Mattkh Posted July 25, 2018 Share Posted July 25, 2018 I’ve always had a love for Comanches and now I am finally a proud owner of one! I’m out of country at the moment but while browsing craigslist I happened across a clean 1989 2wd Comanche. After talking to a buddy of mine I was able to send him some money and he and another Jeep lover went off to pick her up for me. She came with a complete rubicon express 4.5” lift with the super flex joints brand new never installed. PO also included everything needed for the popular 97+ swap. She has under 200k on the body but a brand new 4.0 and runs and drives. There are big plans for Lucille but won’t be able to do any wrenching until I get home. Was just too excited not to share! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOrnbrod Posted July 25, 2018 Share Posted July 25, 2018 Great looking MJ, but unfortunately that's not a factory roll bar. As clean as that unspoiled beauty is, who cares? Nice find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattkh Posted July 25, 2018 Author Share Posted July 25, 2018 6 minutes ago, HOrnbrod said: Great looking MJ, but unfortunately that's not a factory roll bar. As clean as that unspoiled beauty is, who cares? Nice find. Ah that’s a bummer. I haven’t gotten any close up pictures of the rollbar so I guess my eyes were just telling me what I wanted to see. But thank you for informing me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOrnbrod Posted July 25, 2018 Share Posted July 25, 2018 Factory bar: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattkh Posted July 25, 2018 Author Share Posted July 25, 2018 1 minute ago, HOrnbrod said: Factory bar: I see it now thank you for the picture I will edit my post! I’ll admit I’m new to the Comanche world even though I’ve wanted one for a while so I had just assumed it was factory since the rest of the Jeep is pretty stock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kansashogan Posted July 26, 2018 Share Posted July 26, 2018 Looks like a good, clean truck to start with. Welcome aboard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattkh Posted July 26, 2018 Author Share Posted July 26, 2018 7 hours ago, kansashogan said: Looks like a good, clean truck to start with. Welcome aboard. Thank you! I can’t wait to get home to start working on her! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattkh Posted October 30, 2018 Author Share Posted October 30, 2018 Finally made it stateside and was able to begin work on the Comanche! She needs a little love but nothing too major. One of the first things I did was replace the sagging headliner. It was my first time doing it so had a few creases but overall I’m happy with the look! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 I like it are you going to recover the sunvisors too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOrnbrod Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 11 minutes ago, Pete M said: I like it are you going to recover the sunvisors too? Me too, very nice. And yes, the visors now need some attention. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattkh Posted October 30, 2018 Author Share Posted October 30, 2018 13 minutes ago, Pete M said: I like it are you going to recover the sunvisors too? Thanks! And yes I want to take them to a local upholstery shop and see how much they would charge to throw the same fabric on them. I’m not much of a sewer lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattkh Posted October 30, 2018 Author Share Posted October 30, 2018 5 minutes ago, HOrnbrod said: Me too, very nice. And yes, the visors now need some attention. Thank you! And yes I agree the visors stick out like a sore thumb now . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOrnbrod Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 Just a suggestion, if it were mine, I'd do the visors in the same solid color matching the predominate dark blue? of the headliner fabric. If the visor stripes didn't line up with perfectly with the headliner it wouldn't look right if both were the same material. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattkh Posted October 30, 2018 Author Share Posted October 30, 2018 11 hours ago, HOrnbrod said: Just a suggestion, if it were mine, I'd do the visors in the same solid color matching the predominate dark blue? of the headliner fabric. If the visor stripes didn't line up with perfectly with the headliner it wouldn't look right if both were the same material. A good suggestion. I didn’t think too much into it but if those stripes don’t line up it’ll drive me crazy lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 you could always diagonal the pattern. but yeah, a solid color seems best Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattkh Posted December 14, 2018 Author Share Posted December 14, 2018 Was finally able to work on the mj the past few days. I’ve been having some issues with lights (turn signals, hazards, running tail lights, brake lights, and reverse lights). Most of the lights were inop so I began swapping fuses. There was a good amount of corrosion on the old fuses but even with new ones it didn’t change much. Took a look at all the bulbs and they all look new. I then replaced the turn signal switch and the flasher and haz relays but that didn’t change much either. After looking at the fuse box some more the haz/stop terminals looked pretty nasty so I cleaned them up the best I could and now most of the lights work.... kinda. I still have no reverse lights but hazards, brake lights, running tail lights, and the left turn signal are good. The right turn signal will flash front and rear but the left turn signal will dimly flash along with it but only when the headlights are off. When I engage the headlight switch the right turn signal will not work at all but the left still works. Another weird thing is when I engage the headlight switch the turn signal indicators on the dash will light up and hold solid. The signal indicators will also dimly light up when I press the brake pedal. My blower motor does also does not work but after looking around I found that the blower motor and some of the lights I’m having issues with share a ground point on the driver side. Took a look and.... neither of the grounds were there at all! Dug around in the mass of wires going to the firewall and finally found the grounds and hooked them to their location above the driver side wheel well. Turned the key and nothing changed... same issues. Next step I’m going to take is to improve the ground under the dash.... any other suggestions? My Comanche is a manual so I checked the master cylinder and it doesn’t appear to be leaking... there is a decent amount of surface rust in that area though so maybe the PO already replaced a bad one and I’m still stuck with the gremlins of the corrosion in the fuse box. On a brighter note I did take the opportunity of replacing the turn signal switch to update the lame stock steering wheel with a grant! I wasn’t very good about taking pictures but I’ll still post a few Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onebigmj Posted December 14, 2018 Share Posted December 14, 2018 Where did you get the material for the headliner? I really like it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattkh Posted December 14, 2018 Author Share Posted December 14, 2018 18 minutes ago, onebigmj said: Where did you get the material for the headliner? I really like it I got it from Etsy.com. I just searched plaid fabric and they had plenty of styles to choose from! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ωhm Posted December 14, 2018 Share Posted December 14, 2018 1 hour ago, Mattkh said: I still have no reverse lights Check your TCU control fuse (7.5A). This fuse supplies power for the backup lights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattkh Posted December 14, 2018 Author Share Posted December 14, 2018 1 hour ago, Ωhm said: Check your TCU control fuse (7.5A). This fuse supplies power for the backup lights. I’m fairly certain I swapped that fuse already but I can’t quite remember so when I get home I’ll double check and make sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted December 14, 2018 Share Posted December 14, 2018 Tech questions should really go in Tech so more eyeballs will see them (not everyone checks the projects) if your fuse box has corrosion issues, you may have to bite the bullet and replace it. but before that check the bulb sockets of all affected lights too. corrosion inside can do weird things. new grounds to the dash can be run and mounted more or less wherever is convenient. Have you run through Cruiser's Tips? have you checked the reverse light switch for continuity? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattkh Posted December 15, 2018 Author Share Posted December 15, 2018 3 hours ago, Pete M said: Tech questions should really go in Tech so more eyeballs will see them (not everyone checks the projects) if your fuse box has corrosion issues, you may have to bite the bullet and replace it. but before that check the bulb sockets of all affected lights too. corrosion inside can do weird things. new grounds to the dash can be run and mounted more or less wherever is convenient. Have you run through Cruiser's Tips? have you checked the reverse light switch for continuity? Didnt really think of that so if the problems persist I’ll make a post on there for sure! I was really hoping not to replace the fuse box but it is looking like it will have to be done. There is a good amount of corrosion on most of the terminals this Comanche is my first project vehicle so I’m not the most electrical savvy person.... but I guess this will be a great way to learn. I did come across cruisers tips and plan on doing the ground refreshing. And I have not checked the switch for continuity but I will tackle that tomorrow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted December 15, 2018 Share Posted December 15, 2018 If the box isn't melted, you might be able to re-pin it. if you're extra ambitious, you could even take lots of pics as you go and do a writeup for the DIY forum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattkh Posted December 15, 2018 Author Share Posted December 15, 2018 21 hours ago, Pete M said: If the box isn't melted, you might be able to re-pin it. if you're extra ambitious, you could even take lots of pics as you go and do a writeup for the DIY forum The box looks to be in good shape so I’ll look for some new terminals to swap out for the old ones. And with how tedious and time consuming it’ll be I will take the time to take pictures as I go and make a DIY post! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swampy Posted December 19, 2018 Share Posted December 19, 2018 On 12/14/2018 at 1:05 PM, Mattkh said: That look beautiful! I love the look, definitely have to get a new steering wheel on mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now