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Period correct custom 1989 Comanche


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Chrome fronts are fairly easy to find since XJs had the same thing.  Chrome rears are far more challenging.

 

any body shop worth a cup of spit can make that bumper look like new. :L:  perfectly straight dent-free.  just as long as it isn't all rotted inside. 

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On 7/10/2020 at 12:55 PM, Pete M said:

Chrome fronts are fairly easy to find since XJs had the same thing.  Chrome rears are far more challenging.

 

any body shop worth a cup of spit can make that bumper look like new. :L:  perfectly straight dent-free.  just as long as it isn't all rotted inside. 

It’s not too bad, but it’s twisted enough that the actual mounts are bent too. I know that ‘86 has a chrome front bumper, would that mean it has a chrome rear? It must be a pretty high package due to The V6/Torqueflite. 

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So, a little update, my father has showed interest in making one of the parts trucks into a wheeler (I absolutely agree with him) but we’re not sure what truck to use. I wanted to use the 86 for the transmission, but it’s a longbed, and I’m not sure how well they are off-road. I hope to be able to look at the 86 tomorrow, which will probably also result in me figuring if I’ll get it or not, but for $350 or so, I might just do it for some of the Comanche-specific parts, like interior lights!

 

hope to have Some updates soon. I finally have some time that might go towards working on the MJ. Time will tell.

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52 minutes ago, Dickinson County Comanche said:

It’s not too bad, but it’s twisted enough that the actual mounts are bent too. I know that ‘86 has a chrome front bumper, would that mean it has a chrome rear? It must be a pretty high package due to The V6/Torqueflite. 

 

my 86 was a base model but still had the v6

 

yes, it should have the chrome too.  but it's been 30 years.  no guarantees.  have you added them to the Registry yet?  that might tell you what it came with out back. :L: 

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49 minutes ago, Pete M said:

 

my 86 was a base model but still had the v6

 

yes, it should have the chrome too.  but it's been 30 years.  no guarantees.  have you added them to the Registry yet?  that might tell you what it came with out back. :L: 

The Pioneer and Eliminator are, the 86 I haven’t been able to look for even a vin yet, so no, not that I know of.

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A little update. I went to look at the 86 (it is on the registry now) and it is rough with a capitol R. That r also could mean rust, which was rampant on this one. The only thing holding the carpets up on the passenger floor was the frame rail... Ouch. 

I did, however, find a nice set of Steeleys and caps, so I guess the look wasn’t a huge waste of time. Also, no rear chrome rear bumper. :(

that being said, for the price I could probably part it out and make some money. The interior lights also looked intact. :) I also though it was cool to see a column shift trans with a floor shift transfer. Not often you see that.


So, the crawler is probably not going to be that one....

 

I took the Pioneer out for a drive today and I passed the previous owners store that they were standing outside of. I think they enjoyed seeing it again. I was in a hurry so I couldn’t stop sadly, but I have a feeling I can probably get them to see it again eventually.

 

So that’s my little update for today. Hopefully now that I sold my old truck, I can get moving on this project. Yay!

 

Also, I did update my username and picture. I am now Dickinson County Kansas’ (un)official Comanche expert. Hah.

 

While I was in town, I also saw this really cool XJ Wagoneer outside of the Walmart. It is not a HO, nice to see another renix still ticking around. 

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After 4 months of ownership, my truck is finally road legal now, with my new (temporary) tag installed, haha. First time it’s been registered since 2002.
 

I also am considering buying that 86 to part out, if anybody’s interested in parts, PM me and I’ll see if it’s there. If I have enough interest I’ll buy it. Although, some parts I want, such as the chrome grille corners...

 

I also took the Comanche for a little bogging. Had about 3” near me recently and I took it down a path that was slicker than a bald-tire semi on a mile of wet asphalt. And she just floats. I guess the wide tires and 3600 pounds helps.

 

I also would like to get the old dealership stickers remade. I don’t know what they exactly looked like (or if they even made any) but I want to get some mocked up to put on before I eventually get it repainted. 
 

So that’s this week. I might go and do some 4wd torque slides in the mud, and then probably a wash...

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Edited by Dickinson County Comanche
Photos. I forgot the photos. Why do I always forget the photos?
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  • 2 weeks later...

Ok. I know I haven’t been retroactive on my original plans for this, (I said I would start doing stuff in, like, June.) but I’m finally taking initiative to get there. I hope to buy my parts truck sometime soon, one I sell my old diesel Garden Tractor (John Deere 430, I’ll provide a pic) to get some funds. Once I have that, I’ll get to pulling the motor out, putting the tranny in and then probably driving it for a while before I continue on the “period correct” part. I will need, however if they are here, a schematic for the original SWB roll bar. There are several good welders near me who can whip something like that up. Paint will probably happen next summer (that way it’s hot for the paint to cure) and most of the other things’ll happen before then. But for now, I’ve driven it a bit and figured out that my fan clutch is bad, but it won’t stop me from driving it. Took these pics tonight during a cruise. It’s surprising how little I know of the scenery by me just a few miles to the north.

(Also, my hard tag arrived)

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  • 2 weeks later...

Well, I’m a liar. Though I would have done stuff by now, but “you can’t rush art” so, here we are. I’m having a love-hate relationship with the paint. Sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s really bad. I pulled all the trim off because the adhesive is starting to get weak and the off-roading I did started to make some of the pieces start to peel. I don’t know if they recreate them or not, but I’d rather not take the chance. I did a drag race against my friends HO XJ, and I lost. Oh well, mines rarer? I suppose? 
 

Also, I left my windows down and it rained, that allowed all the rat smell to leave the seats, so it’s been sitting in the shade with the windows down in order to get the musk out. Yuk. And sense I’m going to have to clean it anyway, I pulled down the headliner. It’s a bit annoying when it falls down in front of you and you can’t see. It was more of a safety thing. 
 

Also, the TPS went kaput so it doesn't idle worth a damn when hot. 


So that’s your local nincompoop driving around his truck for this week. Have a nice week, be safe, and please wear your seatbelt.  


(Added info: I used it as a tow rig. It hated that. Maybe the 430 is too heavy?)

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To add on to what Pete said, he is getting them reproduced but right now the numbers are incredibly low and so there is no definite time frame on when we will start seeing more full sets roll out. But @CoastChief who is reproducing them said the company he is working with on the moldings is short on the material to make them at the moment. 

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14 hours ago, Pete M said:

are you talking about the rubber belt line trim?  there's a guy in the venders section of the classifieds that is reproducing them. :L: 

Yes. Oh. Thanks for telling me. Luckily I haven’t lost any of them and they all seem to be in good condition, if not a little sun faded, but if I do, I’ll have to give it a look.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Door panels hold mysterious surprises... 
 

Factory build sheet. This says it was built on Jan 27th, not the 26th. 
 

for people who know more than me, how many of the sheets are around the vehicle? This is #2. The first one I found was under the drivers seat and all that remained was smaller than that piece of tape that held it on.

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21 minutes ago, Pete M said:

there are 2 different ones I've found in various trucks.  :L:  all are very rare indeed.

 

 

what's on the back?  :brows:

There’s a bunch of 3-digit build codes for (I’m going out on a limb here) all Chrysler vehicles of the era. I was able to make out a few for the MJs, but not a ton.

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That is correct. I can only suspect the reason for the build date and in service date are different because in Starparts there are part related things that are subject to cut offs, part changes, style changes etc. Dealerconnect shows in service dates for more of the guys in the service department and in sales. 

 

So chances are your VIN was completed the night of the 26th but wasnt declared in service until the next day. I would imagine they would inspections before saying the vehicle is ready. What we really need is someone who worked in at Toledo to confirm stuff like this.

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9 minutes ago, eaglescout526 said:

That is correct. I can only suspect the reason for the build date and in service date are different because in Starparts there are part related things that are subject to cut offs, part changes, style changes etc. Dealerconnect shows in service dates for more of the guys in the service department and in sales. 

 

So chances are your VIN was completed the night of the 26th but wasnt declared in service until the next day. I would imagine they would inspections before saying the vehicle is ready. What we really need is someone who worked in at Toledo to confirm stuff like this.

Well, it must have been a busy day on the 26th because according to the sheet, it wasn’t completed until almost 18:00. I almost though the reason why it kept braking down was because it was built on the rear end of a Friday.

I’m just glad it’s there. The panel has been off before and I’m surprised that they didn’t take it off at that time.

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30 minutes ago, Dickinson County Comanche said:

There’s a bunch of 3-digit build codes for (I’m going out on a limb here) all Chrysler vehicles of the era. I was able to make out a few for the MJs, but not a ton.

 

 

can you snap some pics and email them to comancheclub@hotmail.com ?  :L: 

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