September 2022-The SoCal Build

89 MJ · September 2, 2022

September 2022-The SoCal Build

Build Thread – https://comancheclub.com/topic/66920-1988-socal-jeep-comanche-build/

Year/Model – 1988 Jeep Comanche Pioneer. Found it in rough shape in 2018 from a guy who had just bought it from the original owners (supposedly a farm in Southern California) but couldn’t handle all the maintenance it needed. All the plastics were dried and cracked and the paint was heavily oxidized. The engine also ran very badly and had a few sensors clipped off. There was also fine dust in places that I didn’t know existed! But, no rust whatsoever and the body was mostly straight, and it had the elusive Dana 44 axle and the Short Bed/4.0L/AW4/4WD combo I was looking for.

Drivetrain – 4.6L ATK Stroker, AW4, NP231, D44 rear, HP D30 front (vacuum disconnect “locked” in place). Stock gears for now. Original engine encountered a cracked block/head around ~210k miles which resulted in a large amount of coolant in the oil necessitating the replacement. Also running bored throttle body and Flowmaster muffler (basically whatever I can get away with and still pass smog).

Cooling – Mishimoto open cooling system conversion, bypassed heater valve, 97+ overflow canister, aux PS cooler, electric fan wired to override switch (in addition to built-in temp switch/AC trigger).

Electrical/Ignition – Way too much time went into this. I rewired the entire RENIX electrical system to eliminate fusible links and leverage a 97+ PDC and shorten/eliminate all unnecessary wiring (both in-cab and engine harness). Took way too much time and probably wouldn’t do that again. I’m sticking with RENIX ECU because I need to pass CA smog (which necessitates keeping EGR and the RENIX system). REM for monitoring sensors. Also running an auxiliary relay center for the front lights/fogs/horn. Keyless entry/remote start installed. 97+ power windows/door locks/mirrors all functional.

Suspension/Steering – 2” lift shackles and coil spacers. Stock ZJ steering and RC adjustable track bar. Bilstein shocks up front. JKS sway-bar disconnects. Will be doing 5-6” lift with long arms and rear SOA in near future.

Interior – Full 97+ interior swap minus the dash, as well as leather power/heated 2014 Cherokee KL seats. Custom labelled switches in the dash. All interior parts painted SEM grey to match. New carpet and headliner, as well as adhesive insulation on floors, ceiling, doors. JBL 6.5” three-way speakers in the doors and rear panels.

Brakes – WJ booster and master cylinder. Eliminated load sensing and proportioning valve (replaced with Wilwood manually-adjusted prop valve under the hood).

Lighting – LED headlights, 3” Amber RIGID LED pods in front and rear bumpers, LED signal/brake/blinker lights all around (with inline resistors to maintain proper blinker speed).

Exterior – 97+ front clip and doors. JCR bumpers front and rear painted with Rustoleum Hammered black paint. The rest of the body is Chrysler Flame Red PR4 paint, including door jams and underside of hood. Professional spray-in bedliner. Key Parts tail lights. The original tailgate was very beat up from farm work and slightly bent and I was lucky enough to find a mint tailgate from a ’91-92 MJ that had never been used to swap in prior to paint. I kept the original tailgate as a memento for the wall of the garage.

Wheel & Tires – JK Rubicon take-off’s (255x75r17 BFG Mud Terrain on Jeep “Hardrock” wheels). I like the look of these wheels but may likely consider upgrading to the wider Quadratec version with 33x12.50r17 tires. I also am using 1.5” adapters to run these, which gives me some angst…

Misc – Still a ton of remaining things to do on the truck. I’m planning to build up the axles/suspension next (non-disconnect HP D30 with WJ outers/brakes and selectable locker, re-gear front/rear to 4.56, ~5-6” SOA lift), as well as re-doing the original headliner (perhaps with overhead console).

Best MJ story – I haven’t driven it too much as I’ve either been in the process of building it or moving around the country. But every time I take it out I always get at least one compliment and people are surprised when I tell them it’s over 30 years old (most think it’s a new truck).

CC is Awesome! Why? Great group of enthusiasts that are always willing to help and treat each other with respect. The build threads and how-to guides cover a huge expanse of mild restorations to wild V8-powered off-road toys.

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