WBKrazy's 88 MJ: The Rebirth

[WBkrazy]

well, figured i'd post a build thread: this here is my heep, its an 88 Comanche that started life as a 2wd truck with a 2.5 and an ax-4, and is being reborn (albeit slowly) as a 4.0 4x4... originally bought it as a gas saver when gas was 5.00 a gallon (yeah i know, who buys a jeep for the gas mileage? me but my daily driver at the time was a 91 fullsize bronco, and jeep pickups are way cooler than civics and corollas) it had 98k miles on it and i bought it for $800. no rust on the body except for the rusty floors that all old heeps have. got it running right, repainted it and used it as a commuter between RI and boston where my girl was living at the time. i blew up the 2.5last june acting like a fool, so now it sits in pieces being swapped, rebuilt and restored. but anyway on to the good stuff, here's what ive got done to it, what's planned, and pics!

what i've done so far:
rattlecan repaint!
colormatched grille and bumper like an eliminator
stripped all the side mouldings
ebay clear corners
swapped out bench seat for 94 XJ buckets and a center console
put 90 XJ chrome mirrors on it
added XJ under dash lights
threw a set of canyons on it
grant steering wheel with jeep horn button
jvc deck / delphi xm radio tuner
WJ lower LCA's

things to be done:

finish the 4.0 swap
wagoneer front end conversion
4.5'' lift & 33's
dual exhaust
onboard air
and who knows what all else....

this is it.

[Pdwighty]

mmmmhh i love manchesss. nice job on the rattlecan paint came out better than most.

[Arundlemcbrundle]

thats one of the cleanest mj's i've ever seen

[WBkrazy]

7/3/09... i've been very busy.... the reinvention is about 80% finished now.... all of it done in 4&1/2 days.
the motor, trans, tcase and front axle are in.
most of the wiring is hooked up, and the engine computer and transmission computer are installed. i still have to get the other half of the wiring harness, as it turns out '90 wiring isn't compatible with the rest of the renix years. d'oh!
all of the 80 skillion vacuum lines are run.
the auto trans shifter and the t-case shift lever are installed, the tcase linkage is mounted and hooked up.
the new instrument panel with the tach and gauges is in.
i installed the power/comfort switch for the transmission.
i did the rear main seal, oil pan and valve cover gaskets on the motor while it was out.
i hooked up the cherokee underdash courtesy lights and the headlight sentry module (keeps headlights on for 2 minutes after the truck is shut off).
i threw in a daystar poly tranny mount for good measure.
also some V8 Grand Cherokee front coils...and that's where i'm at. so that brings us to whats left, which is:

install the starter.
run the tranny cooler lines.
splice in the 4.0 fuel lines.
install the 4.0 fuel pump.
install the coolant surge tank, new heater blend valve and heater core hoses.
install the front driveshaft.
hang the exhaust.
run the trans shifter cable thru the firewall.
replace the oil filter housing o-ring (had to take the housing off to get the motor in).
get new power steering hoses.
get the rear driveshaft cut to length.
get a new speedo cable.
get the other half of the '90 wiring harness.
and fix the flintstone floors.

don't have a lot of pics but i have some... next time i'm at the garage ill take a couple more..so here they are.



2.5 and ax-4 out




empty engine bay



4.0 ready to drop in



4.0 in





Auto trans shifter and t-case shift lever installed



new gauge cluster with tach and actual gauges (old one just had idiot lights and no tach)



power/comfort mode switch for transmission



poly tranny mount



floor rot (FML, i'd rather do a hundred motor swaps than spend an hour on rust repair)