a huge difference. Chrome trim on both sides was dated July '83. There were some minor spots on the underside of the trim but otherwise you can't tell. I didn't have spacers for my stock window cranks so I had to substitute chrome Help! window cranks from 2002, when they were still made with metal. I'm not changing them back. The XJ had power windows so I had to cut a hole in these but I'll get over it. I do realize that my grenade-shaped air freshener cancels out any added classiness that the extra chrome brings. :brows: Overall I'm very happy with the fancy door panels. Only bad thing is my doors don't have the upper mounting clips for the armrests. It's not a big deal but it could be supported better if I didn't forget them. I was planning on painting and selling this tailgate handle but it's in so much better shape than mine I may keep it. The more observant of you may notice that my passenger side windshield wiper is up higher in more recent pics of my truck. The bushings were shot and the wiper started slapping the windshield trim. Replacement bushings didn't help much so this '98 XJ wiper motor is going in soon. It's tighter than my current setup even with old bushings. A '92 XJ donated these bumper guards that I may eventually get around to painting. I brought a couple friends with me when I went to the JY and we went to one's house afterwards. Paved driveways are so much better than gravel. :thumbsup: On the way home from said friend's house, the upper radiator hose gave up on life and started dripping. I replaced it and used screw-type hose claps. Getting the snap rings off took longer than buying the new hose and putting it on put together. No pics of this, sadly. After buying some stupid crap, I decided to actually fix something for once. My oil filter adapter had been leaking for a very, very long time if the 1/4'' thick coating of oil that was on my engine is to be believed. If you think your rear main seal is leaking, check this first. You'll hear horror stories on Jeepforum of a T-60 Torx bolt that's an absolute monster to get off but my '91 (and probably all MJs as well) have a 5/8'' (IIRC) hexhead instead. Use a ratcheting wrench and it's a cakewalk to get off. Mine had absolutely no torque under it and I couldn't get it very tight either. Dorman, the company that makes the Help! line of products, isn't earning any favors here. Only one of the O-rings (adapter-block seal) that I needed was in the $5 kit. The other two (fastening bolt O-rings) I had to get piecemeal from O'Reilly. This created a whole 'nother problem, though: the O-rings aren't a 100% exact fit and the stealership was closed. I needed the truck running so we had to make do with the slightly oversized O'Reilly O'ring. Only by some strange black magic did the fastening bolt get through into the block. The result? Bone dry after 60 miles of driving. I would have lost nearly 1/4 of a quart of oil by now with the leak. If your engine is coated in oil on the passenger side starting about halfway down the block, look at your oil filter adapter first. Since I haven't updated my lists in a while, here we go: Total Expenditures since May 2013: $1018 Early entries are estimates. I don't remember the exact amounts. Headliner + sun visors: $140 Front clip: $300 Air conditioner: $130 Catalytic converter replacement: $220 Junkyard: $105 total Parts purchased from CC members: $100 Oil filter adapter stuff: $8 Upper radiator hose: $15 Junkyard Parts: Door panels: 1988 Jeep Cherokee Limited Front bumper guards: 1992 Jeep Cherokee Sport Windshield wiper motor: 1998 Jeep Cherokee Sport Tailgate handle: 1989 Jeep Comanche Mud flaps: 1987 Jeep Comanche Parts Purchased from CC Members: Mud Flaps: mjben Maintenance Status: Last oil change: 6qt generic 10W-30, 150,580, next change will be synthetic Since 12/17/13, I'm running ethanol-free fuel only.

I've pretty much decided to swap in buckets to my truck so this thread definitely has my interest. What kind of modifications are needed to mate the ZJ seats to the MJ frame? (if someone has a writeup for this I apologize)