my '88 Comanche

88pioneer

New Member
Joined
Sep 1, 2009
Location
Winston Salem
My 1988 Comanche Pioneer the day I brought it home. It's a SWB, Pioneer Edition with 4.0, BA10/5-231 with 3.07 gears. Faded red paint and grungy tan/butterscotch interior. With 135k the engine is clean and the previous owner just had a new clutch, front steering components and tires installed. I'm the 3rd owner.
ai141.photobucket.com_albums_r57_another_jeff_MJ_SANY0901.jpg

The body has 2 good sized dings in it where the previous owner took it wheeling. He also managed to tweak the rear bumper.
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Plans so far in no particular order:
1. Paint and body. Going back with the factory 'Colorado Red' (I think that's what its called). No stripes just the red.
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2. Interior. Since most all the tan pieces are shot I'm planning a complete change out.
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3. Suspension: Up front 3.5" RE springs along with RE upper and lower control arms, adjustable track bar and ZJ steering. Out back HellCreek 4.0" leaf springs and diff will stay SUA. Bilstein 5150's F & R.
4. Drivetrain: Diffs will be '99 XJ HPD30 up front and a XJ Chry 8.25 out back, both with 3.55's. Tires will be 265/75R16's or 31.8" tall. Transmission will be change out to an AX15/231 sooner or later.
 
Gutted the interior and started the rust removal.
ai141.photobucket.com_albums_r57_another_jeff_MJ_SANY0996.jpg

The carpet and backing were soggy and I soon found the cause. Both door seals were toast and I replaced them with some '00's I picked up from the JY. Another leak was at the grommet for the radio antenna, but the worse one was coming in around the fuse box.
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Leftovers from a long neglected leaking clutch master cylinder, which aslo explained my lack of interior lights etc. Note the cracked fuses:
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Pulled the dash:
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Saw a '89 XJ Limited at the JY with a two-tone black and gray interior that I've decided to copy. New dash in:
ai141.photobucket.com_albums_r57_another_jeff_MJ_SANY1312.jpg

Also upgraded to full instrument cluster and tilt wheel. Fuse box was shot so I picked one up from an '89 XJ:
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saw this on comanche club...nice! So you're going to go w/ 4" leaves spring under? or do a spring over rear? I want to spring mine over but I'm worried it will be too much lift to match the 3.5" front..
 
ncgamedog said:
saw this on comanche club...nice! So you're going to go w/ 4" leaves spring under? or do a spring over rear? I want to spring mine over but I'm worried it will be too much lift to match the 3.5" front..
Click to expand...

Been told if you do a spring over expect 5.5-6" of lift or more. Which is way more than I want. I've got a complete RE 3.5 XJ lift already, just sitting in the basement. In the long run It'll be cheaper for me to simply to buy the 4" SOA springs and be done with it, as opposed to doing a SUA out back and buying taller springs etc for the front.
 
ok I fallow...but I think you have your acronyms backwards haha.
SOA= Spring OVER Axle; SUA= Spring UNDER Axle

Based on what you said it sounds like you plan to do a spring over with 4" springs which would = 9.5". doubt that would match your 3.5" front...haha

No big deal, I'm on board with you now. Likes those door cards too!
 
c

it took me about 10 or 12 twelve months and found 2 back to back one with no title then the 91 with a title ...i kept looking for them too be chheeap
 
I wasn't even looking for one, just happenend to stumble across it on Craigslist one day at work and brought it home the next day. However, I've always wanted one since my brother(hammerite_05) sold his.
 
woodkrawler said:
I wasn't even looking for one, just happenend to stumble across it on Craigslist one day at work and brought it home the next day. However, I've always wanted one since my brother(hammerite_05) sold his.
Click to expand...
X2, I was a mechanic at North Point Back in the 90's and after I took a customer's on a test drive, I was hooked.
I posted a WTB on Craigslist, NAXJA and a few other places-after 6 weeks nothing. During that time I went and looked at a 2WD near SC that with no floorboards and one here locally that had a blown V6 and the guy wanted 3k for it.
After I left there I went and looked a TJ in Pinnacle. I was done looking, but when I got home had a reply from my CL ad with pics and a Carfax. Met the guy the next day and bought it. Probably paid too much, but what the hell....
 
88

dont feel bad i was a retard and got scammed on craigslist on a sweet deal on a tj , kept postive and i dont remember how (maybe stumbling upon comancheclub.com dunno for sure) but i figured it would be an "investment" that would pay off ...and i wouldn't feel like a sucker anymore ...waited, looked and looked till i found the one with no title for 600, then like 2 months later buying the iwanna ad i bout creamed myself found a 91 with title and 98 k miles for 800 ...n this old black lady in morganton had it and a 97 2 dr cherokee with 55k miles wrecked w/ salvage tiltle. got 100 off both by buying both.

$1400 later my girlfriend's lil brother got the cherokee and my 2wd axle off gate(it turned out to be to nice for parts after i got a second look)... and anyways now when i walk in the walmart i sent off the money order for the tj from "canada" i dont feel like throwing up anymore.

i dunno how you guys in morganton missed this deal it was right off main st. beside a furniture store but i drove the comanche home to gastonia and had to tow the cherokee on a tow dolly. ive learned investing in tools has paid off too, and having a 2nd job has helped a lil too.
 
matt97sport said:
dont feel bad i was a retard and got scammed on craigslist on a sweet deal on a tj , kept postive and i dont remember how (maybe stumbling upon comancheclub.com dunno for sure) but i figured it would be an "investment" that would pay off ...and i wouldn't feel like a sucker anymore ...waited, looked and looked till i found the one with no title for 600, then like 2 months later buying the iwanna ad i bout creamed myself found a 91 with title and 98 k miles for 800 ...n this old black lady in morganton had it and a 97 2 dr cherokee with 55k miles wrecked w/ salvage tiltle. got 100 off both by buying both.
$1400 later my girlfriend's lil brother got the cherokee and my 2wd axle off gate(it turned out to be to nice for parts after i got a second look)... and anyways now when i walk in the walmart i sent off the money order for the tj from "canada" i dont feel like throwing up anymore.
i dunno how you guys in morganton missed this deal it was right off main st. beside a furniture store but i drove the comanche home to gastonia and had to tow the cherokee on a tow dolly. ive learned investing in tools has paid off too, and having a 2nd job has helped a lil too.
Click to expand...


I seen your pics, sweet deal...
 
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