atxg3 Posted August 28, 2019 Share Posted August 28, 2019 Hi all! I own a dodge, but after this past month, how much I've fallen in love with my roommate's Comanche. Here's the back story on me and this truck. My roommate is a disabled combat veteran (served in Afghanistan in 2004) and one of the absolute best friend I have. He is out of town for a month, and recently moved in with me when my other roommate moved out. He's been working (more so his friend who started to flake on him helping to convert the truck) on a 1990 Comanche and mating it with a 2001 Cherokee 4.0L engine with manual transmission. Unfortunately, he isn't a mechanic by any means, and what he thought would have been a couple month project, has turned into a 2 year ordeal that has become an absolute burden to him. He's had to borrow his boss' truck for the past year, and recently entered more debt by having to buy his own car. This has been a HUGE stress on him, and I hate to see him so down and out. He's run out of money to continue to dump money into his truck, and has run out of patience with his friend helping him rebuild it. I asked him before he left, if I could at least take a stab at helping him out, and he was more than thrilled when I had offered. So I reached out to a local Jeep group on Facebook, and as you can see here: https://imgur.com/DdPaSJG received so many offers to help. As I said in the post, it wasn't a charity event for him or I, I have saved up money and planned to do this while he was gone for a month. Thankfully so many people reached out to help, and a couple of mechanics have been helping me along these past few weeks. Well today, we drove it around the block, and I can't explain how much of an amazing surprise this will be for him. He returns on September 4th, and since he's out of the country for work (and most likely will be jet lagged) I asked him, without giving away too much detail, to stay awake and come home as soon as he can once he returns. The reason for this post isn't to gloat about this, but to ask for your help in this final sphere of this rebuilding process. The electrical system is totally out of whack. I tried mounting the fuse block to the firewall, and the fuse box on top, but there is absolutely no room for the clutch to be depressed. Because the interior is all Cherokee (2001 Cherokee keep in mind) there is no room for the comanche fuse box it seems. I'm wondering if it all needs to be replaced in order to make it work? Can anyone give any guidance as to what I might need to order (I am terrible with electrical systems but eager to learn!), but if anyone has any guides on what I might have or what I might need to get in order to mount the fuse block/box and finalize this project? Thank you all in advance, and happy to share any further photos you need or would like of the build so far! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dzimm Posted August 28, 2019 Share Posted August 28, 2019 First of all, good on you for taking this on. Sounds like your roommate absolutely deserves the help. I'm a little confused, so this is a full 97+ swap except the electrical was left 1990 HO? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atxg3 Posted August 28, 2019 Author Share Posted August 28, 2019 Hey Dzimm, the engine, transmission, and all of the interior, minus the headliner and carpeting is a swap from a 2001 Cherokee. The electrical (mostly) was a combo swap between the Cherokee and the Comanche. Seems like about 80% of the electrical is from the Comanche, The guy who helped him out seemed to stop at the interior fuse box and block. The issue I'm facing now is just properly mating the fuse box (from the comanche) to the fuse block (from the cherokee it seems?) There is just not enough room for the clutch to depress and I can see that it because the dashboard and panels are all from the cherokee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dzimm Posted August 28, 2019 Share Posted August 28, 2019 20 minutes ago, atxg3 said: Hey Dzimm, the engine, transmission, and all of the interior, minus the headliner and carpeting is a swap from a 2001 Cherokee. The electrical (mostly) was a combo swap between the Cherokee and the Comanche. Seems like about 80% of the electrical is from the Comanche, The guy who helped him out seemed to stop at the interior fuse box and block. The issue I'm facing now is just properly mating the fuse box (from the comanche) to the fuse block (from the cherokee it seems?) There is just not enough room for the clutch to depress and I can see that it because the dashboard and panels are all from the cherokee. Oh wow that is going to be a mess to sort out. Usually it's an all or nothing swap. The 97+ fuse box is on the passenger side and the HO is on the driver's side so idk how this would work. I'd say honestly your best bet is to find the wiring diagrams and figure out what all is there currently. Then figure out what all you need and start basically making custom wiring. If you can figure out what all is there for HO and for 97+ wiring then we could help out more. It may even be easier to just get all 97+ wiring and start over on it. All of the 97+ wiring will go right where it would in an XJ except the rear of the body harness. Just need some minor changes for taillights and fuel pump and it's good to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atxg3 Posted August 28, 2019 Author Share Posted August 28, 2019 12 minutes ago, Dzimm said: Oh wow that is going to be a mess to sort out. Usually it's an all or nothing swap. The 97+ fuse box is on the passenger side and the HO is on the driver's side so idk how this would work. I'd say honestly your best bet is to find the wiring diagrams and figure out what all is there currently. Then figure out what all you need and start basically making custom wiring. If you can figure out what all is there for HO and for 97+ wiring then we could help out more. It may even be easier to just get all 97+ wiring and start over on it. I thought this originally, but it starts thanks to the mechanics who realized it was not completely all spliced together and mostly all intact, most of the lights work, I’ll have to build a switch for the radiator aftermarket fans, it’s just the fuse box and block that are currently zip tied under the dash. That’s the only remaining issue really. I’ll definitely reiterate that it wasn’t my idea to do all of this for sure, this was just the result of trying to sort his friend’s wiring out to make it work in time. Hopefully It won’t require a complete rip out - I’ll send over some photos tomorrow of the work done so far... but you guys know better than I... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdog Posted August 28, 2019 Share Posted August 28, 2019 Can we get some photos of the Interior and dash? Stock 1988 swb 4.0 ax15 np 231. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dasbulliwagen Posted August 28, 2019 Share Posted August 28, 2019 This is awesome! Keep us updated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dzimm Posted August 28, 2019 Share Posted August 28, 2019 9 hours ago, atxg3 said: I thought this originally, but it starts thanks to the mechanics who realized it was not completely all spliced together and mostly all intact, most of the lights work, I’ll have to build a switch for the radiator aftermarket fans, it’s just the fuse box and block that are currently zip tied under the dash. That’s the only remaining issue really. I’ll definitely reiterate that it wasn’t my idea to do all of this for sure, this was just the result of trying to sort his friend’s wiring out to make it work in time. Hopefully It won’t require a complete rip out - I’ll send over some photos tomorrow of the work done so far... but you guys know better than I... If you just need a place to put everything under there, there is a kind of shelf above the pedals in the 97+ dash. Reach under and feel back towards the dash and you'll feel the big open space. Take that plastic and metal kick panel off and you'll see it. That is if you have enough slack in the wiring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atxg3 Posted August 28, 2019 Author Share Posted August 28, 2019 8 hours ago, jdog said: Can we get some photos of the Interior and dash? Stock 1988 swb 4.0 ax15 np 231. Sure thing - I've put together the interior a bit since this image (steering wheel, shifter, 4wd lever etc.) but since I'm not in front of it right now at the moment, here's what I've got. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atxg3 Posted August 28, 2019 Author Share Posted August 28, 2019 18 minutes ago, Dzimm said: If you just need a place to put everything under there, there is a kind of shelf above the pedals in the 97+ dash. Reach under and feel back towards the dash and you'll feel the big open space. Take that plastic and metal kick panel off and you'll see it. That is if you have enough slack in the wiring. Awesome, thanks for that heads up, I'll be assembling it a bit more this evening and will glady take your suggestion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dzimm Posted August 28, 2019 Share Posted August 28, 2019 4 minutes ago, atxg3 said: Awesome, thanks for that heads up, I'll be assembling it a bit more this evening and will glady take your suggestion. Post up more pictures if you could. Would love to see more of the truck and more of what you are working with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atxg3 Posted August 28, 2019 Author Share Posted August 28, 2019 18 minutes ago, Dzimm said: Post up more pictures if you could. Would love to see more of the truck and more of what you are working with. Sure thing! Here are some images that I took a month ago so they are not currently reflecting the engine bay, however here is a video of it running last night, it's short, sorry but I'll definitely be making a longer and better coverage video here this evening when I drive it around. Link to video of the comanche running: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted August 28, 2019 Share Posted August 28, 2019 The 2001 Cherokee has two fuse panels -- one is behind the passenger side kick panel, to the right of the footwell and forward of the A pillar; the other is under the hood, on the passenger side. That said, early XJs and MJs had manual transmissions -- I can't understand why there should be any interference between the original fuse panel and the clutch linkage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted August 28, 2019 Share Posted August 28, 2019 14 hours ago, atxg3 said: The issue I'm facing now is just properly mating the fuse box (from the comanche) to the fuse block (from the cherokee it seems?) There is just not enough room for the clutch to depress and I can see that it because the dashboard and panels are all from the cherokee. Not possible. The Comanche fuse panel goes through the firewall, above and to the left of the clutch peddle. It's two pieces -- one half on the engine room side of the firewall, the other half inside the driver's footwell. As I posted above, the 2001 Cherokee fuse panel is over on the passenger side, in the door post and concealed by the kick panel. There's no way to "mate" them, they are totally different. That fuse panel in your second photo is the original Comanche fuse panel, it's not from a 2001 Cherokee. Put it back where it belongs and there should be no problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atxg3 Posted August 28, 2019 Author Share Posted August 28, 2019 4 minutes ago, Eagle said: Not possible. The Comanche fuse panel goes through the firewall, above and to the left of the clutch peddle. It's two pieces -- one half on the engine room side of the firewall, the other half inside the driver's footwell. As I posted above, the 2001 Cherokee fuse panel is over on the passenger side, in the door post and concealed by the kick panel. There's no way to "mate" them, they are totally different. That fuse panel in your second photo is the original Comanche fuse panel, it's not from a 2001 Cherokee. Put it back where it belongs and there should be no problem. Gotcha, okay, thanks for the clarification. Perhaps then it's the clutch pedal (being it is from the cherokee, that is different than the comanche. Or perhaps it's the dash that is from the cherokee that is causing it to be difficult to mount the fuse box. Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted August 29, 2019 Share Posted August 29, 2019 4 hours ago, atxg3 said: Gotcha, okay, thanks for the clarification. Perhaps then it's the clutch pedal (being it is from the cherokee, that is different than the comanche. Or perhaps it's the dash that is from the cherokee that is causing it to be difficult to mount the fuse box. Thanks again! That fuse box/panel does not mount to the dashboard. It mounts THROUGH the firewall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMO413 Posted August 29, 2019 Share Posted August 29, 2019 I took a few pictures of mine mounted. Hope this helps. Straight on. Side shot. Side shot two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minuit Posted August 29, 2019 Share Posted August 29, 2019 At this point we really do need to see detailed pics of the areas you're asking about to be able to say for sure what's going on. You're doing a good thing, but you may have inherited a bit of a "sticky situation" if you get my drift. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atxg3 Posted August 29, 2019 Author Share Posted August 29, 2019 1 hour ago, Eagle said: That fuse box/panel does not mount to the dashboard. It mounts THROUGH the firewall. We tried this. Still no room. There is currently a metal bracket fabricated to keep the rain and water out that covers the firewall that the last guy who helped my friend made. Here are photos to show what's going on currently and how the clutch almost touches the firewall. It basically has about half an inch of space with the clutch fully depressed. I have a feeling that the clutch pedal might need to be replaced with a comanche as the bend causes it to basically depress directly over the fuse box. Link to larger images if you wish: https://imgur.com/a/5SgdwsQ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atxg3 Posted August 29, 2019 Author Share Posted August 29, 2019 1 hour ago, JMO413 said: I took a few pictures of mine mounted. Hope this helps. Straight on. Side shot. Side shot two. Thank you incredibly much for those photos. So our hunch was right, we were doing everything we right, it just seems like the clutch pedal needs to be replaced or somehow fabricated to not directly depress over the fuse box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMO413 Posted August 29, 2019 Share Posted August 29, 2019 6 minutes ago, atxg3 said: Thank you incredibly much for those photos. So our hunch was right, we were doing everything we right, it just seems like the clutch pedal needs to be replaced or somehow fabricated to not directly depress over the fuse box. I would agree. Here are some photos of my stock pedals. Depressed. You can see it's in line with the brake booster bracket. Mine fully depressed side shot. Hope this is of some help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atxg3 Posted August 29, 2019 Author Share Posted August 29, 2019 Just now, JMO413 said: I would agree. Here are some photos of my stock pedals. Depressed. You can see it's in line with the brake booster bracket. Mine fully depressed side shot. Hope this is of some help. Perfect! I was just about to ask of photos with it depressed. Thank you SO much. I was incredibly worried we'd have to cut out a new firewall to have it mounted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMO413 Posted August 29, 2019 Share Posted August 29, 2019 Just now, atxg3 said: Perfect! I was just about to ask of photos with it depressed. Thank you SO much. I was incredibly worried we'd have to cut out a new firewall to have it mounted. Your welcome. Mine does touch the floor when fully depressed. Glad I could be of help. I think what you're doing for your friend is awesome. Keep up the good work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dzimm Posted August 29, 2019 Share Posted August 29, 2019 What all is still used in the 90 fusebox? Also is the motor running off the 97+ ecu or the original MJ one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atxg3 Posted August 29, 2019 Author Share Posted August 29, 2019 50 minutes ago, Dzimm said: What all is still used in the 90 fusebox? Also is the motor running off the 97+ ecu or the original MJ one? The motor is running off the original MJ ECU Here is all used in the fusebox: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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