1988 SoCal Jeep Comanche Build

[boxyjeep]

You can probably see a theme by now, but it was again time to move.  We had bought a place out on the east coast and had the truck picked up to be shipped in early January 2021.

 

 

We made our way across the country driving our '20 JL and finally got settled in to our new home.  The truck arrived a few weeks later and had no issues getting registered out here in CT (no smog!).  That being said, I still didn't want to drive it in the snow/salt, since the frame and undercarriage were in near-mint condition.  You can start to see some surface rust on the primed bumpers.  I'll be getting those cleaned-up and painted soon.

 

 

 

Now that I was out here and settled, I made the decision to get the truck painted.  I found someone selling a mint tailgate in Long Island for way too much, but decided I needed it since mine was slightly bent and the handle was tight during operation.  This was the last panel that was needed to get the body painted.

 

 

This was probably the most mint tailgate I've ever seen.  It came off a 91 or 92 base on the 4.0L HO badge.  It cost me $600 and 4 hours of driving.

 

Next, I found a decent auto body shop nearby and got the truck prepped for paint by pulling off all the plastic, trim, weather stripping, etc.

 

 

 

At this point (August 2021), the truck has been in the body shop for ~4 weeks.  Hopefully I get it back soon.  Will be going with Chrysler Flame Red PR4 (same that could be found on late-model XJ's).

[Pete M]

I think you hold the title for the most well-traveled still-a-project MJ.     but it makes me happy to see you dragging her along with you and finishing it up as you go.   I've seen so many guy just abandon their project truck when they had to move.  heck, even I did that with my 90 (I couldn't afford to take all my MJs with me).  She's going to be gorgeous!

[boxyjeep]

On 8/11/2021 at 10:20 AM, Pete M said:

I think you hold the title for the most well-traveled still-a-project MJ.     but it makes me happy to see you dragging her along with you and finishing it up as you go.   I've seen so many guy just abandon their project truck when they had to move.  heck, even I did that with my 90 (I couldn't afford to take all my MJs with me).  She's going to be gorgeous!

 

Thanks Pete.  I'm hopeful that it will be mostly done in the new few months.  Once the body is in good shape, I'm planning to throw in ~5" SOA-based lift that I've been hanging onto for awhile.

[boxyjeep]

Finally some progress from the body shop.  They had me stop by and check everything out.  They've made some good headway getting the body primed and patched up.

 

 

 

 

 

They did a test spray of the color on the header panel.  Definitely looks a bit more maroon in the pictures than in person (looks very true to Chrysler Flame Red PR4 in person).

 

 

[boxyjeep]

Made another trip to the body shop to see how things were going.  Almost done with about 2 weeks until I can pick it up...

 

 

 

 

I'm very happy with how the color is coming out.  Super excited for it to be done.

[buxmj]

Wow! That is going to look so good, it already does!

 

Buck

[boxyjeep]

Stopped by the body shop again today.  The bed, tailgate, hood, and other small parts are fully painted and the cab has one more coat before it wraps up.  After that will be getting new 97+ windshield with one-piece gasket installed and then I bring it home.  I'll be re-installing all the door trim and other plastic parts, as well as bumpers and decals.

 

Couldn't believe how good the bed looked after where it came from.

 

 

 

Cab and rear frame.  Cab is partially painted and is getting one more coat of paint.

 

 

Hood, tailgate, and a couple other parts getting some sun :-)

 

 

Hopefully have this thing fully assembled and back on the road in the new few weeks.

 

 

[Pete M]

a good body shop guy can perform miracles    

[boxyjeep]

8 hours ago, Pete M said:

a good body shop guy can perform miracles    

 

Thanks!  It's getting there for sure.

[boxyjeep]

Finally back from the body shop and looking great.  I need to get the bumpers, fender flares, trim, and other details back together, but the paint work is done.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bumpers are almost totally painted too:

 

 

Now for the bad news...  Temp was ~260 on my way home.  Tons of coolant in the oil.  May finally be time for a new shortblock... :-(

[89 MJ]

It turned out great. Too bad about the engine though. 

[boxyjeep]

On 10/18/2021 at 9:46 PM, 89 MJ said:

It turned out great. Too bad about the engine though. 

 

Thanks.  Debating between an ATK stroker or junkyard LS swap.  Priced out the Novak adapters... probably at least $2k just to get an LS into the truck, not including the cost of the engine/transmission.  I'll probably go the ATK route just so I can get this thing drivable.  I've probably put less than 1,000 miles on it since I got it in 2018 so I'd really like to start using it now that it's looking good...

[Gjeep]

Great looking MJ!

[Pete M]

lookin' sexy in red  

[boxyjeep]

On 10/20/2021 at 5:13 PM, Gjeep said:

Great looking MJ!

 

On 10/20/2021 at 11:43 PM, Pete M said:

lookin' sexy in red  

 

Thanks!  Should look even better once it's put all back together and drivable...

[boxyjeep]

Bumpers done:

 

 

 

Badland APEX 12k lb winch :-)

 

 

Some of the trim pieces painted before install:

 

 

Truck sitting nicely in the garage.  Still need to get some additional trim installed and the interior back together.

 

[Skylynx]

On 8/8/2021 at 9:16 AM, Chargum85 said:

At this point, things were coming along pretty well.  I installed a Mishimoto aluminum radiator, 97+ washer fluid reservoir, and aux power steering cooler.  You may be asking why I kept the Renix manifolds, EGR, and other parts.  Since this truck was in CA, I wanted to pass smog without issue.

 

Washer fluid reservoir installed.

 

 

Radiator and wiring coming along nicely:

 

 

 

Fenders and front clip installed.

 

 

Starting to look pretty clean.  Still need to loom the wiring.  You can see the 97+ PDC, overflow bottle/bracket, small vacuum canister, and Renix intake.

 

 

LED lights installed:

 

 

 

 

 

Hey man, sick build so far! What washer fluid reservoir did you use here? I’d be very interested on doing the same, hiding mine there and getting it out from the engine bay to get more space!

[boxyjeep]

Hey man, sick build so far! What washer fluid reservoir did you use here? I’d be very interested on doing the same, hiding mine there and getting it out from the engine bay to get more space!

Thanks! This is a 97+ XJ washer fluid reservoir. Wasn’t too hard to mount up and drill the right holes for everything.


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[howeitsdone]

Looking so good! Wasn't a fan of the 97+ style for these trucks at first, but I've seen a couple now, including this one, that really convince me!

[boxyjeep]

On 10/28/2021 at 1:18 PM, PocketsEmptied said:

Looking so good! Wasn't a fan of the 97+ style for these trucks at first, but I've seen a couple now, including this one, that really convince me!

 

Thanks--it's tough making the decision between keeping it original vs. modifying.  I'm happy with the route I went.

[boxyjeep]

Time for an update as a lot has changed since my last post.  I moved back out to SoCal (southern Orange County) and immediately ordered a new crate stroker from ATK.  While Golen and other vendors have a better reputation, the ~$3k price tag and warranty for the ATK unit just made sense.  Unfortunately, there was a ~2-3 month backlog, so after ordering the engine in late November, the truck sat while I wrapped up some minor projects with it.

 

The truck will be getting smogged and registered in CA.  Unfortunately, this requires VIN and emissions stickers (which I removed and discarded when I had the truck painted).  I created these in Photoshop/Excel and had a sticker shop print them.  The bar codes scan and all info is valid.

 

 

 

Also ordered some new tail light lenses from Key Parts and installed them on my existing housings.  My old lenses were severely faded.  Also upgraded to LED bulbs.

 

 

 

After that, the truck went off to get the new engine installed.  This took about 3 weeks and ran into a few issues--the shop misaligned the intake manifold and broke a few brackets/bolts that were painful to track down.  After getting it back, there were a few things I had to adjust.  It was also clear that the 19 lb injectors were too small.

 

 

 

If you ever have the problem where the PS bracket won't line up with the water pump, it's because the intake manifold isn't fully seated on the dowel pins.  It also is likely that your intake was cracked because of this.

 

 

 

[boxyjeep]

Now that the truck was running relatively well, I wanted to wrap up the exterior.  I had a spray-in bedliner installed.

 

Before: 

 

 

After:

 

 

I also decided to sell off the JCR front winch bumper and winch.  While I do intend to take this truck offroading a bit, I hope to never get stuck or go it alone.  Also, this will be on the road 99% of the time and I thought it looked a bit gaudy.  Instead, I bought an XJ/MJ JCR Crusader front bumper to go with the rear MJ bumper.

 

Sanded and primed.  Also bondo'ed up the logos to keep a sleek look:

 

 

I originally went with a Rustoleum black semi-gloss epoxy paint, but could never get the finish to look right.  Ended up sanding a bit to get it looking better and finally gave up and went with Rustoleum Hammered black paint.  I used this before for the grey bumpers and liked the finish.

 

Sanded (again):

 

 

After:

 

 

Also decided to paint the grill insert black.  My painter had painted it all the same color as the body.

 

 

 

Also pulled off the tailgate handle and hardware to remove paint.  The supports are aluminum and not painted from the factory (and easily chip).  The handle should be black.

 

Original:

 

 

Paint stripper:

 

 

Had to do a handful of coats of this.  The product is not very good anymore due to low VOC regulations.

[boxyjeep]

Wrapping up the tailgate:

 

Before:

 

 

Decal installed (from jeepsticker.com):

 

 

New black painted handle installed:

 

 

Also, this is not the original tailgate from the truck.  I bought this from a CJ enthusiast in Long Island NY who got it from a friend.  It was from a white 91-92 HO MJ and in absolutely pristine condition.  I paid too much for it, but couldn't pass it up as my tailgate had a nice convex shape to it...

 

 

My original tailgate--saved to mount to the wall in the garage at some point:

 

[boxyjeep]

Bumpers have Rigid LED pods and shackles attached.  Everything all installed:

 

 

 

 

So now the truck is 99% complete on the exterior.  I still need to re-attach the drip rail covers, but otherwise the exterior is done.

 

Outstanding items to address:

1. Brakes are shot.  This is more evident with the increased power/speed from the stroker engine.  Will be installing WJ booster/master cylinder and Wilwood proportioning valve, along with rear load sensing valve delete.
2. Need to connect the transmission brake switch--currently disconnected.
3. Need to pass smog and get it registered in CA.
4. Address a handful of small electrical issues inside the truck--parking lights don't work, power locks, etc.

 

Future mods:

1. "Low" SOA in rear--looking to net ~5-6" lift.  Will match the front with XJ kit.
2. Install a set of newer Cherokee heated/power leather seats (in my garage--need to fab up some brackets).
3. Build a new non-disconnect HP D30 with WJ brakes/steering.
4. Regear and install front locker.
5. New 33" tires on slightly wider wheels.  Will not be going beyond 33" or doing any fender cutting.

[boxyjeep]

Decided to take it out this past weekend to a local car show in Orange County, CA (South OC Cars and Coffee in San Clemente, CA - https://www.southoccarsandcoffee.com/).  This is a pretty busy show that takes place every Saturday morning and I was surprised to have quite a few people interested in the truck and asking questions (despite this being an event with a ton of supercars).

 

Unfortunately, when I got home I discovered that the serpentine belt jumped a tooth on the harmonic balancer.  It looks like it's being caused by PS pump being misaligned--either the pulley is starting to come off the shaft or it isn't tightened down all the way.  Also discovered that the 22lb injectors are insufficient.  After warming up, the truck would frequently go into a lean condition (per REM).  I bought a set of 24lb units and should have them this week.

 

I'm planning to address the injectors, brakes, and pulley this weekend.  Slowly making progress towards improved drivability.