DirtBound Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 So I have wanted a Comanche for a while now, and after talking to Shawn at Inland Jeep he mentioned he had a 86 longbed Comanche he was selling. Long story short, the jeep is now torn apart in my shop. Some of you might know me from the Cherokee forums, I own DirtBound Offroad and we make Bumpers, Armor, Accessories for the XJ's. During the last month the MJ has been torn down and put into casters to make it easy to move around the shop, the front end has been converted to the new fenders, header panel and hood. The plan for the build is to go with a SOA in the rear and a 5.5" coil in the front with a prototype 3 link. The front bumper is going to be our Manta Ray Winch Bumper, with a Warn Zeon 8s (that is coming off my JK), I plan to design a rear bumper possibly with a tire carrier, sliders and armor. Here is what the MJ looked like when it rolled off the trailer. How it sits today The passenger side floor was rotted though, so we replaced it with a donor floor pan from another junked MJ. I also swapped the E Brake assembly part of the tunnel and the dash bracket on the driver side, the rest of the dash mounts we welded tabs and used rivet nuts. The driver side has a few small pin holes on the floor, so I primed it with rust inhibitor and will be riveting down patch panels over the existing floor pan. We will then undercoat the bottom to seal it good. I plan to install a XJ tank in the rear and wanted to have it sit up against the bottom of the bed so I cut the crossmember out and started to replace it with the new "frame", I still have to draw up the gussets to weld on. For the rear axle I wanted a D44, it just so happens I found the axle but it came with a entire running truck for $1200 after DMV fees and smog repairs. So the D35 will be going in this one as it is a street queen 2WD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackBeast Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 Sweet build ! Good job Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 Very cool and welcome! Big fan of Dirtbound products. :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirtBound Posted March 9, 2015 Author Share Posted March 9, 2015 Got the frame modifications done for the XJ gas tank. I plan to draw up some gussets for the leaf mount that will support the mounting bolt, and weld into the frame further forward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shelbyluvv Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 So much work for a fuel tank. A TJ tank would fit there like it was made for it. Either way welcome aboard Max. Looking forward to seeing the progress. BTW... we MJ owners need hitches, rear bumpers and sliders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirtBound Posted March 9, 2015 Author Share Posted March 9, 2015 So much work for a fuel tank. A TJ tank would fit there like it was made for it. Either way welcome aboard Max. Looking forward to seeing the progress. BTW... we MJ owners need hitches, rear bumpers and sliders. Well the plan is to keep the stock tank, for a dual tank setup. Also wanted to keep the ground clearance high, especially with it being a Long Bed. The good thing about having both a Long Bed and Short Bed MJ is sliders and other products will be easy to make for everyone. Last week the 4.56 Gears, Zip Lockers, Chromoly Shafts showed up from Yukon Gear! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kickinmule Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 Yes! Yes! Yes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psifanboy Posted August 28, 2016 Share Posted August 28, 2016 did this build finish?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now