1988 Jeep comanche AKA the penny sniffer

[BroncoJo]

They also said I should get a 5.0...


Get what makes you happy, but I do agree a Chevy truck would probably be a better option.

[zebvance]

In all seriousness those things suck. They are on the same chassis as a colorado, so even though you have the bigger motor, you do not have the suspension or frame to handle anything bigger than a mini truck can. I owned a colorado and it was a massive pile of ****. The interior in H3s are still small and not very roomy, the mileage is terrible, and you still have to look like a Dbag in a mini version of a vehicle that was cool 2 generations ago.

Like frick said, buy a half ton 4x4 chevy. They are bigger, will probably get better fuel mileage, look better, and you can handle towing more with it.

What problems did you have with yours Sam. Also don't really plan on towing anything. Maybe the boat to gorda, that's about it. And atleast it has a frame. That's more than what I can say about the mj...

[sam_hodnett]

What problems did you have with yours Sam. Also don't really plan on towing anything. Maybe the boat to gorda, that's about it. And atleast it has a frame. That's more than what I can say about the mj...

Rear end went out, transmission went out twice. Front end needed to be rebuilt when I sold it. 4x4 messed up, AC messed up, other little ****. And I sold it with 110000 miles on it. almost all problems happened with less than 100,000 miles on it.

One of my friends has an H3, and she never takes it off the pavement. She is always having electrical issues, and her entire four wheel drive system exploded on her the other day while she was driving to work. I just dont trust them.

Also, when I owned my colorado I never thought I would really tow anything, but it surprised me how much I wished I had a bigger truck.

But like Travis said, get what makes you happy, just dont expect us to not make fun of you

[Sharpe]

Did you know the H3 was designed by Ralph Nader?

[zebvance]

Other option is a jk8. But want 4 doors.

[jasonjuch]

Other option is a jk8. But want 4 doors.

Why not get a JKU? A JK8 has no usable bed (it's just for looks in my opinion) and you could always take the top off of a JKU and use a soft top if you like the open back. When I got married my wife had a JKU so it's now sort of mine and it's a 2007 with 120,000 miles on it. Everything runs great. The only common problem I've run into and read about is a phantom oil leak which I was able to fix by replacing the intake manifold gasket. Other than that they seem to be great.

Like people have previously said though, I would like a vehicle with more towing capacity just to have that available. If I were to get another truck I'd want to be able to do truck things with it.

[zebvance]

Little bit of a update. since I graduated, got an engineering job & attempting to do my best to grow my business I haven't had much time for the Mj.... I have done a few things here and there and drive it from time to time.. But, I need to try to get this thread up to date on where I'm at with it. I still have not put on the long arm lift, new front axle, or tires. Me and some buddies were planning on hopping back on this thing this past weekend to try to fab up the crossmember in the attempt to hopefully have it lifted and 4x4 back in it for the summer months ahead. Unfortunately weather was not supposed to cooperate so we canceled working on it.. SO now the plan is to work on it 3rd weekend in Feb. The cross member fab is the major stepping stone. After that everything else is ready to bolt up.

I also just recently blew out the rear main seal. Since at this point my time is more valuable than money is I plan on taking it to a shop and have them button up every leak on this thing. That will be the first thing that happens after the lift is on.

Then Its an alignment, fluid changes, and then Ill have measurements to order the front drive shaft.

Man im ready to get this thing back off the pavement where it is suppose to be...

[zebvance]

A bit of a quick update, trying to really give the mj the attention it needs. Dropped off the truck at the shop and had them put a new rear main seal in, along with a new oil pan and oil pan gaskets. Buttoned up a few things here and there and then I told them it has started to lose power over the last year but I figured it had to do with the TPS acting up. Just haven’t got around to replacing it. Well here is the bad news. They did a compression test and here are the results.

Dry Test

Cylinder 1 - 125 psi
Cylinder 2 - 100-105 psi
Cylinder 3 - 145 psi
Cylinder 4 - 130-135 psi
Cylinder 5 - 140-145 psi
Cylinder 6 -140 psi


Then they did a wet test on #2 by putting a few drops of oil in first and it jumped to 150 psi. So that confirms bad ring in #2. He suggested putting some stuff called CRL Restore in it and rocking it. They have used that stuff before and said it really works. They did a compression test after the put it in and #2 read 155-160 psi… Considering the rate at which I drive this thing ( 2000 miles a year),I’m going to rock it with the CRL restore every oil change. The plan is to get a craigslist 4.0 and start building a 4.7 stoker in the garage over a length of time as funds allow.

Enough with the bad news and on to the good news. This weekend I have a couple buddies coming to help get the long arms, new dana 30, and 35s on. There is some fabrication that will need to be done to the cross member before we can install it and the motor has shifted sideways a bit from the sketchy trans drop that’s on the truck, so it will need to be man handled some to get it lined up right. Then its bolt on time. There is a lot of work to be done. My goal for the weekend is to have the cross member fabed up and bolted on by the end Sunday. My buddies seem to think we can get the whole lift on. Regardless, progress will be made which Ill be happy with!

[zebvance]

Update!

Well the cross member for the long arm lift is finally in place. First things first I had to move the engine back in place from where it had sagged back and at a angle because of the sketch trans drop that was on it before.

With that done I test fit the serious off road cross member and started cutting into it so that it would fit appropriately. I had to trim the front side and back side of where it hugs the frame. This was so it would not come in contact with the Comanche cab frame supports.



In my particular case being that I’m lifting around 8 inches with a low pinion dana 30 I added a permanent 1 inch trans drop. I did this using 1x4 tube, welding it to the frame, and them making nut strips to slide in the tube to bolt the cross member to.

[zebvance]

Had to get real creative when I realized the welder wouldn’t reach the truck…..





Here is the almost finished product. I still need to drill to mounting holes on each side of the cross member and through the frame to put horizontal mounting points. I’ll do that with a 5 inch bolt going though the cross member, frame and a piece of 2 inch flat bar on the inside of the frame and. essentially sandwiching the frame.










So I am just about ready to install the new axle and long arms along with all new lift components for the front. Just have to drill the 4 last holes through the frame. But I couldn’t have got any of it done without the help form a couple of buddies. I will also have to cut the old control arm mounts off the frame so the long arms have the clearance to flex. I hope to get all that done and on the new tires in the next couple of weeks or so. Really trying to get this thing ready for the beach this summer.

[sam_hodnett]

Glad you are making some headway!

[zebvance]

Thanks Sam. Its been a long time coming. Already have plans of pulling the bed off , bobbing it and throwing a flat bed on it this coming winter. Going to get my use out of it this summer though.

I am really digging these two flat beds.

[sam_hodnett]

I like the first one, but like the roll bar of the second.

[zebvance]

I like the first one, but like the roll bar of the second.

I agree!

[zebvance]

This past weekend I was able to get the side frame bolts drilled and in. It was a pain in the ASS. 8 drill bits later everything was bolted up. I don’t have pictures but I put a piece of flat bar on the inside of the frame rail and drilled two holes though it to sandwich the fame in between. Figured that would keep the nut from possibly punching through the unibody.
I also was able to get my Hazards working again (which have never worked since I have owned the truck. While at it I mounted two new horns but haven’t wired them yet. The old horn is busted. This was all done in the attempt to get it back street legal to get it inspected. However I still have to tighten up my e-brake cable, as it has loosened up since I installed the 8.8.
Since it is going to rain this weekend I I’m going to work on replacing dash bulbs with LEDs and wiring up a few other things.
Next weekend we are going camping at Llano State Park right outside of junction. I am seriously thinking about taking the Comanche on this road trip. I have made plenty of trips in it to Huntsville, and Matagorda (2.5 hours) but this makes me kind of nervous because it’s a 4.5 hour drive…I also haven’t driven the truck that much over the past year ( maybe 500-1000 miles) but I have replaced a TON of parts…
So the plan is try to get all the little things buttoned up this week and next. Insurance, Inspection, registration, Alignment, Washed and probably take it on its first long road trip. After that the next clear weekend I can get some extra hands the new Long arms, axle, trac bar, coils, and shocks, and 35’s are all going on it.
I am really excited about getting this thing going this summer. The hardest part (cross member fabrication) is over.


Side note: This weekend I noticed the rockers are getting some rot. So I’ll be doing some research on doing some boat sides or 2x6 sliders. I would like to tastefully incorporate a step on them or something. The old lady already complains that it is too tall for her to get into, so when this thing goes up another 4-6 inches she will really be fussy then ***.