onlyinajeep726 Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
91Pioneer Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 Minty! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minuit Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 That's certainly a very weirdly equipped SporTruck. Subscribed :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JurassicJeep24 Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 She's a beaut!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AeroNautical Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 I'm lookin at the leafs, and they are the same as mine, but a 44? I thought only the metric tons came with 44s? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onlyinajeep726 Posted August 19, 2015 Author Share Posted August 19, 2015 Someone had to have swapped it in at some point in its life, but then again... who knows. The early years of these trucks just kind of had what ever put in them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ComancheKid45 Posted August 27, 2015 Share Posted August 27, 2015 My 2wd 88 sportruck had a trac lok 44 installed from the factory, stranger things have been discovered. Lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onlyinajeep726 Posted August 29, 2015 Author Share Posted August 29, 2015 I should probably jack that puppy up and see if it is open or locked... That would be the bees-knees if I lucked out there yet again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minuit Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 That would bring this deal from "you suck" to "I hate you" if that D44 was locked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onlyinajeep726 Posted August 30, 2015 Author Share Posted August 30, 2015 Just wish it wasn't a 3.08 gear... :fs2: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88whitemanche Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 Any Dana 44 is better than no 44.... Congrats man! Looking forward to this one.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onlyinajeep726 Posted August 31, 2015 Author Share Posted August 31, 2015 It's got Trac-Lok!!!! I just jacked it up and both tires spin in the same direction when you turn one on either side!! This just got a whole lot sweeter! Sorry Minuit... please don't hate me lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minuit Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 :fs1: I had to... At least it's just a trac-lok and not a full on locker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AeroNautical Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 Wait... Jeeps came with lockers from the factory?! (other than rubys) What kind of actuation did they use back then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minuit Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 The Trac-Lok is a limited slip diff, not a locker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AeroNautical Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minuit Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onlyinajeep726 Posted September 2, 2015 Author Share Posted September 2, 2015 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: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AeroNautical Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 Oh my... That under dash shot is almost as bad as mine! haha, gotta harness waiting to go in though... Why is it that people tear apart these trucks wiring, was it really that bad from the factory that people felt the need to wire it themselves? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minuit Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crash Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 Very nice find. At least with a D44, you can get a thick-cut gear set and not have to swap the carrier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hick92 Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 Following Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeepsOLot Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 About the D44, my '86 Custom, with the 2.8/auto originally, has a D44, trac lock and 4:11 gears! Jerry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onlyinajeep726 Posted June 6, 2016 Author Share Posted June 6, 2016 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: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newton Posted July 31, 2016 Share Posted July 31, 2016 sounds good.....how difficult is it to put in a 97+ engine in there do u have a complete 97+ swap like dash and everything or just the engine alone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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