Project “Tomahawk”

[ghetdjc320]

28 minutes ago, GonzoTheGreat said:

That's a real bummer. You're attention to detail, and commitment to perfection have been inspiring. I know I'm not the only one who has followed your builds, drooling at home. I hope this one goes to a good owner, and continues to get the same level of dedication that you've put in.

Thanks! I may end up keeping it here in long term storage, tightly sealed up for a later date. Just far too busy to get back to this and build it at the moment. Now I understand the whole “barn find” thing 

[ghetdjc320]

Got a chance to meet up with a fellow Comanche builder today @Comanche SS

First time I met anyone from the club. Great guy . We got a bit of a game plan for getting this project finished up though it will still take probably about another year. Will be nice to get this one completed though. 
 

here are some build updates: notch flares came in. Planning to focus on electrical and interior during the time I have left. The painless harness is great but requires a good bit of customizing and of course planning ahead for any extra accessories. I measured out for tire size and am planning on running metric 34’s (285/75/17) which have actual dimensions of 33.9” and 11.2 width on a 8” wheel. The notch flares really open up the leading and trailing edges of the rear wheel well in an MJ but don’t raise the opening by more than about an inch. Shouldn’t be necessary to separate the pinch weld/seam for the bed wheel wells. 

[Comanche SS]

4 hours ago, ghetdjc320 said:

Got a chance to meet up with a fellow Comanche builder today @Comanche SS

First time I met anyone from the club. Great guy . We got a bit of a game plan for getting this project finished up though it will still take probably about another year. Will be nice to get this one completed though. 
 

here are some build updates: notch flares came in. Planning to focus on electrical and interior during the time I have left. The painless harness is great but requires a good bit of customizing and of course planning ahead for any extra accessories. I measured out for tire size and am planning on running metric 34’s (285/75/17) which have actual dimensions of 33.9” and 11.2 width on a 8” wheel. The notch flares really open up the leading and trailing edges of the rear wheel well in an MJ but don’t raise the opening by more than about an inch. Shouldn’t be necessary to separate the pinch weld/seam for the bed wheel wells. 

Nice meeting you too, looking forward to helping get this project over the finish line!

[ghetdjc320]

Found a company online that repairs and refurbishes the old overhead console electronics. Just sent them my 1991 XJ sunroof console to get worked on and found a clean factory harness for it as well. More interior/electrical updates coming soon.

[ghetdjc320]

In regards to sound dampening and insulation: I've been quite averse to laying Dynamat or any other similar butyl-based material on the actual floor pans due to a bad experiences in my last MJ. In retrospect, most of the negativity actually came from having the "mass backing" on my carpet. That junk crumbled into crumb rubber in every nook and cranny. For this build I lined the firewall with dynamat followed by 1/2 dynaliner. The roof and back of the cab is getting dynamat followed by 1/4" dynaliner. I used medium bodied 3m pillar foam in strategic areas between the structure and sheet metal skin. The doors are geting dynamatted inside along with a 12x12" 1/2" dynaliner behind the speaker to help reduce resonance. Instead of the factory water shield, I'm using 1/8 dynaliner to further insulate the doors and deaden the sound. The trans tunnel and possibly the floor will get dynamat followed by 3/8 dynapad which is a very heavy sound absorber and and thermal insulator. I'm still debating using some rubberized undercoating on top of the hard raptor liner as the rubberized stuff does much better at preventing chips from road debris.

 

[ghetdjc320]

Latest updates: was able to move the engine forward about 1/2” to get adequate firewall clearance which was a big win. Started work on the tcase linkage. I’m running the Novak cable linkage on the np242. Disassembled the original transfer case shifter to clean and restore it. Works very smoothly now. Also unpacked my 97 front grill. 97+ fenders in the way as well. 

 

[ghetdjc320]

No major updates but ordered up SKF bearings and seals for the NP242 along with an oem 6 pinion planetary and Tom woods SYE. Should be one solid transfer case. Also got some Eastwood inner frame coating to do the frame rails with. 

[ghetdjc320]

Some more mock ups and test fitting. Also had to modify the trans shifter cover. The wheels here are just sitting about an inch from the rotor mounting surface. Flares will still be coming in another 1/2-3/4”. Wanted to get the tires mounted first so I knew the exact stance I was after. Ended up with a 20mm rear adapter and 27mm front adapter which will be custom made. Rear tires will be almost flush with flares but will tuck in about 1/4”.

[watchamakalit]

I wouldn't be able to cut up a bed that looks that nice.....

 

Glad you have more guts than me. 

[ghetdjc320]

5 hours ago, watchamakalit said:

I wouldn't be able to cut up a bed that looks that nice.....

 

Glad you have more guts than me. 

Considering how rough this thing started out I have no problem doing just that 

[ghetdjc320]

The odd thing with the flares is that you don’t get any sort of template. It’s obvious that the placement of the bolts is not an exact science for Notch. You just have to eyeball everything then mark and drill. And if you’re off by a bit, just make the holes bigger with a unibit and use the huge washers provided . 

[Comanche SS]

1 hour ago, ghetdjc320 said:

The odd thing with the flares is that you don’t get any sort of template. It’s obvious that the placement of the bolts is not an exact science for Notch. You just have to eyeball everything then mark and drill. And if you’re off by a bit, just make the holes bigger with a unibit and use the huge washers provided . 

 

body work is like the Wild West of automotive work to some of us, so many opinions and “right way” to do things, all contradicting and all making sense simultaneously lol.

 

since you are replacing the front fenders anyways, use the existing front fenders as a “practice” installation.

[ghetdjc320]

1 hour ago, Comanche SS said:

 

body work is like the Wild West of automotive work to some of us, so many opinions and “right way” to do things, all contradicting and all making sense simultaneously lol.

 

since you are replacing the front fenders anyways, use the existing front fenders as a “practice” installation.

Agreed. I have an extra drivers side fender that was unusable I can try on. They actually seem pretty straightforward compared to doin say a new sheet metal panel. 

[ghetdjc320]

Modified trans tunnel cover, rebuilt tcase shifter. All sealed with “right stuff” and stainless fasteners used. Added copper antiseize to all original machine-thread bolts as I’ve had to fight them far too often when they get rust-welded 

[watchamakalit]

8 hours ago, ghetdjc320 said:

Considering how rough this thing started out I have no problem doing just that 

But you made it amazing, just to cut it. You sir have more talent and guts than I. Lol

[Comanche SS]

6 hours ago, ghetdjc320 said:

Modified trans tunnel cover, rebuilt tcase shifter. All sealed with “right stuff” and stainless fasteners used. Added copper antiseize to all original machine-thread bolts as I’ve had to fight them far too often when they get rust-welded 

 

 

Do you have a shifter placement offset from stock measurement?

[ghetdjc320]

9 minutes ago, Comanche SS said:

 

 

Do you have a shifter placement offset from stock measurement?

I didn’t measure it exactly but the front section of the hole is about 1.5” forward from the original cutout. I’m going to use a universal inner shift boot and mount it on a custom shaped aluminum plate that I’ll secure to the trans cover. 

[ghetdjc320]

This may not look like much but this was a lot of electrical work progress . Finished the refurbished e-brake install and the tail lights wiring from the fuse block to the bed. Integrated the air line for the locker along with the amplifier wiring. Also routed the overhead console wiring. The console itself has just been professionally rebuild and the circuit boards have been conformal coated now which should last a long time. I have wiring for a 3rd brake light and would like to add one but have a nice cargo lamp I was going to install. @Limeyjeeper You used a ranger 3rd brake light correct? 

[ghetdjc320]

More parts. NP242 SYE from Tom Woods along with an oem 6 pinion planetary and front and rear 1310 pinion yokes with u bolts

[ghetdjc320]

The connector for the 97+ front clip wiring arrived. Very cool that it’s all ready to go. Just need to ID the wiring. The painless kit is quite easy to use overall and a pretty good option for the MJ. There are a few tricky items to sort out wiring on such as the wiper system, ac request and some of the lighting but it’s not overly complex. Integrating factory door locks, power windows, air locker system, audio system, heated seats, overhead console, dash cam etc. is where the complexity really comes into play. 

 

[Limeyjeeper]

On 2/21/2024 at 11:33 PM, ghetdjc320 said:

This may not look like much but this was a lot of electrical work progress . Finished the refurbished e-brake install and the tail lights wiring from the fuse block to the bed. Integrated the air line for the locker along with the amplifier wiring. Also routed the overhead console wiring. The console itself has just been professionally rebuild and the circuit boards have been conformal coated now which should last a long time. I have wiring for a 3rd brake light and would like to add one but have a nice cargo lamp I was going to install. @Limeyjeeper You used a ranger 3rd brake light correct? 

I used the Recon 264129BK for an F150 with the Bulletproof diesel 90201129 Cargo light and antenna mount for the same vehicle. The mount installed flush to the Comanche and the Recon then fitted inside that mount. It allows the fitting of a bigger 3rd light and gives you an antenna mount for a CB or other antenna.

[ghetdjc320]

2 hours ago, Limeyjeeper said:

I used the Recon 264129BK for an F150 with the Bulletproof diesel 90201129 Cargo light and antenna mount for the same vehicle. The mount installed flush to the Comanche and the Recon then fitted inside that mount. It allows the fitting of a bigger 3rd light and gives you an antenna mount for a CB or other antenna.

Thanks for the info! I've been looking at the Morimoto 3rd brake light options. If you would have used the BPD adapter, would you have to have cut some larger holes for the back of the 3rd brake light? Do you think the contour matches the MJ cab in that area?

[ghetdjc320]

Stripped down the NP242 getting ready for a build. This thing was nasty inside. Once I had it all stripped down i used it to mock up where it was going to mount to check for clearance. Much easier to maneuver an empty shell. Put all the old hardware in the tumbler. 
 

 

[ghetdjc320]

The 97+ NP 242 4wd indicator switch is a 4 pin unit which provide a separate continuity for the “full-time” and “part-time” 4wd positions. I identified the connector as a Delphi 12065298. 

[Limeyjeeper]

On 2/26/2024 at 11:36 AM, ghetdjc320 said:

Thanks for the info! I've been looking at the Morimoto 3rd brake light options. If you would have used the BPD adapter, would you have to have cut some larger holes for the back of the 3rd brake light? Do you think the contour matches the MJ cab in that area?

No, the adapter fits flush with the body of the Comanche and contours really well. I will get you a side view this weekend when I get back home. The Morimoto should fit in the BPD adapter as it is machined for the standard factory F150 3rd light. I presume the Morimoto is too. Sweet looking product.