Little Red Riding Hood

[Brett486]

Hey Guys,

 

So I just got my self a new (to me) Comanche and it seems as though I have a lot of work to do on it. It's my very first Jeep, but not my very first project car. I am however lost on the how-to's on fixing her up, building and maintaining a Jeep since my previous cars were Acuras and Hondas. Any help or advice on where to look would be much appreciated. I have been scouring the forums and have seen some cool write-ups an project trucks. Anyways lets get down to it.

 

Details:

 

1988 Comanche (Don't know which trim level)

4.0L Inline 6

5-spd Manual

SWB

 

Images:

 

Front View

Driver's Side

Passenger's Side

Rear View

Engine Bay

Nice Job of "repairing" a vacuum hose :hmm:

Left Interior View

Right Interior View

Shifter with no shift boot

88 Cluster with no tachometer

Dash with missing ash tray

Driver door with no locks

Left headlight not pointing straight

Only one wiper (And yes that does say 'Classic Truck' on the plate :thumbsup: )

 

 

So that's what I got in a nutshell. Definitely some stuff to work on, but I guess it could be alot worse right?

 

Let me know what ya'll think!

 

- Brett

[Keyav8r]

Welcome to CC! If you have basic mechanical ability you can handle rebuilding your Comanche. You can find all the MJ (Comanche) specific information here on the forums by searching. In the event you can't find it, there are a number of MJ gurus who can point you in the right direction.

 

[87Warrior]

Ahh, that truck just needs a little love. Looks like a great platform to build on.

 

I dig the 'classic truck' plates!

[Exxon Valdez Jeep]

saw that truck on craigslist awhile back, Dallas area?

[Brett486]

yessir, mesquite to be exact. now residing in Denton.

[Dadinator]

Looks like a solid starting point.

Rip the carpet up and check for rust in the floorboards.

[relyt120]

Since you already need a shifter boot you should ditch the mini console and throw a Cherokee full console in...and maybe find a matching seat :rotf: just messing with ya but seriously though nice truck. If those issues are all you have then you got urself a good'n.

[Backdraft]

Nice looking truck! Looks like a good solid foundation to work with. I seem to recall seeing it on CL as well. can't wait to see what youre going to do with it. If you need a junkyard run partner in crime, give me a shout. I usualy go to DFW for my yard runs. Couple other MJ guys in the area as well. And by the way, the classic plates are a nice touch.

[Comanche County]

Welcome back from the dark side. Nice truck!

[Brett486]

Since you already need a shifter boot you should ditch the mini console and throw a Cherokee full console in...and maybe find a matching seat :rotf: just messing with ya but seriously though nice truck. If those issues are all you have then you got urself a good'n.

 

yea I want to do that. I've been to a couple JYs around here and haven't found any good quality CJs. I did find two MJs with some parts on it but the guy was waaaay overpricing it. IE $75 for an old dusty shift boot. No thanks. But thanks man.

 

Nice looking truck! Looks like a good solid foundation to work with. I seem to recall seeing it on CL as well. can't wait to see what youre going to do with it. If you need a junkyard run partner in crime, give me a shout. I usualy go to DFW for my yard runs. Couple other MJ guys in the area as well. And by the way, the classic plates are a nice touch.

 

Thanks man! Yea it was a pretty good steal on CL. Knocked him down from 2000 to 1400, not bad. And yea man I definitely need a JY buddy. I'm up in Denton and there's a few around here but nothing really found yet, or like I said before, super overpriced. Let me know if you're ever this way. And yea I had to go with classic plates, I figured i was gettin in titled, registered & plated anyways I might as well make it unique. Just barely made the 25 year cutoff, plus emissions exempt now! :thumbsup:

 

Welcome back from the dark side. Nice truck!

 

Ha thanks man. Yea I still own my DC5 Acura but can't get it inspected, so now this is my around town DD.

 

 

Looks like a solid starting point.

Rip the carpet up and check for rust in the floorboards.

 

Yea I think so. Yea as soon as I get a chance I'm gunna rip it out and check for damage. Then I might just rhino line the whole thing and call it a day, since this is just a DD. I don't know yet tho, depends on the noise level in the cab.

[Brett486]

Update: Money spent so far.

 

$1400 1988 Jeep Comanche

- CL pickup in my metroplex. Not bad, down from $2000.

 

$241.40 to the State of Texas

- Title, Registration & 'Classic Truck' plates.

 

$380.85 Kwik Kar Service

- Oil Change (PZ High Mileage), Rear Diff Fluid Change (Syn. 75/140), Coolant flush/fill & limited slip supplement

Had to get it done there, because I don't have the tools at my house right now. Good thing I did because

the rear diff fluid came out black, probably hadn't been changed in years.

 

$17.54 RockAuto.com

- Standard Motor Products #DL22 Door Lock Cylinder

So that I can actually lock this thing.

 

$21.80 O'Reilly Auto Parts

- 552BP/536BP Flasher Relay, 7.5 Amp Fuse, 10 Amp Fuse, 15 Amp Fuse, 20 Amp Fuse & 25 Amp Fuse

Having problems with turn signals, brake lights & reverse lights. Figured I should try this first, because it is simple

to change and also the cheapest solution if that is the problem.

 

Next up: The hunt for a shift boot or CJ center console, finding a rear mount for my spare, matching buckets or a

bench, straightening out my headlights & figuring out how to get my d*** glovebox open (opened once & never again).

 

- Brett

[Brett486]

So I was taking some pictures trying to get a grasp on what I got on this thing and this is what I found:

 

Looks to be a Dana 35.

 

 

And my fuse box, that I'm about to put new fuses in. (also note there are extra fuses in that I don't think I need, as well as a drip behind it :( )

 

 

hmm...

[Brett486]

So I got a lot gone today..

 

First, I headed to the local O'Reilly and picked up some parts I needed to pass inspection.

 

Here's the list:

 

14.99 A Torx set so that I can work on the truck

3.89 1156BP Mini lamp

7.78 1157BP Mini lamp (X2)

3.99 1157NA-BP Mini lamp

3.89 194BP Mini lamp

19.98 H6054 Sylvania Sealed Beam

3.19 FLR536/552BP Hazard Flasher

-------------------------------------------------------------

$62.47 Total

 

 

I then replaced all of the fuses, including the Hazard Flasher Relay. And once I did this the turn signals worked, hazards worked,

some of the brake lights worked & the reverse lights did NOT work. Hence why I bought all of the light bulbs. So I figured that

while I was in there changing the light bulbs I might as well pop in new bulbs for all of them. So brand new headlight

sealed bulbs went in, new front side marker bulbs (which were empty before), front turn signal bulbs, rear taillight/turn signal

bulbs & reverse light bulbs. So now all of my lights work :thumbsup: - including the dash lights - except for my cab dome lights, which are

both non-existent.

 

Next-up: I began working on my door locks situation, but got to a point where I couldn't go any further and have not been able

to get any advice on yet..

 

This is what I got too..

 

 

 

 

So if anybody has any pointers on how to detach the old lock cylinder from the rod so that I can attach the new locks please

help me out and let me know. As of now that door panel remains off and I still can't lock my door. :fs1:

 

- Brett

[Backdraft]

There is a little plastic clip that holds the rod to the cylinder assembly. you have to pop it up and away from the rod, then the rod will slide out of the hole in the cylinders lever.

 

this site shows the clip I'm talking about:

 

http://www.auto-keys-locks.com/381091-Chrysler-Rod-Clip-Retainer/dp/B0089KMAEC?traffic_src=FIND&utm_medium=CSE&utm_source=FIND&affId=the005-20

[Brett486]

The thing I can't figure out, is where that clip is and do I just pop it out?

 

Is it the A connection? Or the B connection to the second rod?

 

 

That's what I'm having trouble on figuring out.

 

Thanks,

Brett

[Mountain Dude]

If you look very carefully at the diagram, almost covered up by the yellow circle around the "A" end of the rod, there is a metal clip barely visible gripping the rod where it decends towards the "B" end. Using a screwdriver, push that part of the clip straight back towards the rear of the door. It will rotate around the rod above where it is bent and goes into the lock assembly. Once you release the clip, rotate it until it clears the rod and then pull the rod out of the lock. Then remove the lock from the door by removing the black clip surrounding the lock up against the door skin..

[Comanche County]

I used to keep an exact tally of what I spent on the truck. I was fairly OCD when it came to keeping receipts. But it didn't take long at all for my $900 truck to turn into a $5,000 truck. Now I'm scared to total it up. I keep all the receipts though, I've got an empty 12 pack box that is crammed full of nothing but receipts. I'd probably have a heart attack if I knew how much I've put in it now.

[Rymanrph]

I used to keep an exact tally of what I spent on the truck. I was fairly OCD when it came to keeping receipts. But it didn't take long at all for my $900 truck to turn into a $5,000 truck. Now I'm scared to total it up. I keep all the receipts though, I've got an empty 12 pack box that is crammed full of nothing but receipts. I'd probably have a heart attack if I knew how much I've put in it now.

 

I stopped at $7k before my hard drive crashed. I haven't kept up, but I know I'm more than double that now.....

[Backdraft]

I stopped at $7k before my hard drive crashed. I haven't kept up, but I know I'm more than double that now.....

I stopped counting somewhere around there too. Right now, I have about as much as Ryan in mine. And what kills me is I havent painted it! Granted, a certain percentage of that was tools I needed to get the job done right. However, all in all, I'm happy I spent it. Truck looks good, performs great, and I love it! Brett, you're well on your way. You've got a great starting point, and a good drive to make all the little things work right to boot. All you need is time and theres plenty of that.

[Rymanrph]

The money I spent on paint, you spent on your bumper, winch and audio equipment, but Mike's right. There are some things I spent money on twice, but I'm glad I have the truck I have. Money was just a tool to get me there. Look at it this way though, what truck out there could you buy for the same or less money with the same capability?

[Brett486]

Yeah I'm trying to be diligent about keeping all the receipts for as long as I can, because I didn't do it for my Acura when I was modifying it. I'm sure at a certain point I will get tired of counting, but for now at least I have Comanche Club to keep an online record of everything I do to her. :thumbsup: I'm trying to be as accurate and thorough as anotherjeff, but that guys craaazzy with the things he has done to his rig. As far as I can tell, I'm at about 2200 with things I've added and changed plus original price from the PO. And I'm quickly realizing that it is in fact a, fix one thing something else breaks, situation (changed spark wires last night and then had to roll start it). But it's definitely fun, and alot more interactive then my Acura (because I can actually get to it, to work on it). So I'm definitely in the madness.. err Club.

:cheers:

[Comanche County]

Oh yeah, they're much more easy to work on and modify than a ricer IMO.....

 

But, jeez, I know I'm at least somewhere around 15K. That's what you get when you don't know what your doing when you start and don't have a plan.

 

Why are we talking about this....I feel sick now. :ack: Sorry for the hijack.