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MJOTM - November, 2014 - jbain's '88 Chief


neohic
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Gentlemen... every month I have the joy of writing the MJOTM thread. Each month I get to shine the spotlight in a different direction and each month is cool for its own reason. Sometimes though... sometimes I look forward to another month well in advance. Think of it like being a kid waiting for a day to go to the amusement park. You have a tough time sleeping the night before. The morning of you get up way earlier than you need to just to make sure you get there before anyone else. You're on your way to get there, it takes what seems like forever to park, and you go in. You smile at the first sight of the roller coaster but can't help but feel intimidated when you're waiting in line. "Keep your hands and feet in the ride at all times... stay seated at all times..." that whole thing. The rides starts and all the sudden the anxious wait is 100% worth it. The comparison? Just imagine what it'd be to go on this ride!

 

 

jbain's '88 Chief!!!

 

YEAR/MODEL

1988 Comanche Chief

 

ENGINE/PERFORMANCE

Stock 1994 4.0 H.O.

 

DRIVETRAIN

AW4 Automatic Transmission

1979 F250 Dana 44 Narrowed to waggy width, Detroit Locker, Homebrew Truss with RCV Axles

Ford 8.8 rear, welded tubes with disk brakes and Spartan Lunchbox Locker

4.88 gearing on both ends

 

COOLING

Stock radiator

 

ELECTRICAL/IGNITION

91 Wiring Harness Swap

 

SUSPENSION/STEERING

5.5" Extreme Duty Rubicon Express Longarm with SOA swap in the rear

Rubicon Express Adjustable Trackbar

JCR Steering

Dakota Steering Box

Waggy Dropped Pitman Arm

Hockey Puck Bumpstops front and rear

Front Limiting Straps

 

INTERIOR

2004 Grand Seats

Cobra CB

Cooler (trail lunchbox) Center Console

Roll Cage

 

BRAKES

Ford F150 up Front

Ford Explorer Disk out back

1995 Brake Booster and Master Cylinder Swap

 

LIGHTING

Trailer Lights Replace the Factory Taillights

Stock Up front

 

EXTERIOR

Home Brew Tube Doors

Lexan Rear Glass

Factory Front Skid

Bedside Skid Rails

Home Brew Front and Rear Bumpers

Bed Cage

Bed Bobbed 6 inches

8k Winch

Home Brew Rock Rails

Hood Vents

CO2 Bottle

 

WHEELS/TIRES

Stock Ford Rims with DIY Beadlocks

38.5 Super Swamper SX’s

 

MISCELLANEOUS

Like many of you I started in an XJ but always wanted a Comanche…. especially a Chief. I finally found the perfect truck so I started parting out my XJ to come up with the money. I’m really lucky to be part of a local club that really helps each other out. Work is often traded for work and this is how most of my truck got to where it is today. Most of the parts are secondhand from Craigslist or build from scratch.

 

 

 

BUILD THREAD

 

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

It was my best day…. it was my worse day.

When I started this project it was getting a new paint job, a cowl hood and a lot of custom graphics. However, I quickly realized that the Comanche I wanted to build was completely different than the Comanche I wanted to wheel. I didn’t want an EXO… I wanted an inside cage… but an inside cage meant body damage or green trails. Fast Forward 6 months and I’m wheeling with a group of Crawlers and buggies that were running a real tough trail. I knew better than to attempt it but I was sure my MJ could make it. Long story short I completed the trail and did it without taking the hook…. but my drivers B Pillar and bedside would never be the same. As I climbed a nearly vertical embankment into the access road I felt a flood of pride and relief for completing a trail I had no business attempting. As I assessed the damage a sick feeling grew in the pit of my stomach when I realized my MJ would never be what I originally planned. Today my MJ (aka Chief) has dents on almost every panel ….. but he wears them with pride.

 

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

Like-minded people in pursuit of the perfect project all in one place….. what could be more awesome.

 

 

●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●

 

Holy $#!&, Jerry. Your Chief is something special now isn't it? Completely purpose built and built amazingly well! With the thread going on right now about an Eastern Pow Wow I know I'll be trying to be there with one of the main reasons of riding shotgun (or driving? :D ) this truck. Whether it be the diamond in the rough or the gem in the goats @$$, I think it's perfect. Beautiful job. Wouldn't change a thing... except more dents.

 

-Ben

 

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You had to be a snipe of some flavor in the Navy, maybe a Machinist's Mate or even a Hull Maintenance Tech? Otherwise where would you get the fab skills to built a rig like that. Surely not in the Yeomans shack.  :yes:   I follow your build thread and am always impressed by the innovation on your rig, especially the cage. Congrats on MJOTM, very well deserved Chief.   :thumbsup:

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You had to be a snipe of some flavor in the Navy, maybe a Machinist's Mate or even a Hull Maintenance Tech? Otherwise where would you get the fab skills to built a rig like that. Surely not in the Yeomans shack.  :yes:   I follow your build thread and am always impressed by the innovation on your rig, especially the cage. Congrats on MJOTM, very well deserved Chief.   :thumbsup:

Thanks Hornbrod...... Well believe it or not I was an Operations Specialist and spent 20 years in a dark room looking at radars and working with weapons systems.... The Harpoon Missile was my specialty.

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You had to be a snipe of some flavor in the Navy, maybe a Machinist's Mate or even a Hull Maintenance Tech? Otherwise where would you get the fab skills to built a rig like that. Surely not in the Yeomans shack.  :yes:   I follow your build thread and am always impressed by the innovation on your rig, especially the cage. Congrats on MJOTM, very well deserved Chief.   :thumbsup:

Thanks Hornbrod...... Well believe it or not I was an Operations Specialist and spent 20 years in a dark room looking at radars and working with weapons systems.... The Harpoon Missile was my specialty.

 

OS = haze gray and always underway.  I was an FT on diesel boats (yes, I'm old) then went surface and worked on Terrier / Tartar and Standard missile systems. Also underway most of the time. 

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Thanks Earl..... :thumbsup:

 

Of the 20 years I served Don, I spent better than 8 of them onboard and away from Homeport...... I wasn't familiar with the Terrier / Tartar and Standard missile systems so I looked them up..... my first ship (USS Guadalcanal LPH-7) had the Sea Sparrow launched from the  BPDMS System if your familiar at all with that system.

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Thanks Earl..... :thumbsup:

 

Of the 20 years I served Don, I spent better than 8 of them onboard and away from Homeport...... I wasn't familiar with the Terrier / Tartar and Standard missile systems so I looked them up..... my first ship (USS Guadalcanal LPH-7) had the Sea Sparrow launched from the  BPDMS System if your familiar at all with that system.

 

That's not too bad Jerry. Seavey - Shorevey rotation for FT's back then was 6 - 2. And the only places we could go for shore duty was a Weps Sta, or be a recruiter or some other generic job like pushing boots.  :shake:   Ships I was on were the Yarnell (better known an the Urinal), Pratt, and Belknap, all decommissioned now.

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