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Project "white lightnin" 91 Jeep MJ H.O.


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Regular forum browser here finally decided to hop in and post a little about my truck, its a 91 comanche short bed, H.O. ,factory 4wd with ax15 trans, bought it as my first rig before i turned 16 and ive had it for about a year and a half now, currently undergoing some long over due suspension upgrades following a tear down of the top end on the ol 200k 4.0. With little modifications as of now besides some custom exhaust work and a little natural weight reduction its my daily driver and pretty close to factory. 

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Future plans include straight axle pre runner/ rock crawler style build while remaining a daily driver and sticking true to the 4.0 and possibly looking into a stroker build for my next project. Any ideas and or tips for a straight axle pre runner build would be much appreciated😁👍🏻

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1 hour ago, neohic said:

I mean… HOW prerunner are you thinking?

Something i could jump or fly through whoops and rough terrain with, while remaining a comfortable street legal daily driver. I don't really wanna tear the interior apart for a cage but if I'm gonna be sending it through stuff I'm definitely wanting some sort of support as well as unibody braces. Suspension is really where I'm needing some input, i know some of the old trophy trucks did straight axles with rear leaf setups but i would like to see what other people have done, and if it takes some fabricating thats cool. I'm no stranger to welding.

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58 minutes ago, Jakef91mj said:

Something i could jump or fly through whoops and rough terrain with, while remaining a comfortable street legal daily driver. I don't really wanna tear the interior apart for a cage but if I'm gonna be sending it through stuff I'm definitely wanting some sort of support as well as unibody braces. Suspension is really where I'm needing some input, i know some of the old trophy trucks did straight axles with rear leaf setups but i would like to see what other people have done, and if it takes some fabricating thats cool. I'm no stranger to welding.

Thanks Neohic!

 

Jake,

 

Feel free to reach out to me with questions, I'm one of the resident prerunner guys here, although I ditched the straight axle I still know a lot about the setups.

 

Look into jeep speed. If you browse through naxja there is a jeep speed section entirely.

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12 minutes ago, 89eliminator said:

in my opinion pre-runner and rock crawler suspensions are pretty different.  so may want to pick a direction and go that route.  


Yes and no...4400 Cars are required to do both, and very often they are solid front axle, a proper setup front end can do both adequately, neither perfectly. 

Perfect example is the CutlerFab Comanche, or the Zone Comanche, or the DKA Motorsports one. Those all have done crawling and high speed decently. But you are right in the fact that if you want to do one more seriously than the other, than pick a lane. My build for example is strictly for go fast, crawling would be a nightmare in it, but I have other jeeps for that. 

Proper front end setups can range from 5k-100k in the 4400 cars for example. It is all in how much knowledge and time you put into it.

Jake, 

Good on you for asking for help, my reply earlier this morning was half asleep laying in bed before work so I couldnt comprehend much LOL

There are a couple resources you will want to look into. NAXJA Jeepspeed Forums are a big one, There are a couple shops in Socal that specifically build that type of stuff.

T&J Fabrication is a big one that Jeepspeed guys use, a quick google and phone call can answer a lot of your questions, they also happen to sell a lot of jeepspeed upgrades

 

     -Ask T&J about the shock mounts - Front bar pin delete, weld in double sheer upper shock mounts


     -JeepSpeed guys used to really like the BDS/Full Traction long arm kit, before that it was the Skyjacker Mid-arm kit, but thats discontinued. The NEW best kit is hands down the Stinkyfab 4 link, followed closely behind is Ironman4x4


     - You will want a double sheer track bar bracket, preferably with a crossmember tie in, see Rubicon Express or Ironman4x4 for the two best options there.


     - You will want to retain y-link steering to avoid bump steer, two options, one way better than the other...Some guys use the grand Cherokee steering, stronger than XJ/MJ...The much better option is Currie Currectlync steering, 10x than any other y link in every way. 

 

     - You will need a steering box brace, look up ironman4x4 option, there is dirtbound and barnes4wd too, get one with the steering shaft support bearing. (there is an ebay knock-off that is $115 that is ideally what you will end up getting. 

 

     -You have to decide if you want to build to class rules or not if you ever plan to enter races...keep this in mind when choosing shocks, cage details etc.

     -Seeing as you likely have a D44 (if you don't then get something stronger) If you do, truss it, and add disc brakes. Dana 30 disc brakes are a good option for rear Dana 44's

     -Plate the frame, pick your brand and weld away, I went with T&M stiffeners on mine for the 10ga. option. 
     

     -If you arent building to class rules, ditch the stock shock mount locations, add towers or hoops and add coil overs. (and bypasses if you feel fancy)

This is a lot to process, and your wallet will be hurting, don't think in thousands, think in tens of thousands...True purpose built prerunners run upwards of 750k-1M (I know from experience) 

Reach out to me if needed, I'm sure you will have questions along the way. 

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53 minutes ago, Comanche SS said:


Yes and no...4400 Cars are required to do both, and very often they are solid front axle, a proper setup front end can do both adequately, neither perfectly. 

Perfect example is the CutlerFab Comanche, or the Zone Comanche, or the DKA Motorsports one. Those all have done crawling and high speed decently. But you are right in the fact that if you want to do one more seriously than the other, than pick a lane. My build for example is strictly for go fast, crawling would be a nightmare in it, but I have other jeeps for that. 

Proper front end setups can range from 5k-100k in the 4400 cars for example. It is all in how much knowledge and time you put into it.

 

totally agree that people have done it but the everyday person isnt throwing coilovers and/or bypasses on their MJ lol.

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I'm not planning on doing any real races at the moment but possibly in the future. As of now I'm buying parts little by little and planning on throwing together a lift within the month. I really dig your pre runner street build, Comanche SS and I'm planning on going that sort of route while staying with the straight axles and leafs until i can afford a 4 link kit. As of now I'm just doing a basic 4 in lift to get it off the ground and from there i will start really digging in and turning this thing into a "pre runner":crossfingers:

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33 minutes ago, Jakef91mj said:

I'm not planning on doing any real races at the moment but possibly in the future. As of now I'm buying parts little by little and planning on throwing together a lift within the month. I really dig your pre runner street build, Comanche SS and I'm planning on going that sort of route while staying with the straight axles and leafs until i can afford a 4 link kit. As of now I'm just doing a basic 4 in lift to get it off the ground and from there i will start really digging in and turning this thing into a "pre runner":crossfingers:


don't fret, we all started somewhere, mine was bone stock when I got it, and 4 years later its as you see in the photos. Take your time and do it right, the guide I gave you up above is a simple crash course in the wealth of knowledge I have gathered over the course of quite a long time. If you can get a handful of those parts youll be on the right track, if you get all of them then your jeep will be able to handle its own business LOL....Good luck, I'd like to see more long travel comanches out there....

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On 10/13/2022 at 5:56 PM, Jakef91mj said:

Comanche SS 

Thanks man the inputs helped alot now i got a better idea for what I'm gonna do, and an idea of what a legit build is gonna cost. Looks like I'm gonna need to do some more saving:laugh:.


Yep, and keep an eye out for good deals, I am not into mine for nearly as much as some would think. It helps to be resourceful with parts, and active as much as possible on local marketplaces, classifieds etc.

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  • 4 months later...

Update: Before winter hit i got the 3 in rough country lift in on the front end, coils shocks and track bar, and steel grill made by t&mfab. Currently waiting on warmer weather to install the shocks and add a leaf to the rear, as well as a rough country tie rod

Also picking up some 33s with wheels for $400 from the girlfriends dad and a free front set of 4.11 gears from the local auto shop and i gotta buy the rear set

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 7 months later...

Its been a while and a lot has happened to my comanche so I figure I should give an update.

 

This summer I was replacing my rear main seal when i noticed a piston skirt laying in my oil pan, after finding the culprit i started looking into rebuilding the engine but with the 2 machine shops around back logged 5 months out, i looked into a new long block. I ended up buying a titan engines 4.0 basic long block bored .040 over, with a clevite 208 cam. It took a week to install the new engine and after getting it in, i started putting the 500 break in miles on it. 400 miles into the break in the headgasket blew which i found out was due to my brand new thermostat getting stuck, which unfortunately voided my 3 year warranty on a brand new engine. I tore into it again and replaced the headgasket and since then it has been running great. 

 

Besides the new engine ive added some new additions to it, I found a

topper from a friend that just so happened to fit perfectly for $50 which i was stoked about.

 

I recently got in a collision with a couple buddies of mine that broke my rear window which ill be replacing with lexan being its more affordable and more impact

resistant than glass

 

I also bought steel which I'm gonna be building bumpers with

 

I had broke my original grill last winter so i decided to upgrade to something a little stronger. I bought a custom steel grill from T&J Fabrication that i have been really happy with

 

Lastly i got a set of brand new bfg a/t 31x10.50 tires on steel american racing wheels for $400 from one of the local mechanics whos another jeep guy and has been a huge help with any questions i have or parts i need

 

Between school, my snowmobile, motorcycle projects and work, its been hard to really build this truck but slowly I'm piecing it together and once i get out of the military i plan on fully restoring the body, paint and interior

 

I am also wondering if anyone knows any company making replacement trim and accessories for the interior like dome lights, headliner and window cranks, so far all ive seen is used parts off ebay or pull a part sites, any help would be great. Thanks👍

 

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