New guy, just bought an '86 X

[JBender]

Hey there, I bought an '86 Comanche X here in Lubbock, Texas a few days ago, and have already fallen in love with it. It's my first truck, and is a bit of a project, but I'm up for it. It was $550, 190k on the clock, with a laundry list of things to fix. It was rear-ended six years ago (I bought it from the original owner), and so the bed is smashed to about a 6-footer.

 

 

 

I've been reading quite a bit on these forums the past few days, and there's a lot I need to learn, but I believe my grill is on upside-down, for starters.

 

 

 

The interior is actually in good shape, minus the steering wheel and a couple trim pieces. For some reason, the previous owner replaced the headliner instead of fixing the numerous mechanical problems.

 

 

 

 

The engine was leaking oil badly, mostly from the valve cover gasket and PCV connections (the rear PCV/breather canister was just sitting on top of the engine). I'll save the details for a project thread, since this is just my introduction.

 

 

 

Aside from the Comanche, I own a Geo Metro (Suzuki Swift) with a turbo Chevy Sprint swap, and a Nissan 300ZX. For those who might be interested, here's the write-up on my Geo build (don't laugh too hard, I get 44mpg with boost!): Geo project thread

 

 

 

I bought the Comanche so I could move myself to a place in the country, where I'm at now, and loving it. I made four trips with a (squished) bed full of my belongings, and the Comanche didn't miss a beat, even with the countless broken pieces.

 

 

 

Anyways, I'm glad the Comanche has a dedicated forum, and I'm glad to be here .

[Pete M]

Well, we're glad to have ya. :cheers: That sure is one way to make a shortbed out of a longbed. :D

[Automan2164]

Welcome, but beware of the addictive nature of this beast. I mean, take a closer look at some of our signatures. It only starts with one. ;)

 

Good to have you here.

Rob L. :cheers:

[jtdesigns]

Dude I just read all 5 pages of your insane Geo build... Great just great! Not sure about what that 3 banger uses to control idle but the FSM should tell you. I'd look into whatever controls air intake past the throttle body. Maybe a vac hose near the tb or around it. Deff can tell your paint isnt the most matching, but its not too bad.. The doors look good, the rear quarters look faded maybe had less, or more reducer/hardener, or might been a high humidity when sprayed. Either way it looks good & it's what I'm planning on my Prelude. Hotrod flats with a satin clear.

 

I can't wait to see your MJ build. Whats your plans with it? Welcome to the great CC, grab a cold one, have a seat (that spot on the tan couch is Chicos...) And don't forget there is no such thing as a stupid question...

 

Oh one more thing, preludes share the same wheel bolt pattern as accords at 4 on 114.3

http://www.discountedwheelwarehouse.com/Honda___Vehicle_Bolt_Pattern_Reference.cfm

[JeepcoMJ]

welcome! :cheers:

 

before you get too much into the truck, yank the bed off and straighten the cab and "frame"....frame's bent right behind the cab. looks to be about 1.5" upward bend.

[Xacto]

Welcome! After seeing what you accomplished with the Geo, I'm looking forward to what you have in store for the MJ.

[jpdocdave]

welcome, score on the full gauge instrument cluster to, thats a bonus.

 

i can't wait to load my mj w/ my belongings and move south.

[JBender]

Thanks guys, and I didn't realize there were so many people here from the Midwest (when I'm not at college, I live near Bolingbrook, IL, outside Chicago).

 

Dude I just read all 5 pages of your insane Geo build... Great just great! Not sure about what that 3 banger uses to control idle but the FSM should tell you. I'd look into whatever controls air intake past the throttle body. Maybe a vac hose near the tb or around it. Deff can tell your paint isnt the most matching, but its not too bad.. The doors look good, the rear quarters look faded maybe had less, or more reducer/hardener, or might been a high humidity when sprayed. Either way it looks good & it's what I'm planning on my Prelude. Hotrod flats with a satin clear.

 

With the Geo paint job, I was just happy that it was all one color, but you are correct about the quarter panels, they were under-covered, and it was a hot summer day in a 1-car garage. The painter was nice enough not to charge me anything, but I may be respraying it myself with a better setup this summer.

 

 

before you get too much into the truck, yank the bed off and straighten the cab and "frame"....frame's bent right behind the cab. looks to be about 1.5" upward bend.

 

What's the ballpark price a place would charge to straighten the frame? It drives straight, so hopefully it's not too bad, but I figured there'd be some carnage once I removed the bed and evaluated what's underneath.

 

 

welcome, score on the full gauge instrument cluster to, thats a bonus.

 

I definitely have a lot of reading to do, as I wasn't aware of gauge cluster differences, but glad to hear I have one of the better ones!

 

I overhauled the PCV system and valve cover gasket yesterday, so hopefully it won't leak so much oil now. I'm helping a buddy move some furniture with it today, so once that's done, I'll fix the upside-down grill and start a project thread.

 

:cheers:

[Lenard]

maybe i missed it somewhere but, is that the 2.8 or the 2.5L?