Kickin’Chicken Posted December 20, 2017 Share Posted December 20, 2017 Hello, all! I am new to this forum and this is my first post but I am not new to Jeeps. I have a CJ 7 and 8. The 8 has been a completed project for years yet, they’re never really finished, are they? It started as a Golden Eagle from a ‘79 CJ7 that had been rolled such that all one could see on the hood was wings (the head was scratched off.) That jeep also came with a Quadratrac Tcase that could have all four wheels spinning or just one. Combine the wings on the hood with the scratching and spinning wheels from that Tcase (also a loud duel glass packs exhaust on the 304 V8) and maybe you can imagine how my friends dubbed it “The Kickin’Chicken”..... I later found a Scrambler (CJ8) frame and tub that were in good shape other than a wrecked up rear quarter panel so I bob-tailed it 13” then transferred everything from the Kickin’Chicken into the Scrambler and little by little built it into a 360/th400/Atlas with a GM throttle body, waggy Dana44 front and a truck AMC20 rear with full floating axles, air lockers and all kinds of other mods. Anyway, THAT’S how I got that name.......and it stuck no matter what jeep I transferred into or changes made......it stuck (sigh)....... Whew! That was a mouthful! But I’m not finished (hahahaha!) I recently bought an ‘84 CJ7 with a 4.2/t5/dana300 and while searching for a t18 transmission for it I ran up on this old ‘88 Comanche. It’s rust free (that’s actually moss on the side of it) dent free and has 4.0/AW4/231(?) but my plans are to put some different axles and Tcase under it. Might even put some early bronco parts in it since it reminds me of a bronco with a truck bed.... hence “Crazy Horse.” We shall see. It ran with some starter spray but may need a new fuel pump, for starters. It’s been sitting for a few years so I’m gonna put everything you guys suggest into it before I start transforming it into whatever it winds up being. Here is how she looks as per this pic I took yesterday evening when I got back with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
87Warrior Posted December 20, 2017 Share Posted December 20, 2017 Looks like a straight, solid base to work from. Welcome to the Comanche side of the Jeep sickness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOrnbrod Posted December 20, 2017 Share Posted December 20, 2017 Looks very decent and unmolested - nice local find. Welcome to the forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skorpyo Posted December 20, 2017 Share Posted December 20, 2017 Welcome, and your grill is upside down (running joke on this forum). Don't be too scared, everything you could possibly think to do with the rig has been done or someone here has done something similar. Great group of helpful MJ owners. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kickin’Chicken Posted December 20, 2017 Author Share Posted December 20, 2017 1 hour ago, Skorpyo said: everything you could possibly think to do with the rig has been done or someone here has done something similar. Great group of helpful MJ owners. That's good to know indeed! Because I spoke too soon on the "rust free" comment. After reading the 9 page thread on the tech forum - what I would warn you abot(?) - I went and pulled the flooring up and found this: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
87Warrior Posted December 20, 2017 Share Posted December 20, 2017 I don't see daylight through that floorboard....it could be worse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kickin’Chicken Posted December 20, 2017 Author Share Posted December 20, 2017 25 minutes ago, 87Warrior said: I don't see daylight through that floorboard....it could be worse Any advice on what to do to fix it would be appreciated. Are there floor pans or what is everyone doing to repair it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swampy Posted December 21, 2017 Share Posted December 21, 2017 4 hours ago, Kickin’Chicken said: Any advice on what to do to fix it would be appreciated. Are there floor pans or what is everyone doing to repair it? If there are no holes use an angle grinder or sand paper or whatever you have really and get to bare metal or as close to it as possible. Then use por15 or something similar to prevent future rust. If there are holes in the floor there are a few option 1 (the best option) cut out the rust and replace the material with an aftermarket floor pan or make your own. - can be a bit tedious if you don't know how to weld or don't have proper equipment 2 (budget/sorta temporary option) bondo depending how big the holes are, you can also use fiberglass etc 3 (not recommened) just leave the holes as is Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kickin’Chicken Posted December 21, 2017 Author Share Posted December 21, 2017 15 hours ago, Swampy said: If there are no holes use an angle grinder or sand paper or whatever you have really and get to bare metal or as close to it as possible. Then use por15 or something similar to prevent future rust. If there are holes in the floor there are a few option 1 (the best option) cut out the rust and replace the material with an aftermarket floor pan or make your own. - can be a bit tedious if you don't know how to weld or don't have proper equipment 2 (budget/sorta temporary option) bondo depending how big the holes are, you can also use fiberglass etc 3 (not recommened) just leave the holes as is Thanks for the advice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swampy Posted December 21, 2017 Share Posted December 21, 2017 5 hours ago, Kickin’Chicken said: Thanks for the advice! Always trying to help others, as I have been helped. I'm still sort of new to comanche's and more so this is my first jeep. The learning curve is steep and continues to climb. Best I can do is provide info on what I have experienced/read here on the forum or lead you to someone who knows more. FOR THE LOVE OF JEEP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kickin’Chicken Posted December 22, 2017 Author Share Posted December 22, 2017 On 12/20/2017 at 10:15 AM, 87Warrior said: Looks like a straight, solid base to work from. Welcome to the Comanche side of the Jeep sickness Speaking of sickness.... fuel pump clogged.... the guy here at Autozone claims to have this entire sending unit - pump included - in stock. Who knew? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOrnbrod Posted December 22, 2017 Share Posted December 22, 2017 They all say that and they all have XJ sending units that don't fit the MJs. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kickin’Chicken Posted December 22, 2017 Author Share Posted December 22, 2017 15 minutes ago, HOrnbrod said: They all say that and they all have XJ sending units that don't fit the MJs. Good luck. Holding it beside the old one and they look "almost" the same. Looks like it doesn't go into the tank as far (toward the driver side) but just as deep. No good? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coolwind57 Posted December 22, 2017 Share Posted December 22, 2017 On 12/20/2017 at 1:54 PM, Kickin’Chicken said: That's good to know indeed! Because I spoke too soon on the "rust free" comment. After reading the 9 page thread on the tech forum - what I would warn you abot(?) - I went and pulled the flooring up and found this: I did the floor pan repair a couple of Months ago. Pull your seat and the carpet. On my carpet, there were "bags" of white insulation that was attached. Mine was full of water and they weighted like 30-lbs. I yanked them from the carpet and tossed those suckers. I think I have pics of them on my build page. Those things kept my under-carpet area in a constant state of dampness. I recommend tossing them and replacing them with insulation that does not hold moisture. I used duct-insulation that you can get from Lowes/Home Depot. Foil-backed and adhesive on the other side. There's several options on sound/heat deadening, just do a search on the forum. Fix those floors asap. To remove rush and see what's hidden, I used a "twisted wire cup" attachment on my 4-1/4" angle grinder. Harbor Freight has them much cheaper than other places. Using this or other means of removing rust will expose the real damage you have. Like others have said, fix any holes and POR-15 (Or Chassis Saver) it all. Then insulate/sound deaden. When I removed my carpet, I took it to the car wash and hung it up and scrubbed the heck out of it. Soapy high-pressure washing did wonders and the dang thing looked new when I was done. Nice looking truck, man. Welcome to the addiction! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOrnbrod Posted December 22, 2017 Share Posted December 22, 2017 4 hours ago, Kickin’Chicken said: Holding it beside the old one and they look "almost" the same. Looks like it doesn't go into the tank as far (toward the driver side) but just as deep. No good? No one has come up with an aftermarket MJ fuel sending unit yet that works, Renix or HO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kickin’Chicken Posted December 22, 2017 Author Share Posted December 22, 2017 3 hours ago, HOrnbrod said: No one has come up with an aftermarket MJ fuel sending unit yet, Renix or HO. Too bad your truck's an 88; I have one from a 91 I'm listing soon on Ebay. I got it running today! Drove it around a little but the brakes need something done to them before I feel really safe. Maybe there is a booster leak or maybe I simply need to ride in it a while and wear the rust off the calipers. The engine and transmission, OTOH, are working PERFECTLY! 4WD wasn't working but I imagine that has more to do with the vacuum crap than the 231. Anyway, that fuel pump was toast. And y'all were right - there was no way to get that unit in the tank. I wound up taking the the parts I needed off the new new sending unit and installing them on the existing one. It works and so does the fuel gauge. Had to clean the sending unit plumbing up a lot! That truck has been sitting for at least 3 years so there are plenty of cobwebs to shake off. One problem i noticed was the alternator. I took the battery cable off and it died. Unless y'all know of something I should check first, I'll be putting a new alternator on next. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kickin’Chicken Posted December 23, 2017 Author Share Posted December 23, 2017 Any tricks or common problems as far as the alternator charging goes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOrnbrod Posted December 23, 2017 Share Posted December 23, 2017 Check the charging voltage at the battery posts with the engine running. Should be at least 13VDC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kickin’Chicken Posted December 23, 2017 Author Share Posted December 23, 2017 2 hours ago, HOrnbrod said: Check the charging voltage at the battery posts with the engine running. Should be at least 13VDC. While riding down to get the voltage checked it quit running. I don't hear the fuel pump running anymore. Can anyone give me a link to where the pressure regulator is on one of these Lenix motors? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOrnbrod Posted December 23, 2017 Share Posted December 23, 2017 I guess you don't have your own multimeter? You better get one and learn how to use it with that Renix MJ. The fuel pump regulator is on the fuel rail, and shouldn't cause the pump to not run. Sounds like you have a power issue.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kickin’Chicken Posted December 24, 2017 Author Share Posted December 24, 2017 6 hours ago, HOrnbrod said: I guess you don't have your own multimeter? You better get one and learn how to use it with that Renix MJ. The fuel pump regulator is on the fuel rail, and shouldn't cause the pump to not run. Sounds like you have a power issue.... Right....."Renix" .... hahahaha. I do need one and gonna get a good'n! But I'm hearing my fuel relay click on when the ignition is on. Then it clicks off but no noise out of the fuel pump. All I can figure is a bad pump or bad wiring from the connection by the tank to the pump. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jtrux Posted December 24, 2017 Share Posted December 24, 2017 I like my Power Probe. You can energize circuits and stuff like that. On a different note, did you remove the tank and clean it out. Based on that pic you first shared of your old pump, you might have lots of crap in that tank. My tank, sending unit and pump were all toast when I bought mine so it all got replaced. If that is in good shape, I would start with the basics like testing the relay (YouTube or Google) and working my way back. Sent from my LGLS992 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kickin’Chicken Posted December 24, 2017 Author Share Posted December 24, 2017 1 hour ago, Jtrux said: I like my Power Probe. You can energize circuits and stuff like that. On a different note, did you remove the tank and clean it out. Based on that pic you first shared of your old pump, you might have lots of crap in that tank. My tank, sending unit and pump were all toast when I bought mine so it all got replaced. If that is in good shape, I would start with the basics like testing the relay (YouTube or Google) and working my way back. Sent from my LGLS992 using Tapatalk Thanks for the advice! I checked the power coming to the connector beside the tank and it has power (how much, I don’t know.) I cleaned the tank but I’m gonna drop it and clean it again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coolwind57 Posted December 24, 2017 Share Posted December 24, 2017 On 12/22/2017 at 2:26 PM, HOrnbrod said: No one has come up with an aftermarket MJ fuel sending unit yet that works, Renix or HO. I ran across this on e-Bay. Guy makes it clear that is fits 86-87 Comanches (doesn't even list Cherokee in the title). Anyone bought from this guy to confirm? https://www.ebay.com/itm/1986-1987-Jeep-MJ-Comanche-18-23-5-gal-gas-tank-sending-unit/391892643149?fits=Make%3AJeep|Model%3AComanche&hash=item5b3e9f2d4d:g:24oAAOSwduNZxHfA&vxp=mtr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kickin’Chicken Posted December 24, 2017 Author Share Posted December 24, 2017 2 hours ago, coolwind57 said: I ran across this on e-Bay. Guy makes it clear that is fits 86-87 Comanches (doesn't even list Cherokee in the title). Anyone bought from this guy to confirm? https://www.ebay.com/itm/1986-1987-Jeep-MJ-Comanche-18-23-5-gal-gas-tank-sending-unit/391892643149?fits=Make%3AJeep|Model%3AComanche&hash=item5b3e9f2d4d:g:24oAAOSwduNZxHfA&vxp=mtr The description says that it's for "carbureted" engines which would explain why there is no fuel pump on it. Might be be an option if/when using an external pump. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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