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Showing results for tags '1988'.
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I know i'm going to hate myself for that title in the future, but it'll do for now, been putting off starting this tread for about two months now since i found this truck and started work on it, i never imagined how much work needed to be done or how much fun i'd be having fixing it up! I'd like this forum post to be kind of a story, a journal for this piece of American rust rusting away in a foreign country and it's journey to bring it back to glory, i guess i should start from what little i know about the truck from before i got it, keep in mind English isn't my mother tongue, and even if i'm well versed and practiced, i'm doomed to make spelling and grammar errors from time to time, so bare with me here! This comanche's birthday is still a mystery, since the stickers on the door have since been removed from it, but i have a pretty good idea where it saw asphalt for the first time ever, since it still has the dealer's decal on the tailgate, can't be 100% sure though, since i don't know if the tailgate is original to the truck, and the original title has been lost to time, but in case it is, it's fun to think i know where she started things in 1988! She's very Likely from Alabama, and i hope to drive her to the dealership again one day, from all the comanche pictures i've seen i have never seen this decal, and i'll try my best to preserve it. the other things we know about her is that she was bought in texas sometime in the year 2000's my a mexican national and brought down to the Mexican state of Nuevo Leon in the 18th of august of 2000, more than a year before she had to see her mother nation weap when the towers fell, she has been in this country and state since. as i said, the original ownership title has been lost since Mexican customs keeps it when you do the vehicle importation paperwork, but they give you instead a document with a lot of information about it, from this importation papers i can know this comanche was a pioneer trim, which i already suspected from the interior, (since the original paint was so horribly painted over by a previous owner... ) but it's nice to see it confirmed in paper at least. from this same doccument (which has to be signed by the new owner every time the truck is sold from hand to hand) i can also tell that it has at the very least had 8 separate owners since she crossed over down south, who knows how many she had while in the states since the years 88 til the 00's... she's been passed around and it shows.. the bad thing is that nearly everything need maintenande or is entirely broken, the good thing is that this was the perfect excuse to get it for cheap, and finally start making myself a cool toy i can take me and my brother fishing with in the weekends to the local lake, aside from wanting to get better at my mechanic and hand-working skills, since i'm at most a novice still and i've heard that this trucks along with the xj's are relatively easy to work with. i pulled the trigger on it and bought it about three months ago, but i've been only working on it from time to time for the last two months, i'll include here some pictures of it from the day i bought it and before i messed with it at all, so you guys can have an idea of the state it was on when it landed on my lap. The windows barely worked, the mirrors need new supports, the dash was cracked, and the optional slider window was missing... the carpet had holes in it everywhere, the ignition cylinder is so worn out you can start the truck without a key making it more of a go-kart than a truck and the bench seat was not only torn everywhere, it also stank like cat pee. the truck bed is okay-ish, it's got a pretty big hit on the sheet-metal on the driver's side that actually barely poked through, and the tailgate is bent outwards, but a friend of mine that works with sheet-metal assured me it's more than salvageable. The whole truck was painted horribly by a previous owner, it seemed like they put the wet paint in their mouths and spat onto the truck until it was red enough, it's dripping in some areas, lacking in others, oversprayed everywhere and tool marks all over where you could see they laid things over the paint before it was cured, here's the roof for example, which is not the worst place, the hood has marks where they sat their beer bottles onto the paint before it dried. front needs work too, the hood had a bit of puddy in it, but only where i intend to cut it to add hood vents in the future, so not too stressed about that, the grill is what worries me, i want to keep it with the pre 97 grills, but i'm having a hard time finding a chromed grill that's not absolutely trashed... still looking! and this is without talking about the engine yet! just the outside still.. you've got to admit thoug, even despite all her bruises and age, she still looks damn fine. ...Continuing!
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Hey Guys! I'm down in South Florida, just snagged a 88' Comanche Pioneer for cheap last week! I'm super excited, I'm a big fan of Comanche's. Can't wait for the journey. 88 Comanche Pioneer -2wd Aw4 (doesn't catch in drive, gotta start on 1st) -Floor pan rust (both sides) -Toolbox -Headliner needs work -Dash cracked -Orignal rims -Back window seal leak I'm excited to get to work honestly. I'm taking baby steps and doing it right. Gonna restore, weld, drill and paint my way into a restored Comanche!
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1988 Jeep Comanche Remix 4.0 | AW4 (I assume) | NP231 (I think) | D30 Front | D44 Rear | SWB I have a 4 speed auto and a normal t case. None of that part time stuff. Just 2Hi, 4Hi, N, & 4Lo. I just learned which Danas are which last night* Build Date: Not with the truck but if it on the cab side of the door I can see if I can get it. It has XJ doors on it. Current Location: Modesto, California. Status: Running but has some health issues so a garage princess. Notes: Bought the truck late April 2021/ Early May 2021. Came as pictured with me not knowing anything about Dana or her slew of other off-roading parts/friends. As far as I know it came as a 2WD truck and quite a few owners according to the car fax. I might have to pull that up again. The one main thing I know about Comanches was that powered windows weren’t common to have. So in the facebook ad when I saw it has powered windows I jumped on the chance. Has buckets seats and is floor shift. Didn’t want column shift.. Paint is Moss Green from Chrysler. Thanks for reading and looking!
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I have a 1988 Comanche pioneer that I just bought and when I turned the wheel all the way to the right I heard a pop/click sound and then my steering wheel had a little bit of play but my tires weren’t moving. I had to pry the sway bar off of the track bar in order to have motion in my steering wheel again and be able to move the wheels. I’m wondering what the previous owner did, but more so how I can fix it. Hopefully the pictures explain it better than I did. Thank you for the help first picture is before and second two are after I turn all the way to the right. Last one is upside down but a panned out view of the front end.
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I've owned this truck for a couple years now, but never got around to posting, so here goes... This is Amelia, my 1988 SWB 4WD Pioneer. I picked her up in Tiger, GA with no visible rot and only minor surface rust. She had around 130k miles on the original 4.0 and BA10/5, and appeared to have sat under a tree for a while. Something special about this truck (that I found out months later) is that the original Vehicle Building Order page was still stuck to the inside of the driver's door panel. 30 years in Georgia humidity somehow weren't able to destroy it, and it's a special piece of this truck's history. Since purchasing, I've already changed, updated, and fixed a bunch of things, and will post some backdated updates as I have time. My goal is to restore to a factory-level, with small upgrades that I would have ordered if I bought this truck new off the line. In the meantime, I've enjoyed driving her around, playing in the garage, and researching what I'm planning to do.
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88 Jeep Comanche Eliminator Short Bed 4.0 manual with 188010 miles. 4.0 with AX15 and 231 transfer case. Dana 30 front and Dana 35 rear axle. Resides in US Lakeview Oregon. This is currently my daily driver and trail rig. It runs and drives great after all of the work I put into it. Still updating and restoring what I can. Here is what has been done: Dana 30 front axel Dana 35 rear axel Replaced peugeot transmission with AX15 and converted to 4x4 with NP231 transfer case Bluetooth sound system w/8" sub Replaced slave cylinder Replaced clutch master cylinder and hydrolyc hose Replaced rear main seal Replaced u-joints Replaced throttle position sensor Replaced throttle body Replaced clutch and pressure plate Replaced starter Replaced harmonic balancer Replaced All ground wires and connections as well as battery cables and terminals Replaced air filter with high flow "Green" filter New fuel filter Installed 4 hole Volvo injectors It is straight piped with knock off flow master muffler. New black 15" steel wheels Light harness from K Suspension Halogen light conversion with Sylvania bulbs All gauges, lights, and electrical work. Have parts and need to install: ECU from a 91 Jeep XJ New Power steering pump I need: Front driver bucket seat with manual slider Seat belt buckle (driver) Window crank (grey) Sun visors (grey) Rear bumper Lund sun visor (in time)
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1988, Comanche, Pioneer 4.0 L / 2WD / Long Wheelbase Build date: Sticker Un-Readable Current Location: South East, Georgia, Atlanta Status: Still on the road - no rust - Work in Process Notes: I purchased this from a guy who had 3 Jeeps - Cherokee and 2 Comanches. I own two 95 YJs that I have tinkered with that my kids now drive. I wanted a truck and something else to tinker with so, I thought this would be a good option for me. The previous owner did a ton of mechanical work on the truck. I have stripped down the doors and windows and replaced all the rubber and fixed the vent windows, Replaced the big front bumper with a stock one. Had the Jeep painted. I am currently working on the stock flares and brackets.... you know the drill and plan to get the front window frame powder coated - the paint I tried did not work well. What's Next... Replace Carpet Lettering on Tailgate Rear Shocks - The Jeep has a 4 1/2" Rubicon lift but has the stock shocks on the rear which are topped out. Idle Sensor Tinker with a starting issue. Doesn't crank on the first try - much prefers the second turn of the crank. Bed Liner Hitch or Rear Bumper w/ Hitch A/C has a slow leak Spare Tire Holder Cabin Lights Reverse Lights Emergency Brake Tool Box and what ever else comes up or I think is necessary or desirable... Mostly - Just have fun. :cheers: This forum has been AWESOME. There are some very talented folks and the information that is shared really helps us weekend tinkerers. A BIG "Thank You" to everyone who shares.
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VIN: 1JTHS6417JT136370 YEAR: 1988 MAKE: JEEP MODEL: COMANCHE MILES: 167,499.3 COMPRESSION RATIO: 9.2-1 ENGINE: 2.4L 4 CYL TBI TRANS: MANUAL TRANSFERCASE: 2WD FUEL SYSTEM: THROTTLE BODY FUEL INJECTION BED: 6FT WHEEL BASE: 113INCH OVERALL WIDTH: 71.7INCHES OVERALL LENGTH: 179.3 INCHES OVERALL HEIGHT: 63.7 INCHES GROSS WEIGHT: 4,001 - 5,000 LBS EXTERIOR: RED WITH SPORTRUCK DECAL INTERIOR: GREY WITH VINYL BENCH SEAT BUILD DATE: FEBRUARY 18TH 1988 ASSEMBLY PLANT: TOLEDO, OH., U.S.A. COUNTRY OF MANUFACTURER: UNITED STATES MANUFACTURED: JEEP CORPORATION CURRENT LOCATION: WEST BRANCH, MICHIGAN STATUS: 2ND OWNER, STORED SAFELY, CLEANED REGULARLY, IN PROCESS OF OVERHAUL FROM ROAD WORTHY TO SHOW WORTHY UNIQUE TOUCHES: CUSTOM TOPPER
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1988 Long bed Renix 4.0 190,000 miles Peugeot BA10/5 Dana 30/35 4 1/2 inch lift 31 inch tires Daily driver in CO
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1988 Jeep Comanche Pioneer 4.0 auto 4x4 long bed 244,500 miles. I’ve been driving it daily and rescued it from a guy that never did anything with it. It fired right up after sitting for over a year and the body and unibody are in great shape. I couldn’t pass it up. It has a high pinion Dana 30 front, Dana 35 rear, 231, aw4
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Project NoName 88 MJ with a 98 XJ heart
squeekwull posted a topic in Member Projects: Your Comanches
Hey y'all! I had an account here years ago (almost a decade!) when I was in college, but don't remember the username or email it was associated with, so I'm back with a new username, and more importantly a new project MJ! Chassis: 1988 SWB. Originally had a 2.5L/4spd/4WD setup Previous-previous owner (PPO) swapped in from a 1998 XJ: 4.0L HO AX15 5spd NP231 TC XJ dash/interior XJ center console XJ overhead console XJ bucket seats XJ power doors/mirrors (not installed yet) Has a Dana 30 up front and a 35 in the rear. Currently it doesn't start, I believe just because of the clutch safety switch. Waiting on an OBDII scanner to pull the codes to make sure before I order parts. Also the brake booster vacuum connector broke, so I'm gonna pick up the doorman rebuild kit soon. May just jump the CSS wires to get it started and see if there are any immediate concerns. PO used her as a DD for 2.5years prior to the clutch master/slave cylinder assembly going out, then potentially damaging the CSS wiring. Oil change, get rid of the cheapo microguard filter for a WIX. Check plugs and make sure they're champion truck copper plugs (RC12LYC) and not something hotter. Plug wires seem decent, need to also check cap/rotor. Current project build plans: Rust: PPO did POR15 much of the cab interior, which is quite helpful Patch both holes in the floorpans. Driver's side is pretty minor, passenger is slightly larger, but I think I'll be able to just use 18ga sheetmetal without having to get formed floorpan replacements Some more POR15 and then Rhino line the cab floors (not gonna carpet) patch bed rust out above wheelwells, hopefully again I can just use 18ga pieces strip, POR15, then black Rhino-line up to the trim line running the length of the truck, also the truck bed strip, POR15, then forest green (maybe Rhino-lined, maybe not) paint above the trim line, hood, cab, etc POR15 underboy where needed then underbody coating (the road salt is nuts out here in the Twin Cities!) Axles: Front: Dana44 HP (will probably truss a bit), chromoly shafts, aussie locker Rear: Dana44 (likely, may do Ford 8.8 if I have trouble finding a 44) trussed, chromoly shafts, air locker, disc brakes Wheels/Tires: Cragar Soft 8s, 35" M/Ts (Likely BFGs, but will depend on pricing/sales when I'm ready for 35s) Suspension/Lift: Front: 6" lift with long arms, undecided on 3-link vs 4-link atm Rear: Was originally going to just go SOA with potentially longer shackles to get to 6", however it appears the passenger side front leaf mount had rusted out, and was re-welded, sorta kinda in the same place, so I may go with a 4 link system with coils, but haven't decided on that either. -
oh man, where do i start....? Short story i suppose... ive lurked these forums for awhile now and have wanted to make a build but rarely spend enough time on a computer todo so. anyways, i picked up this 88, shortbox, 4x4, 4.0L in the summer of 2018. i spent some time fixing the hatch patch lift/front end, one of the PO really had no idea what they were doing or didnt care. after said and done, i had her driving good. it was setup with a RC longarm & netting about 3in of lift. i did swap the coils cause i had no idea what they had stuffed in there and i had an extra set of 3in. (lowcoglife) after acouple weeks of PO repairs, i was happy i had saved this poor manche from certain doom as the life of a farm truck. i have a weird rule, before building a rig i have to daily it for a good while. has to prove its worth and show its colors. well, after awhile.. i decided to dump some money in her and did alot of odd and ends, which i won't really get into (nothing todo with the swap, jus giving abit of a backround story) i took it out and did some good wheelin', now i forgot to mention it had a good ol solid 4.0L tick to her, apon inspection after buying...it had 4 bent rods. i did abit of cleaning/flushing/replacing but not dumping too much into it, but alrdy planned on a swap at this point & started seeking an xj. came across a decently clean 98 xj but without much PO history & lots of miles, but the price was right. The adventure from 1988 to 1998 began about 2months after that. I'm about 6-7months into the swap due to personal crap.. medical issues, occupation change & moving. life getting into my jeep time >=[ anyways, i don't have much of an internet connection where i am now and have to hotspot my phone. so i will update as fast as i can trying to keep my post in correct order. currently i have alrdy swapped 95% of the interior, have all the wiring ran inside&out and i am rdy to pull the motor from the donor for some repairs/upgrade then drop it in. Now, I'm calling this a shade tree swap because when starting, the location i was at i didnt have much access to anything but hand tools/cordless power tools. I'm very motivated & spent several years in a shop turning a wrench but got out of the profession 5-6yrs ago. So this swap was done with basically hands tools, no welding, no air tools & stuff bought locally. (menards, lowes, napa, advance, farm&fleet) now that i moved, i have a fully setup & heated garage with my buddy. welder, compressor, plasma, tons of tools between the 2 of us. i also picked up a cheap 89, shortbox, 5spd, 2wd, 5spd that i brought back to life with lots of labor lol. i now daily it 60-80miles, 6days aweek. end game is 98 swap, d60/10.5 ton swap(have axles alrdy need built), 3link/4link, hybrid exo cage, custom topper/rack and stuff lol. ill be doing full frame stiffeners in the near future as well before the tons. she will be a built overland rig. planning a 4k trip to az in march (before the tons) for a test run. currently sorting all the pics from the swap for i can upload in order & update as fast as possible. (having a issue uploading photos, will get them up asap)
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Hello everyone! I'm new here. I'm an owner of a 88 Jeep Comanche Pioneer with 73k miles. I inherited this vehicle from my late father who spent a lot of time getting the vehicle roadworthy again. I'm a little mechanically inclined, so I'm working on it bit by bit and learning as I go, since I've received this vehicle, I've replaced the leaking fuel injectors with better ones, I think avoiding a fire while driving it is a priority lol. My next thing to do is replacing the clutch master cylinder since I realized it's leaking on the fuse box! Luckily the damage wasn't to bad, I just cleaned it and changed 2 damaged fuses, works just fine now. I will be posting my progress with repairs over time. More pictures to come soon!
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This was my first comanche a few years back. I was young and drove alot so the gas killed me and i wanted something better on fuel. Well along comes this dude who offers to trade his honda accord and I think "perfect". Long story short the Honda blew up 4 days later and literally every single day since the trade i regretted getting rid of my beloved 'dusty duchess'. Now I have my good ol 'Graham Cracker' that I promised no matter what I would always keep, and to be honest its a much better truck than my first mj lol. ANYWAY, maybe one of you guys out there want to pick up my old dusty duchess, carry on the legacy from the guy that ripped me off. (Although i wouldn't, i paid 600$ for it originally, put a 500$ lift kit on it with 400$ tires and called it a day, unless they replaced the axles with pure gold youd be getting ripped off) https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/183254915950241/
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Finally joined the Comanche club a couple months ago. This is a 1988 4.0 5-speed 4x4 with 180k on the odo. Exactly, what I had been searching for... a shortbed, 4wd, manual with a 4.0. Currently, I am wrestling with some electrical gremlins and goblins. Learning Renix has been interesting, to say the least. Not on the road just yet but, once I am finished sorting out the wiring it should be good to go.
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Hello fellas Well, i've just acquired my Comanche 1988 4.0L, 6 cyl, and looking behind the hood i saw some unusual things. One of them is that some hoses are not plugged in, and other components. (I don't know a lot about mechanics, but i try to do my best) I saw this component called "Charcoal Cannister" And yes, is not plugged in. Also, i saw that the engine have 2 hoses, one in front, and another one in the back (near the cabin i mean), the hose nearest to the cabin is not plugged on anything, in fact the seal broke and is uncovered that part of the engine. Someone can explain me how to reconnect this? Because i was looking for info and not having connected the cannister can affect the consumption of gas and the emissions can be higher. Please, help
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I just picked up a 2wd 88 eliminator and id like to do a 4x4 conversion. What all will i need to do to accomplish this task? I believe all i will need will be a front axle trans and matching t-case all linage involved a bell housing and a front driveshaft. Now this is my plan: I'd like to do a Dana 30 with 4:10 gear ratio, a bell housing from a late 93+ Cherokee with the external slave, an AX15 trans with matching NP231 t-case 23 spline, a new center console to account for the 4x4 shifter lever, and a custom front driveshaft. Now am i able to keep my original rear axle or will i have to swap that as well, And if i can keep it how can i change it to make it work with the 4:10 gear ratio i'm seeking? Let me know if i'm missing or forgetting anything. I'm also looking to give it a 3"-4.5" lift. With that lift what size tire would you recommend? I'm thinking of running 35's. :driving:
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I was browsing CL for parts for my rally car project and searched for "Comanche" out of habit. No results in my area, but the "Local" results showed a thread with a hitch listed for an 88. I emailed the guy and he replied back, so after a few phone calls and a delay due to Sandy, I went yesterday to pick it up. He was not there but had left it in the back of his truck and I left the cash for him. After getting home, I compared it to pictures on here and on the open internet and it looks WAY off, but he assured me that he pulled it himself from an '88 longbed. He had lots of other MJ parts and has multiple MJs, but I can't fight the feeling that something is not right about it. (Before you ask why I did not just test it out, it was still storming here last night so I could not check it out for fit, and tonight is trick or treating for my kids.) So the model number (83147) shows as a match for a longbed MJ: http://www.realtruck.com/shared/pdf/manufacturers/103/06_hhcatalog-212pg.pdf (Page 41) Further reference: http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=65833 The flanges do NOT look right to me, versus what I saw in these threads: http://comancheclub.com/topic/26626-receiver-hitch/page__hl__hitch http://comancheclub.com/topic/28081-hitch-hardware/page__hl__hitch Did I get the right part?
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Hey guys, New to the forums here - Glad to find a club specifically dedicated to these diamonds. For my 22nd birthday my dad bought me a 1988 Comanche 4x4 4.0 5 speed for $140 and some old rock sliders off of my XJ (Pavement Princess doesn't need them.) THE FUN STARTS HERE. Let's break down first impressions. She's missing the whole header panel and passenger side fender. The windshield is cracked. The seat is out of a Grand Caravan, and is secured to the floor with... nothing. It's resting on a piece of wood thats deck screwed into the pan. There is some god-awful form of makeshift wiring harness in the front... I mean nightmareish. The fuel pump is powered by a toggle switch thats mounted in the dash, and it's wired backwards. The Steering column looks like it's out of a 90's model XJ and the dash is spray painted black and red. She doesn't have a tailgate, passenger window, or taillights... I WAS IN LOVE. The Speedometer (Which I later found to be 100% accurate) reads 379,000 miles... Wow. That's a lot even for the venerable 4.0. The young man I was purchasing it from did not have the title but had purchased it from a friend of mine, who apparently had the title. The reason my friend originally bought the MJ was my original XJ that he loved. Interesting how all of the people can be connected in a small town. 5 Speed - I hope it's not the peugot, but I haven't had any better luck with my AX-15's either. We go to pick up a U-haul car trailer from town to tow it home. By now with all of the project Jeeps and Volkswagens we've paid them to tow, we could've bought two cheap car haulers. They refuse to rent it to us, because my mom's 2000 Grand Cherokee V8 4x4 apparently isn't strong enough to haul a Comanche (Which was complete BULLSH*%, as they had rented me a trailer a year prior to haul an XJ with the same vehicle and trailer type...) We went across town to a more Redneck-Friendly U-haul yard. The woman has also rented me a trailer for ANOTHER XJ with the same configuration and never given me a hard time. She followed suit in this case as well, bless her little heart. We go to pick it up - The kid wants the battery and tires back. I told him I would bring them back that night, and he reluctantly let me pull it up on to the trailer. While driving it, I noticed the brakes are done, Which I expected from the get -go. I got it home, and immediately swapped the tires with my superior spare set, pulled his battery, loaded them into my Grand Cherokee and brought them promptly back to his house 6 hours after picking up the truck, in the pitch black, in the middle of tweaker-ville. He later texted me to say that I had restored his faith in humanity for keeping my word, and as a reward he would track down the original bench seat on his property. Still haven't heard back on that one, going on three weeks now... The good list is short. The body that's still there is not in bad shape. The frame is straight. I pulled the horrendous seat and mount, and inspected the interior for rust- Nothing but some slight surface rust. Easily stoppable with some sanding and rust reformer (My primer of choice). She runs, and has a very good amount of power. The transfer case is flawless, and my god can this old girl climb. Now, I do NOT plan on wheeling her, but making her able to if needs be. There weren't enough of these things made to justify that - I'd buy another XJ first... But even in her neutered and stock form I was able to climb a rock face by my pond that not even my beefiest XJ could ever climb... The love grows. The bad list, including the above initial things I noticed, runs deep. I discovered it was being prepared and stripped to become a pre-runner or tough truck. The front suspension looks to have been stripped down a tad. The wiring harnesses are messy as hell. The Fuse block is damaged in the footwell, and definitely Needs to be replaced. So here's my plan: Full, ground up tear down and wiring replacement. Body, paint, and interior. Going either black or silver. Front end 97+ XJ upgrade. Customized bed- Possible removable camping setup- this will be in the future but I really want to experiment. POSSIBLE High output conversion. If I go this route, i'm going to try to find a 91-96 XJ and rip all of the wiring and drivetrain out of it and swap it. She's getting the works in regards to Power and accessories- roof console with temp gauge, power doors and locks, 2 door XJ Bucket seats. While I'm fixing the suspension and such I will be lifting her anywhere from 2 to 4.5 inches. This all depends on pricing and such. I may leave it stock height and focus on tanking it out. I'd like experiment with body armor. Various other odds and ends. The fun part so far has been tracking down the title. The DMV understandably believes that anyone trying to find the last registered owner of a vehicle is a stalker and cannot be trusted. I was able to find out that there is a lien on the title from a dealership that no longer exists. after spending a solid few hours on the phone with the Secretary of State I was able to receive a signed and notarized form stating that they no longer exist, which in effect makes this null and void and should no longer cause an issue with the titling process. After many days of hunting I was able to find the last Gentleman that owned the MJ - Turns out I got lucky. He is incredibly friendly, glad to see that she hasn't been destroyed completely by tweakers and is doing everything he can to find the title. The truck was originally purchased Brand-New off the lot in Grants Pass, OR by his grandmother. Finding this out is incredibly cool... I've never owned a vehicle that I can trace the full lines of ownership with. This is how I found out it really has 380k miles, and still runs as well as it does. He also says he has some parts laying around, and only asked that he could keep the glove box lock he stole from it in his s-10 ad to receive updates on the progress of the MJ as I bring it back (He almost invited me to his wedding, though we had never met.. I was more than happy to oblige, considering the possible hell he is willing to go through to help me track down the title. So there it is! Much more to share and update later, but for now the fun begins. I live in Eugene, and travel back to Grants Pass (2.25 hour drive) at least 4 times a month, where the MJ is located. For now, I'm going to start collecting parts and research all of my options. If you folks have any input to offer, or helpful advice, feel free to shoot me a message. Hope you enjoyed the abridged version of my adventure so far - Cheers!
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HOWDY ALL! So I've been lurking around here for a while researching MJ's and making the decision to buy my first one. I've got an XJ already, but really wanted a long-bed to use for camping on forest roads and as a ski chalet in the winter. Ultimately, I'd like to do a full 4wd (maybe auto) HO swap with 97+ facelift (lmk your opinions on that one), 3" lift and all the comforts of home inside a nice topper. I'm going to try to make this a fun to read thread with lots of updates. I'm making my posts in blue so it's easy to follow. Thanks for reading! Being married, our budget is small; so I had to be frugal and wait until an exactly right MJ came around. Requirements were: It had to be 4.0L, long-bed with bench seat. I determined that they are all difficult swaps to manage if you don't already have a MJ with it from the factory. Thanks Craigslist: 1988 Pioneer longbox, 4.0L, 2WD, 5speed, with bench seat. $700 and a 255 mile mad dash to be the first one to it. There's no shortage of things wrong with it, but it drove home at 60+mph ignoring ominous u-joint vibration while managing a stunning 255 MILES ON LESS THAN 15 GALLONS. Thinking of U-joint noise. I'm sure it has something to do with this mess of a XJ SOA swap with serious pinion angle issues: Floors aren't too bad though-- should clean right up: The bed and panels have some big dents but the cab and rockers are clean and the panel gaps look straight, so I'm willing to overlook them and wait for replacement: The driver door was almost ripped off in some sort of reverse over-opening snafu. I'm super familiar with this damage because both myself and my brother have done it. Go figure. I really enjoy the PO's charming bathroom door sliding bolt lock: My first thought was that I can easily re-position the door and get it to close. Then I saw this: "Dude, where's my striker?" Further investigation reveals someone was learning to weld while attempting to repair the oh-so-common MJ/XJ hinge issue. More to come! Loaner topper to keep parts dry: JAN 2015 STATUS: Replaced/New parts (excluding basic maintenance stuff)- D44 with Tracloc 3" Lift Open cooing system Fuse box and 100% of the interior wiring. Steering column Dashboard and all interior panels swapped to black Vinyl floor w jute padding and POR-15 Headliner Full gauges Refurbished damper box Foam firewall pad Front brush guard Brake prop. valve Brake front calipers, rear cylinders and some lines Pedal assembly U-joints Wheel bearings Wheels & tires Bed (w topper) Exhaust Doors (w broken hinge repair on d. side and missing striker pin replacement) Windshield Rear Glass Wiper motor & mechanism 91+ Lighting harness Probably a million little things that I forgot!
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New to the forum, just picked up a 1988 Jeep Comanche Pioneer 4.0 4x4 Manual My wife learned to drive in the same model/year truck that her dad bought new in 1988. Had wanted to restore that one, but unfortunately her younger brother wrapped it around a light pole. So we've been looking on and off for a Comanche in decent shape for about the last two years. Found this one about three weeks ago and picked it up last Sunday after haggling the guys down to $1,000. The guy said it had been running hot on and off, so we brought a trailer just in case, but I drove it home 55 miles without it running hot or any other large issues. I'm not a mechanic, but my wife and I enjoyed learning and working on our 2000 Wrangler, and she's always wanted another Comanche so the kids can learn to drive on it, so we figured what the heck, we will learn as we go, and this forum has so much info on it, we're excited to figure it all out. The Daily Driver Here's when we picked her up last Sunday. My kids have named her "the booger" First thing we had to do was give her a temporary face lift. The garage is home to the Harley and the golf cart, so most work will be done in the driveway. Since we have rather nosy and pretentious HOA, we figured if she looked a little prettier sitting in the driveway we could keep them off our backs. Lots of sanding, and primer, and Flat Camo Olive Paint, and she looking a lot prettier, still have a few more rounds of sanding and body paint. My wife has taken off all the decals, front grill and trim pieces, I picked up a bumper from the junk yard and a new front blinker light that was cracker, and she has sand, primed and painted all of them in Rustoleum OEM Black. Also got the bed sanded and Herculiner put down. Next up this weekend, I picked up some fender flares off a 92 Cherokee, going to get them painted and installed. Immediate list of trouble shooting and repair: - Previous owner said running hot, haven't experienced yet, but will start driving her and try and see what's happening - A/C Non functioning - Radio Non functioning - Air filter is some rigged contraption the previous owner put - Get the interior pulled apart and the carpet ripped up Looking forward to finding solutions on here and getting her running great