questions about my new-to-me MJ in Poland

[EagleEar]

Hello,

I was a little busy last days but meanwhile my Comanche arrived. 

 

Total condition is not bad, very little rust , car was regularly maintenanced engine is running like a hell.

Like always there need to be some not so happy surprises:

 

1. Broken leaf spring - not available here but new will be done next week by some local spring master.

2. Rear shock - damaged - Please advise here if those are the same as XJ.

3.  I need to buy rear lamps in US , where do you recommend to do  ? International shipment will be necessary .

4. Rear window seal  - same as above

5. 2 rims are damaged , I  like those stock ones ,  but maybe its a good time to buy 16" or 17"  from ZJ . Suspension is stock what max size of rims and tires do you recommend ?

6. Rear bumper damaged , Have somebody experience with welding it ? What is a material of it ?

 

 

 

 

[Pete M]

@EagleEar  I moved your post over to Tech so more eyes will see it.  

[jdog]

That sucks about the leafs

Rear shocks are not the same as xj but you can find ones that fit, doesn't have to be Comanche

Taillamps woulb be either ebay or classifieds, key motor parts is coming out with some soon but no eta

[Manche757]

Witaj w Comanche Klubie

[Eagle]

1. Broken leaf spring - not available here but new will be done next week by some local spring master.

 

2. Rear shock - damaged - Please advise here if those are the same as XJ.

The rear shocks are much longer than XJ rear shocks, and they have different mounts. The MJ rear shock us an open eye on both ends. For a truck with the stock suspension (no lift) you need a shock with a mid-travel length of approximately 18 inches (45.7 cm). Here is a chart I made up a long time ago (if I can get it to post):

 

3.  I need to buy rear lamps in US , where do you recommend to do  ? International shipment will be necessary .

Do you mean taillights? They are only available used -- there are no new replacements. And, unfortunately, because they are rare, they are expensive. I believe a member here is trying to manufacture some replacements, so the situation may change in the near future.

 

4. Rear window seal  - same as above

The rear window is held in and sealed by urethane sealant, not by the gasket. The gasket is trim. If your rear window is leaking, it can be removed (CAREFULLY!) just like a wind screen, and reinstalled the same way. If your trim gasket is badly deteriorated, after the glass has been installed and the sealant has cured, I think you could run an additional bead of black sealant around the perimeter and shape it to the profile of the factory gasket.

 

5. 2 rims are damaged , I  like those stock ones ,  but maybe its a good time to buy 16" or 17"  from ZJ . Suspension is stock what max size of rims and tires do you recommend ?

16 inch rims from an XJ or ZJ will work. I would avoid 17-inch rims.

6. Rear bumper damaged , Have somebody experience with welding it ? What is a material of it ?

If it is a factory bumper, it's steel. It can be welded, but it's thin sheet metal so it will require a skillful welder to avoid warping the bumper or just burning through the surrounding metal.

[EagleEar]

Great many thanks for quick answers !!!

 

Please take a look what was done with rear window .

 

The rear bumper looks like hit by tank  , please see photo below.

Can I use rear Cherokee , will it look ok ?

 

I will think about those tail lamps maybe Cherokee conversion would be necessary.

There is a nice topic about it . 

 

 

 

 

Quote

Witaj w Comanche Klubie 

 

Witam serdecznie  :)

 

 

[Dzimm]

You weren't kidding that bumper is destroyed.  It's not a factory one though, not sure if that was custom built or where it came from.  You might get a Cherokee one to work but it's a completely different mounting setup so you'd have to fabricate mounts for it.  There is an aftermarket step bumper made by FEY that has Comanche specific mounting brackets.  Not sure if it would be available at any retailers there but can be bought many places online.  The FEY bumper part numbers are 63000 for black bumper, 73000 for chrome bumper, and 97900 for the Comanche mounting brackets.

 

You may want to try some kind of paint stripper or paint thinner before replacing that window gasket.  If the paint that is on it isn't of good quality it should come off pretty easily.

[EagleEar]

Wheels bought, local guy was selling wrangler rims with tires , they are huge comparing to old ones. Size is  31x10,5.

Will it work with stock suspension ? - I have already found a topic about it :)

 

 

[89 MJ]

Yes, with 99-04 Grand Cherokee WJ lower control arms. 

[Pete M]

the WJ arms are the same length as MJ arms, but are better built and have a bend for tire clearance.   you just need to nip the steel bushing to be flush with the rubber bushing.

[jdog]

I've got a set of control arms of your interested, they are brand new

[EagleEar]

Ok, good to hear that without serious changes this will work.

 

On Monday I should get restored / regenerated spring leaves , i will back with photos how those look on car. 

 

Quote

I've got a set of control arms of your interested, they are brand new

 

I would like to do it but shipment to Poland will be expensive

 

[Pete M]

WJ arms are available brand new for not much money.  you should be able to find some far more local to you.  

[EagleEar]

Now it's time for shocks : I found something from  FORD MAVERICK 2.4-2.7 93-98r

Here in Europe Monroe got different parts numbers but it seems that the same were used in Nissan Pathfinder from list above.

Parts number : D8489

 

Ford numbers : 

FORD	1958333
FORD	562101F226

 

Nissan numbers  :

 

NISSAN	561100F026
NISSAN	561100F027
NISSAN	562100F000
NISSAN	562100F004
NISSAN	562100F005
NISSAN	562100F006
NISSAN	562100F008
NISSAN	562100X801
NISSAN	562100X825
NISSAN	562101F200

 

Length after conversion from inches to mm seems to be very close  : 

 

 

L  max.	593 [mm]
L min.	361 [mm]

 

Unfortunately no info about mid travel values. 

 

Please advise if those would be ok.

 

[EagleEar]

Hi,

 

I'm messing with rear shaft which was on truck when I received it but something look to short.

 

Please advise me know if this really should be like that of shaft is from different version of car.  

 

 

Can is use standard two seals simmering instead this one ?

[mjeff87]

Is that the driveshaft that's pictured in the bed of the truck?  It looks to me like the yoke got pushed back inside the tube.  Combine that with the mangled bumper, broken leaf, blown shock and bent up wheels......it looks like that MJ got rear-ended at some point.  I'd be taking a really good look at the tailcone of the transmission, and the entire rear adapter section of it, to see if it's ok.  Something might have hit the rear end/axle and pushed the driveshaft into the transmission.  Hope not, but it's just what I'm seeing from my computer chair a couple thousand miles away from you. 

 

edit:  check the transmisson mount and crossmember, as well as the engine mounts too.

[EagleEar]

Now I see what happened, I found picture on ebay of other shaft and see the difference.

 

During mounting the rear part of shaft to rear axle I was wondering who designed so little distance between bolts and shaft

 

 

[Pete M]

Bummer. it would seem the rubber isolator has failed. 

[EagleEar]

More photos how it looks on car :

 

 

[Pete M]

Yeah, that shaft is toast.

[EagleEar]

Hi,

Little update car is done ,on the wheels and rides, I was riding mainly back an front because wheels are scratching on lower arm, is this the part number which should help - 52088217AB ?

 

The wheel where car took a hit in my opinion is not with the line of front an body and it's directed little inside, is there a good way to check if axles are straight ?

Right wheel looks ok.

 

I also noticed that my transmission is BA 10 , Does my enginehousing accept  ax-15 ?

 

 

[Pete M]

4 minutes ago, EagleEar said:

Hi,

Little update car is done ,on the wheels and rides, I was riding mainly back an front because wheels are scratching on lower arm, is this the part number which should help - 52088217AB ?

 

The wheel where car took a hit in my opinion is not with the line of front an body and it's directed little inside, is there a good way to check if axles are straight ?

I also noticed that my transmission is BA 10 , Does my enginehousing accept  ax-15 ?

 

 

yes, that is the WJ arm.   don't forget to trim the steel bushing flush with the rubber bushing before installing.  the bigger bushing goes towards the rear.

 

are you planning a 4wd swap?  if not, the peugeot should be fine for you as long as you don't abuse it and keep the fluid level up.  

[EagleEar]

4x4 was planned but some of my friends are telling to keep it as original as possible.

 

I bought also this black one MJ on big wheels maybe this one will be offroad and white will stay and look like old commercials :).

 

I'm little worried about this wheel , axle could be repaired or usually in such cases whole rear differential is replaced ?

 

Oil in tranny is new one i put 10w 30 engine oil like was advised here.

Some brake cables where replaced and  I need to make new rod for high valve. 

[Pete M]

if an axle was bent, it'd likely make a lot of noise as that would ruin the bearings pretty quick.  if the axle shaft was bent, there should be vibrations from the tire wobbling.  getting an alignment after you install the new control arms should answer most of your concerns.  

[Eagle]

 

On 6/6/2021 at 7:08 AM, EagleEar said:

L  max.	593 [mm]
L min.	361 [mm]

 

Unfortunately no info about mid travel values. 

 

Please advise if those would be ok.

 

 

Those should be perfect. The minimum length is 14.21 inches and the maximum is 23.35 inches. The mid-travel is calculated -- 18.78 inches. Very close to OEM, and certainly close enough.