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89’ Pioneer MJ Barn Find


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  • 2 weeks later...
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On 7/15/2023 at 10:53 PM, Pete M said:

I'm a bit shocked that engine ran at all with that CPS wire.  :( 

Me too. That’s why I didn’t look there first. It fired up perfect everytime 🤦‍♂️ 

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Well they came in. Undecided on what I’ll do with them. But here is what the oracle led taillights will look like on the truck. Part of me really likes them and the other half says keep it stock 😆 

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  • 4 weeks later...

No updates here, to damn hot to be working on it haha.  I've been driving and enjoying it!  I am making a wiring harness for the Oracle LED Taillights but nothing to really show for it yet.  I have ordered the parts and when I find some time I will knock that out.  On a side note I have been working out the rear 4 link double triangulated suspension on the stretched JK I wheel.  This will take most of my time up to fall.  Hopefully it will go smoothly haha.

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  • 5 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...
11 hours ago, Pete M said:

I like it. :D  but it's a steering wheel, the important thing is how is feels... 

haha. Honestly 1000% times better than the OE non covered one. I wasn’t sure I would like it at all but the extra padding under the wrap is really nice. 

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Finally have nice weather so I gave the ole girl a bath and cleaned the interior. There is just something about that dark blue interior that makes me smile. I guess it takes me back to my grandpas 83’ Datsun King Cab I used to ride in growing up in the 80’s 😂 

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  • 1 month later...

Finally found some time to tackle front brakes 😂. Long story short I was head to Lowe’s Hardware and half way there I felt a pop in the brake pedal.  After that a grinding noise commenced. So I pull into the parking lot and low and behold the front rotor was gouged out. At this point I’m at Lowe’s so I might as well get what I need and I only live 6 miles from there I just drove it back home. On the drive home I figured I might as well grab some fancy rotors since this thing is a street queen. Needless to say when I pulled the brakes apart it went about as well as you could hope for caliper that haven’t seen a wrench in 20 years. Slide pins stuck. One semi stripped out etc etc etc. I was planning to throw a new set of calipers in while I was at it but my wife had other plans so I’ll knock that out this winter 😢 All and all not a long process 1.5 hours to rotate tires and swap in the brakes and rotors. I just finished bedding her in and damn what a difference. From the pics it appears the friction material just sheared off the pad backer. I mean they were only 20 + years old. I should have gotten at least another 10k miles out of them 😂 

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  • 3 months later...

Been out just enjoying the Comanche for a while. I do have the power windows and wiring harness ready to go in the truck but like I said, I have just been driving her and enjoying the nostalgia. All that was going great until last Wednesday. I had something going on about a hour away and drove the truck. I get there and everything is fine. I head out about 10:30 PM and all is good. The ole girl is turning 75 mph down the highway at ease. I should have known it was going to well 😂. About 20 minutes from home I notice the REM voltage dropping. Great, I’ve been here before…. I keep trucking knowing I have enough juice to get home…. I hope. I limp her to the driveway and hear something that sounds like the flywheel bolts are all out and bouncing around in the bell housing. I turn it off and slowly fire it up again…. Same noise with a loud belt squeal….  Come out the next day and drop the belt to find the 89’ vintage alternator locked the F up 🤦‍♂️. If you can’t tell the support bearing decided to leave the chat 😂 
 

 

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While I was disassembling the entire front end along with some very pesky skid plate bolts I finally found my coolant leak. So new radiator it is. I stayed with the closed system because I have had zero issues with it. While the fan clutch was off I figured why not swap that out since it’s probably a 1989 vintage as well.  I finally got everything out and noticed high pressure line and Power Steering Pump had seen better days too 🤦‍♂️ 
 

 

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So new PSP and lines it was along with a new PSP pulley as the old one was cracked lol. I also got a chance to add a new tool to the shop since I didn’t own a PSP pulley remover / installer. Let me tell you those 35 year old PS Lines were a B to remove. The new return line wasn’t exactly the shape it needed to be but will definitely work fine. 
 

 

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Well now that I have the front end disassembled why not pull the T Case and replace the output seal for the trans…. What’s one more thing at this point 😂 not shown is a custom 3D printed tool to seat the seal 2mm deep into the bore and keep it even. I’ve had a hell of a time with these seals. They never want to stay in place. 

 

 

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Now with all this it was time for reassembly. I did the work over the course of a week. It rained a few days and I had to wait for the pump to show up. After all this I did a full coolant flush, new fan switch in the radiator, updated the alternator power wires, changed the oil and redid the orings in the filter housing. Hopefully I’m done wrenching for a bit and I can get back to enjoying her!

 

 

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Well the saga didn’t end there. While burping the system I had a coolant flush T crack so those got replaced too 😂. I’m close to having a new truck at the point 🤦‍♂️ 

 

 

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