TDI_MJ_17 Posted February 18, 2021 Share Posted February 18, 2021 Hey guys, I'm starting to take notes and want to document my turn at building this Comanche after my grandpa had done his, a continuation if you will. Grandpa started this build as a TDI swap with a wilderness topper that he wanted to explore the Alaskan highway with. I won't be straying to far from this idea, but putting a bit of a twist on it. The goal for me is to build the truck to have near 2 or 3 inches of lift running 30 inch tires. I will be building a bed rack of sorts and putting a roof top tent set up on it. Some inspiration for the tent build is from Filthy Addictions Off-road, where they put the rood top tent on some kind of hinge so the bed is still useable. I am thinking i will add Frame stiffeners, and modify the suspension to ride comfortably while towing, maybe 3 or 4 link up front, and new leaf pack in the back along with relocation brackets. I have a rear dana 60 stored away that i can probably put under the truck pretty easy to handle the load of towing with a larger ring gear and pinion. As of right now, I have the engine torn down, replacing the head gasket, timing belt, and maybe putting a slightly bigger camshaft in if i can come up with the funds for the cam. Purchased head studs so it will handle the 30+ pounds of boost ive been throwing at it. The gentleman who originally built the truck for grandpa made a power pull when he was building it and at 25PSI they recorded 200hp and 330FT-LBS, which for 1.9l i can't complain. If i end up changing the camshaft it will be getting tuned up again untill i am "out" of turbo, which will hopefully put the truck near those numbers, hopefully towards 350 ft-lbs. here are some pictures of the engine bay and engine torn down. i am also going through the fuel/oil lines and systems to clean them up and make them more organized. will also be going through all of the wiring that was unwrapped, cut, or wires left too long. Its not a show truck by any means, but i plan to make it look like i out some pride into it. Open to all thoguhts and opinions, this build is gonna go on for the next couple of months Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse J Posted February 18, 2021 Share Posted February 18, 2021 seems like a cool build! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted February 18, 2021 Share Posted February 18, 2021 Love it! couple thoughts: -you can't legally tow any more than the truck was rated for at the factory. nothing you add can change that number. -nothing you're planning will need frame stiffeners of any kind. this is a truck, not a station wagon like the cherokee. the frame is plenty tough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TDI_MJ_17 Posted February 18, 2021 Author Share Posted February 18, 2021 17 minutes ago, Pete M said: -you can't legally tow any more than the truck was rated for at the factory. nothing you add can change that number. Right, thats why I'm thinking itll be for flat towing, which i have to check the info but i imagine it would be ok Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TDI_MJ_17 Posted February 18, 2021 Author Share Posted February 18, 2021 Similar to this set up i found on google Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MercManche Posted March 3, 2021 Share Posted March 3, 2021 Please post some oil pan clearance photos with the 3" lift, looks like an awesome project! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89 MJ Posted March 3, 2021 Share Posted March 3, 2021 I'm looking forward to seeing what you will come up with. You ought to start a build thread on that XJ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TDI_MJ_17 Posted March 3, 2021 Author Share Posted March 3, 2021 89 MJ, Ive been tossing the idea of throwing a common rail TDI in the blue XJ. Not convinced yet. When i finish up the MJ i will go through the XJ with some changes, 4 link, steering solutions etc. just built the 4.0 in it haha. Been making some progress on the MJ today, need to finish solving the wiring and she should be ready to fire up again after i get the timing belt in today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted March 3, 2021 Share Posted March 3, 2021 On 2/18/2021 at 5:09 PM, TDI_MJ_17 said: Right, thats why I'm thinking itll be for flat towing, which i have to check the info but i imagine it would be ok with factory tow package you get 5k. without it you get like 2k. plus each state has rules about the towed vehicle having it's own braking system for emergency separation (usually anything over 3k, but it varies). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiXJaK Posted March 25, 2021 Share Posted March 25, 2021 Good luck on this cool build. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TDI_MJ_17 Posted May 8, 2021 Author Share Posted May 8, 2021 Just a few update pictures as the daily driving continues. our best tank of fuel yet has approximately 38.7 Miles Per Gallon on a 20 Gallon tank. Diesel out here in Southern California is a cool $3.89. After a while in traffic, first gear take offs seem to be really small window of stalling, and a little bit of bucky-ness to it, so after some research placed an order on Summit Racing for a Centerforce II Dual Friction clutch, Centerforce Billet steel flywheel (weighing in at 41 lbs vs factory 4.0 flywheel coming in at 20lbs), B&M Sport Shifter, and some other misc clutch needs. Hoping the heavier flywheel will make starting from a stop a lil more enjoyable. I couldnt wait to install everything all at once and installed the B&M sport shifter already, WOW!! Makes shifting SOO much better Also made some other daily driver "mods" to her over the last few weeks. For me, i am a huge music nut, and all of my prior daily drivers have pretty intense sound systems. For the TDI MJ, i went pretty light (compared to my past systems ) installed one of my spare Kicker CompR 10" sub woofers with a sealed encloser behind the seat, 6.5" Component speakers to go in the doors, with a tweeter up near the door handle, and have a pair of 6x9 three way speakers to go into the area behind the seat in the rear side panels. Door speakers are KS series and sound fantastic with all kinds of genres, rap, metal, classic, even country. Still debating on adding in a Kicker PXA300.4 amp for the speakers, just not sure if i need it yet. cool thing about this amp is its size, 7-13/16s long, 1-5/8s tall, and 2-9/16s wide! Other then these upgrades, built a better kill switch system for the truck, that still seems to be evolving as i get better ideas. fixed the door locks as the driver door lock seemed to have half a key or drill bit, or something broken off inside of it. Next up on this little adventure, interior needs attention pretty badly, but i think thats going to become a massive project because i fear when i pull the carpet out, the floor pans are gonna be toast. Definitely gonna refresh the bench, as it is SOO collapsed on the driver side! Finally, some pictures of me and boy working on the truck one night and some other misc. pictures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted May 15, 2021 Share Posted May 15, 2021 that's some excellent lighting in there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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