1990 co"MAN"che

[dscowell]

well everybody if you don't know already I have a White 1990 Jeep Comanche. She has a inline 6cyl 5spd mannual trans 4x4 Dana 30 in the front and Dana 35 in the rear. She has a little over 232k on the chassis when I got her the first owner told me that he recently had the engine rebuild with 10k on it I've put about 2k on her so far. The only thing I have done so far is but some new wheels which are Pro Comp 1069-15x8. Other then that she is stock til I get some money to get more upgrades. Now for a quick history! Unfortunately this is my second vechile my first was a 1997 TJ which bit the dust on the way to school one day. The drive shaft I believe was able to wiggle itself free and fall off while i was at a light. The rust on the frame and tub were so bad it couldnt be fixed with out replacing the whole frame so we said forget it and got a manche.

drivers side
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/1cb5f02a542eb82ba4b5ac9c514825d0_zpsfb4c8c66.jpg
passangers side
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/9bdf6f99fb13be43767a1b3fce97c866_zpsb9646db3.jpg?t =1363735122
front view
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/50738c50ec7d7a488418e5bb628f054c_zps3011c69f.jpg?t =1363735114
back view quite a bit of rust on the bottom of the bumper otherwise it is solid
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/2ff3e425b48553be63276a6f8769dcf9_zpsd14d55d1.jpg?t =1363735120
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/f30afd8199a62621a1ad9c9e56e3772a_zpse5dbad0b.jpg?t =1363735119
pro comp series 1069
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/530d57c1c14a380f4b3f35ef9cf99793_zps60fbde71.jpg?t =1363735125
Dana 30 in the front i believe
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/2014e53eebd6baff96e555d7501b70cd_zpsf2dbdb13.jpg?t =1363735123
D35 in the rear
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/4ea652a0368002232eefa3058dda6300_zps73dff519.jpg?t =1363735124
the inline 6cyl
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/34ade746554d7d56b3761e63e4608208_zps4d2268a4.jpg?t =1363735126
The only major rust spot on the truck other then the bumper ill take off the fender flares with in a week or two and see if its worse under the fender flare. Lets hope not
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/5455d0c5d3a49591a24483640a82dd73_zpsb559beeb.jpg?t =1363735121

[Tom]

welcome Dante

[ExplorerTom]

Nice!

if it were mine and I were in HS, I'd start by getting a can of engine degreaser and spraying down the engine and let it soak according to the directions on the can. Then spray it off- really well. A clean engine is easy to spot leaks and fix before they get too bad. Maybe spray down that rear diff as well.

I don't know much about the suspensions under Jeeps, but you could probably do a lift fairly inexpensively. Maybe not.

Do you know the condition of the fluids? Like the transfer case, front and rear diffs? May want to get those changed. Me than likely an easy DIY.

[xaza]

The nice thing about the comanche is it is basically an XJ with a bed, should be easy enough to find parts and plenty of after market stuff available. There was a pretty nice comanche on our last wheeling trip to central city, the trail run report and owner are on the forum.

[Adaa60]

Welcome & nice jeep.

[dscowell]

Nice!

if it were mine and I were in HS, I'd start by getting a can of engine degreaser and spraying down the engine and let it soak according to the directions on the can. Then spray it off- really well. A clean engine is easy to spot leaks and fix before they get too bad. Maybe spray down that rear diff as well.

I don't know much about the suspensions under Jeeps, but you could probably do a lift fairly inexpensively. Maybe not.

Do you know the condition of the fluids? Like the transfer case, front and rear diffs? May want to get those changed. Me than likely an easy DIY.

No I haven't checked the fluids but I will make sure to in the up coming weeks and were can you get engine degreaser Im assuming a NAPA or autozone?


The nice thing about the comanche is it is basically an XJ with a bed, should be easy enough to find parts and plenty of after market stuff available. There was a pretty nice comanche on our last wheeling trip to central city, the trail run report and owner are on the forum.

Yeah im on an all comanche fourm as well and have learned alot in terms of interchangable parts with other jeep vehciles as well as dakotas

[Patrolman]

Welcome! Cool rig. Not your every day vehicle for sure!

[The StRanger]

Im assuming a NAPA or auto zone



Advanced auto parts
Cant go wrong !!!

[Popsgarage]

Nice, mines an '89! I've got a 4" Rubicon Express long arm kit sitting in the garage waiting to go under it. It's got a rear 44 and I've got a non-disconnect 30 sitting in the back of the driveway art for the front. Right now I've got it sitting on 33's with no lift and no cutting.

[Fordguy77]

Nice rig! Looks like a fun project! From the Pics it looks like you have a plastic bed liner, they are notorious for trapping water and allowing the bed to rust out from right underneath them, so you may think about removing it.

[dscowell]

Nice rig! Looks like a fun project! From the Pics it looks like you have a plastic bed liner, they are notorious for trapping water and allowing the bed to rust out from right underneath them, so you may think about removing it.

Yeah it does have a plastic bedliner on it which I don't like. Once I the money and it comes up on my checklist of things to do I will get it Rhinolined I think it looks way better and tougher then the plastic bedliner

[Fordguy77]

Yeah it does have a plastic bedliner on it which I don't like. Once I the money and it comes up on my checklist of things to do I will get it Rhinolined I think it looks way better and tougher then the plastic bedliner
If you plan on taking your rig somewhere to have it rhinolined, make sure to take it to a quality shop. Some places skimp on the prep work, or make mistakes in applying it and it can cause it to look not as nice as it could, or ever chip and wear funny.

I do like rhinoliner more than linex, and have tried both on a few different rigs, and will take rhino over linex anyday. But I have had some friends have really good luck with Herculiner, and Al's Liner, but those are more DIY kits.

There was a member on here who did his whole rig in Al's Liner i believe and it turned out looking great.

[Rick]

with Herculinergood stuff,just make sure you do great prep work

[glacierpaul]

Looking forward to your build of this co'man'che :)

[dscowell]

If you plan on taking your rig somewhere to have it rhinolined, make sure to take it to a quality shop. Some places skimp on the prep work, or make mistakes in applying it and it can cause it to look not as nice as it could, or ever chip and wear funny.

I do like rhinoliner more than linex, and have tried both on a few different rigs, and will take rhino over linex anyday. But I have had some friends have really good luck with Herculiner, and Al's Liner, but those are more DIY kits.

There was a member on here who did his whole rig in Al's Liner i believe and it turned out looking great.

Before we had the comanche we had a 94 chevy silverado that my dad got rhinolined so he would know where to go thanks for the advice!

[dscowell]

not much of an update today just removing the tint the was on the driver side and rear windows

removed most of the tint but it still left behind a very thin second layer which I will live with for now sense I plan on upgrading to 97+ cherokee doors eventually.
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/IMG_5457_zpsee4122bd.jpg?t=1364513488
Rear window still need to wipe up the left over glue but I will finally be able to see better at night
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/IMG_5460_zps59cdf217.jpg?t=1364513702
Another view of the rear window
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/IMG_5459_zpsd2592c0f.jpg?t=1364513685

[Fordguy77]

Nice Job, getting off that old tint can be a pain in the ass.

[Popsgarage]

They sell a tint glue remover at Autozone for a couple of bucks. Works like a charm when used carefully with a razor blade.

[dscowell]

well I saw on youtube to just use a ton of ammonia solution and that works good too. I was using goo gone and it was working fine as well.

[Chris]

Coincidentally I was removing tint today too. I did the steamer method which is pretty damn nice. I bought a $30 unit from WalMart and took the tint off the front side windows, it took about an hour including the final wipe down for the two windows. I highly recommend it. I talked to a shop and they said they'd do it for $30 - 40 so I figure I came out ahead because it's done and I have a steamer. Yeah, I have no idea what other use it has either! :lmao:

Anyone removing tint is welcome to borrow it!

[Rob]

I have no idea what other use it has either

You could steam the wrinkles out of those raggedy T-shirts you wear. :)

[dscowell]

I did the steamer method which is pretty damn nice. I bought a $30 unit from WalMart


I did the same thing works super good. I got my steamer from bed bath and beyond for like 20 bucks but it was a portalable one so it had to be refilled after almost every window

[Adaa60]

Dude! steamers are great for detailing your cars. cleans vents and stuff great, as well as removeing decals, and all other weird uses.

i get fun with my tools and like to think of myself as a crafty *******. i got a hft steemer about three years ago. fantastic for cleaning the car and i have even used it to repair a few ipad 3's and remove/install vinyl decals on my old drift car. they also work GREAT for engine detailing, cut oil & grime off pretty well

[dscowell]

So today I decided to take off the fender flares to see if there was any rust. Lucky there was not any. Eventually I'll get the fenders trimmed so it looks better but for now I can live with them how they are. The Comanche just needs a wash and it will look way better.
driver side
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/IMG_5480_zps8007491a.jpg?t=1364855416
passanger side
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/IMG_5479_zpsa5165f1f.jpg?t=1364855441

[glacierpaul]

It looks to be in great shape Dante, glad the rust is superficial.

[dscowell]

Sorry that this thread hasn't been updated in a while due to me being in high school and having barely any money. I got my first job so the plan was if I get enough money to get a lift, driveshaft, gears and some used tires. BUT there seems to be some transmission issues.:frown: So if will see if I can figure out whats wrong somethings lose or just totally busted and fix that or just replace the whole trans sense the thing is older then me. I figured I'd update this for anyone who was still interested in this build

[glacierpaul]

Don't sweat it Dante, building is a life long obsession!

[Hypoid]

Sorry that this thread hasn't been updated in a while due to me being in high school and having barely any money. I got my first job so the plan was if I get enough money to get a lift, driveshaft, gears and some used tires. BUT there seems to be some transmission issues.Welcome to life! ;)

If you decide to upgrade to a newer tanny with the external slave cylinder, we can watch the local yards for you.

[dscowell]

Welcome to life! ;)

If you decide to upgrade to a newer tanny with the external slave cylinder, we can watch the local yards for you.

thanks for your guys concern and willing to help me out. I'll probably take it into shop over summer to see what the issue is. and what is and external slave cylinder?

[xaza]

In the first 8 years with my Jeep all I could afford was a lift kit, tires/rims and after about 5 years even a spare. Eventually I had the little things done to make it reliable and was ready to start upgrading things. It comes in time and you have an early start at it. I was 25 before I began my build to get it to where it is now and it was/is my first build.

[Fordguy77]

thanks for your guys concern and willing to help me out. I'll probably take it into shop over summer to see what the issue is. and what is and external slave cylinder?
An slave cylinder is a hydrlic cylinder that is activated by line pressure when you push in the clutch. The cylinder then pushes on the clutch fork and throw out bearing and pulls the the clutch disc away from the friction disc and allows the vehicle to be in "neutral". The advantage of an external slave cylinder is that if it fails you can easily replace it. Internal slave cylinders require you to pull the entire transmission to change the slave cylinder. Basically 20-30min task for an external slave or several hours for an internal.

[Hypoid]

The advantage of an external slave cylinder is that if it fails you can easily replace it. Internal slave cylinders require you to pull the entire transmission to change the slave cylinder.And they don't leak all over your clutch disc when they go out. :cool:

I don't know which transmission you have without looking, but many people upgrade to the newer AX-15 transmission from the Cherokee. The down side is that your transfer case won't bolt up to the newer transmission.

[dscowell]

I don't know which transmission you have without looking, but many people upgrade to the newer AX-15 transmission from the Cherokee. The down side is that your transfer case won't bolt up to the newer transmission.

I believe I have an AX-15 but I will have to check later some time for conformation.

[Hypoid]

While you are under there, look for the build date on the T-Case tag. 1990 and older will have a 21 spline input shaft, 1991 and newer will have a 23 spline input shaft.

Hopefully you will find something that is cheap and easy to repair. :)

[dscowell]

While you are under there, look for the build date on the T-Case tag. 1990 and older will have a 21 spline input shaft, 1991 and newer will have a 23 spline input shaft.

Is a higher spline count better?

[Hypoid]

Yes, the higher spline count is stronger.

What is more relevant, is having parts that fit together. When you go in the self service yards, ask for an interchange list. They will print off a list of vehicles that use the same part, and where they are set in the yard.

[dscowell]

Not much of an update just took my headliner out to redo it sense it looked awful. No pictures as of yet but will upload some soon as I find the camera. Looking to take off the plastic bedliner tomorrow and I believe I will be getting paid this Friday so I will have lift coming soon!

[Fordguy77]

Sounds pretty sweet! What lift did you end up deciding to go with?

[dscowell]

With my budget Im going to go with BDS 3" sense I don't quite have the money nor know how for a SOA lift. I'm sure I could get some of you to help me but also this is going to be my DD for a while so I wanted better clearance but also something that would work good on road too. I'll eventually do a SOA with 33" but for now 3" will work sense I wont be doing any extreme offroading!

[ctracy5]

I like the new profile pic

[dscowell]

thanks man!

here are the 2 pictures I took

here is the crappy nasty headliner! It looked and felt flimsy on the edges but was surprisingly sturdy.
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/d2e0b092-17ac-44f3-b543-74278d000fd5_zps8ba17705.jpg (http://s1296.photobucket.com/user/dscowell/media/d2e0b092-17ac-44f3-b543-74278d000fd5_zps8ba17705.jpg.html)

With out the headliner in
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/IMG_5638_zps026d78fe.jpg (http://s1296.photobucket.com/user/dscowell/media/IMG_5638_zps026d78fe.jpg.html)

Tomorrow I'll take off the bed liner and clean out the interior a little bit sense it could use some love too

[glacierpaul]

That was in decent shape compared to the ones I've seen :)

[dscowell]

I got my bedliner off today and took a couple pictures of my broken leaf spring

before
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/ad7de6fa-abb7-43c1-a17a-2ed6a917baeb_zps83fb9a66.jpg (http://s1296.photobucket.com/user/dscowell/media/Comanche/ad7de6fa-abb7-43c1-a17a-2ed6a917baeb_zps83fb9a66.jpg.html)

took off the toolbox and saw that it was original MJ bedliner which is cool cause I was playing on just tossing it
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/IMG_5643_zps0bbbced0.jpg (http://s1296.photobucket.com/user/dscowell/media/Comanche/IMG_5643_zps0bbbced0.jpg.html)
the sides of the truck you can see how much the bedliner has come up instead of laying flat on the truck
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/IMG_5644_zps3e442333.jpg (http://s1296.photobucket.com/user/dscowell/media/Comanche/IMG_5644_zps3e442333.jpg.html)
here it is with everything off just needs to be swept and taken to the car wash
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/7221afa1-4e82-4a2b-a9c1-1ddc5b60901d_zpsb9445a0b.jpg (http://s1296.photobucket.com/user/dscowell/media/Comanche/7221afa1-4e82-4a2b-a9c1-1ddc5b60901d_zpsb9445a0b.jpg.html)
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/IMG_5645_zps5bf29e2a.jpg (http://s1296.photobucket.com/user/dscowell/media/Comanche/IMG_5645_zps5bf29e2a.jpg.html)
after taking the bedliner off I found 2 of these holes locate near the cab anyone know what they are for? Roll bar?
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/IMG_5647_zps9a8cb98f.jpg (http://s1296.photobucket.com/user/dscowell/media/Comanche/IMG_5647_zps9a8cb98f.jpg.html)
No bedliner nor tool box. Will but the tool box back on eventually. I will admit I do like the look better with the bedliner with the black and white but I will eventually put some real bedliner
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/IMG_5648_zps21411f26.jpg (http://s1296.photobucket.com/user/dscowell/media/Comanche/IMG_5648_zps21411f26.jpg.html)

[dscowell]

pictures of the broken leafs. I have been here some sounds driving around going over bumps and such. I new something was loose or broken but couldn't figure out. Looked under one day and saw that the drivers side leaf was snapped in the middle. I believe it was from running sevenmile creek on June 1st but I could be wrong

good picture
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/IMG_5642_zps302e374f.jpg (http://s1296.photobucket.com/user/dscowell/media/Comanche/IMG_5642_zps302e374f.jpg.html)
not so good picture
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/IMG_5641_zps07632d26.jpg (http://s1296.photobucket.com/user/dscowell/media/Comanche/IMG_5641_zps07632d26.jpg.html)

[Fordguy77]

Sucks to hear about your leaf spring! At least you should be able to find replacements pretty easy. Great to see the beds still in good shape under the liner. Im not sure what your holes are for, but I know for other makes and models, there are occasionally tie down points underneath some rubber grommets. At least that is how it is on Kateys Dakaota. Odd thing is, one side has the tie down, the other one doesnt.

[dscowell]

Yeah the leaf spring is holding up fine just don't want to take it off road til it is replaced. When I was taking off the bed I was hoping for the best but expecting the worst and I guess it turned out all good.

[glacierpaul]

The bed looks fantastic! Ouch, broken spring! I think those holes are for a roll bar, or headache rack. edit: my J-20 has the same deal, only I have the roll bar!

[The StRanger]

Could the holes be Drain holes ??

[glacierpaul]

Could the holes be Drain holes ??

Only if you leave them open :)!

[dscowell]

Used leafs from 4x4 Offroad and Used Parts in Fort Collins

They appear to be in very good condition! $100
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/806C9647-41AE-476C-8CDD-00670D685DEC-271-0000000E2D592C3F_zps066eae6a.jpg (http://s1296.photobucket.com/user/dscowell/media/Comanche/806C9647-41AE-476C-8CDD-00670D685DEC-271-0000000E2D592C3F_zps066eae6a.jpg.html)

[Fordguy77]

Nice! Not bad for a $100

[dscowell]

I'll update everyone on my lift situation. So after thinking about the lift, discussing it with my parents and crunching the numbers I have decide not to go with the SOA. Reasons being is that after figuring out the total cost of the lift being well over $700 possibly $800 including taxes a shipping I would be able to afford it but have little to no money left over. Next was the tires my wrangler A/Ts are fairly new and with the large amount of lift my truck would look ridiculous! With that being said I could always replace them for larger tires but with all the money spent on the lift I wouldn't be able to afford even a decent pair of 31s used. Next is that I'm going off to college soon and I'm looking primary outta state (not to far away though) and the Comanche being well over 20 years old will need a tune up. Replace parts that should be replaced ever so often and other things especially the transmission (really low idle has been really pissing me off lately). With the lift I probably wouldn't be able to afford a very decent tune up along with tires. Yes I do have a job which pays a solid $8 and hour and the football season and school rolling around the corner my hours will be seriously diminished. Once football dies down I will be working a little bit more but probably not much to make a decent amount of money. I'm pretty bummed about this decision but in my opinion it is probably the best thing to do right now. So for a lift I decide to do something small and fairly cheap which I could run stock size tires and not have to worry about replacing a whole lot with other parts. I decided on doing the front with ZJ coils for about 1-1.75" and the rear with an add a leaf for about 1-1.75". I feel this will give me a little more ground clearance and a more aggressive look for the time being until the time comes to do the SOA.

[Popsgarage]

Probably a smart decision since you can quickly incur costs that were not previously considered. Do solid maintenance and when you do have to replace parts, use an upgraded part. One common part that comes to mind is ball joints. Replace the factory ones with some from Synergy Manufacturing. Sintered metal joints instead of plastic liners for a much longer life.

http://www.synergymfg.com/images/P/PPM-8009-200.jpg

[glacierpaul]

Dante, at least you have the mind to think before you buy:thumb:, this is a lesson most high school kids don't even think about, they just want to look cool and then be broke! Sounds like you have great parents too!! Remember for tires check out Treadwrights!

[xaza]

Bigger lift doesn't mean you have to get bigger tires though. I ran my Jeep for over a year with 3.5 inch lift on 235s. Looked a little funny but financially couldn't do it. If you plan on going bigger I suggest you figure out how much lift you want and get what you want first. If you put a 2 inch lift on and then decide you want a bigger lift you will have wasted the money on the smaller lift and then have to try and sell old stuff to make money back and you always end up losing a little that way. If the SOA is what you want, save pennies and get er done. Good luck with things, you'll make the decision that works best for you.

[Hypoid]

Reliability is a good thing! Having gas money to see our beautiful state, is even better!!!

[Popsgarage]

Having gas money to see our beautiful state, is even better!!!

Got that right Mikey!!!!!!!!!!!:thumb:

[Fordguy77]

Smart man to live within your means. Might be worth it just to get it up to par again, and keep saving a way for the dream lift.

[Popsgarage]

get it up to par again, and keep saving a way for the dream lift.

I'll second that.

[dscowell]

New parts!
2 BDS add a leaf 4 skyjacker hydro shocks just have to wait for my zj coils and get the U-bolts and I should be set!
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/DD7123D6-D6EE-4051-8D18-6632279C4486-9179-000008CE93605B79_zps316f7e33.jpg (http://s1296.photobucket.com/user/dscowell/media/DD7123D6-D6EE-4051-8D18-6632279C4486-9179-000008CE93605B79_zps316f7e33.jpg.html)
New window crank sense I broke the old one on the drivers side at an ATM
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/04AEEEF1-2172-40AF-99F4-7D128C36E391-9179-000008CE06B1D1F5_zps8724f2f3.jpg (http://s1296.photobucket.com/user/dscowell/media/04AEEEF1-2172-40AF-99F4-7D128C36E391-9179-000008CE06B1D1F5_zps8724f2f3.jpg.html)

[ExplorerTom]

Smart move on the cheaper route. You're still young. Plus, depending on what you're gonna go to college for, you might not have any time to go play with your lifted rig while in school. I know my last couple years, I didn't have time for stuff like that. I drove a Mazda 626 in college so I had to live vicariously through my friends that had trucks.

And you'll be using all your extra money in college to buy bee...... uh.... candy and soda pop! And being that it's a pickup, you'll be everyone's favorite for hauling the candy and soda pop! I know I unloaded up a few pickups that were loaded down to their bumpstops with soda! :cool:

[dscowell]

Got the final piece of the puzzle today.

ZJ coil springs
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/0F1F24FB-EF15-418B-80CF-D9D46660A884-1740-00000222BDECEED8_zpsf27a1a66.jpg (http://s1296.photobucket.com/user/dscowell/media/Comanche/0F1F24FB-EF15-418B-80CF-D9D46660A884-1740-00000222BDECEED8_zpsf27a1a66.jpg.html)
Rear U-Bolts big thanks to Alex (trailfiend) for giving me them free of charge it is much appreciated!
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/E9B53202-2E2C-4C27-BB2C-27A96580ABF8-1740-00000222C702DB6A_zpsbfdd72af.jpg (http://s1296.photobucket.com/user/dscowell/media/Comanche/E9B53202-2E2C-4C27-BB2C-27A96580ABF8-1740-00000222C702DB6A_zpsbfdd72af.jpg.html)

I believe that is all I will need for this lift sense it is going to be pretty small. Are there any other parts you guys suggest I get?

[Popsgarage]

Should be a fairly straight forward lift. Have fun.

[Fordguy77]

Sweet! Now get to lifting! Looking forward to pics!

[Hypoid]

Pay close attention to the coil springs as they come out. One is slightly taller, on the passenger side, IIRC.

Don't forget before and after measurements, for comparison: http://naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=912893

[dscowell]

Real quick update. I have not gotten around to lifting today sense I have work at 2 and we would not have enough time to get it done. Even though the lift was not installed My father and I did install the Rusty's intake dealio except the throttle body spacer (need 1/4" extension) I will get pictures up tomorrow or whenever we install the throttle body spacer.

[dscowell]

Still haven't gotten around to the lift. I hope will I get around to doing the leaf assembly soon but my plan for having it done before school looks like it won't be happening. In the mean time me and my dad have been working on replacing the stereo and front speakers.

Here is the original stereo it was aftermarket as you can tell it worked good but I wanted something that had an iPod hook up. You can't tell by the picture but the right side stuck out about an inch and wasn't completely in the dash board either.
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/F89E6EDE-4679-4B17-9AAE-9A9C720C64A6-1447-00000165CDB86F37_zps38d49cb6.jpg?t=1376188423

When we got the stereo off there was quite a rats nest in there it looked worse before we cut the zip ties. There was about 3 wires as you can see just dangling not connected to anything it ended up being about 6 once we got the new stereo in we ended up capping them off and pushing them out of the way. As you can also see who ever spliced the wires did a bad job with a couple of them putting them on the same side of the butt splice but I guess it worked fine cause I had no problems before.
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/FBE386A2-1E5F-4731-AB02-A3F5B8D34175-1447-00000165D7E01A17_zpsdd1bf049.jpg?t=1376188961
We ended up getting this all cleaned up and cut some wires behind the seats because there was a pig tail and a couple other wires behind the drivers side that went to an amp which is no longer back there. We ended up running out of butt splices and had to run to home depot to get some more and it was getting dark so we just hooked the stereo up tested it and made sure it was running fine. We didn't get it pushed in all the way sense there was something blocking it from sliding in. It was getting dark so we decided to stop and finish it up in the mourning before I go to work. We will also get the speakers in eventually too the only problem was we will have to drill new holes for them in the door but other wise it sound be pretty strait forward just more splicing.

Also measured the new leaf springs just to compare with the old ones once I take them off
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/F07E6534-5381-47A5-867E-81080A042FF8-3171-000002E1E461A1D6_zps6e205358.jpg

Also measured from the ground to the fender real quick too. This is on the drive way which is at an angle so these probably aren't the most accurate I'll make sure to measure them again on a flat surface before we start the lift.
Passenger front
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/4A0FEE62-68CA-4F77-84E9-1C48B5B799BC-3171-000002E215D2FBEA_zpsa5d6b205.jpg
Passenger rear
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/2167E7E3-8C84-4ED1-95CF-4B126DA42838-3171-000002E21C0EC3FE_zpsda8e0c79.jpg
Driver side rear. This is the side with the broken spring. Also need to do something about the rust as well.
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/4A5E7E17-58B9-4A77-AC0E-04FD5DF29167-3171-000002E2234F0F49_zpscbd1e1b4.jpg
Driver side front
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/3ACE037A-561F-4DC2-9EA3-F19AD224C933-3171-000002E22FD53F60_zps1ce5e7f4.jpg
I'll measure again on level ground once I get the chance.

[xaza]

Are you doing anything with the old stereo?

[dscowell]

Umm? No I figured I might put it on CL or something for like $20 it works good and everything the wires and everything are still good the only thing it will need is the outer frame deal that holds it into the dash board.

[xaza]

My brother needs a new stereo in his truck. Will give you $35 for it if you want to meet me halfway somewhere.

[dscowell]

That can be arranged send me a PM and we can figure everything out

[dscowell]

So my father and I put the AAL on the new leaf springs in the garage today. Wasn't too bad but a lot of the bolts were rusted and we need to grind a little bit but got it all done in a about an hour and half. With the AAL the springs are about 11.5" so that gave about 1" lift on the springs with out them being installed on the truck.
I apologize for the flash being so bright and don't worry we will grind the ends of the bolts off
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/58F9F060-3881-4399-A9F2-AF5FCE9B966A-4563-0000043C070E2386_zpsfb6a52c1.jpg?t=1376621835
With AAL and without
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/D53B0D82-2966-40B9-A1D7-9B64EBDFF6DC-4563-0000043C01345848_zps043cb4c1.jpg?t=1376621935
Need to replace the bolts on the end sense they were extremely rusty. We ended up breaking the first bolt we tried taking off
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/3EFDBAA3-5B22-4301-A06D-54F0C92422EB-4563-0000043C136A8D3A_zpsb11f43c4.jpg?t=1376622036
Safety first in the Cowell family
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/FDEF275F-ADC4-4FAE-84B4-E17816941CC3-4563-0000043BFA9489F6_zps6a66911a.jpg?t=1376620684
We will hopefully get around to installing the whole lift next weekend but we just wanted to get the leafs all set up and ready to go sense we had some time tonight

[xaza]

nice, just one step closer. If you are planning on doing lift next weekend you should start spraying down bolts with a penetrating spray. Spray them heavily a couple times between now and then and it should help. Penetrating spray can take a while to work in.

[Popsgarage]

What Cliff said. When you re-install those bolts, slather 'em down with some Anti Seize.

[dscowell]

I'm a little confused what do you guys suggest I spray? The bolts already on the truck or the ones we took off?

[xaza]

The bolts on the truck you still have to remove for installing lift.

[dscowell]

Ok that's what I thought I just wanted to make sure:)

[dscowell]

Got around to finishing the headliner today. Sense my mom always likes to help me out with things and be a part of what I'm doing I figured she could help me with this. So she sewed everything and help glue the headliner and everything on.
Old Headliner
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/5021E657-99D1-4A8C-BBAE-168D8FDDA951-722-0000003BDC124EEB_zps88da29ef.jpg?t=1376877815
New headliner. I didn't want the usual headliner material I wanted to have something unique and something that would express my love for the Jeep brand. We got all the material at Hobby Lobby fairly cheap. It is kinda wrinkly around the edges but I don't mind it's pretty much impossible to get it completely smooth.
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/A7023822-65BE-4DAD-B6B5-15FE06A5F1B6-722-0000003BE3281CB8_zps2a5ed12e.jpg?t=1376877866
Got it all back in and installed and I hopefully I'll never have to take it out again. The only thing I'm worried about with the new headliner is that it might get a little bit hotter in the cab due to it being black now.

[xaza]

that is sweet, I love unique

[Fordguy77]

Looking good, I don't think having a black headliner on a hard cab is going to do much as far as the heat on the inside of the cab since its not in direct light and only has radiant exposure. Nice progress

[dscowell]

Well what I thought was going to happen unfortunately did. It started to droop down and didn't stick to the headliner so it will be coming off sprayed down and the headliner and on the leather then left in the garage for a couple days to make sure it sticks. Hopefully it will not happen again because I was pretty pissed when I got to my car after school. Hopefully we will get the lift on this weekend at least the rear sense that won't take as long as the front I'll keep everyone updated!

[xaza]

You going to be working on your lift after work on Sat? Maybe I can make it out and lend a hand...kinda buried myself in projects but needing a break from my own junk.

[Fordguy77]

What type of glue did you use? Sorry to hear it already started drooping back down!

[dscowell]

We used Super 77

[dscowell]

You going to be working on your lift after work on Sat? Maybe I can make it out and lend a hand...kinda buried myself in projects but needing a break from my own junk.

I'll have to ask sense my dad won't be available to help sense he has some work stuff all day. I'll shoot you a text with what my parents think about it.

[dscowell]

Well me and my dad attempted the rear today. Ended up breaking the shock mount on the spring plate, the bolt on the big eyelit towards the body wouldn't come out for some damn reason so we had to cut it. So starting around 9:30 it took us about 6 hours for one side including driving back and forth from auto parts stores and trying to figure out how to get the spring out. After we got the leaf off I set it next to the new ones and it ended up being the same size. Also ended up finding the passenger rear shock piston broke clean off

http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/3881BE96-9315-440E-B9B0-B0D4E2BC2C12-3788-0000034608FE9E7A_zps5cafe583.jpg?t=1378156091

[xaza]

They should be about the same size in length, it is the arch that should make the difference. Plus how much they sag with weight on them. There never seems to be a shortage of difficulties when dealing with older trucks, good luck with the rest of the install.

[dscowell]

That's what I meant the arc was the same I'm assuming the add a leaf will be able to hold more weight

[dscowell]

Got the passengers side leaf bolted up to the frame and shackle today along with the new shock. Loosened up the bolts on the drivers leaf so it will make the switch a little quicker tomorrow. Hopefully will be picking up a plate tomorrow. Will post pics tomorrow on the progress.

[dscowell]

Finished the rear today. The driver side went much smoother then the passengers side cause we learned a few things. Although getting the leaf out from the body was way to difficult and involved some cutting a grinding. Forgive me for not taking to many pics and no before pics I'll make sure to get more when we do the front.

Nice to have some new parts. The old shocks were rusted and rotted on really bad leading me to believe they might have been almost as old as the truck, well they had atleast seen better days.
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/562FAE36-7915-45F6-AF8C-C52EAB3FFC6D-1705-00000182CC494B06_zps159ae3c8.jpg?t=1379190414
No more broken leaf!
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/996CA64C-807D-4F26-BABE-40A60D26F524-1705-00000182D33174D1_zps549108c4.jpg?t=1379190356

Before we started I measured the ride height the dirty way and got 9" measured after we finished and got ~11" now that is with it on the slanted drive way with a 1/4 tank.
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/DF6BD46D-2B22-4F72-B8E1-790E2A3D6BCB-1705-00000182DB5EFAFC_zps51adbf07.jpg?t=1379190319

Just driving it real quick around the neighborhood I noticed the ride was a ton better! Didn't hear the broken leaf going over bumps they were actually being absorbed.

In the next couple weekends we will do the front part of the lift and hopefully have less problems then we did with the rear. I have ZJ coils for the front I was wondering if you guys think I should get a coil spacer to help level out the truck or will the coils be enough by themselves?

[Patrolman]

Nice work! Hope the front goes smoothly for you!

[dscowell]

Meet with the dude yesterday about the bumper and ended up picking it up for $400 which I thought was reasonable considering it was new. He only had it installed on for pictures. I did not pick up the winch but I don't really need one so why spend the money on something I won't get use out of for a long time? After looking at it and noticing it uses the stock bolt pattern I was a little iffy on it but then check JCR and found that they do the same thing so when the time comes I will be able to pick up their UniBody Tie Brackets and they should fit right in. The guy I purchased it from worked in a little shop in FoCo with a friend and they told me if I ever have any troubles or questions feel free to call. They had two more bumpers being made in the back of the shop and they were messing with some rear axle too. If anyone likes the look of the bumper or are interested I can give the guys number.

Hopefully get this mounted soon with the front Coils
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-nAmHmZq2l5s/UlG_hL8edsI/AAAAAAAAAGY/lMc42F-78M4/w530-h709-no/IMG_0150.JPG

[Fordguy77]

Sweet bumper is that the one of the XJ on CL all the time? Personally i like rigs with a bit of "rake" to them. So that way when you load up the camping gear, or other things it settles lever and still looks good. Not a huge fan of level trucks that squat with a small load going down the road.

[dscowell]

No the one I think you are thinking of is in the Springs. Thought about theirs but never liked the look of it. Right now the MJ has quite a bit of rake due to the AAL being installed but not new coils!

[Fordguy77]

I'd throw the new coils in and see how it looks, if there is still too much of a rake go back and throw the spaces in. Coil swaps are very easy once you have done it once.

[Ed Gates]

Where did you find that beauty? I thought my '96 XJ looked nice I don't have any rust, but dang, real nice there's a whole world of cool stuff you can do with it maybe some day if my jeep quits crappie out on me right before a run ill see it in person word of advice double and triple check every bolt weather you pull it or not

[ctracy5]

Your jeep is coming along nice

[dscowell]

Got the bumper on today.

The fenders will need to be cut eventually but for now I can live with it.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-beOeWkYs2Q8/UmLVgOO5GaI/AAAAAAAAAH4/Ngp1ClBGu_U/w949-h709-no/13+-+1

Ill get a couple more photos once we swap out the springs photobucket is being a pain and I don't really feel like fighting with it right now.

[The StRanger]

Nice !!

[dscowell]

Front view
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/fdd560ea-c485-4dfc-ba0b-57dfd1ec0cc0_zps0266e6dc.jpg (http://s1296.photobucket.com/user/dscowell/media/Comanche/fdd560ea-c485-4dfc-ba0b-57dfd1ec0cc0_zps0266e6dc.jpg.html)

[Popsgarage]

Not to shabby!

[dscowell]

Today my dad and I attempted to do the front part of the lift. After struggling to get the coil spring out we did and realized the ZJ coil spring I was going to swap in was about an inch or two shorter. Just decided to put the original spring back in there and not go through the hassle of doing the other side. Ended up just replacing the shock attempted to replace the shock of the other side but one of the lugnuts wouldn't move past a certain point and my dad thinks its stripped or cross threaded.

I'm not sure if the ZJ coils are suppose to be shorter then the MJ springs so I didn't bother replacing them til I know for sure. So if you know please let me know.
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/f9965eda-c19a-43f3-b645-b032c4812281_zps0e7c437f.jpg (http://s1296.photobucket.com/user/dscowell/media/Comanche/f9965eda-c19a-43f3-b645-b032c4812281_zps0e7c437f.jpg.html)

[dscowell]

Well the springs I have are not the correct springs which is frustrating but I guess I learned my lesson with buying certain things online. The next plan of action is to pick up some 3" coils from a friend when he ends up upgrading his suspension which I'm assuming won't be anytime soon but that's alright. In the mean time I have various other small projects and things I need to get. Here's the plan of action.

Mandatory

New Headlights- Mine suck. One of them is cracked and they only provide light up to about 1 car length in front of me. Not only putting myself in danger but others on the road. My thoughts are upgrade to the H4 harness which will allow me to upgrade to better headlights then the stock ones.

Same size spare- My spare currently is a bald 225/75R15, I'm running 235s. Have the spare just in case and have one that has some sort of thread on it.

Unibody reinforcement- The bumper I have right now just has the standard 3 bolt pattern. Having one of the reinforcements for the bumper will make me feel a lot better about having it there for recovery if it is ever needed.

Other Upgrades- I don't need these things but are things I would like to do before college

Dana 44- Upgrade the rear axle from the D35.

Bedliner- Bedline the Bed, Rockers and Cab. Won't be able to do all three if I'm able to do it at all but would like to get the bed lined at the least.

31s- After my current tires wear down I would like to get some larger tires.

Exhaust- The one that's on right now is rusty and long over due for a new one but is still holding up fine. (If I do a whole tune up this will be part of it)

One piece axle shaft conversion- I have the CAD front axle it hasn't caused me any trouble yet but I don't want to take any chances.

Rear bumper- Have one to match the front. One on right now has some bad surface rust and doesn't look very appealing in the first place.

ZJ sway bar- Thicker then the xj/mj sway bar. Will allow for better on road manners, sense this is my DD.

Brake booster upgrade- As I understand it 96+ XJ, ZJ and WJ booster are all the same. Better braking power.

As always comments and suggestions are welcome!

[Popsgarage]

Good list.

[dscowell]

Installed the H4 wiring harness along with the new lights and side markers

before
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/96222EBE-1353-4513-83F8-398647C57633_zpsccj4keyq.jpg (http://s1296.photobucket.com/user/dscowell/media/Comanche/96222EBE-1353-4513-83F8-398647C57633_zpsccj4keyq.jpg.html)

After
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/E9BE37EC-BBBE-4EB9-BDF5-85EA8CF1E754_zpsveppjxyh.jpg (http://s1296.photobucket.com/user/dscowell/media/Comanche/E9BE37EC-BBBE-4EB9-BDF5-85EA8CF1E754_zpsveppjxyh.jpg.html)

It was a strait forward installation the directions were written in very poor English but my father and I figured it out. I'm excited to be able to drive home and see more then one car length in front of me now!

[Fordguy77]

Installed the H4 wiring harness along with the new lights and side markers

before
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/96222EBE-1353-4513-83F8-398647C57633_zpsccj4keyq.jpg (http://s1296.photobucket.com/user/dscowell/media/Comanche/96222EBE-1353-4513-83F8-398647C57633_zpsccj4keyq.jpg.html)

After
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/E9BE37EC-BBBE-4EB9-BDF5-85EA8CF1E754_zpsveppjxyh.jpg (http://s1296.photobucket.com/user/dscowell/media/Comanche/E9BE37EC-BBBE-4EB9-BDF5-85EA8CF1E754_zpsveppjxyh.jpg.html)

It was a strait forward installation the directions were written in very poor English but my father and I figured it out. I'm excited to be able to drive home and see more then one car length in front of me now!
Looks good!

[Popsgarage]

I like being able to see as well. Good upgrade!

[The StRanger]

Looks good to me !!
I like the headlights.

[dscowell]

Picked up a rear bumper for my truck from Nick sense he was selling his. Its not the prettiest thing but its not rusty and bent.

http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/d2921ebe-0582-4c0f-90e8-1b045e149c54_zpsd18f8023.jpg (http://s1296.photobucket.com/user/dscowell/media/Comanche/d2921ebe-0582-4c0f-90e8-1b045e149c54_zpsd18f8023.jpg.html)

I got the 3" coils from my friend Kieth so now I'm just waiting to get some sway bar discos then I'll find a weekend or sometime to get all that stuff in.

[ctracy5]

your making some good progress on this truck

[dscowell]

Slowly but surely I'm getting there

[The StRanger]

Sometimes you need to do things a little at a time ..

[dscowell]

My control arms came in today so all I have left to order for the lift is the track bar. Before everything gets put together I should be getting a new exhaust soon hopefully after this next pay check!

[Hypoid]

Which track bar are you looking at?

[dscowell]

IRO decent price never heard anything bad and if I ever decide to go higher I won't need to buy anohter

[glacierpaul]

Looking Good Dante!

[JeepWrench]

I will be going with the iron rock offroad double shear trackbar. Its freaking awesome and does't bind. Its how jeep shoulda designed it in the first place

[JeepWrench]

btw love your mj, I always wanted to build one. Do it slowly and take good care of it. Those trucks can go for alot of money in good shape and tastefully modded

[dscowell]

Good to know! And thanks it will be slow for sure cant really help that. They go for quite a bit out here but in other parts of the country the highest they go for is 2k if it is perfect but then again most have minimal rust out here compared to other areas.

[dscowell]

Changed the oil today and also got my lift in! Ran into some trouble with the drivers side just in general. Couldn't get the wheel off due to one stud being complete craped and another one which was close. Also I don't know the genius was who thought the bolts for the control arms should go inside out so every possible thing can get in the way. We couldn't quite get my control arms on so we just stuck with the stock ones til I get my track bar then I'll recruit some help. The springs were real quick sense we learned from our previous times along with also got the RE sway bar discos in as well.

The one on the right you can see is pretty much useless and the middle one has some threads messed up but will hold up for the time being. Don't know if this happened after the last time I went to discount tire but I guess I will go somewhere else next time.
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/5FFA41B5-98B4-4325-A15E-9A86B9030E64_zpsf9c6qkes.jpg (http://s1296.photobucket.com/user/dscowell/media/Comanche/5FFA41B5-98B4-4325-A15E-9A86B9030E64_zpsf9c6qkes.jpg.html)

Kinda blurry but you can still make out some of the thread in the lugnut that came off. This one was on the right from the previous photo.
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/498A2FAF-9CAD-4666-AC29-9E724F20D648_zpsqaikgura.jpg (http://s1296.photobucket.com/user/dscowell/media/Comanche/498A2FAF-9CAD-4666-AC29-9E724F20D648_zpsqaikgura.jpg.html)

And the final product after a long day. I think the lift looks great I could feel a difference in ride height once I got in.
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/61D7366F-DF42-48F7-B94C-23016589E449_zpszhkiwqdn.jpg (http://s1296.photobucket.com/user/dscowell/media/Comanche/61D7366F-DF42-48F7-B94C-23016589E449_zpszhkiwqdn.jpg.html)

[dscowell]

Not too much of an update. Replaced the running light on my passengers side sense it has been out for a week or two.

Old light verses the new one!
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/efe39468-a4c6-4a1c-9ad1-6530d287379c_zpsf0ad6abe.jpg (http://s1296.photobucket.com/user/dscowell/media/Comanche/efe39468-a4c6-4a1c-9ad1-6530d287379c_zpsf0ad6abe.jpg.html)

also cleaned up the last little bit of mud from china wall that I didn't get!
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/E82D31D1-6CDE-4D4C-A730-331BD04460EE_zpsmvposl0n.jpg (http://s1296.photobucket.com/user/dscowell/media/Comanche/E82D31D1-6CDE-4D4C-A730-331BD04460EE_zpsmvposl0n.jpg.html)

I also got a new bolt and nut for my drivers side shock sense one of the nuts had fallen out while driving. Figured you guys didn't need a picture for that. Nothing major while come til the 28th when I finally get my new exhaust! Til then I still have my control arms to get in but I will need to find sometime to get those in. Sorry for my pictures being so massive Ill shrink them later on.

[dscowell]

Finally got my exhaust done and now I can heard myself think again

Beforehttp://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/3E226E35-FCF8-4674-9D36-A23C1C82F7EF_zps4vnm5ogc.jpghttp://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/5CDBE8E2-D380-4BC1-AB8E-BE5442FF330E_zpsu9n9la6v.jpg

after
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/03161AF2-77B7-4AD0-97CC-F3A4BB58C9F5_zpsii5frl7c.jpghttp://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/A5ECC87A-29B1-4965-B358-8F56CDFC5108_zpsnbvfonwi.jpg

Had some company in the shop
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/1A9E87DB-B6A8-42B5-B064-9FE9DB1C9F89_zpshxn3kdc4.jpg

Its nice to not have worry about waking up the neighborhood when I come home at night. It's already running smoother. Think the cat was getting clogged up but don't have to worry about that anymore.

[ILuvtheMountains]

Looking good buddy! When am I gonna get to see that bad boy in action?

[Fordguy77]

Its nice to not have worry about wake up the neighborhood when I come home at night. It's already running smoother. Think the cat was getting clogged up but don't have to worry about that anymore.
Wheres the fun in that? I always thought it was fun to wake up my Neighbors at 4:30am when i was coming home from work. I was driving my 70 F100 360V8, the exhaust stopped after the collector, because some idiot highschool kid thought it would be a cool idea at the time. They started using me as an alarm clock.

[dscowell]

When am I gonna get to see that bad boy in action?

Well it should be good to go now. I didn't wanna go on another run with the old exhaust I think I would have ripped it off myself half way through. If my work schedule stays consistent over the summer (we will see) I should have Fridays and Thursdays free for runs. We can figure something out and head out on a run cause I would love to see your taco as well!



Wheres the fun in that?

Not much fun when your parents can hear you pull into the neighborhood!

[Fordguy77]

Not much fun when your parents can hear you pull into the neighborhood!
I remember those days. Used to have to push the Truck about 3 blocks over when sneaking out, and that was with a real exhaust haha. You'd be surprised how far a 4000lbs+ truck will coast if you shut it off going 35 haha... Just giving you some friendly grief, rigs looking good!

[dscowell]

Haha that's great! And thanks slowly coming along

[dscowell]

Haven't updated in a little while. I have just been doing small things such as I recently replaced the spark plugs and wires. Didn't take any pictures because it is pretty strait forward. The old plugs though did look pretty good which is a good thing. I also cleaned up the look of the rear sliding window as well which made a huge difference in the look or atleast I think since I am always looking.

My truck has been acting up for quite a while as well. It cannot hold a constant idle half the time and will sometimes drop so low in RPMs that it will kill itself. Also it feels as though it is at a loss of acceleration, when I push down on the gas it feels as though it is barely speeding up. And when in first or second gear when I am not on the gas and just coasting then going back to gas is has trouble somewhat trying to jump into gear. While searching around on here and CC I concluded it could either be my O2 censor, fuel filter or CPS. I knew it couldn’t be my O2 censor since I had replaced it last year. I figured I’d give the fuel filter a try first since I found it less intimidating then the CPS and it would need to be replaced before college. But before I replaced it I realized it could be a vacuum leak. And what do you know it is. When replacing my front bumper I needed to relocate the vacuum canister which was originally mounted to the stock front bumper. The very small thin vacuum line ended up splitting in two. I went to autozone but had no such luck find a line so small. I ended up getting their smallest size and putting the two ends into the new line to reconnect them. Not perfect but works for now. The truck now holds a constant idle and has much better acceleration (knock on wood).

http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/5951A6D8-7D6C-4738-A653-54345387045C_zpsmjhykqju.jpg (http://s1296.photobucket.com/user/dscowell/media/Comanche/5951A6D8-7D6C-4738-A653-54345387045C_zpsmjhykqju.jpg.html)http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/7B3454CA-97E3-475E-8516-FDAB9DB7078E_zpsiyzq46ps.jpg

More to come soon!

[Rover/Scout]

I like what you have done! I had a 90' Comanche when we first moved here and I miss it!
Maybe in the future we can get together and go wheelin'.

[dscowell]

Thanks I appreciate it! We will go wheeling for sure always love to go wheeling and meet new people. You are close too so that helps.:)

[dscowell]

Got my spare tire mount in today.

before
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/D00C03C6-A070-4906-AED6-F7345B364B96_zpsjynxaxh8.jpg
After
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/E4915A95-DA92-46FC-927A-72D1A473E818_zpseu2hurrz.jpg

Leaves me enough room to stuff atleast a 35" tire which is the largest I'd ever go and can be taken out and I still have the full be to use.

[CS79bronco]

Just curious, is it lockable?

[dscowell]

The base plate connects to the Y-bar with like a bike line type wire and they only give you a carabiner but you could get a lock for it which I am planning to do.

[dscowell]

Got a good amount of work done today. First off started with cutting the fenders that were driving me insane hanging below the bumper.

Before (old picture)
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/dscowell/Comanche/E9BE37EC-BBBE-4EB9-BDF5-85EA8CF1E754_zpsveppjxyh.jpg
After. Much better! Not the cleanest cut but I am no professional.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-ZahqggGBzQ8/U-gXYMm2d4I/AAAAAAAAAMk/xEb-uL4kBbw/w530-h709-no/14%2B-%2B4

After that My father and I worked on my control arms. I was making sure to be PB blasting them for the past couple days, learning from previous experiences. Getting the arms in went pretty smooth til the last one. We tried getting them in before but fail. After the I did some research on how to get them in and this time it was almost with out a problem... almost. We got the first 3 arms in then we got to the last upper arm. We lost 3 sockets in the frame trying to get the bolt towards the cab out. Then the bolt on the axle didn't wanna play nice. Not only was it covered in years or grease and gunk it was damn near stripped. Once we got in loose it didn't wanna come out of the bushing and we ended up cutting it. The NAPA near my house being the only place we a decent selection of bolts had closed 15 minutes before I got there. So It looks like I'll be going over there tomorrow morning.
Lower arm.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-c8Y0SJ4iNq0/U-gXYDE3QhI/AAAAAAAAANA/XVO7dU3sAB4/w949-h709-no/14%2B-%2B3
Upper Arm
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-tTypCywc2uo/U-gXYOWFY8I/AAAAAAAAAM0/rZMExZMGKpw/w530-h709-no/14%2B-%2B2
Once we finished.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HJDFeK_Xmqg/U-gXYNG1bTI/AAAAAAAAANM/GfuZMFDwOV0/w949-h709-no/14%2B-%2B1

I am excited about my control arms and hopefully getting to use them before I leave. Now all that is left to be done is my brakes and replace my fuel filter. Also fingers crossed that my truck makes it to Montana but I think with everything I have done with it I'll be fine knock on wood.

[dscowell]

Picked this bad boy up today. Chrysler 8.25 3.05 29 spline LSD Disc Brakes and Truss. All that it needs that I am aware of is a brake line, new perches and spray it something other then red.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-BxdqmpGQsfQ/U-_vMB6XREI/AAAAAAAAAd8/x4M3fr_rshE/w904-h675-no/14%2B-%2B1

[Sinister68]

SWEET! Should be a nice improvement

[xaza]

Sweet.

[Hypoid]

Good score!

[dscowell]

Bought some Volvo injectors off ebay for $40 to keep myself preoccupied and my mind off school so my brain doesn't over load

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-_AevweVwHQI/VBNYe5_mrRI/AAAAAAAABJU/dBKtx3AcVQI/w658-h881-no/14%2B-%2B1
They are in excellent shape and look to be rebuilt. Hopefully get these in soon before the weather gets to cold.

[Tom]

Damn we're not going be able to keep up with you on the trail unless we build crawlers

[dscowell]

My starter finally decided to kick the bucket. This could be why...
https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xap1/v/t1.0-9/10713001_931562093525234_1468260380966266080_n.jpg ?oh=54f66ba8246ae431c20385cf4c902021&oe=54BAD8AC&__gda__=1422372208_542a52823bd81ed0cdbf2e20d41cc13 8

[xaza]

Ooops! :eek: Not deep enough to get to intake? That woulda been way worse than the starter.

[dscowell]

Ooops! :eek: Not deep enough to get to intake? That woulda been way worse than the starter.

It was close but it did not get into the intake thank God. The truck was running good and everything til I needed to fire it back up and it did nothing. Electrical and the engine are all good just going to need a really good wash once I can get er moving again.

[dscowell]

Now that I am finally back home I can start putting some stuff on my truck I have sitting around the garage.

First was the steering box brace. Quick easy upgrade which will be well worth it.

Here is the cliche "This one I bought is so much more solid and strong then the factory one" picture.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-eUAusD3H5XE/VJ7-5ZmpbXI/AAAAAAAABhM/OTFj4upDuno/w949-h709-no/14%2B-%2B4

Next was volvo injectors. Reading online they should get a little better gas mileage and a little more getty up then the stock ones. The reason being they are four port instead of the stock single port which allows for a better spray pattern.

Here is a bad picture of them. The stock one on top you can see only has the one opening were the bottom has four (you are going to have to trust me because of the glare.)
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-xx-zQwaWWXc/VJ7-5YNDXzI/AAAAAAAABhA/2sBgCleJZus/w949-h709-no/14%2B-%2B3

Everything in place. Just need to get everything tightened down.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-VJDdScey-JQ/VJ7-5e1dgxI/AAAAAAAABhc/6VQ5jgvJViE/w530-h709-no/14%2B-%2B2

When replacing the injectors the fuel rail needed to be disconnected from the fuel lines. When disconnecting the line at the fuel pressure regulator one of the o-rings broke and caused a small leak when running. It was an easy 5 minute fix.

Here is the old O-ring next to the new one. You can see at the bottom of the old one where it ended up breaking causing the leak.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-E4N75pndjbI/VJ7-5YQM2AI/AAAAAAAABgY/De54spCjj44/w478-h640-no/14%2B-%2B1

Hopefully more to come as break continues.

[xaza]

What Volvo injectors did you use? Have you noticed a difference? Never mind found that thread.

[dscowell]

Volvo number 0 280 155 746. From my reading these were the best choice for the Renix 4.0L. For HO I think the neon (703) or 5.0L mustang (don't remember the number). If you are interested I'd do research for you engine and get what works best.

Performance wise I have noticed a difference. It has a little more getty up then before. By no means is it a sports car now but I have noticed a difference. My friend who road down with me from college and drove part way noticed a difference as well. The biggest thing I've noticed is now I can accelerate up hills on the highway. Before I could make it up a high and maybe keep my speed but I was rarely ever to speed up. I never thought about passing people going up hill but now I can speed up and pass people going up hill and on flat stretches as well. Gas mileage wise I have seen a small improvement. Before I got roughly 13mpg city and I am now at 15.5mpg. Highway I was at about 18-20mpg and I am now at 20-21mpg. I feel like that is a decent improvement in gas mileage especially for a 25 year old truck.

For the ~$50 I spent on the injectors and rebuild kit I feel like it was worth it.

Installing them was a breeze and I rebuilt them in my dorm room with a screw, screwdriver, channel locks, blow dryer and a small hammer.

[dscowell]

I have not updated in quite some time and I know you guys are all dying to know what I have done if anything. I try and keep it in chronological order and not be too wordy.

Well first off at school I replaced my blinker lenses. I didn't get any pictures of them specifically but you will see in other pictures. I did this to help clean up the front end and to make it look cleaner.

Next I got back from MT and didn't really do much but work. Last weekend though I worked on getting my JKS shackles in my truck. Once again I have no pictures although I thought I had some. These were an extreme pain to get in. Well getting them in was easy getting the old ones out was the hard part. As with everything on my truck all the bolts are fairly rusted and all the bushings are seized. So 3 outta the 4 bolts had to be cut. I also had to replace on of the bushing on the leaf springs. Of course when I need to replace the bushing no auto parts near by had it so I had to travel down to commerce city NAPA to get the bushing. Once that was done it was smooth sailing and got everything in.

The next day I brought my truck into Hill side 4x4. I went there to get my 8.25 in. While I could just about all of this by myself the welding part is what I didn't want to do. I'm not quite comfortable with my welding to attack this and the only welder that I thought would be adequate in power to do the job was a stick. So I decided to leave it to a professional for this one.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/MzCtV7zZpUIjq-Wdxrety_rBRgjKwYTEknguH_8Eu8I=w1727-h972-no

So this is a Chrysler 8.25 I picked up from a friend last year. I didn't have the time or money to get it put in before school so it sat in the garage for about a year. It has 3.07 gears which are the best for wheeling but they are the stock gears on my truck and will have to do for now cause regearing isn't cheap or something I have the time to attempt at the moment. It also has a LSD which will be a major improvement over the open diff which the stock D35 had. After it was all installed the guy getting in for me noticed my shocks are now about an inch short. I figured after getting the shackles and axle in with large axle tubes that might be the case. I'm not terribly worried about this cause the shocks were the cheapest skyjackers you could by and for now they should hold me over. Looking at this picture you can see my new shackles and notice I have a ridiculous amount of washers on the leaf spring bolt. This is because all the bolts at NAPA were just a little too long. Now I figured with some lock tight and keeping and eye on them they should be fine. If anyone would knows better please let me know.

Today I got some new tires. My old ones were getting a little worn down and driving between Montana and Colorado they weren't going to last too many trips. I got some Cooper Discoverer STT MAXXs. It came down between these and Duratracs but decided on these simply because I heard less negative reviews about them. While that could be because less people use them I figured regardless of what I got they would work for my needs. The tires I have in the picture above are 235/75 which crosses over to about 29/9.5. The Coopers I got are 31/10.50. They fit real well I think and help give about an inch more clearance. Now we just have to see how everything preforms on the trail.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/339w9DrLgy5PpdR4V_onES3PsK_4FtrOW6exoFbWVIs=w547-h971-nohttps://lh3.googleusercontent.com/KQHaVUHd3zeSSKndJaN8_jV60ZTj9Jj9NJxspLSjD1Q=w1727-h972-nohttps://lh3.googleusercontent.com/hkU-ZXbwcCQWKl-ij1BYgxfYpRMI8nryN-6CkiKZJxY=w1727-h972-no

Now I have a couple more things laying around in the garage that need to be installed but there is no real hurry. I'll keep you guys updated as things happen.

[dscowell]

Haven't updated in awhile because not a whole lot has happened. The other day though I was heading up to a friends house in the mountains and one of my u-joints finally broke. I was expecting this to happen but was trying to see how long I could push it before it broke. At least it didn't happen on the way back to Montana somewhere in Wyoming.

Ending up putting my truck in 4wd and slowly drove home with just the front shaft.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/eUattL7ey7e7M2CtVAA4KXvaW1WLDwdzA7pmOxHgq7Zum_WC7Z 5g1Zg-AXHmN3o6HEFE0Bvvm9nYKHuFR2XeDNqrqMuUw6GohXj98HTkeK wi1rSaJf6mu-luq7mHLIAmsHfAv0MlnM_1xE0BnBO7twR_vuoGq3z8zC-0IKV8vEMg4IEk-fi9f1V64Ubml_k-gadpvJKbZ--T5IqBnijGc3x0azEwFC6zJYNZrtDv5v3mwXDIq1cIKNUTLY-17P-NImtC7J1EjIC2cgdy5-YPePKDn15oEaitAcaQMwOUflAWaPyu8PhotQBbnoe8Avsnxh7M taJZ2_krXExNs5xWMNkBxhBqCJHQt9fWBwL1n_O14fdNPWt0uF waGDEjkoX7rqM5qQZofwfVCqVOXVbIZ3b_M27LU0j8x4Fa47ty LfIBzT-D_yPs33S9QuWrXkDDaC4iSv8NdjvwVLWUX7c2yeiGPURkLlKto JYiMbdmBDmK_JlKmBlmZyoKkRjdVqEMhqzAy-F0o7IhlmdrTbL3HLNq7953fVSqQju9VqDgHE7DdhnvgCux6rw9 7maAlUcamiIe=w1727-h972-no

[Hypoid]

I was expecting this to happen but was trying to see how long I could push it before it broke.I have used that strategy a few times, mostly because of financial concerns. Invariably, it cost more than a U-Joint.

I hope you make out better than I did.

[dscowell]

Invariably, it cost more than a U-Joint.

Well Mike I was not so lucky. I was still able to get the U-joint and all the bolts in but this will need to be replaced before I do any sort of wheeling.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/SKQt_5qf4RGo-iC0Bp9bTcBpkASgnDYQ54df2KI1cX85Y6PgOlNThpGN88D0Jlp viQYIBYUn7idIsQgsGRBEe7UODrNHZtzMBwPpmaEARJ_qq5Xtc _omQ3xIrUWLbTCN47qYBrcmOrARW1FKmlZEcaSYUB-IxPJPfM3WT0pmJObLJVPFZOWCD0p1OJ4-xol6xkVyxtMhNGNqQOQ70-eeEFoWq8-kB0hIg-i5iHeNGhRVy7P2PqdJNdUFMg51aUf7_BWZYusMYErnNA23ekHB Wuk7_uS7q-oobOTif6raMPr_kLgsiV6owKO_zaQJvK6FlorPa4kEVXh1JB49 tFxB3pEh-R4VA-fS2M5DH_Opre93i7bwgmhlYuZurUg1-pcANddQBopTojXftWMF4Apm6x8A8d0hU9r0jyNxjVmH0y4pHP6 tWn3aSvSndYrZ6sjmspzK06Iuwsx9OJDpz4yk4pr33eTagZGJe cT4Y6TZngGsqvki8531mLwGT9WxphH2qIJ8vpjArQxluvuPHcD M-2paVNiy-hK7CZh0n8ihwMkGbLVMo4FEE5vz0mnfAf_t3_57=w547-h971-nohttps://lh3.googleusercontent.com/iPavPLvsGP7AqktwmYABozkRnhQYF2B_rEi9e76exVNYD2Bal4 4mNjSDNO2pZuc0WclwTTbZCvqcL7S4mRpfc1Wu9sdWpCvtr6_2 G9CzbsQgZv54ENxpCHLcc_NioUhzMSYA4PSNxolGor60ipaBmh XQs9fkwUa_SyVo0M8cUGr957CuPKPFBWWz1FhjbX1-NxODazgSW_7l61n_1by5KBT5gmwzpjKuzhXiKwRut-DfI-6CMoIYigulArhyq6-LFCAqhbuS1BAqttlhWz5NZO7gPLDF1sFT_jSKc41LyAeTY659G PwdB7WmA_81aTS8UlEvqQM4CoqWSTSKf6UkB_H3_p-GII7_zsPuovtmOicFkLjest6uU71amJLcLVtZeJm_D-e6I-J1cuFM7jyKrDhu4ompMjSvh5cPq4PmMu5aHYF3Ixc1epPj1BGD 9eK6KPL1zJg2whB52C3XeCFA7BwDNn7ls1j3XmhlmcxQgs7Zdf EpZL6WnGrtpjC_r3yQdleWcygZuyMjtqZMVTq07qrx1cnkP7gk 8DKCrTzSl4HIJfq4qzenGhZ83YE_5s3oOFUt=w1727-h972-no

[Hypoid]

If you get through this event without having to repair/replace the drive shaft, you came out well.

[dscowell]

Fixed one of my driving lights this weekend. It's been out for about 4 years so it's nice to not have to worry about getting pulled over every time I drive at night. I also got around to some rust repair this weekend as well. I didn't realize how bad my pictures were til I just uploaded them to my computer so my apologies.

I worked on that top spot. The bottom one is a big hole and that's not something I have the skill or time to tackle at the moment.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/4bJnQKp6p29pisMqF96CF3fi8VFwoeX9YoQtxkdQijUmyDLyS2 kPtBf5Hw7T5tdMecST-tAeDKoDX24DxAfHk6NNjkF22ZWJhOjAMJ_bqMFP9FXC-mZW8ky3c3ZG7N-mBtcL4R2DDFXg0lI9z1AdZPNFGh5TRlEqod8HFOPBDmpxNrq7B ptEgsaGlos6vvOuqND8k_CLx2uy1LxxLxkipmuWaZ8gJt0A79w-4uVoT1S7EMQBJSDqeLj227TAUOlUtNvxbaXLkf2dRJfoHzpDvS U2QxRakN4RxhmVNV2BuMiMgJ2jVMM2XEWxrB_0JDYLevWk2JAy bY-LhWJD4FaJiLKAsRfo5L3oBStPZZtEF_Mu6ESa6dqNQkpThNxH8 7fq3oQSJDUbYhdKjh6tdPEVl7xcOxcQia6PGVw9cX4XOZGE4YV yhVnQU37xY1paeLeZLiCYJ9rVHB_xUmZ0F-gLbXteBwPnID9a0ET2UbEkZ7LPOJy6o8QdZFDc1aL8KXCL8fxO 62UStBuLUE5dElOvTZRZM5nBPw6SeHO2dJ60MgHH5YS6zTWhD5 DT5UTL8PioDdlw6MQC2Az9VPpp4PrzbI2uEcemYxV-E9Eyrl1QKnzEINZxcWjXjegAHQvzwf6M1vBy4qw8YTFzJDE8aI 6RKqqpel-n7Vcd6rbioStswA=w982-h950-no

Cleaned up pretty well. Ended up punching through in one spot but I'm glad I got to it before it got really bad.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/gwp8rpBPT10ucR31vN_W5GwiCORLZGzrSJYqH_SJX3ZwnwjbRY nmxuutOla2gJg9OzIb8cAEEinFDjOzCFloZkZAAPxZsv4qFEOw u1yMNeTxI8FKKx1naQymomPwucXIbgdAj0foTd10ui3bqob2v4 ILgP4EnMYSx1zY_PFfkSKHRpeEoQPvHC9dup0k9PjC54IcLDi0 lsOdPWem3LTjupdKcsWsksVRJ843w0xKbO4fs09uNNRJ-LUcsxw7w99wJENf8-ofO3_z5gCvaBobhfIHYNBcJHQduBhGTDTmnfhiy4Env91SFrny kcQLu6RApYStloiId-0LufPhL4nBspmQuDMUaYW-4IoxNhTl9SO-snNqc6CuN91c5nK177mBly4SRDXb87M8FVAR2H6NvTHrFiYT6o Gm47M1EnOh5qkl-VIbH83zluukglwwnUqGzP43Bhe2bX9pMmjkGnh5sqITEezdEyY DZWtnGprGsPgrKyC4NMU6zKzDv0Tuunv1Nm8gKRXobpmLpNVW4 rQZLdo4CWOxJkCG5PA5H8-6mkpeAN5gBJnny1IyQO638Q0koUf_2XG3M7wGC11UiJTwaUf5e p-pifIPcF17CnoNrfJhErLWeqnT_c8362b_eW9dGdkY88vqnLASc V9DsZemrsaXETgqAoTF1CYhHVKCBw=w1208-h950-no

There was a big one on my passenger side door and ended up having two little holes. I'm not too worried about cleaning this one perfectly considering it's a door and is a lot easier to replace then my bed sides.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/8dJcJ74gdJK4cq7W1MOgM56ul_URz9c0aDSej4VUZYqwcerOPT 8ZbSHEMOd0h7stQ9OgH_xdz4Fmb3jPsKwlYtTyYIqpv-WiZFrcCY_rlhx_LaL0ndIPK2lQBLZJA8Th72AsHQekxeAXSaI-_OwgibSKYLFo4uXkjWIE6LG2vCUyE4VyxatlroJ2lQJmaiNpEo 6k8rceT1ZDULaEtoOsGhI1UxRZ7QVb_wXUOKU9YkC7pdAfbXYt w8ZpvFgNjzvmguvtuauN6AuQG7kjeX1Ko6I0a4Qc17IsrY9c74 FheqU_0sIRkqDQHmO2rwT4fRoRT5aGCZzdj3-ETIKt_D4yEysiOnkkWErYxErV3iTvXX3Xgh7Nm7Vj68VDYJ243 ugjrl5juObiISlgTQYHBMfQ2uONZrZIrp7qOegWItfi95_plza Zle29dH1QaKOl9CD898Andh2OwCGgvZFXs4a84wHnxUOgF4p8f bCLmczebwcVsvsfP09HGOxUhEol_wDVMh2GAQfE1b9waIVJYtu l1yOHV0jeXh8D3oiL1Uy9ZCLzs0eUCIfhn2sXA2cfcNIIxRewv Qb76KvqxaV_Z4XYDcvn52auWr4UiuY-F1DR7LOxqeoNV2-EHGiNszMIn-Jc0vYsIzlmjzB_TAkxnsIsEzu4QhVFDwmw9jGnsKFQWg=w1084-h950-no

I'm hoping to get my interior torn apart this summer since my dash is cracked, stereo wiring has been bad for about 2 years, the cab is unbelievably loud and unpleasant on my drives to and from school and the carpet could either use a good clean or replaced. I'll try and keep everyone updated best I can.

[dscowell]

Got some work done this weekend. Let me know if you can't see the pictures since that is a common issue I have.

Got a second steering box brace installed since it's been sitting in my garage for a couple years. While I don't need it since I don't have tires big enough it's always better to be safe then sorry.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/7oZed4eF42TPWbFQjBx9bop19QuyK0_VJaU6Jl54OzI94ADl0-G6N6qTBcw9aFvkGpuIkyCDb4DYxpWiZ_l3THGOsEdy-eNXnrm3XHsLmD8wtqP2oQo7SiEIui4vtODtMJSu5ROI2LPpbKj Zt-I7wYOYuoRUcwy2srlqcploCrRkzqLqYiJ_8lAFuweU0TsuPcA-ezkQGy3BLsygYnNLK-5TifLlfXxP8pz_j1Z_pzxHzXddPjcfCu1Nz8xDZ59HsWYModMi RW_L_VL1lIixKRl8E78QyPdPpjEXv6-CjF-KF_w-6eGCpZWNoKv4gU8GpnIFz_74bkDJf99hxqyMKWDmZ0v7V-2zmHVgUPVevRpn6Lt3CxgbhRfRRaqV6_2A6EDxMRc9wCj8ADER ZkKssTCAbnXkCbXXHwOHayMLG_5GXpGz0xxXNC-ENxpX6SRFkT2dd8mW7Nw8Y1S6AafNipVeOOvrX7bdE3xVgeQsI TrmUKt52HpyLBRG-W28o6h89LQ8hlm8JC68ZCxTdKs5LiMMTYJUMUPHvvWqUjZgljZ w7Cii6MDPVFXiAJFmIc3peYtC9W_EURRF9mhRY9nZQC3fYDmEa _jf7Ayx5Sj6Wpf1VsccSzknmjs_mjd0AZCPBhxfqceRNwerYhh BfaWqCub5UBOv0ttW3hX3jO-jMg=w1690-h950-no
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/TkY1ItiebWGeoZHdHuWX3rinc1RnOZ0E0rPsLq8v5qpUj2U8lf naDnrA30u9f7LfyolycO1KW8TM1btadxBhbt3h2r-zURKjGv3WDs3Nc2l2a9_NBTgGIbKVgfCqusEaoyzmPLwncQsMK ZWuxwdPqmxpYSPs7RhOW6eed3pv0UYSBKp66zQ_tgsQpWoLm5m w6dLHorEoqJUe4VpXuIvfQrYqjPc3r0L0MB9iVVVrcRt3Dlu0j bfQn38TrUeMp_hXEHRGkvtydLpdvHMcXMyfoYPJQ-pvCcJhJ_TGwU9HUVxLIH6BC1aWBGlaStp2IJTWVcDvRJJGoGk3 k0I0Yem0o5S4ivohwh0SzbmN9E5bYzY-uvipfPygJ-PKVCCPowOamahi2HavM3GzcU92wToKOoHotYNfbR3Ob33u0Tgj On3lYdmjuh-hTpJ1X7Z5RhnPTbDqbdmp4srRpK6tksDWOrDGaIEqL4j5AcxS8 3gQV4U1C5zuxJVbeGM21-thBSHjBYJsO05uPmgsAWkv9fxbyfEHgvkbz8Cj9-ObME4A0GEaNHpEEanhnGJa9ouuu7i6LL4ttFMjieSvtAlIgp4S 04mfjZCcKcWkujtufLqfJbOBqvLTPDWPvkg_cUEP-NDbQeLH-eiiDtjM_wIucIQfFTmx4boyiBjNizWai_ip7g=w535-h950-no

Also installed a ZJ sway bar. ZJ sway bar was ~1.0175" and the MJ sway bar was ~0.9425" in diameter. ZJ is on the right.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/U9fkiuyIC8CaZdwq7EYvwluJ1ckZHvDbUxBERdSgsV-Ny8VlzfJR9P3vh1mucGDuV5u3FD6kGjpWAQvJfRVQzWci08ZJ8 jk4Jx4jP_y8_niMt4xvM-TGaUDOnRm8DkpLVHHMfrZWMv6PvOSZsuww3SdwQrjscqxOOQoJ e_xo6Cu2bnEGK13piVsjUqB22Upbz1IVn-iKQrXBULLRH8lT_iKZuXtFfegYwV15WHB7B0cdUxYCAPPUsHza Ra_6zZGYusxlyBo6_aDhx4V-iGYQyqlZdiJTvICeOZvr46pCgU6HQsaLMNINYgJU8ZTH2J1B7Z qRok8eUdfiNsLPsVcRlKS4YdR817u3fv099G-OBooMzCOKMT4cW_0-lc_EC1N4uTC_Y94KSvdigtDtNLdggj9T6Pqsu8RWNfp75WVkOU trDnGM_PHWCDI5EIWK3ujgeYnL-SdHZY7hKEG23lXLrvvZDzI9P5WcIKICKZZH1tzExQm1LUaGraY AhkTeJd1ex2jTzxLLsPr9mkPjkOtPqDOuFhQx-QUHnAWNSwI4InRPoJ2Fo2ldvevONk_FG4q4Qsz005W55bdmWI-ibMsF6p0gnYEZsO0sZg1QPtyasRKsxcmQYk5kn2XVvrFNXqXlg a1jEGVPKd7MpIttAwPKYW0oRgI6QtubtCfUNgaq0Q=w535-h950-no

Then finally got the dual diaphragm brake booster in that came out of a XJ. This was more of a pain then what people made it out to be on forums and Youtube. Made multiple brake lines due to breaking some, not making them right or too short but it's done.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/l9J1AOY5Z8LXd0lHbCRloM_gKWOjI8mpOZ7cw3R4HjFKGgjudz whnSm-Z20Tn6iMw_ZH1-aPE5vyUEHXWEodzHZaUWNF3P9tE-I0pnLKvjzP1LASEvDT_R51bIreBXosN89T_h17TfYHSmE0xl2K WxP9r-9cYfMmu3nrO2X0yZkm_tAiTKfHGNouq5HEnTYFTtw85DXAXyKP eaD8iLiUZm8_5EhQShCJw3TSYFp6lCivyLW4u_7njWeJCPi8VJ 1fzm-JSBNkt8FtDFGbPsO7_Pb-nW3RB3uCpoy3PdJgSM9lWvjMIz08Web9h94atjBeHK7epqUKEL vI7wg-zooCz2WbH68jrA1Ee9aYDnnATSrPNVYYlgdpWh571OISxZMibM J55snCLCR2G4-S6jBNK7Bc4iwMQqSRB9e-yO5wjrzeiphVd8roJaJMSOxmRsW6vCh3X6-rwlocR3otP5b8P9vV52sCYdUY6Km10cAfEOr7lFYj3_DsMOEkb SZ3cbvLn8U6KpJH_t8cSa_JTkli0Jckk8Z1gkcSVct9aTfRMIv MbqjVXbv2NPIyG9RLZpkJtJvWJyRD3PLurIC9wTAU28DbC_lE6 Vkt2CSJLv4Hba9TU0Q8kJUByMCDdpSum2gpOmL4Iw4goVDoxCY DEgCiRnbrAg2SDgJpsTtJ_TR98w=w1690-h950-no

Also had to mount the washer fluid about an inch but I can't complain since that took a whole minute to do.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bmdLBcdZzngZ9efp92oriDU2z88NO1Yly0rOeIoVwORjT7kMa6 yf75WFMgBNI2DDDBnob6QJ4HeHHYh-G060zQzDrxlbAI8ARzb6FqvCvm_Hxs6X1VnxBnY8wAwbtHBXtC 2CEydtcw-ASq4dm49ZbhuyMn5h0xmRhOkZp_JkGtOOrDnXTo5CrF-Di_QCJJOa3MVEq5yHfQ8dvzD8bOuzQ9w9tRrTbKuYjKG069po-OlQgbZILhjSi8hayE5PoywUAcaloS9ibf-VLzaEEySxGDwr4BVltF13xZrjIwh006iGeQO1EDAqcmQ7-hUDIQA3CvmLwTqT0YeKxTXM8e84deT6hiDqL5oguqh4K9Sx1ki q1YvZAQogSrCvHtGQqEkkdHwTAYLcVt3ENLswX817r20T_IQvS yK3QMY34TGngvp_qo1zsP_kiDuJYz9T-IuFrE4iCyBRKDHhGNkXoJf1EkyIHFpOWSmCKIo0l_PrLKc0F1e rBNxE2voydEsfMj9jBdXcYpWpjbEDipS34RxsIOwKwvabIndXB sp-ith4Dn_A12Dk8nnsdjYwsaFdbzrZke3oJlv6dIRLm9NQIYC37d E7gWe4u9nGtcq5uO5S0AVPTZeqFAkMm4U4uKdpETvaljWeAEJZ iASqAYPfyXUfij_ARP8T82KRRSeBKre6Q=w535-h950-no

[dscowell]

No more two tone paint job for me!

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/AlrcjMr14WaIBCxKgBsVLgvpCi3mX8ts6L3gwBirWq2P2vB9Cn TlXb38fbK58lAmK8iVCs6DG2u_HQf-McwDSRmfpWf2O8EqI5Yli6pSK-0a5KtmZ8isRAOa5QY71hDHVgqCE4fL2JrItx4gVUVNVM2rNvrb md68WLH6akwS6-flB67geRg_eKF3bhajMf5cqoHL-uupQmYqXsA9ZC2PM1Dm3igIBiZr2eEudhDwjyOkb4H72BqUKz1 TnAwwC9jXrU1X7yk0FPcWPmMZ1_y0ZqWq2kCpuqgHcKQ3If5so GpIuc3G9rsVPpxpeqI13--RLOq9O_MAWmFrIKtyLKhYkh20N44xo6qdKa729UbpobZ65zch5 MPvE_QO2M9XJ97Tx41xhqqfsxUvraPMkBGVMoRol5vJg5EE8Hm wJ83ohglhksIR9pYI2sLz9itd2xPLToAX6ohn2HX6iXICDT4I1 kpR5rkiTVlDmD8qAyljdeAXMDEpD6Z9vhhiZwttGe6Fykg5DVA 8gIihOSDKmerOVjrLySLUNhXZfOerP2-H-rFL_79g2dg1Rzn5WbbOMl204Z9eWzM_qkB7MP8heur2A7iIvNq rNDnrgVYNHlksBoxXCEyqgwnfjOTQ51vTr7BPw1Iu7ovEYftdL JvnAF30HHKtVAJEUXughPvMf4bpmrfEQQ=w982-h952-nohttps://lh3.googleusercontent.com/TDET8Sq5wEZWGwPtHUDflkSeDPIvu0pSUDk-PWYZIO_y2pMjwFR19zAuRwI5DTLscClQGEcrP4ynEfycKw-XxTgjub1HvjOVvu1Gv2KODpJOVOCV_vs-2q7BlZC7FixzuDqW_CeHewhbrtAwVFO5KnULr8xL32tjcZvz2l M_ke81yWyDge0pE1E-POjAp-z-eFaVwZkDlDHDuzKRs6AUsvFS09OD4QLbkhKSdY5bNU96isaPlP iMKvof9tCa7_C-ptwQrgXB0CfMMn12bV3Fk3fLFaHXc_SZnhUyjxOlhrpLEd8Ecq yKcEoiAYQ_TfnpK5jgdNENc72G8UeTyazILtjZyBOpVprfX5aE 28Lt4tGEFpjfRWusYKf18mUCY5z9YYSLhLzf1isHJZXFpoKDYs 5Ai4z7w3r6SbRKyqIcbC8hOs3WZvFYpA4CjRXHQsEx-dCKCawpT3ij0lvN-wLofykdRpRhazpx2wD8Er-Yee-ePGt3UxJJHWqc6TnlUfXAcuIBiocmwK4MpoqCgVVswv-VxzG25oW-BXIsWTQsTqE9nYvosX7Phbo-DiN2py9XEjTx-7qdplUKjof8Emk6v_-EMJep7CTfA1ENgXq_kogdpPGWePJNrRzSjFv3Us-VpjJ-H7D5WTMI7km5-ISqzeNf8FWfg_iVDAVdSCyplNVhfg=w1174-h950-no

Also replaced the old small broken side mirrors with larger XJ mirrors
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/DmPRXS9dEGvNMzWh4n8QVhgSPwUjKntfS4xFmoN5ytimqbBRpC Vb64tng3xiFjDW0DwAyYhzESUZ9PdLLmY6O0S4YzKhwuUh_KkB KDrBpEDYnhON2wCi0syY8PnZFZ1NzdK--RS1betwh_J5BUdCIFoywh5SPl9rAyPtkNLTmgMXr3zRltKhDf4 IOzm2QS3eAgu7c399E9r4Quf2gnqziOc4XoRnNtybSF5SaygKT vJHiZ4fjc8-PvkNITR2UJOZkxkaJLdTTCQ_DLoPdTh5lfpKKosDZz3ju32Cvh qiYlENRb_NfKhvX2Zm5c-Tg37cTm4MX5CzPYu5JChAMqh48mzHshte2inbKCHYHH3rlrYvf OOr5VuJ1wp1FeKAPMW-64zUYjZ6t-oPh8zMbWgS_iGUScnJi61dTiZpvDentiClatKxagcWHBapGy_X XmttXJwTjPo2H_yjxwN6-GrGvmQMgQQku4mBFTZyAvXZOlNVnWTYCsj1630twdpXHAgn-_a_O_pC1cSm_R95BbKsH-TCXluBAEToIXeDJJsxM4yheEbzfY7AR4tyemj5jwTrjWNlzemA rnbIbZIVZaGfEHi-FevPJDywaq4WwN1MJnh2vkFbo4vXw1Bzc_OePjkoNp3KFuxSQb WWXRe6oREJ0ESFwCYM9R42e6G1WymeWouHtQ=w888-h950-no

Also got my broken lock cylinders replaced. Hopefully never have to do that again.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/3rXXTjmd1tSJzKsvYvqSl_9NeE1y7n3szYJILbmk8MjoeD0ax5 RnoAkoaTPkpNjm_gmMFKLmVhhuiZoIyVS3OoIXA2MJ5MpFtw5n y8DbVZhqeY6zF-1zOsdKPzFwBjD_4im_LbLaFKwk0hmCeSNxR59Q5Qbzgg4IlsD8 fj_91SXTK8cdv4Dr6UPSR1PTh9tFJ5tBrX16SOVEQa1-fLomTeqQGAygpMQEGm8kbJBxqfcGZ4ByYOLCXx4renM4w7rb7p 8vbxAcV8rJNKnmcjNHK7xHFn_BspU8RGKJXAxXSPU7G82HRQXg Uh7kVREtGrEffzN8AjuzLE9iXJJBgdHc6W4OpYAP6F_3dDzet9 BzWUtnEj77-tjgEs-B6_XQKkP8e2mchmqCbUP_DMQy9u1OqYbuVkR6gORg1GseUG7r4 yz9-vm-O6IIXBHnpdHmKKDAenaJlBpnIespFPsdq3827V9pmvQcpiHv8Z bHG0ZvwHlz4gYwC5vtjKmODQIxSt_b2CUR0Fusv0YWhtM7SmZV gyD5Otz_iEL9F0Z5DMUMcfHS_7Hfp0ZkVD7BQuD2Xt4UQVsY9T 5GDfIJ90nNoic9lY2fdV-oyc-pYlQIt9TEUybfqM5mUfvEMYkHjmBzoL3x2Gb7w1qu0Ro05zL-avjhTd30-9eVnOaEinkY1zIkLMpaDA=s950-no

Then while I had the doors apart I put some dynamat around the speakers and parts of the door. My dad had some left over from doing his stereo system so he gave it to me. Now it may have been good to cover the whole door in it but what I read on various forums and websites that only 25% of an area needs to be covered in CLD for maximum money to effectiveness. I was reading 25% will change the db level by ~10 db, 60% +1-2db and 100% +1-2db. So covering 100% of an area will only make a maximum of a 4 db change which is fairly unnoticeable. I guess saying it changes the decibels isn't the best way to word it since CLD does not actually block sound but changes the sound vibrations from metal to heat. Regardless you should get what I am trying to get at.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/zC28hYkfySGLyBwgWLJyvqw3LquvsmAUqhAkVpvp8SKyb6NZi0 0NbTkizfNenv9PWOBDp46JuWMf5RKm_UxACGurvP-DAPbGH3JhMxNLlX9pyh3JeNiBGsdH9l8fZVWXIrS3jh4xka-Yd45EB_VTbS_vDcA2oi3FFiMb2mGvQFNo2q8y5Txc80CyEN9kn 1qFH_j_J-xAHRb2RnphRDRbH6x02n7yTV-cnG0p1c0w1QiruMQBDYYgNt2nwIdwdM1-fau0r12JhYlkzUeivFOVoWqCClBKxVsx7uY-BNLSFlHZkMhV5bPGONXxXBZm-O-fekq5X4s8NeNvsmjj5qkTp3srgOQbiPWH1EsCurW8MhLRakwli jvzeQ5-jAqLvIWsUPvz32NJZzdcCfXN-DdaaoFjyY3RiWDvepd523YPpfOcEDGIjlaX86mRFWP0iWzJaYj ZuzkvkxNdqN0DNmPCZvvMFH-Pw1bqnFYgxO94p68IoRrH4hSZVk4l5JtYgf8bdZ0GWA0P24IyO cRUfHj8q8q3vpwRV_MwX0onqb3rPXC07NOIBXKIua0zIdzfuR1 4UNbCa3oiSM5LsYcprP00HgxFFTro55LTnw4DWFMma_MafjNL1 37ecR3YuiNRoHWFv2ynq-84iNFMJCjGC--OcxVChb0C2LE7Xfd8LIe81bLTog=w1690-h950-no

Hopefully in the next couple weeks I will get a chance to tear my whole interior apart and cover it in some of the CLD (used above) along with some other sound deadening material. Also hopefully fix my stereo which has been broken for about 2 years now. With that fixed I'll know if dynamat makes a difference around the speakers. I'll update as more happens.

[JandDGreens]

You really notice the difference in breaking with that booster. Really one of the best up-grades I have done to my 91 XJ

[dscowell]

About a month ago I installed some insulation in my truck to try and help with highway driving. Laid down some CLD, CCF and MLV through out as much of the interior as I could. I also fixed my stereo which hasn't worked for ~2 years. Found out one of the speakers fell and the side of the magnet was touching the door and shorting it out. Unfortunately though I get back up to Butte about a couple weeks later and my stereo has started blowing fuses so I'll try and get this figured out. Driving around with no stereo especially on the 12 hour drive up to Butte is painful.

Drove my truck up to my friends shop near Eaton. (Started a trail repair business I suggest you guys check him out if your close.) Stripped my interior out and surprisingly my floor wasn't in terrible shape. All the rust was superficial other then one tiny rust hole but compared to the exterior of my truck I'll take it. Passenger side was pretty wet since my carpet was moist for some reason.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--Z3lzoAqeuk/WbWZkAwqeKI/AAAAAAAADvM/M7sASEZBKXoAhCgu_me5qC5gJauNoBuogCJoC/w663-h373-n-rw/IMG_20170721_222456082.jpg

Got a good deal on some 5x7s so I installed those in the back and took out the computer speakers you can see in the picture above. The previous owner had them wired up and they did a good job but for as small as this cab is they took up quite a bit of space.
Here is a comparison between the new and stock speakers.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/dABiLHm9z68rsHdvvN6-CkGFq566_Heq9TJE8Pvyb8w_w-IToiFTa2OgqAhhmOy1mDMu1-Ipgs5FBEgNIFT3aYNoEq644Rnu7XxxUg=w155-h275-rwhttps://lh3.googleusercontent.com/OQjktg6AaldjMy-z8JIQMbsllqE0a_6qFgiviSkNoB-0LWKgrKdbZSc_SExagPJ8M4r1UL4Weisx3Ac_T3pvEcfzZKZr-b2dPM0H5Q=w155-h275-rw

Since these speakers are much larger we had to do some cutting and custom mounting but everything worked out good.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Gvib8Cv1R5qjk_vf0AEGRqXgZBKBZjkxKa6Y7E2izoSEmYcXQh _wemelmqpD9J3b6ntev3gtsVCTeeWPB6-fCnmC6qSC5g6V0KTnZg=w489-h275-rw

After all of that we laid down all the insulation which is extremely tedious and time consuming.
CLD down then the CCF. I didn't get any pictures of the MLV since it was getting late but it looks the same.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/MeVI_YJppv5kwOSn6j_ARQy1P6hneOxD6LPoF1z0ArKTA-yJF6Mel259BvVVcRb4ux8KEV-WnCzOPB1izlTRaFj_4rK-GD4CP940sg=w155-h275-rwhttps://lh3.googleusercontent.com/KdinCA-_Qg-sBrPbOlqcLSuJZ5felaFc5T_zbui06BHPnF6lteK4xxhaz5BD7-pV-xdWU3hMRpR5UFpPelPwJ-p2FJ4-DXl-UHaGMw=w489-h275-rw

Put everything back together and called it good. Now I would love to tell you guys the huge difference this made but it didn't. Driving home was still loud and even more frustrating since I spent all weekend and about $400 to get this stuff laid down and it didn't do anything. Then I realized most of the noise is probably coming from the door seals. I got some new seals but have yet to install them and once I do i'll get back to you guys on whether or not they mad a difference.

[dscowell]

Did a couple small projects this weekend. Brake lights haven't been working since I replaced the boost. I screwed too much with the brake sensor and bent it so I got a new one and got that fixed real quick. I also replaced my headlight bezels since they got pretty beat up during the hail storm at the beginning of the summer.

Old bezel and the new all black front end
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/ob--OEDVYc7UkO08WCYgd4cdX3fpeOFxdOVoEGKvpeaC9rdtCrN2KN 0jSPbJJ_1mY4b6fynd_FqwDHlqz7KfAT_gZQueXwCCm-2SaQ=w155-h275-rwhttps://lh3.googleusercontent.com/dF4cuE59gaNn-Z5AcIu4pmQokSuae0tbByNqOJeBojpRr29rWNw0huZRaQgHYX1 9bzKOEELhHNptdycUdKFUv665uufvea1RwH2b-g=w155-h275-rw

Also found a piece of my cat lodged in my tail pipe which was nice...
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/yAWUP7tHmQmk5jjq5l8ScMUxzMI1tmwuu9V7GCXBpdWJjwXNS8 RRGEZne0cNO5s-ZqCPGU3OZQ1JL4mymy9G3oXpFDSLvUZftPYE1w=w155-h275-rw

The major problem with my truck right now is I have cracked windshield from the hail. I tried getting it replace but the guys refused since there is rust around my windshield which has apparently compromised the pinch weld and according to Colorado law they can't replace it. Went to a body shop and they quoted my $2400 to fix it which is how much my truck is worth so I'm trying to figure out some solution to that since I can't afford that nor should I pay that. Man does it suck being a poor college kid.

[Getaklu]

May be able to do the winshield yourself or find an installer that will do it on a moonlight basis. The understanding will be no warranty. Glass is a lot cheaper when insurance isn't involved as well.

[dscowell]

That's what I thought. The guy at the body shop told me he could do it with no warranty but if he pulled it off and it was rusted though enough he couldn't get another one in and that's what I'm worried about. Windshield it's something I really want to do myself either

[dscowell]

Haven't gotten too much done lately mostly because of school but now that I'm working for the summer I can start cranking through some projects.

Got some new front speakers in today. Had some 5 1/4" in but I was constantly having problems with them because wiring and the door panel went straight up to the speaker so it muffled the speakers. Got some JBL 6.5" 2-way 4 ohms to match my rears.

https://i.imgur.com/Hk7JXhFl.jpg
You can see the new speakers are significantly larger.

https://i.imgur.com/usf2nYTl.jpg
Putting them in required some cutting since the stock speakers were 5 1/4" and since these are larger they needed to be moved as well. The window crank is awfully close but it'll still work.

I'm hoping this summer to get my T-case rebuilt, get a SYE put in, upgraded steering, new coils up front, shocks front and rear as well as a new track bar. Probably some other little stuff. Stay tuned.

[dscowell]

Got most of my work done which is good since I'll be heading to Ouray in two weeks. For those of you who weren't at the Anniversary run my passenger side LCA broke and that my truck's belt was screeching like I just summoned Satan.

Essentially what happened was the jam nut on one side was loose and didn't keep tension on the threads and they became stripped. Now I'm assuming they've been stripped for a long time since my front tires have had very weird wear. To say the least I'm glad they came out when I was going 4 mph on the biggest run of year as opposed to driving at 80 mph between Montana and Colorado.
https://i.imgur.com/g0QupeHl.jpg
There was enough room I was able to wrap the control arm together with a ratchet strap and I had a friend come down with a trailer and get me. God bless good friends and god bless FR4x4. Everyone was helping out as much as they could as well as offering to take me out with them as a co pilot and I really appreciated it. Jim even offered to let me drive but I didn't want to end up breaking his rig like mine.:frontrange4x4:

https://i.imgur.com/YJCJTcRm.jpg
I'll see if I can upload a video after this post so you can see how bad it really is since this picture doesn't do justice.

To address the screeching belt I replaced it and then my truck refused to start. After replacing a whole bunch of parts and no success I got irritated and sent it to a shop. The shop called said the plugs were wet... well obviously the truck would crank and crank but not fire so yes they would be wet. I told them to change the plugs just in case there was something else wrong. Well new plugs got it started but they told me the belt immediately smoked out the shop then blew up. I guess the alternator was locked as seen below.

https://i.imgur.com/zjA1eo4m.jpg https://i.imgur.com/C95VmR0m.jpg
Yeah that might be why it locked up. As you can see the shop wasn't joking when they said it blew up. Luckily the alternator was easy to replace and Napa had a 117 amp one so I could upgrade for a little more electrical power. After replacing it the truck fired up and drove like it should.

So now it's time for all the "fun" stuff. I picked up Metalcloaks 3.5" TJ springs, LCA, Track Bar and extended brake lines along with CavFab 1 ton steering.

https://i.imgur.com/7VQpJ4Hm.jpg
As you can see the Metalcloak spring on the right is significantly larger than the one that was in my truck on the left. The ones I had in there had thicker coil metal and were not progressive rate springs as the new ones and didn't ride very well. They were supposed to be 3" lift springs I never actually measured but it seemed more like 2" of lift. The Metalcloak springs have me sitting around 4-4.5" now (i really should measure). They also ride significantly better even with my junk Skyjacker shocks I have in there for now. Since they're so large they were a bit of a pain to get in to the truck but it should preform better on and off road now like I've heard from many people about these springs. I'm probably happiest that I don't have red springs in my truck anymore.

https://i.imgur.com/ATzSbybm.jpg
Metalcloaks thing with they're parts is ionizing them gold for strength or whatever reason it may be but the new track bar is on the right and the stock is on the left. The body mount is replaced from a TRE to a heim joint running 5/8" hardware and 9/16" on the axle mount. For anyone whose put in a new track bar knows how tedious the process is and it was no different for me. It eventually got to be ~1/4" more tire sticking out on one side and I called it good. I also replaced the LCA since as seen above one broke. Metalcloaks arms are the same as the track bar ionized gold and installed with ease since the truck was sitting at about the same height. I'm glad I replaced the arms I had in there other than it breaking because some of my joints were totally shot.

https://i.imgur.com/3escCmlm.jpg https://i.imgur.com/JPPRO3lm.jpg
Next was the 1 ton cross over steering steering. It's 1.5" solid bar machined to run 5/8" heim joints. Which is without a doubt overkill but I've heard of a lot of people running this kit lately and being very happy with it. The price was also right at about $220 before shipping as opposed to Ruff Stuff or Currie at about $500. The problem though is it's too much over kill. They sell two kits the standard which I have and the high clearance (+$40) which has a couple bends to clear the sway bars and a larger diff cover. What I figured is that I wasn't running sway bars right now and I have a Solid diff cover which is about the same size as the stock cover I could get away with the standard. Well lo and behold the tie rod still makes contact and lot of it. I can get reasonable turning radius when turning left but not when turning right. Which I found surprising that the track bar bolt is more of a problem then the diff cover. So being very frustrated about buying something that had no mention of this I tried contacting CavFab no one has ever picked up the phone for me and I didn't get my message answered til a couple days later and all it said was to get grinding. So what I've experience from this steering is if your running standard you either need to run it OTK or get the high clearance kit. I've looked for offset heim joints that would work but I can only find 3/4" bore with a 7/8" shank where this steering kit runs 5/8" bore with 3/4" shank so that out of the question til someone make some. I've also thought that I'll just wait til I get back to school and try the tube bender in the lab since I only need 10 degree bend for it to work properly. Regardless of what I do it'll hold me over til I can get a different kit of find a proper solution.

https://i.imgur.com/yty0eDgl.jpg
Here is the final product of a couple hours and a couple beers in my buddies shop. Some final concerns: 1) I'm running the drag link over the pitman arm to get a somewhat correct angle with the track bar to avoid bumpsteer. When we were measuring for shock length the drag Link got a little too close to the oil pan for comfort. I did throw a couple hockey pucks in for bumpstops but I may need more. 2) Since these springs are so big I got some serious shock length measurements which seem a little unreasonable and where pushing the new brake lines to the max so I may have to get a limiting strap or longer brake lines in the future. 3) I recently brought my truck in to get an alignment and was in formed my ball joints and UCA axle bushing are shot and can't have the alignment fixed til they're replaced. So I need to get a quote to figure out if I'm going to be doing this or have them do it. I was really hoping to make it til next summer to replace the ball joints but on the drive over to the shop I was feeling some death wobble and knew I probably won't be so lucky. 4) Bilstein shocks have been ordered but only 2 have shown up out of the 4 I ordered so hopefully they all arrive.

The hope is have the beast make it up and back from Montana one more time which then I should get a full time job hopefully as an engineer and be able to get a cheap DD and put the MJ off to the side for some more serious upgrades. As of right now I'm also planning on not doing anything too serious next summer since I haven't really gone wheeling in the last two years and the one time I go my truck breaks so I'm getting a little irritated with working on stuff. But both of these things are also just hopes so we will see if they actually happen or not. I'm also pretty satisfied with where my truck is at the moment. Some rock sliders and tube fenders would be nice and I got a pretty easy final semester ahead with all my friends already graduated so we will see if I can find the motivation to make some with the decent lab I have at my disposal.

[dscowell]

This thing is not showing me any love. After the last post, I tried getting an alignment at John's 4x4 in Boulder (great guys). The guy there told me they couldn't get a proper alignment til the ball joints and upper control arm bushing were replaced which I spent about 12 hours doing due to one of the bushings not wanting to go in at all. After that was all said and done they got the alignment best they could but said it'd need new wheeling bearings but I decided for them to just do it since I had my trip to Ouray planned the next day and a little out of alignment isn't a big deal to me. Needs new tires anyways.

Got down to Ouray and the MJ decided to not cooperate. The thermostat locked up and would just boil over coolant and the coolant overflow bottle and cap were all but gone as well. This was not only frustrating because I was 6 hours from home but also because I spent a lot of time upgrading my steering and suspension this summer as well as I had a friend drive down from Boise and had other friends fly down from Montana and Minnesota to join us. I, unfortunately, had to ride copilot the whole time and while it was fun I was fairly upset about my truck being broken from an unforeseen problem. I was able to limp the MJ home stopping to add more coolant every so often. After that, I got all of the coolant lines, thermostat, thermostat housing, coolant bottle, and cap all replaced and it has since run without a hitch.

Got it up to Montana for my final semester and it decided to not start. Luckily it was just the CPS which I had replaced fairly quick. Then come Thanksgiving my power steering went out. Due to being a poor college kid and lack of tools I decided to just deal with manual steering for a while. Now that I'm home I have a little more time and room to work on it I found out the high-pressure line was shot as seen below.

High-pressure power steering pump line.
https://i.imgur.com/QUW9D2pm.jpg
Somehow this ended up against the steering box and rubbed its self a hole. I'm assuming one of the fittings was loose and that what caused this but regardless it was spewing fluid fast.

After getting that replaced I then found out the steering box is leaking. GREAT! So Hopefully in the next couple days, I'll have that fix and get my emissions done which it failed for the first time so we will see how the retest goes.

[Jim]

You're gett'n hammered with stuff when you don't want it. Though - you're getting it fixed with new stuff that should work problem free for a long time.

[dscowell]

You're gett'n hammered with stuff when you don't want it. Though - you're getting it fixed with new stuff that should work problem free for a long time.

Right now isn't an optimal time for things to start breaking but such is life. I have been telling myself here soon I'll have a decent paying job and can get something else or if anything at the rate things are breaking I'll have built myself a whole new truck.