jtdesigns Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 Oh yeah,, nice cooling mods... (I'm really just jealous... :nanner: ) I like the new cooling can. still jealous... :nanner: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drahcir495 Posted January 3, 2009 Author Share Posted January 3, 2009 Oh yeah,, nice cooling mods... (I'm really just jealous... :nanner: ) I like the new cooling can. still jealous... :nanner: That is more like it ;) . Here-> Are you happy now? I am sure my motor will be :brows: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtdesigns Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 Thats more like it. ;) :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james750 Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 yeah, I have been using the carquest filters in all the XJs and my MJ since I got them, No problems yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drahcir495 Posted January 18, 2009 Author Share Posted January 18, 2009 There have been a couple of posts in the last few weeks about upgrading to the H4 E-code headlights. A few have even said if you’re sticking with the factory wattage bulbs, no upgrade is needed to the wiring harness. My truck’s wiring is 20 years old and what fun would there be in keeping the stock wattage bulbs? After finding this site on Upgrading the Headlight Wiring Harness -> http://gojeep.willyshotrod.com/HowtoHeadlightLoom.htm . Just for the record, I followed FitchVA’s instructions on this one. In a week or so, I managed to gather all the parts needed to make the harness. Now I was ready to start assembling the harness! I cleared up a spot in the garage, gathered all the parts, and printed out FitchVA’s article for reference -> The project ended up spreading across a good portion of my garage floor -> I soldered and shrunk wrapped all connection and never had a problem getting parts to connect like I read on other posts. I left the Driver’s side wires a little long at 8’ to ensure that I would not be short {they ended up being 6.5’ long} -> I realized I needed a few more feet of Black split flex tubing before I could thread the wiring harness into place, so I headed off to Lowes and found a good deal on the tubing. Adding the split flex tubing to the harness to get it ready to go in -> I mounted the relays to the inner Passenger’s side fender near the battery. I checked for clearance first and then I used some stainless steel screws to secure them -> Ran the harness through to the Passenger’s side light bucket and attached the H4 male connector into the Passenger’s side factory headlight. The final connection would end up behind the light bucket, but that would not make for a good picture -> I actually ended up taking the front grill off, so I could get the harness threaded through easier. I also taped up the original Driver Side socket since it will not be used -> These are the length that worked for my location and needs. I would view these numbers as a reference point to start from. Your lengths may differ, so be sure to measure out placement before attempting your own. You may want to shorten or lengthen your version to your specifications. A few notes – I purchased way too much Red 10 AWG wire and not enough Black. I needed to buy an extra roll of Black 10AWG after I burnt through the first 8FT to make the grounds for the headlight connection. I guess I could have eliminated that expense by using the 14 AWG wire for the grounds. And Napa is more expensive, lol. Black 14AWG 2 @ 15” Relay Grounds Black 14AWG 1 @ 30” Headlight Relay Red 14AWG 1 @ 30” Headlight Relay Red 10AWG 2 @ 7” Fuses Black 10AWG 1 @ 30” PS Headlight Red 10AWG 1 @ 30” PS Headlight Black 10AWG 1 @ 80” DS Headlight Red 10AWG 1 @ 80” DS Headlight Black 10AWG 2 @ 15” Headlight Grounds I tested the head lights to insure that the lights worked, and that the High & low beams were correct. Wow, what an improvement with the wiring harness alone! I just now need to decide on the brand and wattage of the new bulbs I will use. I am leaning towards the Autopal E-codes right now. I need to do some research before I make my final decision, but the lights are already greatly improved. I also came across this article on turning the side marker light into a turn signal repeater light by Andreas Ritterbush -> http://www.madxj.com/ . It was very easy to do, but again I suggest printing out at least the schematic as a guide. I had to replace the Driver’s side light plug because it was bad. The Passenger’s side had been replaced by the PO, but it was not soldered. I was able to securely solder the joints and use the new heat shrink tubing on both sides. After placing new bulbs in everything, the modification work exactly as stated in Andreas’ write-up. It is a worthy and simple mod in my opinion, and I am very pleased with the results. The replcement socket/bulb spliced in and soldered -> Before I get into the cost and materials needed for the project, I need to mention an extra expense not mentioned in FitchVA’s Write-up. At the time Fitch wrote the article I am sure this was not an issue. Delcity now has a minimum order requirement http://www.delcity.net/delcity/servlet/ ... 4&page=1??? I could not meet the min order amount with just the relays and bases, so I conceded to order more. I ordered their Over Armor™ Shrink Tube Kit which, in the end, I was glad I picked it up. That is some nice tubing. AutoZone 8FT 10AWG Black (1) $ 4.49 RadioShack 35FT 10AWG Red (1) $ 17.59 Napa 8FT 10AWG Black (1) $ 6.99 Total 10AWG Actually Used 22 x .57 FT (22’) $12.54 AutoZone 20FT 14AWG Black (1) $ 5.19 AutoZone 20FT 14AWG Red (1) $ 5.19 Total 14AWG Actually Used 7.5 x .57 FT (7.5’) $ 1.95 RadioShack 30A Inline Fuse (2) $ 5.38 Sales Tax 7% $ 3.14 Dell City Shrink Tube Kit (1) $ 16.47 Dell City Relay (2) $ 11.00 Dell City Plug-in Base for Relay (2) $ 3.96 Dell City Shipping (1) $ 9.50 Comagination H4 Female Housing (2) $ 5.25 Comagination H4 Male Housing (1) $ 3.45 Comagination Shipping (1) $ 5.70 Lowes 7’ (1/2) Split Flex Tubing (1) $ 4.00 Already Had 30A Fuses (2) $ 0.00 Already Had Various Split Flex Tubing (-) $ 0.00 Already Had Ring Terminals/10AWG (3) $ 0.00 Already Had Ring Terminals/14AWG (2) $ 0.00 Already Had Solder (-) $ 0.00 Already Had Zip Ties (-) $ 0.00 Already Had Electrical Tape (-) $ 0.00 Already Had Wire Striper/Tools (-) $ 0.00 Already Had Soldering Station (-) $ 0.00 My total cost was $107.30 (if my math is correct), but the actual cost would be closer to $70.00 if sourced properly. The custom harness total makes some of these option look pretty good. CONS – Aftermarket wiring harness options -> http://store.summitracing.com/partdetai ... toview=sku $26 http://www.autodynamic.com/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=HH-H4 $34 I would trust the Painless harness http://store.summitracing.com/partdetai ... toview=sku over the other 2, but at $129.95 I think I will stick to my custom harness. PROS – I made it myself :D ! I read that the longer the length of the wire, the greater the increase in the voltage drop (so I read). Universal harness are just that UNIVERSAL. Mine is a perfect fit, no extra plugs or added length. I cannot be certain of the guage of the wire used in these aftermarket harnesses, but I am sure some of these kits use smaller gauge wire. Are they crimped together, or soldered? What is the quality of the parts? I soldered everything and know the quality of the work and materials. ~ I worked for an American manufacturer for a few years, so I became an expert at soldering. This was just a fun project with incredible results. :clapping: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtdesigns Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 You need to take this whole post and make a DIY thread... XLNT job!! :thumbsup: :cheers: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drahcir495 Posted January 23, 2009 Author Share Posted January 23, 2009 You need to take this whole post and make a DIY thread... XLNT job!! :thumbsup: :cheers: Thanx Brah :oops: . I think it would end up being a weak plagiarized version of FitchVa's and Go-Jeeps efforts. They did all the work; I just added a bit of information that I would like to have seen in the write-up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtdesigns Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 You need to take this whole post and make a DIY thread... XLNT job!! :thumbsup: :cheers: Thanx Brah :oops: . I think it would end up being a weak plagiarized version of FitchVa's and Go-Jeeps efforts. They did all the work; I just added a bit of information that I would like to have seen in the write-up. True, but someone who wants to do this would have better luck finding it in the DIY.. EDIT: by the way,, you still added your touches that ultimately makes it your mod. Plus you have pics that the sites don't .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drahcir495 Posted January 24, 2009 Author Share Posted January 24, 2009 Cabz was kind enough to post a tread in the classified section about a LB Comanche in a salvage yard in Ocala :cheers:. Among other things, it had the elusive Comanche long bed topper on it. This is something that I have been looking to upgrade my MJ with for some time now. After procrastinating for a few week and several confirmations on the style of the topper, I borrowed bwatsoncj’s trailer and headed down to Gavin’s auto to pick up the topper. The MJ was a rusted out 1992, but the topper was in great shape! It had about everything I was looking for; two rear locking handles, fiberglass construction, long side windows that opened up so my pups could get air, available locally, of course a long bed topper, and no funky 80’s side windows – it does have the extra side windows but they are not that bad. This thing is awesome and the price was unbeatable - $42!!!! It also had factory tinted windows, so my Dogs are really happy about that. The down sides were; it was in red {now I’ll get all painted at the same time}, it was missing the key for the lock, and the gasket that fits the breezeway was MIA. I was able to picked up a set of keys from the manufacturer and the breezeway gasket from a local topper store-> The only picture I have of the topper on the original truck ~ crappy cell phone picture -> Here she is on the MJ for the first time -> It even had the lock cover attached – back view -> It is a good start. I wanted to customize the look with maybe some lighting, or a roof rack. I started milling through my garage and found some PVC pipe and connectors that I could use to mock up a roof rack before I invested the materials. I also found some old XJ factory roof rack rails in the corner – hmm these may work. Then I just sat staring at the topper and brain stormed about what I was going for. I knew I wanted the rails to follow the lines of the topper. The rails look like they were designed for the topper, but they were too long -> They needed to be cut down and at an angle to match the step in the rear of the topper. I made them long enough to match the lifted center section of the topper. First piece cut -> Two finished pieces -> Close enough to the shape of the step that I should be able to fill it in with some black RTV -> I had to make a trip to the pick-n-pull to grab the parts I did not have – cross supports and rail clamps. While I was at the salvage yard, I took some time and measured the distance the rails were set apart on some of the factory roof racks and the distance from the outer edges. With that measurement I was able to get a starting point for lining them up on the topper. Got the rails centered under the location of the mock rack, which worked out a bit smaller than the original spacing on the XJ’s. I double checked the spacing of the two rails front and back, and then marked the holes. I will be using ¼ 20 SS hardware, so I drilled out the marks using the ¼ inch hole and added lock nuts and washers -> And the rails were in -> I am looking into bending some aluminum pipe inside for support, but that is still down the road. I needed to cut down the cross bar so it would fit into the much narrower track width -> I marked the cross bar where I had taken the measurement with the tape and cut it -> Oops :ack:! I did not factor in the slight curve in the material and it ended up being a little too short : headpop: . I still managed to get it to work out better than expected. The new end assembled -> Drilled out two small holes about 1.5 inches from the ends for the light studs and secured them to the bar. Two lights on bar and the mock-up topper rack -> Same set up from the side -> I thought that it needed two more lights to complete the look, so drilled out two more holes and added the lights. I cut up the gap strip and place it between each light to give it a finished look -> I also kicked the outer most lights out a bit to widen the reach of the light-> Head-on shot of the painted mocked-up roof rack & lights -> Another angle -> Played with the picture to try and eliminate the red to get an idea of the final look -> The roof rack will be next. I still need to get the Aluminum pipe and some time to do it right. TBC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92comanche4x4 Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 i think this is one of the sweetest comanche on the sit i like the looks of it with the cap keep up the good work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtdesigns Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 Whens this Beast getting paint??? :brows: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drahcir495 Posted January 28, 2009 Author Share Posted January 28, 2009 i think this is one of the sweetest comanche on the sit i like the looks of it with the cap keep up the good work I appreciate that :thumbsup: Whens this Beast getting paint??? :brows: I don't know why I am putting it off? Well, that's not entirely true. Getting burned and having to pay double the price is part of it. I had to limp the Ford home - again - last night. I would love to blow it up, or sell it. Then I could get my paint job ;) . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtdesigns Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 i think this is one of the sweetest comanche on the sit i like the looks of it with the cap keep up the good work I appreciate that :thumbsup: Whens this Beast getting paint??? :brows: I don't know why I am putting it off? Well, that's not entirely true. Getting burned and having to pay double the price is part of it. I had to limp the Ford home - again - last night. I would love to blow it up, or sell it. Then I could get my paint job ;) . Probably be best to paint in FL in the Winter... Paint and humidity don't like each other... When is FL the dryest anyway?? That'd be the prime time to shoot some sparkles.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOrnbrod Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 Hey Rich, I know how difficult it is to find an MJ specific camper shell for the longbed. After looking for a year and a half, I got mine by flying to PA and buying a whole truck and driving it home. Kept the camper shell, took everything off the PA 89 Pioneer I wanted, then sold it which more than paid for the trip and paint job w. a few $$ to spare. Luckily the shell was a Leer flat top unit, and I've been toying with putting a rack on top as you did. Since it's a flat top unit it should be easier. I like the looks of your rack - thanks for the ideas. How long were the rails on the XJ roof rack? 'Course, my rack will be chrome. :D Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtdesigns Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 :agree: That looks pretty BA... By the way Rich have you ever seen this write-up? http://gojeep.willyshotrod.com/HowtoLightRack.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbhill Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 looks freakin sweet. urethane paint can be shot any time. humidity doesnt really affect it like lacquer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOrnbrod Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 Disagree. Try spraying polyurethane in high humidity w/o a retardent. Pure milk finish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Sam Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 Like the shell, thats exactly the kind I want for my MJ. Dunno where I am going to find it.................(soft crying noises) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtdesigns Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 Disagree. Try spraying polyurethane in high humidity w/o a retardent. Pure milk finish. Yeah thinking more about clear... I mean he!! who shoots acrylic anymore??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Sam Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 Disagree. Try spraying polyurethane in high humidity w/o a retardent. Pure milk finish. Yeah thinking more about clear... I mean he!! who shoots acrylic anymore??? I do all the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtdesigns Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 Disagree. Try spraying polyurethane in high humidity w/o a retardent. Pure milk finish. Yeah thinking more about clear... I mean he!! who shoots acrylic anymore??? I do all the time. I like it too.. :teehee: But its harder to fix if you mess up. I wouldnt shoot it on anything custom or "nice" but it does take a beating.. But, theres other paints out there that take a beating better. And if you can't shoot acrylic to be glossy without runs stay away from it.. I can fix a run it poly before or after it dries,, but acrylic is a different story. Rich what plans do you have to paint this truck??? You going to spray it yourself? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Sam Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 Disagree. Try spraying polyurethane in high humidity w/o a retardent. Pure milk finish. Yeah thinking more about clear... I mean he!! who shoots acrylic anymore??? I do all the time. I like it too.. :teehee: But its harder to fix if you mess up. I wouldnt shoot it on anything custom or "nice" but it does take a beating.. But, theres other paints out there that take a beating better. And if you can't shoot acrylic to be glossy without runs stay away from it.. I can fix a run it poly before or after it dries,, but acrylic is a different story. Rich what plans do you have to paint this truck??? You going to spray it yourself? I like the smell :ack: I'm going to switch to urethane when I spray my CRD MJ. Figure its time to give it a try and I think it will buff down better than acrylic. /hijack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drahcir495 Posted January 30, 2009 Author Share Posted January 30, 2009 I like the looks of your rack - thanks for the ideas. How long were the rails on the XJ roof rack? 'Course, my rack will be chrome. :D Don Thanks hornbrod. The rails were right around 6', maybe a tad over. Of course yours will be chrome :clapping: . :agree: That looks pretty BA... By the way Rich have you ever seen this write-up?http://gojeep.willyshotrod.com/HowtoLightRack.htm You know what - I visit his site at least once a month, but I have never seen that :hmm: . That is pretty sweet. Thanks for the heads up :thumbsup: . looks freakin sweet. :cheers: I will post up final dimensions and design after I complete it. It still in in "developement" :yes: . Like the shell, thats exactly the kind I want for my MJ. Dunno where I am going to find it.................(soft crying noises) I found mine through the classifieds here :bowdown: . Hang in there, one will come up . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drahcir495 Posted January 30, 2009 Author Share Posted January 30, 2009 Rich what plans do you have to paint this truck??? You going to spray it yourself? I don't think I am ready to try it on my own :( . We are getting a new shop and building a paint booth for it - soon :dunno: ? I am going to paint my CJ7 and see how that works out. I really don't have the tools or time to paint the truck now, so I will leave it to a professional :popcorn: . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drahcir495 Posted January 30, 2009 Author Share Posted January 30, 2009 I hit my parents’ property to test out the truck. They have probably one of the most unique properties in Florida. It has large oaks, rolling hills, spring fed ponds, and giant Limestone rocks. I decided to head out on Wednesday to give my Dad a hand repairing some fence and other maintenance repairs. I had a great time and the truck did well, but was never really tested in any way – yet! Here are a few shots from the day. Found a new tenant in one of the ponds -> One of my favorite pictures -> The biggest surprise was the Camel. The neighbors have some unique pets. Sorry, it was too dark by the time I got back with the camera. I will have to snap a picture of that next time I am out there. 3/09 got it -> Big arse tree -> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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