Comanche SS Posted December 24, 2016 Share Posted December 24, 2016 :popcorn: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted January 7, 2017 Author Share Posted January 7, 2017 Time to spend some time on this thing... Got it into the shop at work to finally have a good look at it and to mock up a new production interior cage. The good? It's probably the most rust free MJ I've ever had... The bad? Hail damage... lots of it... I also finally had a chance to look over the mighty 2.8. Not that I'm rethinking things and now planning on keeping it, but it was more just to see what the condition of the wiring is in. I think what I'm going to do is use as much of the donor wiring as I can and get rid of all the breakable stuff like power windows and locks, cruise control, and whatnot. As for the donor(s)... ... the green ZJ is the main source. The red one will be giving up a few interior bits that are broken/missing in the green one. Not totally sure what the dash setup will be, but I'm hoping to keep as much of the MJ dash but also use as much of the ZJ switches and cluster. We shall see. The wiring, transmission, steering column... ... and 5.2 V8... ... should fit just fine with some creative finessing. This really has nothing to do with the build, but the cage fabrication went well. I work at D&C Extreme in Colorado Springs and we currently offer 4 door and 2 door Cherokee cages in a few different variations. In the past when customers ask about Comanche cages, we've made up some creation of 2 door stuff... and I can't imagine they fit very well without some cutting. That's all about to change! I took the time to make up some numbers based off of the XJ cages. Not sure on pricing, but stay tuned to our company website. Who knows... maybe I'll put together a Comanche Club discount? What I'd like to see is a full MJ line of components. Cages... sliders... bumpers... I've got plans. We're mostly known for being an International Scout shop but we're branching out. Fingers crossed we'll have some time to put some time into new products this year. As for the actual build of this truck, I'm sure I'll be pushing hard on this soon. Seems like the Ape finds a new way of disappointing me every week lately. Very much looking forward to throwing some effort at this one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88whitemanche Posted January 7, 2017 Share Posted January 7, 2017 Looking good! An interior cage has always been in my mind to have in the truck, can't wait for more details! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted January 8, 2017 Author Share Posted January 8, 2017 I'll keep everyone posted! There's a bunch more pictures I took of everything showing all the fine tuning details with the fit and finish. Hopefully I'll be able to get something finalized and put together something real in the Vendors section. :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheelsaz08 Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 sweet! i'll be watching this one closely :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellaheep Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 I was hoping you'd be able to get a production cage done once you got yourself settled in up there with Damien. My 2dr XJ was the rig used to prototype the 2dr production cage. The first production kits had straight bars across the top of the windshield and across the top edge of the dash. I replaced the top bar with a curved one like you've done in your MJ. Nicely done, keeps the visors usable and the bar out of your forehead. the bar over the dash you've done I'm not a fan of. Having the two bent bars there kinda limits the side strength at the A-pilars and cowl. They'll bow outward/forward when compressed. Keeping the straight bar across the top edge of the dash keeps things a bit more solid....... in my humble opinion. I also like the back cab hoop. It goes up high enough so that if one wanted to, they could cut holes in the roof above the window and run bed bars. As an optional add-on for the kit, I'd like to see some boomerang shaped bars going from the bottom of the A-pilar bar at the foot plate, up to the seat shoulder area of the B-pilar hoop. Then a short bar from the bend of the boomerang down to the foot plate of the B-pilar hoop....... if that makes sense. Another optional add-on of a single cross bar behind the seats for shoulder harness mounting and additional bracing of the B-pilar hoop. Lastly, as an optional add-on, include several triangular flats so that gusseting of the bars at the welds can be done. This style cage makes it VERY difficult to get welds around the entire junction where the tubes meet because you're building it inside the cab. These gussets provide additional protection against tube ripping at the weld, or busted welds allowing the tubes to come completely apart during a roll. As with building any cage inside of any vehicle, it's going to create issues. For the XJ/MJ's, these cages cause issues with access to the headlight switch, they block A/C vents, eliminate ANY possibility of removing the dash (as in heater core replacement), and using a straight bar above the dash makes it more difficult to remove the instrument cluster bezel to install a stereo or gain access to the gauge cluster. The biggest interference is to the glove box door. It won't open but a couple inches due to the A-pilar bar. Most have simply chosen to stop using the glove box, others have cut the box door between the "e's" of the jeep logo and glue the end piece in place. I know, I know........ you probably didn't post this up looking for opinions or advice. I couldn't help myself. I've owned/used 2 of D&C Extreme cages and they really are nice, budget friendly cages that get the job done. They can be easily improved upon by the end user and/or their installer. They're true purpose is to keep the lid from crushing down on your melon in a slow roll over and aren't meant to be race cages. So glad to see that D&C is still doing business! It's not easy for the little guys to keep up the good work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted January 13, 2017 Author Share Posted January 13, 2017 D&C is very much still in business!... however Damien has had nothing to do with it for a number of years now. He sorta drove things into the ground and then sold the company to the current owner. As for the cage, we've got tons of options for just about everything we offer! The suggestions you mentioned are already in the works. The dash bar... oh, the dash bar... It's based off of the current XJ dash bar which is pretty much set in stone as far as I know. Ideal? Probably not. You nailed it though that these are not designed to be race cages and keeping things as user friendly is definitely a must. I moved the a-pillar tubes out towards the doors to free up some space and to make getting to the headlight switch just as easy as if the cage wasn't even there. The glove box door is another one of those deals where interior space and creature comforts were kept in mind. Can you open the door all the way? Nope. But you can get it open enough to still use it and the bend in the dash bar aids in that. Overall, I'm really excited about it! It's the first step in what I'm hoping to be a complete product line for MJs out of the D&C doors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRUNKMAR1NE Posted January 14, 2017 Share Posted January 14, 2017 It looks good I plan on making a full exo-cage for mine I just need some tools like a bender, notcher, and new welder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted January 14, 2017 Author Share Posted January 14, 2017 I am planning an exo cage as well since the interior cage was only for mock up. Expect to see something H3RESQ inspired. :drool: Spent a little time on this truck today. More on that later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted January 15, 2017 Author Share Posted January 15, 2017 ... it's now later. Pushed the truck back into the shop this morning for some extraction, wiring removal, and cleaning. From what I remember, Jim stabbed in the 2.8 from a '91 S10, backed by an AX-5 from a '96 XJ, and then finished up with the original 207 transfer case a while back. That's where things stopped for this little red '86. Everything came out really well and I appreciate Jim leaving everything dry. Not a single drop of fluids of any kind dripped on the floor! Out came the drivetrain... ... and out the door it went... Felt a little bad about undoing Jim's work, but I like to think that he'll appreciate the future mismatch of drivetrain components that will be taking their place. I took the rest of my time today removing all of the underhood wiring and giving everything a well-enough cleaning. Quite literally a clean slate to work with. Funny thing about this truck is that it seems like everyone who has seen it recently has the same reaction of "wow... that's a solid truck". It happened again today at the shop and then it was revealed to me some original grease marker codes left over from the production line still in place. Kinda cool, I guess. Really shows how the truck has fared since it left the factory. This week I'll take care of a few maintenance items on the 5.2 and hopefully mate it up to the transmission from the ZJ. Until then... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragordie Posted January 15, 2017 Share Posted January 15, 2017 Wow whats with all the IH Scouts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted January 15, 2017 Author Share Posted January 15, 2017 I work at D&C Extreme in Colorado Springs. We're known for being a Scoit shop... but we're branching out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onlyinajeep726 Posted January 15, 2017 Share Posted January 15, 2017 Awesome things to come for this nice '86! I'm excited for you. I may be a bit partial to the '86 models... just maybe. :laughin: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted January 15, 2017 Author Share Posted January 15, 2017 ... RED '86 models? :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onlyinajeep726 Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 Mayyyybeee... . :MJ 1: . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted January 22, 2017 Author Share Posted January 22, 2017 What a day! What a day! WHAT A DAY!!! :banana: This little '86 is officially a V8 truck! Everything started off just fine with the engine just about dropping into place on the first try. Technically, it was in there. It was sitting on stands, but in there. Things came out really tight in some spots so the engine is favoring the passenger side a bit. Time for mounts! The tight space above the passenger side frame rail just wasn't jivin' with me. So... Then a quick... hack?... transmission crossmember was made up. My plan is to wait on really tearing into the truck suspension wise until after I've got a few miles on the drivetrain. Being that I'll probably be doing something special for control arms, I just couldn't see myself doing something permanent here. That is the bastard love-child of the stock crossmember along with the cut up remains of the ZJ transmission bushing hanger. Ugly? ABSOLUTELY! Functional? For now. Didn't even bother to get all the dirt off. :D So then that brings us to here... Oh, yes... today was a good day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted January 28, 2017 Author Share Posted January 28, 2017 Had another busy day working on it, but I didn't take any pictures. Before anyone posts the "useless without pics" smiley, hear me out. :smart: Today's progress was ugly progress. The dash came out of the truck along with the pedal assembly, column, interior wiring, brake booster, and master cylinder. In their place went in the ZJ column (almost a bolt in... had to drill a couple holes for the lower support on the firewall), the ZJ dual diaphragm booster and master (direct bolt in), the entire dash harness from the ZJ, and an automatic XJ brake pedal assembly. Before harvesting any of the wiring from the donor, everything was labeled... otherwise it'd be a real soup sandwich trying to decipher everything! There's going to be a ton of useless wiring to remove from the entire harness, and it'll sure be a fun process. Next on the list is going to be changing out the truck's heater core... because one does not remove a dash without replacing the heater core... ever. While the heater box is out, I need to remove the donor ZJ's heater box as well to see if I can move all of the heater box controls over so I can retain the ZJ dash heater switches. See? I told you so... ugly progress, but progress none the less. :shake: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sinkrun Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 Looking great! Gives me some much needed ambition to get the new stock engine in mine... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted February 4, 2017 Author Share Posted February 4, 2017 :ack: ... not exactly my favorite thing to be doing. Sure wish I had more time during the week to work on things. I've been getting the itch to be daily driving an MJ again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted February 12, 2017 Author Share Posted February 12, 2017 More wiring yesterday. The donor ZJ is looking pretty bare at this point... all besides the giant pile of loose wiring, that is. I've been taking the donor harness apart and picking out all the wiring that I don't need out of it as it's been coming out. Sure has been taking a while, only really working on it on Saturdays too, but I think it's worth it dissecting it this way rather than just ripping out all the wiring, plopping it on the ground, and figuring things out from there. So here's where I'm at now. While I was under the truck I noticed something peeking through the floor that looked like numbers. Sure enough... ... classic license plate "patch". After a pass or two with the shop vac... ... I've got some patch work to do. I'm totally fine with this! It comes down to it and it's still a 31 year old truck and the rest of the truck is still in great shape. Even so, it kind of took the wind out of my sails for the day so I just took a step back to have a look at where I'm at. Scary? You bet! When I start thinking about where I started with this truck not all that long ago, where I'm at now, the fairly easiness that things have bolted in (or close to bolted in), and I can already start seeing the end of the first tunnel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
87Warrior Posted February 14, 2017 Share Posted February 14, 2017 I am loving the build. Nice work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildman4x4 Posted February 15, 2017 Share Posted February 15, 2017 Nice build so keep it going as you are giving me ideas for my daughters rig. I'd also like to have one of those Scout's in your pictures. I've always had a thing for the older models of the Scout's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted February 16, 2017 Author Share Posted February 16, 2017 Thanks, guys! I won't be able to have any time to work on it this weekend but be sure to stay tuned for more soon. We had a junk XJ sitting behind the shop at work that I cut the floor and the fuel door from today. The floor is so obviously being used to patch my floor, and the fuel door will be used for when the bed gets bobbed and the ZJ tank goes under the bed. WHAT?! "When the bed gets bobbed"?!:.. yup. Still some big news coming down the pipe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirtyComanche Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 I hadn't checked on this in a bit. Huge progress, and looking really good. I'm curious to see how that ZJ tank fits. What's your plans for a radiator? And is the exhaust looking like it will fit easy enough? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnj92131 Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 Taking the XJ fuel filler door? And the ZJ gas tank for under the bed? Bobbing the long bed? Does that mean removing the big X brace and placing the tank behind the rear axel? Is this going to be a 2nd gas tank? If not, what is wrong with the factory 23 gallon tank and fuel pump? Looking forward to the answers unfolding. Nice progress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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