COMANCHERED Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 Bought the Comanche last fall and have been working on it since we got it off the car trailer. Its a 90' Sport Truck with a Trail Master lift kit and 44 rear end. When I bought the truck I was in Seattle picking up the kids from their aunts house. I own a 96' Jeep Cherokee and was in the market for a truck. This truck was sitting in the neighbors drive when we showed up and I thought that it would be a really fun project. We ended up staying for a few days so I was fortunate enough to make a deal with the owner. Arrangements were made for me to come out a month later from Montana to pick it up. That was a long month! The bad part is that it hadn't run for 4 years and had just been sitting there unused. When I got it home I spent quite a while just getting it to move under its own power. I replaced damn near everything. Now it runs and drives quite nice. I guess I'll just make a list of the stuff that I'd like to do, seems that's what most do. Exterior: JCR front bumper Home made rear bumper Safari Snorkel Home made roof rack/maybe a JCR unit if i can make it work with my topper Autopal head lights Spare tire carrier in the bed 3000 watt power inverter Hella lights on the bumper 33x10.50r15 BF Goodrich KM2's 15x7 Cragar Soft 8's Dual Battery setup Interior: Gut it and clean it Repair rusted floors Insulate everything Recover headliner New carpet Bench seats and console or recover the bench Swap in a full set of guages, get rid of idiot lights! I'm sure there's more to happen and it is a project so I'm sure I'll change more than I can think of to put in this list! My goal is to make a reliable DD and hunting/fishing and camping rig. Basically something I can get in and drive and not worry about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COMANCHERED Posted January 19, 2011 Author Share Posted January 19, 2011 Picked up a Safari Snorkel off of craigslist a while back, so I Installed it today. I took some pictures of the layout and holes drilled. I'm still not used to working on something and taking pictures so I only remembered to take a few. The more I work on it the better I'll get at remembering to take the photos. I got the template from ARB, they sent me an email and just printed it out. Laying out the first part of the template: Template all layed out: The holes in the fender all cleaned up: The truck is really quite rust free so it is nice to work on. I will post more pics as I get it mounted and all plumbed in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cody4359 Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 i like the truck, but why the snorkel? ive seen a write up elsewhere where the drilled a 3" in the wiper cowl area on the passanger side and put a cone filter in. raises the intake height and draws in cold air without being visible from the exterior. yhat stance on your truck is sweet, looks like it would rub without extened bump stops?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btm24 Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 I know what you are talking about and that would be so loud! think about hearing that when you drive? I would much rather use a snorkel if they didnt look so... just not for me. And good nice clean looking truck! It just makes me sad that you are cutting into a clean truck like that :( Ill be waiting around for this build :popcorn: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COMANCHERED Posted January 19, 2011 Author Share Posted January 19, 2011 Thanks for the replies. As for the snorkel, I think they look good. I'm not to sure if I'm going to be fording any major rivers or anything, but I think it will help with dust. The plus side is that it was cheap, and i like the look. I know it may be a shame to cut up my truck, but I can always repair or replace that fender. I'm kind of shooting for a rugged overland type vehicle when I'm done. I just want to have fun with this truck and make it my own, I got it cheap so I have lots of room to do that. I don't like the cone filter in the cowl idea, it seems like a lot of work for not much "reward." Thank you for the input and keep them coming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btm24 Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 Sounds like a plan :thumbsup: Brandon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cody4359 Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 everyone has opnions and IMHO the benefits would be true cold air,raised intake height, stealth-ish, and getting rid of the air cleaner box making the engine compartment just a little cleaner. and for the noise i hear its only a little noisy during startup then it dies down, but there is such a thing as dynamat that counteracts such noises of exhaust and mud tires etc etc :D anyways cheap is good, nice score Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btm24 Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 if you do it plz take a vid of what it sounds like cuz If it is ok then I'm up for it also Brandon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COMANCHERED Posted January 20, 2011 Author Share Posted January 20, 2011 Picked this stuff up off of craigslist today. Went to town to look at a black bench seat out of an 86' comanche for $50.00 and came home with all of it for $75.00 total. I got the 2" lift shackles, fixed lower control arms, sway bar disconnects and the "like new" bench for $60.00 from the guy. Shackles: Disconnects: Then I went to the wrecking yard and scored a factory MJ cargo light with good rubber gasket and the switch with the cargo lamp emblem for the dash. I also picked up a nice rear view mirror. The wrecking yard cost me $15.00 bucks. Cargo light and switch: Not bad for an afternoon and $75.00 bucks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cody4359 Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 nice score. will you have to move the sway bar ahead to keep the ends from hitting the coils? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SW86 Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 not bad at all, esp that cargo light since everybodies crazy for them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COMANCHERED Posted January 20, 2011 Author Share Posted January 20, 2011 Well actually my sway bar and links already on the truck hit the coils so I'm hoping that this will cure that. I'm gonna have to get rid of the sway bar drop that's on the truck already and put it back to factory, then the new links should bolt in and clear everything no problem. I thought people were pretty crazy over those factory cargo lights so I pulled it in hopes of maybe selling it or trading for something I need/want. I think I'll keep it around a while and see if I might want to use it in my build, but I think I might go a different route. With the topper I have, I'd like to run some kind of track lighting inside of it for camping and such. Anyways thank you all for the replies and I will post some pics of the snorkel all mounted up and the parts installed as it happens. I really need to address the totally rusted through floor boards in the truck and get on with the insulating and sound deadening! Those big mud terrains sure like to make themselves known out on the highway! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
500 MJ Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 I thought people were pretty crazy over those factory cargo lights so I pulled it in hopes of maybe selling it or trading for something I need/want. I think I'll keep it around a while and see if I might want to use it in my build, but I think I might go a different route. With the topper I have, I'd like to run some kind of track lighting inside of it for camping and such. If you want to sell it, consider it bought. PLEASE let me know. What are some of the parts you are looking for? I've got quite a few stashed away. Thanks in advance! - Brent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COMANCHERED Posted January 20, 2011 Author Share Posted January 20, 2011 I would trade the cargo light and switch for a full set of renix era guages and the associated sensors for a 4.0. I'm not sure if that's a fair trade or not so just let me know what you all think! I would also like to know how well the plastic paint that Dupli-color sells holds up. Any feed back would be appreciated on this. I think maybe SEM sells interior paint as well. I got a new black bench seat that's in really good shape and was considering painting all the interior plastics to match. I have a really worn out tan interior and would like to spruce it up a bit. I would just put a dash mat on the dash, not to worried about it being totally blacked out, just have some kind of color coordination. Also wondering if anybody has a factory/aftermarket rubber floor covering instead of carpeting. I think that it would be easier as far as upkeep goes. We get a lot of snow and general bad weather where I live and the carpet seems to hold the water, water leads to rust and if I go through the trouble of redoing the floors to eliminate the rust...well you know where this is going! I was just thinking of an alternate route. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shelbyluvv Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 Is that bench cloth or plastic? I want to return my MJ's interior to stock and would like to have a nice vinyl bench to put back in her. I have a nice set of dark gray ZJ buckets modified to fit a MJ for trade... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COMANCHERED Posted January 21, 2011 Author Share Posted January 21, 2011 Well shelbyluvv, the bench seat is both. It has cloth on the seat backs and where you'd sit, but the sides and trim are vinyl. I'm not to sure if I want buckets or not, the bench is quite useful as I've got kids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Posted January 21, 2011 Share Posted January 21, 2011 Great start. JCR bumpers are the way to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COMANCHERED Posted January 22, 2011 Author Share Posted January 22, 2011 My girlfriend and I spent all day with the MJ. We took apart the interior down to the carpet and dash and cleaned it as good as could be. She really shined up nice for a twenty plus year old truck. I haven't got the floors done so I left the carpet pretty much alone so it still looks like crap. I installed the new seat I picked up and it is so much nicer than it was. The last seat was all broken down and moldy so I wasn't sad to see it go! I'll post some pics in a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
500 MJ Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 Keep the seat brackets from the old seats! They are MJ specific where they tie into the floor pan, XJ floor pans are a bit different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COMANCHERED Posted January 23, 2011 Author Share Posted January 23, 2011 Good advice, I had planned on tearing apart the seat and stashing away all the metal parts. You never know when somebody might need a piece. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COMANCHERED Posted January 23, 2011 Author Share Posted January 23, 2011 I got the snorkel mounted up the other day, I think it looks good. I still need to replace the filter on the top and get a prefilter to cover it. I am going to get rid of the factory air box and put a second battery in it's place. Mounted to the fender: A look at the whole truck: The new seat and cleaned up interior: I did a lot to the truck today. Not much pic worthy, just time consuming cleanup on the inside. I managed to get all the tint off the windows using razor blades and Goo-Gone. That was a lot harder than I thought it would be! I am really happy how it turned out considering that it was so hashed out. I need to order new carpet or a vinyl mat and work on those rusted floor boards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MancheKid86 Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 i love that interior :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COMANCHERED Posted January 23, 2011 Author Share Posted January 23, 2011 Here's a few pics of the carpet and headliner that are in desperate need of replacement. I had the interior torn apart today so here you go. The drivers side carpet, I say carpet because there is no metal underneath: The whole carpet: The mini console torn apart: The headliner, at least an attempt: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COMANCHERED Posted February 7, 2011 Author Share Posted February 7, 2011 Well, I have gotten a bit more done to the truck lately. I got a full set of gauges and the sensors so I installed them. I really like having a tach again! I still need to figure out why the gauge lights don't come on with the head lights, but that might just be a fuse. Not much pic worthy about that but I'll throw one up of them installed and all working. Gauges installed: The truck started smelling really "gassy", as in it smelled like gas all the time. I got to looking around and found that one of my injectors was leaking so I ordered up rebuild kits for all of them and rebuilt them. When I did a leak test, turned the key on so the fuel pump would pressurize, one of the injectors was spraying fuel everywhere from where the metal part connects to the plastic part. That was that, so I went to the computer and ordered a set from Precision Auto Injectors. Let me tell you, the price was right, $80.00 compared to $400.00 to $600.00 from NAPA. I ordered them on Friday and they showed up today. I would definetly order from them again. They came with a flow sheet and packaged nice and cleanly. The truck runs and idles really nice now and no gas smell. In all it took me about an hour to put them in. New injectors as they came packaged: Flow sheet that came with them: The new injectors installed: A pic showing how much snow we got last night: That's all for now, but I'll keep posting as I get more done. I might get to drive it for awhile now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MancheKid86 Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 i spy another comanche! you holdin out on us? XD wheres pics! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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