Htchevyii Posted January 24 Share Posted January 24 It's a little late to start a build thread, although the truck is in a constant state of refinement. I'll go over what I have done, what worked and what I'd do different. My dad bought the MJ when I was in highschool in 1992. I purchased it in 1995. In 2005, I gave it back to my dad and in 2011 he gave it back. In 2020 during COVID, we got bored and decided to get the old MJ back on the road. The distributor drive gear had worn out on the cam. Early pictures are scarce since we weren't walking around with cameras in our pocket in those days. When I first got it, it had a set of nice Prime 2 piece wheels and 30x9.50's. The oldest photo I could find is below, it had a 3" Rancho lift and 30 or 31's. The chrome wheels rusted, so I sandblasted and painted them. There is a walk around video on YouTube link f you're impatient and want to see everything now. It's a few years old, I'll probably do an updated one eventually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89 MJ Posted January 24 Share Posted January 24 Glad to see a build thread for this truck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Htchevyii Posted January 24 Author Share Posted January 24 44 minutes ago, 89 MJ said: Glad to see a build thread for this truck! Thanks! Here's the MJ when I got it back from my dad in 2011. It was pretty much in the same configuration as when I gave it to him except for some windshield frame rust and the SEM bedliner that he applied. It already had an AX15 & Ford 8.8 swap when I gave it to him as well as a new 4.5" short arm lift & 32x12.5's (long arms were rare back then). There was also a crappy Pacesetter header that I had installed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Htchevyii Posted January 24 Author Share Posted January 24 We had parked the MJ in about 2016 when the distributor drive gear on the cam went bad. We have lots of other vehicles and projects, so the MJ sat on the back burner. 2020 during COVID was when things changed. We got bored and decided that we wanted to go to the Gambler 500 in OR. For those that don't know, it's kind of an unofficial off road rally where you go to different waypoints and pick up trash on public lands. Sometimes BIG trash like boats, cars and trailers. The event revolves around cheap beater vehicles, although everything is welcome. We decided that instead of buying and putting work into another vehicle, we should just put that time and money into the MJ. So we rebuilt the engine and fitted it with a modified Amazon ladder rack, a tent off of Marketplace and some new 33's that rubbed like crazy. We were afraid to spend much money during the uncertain start of COVID. I'll include a few photos and a video link for the Gambler if anyone wants to see more, it's a hoot. Pretty much a giant party. Some of the photos are of latter years, photos of the first event are scarce. Anyway, the hook was set. We had a great time camping in the MJ and started planning bigger trips. Now the real work would begin. We had 4 months before we would set off on a 3,000 mile trip! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Htchevyii Posted January 25 Author Share Posted January 25 We needed to deal with the tire rubbing and high under hood and cabin temperatures before heading out on a 3,000 mile trip to Death Valley and Mojave. So we added a set of Napier Precision flares, ( I wish that they were still available) and a hood louver for a TJ. Overheating was never an issue, it just got so hot under the hood after several hours of driving that you couldn't touch anything. A thick single core radiator from Performance Radiator and upgraded E-fan from a newer XJ complete the cooling system. We also replaced every hose on the Jeep and any other wear part that seemed critical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Htchevyii Posted January 29 Author Share Posted January 29 Then we headed out on our first big trip, still the longest one that we've ever been on. 3,000 miles in the old MJ that had sat dormant for years until the Gambler trip. We hit the Mojave road, Death Valley, route 66 to Kingman AZ, Valley of Fire, Etc. It was kinda nerve racking in the untested truck and we didn't have the satellite communicator that we now carry. We had the u joints replaced in Barstow because of a vibration. It didn't fix it, so we just kept on trucking and let it shake for another 2500 miles. It was such an awesome trip even though some aspects were weird because of COVID and even though it was nerve racking at times, it was fun and exciting.. we were hooked! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Htchevyii Posted January 30 Author Share Posted January 30 We were at a yard sale and there was a guy selling a set of axles from a TJ. The front had this HD steering link, it takes a larger drag link end on each side, so I can carry a new spare that will replace any of the 3. It also included a Warn hub conversion, diff skid and a Lock-right. The rear Dana 35 had a Super 35 kit with a Detroit Locker and 30 spline axles. I had already swapped in a Ford 8.8, so I sold the rear axle for enough to pay for everything. We use a simple battery isolator with a group 31 lead acid battery in the bed to run our 12v Dometic fridge and change devices. We've never needed more power than that, but we usually don't stay more than a day or two in one place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gvthnks Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 Nice. I love the back story and that the Comanche has been in the family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Htchevyii Posted January 30 Author Share Posted January 30 On 1/30/2026 at 11:03 AM, gvthnks said: Nice. I love the back story and that the Comanche has been in the family. Thanks, it's definitely changed and evolved over the years. I left out that the Original owner and my dad were timber fallers, so it was already pretty used and had about 160k when I got it. I actually remember seeing it when it was brand new and didn't even have plates yet when his friend bought it. I loved it then, I'd been reading about them in magazines and they were so superior to the S10 and Ranger. I proposed to my wife on the tailgate on the beach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Htchevyii Posted February 1 Author Share Posted February 1 The control arm drop brackets from Rocky Road Outfitters drastically improved the ride. Springs are Rubicon Express 4.5" with a 1" spacer, though they have probably sagged over the years. The upper control arms and track bar are from Core 4x4. Shocks are Fox Adventure 2.0's. the rear has a spring over Ford 8.8 swap with a few extra leaves. I do need to replace the springs eventually. It works so well that I have no intention of going long arm at this time. The steering box brace is from Amazon. I wanted the Boostwerks one, but he was offline. I'll probably upgrade someday, but besides being a little fiddly to be install, this one is working fine. I'll post a video link for it's not install. I don't really like the angle of the front sway bar after the required drop brackets, shorter end links might be the cure. Removing the bar isn't an option since my wife drives it and we take trips in the he thousands of miles that require high speed driving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Htchevyii Posted February 4 Author Share Posted February 4 We were short on space on long trips, so the spare tire was moved to the rear. The tire mount was from Body Armor 4x4 and sold for a Tacoma. It's mounted to a home made heavy duty bumper that was on the a Jeep when my dad bought it way back in 1992. I wouldn't recommend the carrier, some of the welds had zero penetration and cracked. The company wasn't easy to deal with so I rewelded it myself. For almost $500, I would expect better. Interior is mostly factory with an XJ console, Nickintime clock mounted REM and an organizer attached to the back of the cab. It's amazing how much stuff that we can pack in there for a multi week trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiNi Beast Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 .subscribed and now I get pics ..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drahcir495 Posted February 9 Share Posted February 9 I will be checking in often Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Htchevyii Posted February 9 Author Share Posted February 9 We took several successful trips, with a little refining between each one. Driveline vibes seemed a little excessive, so we added an Advance Adapters SYE, a new rear driveshaft from Adam's Driveshaft and threw a new chain in while we were at it. The rear axle was shimmed to give the correct driveshaft angle for the CV. You can see the spare tire inside of the bed as well as the fuel cans in the early photo. This took up valuable space and the fuel was difficult the access. As much as I hate to buy "trendy" gear, the Rotopax fuel jugs can easily be accessed even with a full bed that is covered with a canvas tarp. I bought blems from the Rotopax website at a significant discount. My saved search on eBay finally paid off when a NOS Spectre cowl intake showed up. Heather was off work for a few months during COVID. She usually doesn't get bored enough to spend much time in the shop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Htchevyii Posted February 9 Author Share Posted February 9 Sorry, this is a long one! Then came the worst trip of our life! Looking back now, it's just a blip on the radar. Nobody got hurt or killed and the MJ lived to continue to take us on adventures. For a few days though it seemed like everything that could go wrong did. We were on a very loose rocky trail next to Lake Owyhee in eastern OR. The trail disappeared so we turned around and started heading back. It turns out that the "road" shown on our map only exists at low lake levels. The trail collapsed sending the rear of the truck sliding sideways. I turned the front tires downhill and gassed it for a second to keep from rolling and then tried to correct our course. I couldn't do it quickly enough and we were in the lake before we were pointing the right direction again. In hindsight, I probably should have been barely crawling, (or not there at all), but we had no problem on the way there. The truck was dead, and almost all of our electronics ruined and we were miles from the nearest town, Boise Idaho. Luckily, Heather had managed to save our Garmin Inreach from the lake. We messaged my parents to try to get us a tow, in the meantime, we talked a fisherman into pulling us out of the lake. I forced the steering so hard that I stripped out the steering shaft during the tow, now it only sorta steered. AAA told my parents that because of COVID, the tow truck would not give us a ride, so they jumped in their Jeep and started on the 12 hour drive to rescue us. Luckily the driver did give us a ride, but we were about to have more problems. The driver's dog took off, finally after yelling and looking, he came back. Then we made it about 15 minutes down the road before steam started coming out from under the hood of the tow truck. A plastic hose fitting had broken. The driver wasn't about the call for help, and tried to Jerry rig it, we even stole some clamps off the MJ. A short time later, I smelled coolant and asked the driver how the temp was? He said that it spiked, but was now OK. I told him I smelled coolant and suggested that we check, but he refused. As we continued, I could tell the truck was getting hotter and hotter. We made it to the pavement and it was in limp mode and barely crawling. He still didn't want to stop. We finally coasted into a gas station and it froze up... More problems were to come, still ... This trip was the first one that Heather had decided to video for YouTube. More recent videos are much better. I still can barely watch this one. 😬 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Htchevyii Posted February 12 Author Share Posted February 12 The tow truck driver called and woke up his parents to give us a ride to the motel. Something was wrong with their car, so we had to ride back to their house and change vehicles. The next day my parents arrived in their Wrangler. We will just grab a U haul and trailer and head 800 miles home, right. Well, unfortunately there were no car trailers or dollies available in the Boise area. We had to rent the U haul and drive 120 miles or so to another town to get the dolly. Then we couldn't get the tow company to answer the phone to find out where the MJ was. Heather and my mom were just hanging out at a park waiting for us and they saw another tow truck drive by from the same company. They followed him home and found out the MJ and tow truck were still at that gas station out of town. Finally, he went and transferred the MJ from one truck to another and brought it to us. Half a day later, are were on our way home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Htchevyii Posted February 12 Author Share Posted February 12 Finally we were home! The inside was already turning in a terrarium, so I removed it all then ran a dehumidifier inside the cab for several days. Every electrical plug that I could access was disconnected and cleaned with electronics cleaner as were relays. Surprisingly, the ECM survived after drying as did my REM. All of the fluids were changed and the fuel tank drained. Apparently the water smoked the fuel pump, so it was replaced as was the starter. I figured that the interior being removed was the perfect time to go ahead and remove the windshield to fix windshield frame rust and have a rubber moulding installed. I bought a rusty parts XJ to swap in an A/C heater box while the dash was out. Oh course, I had to do a few donuts in the XJ first.😁 AQNAdU99IMdfiPH-aRHSFwVqilXraRzDDG6uf8LWeEAnKM79jf8Brixbm-I6IxRR1NAtRsKLNtVnS4GjqoGKsMw.mp4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Htchevyii Posted Thursday at 05:05 AM Author Share Posted Thursday at 05:05 AM The Jeep was back together and running again and the windshield frame rust was finally repaired. I also installed the AC heater box along with a new heater core and evaporator. I still haven't tackled the under hood part of the conversion, (the parts XJ is so rusty that most parts under the hood are unusable). The previous owner lived on the beach! We took it on a few test trips and then headed to Nevada to the Black Rock desert. We had just completed a pretty rough section of the trail when the internal slave cylinder gave out. It was a LUK unit with about 10k on it. This left us 500 miles from home without a functional clutch. We found a route home with minimal stops and drove home by starting it in gear and rev matching the shifts. Once we got home, I decided that I wasn't going to do that again! We put in a brand new AX15 from Advance Adapters with their external slave conversion kit. I rebuilt the transfer case while I was at it. I'll post video links to the drive home and the conversion if anyone is interested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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