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SRT Comanche build


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I rattle bombed a spare grille and photoshopped the other parts to see what it'll look like in blue.  As good as the chrome looks, I think the blue is the way to go.  There's no chrome on the rest of the truck so it's a little out of place.  I'm going to paint up a front end set and bolt it on to see how it looks.

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Front end pieces and fender flares are fully prepped for paint.  I wasn't happy with how the clear laid out on the flares when I painted them last year so they're getting redone.

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Picked up some used tires this weekend.  315/30r18 BFG Rivals.  We'll see if they fit as well as the cad data says they should.  I need to get the fender flares painted and put back on so that I can re-scan the Jeep.  Then I'll be able to finalize some designs and start fabricating.

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These tires will go on the new wheels I bought last year.  They should be able to fit the other Jeep as well.

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3 hours ago, ghinmi said:

I don't really have a thread I keep updated on that truck but I do have a facebook and instagram page for it.  Search turbocherokee on instagram or the facebook link is https://www.facebook.com/turbocherokee

 

Side note, I need to get a hold of you soon for a door sticker with the new info.

Nice!  I'll check it.  Regarding the stickers, shoot me a DM or go to my site (link in signature).

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Finally got the mirrors knocked out.  What a task for such a simple part.  I didn't take many photos but the cable mechanisms are all redone.  Housings stripped, smoothed, and repainted.  New 3d printed clips.  New mirror glass.  Etc.  Worth it compared to the plastic offshore reproductions or the 1997+ mirrors which are too rounded and don't look good.

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I was playing around with the wide tires just to see how ridiculous they're going to look.

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This is one of those "one step forward, 38 steps back" posts.  There were a couple spots on the hood and the passenger side cowl that I was unhappy with so I decided to repaint them.

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Unfortunately I did something really dumb.  Grabbed the wrong mixing cup and accidentally mixed the first batch of clear 2:1 instead of 1:1.  Which resulted in trapped solvent and a layer of jelly between the base coat and final layer of clear.  You can see the terribleness happening already in this picture.  It only got worse overnight.

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The next day I had to strip it down with a razor.

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Which of course ruins the nice flat surface underneath so tons more sanding.

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And primer.

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And sanding.

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Finally went to spray a final layer of epoxy and that also was a monumental failure.  Had to sand it all back off again.

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But it's all finally painted now, a week later than planned.

 

Also did both of our helmets blue since there was some extra time yesterday before paint.

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Backtracking a bit here.  I wasn't happy with the paint on the fender flares so I re-prepped them as well as a grille and other various pieces.  Rather than turn the barn into a paint shop again I sent them to a really talented local painter.  Then ended up turning the barn into a paint shop anyway.  But I don't regret it, he did an outstanding job.

 

 

 

 

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I'm just a home hobbiest.  Anyone can do presentable work if they take their time and use quality materials.  The pros do nicer work than me in a small fraction of the time.  They're so impressive to me.

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Another project that's taking entirely too long but will be worth it in the end.  Not being content with any of the factory coolant tank configurations, I built one to go inside the passenger fender.  It's a recovery style with baffles and a rubber 3d printed vent cap.  Since it's completely hidden, I've put a section of clear push connect tubing in the engine bay to be able to check the coolant level.  I will 3d print a bezel to make it look more factory correct and then it'll be done.

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With the coolant tank (finally) mounted, I was able to get the fender back on.  The driver fender still needs to come off for the late model washer tank retrofit but I couldn't resist partially mocking up the color matched front end.  I also did the Jeep letters in blue but outlined them in black to break it up.  I think they came out nice.

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Every single stud broke off of the fender flares brackets on all 3 trucks I stripped.  So I mixed and matched the nicest set, ground the heads off of the old studs, and welded new ones in.  As soon as the epoxy primer is dry they'll be good to install.  With antiseize on the threads this time.

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To free up some space I went with the 1997+ washer tank.  I hate cutting into nice painted surfaces but it came out nicely.

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I also got the front upper support pieces cleaned up, painted, and installed.

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And the painted front end pieces are installed.  Hopefully tonight I'm able to get the fender flares on and it'll look a lot more complete.  But as it sits, I love the look.

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I too really liked the chrome trim.  It just wasn't the right look for this truck.  It's going to become a wall decoration on a spare header panel because it just doesn't seem right to box it up and hide it away.

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Acquired some Honda K series coils.  The factory Dodge 2.4 coil is a big brick with two dumb coils running waste spark which I'm not too fond of.  The Honda units are smart coils which means I can run them with the Holley without having to buy expensive coil drivers.  Plus then it'll be coil on plug with no spark plug wires and also have a much hotter spark.  Looks like all I'll need to do is weld on some bosses and they'll bolt right up.  And also print some grommets to seal them to the valve cover.

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Finally got the cowl cover finished and installed along with the new cowl seal.  Lots of work to get it to that point.

 

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And also tried out the wide tires with the fender flares on.  It looks way more tame with them covered up.

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