JeepcoMJ

Sorry, I should clarify. I said the 3.8 from the 1996 Camaro. That's a Buick motor, which IS a 60 degree setup. with no air conditioner on it, and custom motor mounts and headers, it's a simple enough system. I can give anyone the specs on mine if they'd like. and sorry Kassidy, no cruel intentions meant with the gender mixup!

NEVER tell anyone to keep that POS carb off a 2.8!!!!!!! 2.8 and 3.4 are the same with a different stroke and a few minor differences. (60 degree motors) the 4.3 and chevy 350 are the same, except for the difference in 2 cylinders. aaaand the 3.8 is in a class all of it's own...it's a 90 degree motor BUT has a 60 degree (i.e. the same as a 2.8 or 3.4) bellhousing pattern. SO if you want the most power and a stock ax5 trans, go with a 3.8. if you want simple, still more power, and better gas mileage WHILE still retaining your 5 speed, go with a 3.4. if you want a whole sh*t ton more power, with an auto trans, put in the 4.3 you have now. next option is 4.3 with a 5 speed trans. and last option, cheapest (in the short run) option, is to say screw it.

I thought that the dakota 4 cylinder was a chrysler motor? is that still the same bellhousing as the 2.8? I was told no since the 2.8 is a 60 degree motor/bellhousing system, the dakota ax15 would not work. can you clarify that, I'm SICK of my ax-5 being a POS! :headpop:

what do you mean shift manually? like, just step on the brake, pull the shifter back into gear, and step on the gas? can you explain that process to me better? thanks! THAT NEUTRAL IDEA JUST MIGHT BE IT!!!!!!!! haha, it revs nicely in gear but doesn't go anywhere.

your welcome. i've done it about 9 times now :P my next advice is that you do it slowly. you won't get everything first time through, so if it seems to be loose, but you just can't quite pull it off, STOP, and look around it. one thing you will also need to do is either disconnect the heater control from the heater box and vacuum hoses, or remove it entirely from the dash by unscrewing the 4 bolts to it, and then wiggling it and slide it out through the back of the dash. good luck, if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask!

doing something similar on my bro's headliner.... we're putting a grand cherokee message center center console in it, except that I removed the message center system to fit a radar detector behind the "screen", and we're putting his switches for his lights and everything in the middle. then he got a cherokee sound bar and cut it down, so that the speakers will fit in the corner. we're fiberglassing over the headliner first, then doing the other side so that it's solid to work with, then fiberglassing the OHC in and then the speakers. we have brand new material to put in it's place. I HIGHLY recommend that anyone who ever redoes a headliner at least coats it in fiberglass resin before they put the new material on it...otherwise it will just peel and sag again. anyways, this is a solution to your speaker behind the seat problem

Now I'm thinking about that...If the torque converter went bad, it would have shown symptoms of it before then right? like slipping and such? and if that's the case, then It's gotta be a shift solenoid or TCC solenoid/relay. or computer/fuse. I'm pretty sure it isn't the torque converter, and i'm DEAD CERTAIN that it cannot be the tranny itself. cause were it the tranny, there would be all sorts of strange noise....?

she is right. either way though, it's gonna be more powerful and get better mileage than a 3.4 You could also put in a 3.8 camaro engine. http://www.comancheclub.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=3582 that's the link to my MJ project with the 3.8 conversion. I kept my 5 speed, and it has more horsepower and torque than a 4.0 HO motor...stock! I'm not sure what kind of work you would have to do to a 4.3 exhaust to get it to fit...but i do know a 3.8 you have to custom make the headers. and a 3.4 you just reuse the 2.8's. personally I would swap a 4.0 in before a 4.3 any day. the 4.3 really isn't that great of an engine.

It's simple. there are all the knee board screws to take out, then take out the accessories that are screwed to it, then unbolt the steering column (2 bolts) from it. then there are 3 more screws on the trim piece that goes over the defroster, and about 4 more under that. those are the hardest to get to. after that, there are 2 nuts (one on each side) towards the bottom edge of the dash. pull it loose, unhook all the wiring from the back of it and pull it through. make sure when you take the wiring out you try and save the clips for it...you will need them to reinstall it! I envy you, i finally found my black interior, then ended up giving it to my dad for christmas :nuts:

put the 3.4 in, with the camaro FI, and do the wiring on it. I can send you pdf files on everything you would need to know on connector views and wiring for that engine, you just need to let me know the year. otherwise put your 4.3 in, but find a 5 speed and flywheel. you'll be sorry if you go auto. (i can get you a 5 speed 4wd 4.3/chevy 350 trans. for cheap, just shipping would be the problem. no rear driveshaft). I'm certain I can get you the diagrams on the 4.3 as well, thanks to alldatapro.com :D. whatever you do for a swap, you need the ENTIRE wiring harness of the vehicle. otherwise you're screwed. and if you go with the camaro engine, i can get you pics of the 3.8 conversion i did...more difficult than the 3.4 but the wiring is generally located the same way, and similar in coloring.

what floor? i think we found fred flinstone's work truck...

I'm inclined to think the computer is fine...after all it has 160k and didn't fail yet. i will check the fuse...when i find which one it is. the reason i'm very inclined to think it's the torque converter is that he BEAT on it...squealin from every stop sign/light, and brake torquin/doin burnouts as much as possible with the limited slip rear end. what it does is you put it in gear, and it won't drive. but it doesn't make ANY strange noises at all. it just won't go. but when it's cold it seems to go just a little bit. the fluids look great, engine revs and runs great. so i have no clue what it is?

if you have one, try to replace the solenoids. the solenoids are easy, but putting the pan back on is a pain in the kiester. i love the AW4. you can wire up a switch panel, like i did and make it like a manual tranny. first off, how did you make it like a manual tranny?? second off, where are the solenoids in a aw4? and how much are they to replace? I have a 95 2dr xj that i bought, but it doesn't shift...the kid abused it but there's no way it's the tranny. So I'm basically down to an electrical issue, a bad Torque converter, TCC solenoid, Shift Solenoid, or TCC relay. I HAVE NO CLUE! PLEASE HELP ME!!!!!!! (p.s. i've never worked on an auto tranny before...so i'm learning)

agreed. but what exactly is it you have? a s10 blazer with a 2.8? TBI then if that's the case... the 3.4 camaro will bolt up to the tranny and motor mounts no problem. you can keep the 3.4 FI if you want. what you then have to do is get the entire engine compartment harness from the camaro and lay down that and run it along with the stock harness. (do this :hateputers: to the3.4 computer if you don't want that) or get the 3.4 from the camaro, swap the intakes and accessories, and bolt it back up to the truck as a higher bore engine. Don't mess with the 4.3...they're not really that great and the injection pieces would all need to be replaced to make it reliable (plastic hoses in the intake crack etc. and are a b@#$h to replace. If you want to go with a 3.4 and want to keep the camaro FI and wiring, the wiring could be done for somewhere around 300 dollars, or you would spend about 30 dollars on a passkey bypass module (so the injectors would work), made by bakerelectronix, and another 30 at most on all the wires/crimps you would need. I put a 3.8 camaro in my MJ and the wiring was actually pretty darned simple! but then again i love wiring :D

John, drain the rad. first. take the cap off the cooolant bottle, then drain the radiator...the drain is on the right hand SIDE of the radiator...you have to pull the front of the fender well back and reach up to it i think, then drain. it's simple. don't get your hoses mixed up when taking them off..and make sure you catch your antifreeze and don't let it get everywhere. don't reuse the antifreeze unless you intend to strain it before putting it back in. p.s. let me know how those parts you got from me work for ya!

:bowdown: :bowdown: :bowdown: i bow to your enginuity and skills. when's it gonna be finished?

that's not too bad. I knew you were making it yourself, just wasn't sure how you were gonna go about getting a foot well in the thing. i thought the frame would be in the way. by the way, how low to the ground is it going to be? the pics showed it literally resting on the ground...how is that gonna work? air bags?

ah, good point. I would just paint it black myself. but that's just me. so where are the footwells gonna be on that thing? isn't the frame gonna run right through them?

Eagle it's just asking a question. but i see your point. I'm trying to do it as legal as possible...ironically most of the parts on this jeep ARE from the 87. so technically it's still... nah i'm gonna do it legal. I have the bill of sale, just gotta check. worse comes to worse i just scrap it and start over with the blue one at the junkyard by me.

athankyou. I'm gonna try getting a replacement first. If that doesn't work then I'll take care of it myself my way. I'm sure that I will use everyone's ideas!

yep this should help me with what i need. thanks beaterjeep!

yep that's a comanche liner alright. it's identical to mine except that mine has the covers over the top of the bedrail built into it. also, mine uses the wierd corkscrews to hold it in place instead. I'm guessin that someone choppped it down when they put that wierd rollbar thing on it, or it was a different factory option than mine was.

I have a bill of sale signed by him, and his address. He got it from the original owner who was in his 80's and couldn't remember where he had the title. The guy I purchased it from used it as a trail/mudding truck in his farm and woods so he didn't much care about it. So I most likely cannot title it, unless the 1st owner is still living. I do have the 1st owner's name etc. so I'll check into that before I do anything else. I probably won't switch vins...but I do know of quite a few people who have put different vins in their jeeps when they switched to a different interior, and now have a comanche titled as a cherokee. So I will check with the state, make sure it isn't stolen (if it is it's time to find a different truck) and proceed from there thanks

oh. hmm. well at least both were legally purchased. I'll check into a salvage title first. and i'm not cool with the whole felony thing.... thanks everyone.

Is it possible to take the title and vin plate off a 87 4 cylinder comanche that i scrapped and putting them on my spare 86? has anyone ever done this, and is it legal? I got the 86 for 250 as parts w/ no title and just want to make it street legal so i can drive to where i wheel.