1987Comanche

Thanks! She's starting to come together nicely. I live in WNC. Where in GA are you? Took a field trip to my friend's after work to test my Renix trivia knowledge via his '90. I did pretty well...only got stumped on one plug by the battery. We also primed his new motor, and swapped Renix and HO parts. Georgia came home with a new bedliner, courtesy of the '90! Pics of the factory Comanche bedliner after I power wash it out...

You should take the drive up to Marion and pull the bed, etc off this one: http://asheville.craigslist.org/ptd/3749467765.html It's an '87 LWB 4X4 so it should the perfect donor for almost anything.

Finished her up this afternoon and went for a short (10 mile) test drive. Everything seems ok so far and I believe my vibration is gone! I'll reserve final judgement until I've driven her a bit more but I'd imagine a loose U joint strap/beat U joints, bad trans mount, & loose bellhousing bolts had to do something!

If you let the truck sit at ride height and pull the sway bar end links where does the sway bar sit in relation to where it's supposed to be? From the pics it looks like the end links are trying to pull the sway bar back. On a stock ride height vehicle the sway bar should sit on the lower end link bushings and is neither pushing nor pulling on the end link. Either your axle is shifted back or the sway bar mounts or mounting points are out of whack. If you change the caster (shims behind LCA brackets) you might be able to correct the misalignment.

What wheels are you going to use for the tires? The current turbine wheels?

New u joints are in, DS is back in. Someone changed the U joints at some point in the past and had boogered up the DS in the process. I had to break out the dremel, sanding bands, chisel & hammer (to remake part of one snap-ring groove). It turned into a huge PITA.

X2! I'm starting to really hate those E12 bolts on top of the bellhousing. Every time I throw some away and congratulate myself for not having to deal with them ever again another set reappears. I've thrown away 8 so far... I'll check it out . Georgia was the name I picked after the adventure of trailing her home from just outside of Atlanta.

New clutch is in, trans bolted up, slave (still internal, unfortunately) bled: HF tranny jack worked great

Looking good! Maura probably hasn't been that shiny since the early '90s :)

Replaced the RMS Sun night and got the oil pan on last night. This makes RMS #4 within the past year (3 different engines). Didn't have to drop the oil pump on this one b/c I have the trans out for the clutch. Seems like I had decent luck with the anaerobic sealer so I used it again (visible through the crank bolt hole): Engine internals look good: cam bearings are all in their proper place and the cam lobes look pretty good: Main bearings look good too:

Thanks! Marine Mary looks like a nice rig too. Column shift 4WDs are pretty rare...

Hope it all works out :thumbsup: Be sure to post lots of pics! Can't wait to see how Maura turns out...

Best place to gather ideas would probably be an S-10 forum. The first gen S-10s had a 2.5 4 banger, the same 2.8 as in the MJ, or the 4.3. If you can determine what manual came with the 2.8 and 4.3 S-10 it should give you an idea of bellhousing pattern. I'd imagine a lot of people have swapped the 2.8 for either the 4.3 or SBC

Clutch quit on me. Went to 2 JYs yesterday looking for an external slave AX-15 but had no luck. Looks like she'll get another internal slave clutch kit for now...

Did both upper and lower control arm bushings as well as the track bar. LCA reduced the vibration a bit, UCA reduced it a lot (pass side axle bushing was horrible), and track bar had little effect though the axle apparently wasn't centered. The steering wheel now needs just under 1/4 turn to the right to drive straight (I'll hit the alignment shop again sometime this week). The metal center in the track bar bushing was about 1/4" out of position b/c the rubber was degraded. Overall the vibration is 50-60% better than when I started but it's still there. I haven't had the tires rebalanced yet but I did rotate them front to back with no difference in vibration. Of the remaining possibilities (TRE & ball joints) which is the more likely culprit? Both seem relatively tight. Anything I missed?

Changed these out last night and posted some pics of the removal/installation tool(s) on my build thread. I used Hornbrod's idea for a tool as a basis for mine. 4WD bushings fit the 2WD axle with no issues. http://comancheclub.com/topic/37173-georgia-92-40-ho-ax-15-2wd/page-2

Finished up the upper control arm/axle bushings last night. Still need to take her for a ride and see what impact this had on my vibration. The pass axle bushing was in BAD! shape... The axle bushing tool I pieced together worked pretty well. a 4.0 rod cap, ground to size, makes the perfect spacer. Add the AZ loaner ball joint kit, some big washers, and threaded rod and you're all set. Removal: Installation: All done:

Looking good! Looking at the bodywork I take it you decided against the towing mirrors??

No lift at all. Bone stock 2WD. Speaking of there's a lot of confusion on the upper control arm bushings. The local parts store only lists bushing for the 4WD axle...Moog K3128. Do 2WD and 4WD use the same bushing? I called Moog tech support and the guy could only tell me what he read on the computer...

Am I correct in assuming you meant UCA but typed LCA instead? The threaded rod cleared the oil pan on the pass side?

I replaced Georgia's LCA bushings yesterday and noticed the upper bushing on the pass side is in bad shape. At ride height (weight on jack stands) it seems like the oil pan would interfere with a ball joint press/C clamp. The driver's side seems to have plenty of room. When I did UCA bushings on my '90 4WD the engine was out so there was plenty of room. What's the best way to replace the UCA bushings with the engine in? Support the body & let the front suspension droop? Will the axle shift when the UCA is disconnected (happened on the '90 and was a PITA to line back up)?

Replaced LCA bushings yesterday and tracked down one leak (bad hose clamp on upper rad hose) and one squeak (apparently the 4.0HO and Dayco belts don't get along

Replaced wiper linkage bushings & dropped diff cover to change fluid. I have some spalling on my diff pins, which means I have to start looking for diff pins & side gears at some point. Anyone know where I can get new ones for a D35C for cheap?

Turns out my caster is maxed out right at 5.0 degrees. I'm guessing it's b/c the LCA bushings are worn out/compressed. The alignment shop was able to squeeze one additional shim on the driver's side LCA (from 4.9 deg to 5.1 deg caster). Next stop is the tire shop for a 4 wheel rebalance then I guess LCA bushings and another alignment (lifetime alignment pays for itself over time).

Georgia ('92, 4.0 HO, 2WD, AX-15, 249K miles) has an annoying mild to moderate vibration from the front end at 45-50mph. Below 45 she's fine...above 55 she's fine as well. I have 4 new tires on her and had an alignment done a few weeks ago. I'm going back tomorrow AM b/c they didn't have any shims to set caster. My caster is just off the min (4.9 deg vs. min spec of 5.0 deg) and, other than sway bar end links, everything in the front end appears to be original. I've been doing some research and most front end conversations center around death wobble. At some point I'll go through the front end (based on steering feel/wander she could use ball joints) but, at the moment, I'm trying to pinpoint the source of the vibration. After the alignment is completely within spec I'll rotate/rebalance the tires. Beyond this it appears the next most likely culprit is a worn track bar though I've found nothing loose in my check of the front end. Anyone dealt with this?