xxmetal Posted March 22, 2023 Share Posted March 22, 2023 Howdy All! I just picked up a 1986 Comanche XLS this past Sunday, very happy to be starting this journey with y'all! I've never blogged before, but maybe something like this will help me deep-dive into the community and give me motivation to fix issues that I would otherwise decide is "good enough" to not address! SKIP THIS PARAGRAPH IF YOURE ONLY INTERESTED IN COMANCHE THINGS Little background: I graduated college and was set to move out to the middle of nowhere for my work. I needed a vehicle to get me (and all of my stuff) a couple states away to start my life, and to bring me to-and-from my job without getting broken-into, stolen, or vandalized. I settled for a 2003 Dodge Durango R/T. Catless, loud, not particularly fast, and aggressively anti-gasoline. It has been two years since then, and I'm ready to give my wallet a bit of a break (hopefully). After costing me a quart of oil per week, barely getting north of 11 MPG, and showing a plethora of electrical gremlins that cause occasional stalling and leave me without heat and ABS, I decided to hop back onto Facebook Marketplace to find her replacement. Things I was looking for (in addition to cheap) were 4x4 capability, towing capability, and "better than Da 'Rango" gas mileage. OKAY, MJ TIME I found this baby a little more than an hour away from me, in the western side of texas. 85000 Miles, and relatively clean! No rust on the unibody (a little bit on/in the bed, but nothing serious/concerning), and a decent *enough* interior for a 37 year-old truck. She seemed to tick off all the boxes. 4x4? yes! Towing? Yes, and hauling in the bed! Gas mileage? 18.5 on the ride home, and that's with the intake hose missing! To add to the excitement, there was a bunch of paperwork that came with it. Receipts dating back to 2002, and even the original window sticker! It seems like this was a fairly well-optioned 86', and well taken-care of. There is some typical Texas fading on the blue interior (some parts looking decidedly green instead of their original color, and sun damage/tears along the top of the bench seat) and she's certainly lacking in the power department with the 2.8, but hopefully these won't be too difficult to address Notable issues on this vehicle: Radio Doesn't work, ugly rear bumper/hitch, Temp gauge doesn't go up out of the blue range (do these trucks just run really cool?), cruise control is inop, seatbelt light chooses if/when to illuminate (independent of seatbelt usage), and the speedometer likes to dart around and pick its own number once she gets above 55mph. The rear cabin lights don't seem to burn, nor do the front fog lights. Otherwise, she runs like a champ! Seems to be mechanically sound. What are my plans for her? Starting with the most pressing issues, I plan on working my way through the truck to get it as restored (to original spec) as is practical. This will be my daily, so I am sure some QoL improvements/modifications are in order. But I love the look of this truck as original--just a plain-Jane workin' truck. If I can source an OEM rollbar, that'd be cool, but I generally want to stay as true to the original build-sheet as possible. I might try to get the paint corrected and re-cleared where it is getting weathered, and will definitely be cleaning that bench seat. But really, I want to get her running as reliably as possible to replace the computerized nightmare that is Da 'Rango. Thanks in advance for all the help that I'm sure the community will give me! Just yesterday I had a fairly catastrophic electrical failure that I will be asking about in the tech forums. Hopefully I didn't make a terrible mistake! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxyjeep Posted March 22, 2023 Share Posted March 22, 2023 Love it! That thing is unique! What’s your plan for the engine? The 2.8L is known for not being so great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxmetal Posted March 23, 2023 Author Share Posted March 23, 2023 29 minutes ago, SoCalJeepComanche said: Love it! That thing is unique! What’s your plan for the engine? The 2.8L is known for not being so great. Thanks! From what I understand, the 2.8L isn't ideal for offroading or doing super heavy work. I'll mostly be commuting for work, with occasional "truck stuff" for working on the house. If it is able to keep up that 18-19MPG range, I'll be happy with it. And from what I read (this may not be 100% accurate) they seem to last in the 250k range if maintained properly. Assuming there aren't many/overly expensive mechanical issues, I'll probably just keep it for now. I hear there's a weber carb that does well--might look into that. Otherwise, I'll mostly be trying to freshen it up to its most stock and most reliable condition. It'd probably be wise for me to have a "hose day" soon and just replace everything under the hood to new, pliable, vacuum tubes and hoses Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiatslug87 Posted March 23, 2023 Share Posted March 23, 2023 Welcome to CC and have fun with it. Post it’s VIN in the registry section when you get a chance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxyjeep Posted March 23, 2023 Share Posted March 23, 2023 13 hours ago, xxmetal said: Thanks! From what I understand, the 2.8L isn't ideal for offroading or doing super heavy work. I'll mostly be commuting for work, with occasional "truck stuff" for working on the house. If it is able to keep up that 18-19MPG range, I'll be happy with it. And from what I read (this may not be 100% accurate) they seem to last in the 250k range if maintained properly. Assuming there aren't many/overly expensive mechanical issues, I'll probably just keep it for now. I hear there's a weber carb that does well--might look into that. Otherwise, I'll mostly be trying to freshen it up to its most stock and most reliable condition. It'd probably be wise for me to have a "hose day" soon and just replace everything under the hood to new, pliable, vacuum tubes and hoses Sounds like a good plan. If you ever have issues down the line you can always swap in a 3.4L GM engine. ...or maybe an LS...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bezerk1 Posted March 23, 2023 Share Posted March 23, 2023 Welcome and good looking truck ( jealous of the turbine wheels) I’m pretty new to this club myself. But reading old threads and talking with the members you’re in good hands. Check out cruiser 54 tips list should help you a lot. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salvagedcircuit Posted March 23, 2023 Share Posted March 23, 2023 I'm digging the white walls on the turbine's. Nice. Looks pretty clean for the age! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WranglerMangler Posted March 24, 2023 Share Posted March 24, 2023 She is in really good shape by the pictures. Was just looking back over. Great find. Definitely agree with applicable Cruiser54 upgrades. All of my MJs really benefited from it. Plus you get to know your truck a little better. Also look into the “things every MJ owner should know” thread Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pizzaman09 Posted April 2, 2023 Share Posted April 2, 2023 Cool looking MJ! My first one rocked white wall tires and I quite liked them on that truck. It is interesting to see just how different the 86 models were. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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