Project: Have you lost your mind?!? ...on hold for ???

[dfreeman616]

Yes, I probably have. :nuts: Now that we have that covered, on to the project.

 

Victim..err, I mean patient #1:

87 MJ LWB 4.0, BA10/5, NP231, factory D44 :brows:, rust free bed and tailgate.

Seen here pulling around that '83 Monte Carlo shell/frame in a field. It had no wheels and was a pile of rusted junk, now it's scrap.

 

"Patient" #2:

99 XJ 4 door, 4.0/AW4/NP231/ChryCo 8.25

 

"Patient" #3:

99 XJ 4 door, 4.0/AW4/NP231/ChryCo 8.25, currently my DD.

Except now the straps are off the front and I fixed the bumper mounts enough to support itself.

 

 

So here's the plan:

 

 

 

 

Cheromanche!

 

I'm still playing with the dimensions a bit, but the final result will be either the overall length/wheel base remains the same as the LWB MJ I'm starting with, or perhaps a little extension of the wheel base to provide some extra bed space. I'd like to keep 6 foot bed, but would consider cutting down to around 5 foot. Looking at the dimensions of current Tacoma's with the double cab, they offer both a long and short bed version with the following lengths versus a stock Comanche:

____________Overall______Bed ______Wheelbase____Width

LWB MJ______222.9______88(7.3')______131.6______71.7

SWB MJ______207.3______73.0(6.1')____119.6______71.7

LB DC Taco___221.3______73.5(6.1')____140.6______74.6

SB DC Taco___208.3______60.3(5.0')____127.4______74.6

 

I should be able to maintain a 6' bed without making it too long or having too much wheelbase. I'd like to maintain four full doors, but I'm also keeping an eye out for a good 2-door XJ to make it a bit easier in making everything line up and not having to completely make my own rear doors.

 

Other plans:

• [*:3gtyddqq]This is going to be a 99 Cheromanche, so full interior/4.0/AW4/wiring/front clip. Patient #2 will be the primary chassis donor for the extension, if I go with a 4-door set up. However, it's not complete anymore, so Patient 3 will be donating most of the drivetrain and wiring, as well as some of the higher trim features it has such as cruise and better seats.
  [*:3gtyddqq]Keep the D44, swap in full discs, regear either to match 3.55 from one of the 99 XJ's, or possibly 3.73's
  [*:3gtyddqq]NP242. I live in Michigan, so the selectable all-wheel drive is a plus.
  [*:3gtyddqq]Full chassis coating in every possible location with POR15 or similar.
  [*:3gtyddqq]2x6" steel tube rocker replacement. Aside from the obvious structural benefit, it also makes blending rockers much easier as the curve on the rocker seems to be one of the harder body line issues to overcome, seeing what other people have run into.
  [*:3gtyddqq]Custom front and rear bumpers with integrated 2" receiver. Long term plan includes a multi-mount winch set up.
  [*:3gtyddqq]Minor lift, looking for 3"
  [*:3gtyddqq]Metric ton payload capacity.
  [*:3gtyddqq]I'm still researching what to do for the rear seat, I'd like something that doesn't take as much depth as the XJ rear seat while offering head rests, and hopefully some versatile storage solution.

 

 

 

7/3/12 edit/update for anyone who digs this tread up: i changed jobs and lost access to many of the tools an the lifts i was going to use, so this project is on hold.

[banshee]

'Victim..err, I mean patient #1:'

love it made me smile the same thing my boy's says to me...

GOOOOD luuuck... B...

[dfreeman616]

haha glad you like it. my boys are the inspiration for this project. i love my comanche, but with 2 kids and a wife, jeep let me down by not building any trucks with a rear seat...well, aside from the rare as they can get m678 forward controls.

 

which brings up another point: why am i doing this?

 

it's going to serve 3 purposes:

• [*:ytc24r0a]be a dd. full size trucks don't get good fuel economy, the 4.0 does decent when driven without a lead foot. [*:ytc24r0a]general purpose truck. i move a lot of stuff around, but usually nothing huge. i do some towing, but again, nothing huge or often. i don't need full size capacity.
  [*:ytc24r0a]and occasional mild off roader. hey, it's fun, need i say more?

 

i also want it to be something my wife can drive if she needs to, hence ditching a stick and going for an auto.

 

of course, having a family and running an auto repair shop doesn't leave a lot of project time, so don't be surprised when the progress is slow. note i said when, not if. but the benefit in running an auto shop is after hours use of the lifts, welder, tube bender, and other various shop tools, as well as my own selection of tools on hand.

[banshee]

it's going to serve 3 purposes:

 

•be a dd. full size trucks don't get good fuel economy, the 4.0 does decent when driven without a lead foot.

•general purpose truck. i move a lot of stuff around, but usually nothing huge. i do some towing, but again, nothing huge or often. i don't need full size capacity.

 

•and occasional mild off roader. hey, it's fun, need i say more?

 

let me reply

mine

NOT a DD, my 4.7 drinks fuel, with or without a lead-foot

General use HA too tall almost impossible to load,

lastly very capable off-road covered in mud most of the time

welcome and good luck, you’ll find good people with good advice on here, I have…

PS love the MJ hood... B…

[dfreeman616]

the hood looks better in pics than in person, but it is functional. i wasn't planning to keep it and was going to throw it up for grabs in the classifieds sometime. you're welcome to come up this way if you want it, then pay whatever you think is fair.

[500 MJ]

Dave,

 

That Comanche is too clean to cut up...

[dfreeman616]

trust me, it's not as clean as it looks. that's a cell phone pic and the grass is covering the rust. the corners and rockers are gone, as are much of the floors. the bed's only clean because it's off another truck, but there's some good dents in it. this truck has seen almost 200k of michigan...and it shows. the paint's not even as good as it looks, it's a spray bomb job that just masks the multi-color body parts.

 

 

 

edit/update for anyone who digs this tread up: i changed jobs and lost access to many of the tools an the lifts i was going to use, so this project is on hold.

[banshee]

:agree: TATALLY

SO look at mine? Mostly gone when i got her, "well still not mostly there"

but much better than when i found her a little work, a little sweat who knows??

don’t give up on it, i think it looks fine... B...

[turboxr]

What you plan is exactly what I am planning. I'll be watching with intent.