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89' Resto To 99' Conversion


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Fabbed entirely new straps. Got some mobile home tie down straps, cut three 50 inch pieces, welded the MJ strap "T" fittings to the end, bent the other end 90 degrees, folded it over for added integrity, drilled a hole in it and used the existing MJ "J" bolts. The XJ bolts can be used as well but my father had bought galvanized ones for the MJ and I reused them.

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Thank you! The idle problem has still not been tracked down but it may be gas sender related: http://comancheclub.com/topic/39846-fuel-flow/

 

I already have the tank pulled out and after repairing the hole here in a minute, we will immerse the sender in a full bucket of fuel and see if it stutters. If it does I will replace it and go from there. If it fixes the idle problem that would be super! If it doesn't stutter then it was getting air from the tank somehow (not seated, or the hole in the tank).

 

The belt just needed to be tightened a lot :doh:

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I found the pictures of the mods you made to your tank.  I need to add a vent line etc. to my tank and am about to buy parts. Did the angle valve in your picture come off another tank? I'd like to find something like this!

 

It looks similar to the angle connection on our valve covers.  I was thinking of looking for a brass fitting to do this with.....

 

 

I don't have anything like this on my MJ tank, or XJ tank, or 95 tank......

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The fitting is on the 1992 Dakota fuel sending unit, but the later model units have a blank, raised circle where it should go. As long as the clearances are OK you could use a brass fitting...but the OD of the brass fitting would have to match the line.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Well, Ryan is at school, and I have been doing some small stuff to take this project towards completion.

 

The truck would not hold an AC charge, so I had to pull the dash to replace the evaporator core, and figured tempting fate on an old heater core was not good juju, so it got swapped as well. Looked longingly at the blower but left it alone. Buttoned it all up and (yeah - you guessed it!) the blower would not work. Replaced blower and charged the system.

Now, its cold enough to hang meat in that thing but the blower makes a rubbing soumd. Pulled blower THREE TIMES looking for the sound, could not find a reason for it ( the new blower is identical in all aspects to old blower), so adjusted blower until noise was low and called it done. 

 

I love working on these trucks, but I can't tell you how many times I have said "not again"!

 

There are a few minor problems left but they should be accomplished in time. A inspection sticker and tire balance/front end alignment and hopefully she will provide years of service!

 

In other good news: I have been driving the @#$% out of it, and after the 500 mile oil change today the tank was filled and mileage calculated: 21 MPG on the highway!!!! :eek:

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  • 3 weeks later...

For the purists in the forum, the two major problems with this build were:

 

1) The 'nobus' issue. This was eventually resolved as the result of a connector on the upper engine harness that was not engaged completely (not locked). This connector DOES NOT appear in the wiring diagrams for the bus communications network (it has one wire in position # 7 which goes from the transmission to the TCU), and we only discovered it completely at random when we went around checking all the connectors in the chance we had "missed something". For those who need to know, it is called the C1 connector, a black, rectangular connector just behind the transmission dipstick.

 

2) The rough idle. See thread: http://comancheclub.com/topic/39722-rough-idle-and-p0340-p1391/. This problem was eventually solved by using a factory MOPAR crankshaft position sensor. Believe me, I would not have thought this as I have used numerous aftermarket CPS in the past...but this engine wanted the real thing.

 

Finally, this body/engine combination provides much more torque and acceleration then the truck really needs - you can easily spin the rear tires from a dead start halfway up the street if you want...I can only imagine how great the acceleration must be on Alexia's and Hornbrod's strokers....... 

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2) The rough idle. See thread: http://comancheclub.com/topic/39722-rough-idle-and-p0340-p1391/. This problem was eventually solved by using a factory MOPAR crankshaft position sensor. Believe me, I would not have thought this as I have used numerous aftermarket CPS in the past...but this engine wanted the real thing.

 

Finally, this body/engine combination provides much more torque and acceleration then the truck really needs - you can easily spin the rear tires from a dead start halfway up the street if you want...I can only imagine how great the acceleration must be on Alexia's and Hornbrod's strokers.......

I am wandering if that is the idle issue I am having. I get random unexplainable idle stumbling after a hot soak and I do have a cheap aftermarket CPS.

 

As for acceleration, what acceleration? The rear tires just spin endlessly! Once I get a tool box and the spare tire back there it should get better.

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