MYE Jeep Posted October 12, 2021 Share Posted October 12, 2021 Hello all, I've been lurking these forums for over a year now and finally decided to share some of my progress on my somewhat newly acquired Comanche. I purchased it from some nice guys that work on the Mexico border as border patrol agents. Based on the history of the truck, it seems that it has never really left the state of Arizona, so it's completely rust free, although all the plastics and trims are VERY crispy! What I've done so far: New Paint Notch Customs Fender Flares Front clip swap from 97+ Replaced dented doors Replaced dented fenders Replaced dented hood Replaced wiper cowl panel Replaced window rubber trim New Factory Fuel Tank Acquired better carpet to replace torn carpet Dyed carpet black Dynamat interior for sound deadening Replaced rear windshield To-Do list: Recondition tailgate latch Replace door catches Dash & wiring harness swap Replace taillights Replace 6.5" lift with smaller 4.5" lift Wheels & Tires Lots & lots more.... Here's the progress so far! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MYE Jeep Posted October 12, 2021 Author Share Posted October 12, 2021 I'll finish up spraying the truck over the next week or so, right now it's in the final stages of primer, there wasn't any major damage to the body, but a fair amount of tiny little dings that had to be worked out. I'll post more photos once its sprayed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skylynx Posted October 12, 2021 Share Posted October 12, 2021 Yoooo that’s so cool! I have to admit replacing the 97+ front trim makes this trucks look so freaking amazing, though i may keep the pre 97 trim myself.. what kit are you using to go down from 7 to 4.5 lifts? I'm thinking on going to 4.5 too myself great progress so far, keep it up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiatslug87 Posted October 12, 2021 Share Posted October 12, 2021 Welcome. Post your VIN in the registry and someone will get you build sheet info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MYE Jeep Posted October 12, 2021 Author Share Posted October 12, 2021 3 hours ago, Skylynx said: Yoooo that’s so cool! I have to admit replacing the 97+ front trim makes this trucks look so freaking amazing, though i may keep the pre 97 trim myself.. what kit are you using to go down from 7 to 4.5 lifts? I'm thinking on going to 4.5 too myself great progress so far, keep it up! Thanks so much! I was torn between keeping the original front end or not, but the 97+ front end flows a little better with the fender flares so I decided to swap! I was thinking either BDS, or ZoneOffroad for the lift kit. It currently has the Rustys 6.5 Long Travel kit, but it rides terrible in my opinion. I have no prior experience with Rusty's, and I don't want to bad mouth them in any way, but I'm not a fan of how it rides on really rough terrain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MYE Jeep Posted October 12, 2021 Author Share Posted October 12, 2021 3 hours ago, fiatslug87 said: Welcome. Post your VIN in the registry and someone will get you build sheet info. Thank you!! I just posted my submission! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MYE Jeep Posted October 14, 2021 Author Share Posted October 14, 2021 Front and rear sprayed, just need to spray the fender flares and some trim pieces before pulling the tape off! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxyjeep Posted October 15, 2021 Share Posted October 15, 2021 Looks awesome. Before you swap out the lift, see if the shocks are shot. Might just need to replace those to get the ride quality decent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MYE Jeep Posted October 16, 2021 Author Share Posted October 16, 2021 A little Rit dye and voila, the carpet went from blue with brown stains to a nice black. Photos really don’t do it justice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MYE Jeep Posted October 16, 2021 Author Share Posted October 16, 2021 On 10/15/2021 at 9:02 AM, Chargum85 said: Looks awesome. Before you swap out the lift, see if the shocks are shot. Might just need to replace those to get the ride quality decent. That's definitely not a bad idea! I'm also toying with the idea of a 4 link set up in the rear to get rid of the leaf springs... but I suppose it depends on how much money I want to sink into this thing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MYE Jeep Posted October 17, 2021 Author Share Posted October 17, 2021 Well, after rinsing the carpet out to make it less crispy after dying it, I’ve successfully found out how to make green carpet out of blue carpet.. still working on how to make it black though, I’ve used this method on several other vehicles with great success, but this carpet just does not want to change color! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MYE Jeep Posted October 21, 2021 Author Share Posted October 21, 2021 Its back from the body shop! I can’t believe how nicely it turned out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted October 21, 2021 Share Posted October 21, 2021 woo-hoo! she looks fantastic! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxyjeep Posted October 22, 2021 Share Posted October 22, 2021 Looks awesome. Saw you're planning a Golen stroker. Any reason that you're going with them vs. ATK? I'm planning to replace the engine in my truck soon and can't believe the base ATK stroker is only $3k, vs. $4-7k for Golen or others... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howeitsdone Posted October 25, 2021 Share Posted October 25, 2021 That 97+ front looks sick! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MYE Jeep Posted October 27, 2021 Author Share Posted October 27, 2021 On 10/22/2021 at 8:48 AM, Chargum85 said: Looks awesome. Saw you're planning a Golen stroker. Any reason that you're going with them vs. ATK? I'm planning to replace the engine in my truck soon and can't believe the base ATK stroker is only $3k, vs. $4-7k for Golen or others... Mainly going with the Golen for their reputation for long lasting motors, Although I’ll be doing the swap myself, my local Jeep specialist shop which I’ve trusted for years told me Golen is the only way to go as far as strokers. However I still have a pretty healthy factory engine under the hood so I might as well run it for a bit longer until I save up more funds. I have about $20k invested into the truck already, so no need to rush another $10k into it with new motor and trans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MYE Jeep Posted October 27, 2021 Author Share Posted October 27, 2021 On 10/24/2021 at 8:29 PM, PocketsEmptied said: That 97+ front looks sick! Thanks so much! I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MYE Jeep Posted October 27, 2021 Author Share Posted October 27, 2021 A little more progress was made over the last couple days, dynamat is in, I can’t believe how long it takes to cover such a small truck! and finally, I was able to successfully dye the carpet using a product by ColorBond. It’s essentially a spray in paint for carpet. Took about 2 cans to get good coverage, turned out great! The carpet is a tad stiff, but after sort of massaging it with the vacuum head it softened right up, no flakes or residue came up. Hope it lasts! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MYE Jeep Posted October 27, 2021 Author Share Posted October 27, 2021 Oh and I almost forgot! my rear bumper came in the mail! Now I just have to figure out where to mount the license plate, I was thinking of doing a hinged plate that covers the receiver hitch, so I can just flip it up if I’m towing. Similar to this: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MYE Jeep Posted October 27, 2021 Author Share Posted October 27, 2021 Another fun little project, the breather vents that go under the B pillar trim vents were completely shot letting tons of dust into the cab. I picked up some rubber sheet packing from Ace Hardware and cut out little flaps to bring them back to life. The new material was a little thicker, but it still worked out pretty well for under $5! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MYE Jeep Posted November 2, 2021 Author Share Posted November 2, 2021 Slowly making more progress, but wait times are new parts right now are absurd! Front end coming together but waiting on some hardware to complete it. Stripping, priming and painting the metal trim around the window, and was able to source all new rubber window trim to throw it all back together. May even replace the glass panels for the driver and passenger while I have it torn apart, waiting to hear back from my glass guy to see if he can get the door glass! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted November 5, 2021 Share Posted November 5, 2021 yup, gotta put on your patient pants these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MYE Jeep Posted November 5, 2021 Author Share Posted November 5, 2021 Got my glass guy over this weekend to put in a new front and rear windshield, went with the CR Lawrence rear windshield and couldn’t be happier. My window guy is pretty old school but knows his stuff. We test fitted the rear window and it was awful out of the box, but we spend about 20 minutes making small “bends” in the frame by hand and got it really close to a perfect fit, and the slider works like a dream! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMO413 Posted November 6, 2021 Share Posted November 6, 2021 Nice work!! I love the notch flares. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MYE Jeep Posted November 7, 2021 Author Share Posted November 7, 2021 On 11/5/2021 at 5:33 PM, JMO413 said: Nice work!! I love the notch flares. Thanks so much! I've done a lot of restorations over the years, but this has probably been one of the most challenging due to parts availability. I either keep ordering the wrong parts because there are so many changes over the years, or I order the right parts and they don't fit because someone else combined parts from a cherokee over the years haha. For instance, right now I am struggling with the door lock cylinders, apparently they've changed 3-4 times during the years of the XJ, Pre 95 are different from 95-96, then they change again in 97+. Definitely throwing me for a loop! I wish I had a donor Cherokee or a junkyard nearby to make things easier! I have 3 different sets on order right now and I'm hoping I can use one of them to put the door locks back together! My goodness what a mess.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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