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New Project: 1988 SporTruck!


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Well guys, I've added yet another Jeep to the fleet...

 

1988 Jeep Comanche SporTruck short-bed, 5-speed (Peugeot with ~260k.. eek!), 2WD with a DANA 44 and SUNROOF!

 

Guy I bought it from said it's overheating and he's replaced the water pump, thermostat and flushed the radiator... He thinks the head gasket is blown or cracked head... Thing is, there's no water in the oil and it's not blowing steam out of the exhaust... I think he didn't burp the closed cooling system correctly when he changed out the reservoir.  Oh well, it's mine now and I've already obtained a spare 4.0 from a '97 XJ with 140k miles.

 

 

 

 

 

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The Trac-Lok is a limited slip diff, not a locker.

I know, but you two were talking about a locker before, or was that just a joke? Your making me hyperventilate, here.

 

 

The locker comment was a joke. He's already lucky to have the D44 (open or not), and it would be ridiculous if it also had an aftermarket locker in it. Jokes really don't come through well in text.

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Got some work done to the old girl... Got the crushed in front bumper removed, changed it over to open cooling and feel pretty confident that I've determined why it was having trouble staying cool... Bottom hose on water pump wasn't clamped, the water pump itself isn't sealed good against the block, radiator has a hole in it, top radiator hose clamp was loose, etc.  Can't imagine why it wasn't holding coolant... Also, in the last two days, I've removed a rat's nest of random wires that were for some very "klassy" stereo system and some more wiring that was a sorry attempt to power the auxiliary electric fan... It was hard wired to the fuse box, with no fuse in between in the event of a short and at some point, pulled so much current that it melted part of the plastic on the panel.  Also, the sheet metal under the battery tray is completely gone... Battery acid has deteriorated it.  Time to bust out the welder and some plate metal.  I dropped the fuel tank today and determined the fuel pump has been changed out.  Yet another sorry @$$ job on it.  Just see the picture.  Anyway... enough babbling, it's time for pictures.

 

Radio was a mess:

 

Under the dash:

 

Most of what was pulled out:

 

Not sure what this is all about:

 

Battery acid is no bueno for metal:

 

Fuel pump hack job:

 

Some job there...:

 

Fuel gauge was kind of reading wonky... Perhaps this is why?:

 

Where I stopped for the night... Bed full of parts lol:

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I don't understand how they could've come away from something like hacking up that wiring and think they did a good job... or even a passable one.

 

(I may not have a limited slip D44, but at least I didn't have Billy Bob go to town on my truck... :peek: ) :D

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  • 9 months later...

Been a while since any kind of update.  I have been working on the truck, here and there... Working OT has taken away a lot of time from messing with it, but I've got a newer engine in it in recent months.  Got it fired up today.  Still a long way to go, but here's a quick teaser:

 

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  • 1 month later...

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