Go to: comancheclub.com for more details on the PowWow.

Page One
My '88 Comanche

Originally: 2wd, 4.0L I6, Peugeot 5-speed, 186K

-- Was my daily driver, now my offroad project (ever since the 2wd Peugeot tranny self-destructed). I have a '99 TJ Ax-15/NP-231 combo swapped in. Not a completely bolt-in job, but not that bad either. I had installed an MJ rear Dana-44 when the Dana-35 blew up a few years back, but removed it in favor of axles from a full-size '78 Bronco (high pinion Dana-44 front and Ford 9-inch rear). The front axle has Warn premium hubs and a mini-spool, and the rear now has a full spool and disk brakes. Both contain 4.10 gears

My goal was a capable truck which would keep up with the serious offroaders but also that I could drive to and from my wheeling destinations. Money was a real problem though. Fortunately, I found a real rust bucket Bronco with only 54K miles. The interior and drivetrain were in great shape and I was able to part-out the Bronco to fund most of the buildup. On this super-tight budget, I bought used 33x12.5 trXus MTs (I love them!).  I bought a pair of 33x14 boggers as trail tires for the rear.

She got about 5" of lift out of a rear spring-over conversion and 3" lift coils in front (the Ford axle gives about 2 inches from coil perches that are higher than the stock Dana 30's).

She sports cheap yet indestructible bumpers and carries a towbar (stored in the bed) just in-case something I built doesn't work quite as planned. ;-) I used the Ford radius-arm setup because of its simplicity and then built my own crossmember, draglink and trackbar. My custom rollbar is made from two inch diameter, .120" wall DOM tube and is welded/bolted to the frame (yes, Comanches have fully boxed frames back there, they are uniframe in the front like XJs, but the uniframe itself is tougher than an XJs). My rocker guard design is among the strongest I've ever seen and I'm very happy with them.Go to http://www.picturetrail.com/petermontie to see more on the design.

Oh, and I also have an 86, a 90, another 90, and had an 89 Comanche for a short time in my little tribe. Be careful, they can be highly addictive! :-)  Photos of my other trucks are at the bottom of the page.
Jeep on!
--Pete

Photos detailing my projects can be seen at: http://www.picturetrail.com/petermontie

Recent truck news:
-My baby was featured in the High-Performance Jeep Cherokee XJ Builder's Guide :-D

-Bought a pair of 33x14" boggers for the rear. Boggers are awesome!

-Bought a rebuilt 4.0L engine (not installed yet)

-Just installed a built 9" with disk brakes and a full spool

-Bought a used Lockright locker for the front axle (not installed yet)

-Just bought a rust-free 90 MJ for my next build.  It's an empty shell, but that just means it has lots of potential.

-And it's not-so-recent-news anymore, but she survived the 3000 mile round-trip drive with wheeling at Moab, Colorado, and the Rockport offroad park in Illinois.  No trailer.  No tow vehicle.  Just me and my truck and my dog, hitting the open road.  It was a once in a lifetime opportnity and I'm glad I did it.  :-)  (I'm also glad the truck held together.  More than one person called me crazy. ;-)

Near future plans include:
-A nice desert tan paint job
-Install my rebuilt 4.0L

Far future plans include:
-Previously I was contemplating 35/36 inch tires with Bushwhacker flares to cover them, but I really like the tires I have now. I still want selectable lockers though. And while I'm deaming, I could go for a highpinion 9" out back. Also I have ideas for a custom internal/external cage.

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Now some pics from my 3000+ mile trip out west:

Moab:

I met up with Rick in Colorado and we drove out to Moab. No matter what he says about his 4-banger, the truck could easily walk away from mine on the steep mountain passes. No contest. Here's his 86 MJ in Moab:

Colorado:
My buddy Mike flew out to Denver for some hiking in Colorado. Here he is during one of our many breaks. When you live at about 650 feet of elevation, hiking at 8000 feet means taking lots of breaks.

At the Slaughterhouse trail in Co.:

Here's the truck at a hiking trailhead. You can see the rack and bag I used to carry my gear across the country.

My co-pilot and wheeling buddy, Carly. :-)

This is what she does on the freeway when it's my turn to drive. I fill the foot area with a sleeping bag and blankets so she has a bed. I bought a riding harness for her so she can wheel with me safely.

Illinois:

I met up with Bob and Scott at the Rockport Offroad Park. Here's Bob's 91 MJ:

And Scott's TJ:

Scott rolled his sweet MJ just a few weeks earlier and so had to bring the TJ. Don't worry, he's not MJ-less. The other one just isn't finished yet.

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Me at a local 4x4 Club's annual hog-n-bog in '04. It was held in one member's back yard, so I don't wanna hear any whining about me tearing up some pristine wetlands, cause it was just a nasty patch of weeds and muck. I lived 'Tread Lightly' long before the phrase ever existed.

Me at the GreatLakes4x4.com annual trail ride and hog roast (aka the "Pig Gig") in '05

and '04.

The truck's inaugural trip in '03. We went to the Silver Lake Sand Dunes in Michigan.

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Some highlights of my 88:

My 86 wearing her new shoes: 29x10.5" TSLs. She's a 4x4/manual with the crappy-but-still-alive 2.8L and the ultra-rare, Comanche-specific AMC-20 rear axle.

My new 90 Pioneer. 4.0L/4x4/AX-15 and just about every option you can think of. Lots and lots of miles on her and lots of stuff to fix, but I hope to make her into my daily driver. I miss being able to tool around in an MJ every day. (I'd love to drive my 88 every day, but the rear spool has pretty much killed that option. I've installed a 3.55 geared MJ Dana 44, matching Dana 30 from a 98 XJ (big joints, non-CAD), NP-242 and converted the AX-15 to external slave. I've installed a set of well-used MTRs on beat up Canyon rims.  They may not look perfect, but they fit the truck nicely.  I installed a set of WJ lower control amrs to aleviate the rubbing when turning.

Mu newest acquisition.  A shell of a 90 sporTruck rescued from certain doom at the junkyard.  Nothing much there but rust-free sheetmetal and lots of potential. 

Jeep on!
--Pete