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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!

My 87 MJ project is almost ready for inspection but my reverse lights are not working. I have tried many things for it to work including changing the bulbs, checked the wire for damages, and checked connections from the switch and at the sockets. I am lost. If someone could point me in a direction that would help I would really appreciate it.

This is my Glorious '87 Comanche Chief my father and I picked up. She was in numerous states or failure and decay. Buuuttttt, it appears the light at the end of the tunnel is nearing. One year later I think we're down to just body work and paint!!!

Codename Bumblebee: Continued A currently quite short build thread by Minuit I've been looking for a second project for some time. My silver '91 has been my daily driver for years and is at the point where it's getting hard to call it a project truck. If you've been keeping track of this truck's previous build thread, you'll know that this truck's previous owner, relyt120, never got a chance to do much with it and recently needed to sell it. Coincidentally he put it up for sale at the exact time I happened to have both the means to buy it and the time to work on it! Not only that, but I'd had my eyes on a manual vehicle of some sort. The previous owners (with the exception of relyt120) have been unkind and downright neglectful to this truck, and it needs a lot of love. However, the most important things are in place - to get it up to snuff I have a lot of small things to do, and some major surgery is needed. Here are the specs: 1989, short bed, Renix 4.0, AX-15 internal slave, open D35 rear end, ~150,000 miles. Let me be clear: I'm very much aware I have a lot of work to do, but I know what I'm doing and I'll do things right The Good: - It has the AX-15, and it shifts very well - The engine, while noisy, runs fairly well. - Besides the floor pan, it's almost completely rust free. The body on this truck except for the floor pan is in some ways better than the '91. - It's a Comanche! - I got it for a very good price. - It has a number of upgrades already done, including bucket seats, switched electric fan controls, Volvo fuel injectors, and upgraded grounds. - It theoretically has air conditioning. - I got tons of parts with it, including two Comanche interiors. - It has a surprisingly soft ride. - It's a blank canvas for whatever I want to do to it. Unlike the '91 I don't feel any obligation to keep it original. The Less Good: - Electrical issues abound, including non-functional reverse lights, brake lights(!!!), and a completely nonresponsive instrument cluster. - The engine sounds like hell and makes barely acceptable as of January 2019, zero as of May 2019, barely acceptable oil pressure. - The driver side floor pan and some of the transmission tunnel is rusted through likely due to a long ignored clutch fluid leak. I have a patch panel for the driver side floor. - The front end is in need of work. The truck has a significant front end shimmy - not quite death wobble, but definitely something is very loose. - It has massive vacuum and exhaust leaks. - Renix Cooling System. 'Nuff said. The pressure bottle of course leaks and a replacement has already been ordered. - The windshield is toast. - It's mind bendingly hideous. - The parking brake is missing. The Plan (more detail in Post 14): - Fix brake lights before I drive it on the road again - Fix all critical electrical circuits: brake lights, gauges, reverse lights. - Replace the Renix pressure bottle. - Re-install the interior. - Refresh front suspension. as of August 2019, done... more or less. - Repair the driver side floor. - Convert cooling system to the open loop High Output version. as of September 2019, it's been thoroughly de-Renix'd. - Turn the truck a single color, with chrome trim. - Air conditioning! Edit 12/2/16: Unlike my other build thread, the OP will be updated continuously and serve as a summary of my progress.

Hey forum-goers! Welcome to my build post. I recently bought my first jeep, truck, and project vehicle... And let me tell you I am very happy with it. The details will come after a short little intro. This picture --> is my first with the truck. I am from Washington, DC, and grew up around all the little ricer cars. My first (and still my daily) car was/is a 1997 Acura Integra GS-R. The little thing is awesome, crisp, smooth, and best of all, fast (just like a jeep!.... wait). For 18 year old me, I got a steal on it and I love(d) it. But part of me always wanted a jeep. My first car almost was a 1994 YJ. So close. Ever since then, 2-3 years later, I've wanted a jeep. This project started officially June 5, 2019, sitting in my college class and finding the Facebook Marketplace post for less than a mile from me a "1988 Jeep Comanche Regular Cab".... In the heart of Washington, DC. I mean, to get the truck out of the guys yard we were blocking traffic on a major commuter road! Insanely cool and convenient find. So, the details that you're waiting for, along with pictures, if I can figure out how that works... - Its a 1988 Jeep Comanche Pioneer short bed. - I believe it originally had the straight 6cyl 4.0l, but it now has a newer and rebuilt 6cyl 4.0l, unknown mileage (maybe around 140k?) - 4 wheel drive - 97+ converted. - Still unsure of many details, but this will be updated as I dig deeper and deeper into the project. These pictures are how I was introduced to the truck, taken the day I bought her. The truck is literally starting from ground zero. The frame is claimed to have 0 rust. I have not thoroughly inspected this yet, but so far it certainly seems that way. The guy I bought it from found it on a farm. It had been sitting in the barn, unused, for at least 10 years. You can see the farm use tags on it, and the rear bumper is bent down, so I certainly believe this is definitely the history of it. It came from the little town of Onancock, Virginia, according to the title. The previous owner (PO) had tore the ENTIRE truck apart piece to piece, and painted the interior of the engine bay and primed the outer panels, and even rhino lined the bottom. Currently most of the hard work has been completed in the engine bay, but I still need to once over everything. The engine distributor was replaced/converted to coil rail. These are all the details I can think of to start out with. Stay tuned for all the updates! I hope to update this as much as possible, with all the details I can, along with pictures and video!

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.

Hey everyone! I'm new to this website and found it while looking for advice on fixing up my new(old) 1987 Comanche(if this isn't the right forum to put these questions on i'm sorry i didn't know :???: ), the previous owner hadn't run it in 6 years, and it spent the last 3 of those outside. it has minimal surface rust but the body was spray painted a vomity green, i plan on changing this in the future but at the moment its not important. my first goal is to get it street legal, the brakes and tires are being changed and i would like to clean out the entire engine bay as well as change all the fluids if i have the time. what i was wondering is if any of you guys think i should check anything else for possible safety hazards or any tips/tricks that could help when dealing with a Comanche, or any project car tips in general (This would be my first one and i'm very excited) also, how would you guys go about cleaning an oily and greasy engine bay/firewall without damaging any other components p.s. the Comanche runs, but a little poorly, hopefully refilling fluids and cleaning/replacing hoses will fix it any help or advice you could give would be great, Thanks a lot

I'll start this off with, this is not a build, it is a hypothetical project that I want to work on in near future. So one day I'm driving around Upstate NY somewhere. And I'm allows on the look out for Jeeps, even have a lame roadtrip game for Jeeps. Then I see a rusty Comanche in a yard. Naturally I pull over to investigate this fairly rare sighting. Go to the owner's porch and knock on the door. He seems confused to see a stranger on his property. I tell him I'm here to talk about the Comanche. I bring up how I am driving my 89 MJ longbed. Instantly earn his respect and attention. Tells me he used to use it in a local offroad club but lost interest. Says I can check it out. Its an 88 MJ shortbed, rusty, carpet sagging through floor pan, I6 4.0L 5 speed, with a bench seat. Stock nothing fancy. Tells me he is ready to sell for scrap price and it is loaded with misc. scrap. I tell him if he can wait awhile, I'll pay more than scrap to save it and make a project of it. He loves the idea. He previously turned down offers from local junkers. I guess he was just holding onto it for such a day. I almost have enough money and a trailer secured to move to a friend's property. Here's my rough plan in kind of order: Get money for owner and make it decently higher than any scrap price. Get car trailer to haul it. Bring it to my friend's property since I have no room for it at the moment. Scrap the misc. stuff out of the bed. Pull the interior and see what is left of the floor. Put the interior on pallets and wrap in tarps to store in barn for near future. Pull the engine and transmission. Sell said powertrain for like $75-100 (170k ish) Pull the tail lights and recondition them per CC instructions. Source a bedliner for the bed and hope it isn't rotted. Find a fuel injected I4 2.5L and automatic transmission that mates up (not most common combo but I've seen them) Find corresponding 4WD system for the truck I want. Find small lift components, thinking 2-3" lift. Find or buy new 30" tires (when close to done) Find holy grail of cool Comanche parts. (Visor, roll bar, buckets maybe, etc...) Get Nates bumpers for front and back. Get the Harbor Freight special roof rack. Get LED lighting inside and outside. (Roof light bar, bumper light bar, A pillar lights, Truck-Lite LEDs, and misc interior too) Hope to have money for a nice tune up and money to register/insure it lol This is all off the top of my head. Hope to update with more ideas. Taking ideas, opinions, and questions is always appreciated!

Hey, so i just picked up my first Comanche, its a 1987 4x4 2.5L 5 spd. sporTruck in red. It's a project to say the least, but I'm excited none the less. I'm pretty mechanically inclined and have all the tools and access to most of the machines to do most of what I need to, only major problems being: 1: Funds 2: Minor access to heated building to work on it in the frigid Illinois weather as my garage is not heated and my dads garage has two cars in the front heated garage and 3 cars in the heated shop in the back yard :fs1: he has more projects than me I think It has a few issues that i currently know of and I've been doing a ton of reading on here and everything is super super helpful, it cuts 75% of the diagnosis work out of it. Issues being: 1: 4x4 does not engage to front axle (believe its the stupid vacuum issue; Easy fix) 2: Brake lights do not work, and blinkers on the drivers side just light up the brake light on that side... (screams ground issue to me; Should be a relatively simple fix) 3: Intermittent knocking noise under cab on drivers side/center floor, sounds like maybe a trans/t-case mount may be loose or missing, happens at weird RPM's weather the vehicle is stopped or driving, haven't had a chance to get under it and check out where its originating from yet 4: No heat... maybe a heater core from what I can find... the blower motor is working, open to any help on this one 5: Previous owner said it gets death wobble, I have yet to verify that as I've only been to 45mph so far, but hey its a jeep what do you expect right? 6: Radio is inoperable HA who cares I just want to hear the roar of that beastly 2.5L screaming down the highway at 50mph, no but seriously that's the least of my worries as I have a history with car audio so it should be somewhat simple when I get around to it 7: Parking brake doesn't work, haven't looked much into this yet... can't be terrible 8: Speedometer is not working, not sure if the cable is busted or just detached or....? The truck currently runs, drives, and stops, and is not too bad in the rust department and my dad is a body-man so what rust that is there can be taken care of somewhat easily, so that's a plus... Clearly I couldn't pass it up for for $350 The booty-my first view of the truck The front and side view of her Taking her home! Yeah she runs but i had to drive 4 hours away to get it so definatly not going to drive it back :shake: Got her in the garage to check a few things out but had to move it out shortly after Interior is looking pretty good, needs a few window crank handles (got a free vice grip out of the deal :thumbsup:) This is where she sits now! The block heater makes all the difference in startups though wow! :yes: Yes I know the top is ugly :ack: but I'm probably going to leave it on for winter, the bed is pretty nice on the inside! ...and I will pull the carpets and fix the floors come spring time! Any suggestions, criticism, or help would be welcomed and appreciated!!!

I'm interested in buying a project Comanche Jeep. I'm looking to put Dana 60 axles in it and a 4.0L stroker and fresh paint. I have big plans. I need a solid platform. To make my life easier I'd like to start off with a 4.0 engine so I have the wiring harness already and whatnot. I'd like to re-use the stock AX-15 transmission I would like it to be a short bed and if possible it can come factory with 4wd. Also no rust would be a plus. Text me at (631) 806-1839 for any leads, I'm located in Western New York. I don't mind driving within reason to pick one up.

Alright, so I'm new to the Comanche Club. I just picked up a POS 92' MJ with a 7' bed. Has the standard D30/D35 combo, 4.0, and a 5 speed manual trans. Needs a new crankshaft position sensor in order to run properly. I really want a dedicated vehicle just to take rock crawling, and I feel this is the perfect donor vehicle. I have a 2013 Jeep JK on 35's that I take to Rausch Creek Offroad Park (Tremont, PA), and it's also my DD. I can't afford to break anything serious, being as how I have no other vehicle to get to and from work. And I don't make a million dollars a year either, I just graduated high school in June of this year. So to finally get to the whole point of this intro, I want a truggy (wasn't sure if i made that clear enough). I'm only knowledgeable in JK's, so i only know the basics in MJ's. I'd like to start with axles. I heard a rear Dana 60 from a late 80's dodge pickup swaps in with no modifications (Fact or fiction?). Well, what about a front axle? I want matching widths, and I could care less if they're full width. Not looking to dump money modify the front axle to fit, but it seems to be almost inevitable. Would it be better to put a D60 in the front, or just D44? The next thing is that standard 6.5 inch lifts won't work with "new" axles (assuming, but you know what they say about that). I know I'll need to beef up the drivetrain as well. What transfer case does everyone recommend? I've heard no one can go wrong with a Dana 300. No short term plans for different motor or trans. Not opposed to the cliche Cummins 4BT/NV4500 combo, but one can only dream :yes:. All feedback is appreciated, but let's keep it civilized. I'm only a dumb teenager :thumbsup:

This 89' Comanche Sport Truck was left to me by my wife's grandfather after he passed. Looking forward to returning it to glory!

Hey Guys, So I just got my self a new (to me) Comanche and it seems as though I have a lot of work to do on it. It's my very first Jeep, but not my very first project car. I am however lost on the how-to's on fixing her up, building and maintaining a Jeep since my previous cars were Acuras and Hondas. Any help or advice on where to look would be much appreciated. I have been scouring the forums and have seen some cool write-ups an project trucks. Anyways lets get down to it. Details: 1988 Comanche (Don't know which trim level) 4.0L Inline 6 5-spd Manual SWB Images: Front View Driver's Side Passenger's Side Rear View Engine Bay Nice Job of "repairing" a vacuum hose :hmm: Left Interior View Right Interior View Shifter with no shift boot 88 Cluster with no tachometer Dash with missing ash tray Driver door with no locks Left headlight not pointing straight Only one wiper (And yes that does say 'Classic Truck' on the plate :thumbsup: ) So that's what I got in a nutshell. Definitely some stuff to work on, but I guess it could be alot worse right? Let me know what ya'll think! - Brett