1987 Jeep comanche

[DirtyComanche]

Thanks, I'll have to throw those in my notes.

[IronManche87]

No worries! Definitely good notes to have! After all that evap crap it was as simple as a $2 grommet and $10 valves...

 

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[IronManche87]

Been a while since I've posted but have done quite a few things to the truck! Since my whole smog ordeal, I have corrected the dogtracking as well as installed new springs, shocks, and adjustable control arms. After that was the cluster swap and speedo cable (which I fried the first one but the second is still running strong!). Still have to figure out why my oil gauge goes bonkers and why the voltage reads low though. The fuel gauge i believe to be the sending unit but thankfully the coolant sensor is accurate!! And yesterday I installed my new hitch thanks to krustyballer16! And soon I'll have my new headliner thanks to Steve! Next will be the power steering pump and hoses! Thanks all!

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[HOrnbrod]

Did you get rid of the coral snake?

 

[IronManche87]

Did you get rid of the coral snake?

 

Lol I turned it into a flag for a while but now it's all black due to my dumba$$ leaving the heatshield off but slapped that back in and dressed it up a tad. Waiting to snag some of the harness holders from the jy to keep it from sagging and repeatimg the shmelting process lol

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[IronManche87]

Did you get rid of the coral snake?

 

Exhibit A lol

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[HOrnbrod]

Looks like the coral snake is mating with a blue racer now. 

[IronManche87]

Lol shhh they need their privacy...

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[IronManche87]

Finally got my headliner in!! Came out great!! Thanks to Steve from SMSHeadliners! Next on the to do list is power steering pump (which went out a while ago and am just getting to it because I'm going to be digging into her anyway) and the timing chain which has recently started slapping around..

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[Tbarber16]

How is your headliner board fixed to the roof? My truck came with the headliner off and I'm not really sure how to attach the board back to the roof. 

[IronManche87]

How is your headliner board fixed to the roof? My truck came with the headliner off and I'm not really sure how to attach the board back to the roof. 

Basically the door trim, B pillar trim, visors and clips, and if you have it the Velcro pieces on the front and rear of the cab and headliner. Take the visors and clips the end clips into our, unscrew door trim, unscrew top of B pillar trim as well as seat belt bolts (I actually got away with only one side since mine is foam instead of original board) and it literally pops right in with some finessing. If you still have questions feel free to pm me and I will answer any questions and provide pics to help!

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[IronManche87]

Alright all, been a while since I've posted but just recently scored a nice donor xj at the local (for once close to me and not 30 mins away) junkyard. Victim is an 87 xj laredo auto 4x4 with tow package. From what I can gather single owner bought originally off the lot in October 86 (purchase date, location, and purchaser name in manual) in good ol' Malibu on the pch. Last registration paperwork in glove box dated in 00' to same person as in the manual. Guy at the junkyard picked it up on a ranch and was abated unfortunately. However, FORTUNATELY since he got it free he was willing to sell it cheap... Due to it being abated he couldn't let me take it home but is allowing me to strip it as much as I want for $300. This was after just inquiring about the axle which was a d44 and asking 250-300 for JUST the axle.... Needless to say I jumped on it. Has the 242j tcase, d44 as mentioned, and thankfully a non CAD d30 (because linked to the 242). Since I work throughout the week, I have little time to actually strip it but I work right down the hill which is nice going to strip small pieces on lunch and big stuff on my floater. Between myself and my buddy, should be able to do it in a reasonable time frame. Posted the part out and have had quite a few people wanting/needing parts which helps out a bunch since I didn't REALLY have the money to do it, but couldn't pass it up and the wife gave me the go ahead lol. Don't like the idea of the truck being down, but totally worth it with moving to Colorado coming up and the engine has been acting up with randomly dying and leaking but just today getting a clunking from my front axle not sure which side but sounds like a caliper sticking or something. Haven't had the chance to check it out yet. I think she's saying she needs a new axle... only downside is the trans runs perfect and has less miles on it... We'll see as now I don't have any regrets blowing both that and the 35 up lol but hopefully I can post it locally and get someone to take it for cheap to get it gone. At the same time as the swap on the truck, I'm going to undercoat the whole underside as to protect it as best I can in the Colorado winters as they salt the s#!+ out of the roads... a lot of well worth it work ahead of me but will post and keep this build thread updated as frequently as possible as the work progresses as this will be my first substantial project like this. Have done an engine swap, but nothing of this difficulty but will take it with stride and enthusiasm as I enjoy it and hopefully the outcome and success is great! Thanks all! And here's the pictures I've taken so far of the donor as she sits.

 

 

 

 

[IronManche87]

een myself and my buddy, should be able to do it in a reasonable time frame. Posted the part out and have had quite a few people wanting/needing parts which helps out a bunch since I didn't REALLY have the money to do it, but couldn't pass it up and the wife gave me the go ahead lol. Don't like the idea of the truck being down, but totally worth it with moving to Colorado coming up and the engine has been acting up with randomly dying and leaking but just today getting a clunking from my front axle not sure which side but sounds like a caliper sticking or something. Haven't had the chance to check it out yet. I think she's saying she needs a new axle... only downside is the trans runs perfect and has less miles on it... We'll see as now I don't have any regrets blowing both that and the 35 up lol but hopefully I can post it locally and get someone to take it for cheap to get it gone. At the same time as the swap on the truck, I'm going to undercoat the whole underside as to protect it as best I can in the Colorado winters as they salt the s#!+ out of the roads... a lot of well worth it work ahead of me but will post and keep this build thread updated as frequently as possible as the work progresses as this will be my first substantial project like this. Have done an engine swap, but nothing of this difficulty but will take it with stride and enthusiasm as I enjoy it and hopefully the outcome and success is great! Thanks all! And here's the pictures I've taken so far of the donor as she sits.

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[IronManche87]

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[IronManche87]

Alright all, while my last post was about the parts xj I wanted to give an update on the truck! I've been getting closer to solving the backfiring problem as I believe it may have been my fault initially.. Captain hindsight... A while back I had installed 19lb Bosch 4 hole injectors and just recently it occurred to me that after doing cruisers tips, replacing every vacuum line, timing set, and everything in between that I may have been overthinking it the whole time...... I added 3 extra lbs to the mix without increasing any other factors... Basically I was flooding my cylinders and the whole concept flew right over my head the whole time as I thought my problems were elsewhere... Dohh... After finishing up Xmas shopping I'm going to try a set of the 746s which cruiser suggests and hope that solves that issue! We'll see! On a brighter note, I recently scored some new to me RE sway bar discos with pro comp adapters off a fellow xj gentleman whom needed shorter ones and sold to me for pretty cheap!! Installed them and holy cow!! Manche drives like a 30 yr old sports car!! Anyways, almost done ripping little stuff from the donor and I'm finally going to start going after the bigger stuff!! Will keep everyone who actually reads/will read my build updated!! Thanks all!

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[IronManche87]

Wow.. It's been forever since I've posted an update. I've done a lot since the last post and have learned a lot. Let's start with the backfiring issue first. Turns out, not the injectors. I guess the diaphragm on egr valves don't like baking in the desert for over a decade and then being abused daily after all that time in the oven... I have no idea how I passed smog in the first place last year. Swapped that and champion coppers and she runs a lot better when she's warmed up. Doing better there. I have smog due this month so I'm replacing the o2 sensor, manifold to cat exhaust pipe, and a new cat. As for the swap, that's a whole other can of worms. However, I do have the 4wd front axle installed as well as new steering including the v8 zj tie rod upgrade. Way better. I rebuilt the front axle before installing it aside from ball joints which I should've done but has been driving absolutely fine since the swap. Will get to those eventually. Only downside is the passenger side axle seal is leaking already.. Bummer there but oh well. I was leaking oil from the oil filter adapter but on the last oil change I replaced the oil pan gasket with a felpro permatorque gasket and a new oil filter adapter seal. When I went to replace the RMS I tried my hardest to remove the top half of the seal but to no avail. Hammer and a punch? Nope.. More drastic measures like attempting to use a wood screw to try to pull it out some and grab with needle nose? Didn't even budge a tad. The bottom half was so hard and brittle it took a solid 15 minutes of smacking with a hammer and degreaser and was a pain removing even the easier side. I know I should've replaced it but I will be rebuilding the bottom end before too long so I will definitely replace both when I do. I have the 4wd trans awaiting the opportunity to order the driveshaft but that's where I'm at an impasse. If I keep the truck SOA it'll be about $1000 for the setup since the trans is the np242 instead of the np231 and have less options for an SYE. OR, I can switch back SUA and get 4" rustys leaves and just hack a driveshaft together for a few hundred instead. Decisions, decisions. I recently replaced the headlight switch and now my dash lights work! I also finally got around to wiring in a set of euramtec cab lights the other day. At first they didn't turn on. Pulled the fuse and it was toast so I replaced it. Then, they didn't want to turn off... X.x did some reading and checked the driver side door jamb switch and it was pretty dirty so I hit It with a wire brush and cleaned it right up. Reconnected it and boom working cab lights! Next project on the list is installing the new steering column from the parts cherokee. It was burgundy but I painted it black and tried to match the original as best I could but it ended up a little too glossy but not bad. I also replaced the turn signal stalk beforehand since the wiper switch was all gummed up. Once I install the column, I'll finish up installing the cruise control. I mounted the servo and snagged the vacuum harness for the reservoir as well as the reservoir from a jeep at a local junkyard for cheap. I think that just about catches everything up to speed so I guess it's photo dump time! Stay tuned y'all!

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[IronManche87]

No they are not in any specific order just purging the pics lol

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[IronManche87]

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[IronManche87]

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[IronManche87]

Little update.

So I installed the exhaust pipe and all of a sudden it was hitting the cross member and rattling. Turns out that couple month old trans mount was shot. Replaced it, no more rattle. However couple days before I went to smog it, It started randomly cutting out on me like someone flicked a switch leaving aux power on. No stuttering just dead. Turns out, the new crank sensor? Toast.. Thankfully was a bwd so was still under warranty. Now I finally know what it's like owning a jeep and keeping a spare sensor in the glove box. As for smog? Passed flying colors! AND as an added bonus, the smog tech stop his conversation (with whom happened to be my regional manager at oreillys who doesn't REALLY know me only my name because I only work Sundays lol) to tell me that I had one of the cleanest vehicles he's ever had in his shop and said I had done an excellent job and to keep it up. This had a huge impact on my morale as it gets frustrating sometimes and it let me know I'm making progress. Much needed. After smogging the truck, I was on a mission that day. A fellow CC member Francesco had a tailgate with my name on it 2 hours away. Off we went after dealing with a no start issue the day before. Filled up before leaving town and got there no issues, picked up the tailgate, then went to get gas. Went about topping it off, click.. What the?? It only took like 6 gallons?? I must be out of money?? So I check my account to double check and guess what? Plenty there.. No way possible I drove almost 200 miles and barely used 6 gallons?? Turns out, this pig actually did REALLY good on gas. While my Speedo is a little off since I have 31s I know it's not accurate, I went from 11mpg city to almost 19mpg hwy!! Good enough numbers for me at least lol. Back to the tailgate though. I picked it up for a good price and got to sanding. Just yesterday I finally got the face all stripped down and put a layer of primer down to stop the flash rust as I work. Started a little bit of bondo work and in excited for the finished product already! For the inside I'm going to rough it up to put a fresh coat of primer over and I will be bedlining the bed so not too worried about the inside. That's all for now. Now for the pictures!

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[IronManche87]

Also forgot I finally got my wipers working! Went ahead and did the 97 xj arms and a set of beam blades

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[IronManche87]

Man.. Looks like I never even got around to the pictures I promised.. I guess NOW is the time for the photo dump! First thing, I'll talk about the tailgate since it looks like I didn't even upload a pic of the final product.. I ended up doing a rattle can paint job on it but took my time and did all the appropriate prep work for as good of a finish I could get. It came out pretty good I don't know the actual color the PO sprayed the truck but the victory red looks pretty darn close considering the PO did a single stage and I did a dual stage. I did have a spot that I fudged up trying to cover with a little extra clear coat and holy cow it bugs the heck out of me. On the bright side, a complete paint job is in her future for sure I just wanted the tailgate to closely match the truck instead of that awful piece of work I had on there before. That tailgate I'm going to try and resurrect and use for wall art since it's dented pretty good. I'm the end, as long as I don't look too hard at the spot I messed up on it came out really good for being rattle cans and I'm happy with how it came out overall! I know the picture doesn't really show it too well up close, it was just the first one I found that showed the tailgate lol I'll post some better ones.

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[IronManche87]

Another little project I did was attempting to seal my windshield. I never knew it leaked until we FINALLY got a good rain out here in CA. Then, man did I learn the hard way.. I tried shooting gasket maker in there to seal it on a budget but to no avail. In the end, I slapped some christys 10mil tape on there and wallah! No more leak! Yet another project added to the list.

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[IronManche87]

As y'all might have noticed, I recently tinted my windows for a total cost of $25 for material. Working at O'Reillys definitely has its perks lol I did 20% so it wasn't too dark but not too light. It came out good for the price and I have a little extra in case I feel like redoing a window down the road. This picture is the original since the edited one won't post for some reason but the edited one is probably one of my favorite pictures of the truck. A little dirty but after these rains, she's gonna get a much deserved head to toe scrubbin'

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[IronManche87]

I also recently wired in LED flood lights for fog lights/work lights and utilized an OEM fog light switch wiring it up so when the switch is on, the light on the switch turns on as it normally would and man I love it! And thanks to Will, I now have a not broken trans switch, horn cover, THE MATCHING DRIVER SIDE ARM REST WHICH I'M MOST EXCITED ABOUT!! And I traded him my brushed silver cluster bezel for the OEM black bezel with the piece that goes under the column! Also super excited about that!! It feels awesome having the interior closer to stock and complete! For the switch panel on the left, it's still open and I'm unsure of what I'm going to do as I'm going to use those spots for either E lockers or an E locker and a winch. I'm not sure of what route I'm going to do for the lockers but will get there eventually when money allows. I'm torn between running dual E lockers and running an E locker up front and LSD in the rear. For this post I'll have to snag a pic of the dash to show off what I have so far as I THINK I have a pic of the new bezel but waaay too many pics to try and dig through BUT there WILL be one I promise! As for now, I think that sums up the little projects I've done since the last update but plenty more to do! So alas, here goes the promised pic dump!

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