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The Family Truck


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So the bracket for the track bar had 3 of 4 bolts loose and the steering box had a bolt loose.

 

That was all the popping and cracking I heard turning the wheel.

 

That is now all good.

 

Man it needs tires bad. :nuts:

 

I guess I need to start on moving the lift kit from the donor over so I can get some new tires and an alignment.

:yes:

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  • 3 weeks later...

Haven't had much time lately to work on the old mule.

 

When I have, I put a real thin coat of rattle can black on the tailgate and touched up some other spots on the truck.

I may get around to actually painting it eventually. :dunno: :roll:

 

I did manage to get one of the rear fender flares on. The other I have to fab some brackets. I only have 1 of 3.

I got some off the Cherokee donor, but they are not the same. I may be able to use them by putting new holes / studs in them.

We'll see.

 

I also put on the wheels/tires from the donor temporarily. I also scored some TJ Gambler rims off Jeepforum. I'm going to put them on with some 31's. I did notice that the front tires stick further out on the driver side than the passenger. Took it in and had it aligned. Didn't help. The wheels that are on there now will be for sale soon. The steel wheels that were on there are for sale now.

You can see them on the other pics of the truck in this thread if interested.

 

I'm thinking the control arms may be slightly bent from one of the accidents this truck has had. I'll pull the ones off the cherokee and see if that fixes it. It drives and steers OK, though.

 

I did find out that my driveshaft may not be straight. (I was afraid of that when I did it) I get a pretty good wobble at about 60.

I'll have to take it somewhere to see if it needs balanced or recut and welded or what.

 

Here are some pics I took today to show the state of the truck as it sits now...

 

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Amazing!

 

Gave the mule some Gambler rims that I scored off of JeepForum.

Tires are leftovers from when I had my Ranger.

 

Then gave it a bath. I don't know how long it's been since it had a bath, but it's been quite a while. :dunno:

 

Even cleaned the inside of the windows. :ack:

 

Looks like I got a different truck, but I assure you, it's the same one. :banana: comanche.gif

 

 

 

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Put the front skid plate back on yesterday after a good cleaning.

Lots of grease/dirt/grime build up on that sucker.

 

And the new wheels/tires fixed the wobble problem, so I guess my bastardized drive shaft is OK. :clapping:

 

Decided not to lift it as I like the stance the way it is. The 31's don't rub except on the passenger side they rub the lower control arm at full lock. Front of the truck is slightly bent from one of the accidents it had in its past. I'll work on that.

 

Sold the front lift springs and rear blocks from the XJ on JeepForum.

 

If anyone needs any parts, check out my 1990 XJ parting out in the classifieds here and over there.

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

Well, minor coolant leak seems to have been very minor. As in loose hose clamp. :clapping:

 

this winter:

 

Need to get the interior finished up and the windshield replaced.

Put the aftermarket lower control arms from the donor on as they are beefier.

Front end alignment

Replace the spare tire holder underneath (already have it) and put the spare back under the truck.

Fix emergency brake. (replace cables, etc.)

 

Remove engine from donor for storage and haul it off. Taking up too much room in the barn.

 

Next spring/summer:

New Battery

Touch up some body things here and there.

May paint it. Not spending a lot of money on it, just probably rattle can satin black.

Replace mirrors.

May try to straighten the rear bumper as its a bit bent up.

 

(and of course, whatever quits working/breaks)

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  • 2 weeks later...

This weekend, I put a new battery in the truck.

I put the aftermarket lower control arms on it and took it in and got an alignment.

After the new track bar and control arms and alignment, it is a whole lot more solid feeling.

Here is a picture of the truck today.

You can also see that the flares are all in place. :yes:

 

Also got a steering wheel cover. Feels much better.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Yesterday, I went to the Louisville Pull-A-Part and snagged a couple of working mirrors off an XJ. Put them on. Then I also got the little license plate lights from an MJ that was there. Once I got home, I realized that my passenger hockey stick shaped arm rest is loose at the top. The problem is a clip that is broken. I wish I would've realized that when I was at the JY. :headpop: Have to try to get one at the next trip. Got a price to get a new windshield put in for $235 installed. Will probably do that next weekend.

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Did some stuff today.

Got the clock working from the donor.

Cleaned and reinstalled the kicker panels. WOW! Now the drivers side carpet looks even worse.

I cleaned it once, but I think it is beyond help. When I get some floor mats, it will help.

 

Here are some pics...

 

 

Compare this one to the post above that didn't have the kicker panels installed.

 

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  • 4 months later...

Didn't realize it has been so long since I posted on here.

 

Some updates.

Still no headliner, windshield, emergency brake or spare tire thing hung.

 

I sold what was left of the donor.

 

I broke the spider gears in the D44 a couple of weeks ago. Will have to repair that.

 

I tightened up the console as the 1 little clip was broken. Made a little L bracket inside it and bolted it down. Nice and tight now.

 

Still haven't gotten the thing to keep from dying at times on first start up. I thought I fixed it with the ballast resistor, but it still does it sometimes.

 

Other than that, I haven't done much to it. Drove it some.

 

Will update again when I fix the D44.

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  • 2 weeks later...

In process of fixing the D44. Had to remove the whole carrier. The big pin that holds the spider gears in place wouldn't clear the ring gear. So, I just removed the axles and removed the whole housing. It wasn't bad. The only real trouble I had was removing that little pin that holds the big pin in. Sucker didn't want to move, but I finally coaxed it out.

Here are some pics...

Broken gears... :oops:

Here are the bolts to be removed to remove the axles. No c clips on the inside like the D35's and others.

Axle Out.

Here are the broken gears out of the housing.

Back together...

 

Got it all together. Just need to put the cover back on and fill it with fluid.

Need to get a gasket first. Calling it quits for today (too hot).

Will finish it up tomorrow.

 

:wrench:

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Finished the D44 fix today.

Works great. No noises or leaks. Smooth as silk.

Took it down the road and then up a couple hills in the woods to double check everything. Alls good.

:clapping: comanche.gif

 

Gave it a bath as it has been sitting in the barn/(wifes wood shop) collecting dust for a couple of weeks.

 

For a 22 year old truck with no paint job, it looks pretty good. :yes:

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  • 2 weeks later...

OK. so I realized that I had bought my son some lights for this truck for when he still had it.

He never installed them. Found them in the basement still in packaging. Then I realized that I had a spare one just like them in the garage from when he had a set on the truck and then wrecked it. 1 survived. So I ended up with 5. Got some switches, and tada!

 

 

 

 

 

Picked up this toolbox today for $30. Posted about it in another thread too.

 

 

 

 

 

Some Poser Shots. comanche.gif

 

 

 

 

 

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OK, so the wife made me a cupholder out of wood. She is great!!!

I added the sticker. :D

 

 

 

 

Then I added a couple of eye bolts to the new toolbox and the only comanche emblem I had to it.

 

 

 

 

Picked these stickers up a few months ago just put them on...

 

 

Couple more poser shots.

:clapping:

 

 

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  • 1 month later...

quick question about the instrument panel, did the better one with the Tach just bolt in?

 

Yup.

 

But you have to change the sending units to make the oil pressure and temperature gauges work properly. Oil pressure unit is by the distributor and the temperature is back of the head.

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