countryjeep

I finally got some progress done on mine, after a few months of letting the '97 XJ donor and '86/'87 MJ set out in the weather. That was a slight mistake, as now some of the exposed plugs on the '97 XJ are corroded and/or rusted, and the computer appears to be rusting slightly as well. I'll be transferring everything here very soon... I got almost everything removed from the MJ engine bay, discluding the slave clutch filler, old-style power steering fluid mounting bracket, and driver-side engine mount. Got it partly primed, but I need to sand down some spots and re-prime after I get the rest of the parts removed. Should have that all done sometime tomorrow, then I'll be removing the pedal assembly on the inside, as well as the speedometer cable. Then I'll be ready to start removing the dash from the XJ. Here's a pic of the MJ's engine bay right now:

Dang, that was quick! Congrats on getting everything removed; I'm now in the process of removing the new dash, as I just pulled the old air box out and have everything removed from the Comanche, ready to install all the new parts (discluding the new mounts for the dash and steering wheel column). Also got the motor and tranny out so I can get to everything easier. I'll get some pics of what it looks like with everything out, as well as the studs for the air box (didn't know there was washers on the back-side of them, hehe). Would be great to see some pics of the new dash and wiring and how everything is layed out when removed. :popcorn:

It's exactly what I'm doing, albeit I don't have a motor or tranny yet; but I have a question. When you went to swap in the dash, along with the wiring harness and air box, what order did you do everything in? When I took everything out of the Comanche, I learned the only way I could ever get the wiring harness out is if I disassembled the dash piece by piece, since all of the wiring was bundled up and taped against the air box. I wanted to take the dash out in one piece, but if I had, I would have ripped all the wiring out. What's the best way of removing the dash and wiring from the '97+ XJ? It looks as if the main wiring harness is not taped up against the air box like it was in the MJ, so it may be possible to disconnect everything from under the hood, bundle it together, remove the rubber boot holding the wiring in at the firewall, then take the main dash mounts out and remove it all as one piece, including the gauges, air bags, etc. That's my theory at least... I'd hate to screw something up, though. :ack:

Many thanks! I'll definitely be sure to lay in all the new wiring first, once I get the old wiring harness out, which ended up being harder than I thought. Now, I need to quit hijacking this thread...hehe :oops:

Just some general pics of the dash I guess, and if you can, where the main wiring harness for the dash comes through the firewall in the engine bay. I worked a little more on the Comanche today, and going by what you said, the 'air box' (I'm assuming that's the box with the vaccum-operated doors for the AC/Heater)... ...has to be swapped with the new one, but the old mounts can be used. I don't want to go unnecessarily far in removing stuff from the air box module. Is this what needs to be changed out? More? Too much? Anyways, there seems to be a 7mm screw way up and back behind that's up against the rubber/felt padding, and I can't get to it with anything. I'd hate to have to rip out all the padding that seems to be one-piece with the firewall just to get to one screw...

Wondering here as well. I recently bought a motorless, trannyless '97 XJ from mjcanoe (thanks man ) for the dash, wiring, electronics, etc. But with the motor out, I can look at the fuel line better, and seems to me that you can easily adapt the line from a XJ tank to a MJ tank, just splice it somewhere near where the tranny mounts. Or is it an issue of the fuel pump? There's no way I'm installing a behind-the-cab tank, or adapting the XJ tank to fit; it's all going to be 'stock', if possible. Also, still would LOVE to see some more pics of the interior, as well as perhaps a few details on installation if you got the time. I got the new dash avaiable, and the old dash removed from the Comanche; I'm setting up some time when I can take the new dash out, and it would be cool to hear a few words of wisdom before diving right in. :cheers:

Good to hear! Right now, it has a blown head-gasket closer in towards the water jacket, because it's spewing water out of the rear of the block, but it's not seeping into the oil. Other than that, it runs great and sounds great. Clutch is also completely gone, but all gears seem to be ok (yes, I got it going fast enough downhill to try 4th gear. :D ). I'll be going the whole way with my Comanche. Meaning new front clip, new dash, new doors and door panels (with 2-door '97+ XJ power window switches, if any were ever made), new seats (may possibly fabricate a decent bench seat), new console (may build a short hybrid if I go with a bench seat), properly painted interior trim that cannot be replaced (such as the rear speaker/seat-belt/rear-window trim), a '97 or newer DCX color, and special-made Comanche labels for the doors in the same font as the '97+ Cherokee's (labels, not paint, to go along with originality). The only thing that will stay the same is the brake light assemblies, though I will get some new ones as mine are broken :roll: . The camper cover will also be removed. I do hope to keep a/the 2.5L, and I wouldn't mind going from a 4-speed to a 5-speed to eliminate the speed sensor problem. Or it would also be AWESOME to go 4WD with it, just some extra work. All in all, I'd like to have what would have been a base-model 1997 Jeep Comanche by June of 2008, when I graduate from high school.

Right now, I've got a bunch of things going on in my life that will not permit me to get to work on my Comanche, nor do I have a '97+ donor yet (or the money to be looking for one :cry: ). But I would like to know a few things... Being that my Comanche is in-between '86 and '87 ('86 components; '87 short-bed, documentation, owners manual), I can't tell if the 2.5L it has is the 117hp or the updated 121hp. I have confirmed that it has a AX4 and not a T-4 tranny, so I'm beginning to think that the motor might be the newer 121hp? But to the point... is there any way, provided I have all of the wiring, electronics, etc. to adapt my older style motor and tranny to the newer style dash? I already see obvious issues I might encounter, such as having the right sensor for the speedometer (in my case, the AX4 has a cable instead of an electronic sensor; I'll assume the tranny has to go), OBDII adaption (I couldn't swap the ECU from a newer 4.0L to an older 2.5L, of course), etc... I REQUIRE that it has a 2.5L and 4-or-5-speed tranny of some sort in the end at least, due to gas issues (my ZJ gets 13mpg, the XJ gets 17mpg; I hear the 2.5L's get 25mpg). I've found a few good donor 97+ Cherokee's with 2.5L's and 5-speeds, but they're good shape 2-doors, and I don't want to take a rarer Cherokee off the road if it's still in good shape. What will work? I don't want to know what won't work; if any one thing wouldn't work, I'll look for a full donor. I want to have all of the features of the '97+ dash, components, computer, air bags, etc. and if any of the original parts that are still in the Comanche would prevent any of the new components from working, I'll wait for the right donor.

Let me go ahead and ask since it appears nobody else has throughout this thread. Just want to make sure nobody's asked already... Did you have any issues with the passenger-side air bag when you were taking the dash out of the donor? I wouldn't figure installation to be too bad, since it is the newer electrical style and it will NOT go off without a battery (whereas the drivers side of a pre-97 XJ could/would), but I was still wondering. No issues with the actual hardware/wiring?

From a ComancheClub newbie; in no order... 1. Creedence Clearwater Revival 2. Guns 'N Roses 3. White Stripes 4. Metallica 5. The Smashing Pumpkins ...yeah, some 90's crap. You bet.

Sweet. Unfortunatelly, Opp is in lower Alabama, about 100 miles to the closest beach (Ft. Walton) and about 20 to 30 miles to the Florida state line. But I used to live in Hiram, GA about 7 years ago. My family and I used to travel to certain state parks in GA and AL between Birmingham and Atlanta, just can't remember any of the names of them since I was about 8 years old. But I think I know where Morris Mountain is. Looks pretty hardcore... I'll have to check it out some more. Thanks for the link. :cheers:

Hey, don't forget about the half-empty pack of Eclipse gum on the passenger floorboard!! :D I just hope now that I can find a parts '97+ Cherokee that's been rear-ended or has had a tree fall on the rear of it, something like that. Or at least the front clip & dash...I know where I can get a 4.0L HO, AW4 or AX15 (and if I go 4WD, NP231 & front D30). Good eye, it's a Dakota bumper. It was mounted pretty well, however, it doesn't allow the tailgate to open all the way... :headpop:

I sat my '96 XJ up next to the MJ to compare the two engine bays, and I see the difference in the radiator mounts now. I can't believe I never saw that before :P ...anyways, could you (or someone) detail me on what the problem was with the header panels? Also, I compared the hoods, and both were the exact same, just not how they are propped up. So, I must have the '87 hood...? Nonetheless, cool, I got a mix-n-match '86-'87! Suhweet...now, if the '97+ front clip can mount to this MJ design, I'll be set to go I suppose. Already in the process of demanteling the dash...hehe. Radio and AC/Heat control module removed: What was left of the fuses I pulled out of the fuse box. Almost every fuse had a cracked housing and powdered metal inside; absolutely rotted: Fuse box with the new fuses in, and a bad relay for the buzzer...doesn't work at all: A set of cables I found where the fog light switch would normally be. They used to be labled, but over time, they aged and either I can't read them, or they've come off the wires: Some very sad rewiring done at the tailights, making the reverse lights the brake lights, the brake lights the ambient lights, and...well, you get it: The gash: What the crap!?: Taking apart the 'glove compartment trim', as I call it at least: Learning a little too late about the notch that keeps the passenger-side window defroster blower hose attached: And I'll stop at that... sorry for being a pic lady of the night, and sorry for the large-ish sized pics all on one post, guys! Just excited to have a chance to do all this for the first time, and gotta share a little bit of it... I guess once I get this project really moving, I'll set up a thread in the appropriate place. :popcorn:

Thanks for the info. If there ends up being no way to fit a later-model 4.0 in, I might shoot for a 350 (provided THAT fits). Wiring it up to all the 97+ Cherokee electronics is what might be a problem for me. :) Pic of my Comanche's old interior. Part navy blue, part...camo. :) And for the heck of it, a pic of my old Comanche: :cheers:

Hey guys, I just wanted to say hi! I just bought a '87 MJ for $450 with title and all (the 2nd MJ I've ever owned; sold my original '88 Pioneer 2WD, so I'm not new to Comanche's :) ). Thing is, it must be an early '87, because it has all '86 parts; like, it has the small engine bay, old-style Comanche emblem, 3-speed A/C-Heat control module that turns off with the fan switch, etc. It kind of disappointed me to find this was the case considering what I have in mind for it, but hopefully you guys can help out. Anyways, pics and details: Right now, it has the 2.5L 4cyl with throttle-body injection. It hasn't been cranked in over a year, but it fired right up when we towed it back home (bad clutch, more details further down). Runs fine, good oil, but it has a blown head-gasket closer in towards the water jacket, because it's spewing water out of the rear of the block, but it's not seeping into the oil. Busted it even worse when I tried to tighten the exaust manifold more...but, I'm not too worried about it, since I have no intentions of keeping the motor. It has the T-4 tranny, which is...different. For me, at least. Appears to shift fine, but the clutch is GONE. Non-existant. Total pedal-play. No resistance at all. Again, doesn't matter, since the tranny will be gone as well. Haven't bothered to look at the rear axle, but more than likely it's a D35 non-c, as it's not the Metric Tonne package (as far as I know?). But it does have the overwhelmingly large driveshaft that could turn a Hummer axle with 44's no problem. :P Now, my plans? What I would love to do, though it would be harder since it's basically an '86 (tell that to the title and VIN-detailing), is a 4WD conversion with a 4.0L stroked to a 4.7L, '97+ front clip + fenders of a Cherokee (and in this case, inner front fender-wells as well), and a '97+ Cherokee dash. I saw someone do it on here, and that made me glad to know it IS possible, since really there is no physical changes from '84 to '01 in the Cherokee's interior (or Comanche) up against the firewall, as far as I knew. Ok, now my questions at the moment... When I take the front clip off, will the inner fender-wells come off with it, or are they basically welded to the frame? I'm going to have to have a stroked-4.0, as it's been my dream for a long time (lol), so I know I'll need to do something about the engine bay size; being the inner fender-wells, as I've heard. And it looks like the dash is exactly the same as any other '84-'96 Cherokee, so I'm assuming the entire assembly mount the same too, implying the firewall is the same. So, in theory, a '97+ dash should be able to be modified into a '86 interior? Help would be GREATLY appreciated, because I'm eager to start on this project. I got my first MJ when I was 14, then sold it just 6 months before turning 16 and getting my license...I sure had alot of fun with it when I had my permit, but times were changing, and I needed a passenger car. But over time, I finally got up enough money to be able to support more than just one vehicle, so I began to search for another MJ (as my old one is somewhere out of this state), and found this, just under a week ago! Hopefully I can do what I want with this one. I'll be turning 17 this year. 8)