H3ADBANG4L1F3 Posted September 29, 2023 Share Posted September 29, 2023 New to the forum and a complete beginner when it comes to working on vehicles - will be using this Comanche as a launching point. But enough of that, on to the good stuff! Found this beaut while browsing FB Marketplace. I'm not a car guy - I've been working with my brother (who is) to find myself a vehicle that will serve as both my daily and a means to go camping and fishing on long ~10 day trips. Brother pushed me to get a Cherokee but I really wanted a Comanche. Funnily enough I sent this one to him as a bit of a joke. My exact words, "Look at this Frankenstein!" He had a more learned eye and almost immediately said that he would buy it. Only trouble was that the truck was all the way in Northern Ohio. I'm a bit south of there in Dallas. Lol. We ironed out the details to head up that way - all said it would cost about 1600 to fly up, rent a truck and trailer, and drive it back home. The (now) PO was more than accommodating and agreed to hold the truck for us so we booked everything and went up Thursday after work. Needless to say we bought her and trailered her the 1200 miles back home! Oklahoma gave us a taste of her wrath with not one, but two, hailstorms. Nothing that can't be fixed when we get her painted though. Thankfully we had a damage waiver on the rental. Some of y'all may be wondering about the V8 mentioned above. Well, here it is! PO swapped the straight six for a L98 from a 1986 C4 Corvette. She's truly a Frankenstein with parts from 5 vehicles: 3 Comanches, a Cherokee, and of course the Corvette. Like I mentioned previously, this truck is going to be my foray into the automotive world. Thankfully I've got some excellent resources in my brother and dad but I definitely plan on using this forum and other sources online to get a running start. So far we've found a few things that need fixing: Steering wheel has a bit of play Exhaust is routed too close to oil pan - plan on wrapping exhaust Minor oil leak (likely gasket needs replacing) Minor leaks in valve covers (also gaskets) Dry rot in one tire Reverse lights not wired Minor rust on sides of body above front bumper Tires rub slightly at full turn No A/C!!! Practically a death sentence in TX! Lol As the vehicle is from up North it's got a bit more rust than one from Texas would have but nothing too terrible. I'll add more pics and details as we go through and fix this beast up. Can't wait to get her out on the road and especially out into the forests in East Texas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiatslug87 Posted September 29, 2023 Share Posted September 29, 2023 Welcome to CC, have fun wit it. Post it’s VIN in the registry section so we know what it was before its modifications. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drahcir495 Posted October 3, 2023 Share Posted October 3, 2023 Glad you joined. We have a lot of educated MJ owners here. I think you will find that everyone is always eager to help out when they can. I want to know more about the small block conversion you have. Mainly how much was involved in what was done to engine back (transmission and transfer case) to get it in? Looking forward to seeing more. That dash is in amazing shape Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H3ADBANG4L1F3 Posted October 5, 2023 Author Share Posted October 5, 2023 On 10/3/2023 at 5:19 PM, Drahcir495 said: Glad you joined. We have a lot of educated MJ owners here. I think you will find that everyone is always eager to help out when they can. I want to know more about the small block conversion you have. Mainly how much was involved in what was done to engine back (transmission and transfer case) to get it in? Looking forward to seeing more. That dash is in amazing shape Thanks! Unfortunately I can't go over all the details as I wasn't the one to do the conversion, but the PO used a Novak conversion kit. I was doing some reading before purchase and it seems relatively easy, just remove the old mounts and bolt/weld in the new ones. Here's a link to the conversion guide: https://www.novak-adapt.com/knowledge/engines/swap-guides/chevy-buick-gm/xj-swap/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H3ADBANG4L1F3 Posted October 5, 2023 Author Share Posted October 5, 2023 On 9/29/2023 at 10:35 AM, fiatslug87 said: Welcome to CC, have fun wit it. Post it’s VIN in the registry section so we know what it was before its modifications. Thanks! I'll definitely add the VIN for y'all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H3ADBANG4L1F3 Posted October 26, 2023 Author Share Posted October 26, 2023 Went outside the day after a good rain and stumbled on a gnarly puddle in the driver's side floorboard. Pic is actually from the next rainstorm after the progress listed below - the first puddle was even larger! Water is the last thing I want to see in the cab. Not a fan of rust, mold, and stank! So Dad and I installed some new weather stripping from Precision as a start (https://www.summitracing.com/parts/pqp-dk-6110-84/make/jeep/model/comanche & https://www.summitracing.com/parts/pqp-cs-6110-84). Here you can see what the old weather stripping looked like. It was a bit worse for wear! Installation was very easy. Even someone as clueless as myself was capable of doing it on my own. I took photos of the before and after but you can't really tell much of a difference, especially of the window trim. It was neat to see the doors naked, and I found a headlamp that the PO had lost inside the door. Still works! When reconstructing the door I noticed a spelling error, curious to hear if any of y'all have noticed the same in yours? (Pioneer "Cheif") In addition to the weather stripping, we noticed that the tops of the doors weren't sealed completely and you could see light through them. So we used a trick I found on the forum and stuck a 2x4 through the open window and pushed the tops of the doors in until they compressed the weather stripping nicely. No more gaps! I suspected the weather stripping and gaps weren't my only issues, though, and during the next rainstorm I pored through the cab to find more leaks. I definitely found 'em! Unfortunately both of my vent windows leak. It's not horrible but since I have some fixed windows ready to swap I figure I'll go ahead and swap them in - unless any of y'all have a solution for me. If I have to swap the fixed ones in it just means I'll need to get A/C that much sooner! Also found the source of the puddle in my driver's floorboard. The fusebox is leaking. As far as I can tell, water is snaking its way in from the driver's side of the hood and dripping down onto the fusebox. I'll attach an image of the possible source in a future post once the rain lets up (currently "fixed" the leak with a nice big tarp) The rear sliding window had a small leak as well. The felt was moist to the touch and the driver's side was just a bit wet below the window. I've "fixed" the leaks for now. She ain't pretty but she works! A bit more to be done before she's up to snuff. Currently sitting on a small treasure trove of parts to throw on her. My brother bought a sway bar kit he was going to put on his Cherokee but never did, he was nice enough to give it to me to throw on the truck. I also got a deal on some upper and lower control arms from Rubicon Express. I only needed to replace the lowers but I figured I might as well do both. Lots to do, just gotta get up off my butt and do it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H3ADBANG4L1F3 Posted October 26, 2023 Author Share Posted October 26, 2023 Here's what I believe to be the source of my leak. Water drips onto this fuse box (you can even see some wetness right now!) and I think behind it into the cab. The unpainted/rusty part above it acts as a channel for the water. Water comes in from the hood here: And travels down this path, dripping onto that fuse box. Any ideas as to how to fix this? I figure I'll use something to patch that crack above the fuse box, but then the water may just travel elsewhere. I've seen videos of people making beads of silicon around the edges to help keep water out. Does that work? In addition, my engine wiring harness grommet appears to have been cut by a PO for one reason or another. Anyone know where to source a replacement? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salvagedcircuit Posted October 26, 2023 Share Posted October 26, 2023 In the first image with the blue line, I highlighted in orange where there was supposed to be seam sealer from the factory. The seam sealer should fill the gap between panels and it is a concave fillet. My seam sealer was very old and brittle. It is in the same place on both sides of the hood. I used SEM 29392 as a replacement seam sealer. It is a good idea to make sure there is paint anywhere you apply seam sealer, otherwise it does not optimally bond to the panel. I used a nitrile glove and my fingers to apply it, but there may be more professional ways of applying it. A Popsicle stick might provide a smoother result. As for that rubber plug, I have a spare that I cut out of a very crushed 86 cherokee. I unfortunately don't have access to the part for a few weeks. I am going to CAD it up first so I can make future molds. I have been successful in making silicon molds for handlebars in the past and I'd use the same method here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H3ADBANG4L1F3 Posted October 27, 2023 Author Share Posted October 27, 2023 Awesome, appreciate the advice! I'd definitely be interested in buying one of those grommets from you, it's not leaking from that hole (yet!) so there's no rush on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted October 29, 2023 Share Posted October 29, 2023 time to pull the rear window and re-glue it. :) be prepared to deal with some surface rust. read the urethane tube and follow the instructions exactly. I'd replace the hood seal too if you haven't yet. radio antenna grommet too. and hvac seal. and literally everything else that is made of rubber or foam and is supposed to keep the water outside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H3ADBANG4L1F3 Posted October 29, 2023 Author Share Posted October 29, 2023 23 minutes ago, Pete M said: time to pull the rear window and re-glue it. :) be prepared to deal with some surface rust. read the urethane tube and follow the instructions exactly. I'd replace the hood seal too if you haven't yet. radio antenna grommet too. and hvac seal. and literally everything else that is made of rubber or foam and is supposed to keep the water outside. Thanks Pete! Great advice. I replaced the hood to cowl seal along with the weather stripping, is that what you're referring to? I figured I'd tack it on as it was only another $10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted October 29, 2023 Share Posted October 29, 2023 yup, that's it. have you pulled the carpet up yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H3ADBANG4L1F3 Posted October 29, 2023 Author Share Posted October 29, 2023 17 minutes ago, Pete M said: yup, that's it. have you pulled the carpet up yet? Not yet, we've been getting quite a bit of rain. Should end Monday and I'll pull the seats and carpets then. The PO sound-deadened the cab so that will likely also hold water Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H3ADBANG4L1F3 Posted February 24 Author Share Posted February 24 Interior is almost completely out. Dash pulled today, just need to pull the HVAC box to take care of some problem areas for leaks. The wiring is a bit of a mess lol. Going to have to clean it up a bit! Those seat bolts are dangerous! Dad's shorts didn't make it out unharmed. Pulling HVAC box tomorrow. Windshield and rear window are next, followed by some upgrades to the vent windows a la Pizzaman. (https://comancheclub.com/topic/68921-1990-comanche-eliminator/?do=findComment&comment=763885) I also found an older pic of my truck. One of the POs did a really nice job restoring many parts of it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H3ADBANG4L1F3 Posted February 24 Author Share Posted February 24 Also picked up two sets of turbines. Going to try my hand at restoring a set, the other set will be powder coated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H3ADBANG4L1F3 Posted February 24 Author Share Posted February 24 Pulled the dash using the instructions here: https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f51/dash-removal-35444/. Lots of good info to be found if you look hard enough! Been building up a Google Drive chock full of goodies for the truck. Also plan on removing a bit of the sound-deadening, specifically on the floor of the cab. Going to be addressing all of the leaky points, but want to be able to easily clean up water in the event it does make it inside. The sound deadening holds water and makes it difficult to dry (ask me how many hours I've spent vacuuming and holding a heat gun lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H3ADBANG4L1F3 Posted March 21 Author Share Posted March 21 Not a fun job but the floor is now free of sound deadening (at least, the passenger side is!) 20lbs of dry ice for this one side. Messy! The dry ice freezes it solid but as soon as it gets slightly unfrozen it immediately becomes tarry and sticky. I'll be repainting and replacing it with removable Dynapad. Also did a little work on the seam sealer. It was rusted through in a few places with plenty more rust hiding behind it. I figure I'll have to remove and replace all of it along the firewall and a few other locations I've noticed. Passenger side is mostly finished, just need to do the far edge of the firewall. Working on getting the brake pedal out to access the driver's side, the brake lines are rusted shut to the master cylinder so they're getting a good soak of PB Blaster. While I was poking around I found a few janky fixes by a PO. You can see the antenna grommet just slathered in caulk above, that's after removing a good chunk of it so I could pop the grommet out. Also found these two pieces of metal sandwiched around the firewall covering up the right hole below the blower motor. Holding them on was some sort of weird shiny gelatinous material. When removing the cowl cover I also stumbled on this gem. Scraped a good chunk of that yellow crud to get it off! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89 MJ Posted March 21 Share Posted March 21 What transfer case do you have in this? I see you’ve got a 700R4 like @The86manche has for his truck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H3ADBANG4L1F3 Posted March 21 Author Share Posted March 21 1 minute ago, 89 MJ said: What transfer case do you have in this? I see you’ve got a 700R4 like @The86manche has for his truck. Admittedly I have no clue. I looked it over a good bit and couldn't find any identifying marks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The86manche Posted March 21 Share Posted March 21 12 hours ago, 89 MJ said: What transfer case do you have in this? I see you’ve got a 700R4 like @The86manche has for his truck. Appreciate you looking out for me. Looks like the tag is gone but seeing the back half might help identify. Possibly a 208? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The86manche Posted March 21 Share Posted March 21 4 hours ago, The86manche said: Appreciate you looking out for me. Looks like the tag is gone but seeing the back half might help identify. Possibly a 208? Not a 208 lol mayhe something from a k1500 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H3ADBANG4L1F3 Posted March 27 Author Share Posted March 27 "Bought" another 20lbs of dry ice. Got it for free as the credit card machine was down. (Score!) Driver's side is now finished. It's definitely rustier than the passenger side! Now we reach a crossroad. Do I dismantle the previous patchwork and go with new floor pans and possibly new supports ($300 for pans, additional $350 for supports, from Keyparts) or simply clean up what I have here? Most of it looks like surface rust, the worst of it is below the pedals. If I replace the pans I can access underneath those support caps and take care of any rust before it becomes an issue, but I wonder if it's truly worth it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89 MJ Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 Those patches look like they’re placed right over the rust. I’d say cut it all out and start over. Your floor braces look salvageable if you’re careful cutting out the previous hacks… I mean previous patches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salvagedcircuit Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 Are the patches welded in or bonded? its hard to tell from the photos. I found wire wheeling helped a lot to determine the floor panel strength. It opened up all the floor pan pin holes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The86manche Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 I would try cleaning up the floors some more. It looks saveable. Like there was only one patch done towards the rear. Maybe remove the braces and clean everything up underneath and such. Get a better assessment of the floors Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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