COMJNUT Posted July 29, 2011 Share Posted July 29, 2011 Since I've been on here for 5 years I guess I should create a project MJ thread about my truck. It will have a lot of pictures and a little bit of :wrench: . I'll start it off with the story on how I got it. When I saw it on e-bay back in 2003 selling in colorado springs I started drooling for just this comanche...the "so want" mentality. I did not have the finances to purchase it at the time and had to pass on the MJ that I wanted so bad, quoting my feelings short would be I was major league bummed at the time. I had a couple of TJ's for a couple of years and the MJ popped back up on e-bay selling in castle rock...sweetness! I was not going to let it pass this time, I maxed out the credit cards to get it (not a smart idea). Then I sold off the TJ that I had owned, and was a one Jeep man...MJ only. At that time one of my sisters made the decision on nicknaming it "black beauty" and it fit the name well at that time. We were a team from then on, nothing could separate me and my MJ. I started to go on some wheeling trips... Middle Saint Vrain, Coney Flats: Colorado Offroad Extreme: I got in touch with some folks that ran Christmas Caravan For Kids, and was in the St. Patricks Day Parade: (us waiting in the staging area) I was wishing I had a lower gear since I had a 4:1 in one of the TJ's that I owned, so I had a shop install a Tera-Low 4:1 in my NP321 transfer case. I'm guessing that started the bug for me to Just Empty Every Pocket. I got a shop to install the 4:1 (I didn't have the equipment at the time) Then I installed the posi-lok cable system for the front axle vacuum disconnect, the vacuum shift motor had died. Then I went up Red Cone, but before we got to the top...the clutch line overheated and blew out and had also melted the posi-lok cable to itself: but it was still an enjoyable trip the rest of the way in a highly modified TJ. After we got back down we got arrangements in order to get my MJ back to town. Had a shop fix the clutch line, and I fixed the posi-lok cable and put some heater hose around it to keep the heat off of it. A couple of months went by and had some fun going up what will be my favorite trail, Loch Lomond: Went ahead and did another one of those parade thingies: Didn't do much in wheeling or wrenching for a couple months then decided to hit up Middle Saint Vrain, Coney Flats again...with the same failure happening to me that happened on Red Cone...Clutch line and posi-lok cable failure again...guess it's time for me to install a aux electric fan in the MJ. After all fixed up and running again, I made it to 250k miles on it: Around thanksgiving time my mother was in a elevator accident and I drove the MJ like a bat outta hell down to see her in TX after they flew her from NM out to TX. I was driving it so hard that the D35 decided to give up the ghost, and I got it back to CO in one piece but it needed to be changed out. This is when I had to make a quick decision, another D35 or a D44a that was for sale... I chose the D44a, a little stronger than the D35 and a little lighter due to the aluminum housing. It came with only one drawback, nobody manufactures a locker to place in it. One bonus from the D44a, it came with disk brakes. Then later on in the year, I hit up the Christmas Caravan For Kids event and it was a blast: During that winter I was driving back from My parents cabin in New Mexico and found myself on a sheet of ice road. I was white knuckling the entire time the road was completely iced over: That brings us from June 2005 to December 2007 Starting off a new year I looked forward to the CCFK Parade: (2008) more to come, ran outta time for now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COMJNUT Posted July 30, 2011 Author Share Posted July 30, 2011 Before this next trip I installed a electric cooling fan on the driver side of the radiator, and the thing moves some air, it has worked well in keeping the MJ cool so I don't blow a clutch line or melt the posi-lok anymore. There was a trail run on China Wall to support our troops that I went on: After that, not much wrenching, but more trail running, Shrine pass, Wurts gulch: After that, life got a little busy with being engaged and then married. I got back to the MJ after life slowed down a little and went to some private farmland out here where a bunch of 4x4's wheel: a little later on I hit up loch lomond again: Another CCFK event: During the next year the odo passed 260k: And then the Clutch pedal itself decided to brake it's weld and left me on the side of the road with my 2 mo. old son: Where it broke: Got it fixed up and really wanted to know what I had underneath the hood of this thing since it felt so perky compared to any other 4.0L the I've driven, DYNO time: After that, my water pump started leaking, time for a complete build of the cooling system. It consisted of a new 3 core all metal radiator, water pump, new thermostat. My MJ really started to run great, and I started to push it a little more because I could...oops: my passenger rear main leaf spring snapped due to torque and axle wrap. Time to get new springs. Spring removal and install thread. Got the new springs installed and I was on the road again and happy. Then it was a clutch replacement, and now it sits in the garage because I drive my wife's xterra as a daily driver and my wife got my grandparents lumina. These past 6 years have been great and I'm hoping to have many more memorable years with my MJ. :cheers: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cody4359 Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 good looking truck. what size are thoes MTR's? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comanche County Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 Cool read, thanks for posting up! :cheers: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COMJNUT Posted July 30, 2011 Author Share Posted July 30, 2011 good looking truck. what size are thoes MTR's? They were 31x10.5R15's on AR Baja wheels. The coating on the wheels got pitted from the mag-chloride during the two winters that I had them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buxmj Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 Great thread. It sounds like mine. Drove it hard and now it's earned it's spot as the non daily driver. Thanks for sharing the pics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COMJNUT Posted August 1, 2011 Author Share Posted August 1, 2011 thanks, I'm trying to keep it the way i bought it just because it looked so good then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COMJNUT Posted September 10, 2011 Author Share Posted September 10, 2011 Time to get the bumper back to not a smile...but the smile transferred to me, it's contagious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COMJNUT Posted September 16, 2011 Author Share Posted September 16, 2011 got a buddy to weld the bumper end cap bracket back on, and got the end caps back on, looks good now :cheers: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boots Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 Not sure why, but I love the look of your truck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COMJNUT Posted September 16, 2011 Author Share Posted September 16, 2011 thanks :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LobsterThief Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 Awesome read; nice MJ!! :popcorn: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imstuck Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 Great story and a nice rig. These things are contagious. Ive owned 38 Jeeps (mostly Wranglers) but none consume my time and money like my latest Comanche. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COMJNUT Posted November 8, 2011 Author Share Posted November 8, 2011 I guess I have to start searching for what have you guys been doing to revamp/replace the "made in france" dome lights. Just recently on my last wheeling trip, the passenger dome light lens broke and fell out of the housing. Elmers glued it back in for temporary use at the moment. Including in me searching, what ideas have you guys had to replace/repair them? Wanting something that still looks OEMish. my search has come up with that a lot of people have chosen to go with a light coming from a ebay company called euramtec http://www.ebay.com/sch/euramtec/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p3686 Since I have some time to work on this I'm not going to pull the trigger on these just yet and going to do a little more research. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COMJNUT Posted May 23, 2013 Author Share Posted May 23, 2013 and finally passed the milestone... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mountain Dude Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 I used a pair of S-10 Blazer / S-15 Jimmy rear cargo area lights to replace my dome lights, They work off the doors, the headlight switch and can be turned on manually, they just don't have a setting to keep them from coming on like the OEM ones. They fit in the stock holes. Image Not Found Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COMJNUT Posted February 24, 2016 Author Share Posted February 24, 2016 Almost 3 years, guess a catch up is in order. Since hitting the 275k mark, I've started using a LJ as a daily driver and have only had the MJ out on special events. CCFK in 2013 M&G and Rick showed up Towing the trailer for work At the top of Pikes Peak...Finally One of my friends that owned an auto shop burned down, and to show support Rick and I entered a vehicle show to support him Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
87shortbed comanche Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 nice looking MJ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COMJNUT Posted February 25, 2016 Author Share Posted February 25, 2016 Thanks . :MJ 1: . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COMJNUT Posted June 19, 2018 Author Share Posted June 19, 2018 Not a lot has happened over the past 2 years with my MJ. The only notable thing is the rust is starting to rear it's ugly head. It has 286k on it now, and still runs like a top on steroids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pancho975 Posted June 19, 2018 Share Posted June 19, 2018 Great truck, looks like you've a ton of adventures and put a lot of work into it over the years! Nice thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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