Cmbechtold Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 Hello all newcomer here. My name is Clayton I purchased this comanche last year off of a old man for 3700$ It is a 89 4.0 4x4 manual longbed with 80k miles and it already had some type of lift and a dana 44 rear end. I was planning on fixing it up little by little when bam! some stupid girl in a ford taurus blew a stop sign hit my drivers side rear tire and back fender she was maybe going 15-20mph at most well she bent the rim and blew the back tire. Obviesly her fault her insurance company totaled it because they said the axel was bent. ive been arguing with her dumb insurance company for the past three weeks on the worth of my comanche well the most I got was 4,000$ and they gave me the truck back. So I have been trying to decide what to do and I think I'm going to put the 4,000 back into the truck. What do you guys think? do you thing she could have bent the axel? also do you think 4k will restore it with maybe a paint job and a lift? let me know what you guys think thanks! before and after pics below. Before After Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrz Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 I say fix it up, truck looks too clean and well kept to give up on her, for $4k I think you could easily get a good lift and some fresh paint, even swap out the rear axle if it is bent. Prices vary on location on paint prices and parts, but here in ny I could get a pretty good paint job for around $1000 with out major body work. For the rear axle anywhere from $200-$500. And the lift is all based on the brands and components you choose. The most expensive purchase will probably be new rims and rubber Just my 2cents Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockMJ Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 Hey man, glad you found your way on here from Facebook. General consensus is to fix the truck, but it really depends on what you want. Everyone who has responded has said fix the truck, and that is going on probably ten or more people with myself included. I really think you can accomplish all you want with that type of budget and still have some left over. I guess it comes down to your mechanical abilities and willingness to keep another MJ on the road. Really sorry to hear about all of this but its all easily repairable (based off pictures) and the most important thing is nobody was injured. Best of luck to you. RockMJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cmbechtold Posted March 7, 2014 Author Share Posted March 7, 2014 Hey thanks guys I am gonna fix it up but I'm definitely gonna need your guys help and I will have a lot of questions if that's ok! I will put more pics up this weekend Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minuit Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 As long as the unibody isn't tweaked (and possibly if it is) it can be fixed. Axles can be swapped (although it sucks that the D44 may be dead) Too nice of a truck to give up on now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cmbechtold Posted March 9, 2014 Author Share Posted March 9, 2014 do you guys think this can be pulled out? last guy that had this truck got a cheap maico paint job and painted over the comanche decails any way to bring them beck? just some pics just some pics anywhere i can but a healiner and hardware? junkyard pics today these sidestep bars were on a cherokee anyway i could fit them on my comanche? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cmbechtold Posted March 9, 2014 Author Share Posted March 9, 2014 didnt find much at the junkyard today finally got the check from insurance company today time to start the restore! is there anyone that can give me a list of things to start with I'm not really sure about how to do this first time i have had a jeep where do I start? thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gogmorgo Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 New headliners are available from SMS. The dent doesn't look all too bad. There's no obvious creasing or tearing. The metal may be stretched a little though, so it might be a case of getting it as close as possible and then body filler. I'm no body man, but I would assume that to be repairable. The rear "frame" that the XJ steps mount to isn't the same on the XJ as it is on the MJ. As I understand, the MJ is wider at the back. You could probably get them to work, but you could also build your own set. A couple guys on here (one quite recently) combined some rock sliders with tube steps, and they came out looking pretty good. Where to start on your MJ? Not a bad place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strokermjcomanche Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 Where do you live ? I'd like to get the grey bucket seats ant idea what they'd want for them ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strokermjcomanche Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 I guess I should've read the title !! Any idea what they'd want Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cmbechtold Posted March 9, 2014 Author Share Posted March 9, 2014 No idea I'm in Lynchburg va I could ask they weren't perfect shape some small rips Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strokermjcomanche Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 If you don't mind I'd appreciate it my brother lives in ashbern and he could get them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cmbechtold Posted March 10, 2014 Author Share Posted March 10, 2014 do you guys see a bent axel? I'm having a hard time seeing one with the wheel off. Idont know how the insurance company inspector said it was bent with the wheel still on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
set89 Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 do you guys see a bent axel? I'm having a hard time seeing one with the wheel off. Idont know how the insurance company inspector said it was bent with the wheel still on. Well to hard to tell from the pics, but I would say support the rear axle off the ground with something a little more secure than a concrete block and run it in gear with a "good" wheel attached. Watch as the wheel spins and look for any wobble. I built a wrangler from the frame up a few years ago from a rear ended donor I got from a friend. That one had been hit at 65 mph and tweaked the frame pretty bad. The dana 35 rear (which is inferior to your dana 44) that was in it had a bent axle shaft but the housing was fine. Visually I couldn't tell until I had the tires spinning and could see the wobble. I guess the point I'm trying to make is that while not impossible that the housing is bent I think it unlikely and you might just need a replacement shaft. One last option should the entire axle need to be replaced, you could probably pic up a ford explorer 8.8 with disc and LSD for cheap. In my area about $200 and use a bit of the money to regear the front axle to match. Then you would have a disc brake upgrade, LSD, and lower gears (Ford 3.73 vs your most likely 3.55). It's a win win. Just my $.02. But I can also understand wanting to keep it Jeep pure. Good luck with your build. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocks91mj Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 hey, you might want to replace that 8" cmu under your rear axle before it decides to break and leave your axle on the ground, or trap someone under the truck. COOL truck you have their, I hope you get it back on the road and looking the way you want soon. I'm in Va. too, so maybe I will see you on the road or trail, always on the lookout for a fellow owner, good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gogmorgo Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 I'd check for an angle between the two axle tubes. As was said, get the whole rear axle off the ground (with wheels still mounted) and let the truck idle in gear. Watch for any wobbles. On a side note, cinder blocks are intended to support load in the other direction. When loaded sideways the way you've got it, they tend to crush. They're also intended for very even loading along the top surface. Point loads like you get from setting a vehicle on them tend to make them crumble, even when oriented properly. Either way, they're not so great for supporting vehicles. Get yourself a nice set of jack stands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
87shortbed comanche Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 for me when I had a bent axle shaft it wobbled real bad so its easy to check when you drive it around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cmbechtold Posted March 13, 2014 Author Share Posted March 13, 2014 I got the tire today drove it and put it on the lift no bent axel! the dana 44 held up. next up I'm going through the engine making sure everything is 100 percent with that. a hidden treasure i found when i took out the seat vehicle broadcast production sheet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cmbechtold Posted March 13, 2014 Author Share Posted March 13, 2014 anybody know how to read these? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minuit Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 I gotcha. I scanned mine and read it in Photoshop. My ink was pretty well gone but I got much of the important stuff back. Mine is a 91 but your 89 probably isn't that much different since Chrysler owned Jeep then, too. The top row is the only stuff that'll really tell you much. The first row with the yellow header is the VIN broken up into what each letter/number means. On the right is the coolest thing this sheet will tell you, date of production. For instance, mine rolled off the line on April 17, 1991 at 12:55 PM. The second row in the middle has the paint codes. For instance, my color code (PAC) is Silver Star Metallic. You can look those up to see what the names of the color is. The third row has the stock tire size, mine being P195/75/15. Most of the other stuff is a part-by-part listing of factory part numbers and option codes. Not as cool as a full build sheet, but still nice to have. Side note: Your MJ is virtually identical to an 89 I found in the junkyard a couple of months ago. . :MJ 1: . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cmbechtold Posted March 19, 2014 Author Share Posted March 19, 2014 Ok so I know this question had come up to many times but I never found a solid answer what are the pros and cons to a rustys 4.5 long arm lift?Also what are the problems I will run into when installing? I know everyone on here is gonna say go with the SOA but I have do not know how to weld and I have no acces to a friend that does so the only way I could do it is to pay someone and I have a feeling I'd be paying an arm and a leg for that... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
set89 Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 Check these guys out. They have a SOA kit you can buy separate of their complete lift kit for about $199. This will match your dana 44 and not require welding. It keys in with the original perch. I actually ran this complete lift on my jeep about 7 years ago when I was still on 33's. For the price it actually performed nice but its not the most advanced lift out there. So if you have your heart set on a long arm kit and lots of wheel travel, I would suggest finding a front kit that meets your needs and purchasing the rocky-road rear SOA kit separate. Sorry I can't give you an opinion of the Rustys kit. I have no first hand experience them. :cheers: http://www.rocky-road.com/jeep-comanche-lift-kit.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cmbechtold Posted March 24, 2014 Author Share Posted March 24, 2014 Ok so got a tune up this weekend now I'm ordering Lf upper ball joint Lf lower ball joint Rr wheel barring Rr corcase seals Rear brakes Rear wheel cylinders Front hub bearing @$$. Back up light bulbs Left rear leaf spring After I get this stuff done I will be moving on to a exhaust what will give me the most bang for buck with a exhaust system? (Keeping original headers and such) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cmbechtold Posted April 4, 2014 Author Share Posted April 4, 2014 We'll all of the maintenance is done next on the list exhaust , lift, and interior Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bornindesert Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 Exhaust is pretty straight forward. I replaced everything from the head pipe flange back, so new flange gasket, new Cat, new muffler, new tail pipe, clamps, and a couple of new rubber hangers. If you plan on not replacing the CAT, good luck...you'll fight to get it separated from the old muffler but it's doable. Most of the old Cat's are doomed to fail eventually anyways, so bite the bullet and replace it now. First, Walker has all the OEM replacement parts and there are various manuf's for the CAT. I started on RockAuto, got all the p/n's then went to Amazon and found them with free shipping. Wound up purchasing the CAT, clamps and gasket from RockAuto and the muffler / tail pipe from Amazon. Tricky part is, getting the flange separated. there are two studs with nuts and two bolts with nuts. If you break the bolts...not really a big problem, but if you break the studs off trying to back off the nut...you'll need to figure something else out. Best bet is to use a torch and heat them up cherry and then back off the nuts carefully. The extra time and effort here will save you the hassel of having to deal with the flange bracket repair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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