1987Comanche

I replaced Georgia's (92 4.0HO, AX-15, 2WD) ball joints today and the steering/responsiveness is much improved. My popping noise(s) have decreased but are still present. Thus far I've changed Upper & Lower control arm bushings, ball joints, Track bar, & sway bar end links. I've noticed that I can make one of the pops appear if I steer to the right and then quickly turn the wheel left about 10 degrees. It seems like the TRE/adjuster & drag link would be next on the list. It looks like the V8 ZJ Tie rod assembly is a direct bolt in for the MJ and, from what I can tell 2WD and 4WD are the same. Is the same true for the drag link? If so I'll pull the entire thing at the jy on my next trip. If there are no decent looking (low mile) V8 ZJ's at the junkyard what are my other options? It seems like a lot of suspension/steering parts changed for 91. If I find an older MJ/XJ with new steering components are they plug and play? I'm assuming I-6 ZJ components are identical. What about WJ steering components? I'm trying to build as broad a list of interchangeability as possible b/c I don't know what I'll find...

Put new ball joints in Georgia this weekend. The OEM lower ball joints were scary (3/16" play :eek:). Took her for a short test drive and she tracks a lot better. Unfortunately there's still some popping in the front, though the scary (deep) pops seem to be gone. I was thinking about grabbing the drag link & tie rod assy at the jy if I find a nice one.

Came out of work today and found that Georgia was the victim of a hit & run. The damage is confined to the rear bumper but, prior to this morning, my bumper was mint :fs1: . I may ask security to review footage and see if they can figure out what happened:

$135 shipped

Changed out Georgia's diff stock this weekend. The side gears & diff pins were starting to give out but the R&P looked good. I was debating what to do with the axle but decided that with stock tires & no thoughts of towing dropping some parts into the OE D35 was an ok option. Also the Yukon Gears kit uses redesigned side gears & diff pins for greater strength. Yukon gear kit: New side gears have greater support in the backface & a bigger radius at the root of the gear. Diff pins (spiders) are about 0.015" thicker in overall height too: 0 New diff stock installed. R&P look pretty good: Diff pins were spalling out. Georgia had a hitch when I got her so I wasn't surprised:

Any updates on the brake booster or rollbar?

How much compression is it making?

Sort of hard to tell from the video but my '87 2.5 developed a scary sounding knock/rattle that turned out to be a bad lifter. The lifters on the 2.5 are replaceable without pulling the head and they're fairly cheap. If it sat for a while & then started making noise that's something to investigate. How's the oil pressure? Would be a good time to get a mechanic's stethoscope as well.

I know for a fact that the 1990 4WD and 1992 2WD use the same P/N brake calipers. Georgia ('92) has 4WD style wheel bearings (sealed hub & bearing assy). Different calipers would be required for a different offset wheel bearing and/or brake rotor, correct? Based on this I'd guesstimate that Maura would have the later style hub & bearing.

My ATK reman engine lasted exactly 282 miles before the cam bearings ate themselves. To say I was not amused would be a gross understatement...

I'll be curious to see how the Airtex pump performs over the long haul vs. the Bosch. Did your instructions chronicle the need to trim the retainer plate? The Bosch instructions were *&%^

It helped to a certain extent (no more hole to sink into) but the seat was less pliant with all the foam filling the hole. I think I added too thick a piece of foam. I took the bench apart and it turns out the bottom cushion is replaceable (seat back foam is bonded directly to the frame). The ideal solution would be to find the bottom foam at the jy and replace just the foam. The fabric can be ripped/stained as long as the foam is ok.

Finally had a chance to clean & POR-15 the driver's side floor. There was a fair amount of rust hiding under the seam sealer and the clutch MC had been leaking for quite a while but, overall, the floors were pretty decent. Note the random corner of sharp steel Toledo #2 left sticking out of the floor: Finished product:

Can't wait to see the rollbar installed :popcorn:

I've had 2 flywheels resurfaced: Maura (4.0 Renix) & Georgia (4.0 HO). Both worked ok after machining with a new clutch.

13MM ratcheting combination wrench (Gearwrench, etc) and a small set of vice grips to keep the rod from spinning.

On Georgia it was a combination of bad u joints and a worn out trans mount. I still have a random clunking/banging from the front end that only appears when changing directions or maneuvering in a tight parking lot, etc. I did upper & lower control arm bushings, track bar, & checked tie rod ends, steering box, and, ball joints. Everything seems ok but I still have the noise.

Put POR-15 on the pass floorboard. They were in good shape overall, with one nickel size hole in the pass floor pan Also cleaned up the pass fender. Removed the black vinyl tape stripe, the "sport" decal, and panted the bottom of the fender red (as opposed to black from the donor Cherokee sport). Not perfect but a lot better: Before: After: Also a glamour shot with the '91 I found for sale:

I have my old one from when I converted to buckets & a center console. I think I have a 4WD insert as well (currently has 2WD block off plate). No shifter boot or retainer ring though. It's grey. If you have any interest LMK.

I'd say $1,000 + -.

Georgia's fuel pump started making a ton of noise and I ended up replacing it with the Bosch OE "upgrade" turbine style pump. I chronicled the writeup in Georgia's thread to hopefully save a few others some heartache: http://comancheclub.com/topic/37173-georgia-92-40-ho-ax-15-2wd/page-3?do=findComment&comment=394037 The pump works great (truck drives ok, pump is quiet) but I had some serious complaints about the lack of instructions, modifications needed, & incorrect O ring. I did a Dephi modular fuel pump assy on a Suburban last week and had to splice a new connector on it (apparently it took GM 4 tries to get it right). While that was a PITA the form, fit & function of that was fine. On the Bosch replacement pump (P/N 69302) function is ok thus far but form & fit leave much to be desired....

Georgia's fuel pump started getting loud and vibrating, enough that it made the bed vibrate to the touch. The Bosch OE "upgrade" pump (only one available from Bosch) fits but not without some issues: Hopefully this will help some other soul who ends up changing their fuel pump at midnight on a Saturday :thumbsup: 1. Best way to siphon gas. Pull the hose off the filler neck and feed your hose in. Works great, minimal fuss. In order to make the new pump fit you have to cut 2 tabs off the top retainer for the fuel pump. When finished the retainer should look like this: The old fuel pump & it's replacement are vastly different: Old Pump: Had to fish the old strainer out of the bottom of the tank: New pump assembled in sending unit. The Bosch instructions suck (basically says R&R) and I couldn't find any pics of the assembly. This photo would have been a big help... In order to keep the strainer firmly attached to the bottom of the pump I trimmed part of the alignment tab and crimped the bottom of the retainer: Also the square cut "O" ring included with the Bosch pump is NOT a direct replacement. The sending unit leaked and I had to source a Spectra Industries lock ring & "O" ring (P/N L001):

The factory rollbar came with reinforcing brackets for the bed, correct? I'm assuming you'll make something along those lines for Maura's bar?

Looks like a picture right out of the 1990 assembly manual...nice & clean! Is that just dirt/grime on the back of the cab or is that a cut corner on the PO's paint job?

Yeah I was kind of bummed about the total lack of TLC but at least she hasn't been wrecked or crushed. Seeing her & Georgia side by side makes me think I did the right thing letting her go though...