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Mjotm - February, 2014 - Onlyinajeep726's '86 Custom


neohic
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We’ve all got projects, right? Even if you think you don’t, think about your truck like this… Did you purchase your truck and immediately start working on it to get it back on the road? I’m sure that sounds all too familiar to most of us here on CC. This month we celebrate this type of automotive decision making process! This month we can't help but recognize…

 

 

 

 

 

onlyinajeep726's '86 Custom!!!

YEAR/MODEL

1986 Jeep Comanche Custom

 

ENGINE/PERFORMANCE

4.0L Inline-6 (from a ’90 XJ)

 

DRIVETRAIN

AX-15 5-speed (external slave, from a ’96 XJ)

NP242 Full-time 4WD (from a ’92 XJ)

 

COOLING

Open-style cooling, Moreso metal filler neck in upper hose

 

ELECTRICAL/IGNITION

Factory ’90 XJ Laredo harness, ECU and ICM

NSS bypass (since the engine is mated to a manual now)

 

SUSPENSION/STEERING

4.0L front coils + 1.75” spacers

Chevy 2” lowering shackles

Stock ’90 XJ steering box and original ’86 linkages

 

INTERIOR

Still a work in progress, but…

Gray dash and steering column swapped in (from an ’88 XJ)

HVAC box swapped in (for A/C in the future)

Floors bed lined, trim painted black, original bench seat (for now), XJ seat belts swapped in

Euramtec B-pillar lights, 6.5” Pyle subwoofers and tweeters in the door, etc, etc.

 

BRAKES

WJ dual-diaphragm booster

XJ block/proportion valve swapped in

Level-sensing MJ prop valve removed

 

LIGHTING

6000K HID headlights and Rampage 5” x 7” H4 housings

LED front turn signals

Two 4” LED 30° spot lights

Euramtec B-pillar lights

 

EXTERIOR

Rattle can “Heritage Red” paint job done by yours truly

Bed lined lower section of body

Dented rear bumper (will get fixed sooner or later)

Cherry Bomb Pro #7477 muffler and dual exhaust

 

WHEELS/TIRES

Factory 9-hole 15” x 6” steel rims painted gloss black and original chrome trim rings

225/70R15 Nexen radial SUV tires

 

MISCELLANEOUS

Painted the gas tank gloss red and embossed “Jet Fuel Only” on bottom

Electric fan override switch

Tool box

How she looked as of Jan. 15th, 2013:

 

How it looks as of Jan. 15th, 2014 (an exact year later):

 

Freshly painted engine bay:

 

XJ engine placed in MJ:

 

My drivetrain ready to go in:

 

Dash and HVAC box installed:

 

Recent interior work... Been too cold outside to continue:

 

And just another random shot I took when my dad and I were setting up my daughter's play house in the back yard:

 

Read the whole story here!

 

Remember That One Time?... Tell Us Your Best MJ Story

I have had my MJ since January 15th, 2013. It started life as a basic ’86 MJ, housing a 2.5L and AX4. It ran but wasn’t reliable enough to drive as it had some issues. A few months of it sitting in the garage, I decided that given I had a donor XJ, I would tackle a 4.0L swap and swap in an AX-15. That process started in June of 2013. Long story short, after spending countless nights in the garage and getting some serious grief from my wife, I was finally gifted with the fruits of my labor.

 

On October 10th, 2013, nearly ten months after purchasing my MJ, she had new life and I got to hear and feel the awesomeness of that 4.0L purr under the hood. That moment was very gratifying and made it all worth it. My MJ is now my daily driver.

 

CC is Awesome!... Why Do You Think So?

I joined CC a few days before purchasing my MJ and in the year or so of being on this forum, I have learned so much from the members here. Everyone has been very helpful and never critical even when I may have said something stupid. It’s nice to be able to share such a strong love for such a relatively rare truck. You guys have built an excellent forum and the information here is priceless.

 

 

●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●

Shawn, you did what so many of us do just to keep our MJs on the road. You, on the other hand, went so many steps further than just a quick tune up and a fresh change of tires. How many wanted ads are on here of members looking for a truck… just not an ’86, right? You took what so many people would prefer not to start with and force-fed it new life! So, I’ll say it again that this month we celebrate those projects that exist just to keep a vehicle on the road. It might not be the easiest solution, but some of us just prefer a little more of a challenge to make sure they’re driving something cool. While your truck seems simple and not too flashy, it serves its purpose as a daily driver and as a truck. While it’s not quite finished, I think it’s great what you’ve done! A very well deserved congratulations this month.

 

-Ben

 

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What Ben said: Force-fed. Great way to describe stuffing the 4.0 into an 86 MJ, something the factory never did. But you did, made it look good, and built a very unique MJ you should be proud of. Great job, and it's only going to get better. Congrats on MJOTM.

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  • 1 month later...

I'm glad to see you pulled it off, gives me hope for mine. I just purchased a 86 with the trusty (LOL) 2.8 in her. Its already sitting in the floor of my garage. I found a nice 98 XJ with 120,000 miles on it that I have purchased. So I will be following in your footsteps soon.

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