Comanche SS Posted March 1 Author Share Posted March 1 1 hour ago, ghetdjc320 said: I was really considering a 97+ interior swap originally just for the gauges and audio options. They make a nice double din dash kit to run a decent carplay/android head unit. And the dakota digital HDX setup for the 97+ XJ/TJ is awesome. Thinking about that setup for my current TJ. Ultimately I preferred the style of the original dash and once I found such a pristine black dash I was committed. Intellitronix makes a cluster for the TJ/XJ dash and even has the LS swap sensor adapters. Very cost effective and quiality gauges. I looked at those, and while they do seem nice, I didnt love them enough to do the entire swap based around them, meanwhile I have the renix cluster that would work just fine, and is already installed LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comanche SS Posted March 7 Author Share Posted March 7 Just patiently waiting for its heart transplant... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comanche SS Posted March 9 Author Share Posted March 9 Found a local that was parting out a ZJ, so I nabbed the perfect axle for this build. Low pinion, CV axle dana 30. Has 3.55 Gears (same as my parts XJ with the 29 spline 8.25). Obviously a little crusty and needs to be 100% gone thru, but no serious rot or damage. New ball joints, seals, brakes, bearings etc. All after sandblasting and refinishing all parts. Unfortunately it was a I6 ZJ, so I couldnt get the sway bars. And it was an NP249 Tcase. So no dice on any of that. Tomorrow I plan to go to another Local's part out who has an NP242J, so stay tuned for that. This axle has a CV style yoke, unsure if I want to use that or keep with the standard U-bolt yoke style. I also have a few pairs of 1989 and down knuckles/caliper/caliper brackets that would be ideal to use for ease of big brake kits...but I know using those with CV axles can be hit or miss so I need to do some homework and figuring there. The suspension plan with this is to retain the Cam Bolt lower link mounts as I plan to run WJ OEM style control arms (non-adjustable). The upper link will probably be some sort of adjustable aftermarket arm, for the reason of running a passenger side only 3-link. With the lowered LS, upper links are commonly the issue, so I will be removing the driver link mount (casted area on center section) entirely. The passenger side will likely be removed as well, and a much short upper link mount will be installed. All this is an effort to keep the truck low and retain header clearance with the LS. Planning to use Cast manifolds instead of headers on this build. So, the lower links will be adjustable by cam bolt, the upper link will be an adjustable aftermarket style. And worst case scenario we still have adjustable ball joint options (unlikely to go this route). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comanche SS Posted March 10 Author Share Posted March 10 Got the NVG-242 picked up, looks to be in great shape and spins nicely. Â That completes the major parts required for this build, lots of small items to come up, still pondering what to do with the front driveshaft, CV vs. U Joint. Both the tcase and front axle have CV currently, so leaning a bit that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comanche SS Posted March 11 Author Share Posted March 11 Spline count and shaft lengths all play nicely  Found out eBay sells CV/CV driveshafts out if WJ's for $55 shipped, so once I get a ballpark length I need to choose an I6 or V8 model driveshaft, and modify as needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comanche SS Posted March 12 Author Share Posted March 12 So far into this build less than $2500. Some of the $0 Items were barters, offset by selling items, or spare items lying around. Lots of small items that will add up, might be all in less than $5k Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghetdjc320 Posted March 12 Share Posted March 12 Looking good so far! It's all the little trips to the hardware store and local auto parts that add up quick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comanche SS Posted March 12 Author Share Posted March 12 1 hour ago, ghetdjc320 said: Looking good so far! It's all the little trips to the hardware store and local auto parts that add up quick.  Yup! and all the last minute Ebay/Amazon/Summit orders Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comanche SS Posted March 14 Author Share Posted March 14 Got my disc brake setup for it.  KJ liberty setup. Will need a good sandblasting and refurbishing but will be good in the end.  Add $100 to the build total Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comanche SS Posted March 14 Author Share Posted March 14 Sometimes I am impulsive, Ill admit that. This whole build is kind of a representation of that LOL. Anyways, a local and his son messaged me asking for a Maroon Tilt Column, which this MJ happened to have (Even though the interior is grey)...They needed the column more than I did...So I guess that seals the deal, this jeep will be 1997+ Interior swapped. This is kind of a silver lining, because the interior trans tunnell cover was setup for a 97+ Center console anyways, I was just going to run the mismatched era interior pieces, but I have the whole parts 1998+ XJ so I guess I will just do the whole swap. Had to move the MJ to a good resting place since it won't be able to be steered for awhile. So I took my crawler XJ, my Wagoneer's Flat tow bar, and pushed the MJ with the XJ using the flat tow bar. Worked great, just needed someone to help steer. Â Bonus points, I get to look at the MJ now from my Home office day job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comanche SS Posted March 14 Author Share Posted March 14 Wouldn't let me add to the last post... 1710427626.mp4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salvagedcircuit Posted March 14 Share Posted March 14 14 hours ago, Comanche SS said: Got my disc brake setup for it.  KJ liberty setup. Will need a good sandblasting and refurbishing but will be good in the end.  Add $100 to the build total Nice! I gotta get myself a KJ rear axle for my MJ. Having a complete rear disc setup with a track width that better matches the front is pretty sweet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comanche SS Posted March 14 Author Share Posted March 14 33 minutes ago, Salvagedcircuit said: Nice! I gotta get myself a KJ rear axle for my MJ. Having a complete rear disc setup with a track width that better matches the front is pretty sweet. Â The whole KJ axle is wider than the XJ axle, its close though. It is also usually 3.73 and LSD Â My front axle is a 3.55. I have a 29 Spline 8.25 in my parts XJ with 3.55 that I plan to put the KJ brakes on and then into this MJ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comanche SS Posted March 17 Author Share Posted March 17 Got the interior pretty much entirely stripped down. Â It's about as bad as I expected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comanche SS Posted March 17 Author Share Posted March 17 Had a free afternoon, so I went ahead and made a simple patch panel for the battery tray area Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comanche SS Posted March 18 Author Share Posted March 18 Big wiring word vomit ahead: Talked with an individual on the Facebook group for LS swapped Cherokees/Comanches who re works harnesses/ECU's for compatibility with 1997+ Gauge clusters to communicate with the GM PCM. I will be getting that, but were taking it a step further and making a complete hybrid harness... I am supplying him the GM Harness/ECU and the 1998 XJ Harness/ECU and he will be hybridizing them into one complete harness that works seamlessly. Some cool takeaways: -With both ECU/Harnesses combined means three fan outputs -HVAC will work seamlessly with the stock 1997+ controls, GM Compressor, Jeep/GM sensors -HVAC will be able to kick the IAC -HVAC will be able to command 2 of the 3 fans if desired -The three fan outputs are all programmable, will likely be 187/200(or AC) on the GM ECU and 205 on the Jeep ECU -Cruise control can be implemented (I won't be doing this) -NO EMULATOR REQUIRED for the Tach if you run a 2000/2001 Jeep ECU and have the GM ECU programmed/wired in a specific way -All other gauges are plug and play considering you connect the Jeep sensors to the LS CTS, Oil PSI, Voltage etc... -Potential to run the GM ECU, Engine, off the 1997+ Jeep PDC if desired. Other than the engine/dash harness I will be installing the "upgraded" H4 Headlight harness, and address the fuel/taillight harness if needed. The 1997+ Dash harness will be untouched generally other than adding a couple switches/circuits for lights, fan override, accessories etc....also will be ditching the OEM stereo/speaker harness and running dedicated wires for that, will all new oxygen free copper, homerun grounds, and minimal splices/butts/connections. All the old drivetrain harnesses will be sold. Headlight harness being the exception due to needing it to control the new headlight harness (Will be stripped, hybridized also)   Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comanche SS Posted March 19 Author Share Posted March 19 Got a set of seat brackets from @krustyballer16Â on the way...safe to say I needed them...LOL Â The seat portion of these is almost 9/10, one small tear. Just need a good scrubbing. Also found out C2C makes Keyparts "like" floor plans now, with free shipping and much more fathomable prices, and available through amazon. So I will be ordering those up this week also. Â Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salvagedcircuit Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 29 minutes ago, Comanche SS said: Got a set of seat brackets from @krustyballer16Â on the way...safe to say I needed them...LOL Â The seat portion of these is almost 9/10, one small tear. Just need a good scrubbing. Also found out C2C makes Keyparts "like" floor plans now, with free shipping and much more fathomable prices, and available through amazon. So I will be ordering those up this week also. Â C2C does not make the floor pans. They advertise "made in the motor city" on the box. It is a flat out lie. The floor pan has a sticker that says made in Taiwan by CHL. They panels are cheapest on ebay. It's $115 for both sides. I got mine in like 5 days. I think C2C just specializes in importing at this point. If you look hard enough, I would not be surprised if the floor pans are on aliexpress /alibaba / taobao for less, but it'll take like 2 months to get. Â Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comanche SS Posted March 19 Author Share Posted March 19 9 minutes ago, Salvagedcircuit said: C2C does not make the floor pans. They advertise "made in the motor city" on the box. It is a flat out lie. The floor pan has a sticker that says made in Taiwan by CHL. They panels are cheapest on ebay. It's $115 for both sides. I got mine in like 5 days. I think C2C just specializes in importing at this point. If you look hard enough, I would not be surprised if the floor pans are on aliexpress /alibaba / taobao for less, but it'll take like 2 months to get. Â All good to know, most importantly, how do they fit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salvagedcircuit Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 The fitment is quite good. Unfortunately, they were not long enough in the front as I had some rot creep up into the driver side wheel well. I also had to add some extra on the sides as I had a cluster of pinholes that needed patching. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comanche SS Posted March 19 Author Share Posted March 19 1 minute ago, Salvagedcircuit said: The fitment is quite good. Unfortunately, they were not long enough in the front as I had some rot creep up into the driver side wheel well. I also had to add some extra on the sides as I had a cluster of pinholes that needed patching. Â Looks good enough to me to NOT justify the quite large price difference for keyparts... Â Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salvagedcircuit Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 The end result came out nicely. I have not had a chance to use the keyparts comanche parts, but I greatly respect their work as they recently brought to market the top floor caps (the rusted out part I showed above) and they look spot on. Keyparts also has the side braces and full length floor pans. No one else offers these. Â I wish I did my floors when they were available, I would have saved a bunch of time by not having to re-bend and straighten the very disheveled side braces and re-welding, bead blasting and flattening the top floor cap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comanche SS Posted March 19 Author Share Posted March 19 1 minute ago, Salvagedcircuit said: The end result came out nicely. I have not had a chance to use the keyparts parts, but I greatly respect their offerings as they recently brought to market the top floor caps (the rusted out part I showed above) and they look nearly spot on. They also have the side braces. No one else offers these. I wish I did my floors when they were available, I would have saved a bunch of time by not having to re-bend and straighten the very disheveled side braces and re-welding, bead blasting and flattening the top floor cap. Â I do plan to get the top floor braces from Key Parts, although the floor pans they offer are almost $200 a peice, that would cost about as much as I paid for the truck lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salvagedcircuit Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 You sir got a smoking deal for $200! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comanche SS Posted March 20 Author Share Posted March 20 Had an hour to kill, and couldn't get all greasy, so I scrubbed the seats. Before is on the right. Cleaned up decent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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