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Project "It's a Jeep Thing" - Huntr's 87 MJ Build


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On 7/16/2023 at 9:09 PM, Pete M said:

woo hoo!!!! it's alive!!  :banana:

And now driving! Took it to get a state inspection today. I was unaware of the lack of catalytic converter as well as the TX requirement to have one.... Luckily I caught the dude on a good day and he "happened to see one under there..." :brows: I'll be adding a universal high flow one when I get around to doing the exhaust before I really start driving it on the road. 

 

Was able to tidy up the engine bay a bit. Next I'll start thinking about suspension, steering, axles, and brakes. Also looking into converting the AC over to R134 since Texas is hot as ****. Moving to AZ soon for work so that won't be much better!

 

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Just now, eaglescout526 said:

Nope! Much hotter lol. Comin to the valley?

I'll be down in Tucson. Excited to be heading back toward the west though. Arizona was one of my top choices to head to next. 

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Just now, eaglescout526 said:

Ewwwww sorry you’re stuck down there. But if you ever find yourself in the valley, let me know. 

Will do! Funny enough I was just looking through a VIN decode you did for me awhile back and it looks like the truck was originally sold by STEVE CHRISTY CHRY-JEEP, TUCSON AZ.

A quick google shows that the dealership might still be around under a new owner. I'll have to do some research and try to get a pic where it all started! 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Been driving the Comanche around whenever I can these days to break in the engine and test the reliability around town. It’s been around 110 everyday which makes driving it without AC miserable. The next project will be to convert the AC system over to R-134 so driving to work will be more enjoyable.  
 

I’ve been pretty impressed with its running temps in the heat. Holds around 210-215 all over town. The manual shifter on the AX-15 gets almost too hot to touch inside the cab though. A bit concerning so I’ll probably double check the fluid levels. 

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As I’m piecing together what I plan to do in terms of lift, axles, etc, I’m trying to decide how I want to lift the rear. I’ll need to look into what everyone else does but is it typical to swap to a spring over axle? I’d like to keep the stock Dana 44 and potentially the stock springs. I need to check out their condition. Definitely not as many options for read leaf springs like the Cherokees have. 

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everything boils down to what you plan to do with the tuck and how much money/project you're looking for. :L:  then you can pick a lift and tire size.

 

since it was never a factory thing (base longbeds were simply "base models", while base shortbeds got the fancy "SporTruck" moniker) you're technically even rarer than rare (sorta).  only 1 other longbed owner I've ever seen in 25 years bought SporTruck stickers for his longbed. :D  

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On 7/22/2023 at 10:23 PM, eaglescout526 said:

Ewwwww sorry you’re stuck down there. But if you ever find yourself in the valley, let me know. 


What’s the local area look like in terms of scrap yards with XJs and MJs? I’d like to find a replacement dash since mine is cracked along with a manual window regulator and such. I’ll be out in AZ starting in November and am hoping to be able to find parts. 

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42 minutes ago, Huntr said:


What’s the local area look like in terms of scrap yards with XJs and MJs? I’d like to find a replacement dash since mine is cracked along with a manual window regulator and such. I’ll be out in AZ starting in November and am hoping to be able to find parts. 

Usually picked or hardly any land. I have never ever found an MJ in a yard. If an XJ lands, its usually pretty picked except for this 90XJW I pulled from once. I have found that a junkyard in Prescott Valley is pretty damn good for XJ's.

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2 hours ago, eaglescout526 said:

Usually picked or hardly any land. I have never ever found an MJ in a yard. If an XJ lands, its usually pretty picked except for this 90XJW I pulled from once. I have found that a junkyard in Prescott Valley is pretty damn good for XJ's.


I’d be interested in that junkyard for XJ’s. I’ll check it out when I get up there. Do you know the name? 

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  • 1 month later...

About a month ago I decided to take the Comanche to work. I got about 2 blocks from the house before it just randomly shutoff. I haven’t had a chance to get around to diagnosing until this weekend. I was originally concerned it was something to do with the valves or cam. It would crank just fine but barely catch and make really odd stumbling sounds as it tried to fire. I checked the compression on all the cylinders and they were all within spec. With the ignition coil disconnected it sounds completely normal while turning over. 
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I next threw a fuel pressure tester on the fuel rail and am showing around 1-2 psi when I prime the engine… :) 

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I now need to determine if it’s a fuel pressure regulator or the fuel pump. I’m leaning toward regulator right now. The pump sounds fine when I prime it and after about 6-9 seconds of priming I can hear fuel spray back into the mostly empty tank from the return line. I’m guessing the regulator is just stuck full open. 
 

Does anyone know of a good way to diagnose this? 
 

Can anyone identify what generation fuel pressure regulator this is? The fuel rail is off a newer Jeep in order to match the new horseshoe intake. I just don’t remember what year. 
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Pulled the regulator. Looks fine. Seems to hold pressure okay. Hooked a line up from the return side of the fuel rail and primed the pump. Nothing returning from the rail. Now it’s most likely clogged fuel filter or pump. Leaning towards pump. IMG_2121.jpeg.adb59da21bc9be93313e0bdbc85fdfec.jpeg

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2 hours ago, Pete M said:

time to change the filter and do a physical inspection of the pump.  :L:  can't tell ya how many times I've seen guys have to replace that tiny rubber elbow in the tank. :(  


Right on the money. The elbow went out on the fuel pump unit. I opted to replace the pump while I was in there. Honestly probably wasn’t the right thing to do since the Bosch pump that’s in there is probably higher quality. I’ll hang on to the old pump just in case. I had to modify the bracket to fit the Precision pump. Also replaced the pick up and fuel filter while I was at it. 71659428152__EA79C8F8-A2FB-497B-9D18-0C6A2B084436.jpeg.10ee41d3d3b4dd2023443c7d3604d5c5.jpegIMG_2133.jpeg.df58dc6d7a560189b32fa1b99e973be0.jpeg

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  • 2 months later...

Spent the last few weeks moving to Tucson AZ. Finally had some time to get a few things done on the Comanche. 

 

Added interior lights so now I can see in the cab at night! Ordered part # A-7180-BC. Lights were just slightly wider then the existing whole requiring a bit of Dremel work. Wish they had a tan color but black will do. 

 

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Also fixed my transfer case linkage. I replaced it with one of the heim joint linkages. I had trouble getting it to fit. I was forced to remove the locknuts from the threaded rod in order to get it short enough to cycle through 2H, 4H, N, 4L. The lack of locknuts may cause the linkage to change size over time, I added red loctite to try and slow that down. 

 

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Also started polishing the chrome wheels to see how clean I could get them. The two front ones turned out alright. The rears are much more rusted and I doubt I'll be able to fix the damage. IMG_2345.jpeg.7e837300fb92eaf3e532db753173f6fd.jpeg

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1 hour ago, Huntr said:

I could use some pointers on the local area.

I gave you a pointer, don’t go to Tucson, hahaha. I know only a few things of interest. Mt Lemmon. The top has a cabin like building for the snow sport people and they make a big fricken cookie. Really good. Paul McCartneys ranch is in Tucson if your a Beatles, Wings or fan of Paul McCartney. And this one is irrelevant but double V scout ranch is also down there. Oh the titan missile museum is about 20 miles or so south of Tucson. 

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